JP2009160540A - Droplet discharge device, discharge method, method of manufacturing color filter and method of manufacturing organic el device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a droplet discharge device capable of uniformalizing the quantity of the functional liquid to be used in a plurality of supply passages for supplying the functional liquid to be applied, a discharge method, a method of manufacturing a color filter and a method of manufacturing an organic EL device. <P>SOLUTION: The droplet discharge device 8 capable of discharging the functional liquid on a substrate 2 from nozzles of a droplet discharge head 20 provided with the supply passages to which the functional liquid is applied is provided with a carriage 19 and a stage 11, which are for relatively moving the droplet discharge head 20 and the substrate 2. In the stage 11, a first receiving part 14 is provided at a position adjacent to the substrate 2 in at least one side of a direction crossing the scanning direction of the stage 11 moving direction at a right angle. The droplet discharge device 8 is provided with the plurality of the supply passages and a plurality of the nozzles, wherein one supply passage communicates with at least on nozzle. The nozzle in a position opposite to the substrate 2 discharges the droplet 37 to the substrate 2 and the nozzle at a position opposite to the first receiving part 14 discharges the droplets 37 to the first receiving part 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device, a discharge method, a method for manufacturing a color filter, and a method for manufacturing an organic EL, and more particularly to a device that discharges a discharged liquid material with high quality.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink jet type droplet discharge device is known as a device for discharging droplets to a workpiece. The droplet discharge device moves along a table on which a workpiece such as a substrate is placed and the workpiece is moved in one direction, and a guide rail arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the table at a position above the table. And a carriage. An ink jet head (hereinafter referred to as a droplet discharge head) is disposed on the carriage, and droplets are discharged onto the workpiece and applied.

  The functional liquid is supplied from the tank to the droplet discharge head. When the functional liquid is exchanged, the viscosity may slightly differ between the existing functional liquid in the tank and the newly added functional liquid. At this time, since the difference in viscosity becomes the difference in fluid resistance, it becomes the difference in discharge amount during discharge. And when there are a plurality of tanks, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of making the consumption amounts of existing functional liquids in a plurality of tanks approximately the same. According to this, a plurality of carriages for arranging the droplet discharge heads are provided. Then, the remaining amount of the functional liquid in each tank is made uniform by selecting the carriage that the droplet discharge head discharges based on the size of the workpiece and the remaining amount of the functional liquid in the tank.

JP 2006-61849 A

  However, this method cannot be adopted when there is one carriage. Further, when a plurality of liquid droplet ejection heads are arranged and arranged, the liquid droplet ejection head at the end may deviate from a position facing the workpiece. The droplet discharge head consumes less functional liquid than other droplet discharge heads. When a new functional liquid is added, a liquid droplet ejection head that ejects an existing functional liquid and a liquid droplet ejection head that ejects a new functional liquid coexist, so the ejection amount of the liquid droplet ejection head is different. Therefore, when the applied functional liquid is dried and solidified, there is a problem that dispersion of the solidified film thickness becomes large.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1]
A droplet discharge apparatus according to this application example is a droplet discharge apparatus that relatively scans a droplet discharge head and a workpiece and discharges a liquid material from the nozzles of the droplet discharge head to the workpiece. A work table on which a work is placed; and the work table includes a first liquid material receiving portion on at least one side in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction, and the first liquid material receiving portion includes the first liquid material receiving portion. The liquid material discharged from the nozzle facing the liquid material receiving portion is received.

  According to this droplet discharge device, the work and the first liquid material receiving portion are arranged on the work table, and when discharging from the nozzle to the work, the first liquid material is discharged from the nozzle at a location facing the first liquid material receiving portion. Discharge to the receiving part. Therefore, the nozzle in the place not facing the workpiece also consumes the liquid material in the same manner as the nozzle in the place facing the workpiece. When the number of nozzles of the droplet discharge head is large or when a plurality of droplet discharge heads are used, a plurality of supply paths for supplying the liquid material to the droplet discharge head are arranged. Then, the liquid material is supplied from the tank that stores the liquid material to the droplet discharge head via a plurality of supply paths.

  When the liquid material in the supply path is reduced, a new liquid material having a different manufacturing history is supplied to the supply path in addition to the existing liquid material existing in the supply path. At this time, the viscosity of the existing liquid material existing in the supply path may be different from that of the new liquid material. When the viscosity changes, the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged from the nozzle changes. Then, when the droplet discharge head discharges the liquid material, the existing liquid material in the supply path is reduced and replaced with a new liquid material.

  The liquid droplets are consumed by both the droplet discharge head at the location facing the workpiece and the droplet ejection head at the location not facing the workpiece, so that the existing liquid can be consumed in all supply paths. Therefore, the replacement of the liquid material in the droplet discharge head can be performed substantially the same.

[Application Example 2]
In the droplet discharge device according to the application example, the first liquid material receiving portion is provided at both ends of the work table.

  According to this droplet discharge device, since the first liquid material receiving portions are provided at both ends of the workpiece, the droplet discharge head can consume the liquid material at both ends of the workpiece even at the nozzles that do not face the workpiece. it can. Accordingly, it is possible to easily set a route through which the droplet discharge head passes with respect to the workpiece.

[Application Example 3]
In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, the first liquid material receiving portion is provided near at least one end in the scanning direction with respect to the work table.

  According to this droplet discharge device, since the first liquid material receiving portion is provided near one end of the workpiece, the droplet discharge head moves to the other end of the workpiece after discharging to the first liquid material receiving portion. In the meantime, the discharge of the liquid material is stopped. Since the droplet discharge head is overheated by the energy supplied to the droplet discharge head when discharging the liquid material, the temperature of the droplet discharge head rises. Then, since the heat is dissipated when the ejection is stopped, the temperature of the droplet ejection head decreases. Therefore, even when the temperature of the droplet discharge head rises due to the discharge of the droplet discharge head to the first liquid material receiving portion, the droplet discharge head is not moved until the droplet discharge head moves to the other end. The temperature can be lowered. As a result, the temperature rise of the droplet discharge head can be suppressed.

[Application Example 4]
In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, the first liquid material receiving portion is provided over the entire width in the scanning direction with respect to the work table.

  According to this droplet discharge device, when discharging from the droplet discharge head to the workpiece, the droplet discharge head at a location not facing the workpiece is positioned at a location facing the first liquid material receiving portion. Then, the droplet discharge head at a location not facing the workpiece can be discharged in synchronization with the droplet discharge head discharged to the workpiece. At this time, the liquid material can be discharged from a predetermined number of nozzles without being limited to the number of nozzles at a location facing the workpiece. The droplet discharge head can stably discharge the discharge amount when the number of nozzles that discharge the liquid material does not change at the same time as compared with when the number of nozzles changes. Therefore, this droplet discharge device can discharge the discharge amount stably.

[Application Example 5]
In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example described above, a width of the first liquid material receiving portion and the workpiece in the orthogonal direction is wider than a region where the nozzle can eject.

  According to this droplet discharge device, the range in which the droplet discharge head can discharge is inside the first liquid material receiving part and the workpiece. Accordingly, when the liquid material is discharged from the droplet discharge head, the discharged liquid material is discharged to the first liquid material receiving portion or the workpiece. Therefore, since the liquid material is difficult to adhere to the work table, it is possible to prevent the work table from being contaminated by the liquid material.

[Application Example 6]
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, further including a second liquid material receiving portion on at least one side in the scanning direction of the work table, wherein the second liquid material receiving portion is the second liquid material. The liquid material ejected from the nozzle facing the body receiving portion is received.

  According to this droplet discharge device, even when the amount of consumption of the liquid material cannot be adjusted and divided by the first liquid material receiving portion, the difference in the amount of consumption of the liquid material in each supply path is discharged by discharging to the second liquid material receiving portion. Can be adjusted.

[Application Example 7]
A discharge method according to this application example is a discharge method of discharging a liquid material from a nozzle of a droplet discharge head onto a workpiece, and the liquid material is applied to the workpiece while relatively moving the droplet discharge head and the workpiece. A discharge step of discharging, wherein in the discharge step, the liquid material is discharged to the liquid material receiving portion from the nozzle not facing the workpiece.

  According to this discharge method, when discharging from the nozzle to the work in the discharge step, the nozzle is discharged from the nozzle at a location opposite to the liquid receiver to the liquid receiver. Therefore, the nozzle in the place not facing the workpiece also consumes the liquid material in the same manner as the nozzle in the place facing the workpiece. When the number of nozzles of the droplet discharge head is large or when a plurality of droplet discharge heads are used, a plurality of supply paths for supplying the liquid material to the droplet discharge head are arranged. Then, the liquid material is supplied from the tank that stores the liquid material to the droplet discharge head via a plurality of supply paths. The liquid droplets are consumed by both the droplet discharge head at the location facing the workpiece and the droplet ejection head at the location not facing the workpiece, so that the existing liquid can be consumed in all supply paths. Therefore, the liquid material in the droplet discharge head can be switched substantially the same.

[Application Example 8]
In the discharge method according to the application example, the liquid material is discharged from the nozzle substantially simultaneously to the workpiece and the liquid material receiving portion.

  According to this discharge method, the nozzle at a location facing the liquid material receiving portion and the nozzle at a location facing the workpiece are simultaneously discharged. Accordingly, the liquid material can be ejected from substantially the same number of nozzles even when all the nozzles are located at a location facing the workpiece and when some of the nozzles are not located at a location facing the workpiece. Then, by making the number of nozzles to be driven approximately the same each time, it is possible to reduce fluctuations in the discharge amount of the liquid material to be discharged.

[Application Example 9]
In the ejection method according to the application example described above, when the droplet ejection head is positioned on one end side in the scanning direction with respect to the workpiece, the nozzle facing the liquid body receiving portion is moved to the liquid body receiving portion. The liquid material is discharged.

  According to this discharge method, the discharge of the liquid material is stopped until the droplet discharge head moves to the other end of the workpiece after the droplet discharge head discharges to the liquid material receiving portion near the one end of the workpiece. Since heat is dissipated when the ejection is stopped, the temperature of the droplet ejection head decreases. Therefore, even when the temperature of the droplet discharge head rises due to the discharge of the droplet discharge head to the liquid material receiver, the temperature of the droplet discharge head is kept until the droplet discharge head moves to the other end. Can be lowered. As a result, the temperature rise of the droplet discharge head can be suppressed.

[Application Example 10]
In the ejection method according to the application example described above, in the case where a plurality of supply paths for supplying the liquid material to the droplet discharge head are provided, the consumption of the liquid material for each supply path is substantially the same amount from the nozzle. The liquid material is discharged.

  According to this discharge method, the existing liquid material is consumed at substantially the same consumption speed in all the supply paths. Therefore, the liquid material discharged from the droplet discharge head can be switched almost simultaneously from the existing liquid material to the new liquid material.

[Application Example 11]
In the color filter manufacturing method using the ejection method according to the application example, the liquid material includes a color filter forming material, and is formed after the liquid material is applied.

  According to this color filter manufacturing method, the switching between the existing liquid material and the new liquid material is performed almost simultaneously, so that the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged when the liquid material is switched can be controlled. Therefore, since the film thickness formed using the liquid material is formed with high accuracy, the color tone of the light transmitted through the color filter can be aligned with high quality.

[Application Example 12]
In the method for manufacturing an organic EL device using the ejection method according to the application example, the liquid material includes a light emitting element forming material, and is formed after the liquid material is applied.

  According to this method for manufacturing an organic EL device, since the switching between the existing liquid material and the new liquid material is performed almost simultaneously, the discharge amount of the liquid material discharged at the time of switching the liquid material can be controlled. . Therefore, since the film thickness of the light emitting element is formed with high accuracy, the characteristics of the light emitting element that emit light can be aligned with high quality.

[Application Example 13]
In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example described above, a standby receiving portion is provided at a location facing the liquid droplet ejection head, and when the workpiece is removed from the work table and when the workpiece is placed on the work table In addition, the droplet discharge head is moved to a position facing the standby receiving portion, and the liquid material is discharged to the standby receiving portion.

  According to this droplet discharge device, the droplet discharge head can discharge the liquid material to the standby receiving portion when supplying / discharging the workpiece. Then, the liquid material can be discharged from the liquid droplet discharge head with a small consumption amount, and the consumption difference of the existing liquid material in the supply path can be adjusted.

[Application Example 14]
In the droplet discharge device according to the application example, when discharging from the droplet discharge head to the first liquid material receiving portion or the second liquid material receiving portion, the first liquid material receiving portion and the second liquid material At least one of the receiving portions is disposed at a distance close to the droplet discharge head in the liquid discharge direction.

  According to this droplet discharge device, when the liquid material discharged from the droplet discharge head collides with the first liquid material receiving portion or the second liquid material receiving portion, a part of the liquid material becomes a fine liquid particle. It may bounce back. At this time, by narrowing the gap between the first liquid receiving part or the second liquid receiving part and the droplet discharge head, it is possible to make it difficult for fine liquid particles to be generated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent minute liquid particles from adhering to the workpiece.

[Application Example 15]
In the ejection method according to the application example, a second liquid material receiving portion is provided at a location adjacent to the workpiece in the scanning direction, and the second liquid material receiving portion is disposed from a location where the droplet ejection head faces the workpiece. And a consumption amount adjusting step of discharging the liquid material from the droplet discharge head to the second liquid material receiving portion, and the consumption amount of the liquid material for each supply path is The liquid material is discharged from the nozzle to the workpiece and the liquid material receiving portion so as to have substantially the same amount.

  According to this discharge method, the consumption amount of the existing liquid material in the supply path is adjusted in the consumption adjustment step in addition to the discharge step. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the consumption difference of the existing liquid material in each supply path.

[Application Example 16]
A discharge method according to this application example is a discharge method of discharging a liquid material from a nozzle of the droplet discharge head to the workpiece while relatively moving the workpiece placed on the table and the droplet discharge head, The droplet discharge head includes a plurality of supply paths through which the liquid material is supplied, and an application process for discharging and applying the liquid material to the work, and a supply / discharge material process for removing or arranging the work from the table, A discharge amount calculating step for calculating the consumption amount of the liquid material to be discharged in the coating step for each supply path, and the supply path having a smaller consumption amount of the liquid material than the supply path having a large consumption amount of the liquid material. And a consumption adjustment step of discharging a large amount of the liquid material from the nozzle corresponding to the above-mentioned nozzle, and the supply / discharge material step and the consumption adjustment step are performed in parallel.

  According to this discharge method, the supply / discharge material process and the consumption adjustment process are performed in parallel. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the amount of consumption of the liquid material in each supply path with high productivity as compared with the case where the feeding / discharging material process and the consumption adjustment process are performed separately.

[Application Example 17]
In the ejection method according to the application example, when the liquid material is applied to a plurality of the workpieces, the liquid material is applied to the next workpiece after starting the application of the liquid material to one workpiece. The liquid material is discharged from the nozzle so that the consumption amount of the liquid material for each of the supply paths becomes substantially the same before the start of the coating.

  According to this discharge method, the amount of consumption of the liquid material in each supply path is adjusted during application to one workpiece. After the supply of the new liquid material is started, the existing liquid material is consumed, and the new liquid material reaches the nozzle through the supply path. At this time, it is adjusted so that a new liquid material and an existing liquid material are switched for each nozzle in accordance with the timing of starting application to one workpiece. Therefore, it is possible to prevent both the new liquid material and the existing liquid material from being applied to one workpiece.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
In addition, each member in each drawing is illustrated with a different scale for each member in order to make the size recognizable on each drawing.

(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, a characteristic droplet discharge device and an example of manufacturing a color filter by discharging droplets using this droplet discharge device will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Color filter)
First, the color filter 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing a color filter, and FIG. 1B is a schematic side view showing a color filter. The color filter 1 is used in a display device such as a liquid crystal television, and the color filter 1 is used when a color image is formed by allowing white light having a luminance distribution corresponding to an image signal to pass through the color filter 1. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the color filter 1 includes a substrate 2 as a workpiece. The substrate 2 is only required to be light transmissive and strong enough not to be broken by tension, and a glass plate, a plastic plate, a plastic sheet or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, for example, a glass plate is employed. On the upper surface of the substrate 2, the color elements 3 are formed so as to be arranged vertically and horizontally. The color elements 3 are composed of red, blue, and green color elements 3, and the color elements 3 for each color are arranged in rows. In FIG. 1A, the red element row 3a, the blue element row 3b, and the green element row 3c are arranged in this order from the left. And in this figure, the order is repeated from left to right.

  The color element 3 includes a bank 4 formed in a lattice shape, and a color film 5 is formed at a location partitioned by the bank 4 into a rectangle. A red color film 5a is formed on the color elements 3 of the red element array 3a, and a blue color film 5b and a green color film 5c are formed on the blue element array 3b and the green element array 3c, respectively.

(Droplet discharge device)
Next, a droplet discharge device 8 that discharges and applies droplets to a workpiece will be described with reference to FIGS. There are various types of droplet discharge devices, but a device using an ink jet method is preferable. The ink jet method is suitable for microfabrication because it can eject fine droplets.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the droplet discharge device. As shown in FIG. 2, the droplet discharge device 8 includes a base 9 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The longitudinal direction of the base 9 is defined as the Y direction, and the direction orthogonal to the Y direction is defined as the X direction.

  On the upper surface 9a of the base 9, a pair of guide rails 10a, 10b extending in the Y direction is provided so as to protrude over the entire width in the Y direction. On the upper side of the base 9, a stage 11 as a work table provided with a linear motion mechanism (not shown) corresponding to the pair of guide rails 10a and 10b is attached. The linear motion mechanism of the stage 11 is, for example, a screw linear motion mechanism including a screw shaft (drive shaft) extending in the Y direction along the guide rails 10a and 10b and a ball nut screwed to the screw shaft. The drive shaft is connected to a Y-axis motor (not shown) that receives a predetermined pulse signal and rotates forward and backward in units of steps. When a drive signal corresponding to a predetermined number of steps is input to the Y-axis motor, the Y-axis motor rotates forward or reversely, and the stage 11 corresponds to the same number of steps along the Y-axis direction. Scanning in the Y direction is performed by moving forward or backward at a predetermined speed. A direction in which the stage 11 scans is a scanning direction.

  A mounting surface 12 is formed on the upper surface of the stage 11, and a suction-type substrate chuck mechanism (not shown) is provided on the mounting surface 12. When the substrate 2 as a workpiece is placed on the placement surface 12, the substrate 2 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position on the placement surface 12 by the substrate chuck mechanism. On both sides in the X direction of the place where the substrate 2 is fixed, first receiving portions 14 are arranged as first liquid material receiving portions that receive droplets discharged by the droplet discharging head. The length of the first receiving portion 14 in the Y direction is longer than that of the substrate 2, and the substrate 2 is arranged between both ends of the first receiving portion 14.

  A pair of support bases 15a and 15b are erected on both sides of the base 9 in the X direction, and a guide member 16 extending in the X direction is installed on the pair of support bases 15a and 15b. On the upper side of the guide member 16, a storage tank 17 that stores the functional liquid to be discharged is provided. This functional liquid is a liquid in which the material of the color film 5 is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent or dispersion medium. In order to form the color film 5 of three colors, that is, the red color film 5a, the blue color film 5b, and the green color film 5c, the color film 5 has three containers arranged inside the storage tank 17, and each container has Functional liquids corresponding to the red color film 5a, the blue color film 5b, and the green color film 5c are accommodated.

  On the other hand, on the lower side of the guide member 16, a guide rail 18 extending in the X direction is provided so as to protrude over the entire width in the X direction. A carriage 19 as a table that is movably arranged along the guide rail 18 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The carriage 19 has a mechanism similar to the linear movement mechanism of the stage 11 and can scan in the X direction. A direction in which the carriage 19 scans is a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. A droplet discharge head 20 is provided on a head disposition surface 19 a that is the lower surface of the carriage 19.

  FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view showing the carriage. As shown in FIG. 3A, one carriage 19 has three droplet discharge heads 20 arranged in one row and formed in a substantially Y direction. The first head row 20a and the second head row Three rows 20b and a third head row 20c are arranged. The three liquid droplet ejection heads 20 constituting each row are supplied with functional liquids of different colors. From the droplet discharge head 20 of the first head row 20d located in the upper row in the drawing, a functional liquid that is a material of the red color film 5a is supplied. Similarly, the functional liquid that is the material of the blue color film 5b is supplied from the droplet discharge head 20 of the second head row 20e located in the center row in the drawing, and the third head located in the lower row in the drawing. A functional liquid serving as a material of the green color film 5c is supplied from the droplet discharge head 20 in the row 20f. A nozzle plate 21 is disposed on the surface of the droplet discharge head 20, and a plurality of nozzles 22 are formed on the nozzle plate 21. The number of nozzles 22 may be set in accordance with the pattern to be ejected and the size of the substrate 2. In the present embodiment, for example, one nozzle plate 21 is formed with a single array of nozzles 22. Fifteen nozzles 22 are arranged in the row.

  FIG. 3B is a schematic side view showing the carriage, and is a view of the carriage shown in FIG. 3A viewed from the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 3B, the carriage 19 includes a base plate 23. A moving mechanism 24 is disposed on the upper side of the base plate 23, and a mechanism for moving the carriage 19 along the guide rail 18 is accommodated.

  A drive circuit board 26 is disposed below the base plate 23 via a support portion 25. A head drive circuit 27 as a drive control unit is disposed below the drive circuit board 26. Further, a head mounting plate 29 is disposed on the base plate 23 via a support portion 28, and a droplet discharge head 20 is disposed on the lower surface of the head mounting plate 29. The head mounting plate 29 on which the droplet discharge head 20 is disposed is referred to as a head unit 30. The head drive circuit 27 and the droplet discharge head 20 are connected by a cable (not shown), and a drive signal output from the head drive circuit 27 is input to the droplet discharge head 20.

  Under the base plate 23, supply devices 31 as supply paths equal in number to the droplet discharge heads 20 are arranged, and the storage tank 17 and the supply device 31 are connected by a tube (not shown). The supply device 31 and the droplet discharge head 20 are connected by a tube 32 as a supply path. The functional liquid supplied from the storage tank 17 is supplied to the droplet discharge head 20 by the supply device 31. The supply path includes the tube 32, the supply device 31, the tube between the storage tank 17 and the supply device 31, the flow path through which the functional liquid flows in the droplet discharge head 20, and the like.

  FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the structure of the droplet discharge head. As shown in FIG. 3C, the droplet discharge head 20 includes a nozzle plate 21, and the nozzle 22 is formed on the nozzle plate 21. A cavity 33 serving as a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle 22 is formed on the nozzle plate 21 at a position facing the nozzle 22. The functional liquid 34 as a liquid material stored in the supply device 31 is supplied to the cavity 33 of the droplet discharge head 20 through the tube 32 and a flow path (not shown).

  Above the cavity 33, a vibration plate 35 that vibrates in the vertical direction (Z direction) and expands and contracts the volume in the cavity 33, and a piezoelectric element as a drive unit that expands and contracts in the vertical direction to vibrate the vibration plate 35. 36 is arranged. When the droplet discharge head 20 receives a nozzle drive signal for controlling and driving the piezoelectric element 36, the piezoelectric element 36 expands and the diaphragm 35 expands and contracts the volume in the cavity 33 to add the cavity 33. Press. As a result, the functional liquid 34 corresponding to the reduced volume is discharged as droplets 37 from the nozzles 22 of the droplet discharge head 20. In the droplet discharge head 20, a droplet discharge element 38 is configured by the nozzle 22, the cavity 33, the vibration plate 35, the piezoelectric element 36, and the like, and a plurality of droplet discharge elements 38 are arranged in one droplet discharge head 20. Is formed.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a stage. As shown in FIG. 4A, the stage 11 includes a stage main body 41, and a receiving tray 42 formed in a concave shape is disposed at a location near the X direction both ends of the stage main body 41. A pipe 43 is formed at an upper portion of the stage main body 41 and opposite to a place where the substrate 2 is disposed, and the pipe 43 is connected to a vacuum tank via a tube, an electromagnetic valve, or the like (not shown). The pipe 43 is arranged extending in the X direction and the Y direction inside the stage main body 41, and is connected to the upper surface 41a of the stage main body 41 through a plurality of pipes 43a arranged in the Z direction.

  In the Z direction of the receiving tray 42, a liquid absorbing portion 44 is disposed so as to cover the receiving tray 42. The liquid absorbing portion 44 is formed of a porous material, and a material formed by foaming a plastic such as urethane or a mat formed by bundling fibers can be used. A placement plate 45 is disposed on the upper surface 41 a of the stage main body 41, and a receiving portion hole 45 a is formed in the place of the placement plate 45 facing the tray 42. The periphery of the liquid absorbing portion 44 is fixed by being sandwiched between the stage main body 41 and the mounting plate 45, and the center of the liquid absorbing portion 44 is arranged to be exposed. Then, the droplet 37 discharged from the droplet discharge head 20 can land on the liquid absorbing portion 44. In the Z direction, the liquid absorbing portion 44 is disposed at a distance close to the droplet discharge head 20, and the discharged droplet 37 is difficult to rebound to the liquid absorbing portion 44.

  A suction hole 45b is disposed at a position of the mounting plate 45 facing the pipe 43a of the stage main body 41, and the pipe 43a and the suction hole 45b are disposed in communication with each other. Then, after placing the substrate 2 on the placement surface 12 which is the upper surface of the placement plate 45, the substrate 2 is attracted to the placement surface 12 by lowering the atmospheric pressure in the pipe 43. .

  When the substrate 2 is disposed on the placement surface 12, the end portion 2a in the X direction of the substrate 2 is disposed so as to protrude into the receiving portion hole 45a of the first receiving portion 14, so that the substrate 2 and the first receiving portion 14 are Adjacent to each other.

  FIG. 4A shows a state in which when the droplet discharge head 20 discharges the droplet 37, the droplet discharge head 20 is moved to the position opposite to the X direction. FIG. 4B shows a state in which when the droplet discharge head 20 discharges the droplet 37, the droplet discharge head 20 is moved to the position in the X direction most. A dischargeable range 46 indicates a range in which the droplet discharge head 20 can move and discharge. On the other hand, a place where the place where the substrate 2 is disposed and the first receiving portion 14 are combined is set as a landing possible range 47. At this time, the dischargeable range 46 is disposed inside the landable range 47.

  FIG. 5 is an electric control block diagram of the droplet discharge device. In FIG. 5, the control device 50 of the droplet discharge device 8 includes a CPU (arithmetic processing device) 51 that performs various arithmetic processes as a processor and a memory 52 that stores various types of information.

  The main scanning drive device 53, the sub-scanning drive device 54, and the head drive circuit 27 that drives the droplet discharge head 20 are connected to the CPU 51 via the input / output interface 55 and the data bus 56. Further, the input device 57 and the display device 58 are also connected to the CPU 51 via the input / output interface 55 and the data bus 56.

  The main scanning drive device 53 is a device that controls the movement of the stage 11, and the sub-scanning drive device 54 is a device that controls the movement of the carriage 19. The main scanning drive unit 53 controls the movement of the stage 11 and the sub-scanning drive unit 54 controls the movement of the carriage 19 to move and stop the droplet discharge head 20 to a desired position with respect to the substrate 2. Is possible.

  The input device 57 is a device for inputting various processing conditions for ejecting the droplet 37. For example, the input device 57 is a device that receives and inputs coordinates for ejecting the droplet 37 onto the substrate 2 from an external device (not shown). The display device 58 is a device that displays processing conditions and work conditions, and an operator performs an operation using the input device 57 based on information displayed on the display device 58.

  The memory 52 is a concept including a semiconductor memory such as a RAM and a ROM, and an external storage device such as a hard disk and a CD-ROM. Functionally, a storage area for storing program software 59 in which a control procedure of the operation in the droplet discharge device 8 is described is set. Further, a storage area for storing discharge position data 60 which is coordinate data of the discharge position in the substrate 2 is also set. Further, a storage area for storing consumption data 61 indicating the amount of the discharged functional liquid 34 is also set. In addition, a storage area for storing a main scanning movement amount for moving the substrate 2 in the main scanning direction (Y direction) and a sub scanning movement amount for moving the carriage 19 in the sub scanning direction (X direction); A storage area that functions as a work area for the CPU 51, a temporary file, and the like, and various other storage areas are set.

  The CPU 51 performs control for ejecting the functional liquid 34 as droplets 37 at predetermined positions on the surface of the substrate 2 in accordance with program software 59 stored in the memory 52. As a specific function realization unit, the liquid droplet ejection head 20 includes an ejection computation unit 62 that performs computations for ejecting the droplets 37. If the discharge calculation unit 62 is divided in detail, the discharge calculation unit 62 has a main scanning control calculation unit 63 that calculates control for scanning and moving the substrate 2 in the main scanning direction (Y direction) at a predetermined speed. In addition, the discharge calculation unit 62 includes a sub-scanning control calculation unit 64 that calculates control for moving the droplet discharge head 20 in the sub-scanning direction (X direction) by a predetermined sub-scanning movement amount. Furthermore, the discharge calculation unit 62 performs a calculation for controlling which nozzle among a plurality of nozzles in the droplet discharge head 20 is operated to discharge the functional liquid 34, a droplet control unit 65, Various function calculation units such as a discharge amount calculation unit 66 that calculates the amount of droplets 37 discharged for each discharge head 20 are provided.

(Application method)
Next, a coating method for discharging and applying the functional liquid 34 to the substrate 2 using the above-described droplet discharge device 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process for applying a functional liquid to a substrate. 7 and 8 are diagrams for explaining a method of applying to the substrate.

  Step S1 corresponds to a discharge amount calculation step, and the amount discharged by each droplet discharge head is calculated using a pattern of droplets discharged onto the substrate. Then, in order to make the amount ejected by each droplet ejection head substantially the same amount, this is a step of calculating the amount ejected by each droplet ejection head to the first receiving portion. Next, the process proceeds to step S2. Step S2 corresponds to a material supply process, and is a process of positioning after disposing the substrate on the droplet discharge device. Next, the process proceeds to step S3 and step S4. Steps S3 and S4 are processes performed in parallel. Step S3 corresponds to an application process, and is a process in which functional liquid droplets are discharged and applied to the substrate. Next, the process proceeds to step S5. Step S4 corresponds to a consumption adjustment step, and is a step of discharging functional liquid droplets to the first receiving portion so that the amount discharged by each droplet discharge head is substantially the same. Next, the process proceeds to step S5. Step S5 corresponds to a material removal process and is a process of moving the substrate coated with the functional liquid from the droplet discharge device. This completes the manufacturing process for applying the functional liquid to the substrate.

  Next, a manufacturing method in which a functional liquid is discharged from a droplet discharge head onto a substrate and applied will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 in association with the steps shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to step S1. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining a path through which the droplet discharge head passes through the substrate. FIGS. 7B and 7C are diagrams showing the distribution of the number of discharges of each droplet discharge head. .

  As shown in FIG. 7A, an example in which one substrate 2 is applied according to an application path 69 that reciprocates three times on the stage 11 is shown. The number of reciprocations is determined by the width of the substrate 2 and the width that the droplet discharge head 20 can apply by one scan, and it is desirable to set an appropriate number of reciprocations. First, in the first forward path 69a, ejection is performed using all the nozzles 22 of the droplet ejection head 20. Next, the place not applied by the first forward path 69a is applied by the first return path 69b. That is, in the arrangement of the droplet discharge heads 20 shown in FIG. 3A, since the nozzles 22 are not arranged between the respective rows, it is not possible to apply in the first forward path 69a. The place is applied by the first return path 69b.

  Similarly, the second forward path 69c, the second backward path 69d, and the third forward path 69e are discharged. Next, the third return path 69f is discharged. At this time, a part of the droplet discharge heads 20 of the third head row 20 c is located in the X direction from the substrate 2, and hence the discharge amount of the functional liquid 34 is smaller than the other droplet discharge heads 20.

  In FIG. 7B, the vertical axis represents the number of ejections 70 ejected from each droplet ejection head 20, and the horizontal axis represents the ejection head row 71. As shown in the figure, the number of ejections 70 of the third head row 20c is smaller than the number of ejections 70 of the first head row 20a and the second head row 20b. In FIG.7 (c), the vertical axis and the horizontal axis are the same as FIG.7 (b). The number of discharges 70 obtained by subtracting the number of discharges 70 of the third head row 20 c from the number of discharges 70 of the first head row 20 a and the second head row 20 b is set as the adjustment number 73.

  FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are diagrams corresponding to step S2. As shown in FIG. 8A, the substrate 2 is moved to a place facing the placement surface 12 of the stage 11 and placed on the placement surface 12. Banks 4 are formed on the substrate 2. The bank 4 is formed by applying a photosensitive resin to the substrate 2, and then exposing and developing using a pattern-shaped mask of the bank 4. Since this step is formed by a known apparatus and method, description of the manufacturing method is omitted. Then, the substrate 2 is fixed to the mounting surface 12 using the substrate chuck mechanism. As a result, the substrate 2 is fixed to the stage 11 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8C is a diagram corresponding to step S3. As shown in FIG. 8C, the droplet 37 is ejected from the droplet ejection head 20 while the droplet ejection head 20 and the substrate 2 are relatively moved by moving the stage 11 and the carriage 19. Then, the functional liquid 34 is applied to a predetermined pattern on the substrate 2. At this time, the stage 11 and the carriage 19 are moved according to the first forward path 69a to the third forward path 69e shown in FIG.

  FIG. 8D is a diagram corresponding to step S4. As shown in FIG. 8D, the droplet discharge head 20 of the third head row 20c is located at a location facing the first receiving portion 14 in the third return path 69f. Then, ejection is performed 73 times from the droplet ejection head 20. At this time, the first receiving portion 14 is formed longer than the length of the substrate 2, and the droplets of the third head row 20c are ejected while the droplet ejection heads 20 of the first head row 20a and the second head row 20b are ejected. A droplet 37 is discharged from the discharge head 20. The droplet discharge heads 20 of the third head row 20c discharge in synchronization with the discharges of the droplet discharge heads 20 of the first head row 20a and the second head row 20b. Accordingly, the difference in consumption of the functional liquid 34 in each supply path is adjusted to be substantially the same while applying one substrate 2.

  FIG. 8E is a diagram corresponding to step S5. As shown in FIG. 8E, the substrate chuck mechanism is released and the substrate 2 is lifted from the placement surface 12. Then, the substrate 2 is moved from the droplet discharge device 8. The manufacturing process for applying the functional liquid to the substrate is completed by the above process. Thereafter, the functional liquid 34 applied to the substrate 2 is dried to solidify the functional liquid 34 and form the color film 5. The color filter 1 is completed through the above steps.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, in step S 4, the droplet discharge head 20 at a location facing the substrate 2 and the droplet discharge head 20 at a location facing the first receiving portion 14 consume the functional liquid 34. Therefore, the functional liquid 34 can be consumed in the supply path of all the droplet discharge heads 20. Therefore, when the new functional liquid 34 is supplied to the storage tank 17, the functional liquid 34 in each droplet discharge head 20 can be replaced substantially in the same manner.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, since the first receiving portions 14 are provided on both sides of the substrate 2, the droplet discharge heads 20 are located at both ends of the substrate 2 at positions not facing the substrate 2. Also, the functional liquid 34 can be consumed.

  (3) According to this embodiment, the droplet discharge head 20 discharged to the first receiver 14 discharges in synchronization with the droplet discharge head 20 discharged to the substrate 2. At this time, the functional liquid 34 can be discharged from a predetermined number of nozzles 22 without being limited to the number of nozzles 22 at a location facing the substrate 2. The droplet discharge head 20 can stably discharge the discharge amount when the number of nozzles 22 that simultaneously discharge the functional liquid 34 does not change compared to when the number of nozzles 22 changes. Therefore, the droplet discharge device 8 can discharge the discharge amount stably.

  (4) According to the present embodiment, the range in which the droplet discharge head 20 can discharge is inside the first receiving portion 14 and the substrate 2. Accordingly, when the functional liquid 34 is discharged from the droplet discharge head 20, the discharged functional liquid 34 is discharged to the first receiving portion 14 or the substrate 2. Accordingly, since the functional liquid 34 is difficult to adhere to the stage 11, it is possible to prevent the stage 11 from being contaminated by the functional liquid 34.

  (5) According to the present embodiment, since the droplet discharge head 20 is disposed at a distance close to the first receiving portion 14 in the Z direction, the minute particles of the functional liquid 34 rebound from the liquid absorbing portion 44. It has become difficult. Therefore, it is possible to prevent fine liquid particles from adhering to the substrate 2.

  (6) According to the present embodiment, in step S1, the number of adjustments 73 is calculated and discharged from the droplet discharge head 20 of the third head row 20c to the first receiver 14 in step S4. The functional liquid 34 in all the supply paths is consumed at substantially the same consumption speed. Therefore, the functional liquid 34 discharged from the droplet discharge head 20 can be switched from the existing functional liquid 34 to the new functional liquid 34 almost simultaneously.

  (7) According to the present embodiment, while applying the functional liquid 34 to one substrate 2, the difference in consumption of the functional liquid 34 in each supply path is adjusted to be substantially the same amount. Therefore, it is possible to prevent two or more substrates 2 to which both the existing functional liquid 34 and the new functional liquid 34 are applied after the functional liquid 34 in the storage tank 17 is replaced.

  (8) According to the present embodiment, in step S <b> 4, the droplet discharge head 20 that is not located at a location facing the substrate 2 can be discharged to the first receiver 14. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the nozzle 22 from being clogged by the volatilization of the solvent or dispersion medium of the functional liquid 34 from the nozzle 22.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of the droplet discharge device will be described with reference to the schematic perspective view of the droplet discharge device in FIG. 9 and the drawing for explaining the discharge method in FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the first receiving portion 14 shown in FIG. 2 is arranged in a part in the Y direction. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the droplet discharge device 75 includes a stage 76, and the first receiving portion 77 as the first liquid material receiving portion is an end of the substrate 2 in the Y direction. Four places are arranged near the portion 2b. The first receiving portion 77 a to the first receiving portion 77 d as the first liquid material receiving portion serve as the first receiving portion 77. The positions of the two first receiving portions 77 of the first receiving portion 77a and the first receiving portion 77c with respect to the substrate 2 in the X direction are substantially the same as those of the first receiving portion 14 of the first embodiment. Similarly, the positions of the two first receiving portions 77 of the first receiving portion 77b and the first receiving portion 77d with respect to the substrate 2 in the X direction are also arranged substantially the same as the first receiving portion 14 of the first embodiment. . Further, the distance from the end of the first receiving portion 77a in the Y direction to the end of the first receiving portion 77b in the reverse direction of the Y direction is formed to be substantially the same as that of the first receiving portion 14 of the first embodiment. Similarly, the distance from the end of the first receiving portion 77c in the Y direction to the end of the first receiving portion 77d in the reverse direction of the Y direction is formed to be substantially the same as that of the first receiving portion 14 of the first embodiment. .

  FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to step S4 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the droplet discharge head 20 of the third head row 20c is located at a location facing the first receiving portion 77d in the third return path 69f, the first reception from the droplet discharge head 20 is performed. The number of adjustments 73 is discharged to the part 77d. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the droplet discharge head 20 moves from a location facing the first receiving portion 77d, the discharge from the droplet discharge head 20 is stopped. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10C, droplets 37 are discharged from the droplet discharge heads 20 of the first head row 20a and the second head row 20b onto the substrate 2.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the first receiving portion 77 is provided near one end of the substrate 2. The droplet discharge head 20 stops discharging the droplets 37 until the droplet discharge head 20 moves to the end portion 2b of the substrate 2 after being discharged to the first receiving portion 77d. Since the droplet discharge head 20 is overheated by the energy supplied to the droplet discharge head 20 when discharging the droplet 37, the temperature of the droplet discharge head 20 rises. Then, since the heat is dissipated when the ejection is stopped, the temperature of the droplet ejection head 20 decreases. Accordingly, even when the temperature of the droplet discharge head 20 rises due to the droplet discharge head 20 discharging to the first receiving portion 77d, the droplet discharge head 20 is moved until the end portion 2b is moved. The temperature of the discharge head can be lowered. As a result, the temperature rise of the droplet discharge head 20 can be suppressed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of the droplet discharge device will be described with reference to the schematic perspective view of the droplet discharge device in FIG. 11 and the drawing for explaining the discharge method in FIG. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, in addition to the first receiving portion 14 shown in FIG. 2, a second receiving portion is disposed at a location in contact with the substrate 2 in the Y direction of the substrate 2. is there. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the droplet discharge device 79 includes a stage 80, and the first receiving portion 82 as the first liquid material receiving portion is reverse to the X direction of the substrate 2. The first receiving part 83 as the first liquid material receiving part is arranged near the end part 2 a in the X direction of the substrate 2. Further, the second receiving portion 84 as the second liquid material receiving portion is disposed near the end 2b in the Y direction of the substrate 2, and the second receiving portion 85 as the second liquid material receiving portion is in the Y direction of the substrate 2. It is arrange | positioned near the edge part 2b in the reverse direction. The positions of the first receiving portion 82 and the first receiving portion 83 with respect to the substrate 2 in the X direction are arranged substantially the same as the first receiving portion 14 of the first embodiment. The lengths of the second receiving portion 84 and the second receiving portion 85 in the X direction are the same as the length occupied by the first receiving portion 82, the substrate 2, and the first receiving portion 83. The widths of the second receiving portion 84 and the second receiving portion 85 in the Y direction are longer than the distance between the nozzles 22 of the first head row 20d and the nozzles 22 of the third head row 20f. Accordingly, when the droplet 37 is ejected from the droplet ejection head 20, the droplet 37 is applied to any of the substrate 2, the first receiving portion 82, the first receiving portion 83, the second receiving portion 84, and the second receiving portion 85. It has come to land.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to step S4 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12A, the liquid droplet ejection head 20 is moved to a location facing the second receiving portion 84 before being applied to the substrate 2, and the liquid is transferred from the liquid droplet ejection head 20 to the second receiving portion 84. Drops 37 are discharged. Then, as shown in FIG. 12B, when the droplet ejection head 20 of the third head row 20c is located at a location facing the first receiving portion 83 in the third return path 69f, the droplet ejection head 20 takes the first Discharge to one receiving portion 83. Then, as shown in FIG. 12C, when the droplet discharge head 20 moves to a location facing the second receiving portion 85, it is discharged from the droplet discharge head 20 to the second receiving portion 85. In this step, the number of ejections from the droplet ejection heads 20 of the third head row 20c is ejected by an adjustment number 73 more than the number of ejections by the droplet ejection heads 20 of the first head row 20a and the second head row 20b. Thus, adjustment is made so that the difference in the ejection amount in each column of the droplet ejection heads 20 becomes substantially the same.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the droplet 37 can be discharged from the nozzle 22 to the second receiving portion 84 and the second receiving portion 85 in addition to the first receiving portion 82 and the first receiving portion 83. Then, the consumption amount difference of the functional liquid 34 in each supply path connected to each droplet discharge head 20 can be adjusted.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of the droplet discharge device will be described with reference to a schematic perspective view of the droplet discharge device in FIG. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a standby receiving portion is arranged in addition to the first receiving portion 14 shown in FIG. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the droplet discharge device 88 includes a maintenance table 89 in the direction opposite to the X direction of the base 9, and the standby receiving unit 90 is disposed on the upper surface of the maintenance table 89. ing. When the carriage 19 moves in the direction opposite to the X direction, the carriage 19 is positioned so as to face the standby receiving portion 90. The standby receiving portion 90 is formed in the same structure as the first receiving portion 14, and the size of the standby receiving portion 90 in the XY direction is larger than that of the carriage 19. When the droplets 37 are ejected from all the droplet ejection heads 20 arranged on the carriage 19, all the droplets 37 can land on the standby receiving unit 90.

  Next, a coating method for discharging the functional liquid 34 to the substrate 2 and applying it will be described. Steps S1 to S5 in FIG. 14 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. After step S1, the process proceeds to step S6. This step S6 is performed in parallel with step S2. Step S <b> 6 corresponds to a consumption adjustment process, and the carriage 19 is moved to a position facing the standby receiving portion 90. This is a step of discharging the droplets 37 from the droplet discharge head 20 to the standby receiving unit 90. At this time, the droplet discharge head 20 of the third head row 20c discharges more times than the droplet discharge heads 20 of the first head row 20a and the second head row 20b. Next, the process proceeds to step S7 through step S3 and step S4. This step S7 is performed in parallel with step S5. Step S <b> 7 corresponds to a consumption adjustment step, and the carriage 19 is moved to a place facing the standby receiving portion 90. This is a step of discharging the droplets 37 from the droplet discharge head 20 to the standby receiving unit 90. At this time, the droplet discharge head 20 of the third head row 20c discharges more times than the droplet discharge heads 20 of the first head row 20a and the second head row 20b. And in the process of step S3, S4, S6, S7, it discharges so that the frequency | count that each droplet discharge head 20 may discharge may become the same frequency. This completes the manufacturing process for applying the functional liquid to the substrate.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, when supplying and removing the substrate 2, the droplet discharge head 20 can discharge the functional liquid 34 to the standby receiving unit 90. Then, the functional liquid 34 can be discharged from the droplet discharge head 20 with a small consumption amount, and the existing functional liquid 34 in the supply path can be consumed.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, the material supply process, the material removal process, and the consumption adjustment process are performed in parallel. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the consumption amount of the functional liquid 34 in each supply path with high productivity as compared with the case where the feeding / discharging material process and the consumption adjustment process are performed separately.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, an embodiment for manufacturing an organic EL device (ELECTRO LUMINESENCE) by applying the above coating method will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, an organic EL device that is one of electro-optical devices will be described. FIG. 15 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the structure of the organic EL device.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the organic EL device 93 as an optical element substrate and an electro-optical device includes a substrate 94. An insulating film 95 is formed on the upper side of the substrate 94. On the insulating film 95, contact electrodes 96 are formed in a matrix, and TFT elements 97 serving as a semiconductor having a switching function are formed at positions adjacent to the contact electrodes 96. A contact electrode 96 is connected to the drain terminal of the TFT element 97.

  A scanning line 98 as a wiring and a data line 99 as a wiring are formed in a lattice shape so as to surround each contact electrode 96 and the TFT element 97. The scanning line 98 is connected to the gate terminal of the TFT element 97, and the data line 99 is connected to the source terminal of the TFT element 97.

  An element layer 100 including a contact electrode 96, a TFT element 97, a scanning line 98, a data line 99, and the like is formed. An insulating film 101 is formed on the upper side of the element layer 100, and partition walls 102 are formed in a lattice shape on the upper side of the insulating film 101.

  A pixel electrode 103 as an electrode is formed at each bottom of the concave region formed by the partition wall 102, and the pixel electrode 103 is electrically connected to the contact electrode 96. A hole transport layer 104 as a light emitting element is formed on the upper surface of the pixel electrode 103, and light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B as light emitting elements are formed on the upper surface of the hole transport layer 104. The hole transport layer 104 and the light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B form a functional layer 106 as a light emitting element.

  The light emitting layer 105R is a light emitting layer made of an organic light emitting material that emits red light, and the light emitting layer 105G as a light emitting element is a light emitting layer made of an organic light emitting material that emits green light. Similarly, the light emitting layer 105B as a light emitting element is a light emitting layer made of an organic light emitting material that emits blue light.

  A cathode 107 as an electrode made of a light-transmitting conductive material or the like is formed over the entire upper surface of the functional layer 106 and the partition wall 102. In the present embodiment, the cathode 107 employs, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide).

  A sealing film 108 made of a light transmissive material or the like is formed on the upper surface of the cathode 107 to prevent the cathode 107 and the functional layer 106 from being oxidized by oxygen in the air.

  When a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 103 and the cathode 107, the hole transport layer 104 flows only holes. The light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B have a property of emitting light by energy when the holes supplied from the hole transport layer 104 and the electrons supplied from the cathode 107 are combined. The TFT element 97 performs a switching operation and controls the amount of light emitted from the light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B by controlling the voltage applied to the functional layer 106. In this manner, by controlling the amount of light emitted from the light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B, the amount of light can be controlled for each pixel, and the image can be displayed by blinking the pixel.

  The pixel electrode 103 is electrically connected to the drain terminal of the TFT element 97, and the pixel signal supplied from the data line 99 is supplied to each pixel electrode 103 at a predetermined timing by turning on the TFT for a certain period. Supplied in. The voltage level of the pixel signal having a predetermined level supplied to the pixel electrode 103 in this way is held between the cathode 107 and the pixel electrode 103, and the light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B are used according to the voltage level of the pixel signal. The amount of light emitted changes.

  In the step of forming the hole transport layer 104 on the surface of the pixel electrode 103, the coating method in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, the liquid material for the hole transport layer is discharged and applied to the surface of the pixel electrode 103 using the droplet discharge device 8. Thereafter, the hole transport layer 104 is formed by drying and solidifying.

  At this time, the coating process and the consumption adjustment process in the first embodiment are performed in parallel. That is, the material liquid of the hole transport layer consumed by each droplet discharge head 20 is set to substantially the same amount.

  Further, in the step of forming the light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B on the surface of the hole transport layer 104, the drying method in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, using the droplet discharge device 8, the material liquid of the light emitting layer is discharged onto the surface of the hole transport layer 104 and applied. Then, the light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B are formed by drying and solidifying.

  At this time, the coating process and the consumption adjustment process in the first embodiment are performed in parallel. That is, the material liquid of the light emitting layer consumed by each droplet discharge head 20 is set to substantially the same amount.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to this embodiment, in the process of manufacturing the hole transport layer 104 and the light emitting layers 105R, 105G, and 105B, by using the ejection method according to the first embodiment, the hole transport layer 104, the light emitting layer The film thicknesses of 105R, 105G, and 105B can be manufactured with high quality. And, by improving the quality of the film thickness, the color tone of the emitted light can be improved. Furthermore, since the quality of the film thickness is improved, the current density in the film can be made uniform, so that the life can be extended.

In addition, this embodiment is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various change and improvement can also be added. A modification will be described below.
(Modification 1)
In the first embodiment, after calculating the number of adjustments 73 in step S1, the substrate 2 is supplied to the mounting surface 12 in step S2, but the order of the steps may be reversed. That is, step S1 may be performed after the material supply step of step S2. The calculation of the number of adjustments 73 may be performed before step S4 is performed. When applying the same pattern, the adjustment number 73 is calculated once. And you may apply | coat several times using the calculation result. Since the number of times of calculating the adjustment number 73 can be reduced, it can be applied with high productivity. This content can be similarly applied to the second to fifth embodiments.

(Modification 2)
In the first embodiment, the functional liquid 34 of one color is ejected from the three droplet ejection heads 20 and applied. One droplet discharge head 20 may be discharged for each color. A plurality of tubes 32 supplied to one droplet discharge head 20 may be arranged. Also in this case, the consumption amount may be adjusted by calculating the number of adjustments 73 of the nozzles 22 to be discharged for each tube 32 in association with each tube 32 and the nozzle 22 communicating with each tube 32. This can be dealt with according to the form of the droplet discharge head 20. This content can be similarly applied to the second to fifth embodiments.

(Modification 3)
In the first embodiment, a rotation mechanism may be added to the stage 11. The traveling direction of the stage 11 and the pattern of the bank 4 on the substrate 2 can be matched. At this time, even when the stage 11 rotates, the width in the X direction of the first receiving portion 14 is wide so that the droplets 37 discharged from the droplet discharging head 20 land on the substrate 2 or the first receiving portion 14. It is better to set. It is possible to prevent the functional liquid 34 from adhering to the mounting surface 12 and becoming dirty. This content can be similarly applied to the second to fifth embodiments.

(Modification 4)
In the first embodiment, one carriage 19 is arranged on the guide rail 18 in the X direction, but a plurality of carriages 19 may be arranged. Also in this case, the consumption amount difference can be reduced by adjusting the consumption amount of the functional liquid 34 for each supply path. This content can be similarly applied to the second to fifth embodiments.

(Modification 5)
In the first embodiment, the color filter is formed on the substrate 2 alone, but the color element 3 may be disposed on the substrate incorporated in the electro-optical device. The electro-optical device can be applied to, for example, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display, a vacuum fluorescent display, a field emission display, and the like. Then, the color element 3 may be formed by applying the functional liquid 34 to a substrate incorporated in the electro-optical device. Film thickness defects associated with switching of the functional liquid 34 can be reduced.

(Modification 6)
In the first embodiment, the functional liquid 34 is applied to the substrate 2. However, the functional liquid 34 can be applied not only to the substrate 2 but also to a sheet or an uneven structure using the above method. Moreover, although the board | substrate 2 was formed in the rectangle, the board | substrate 2 may be polygonal or round shape. In this case, the same effect as the above method can be obtained.

(Modification 7)
In the first embodiment, the piezoelectric element 36 is used as the pressurizing means for pressurizing the cavity 33, but other methods may be used. For example, the diaphragm 35 may be deformed by using a coil and a magnet and pressurized. In addition, a heater wiring may be disposed in the cavity 33 and the heater wiring may be heated to vaporize the functional liquid 34 or expand the gas contained in the functional liquid 34 to apply pressure. In addition, the diaphragm 35 may be deformed and pressurized using electrostatic attraction and repulsion. This content can be similarly applied to the second to fifth embodiments.

(Modification 8)
In the first embodiment, the functional liquid 34 is supplied from one storage tank 17 to the droplet discharge head 20 via the tube 32. However, a plurality of storage tanks 17 may be arranged. In this case, the consumption amount for each storage tank 17 may be adjusted. In this case, the same effect as the above method can be obtained.

(Modification 9)
In the first embodiment, the color filter 1 is a striped filter in which the color elements 3 of the same color are arranged in a straight line, but the arrangement of the color elements 3 is also used for an arrangement such as a delta arrangement or a mosaic arrangement. be able to.

(Modification 10)
In the first embodiment, the color filter 1 is provided with the three color elements 3, but the color filter 1 is not limited to three colors and can be applied to the case of two colors or four or more colors.

(Modification 11)
In the second embodiment, the consumption amount is adjusted by discharging the functional liquid 34 to the first receiving portion 77d. However, the locations where the functional liquid 34 is discharged according to the application path 69 are set to the first receiving portion 77a to the first receiving portion 77d. You may change to the receiving part 77c. Further, it may be discharged to a plurality of first receiving portions 77. The order of application can be easily designed.

1A is a schematic plan view illustrating a color filter, and FIG. 2B is a schematic side view illustrating a color filter according to the first embodiment. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of a droplet discharge apparatus. (A) is a schematic plan view showing a carriage, (b) is a schematic side view showing a carriage, and (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the structure of a droplet discharge head. The schematic cross section which shows a stage. The electric control block diagram of a droplet discharge device. The flowchart which shows the manufacturing process which apply | coats a functional liquid to a board | substrate. (A) is a figure explaining the path | pass which a droplet discharge head passes a board | substrate, (b) and (c) are figures which show distribution of the frequency | count of discharge of each droplet discharge head. The figure explaining the method to apply | coat to a board | substrate. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a droplet discharge device according to a second embodiment. The figure explaining the discharge method. The schematic perspective view of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. The figure explaining the discharge method. The schematic perspective view of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the manufacturing process which apply | coats a functional liquid to a board | substrate. The schematic exploded perspective view which shows the structure of the organic electroluminescent apparatus concerning 5th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Color filter, 2 ... Board | substrate as a workpiece | work, 8, 75, 79, 88 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 11 ... The stage as a work table, 14, 77, 77a, 77b, 77c, 77d, 82, 83 ... No. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1st receiving part as 1 liquid body receiving part, 19 ... Carriage as table, 20 ... Droplet discharge head, 22 ... Nozzle, 31 ... Supply device as supply path, 32 ... Tube as supply path, 34 ... Liquid Functional fluid as a body, 84, 85 ... second receiving portion as a second liquid material receiving portion, 90 ... standby receiving portion, 93 ... organic EL device, 104 ... hole transport layer as light emitting element, 105B, 105G , 105R: a light emitting layer as a light emitting element, 106: a functional layer as a light emitting element.

Claims (12)

A droplet discharge device that relatively scans a droplet discharge head and a workpiece and discharges a liquid material from the nozzle of the droplet discharge head to the workpiece,
A work table on which the work is placed;
The work table includes a first liquid material receiving portion on at least one side in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, and the first liquid material receiving portion is ejected from the nozzle facing the first liquid material receiving portion. A liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein the liquid material is received. The droplet discharge device according to claim 1,
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein the first liquid material receiving portion is provided at both ends of the work table. The droplet discharge device according to claim 1,
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus, wherein the first liquid material receiving portion is provided near at least one end in the scanning direction with respect to the work table. The droplet discharge device according to claim 1,
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first liquid material receiving portion is provided over the entire width in the scanning direction with respect to the work table. The droplet discharge device according to claim 1,
The liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a width of the first liquid material receiving portion and the work combined in the orthogonal direction is wider than a region where the nozzle can eject. The droplet discharge device according to claim 1,
A second liquid material receiving portion on at least one side of the scanning direction of the work table;
The liquid droplet ejecting apparatus, wherein the second liquid material receiving portion receives the liquid material ejected from the nozzle facing the second liquid material receiving portion. A discharge method for discharging a liquid material from a nozzle of a droplet discharge head onto a workpiece,
A discharge step of discharging the liquid material onto the workpiece while relatively moving the droplet discharge head and the workpiece;
In the discharging step, the liquid material is discharged to the liquid material receiving portion from the nozzle that does not face the workpiece. The discharge method according to claim 7,
A discharge method, wherein the liquid material is discharged from the nozzle substantially simultaneously to the workpiece and the liquid material receiving portion. The discharge method according to claim 7,
When the droplet discharge head is positioned on one end side in the scanning direction with respect to the workpiece, the liquid material is discharged from the nozzle facing the liquid material receiving portion to the liquid material receiving portion. Discharge method. The discharge method according to claim 7,
In the case where a plurality of supply paths for supplying the liquid material to the droplet discharge head are provided, the liquid material is discharged from the nozzles so that the consumption amount of the liquid material for each of the supply paths becomes substantially the same amount. Discharge method. A method for producing a color filter using the ejection method according to any one of claims 7 to 10,
The liquid material includes a color filter forming material, and is formed after the liquid material is applied. It is a manufacturing method of the organic EL device using the discharge method according to any one of claims 7 to 10,
The method of manufacturing an organic EL device, wherein the liquid material includes a light emitting element forming material, and is formed after the liquid material is applied.

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