JP2010204408A - Liquid drop discharge device, liquid drop discharge method, and method of manufacturing color filter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide: a liquid drop discharge device, restraining deterioration of image quality by making uneven ribbing inconspicuous, and having excellent production efficiency; a liquid drop discharge method; and a method of manufacturing a color filter. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid drop discharge device 1 includes: a liquid drop discharge head 5 having a plurality of nozzles and a plurality of driving elements provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles; a supply reel 12 for supplying a sheet member 15 on which a functional liquid discharged from the plurality of nozzles is impacted; a take-up reel 13 for taking up the sheet member 15 supplied from the supply reel 12; an impact area-measuring means 32 for measuring an impact area of the functional liquid discharged from the plurality of nozzles to the sheet member 15 between the supply reel 12 and the take-up reel 13; and a control means for adjusting the voltage applied to the plurality of driving elements to thereby adjust variation of an impact area in the plurality of nozzles. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device, a droplet discharge method, and a color filter manufacturing method.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electro-optical devices such as liquid crystal devices and organic EL (Electro-Luminescent) devices have been used for display units of electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable computers. These electro-optical devices generally perform full color display. For example, full color display by a liquid crystal device is displayed by passing light modulated by a liquid crystal layer through a color filter. Such a color filter is formed by ejecting ink on the surface of a substrate in a dot shape by a film forming technique using a droplet discharge method.

  By the way, in the film forming technique using the droplet discharge method, the ink discharge amounts of the plurality of nozzles vary slightly. When the ink is drawn with variations in the ink discharge amount, streaky shading unevenness (straight unevenness) may occur in the color filter. Such uneven stripes are easily visible, and the image quality displayed through the color filter may be degraded.

  A technique for solving such a problem has been studied. For example, in Patent Document 1, a medium to be colored is colored with a plurality of different ink discharge densities, and the color density of the colored portion is measured to obtain a plurality of colors. The relationship between the color density of each colored portion colored with a different ink discharge density and the corresponding ink discharge density is calculated. Based on this relationship, a reduction in the image quality of the display image is suppressed by correcting the ink discharge density to obtain a desired color density.

JP-A-10-260306

  In Patent Document 1, the color density of each colored portion colored with different ink discharge densities is represented by the absorbance of the colored portion of the medium to be colored. If an error occurs during the measurement of the absorbance, correction with high accuracy cannot be performed, and it may be difficult to suppress deterioration in image quality.

  On the other hand, a method of measuring the weight of ink ejected from a plurality of nozzles is conventionally used. However, measuring the weight of the ink is not preferable in terms of mass production because it is not easy to measure and requires a large number of man-hours, and is inferior in production efficiency.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to suppress deterioration in image quality by making stripes inconspicuous, and further, a droplet discharge device, a droplet discharge method, and It is an object to provide a method for producing a color filter.

In order to solve the above problems, a droplet discharge apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of nozzles that discharge a functional liquid and a plurality of drive elements that are provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles. A supply reel that supplies a sheet member for landing the functional liquid ejected from the plurality of nozzles, a take-up reel that winds up the sheet member supplied from the supply reel, and the supply reel and the take-up reel Landing area measuring means for measuring the landing area of the functional liquid discharged from the plurality of nozzles with respect to the sheet member between the reel and the plurality of driving elements to adjust the voltage applied to the plurality of driving elements. And control means for adjusting variation in the landing area of the nozzle.
According to this configuration, the landing area of the ink (functional liquid) ejected from the plurality of nozzles is measured by the landing area measuring unit. Then, the voltage applied to the drive element is adjusted by the control means, and the variation in the landing area among the plurality of nozzles is adjusted. That is, the variation in the ink discharge amount at the plurality of nozzles is corrected by the control means. This is because the inventor of the present application has found a certain relationship between the ink discharge amount and the landing area at a plurality of nozzles. For this reason, a uniform amount of ink can be ejected from all nozzles of the droplet ejection head. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality by making the stripes inconspicuous. Also, the method of measuring the ejection amount based on the landing area of the ink ejected from a plurality of nozzles is superior in production efficiency because it does not take a huge amount of man-hours compared to the conventional method of measuring the weight of the ejected ink . In addition, since the sheet member on which the ink ejected from the plurality of nozzles has landed is appropriately conveyed, the ink landing area can be measured efficiently.

The droplet discharge method of the present invention is a droplet discharge method using a droplet discharge head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging a functional liquid and a plurality of drive elements provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles. A first landing step of landing the functional liquid on the sheet member with a constant voltage applied to the plurality of driving elements; and the functional liquid landed on the sheet member after the first landing step. A first landing area measuring step for measuring a first landing area, and a voltage applied to the plurality of drive elements to adjust the variation of the first landing area, thereby landing the functional liquid on the sheet member. And a second landing process.
According to this manufacturing method, the landing area of the ink in the plurality of nozzles is measured by the first landing area measuring step after the first landing step. And the dispersion | variation in the ink discharge amount in a some nozzle is adjusted by a 2nd landing process. For this reason, a uniform amount of ink can be ejected from all nozzles of the droplet ejection head. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality by making the stripes inconspicuous.

In the droplet discharge method, after the second landing step, a second landing area measuring step of measuring a second landing area where the functional liquid has landed on the sheet member; and the second landing area It is desirable to have at least one third landing step of adjusting the voltage applied to the plurality of driving elements so as to adjust the variation and landing the functional liquid on the sheet member.
According to this manufacturing method, after the second landing step, the landing area measurement step and the landing step are repeatedly performed a plurality of times, so that the variation in the ink discharge amount among the plurality of nozzles is reliably adjusted. For this reason, it becomes possible to discharge a substantially uniform amount of ink from all the nozzles of the droplet discharge head. Therefore, it is possible to make the unevenness more inconspicuous and to suppress the deterioration of the image quality.

The color filter manufacturing method of the present invention forms the color filter by disposing the functional liquid in a predetermined region provided on the substrate using the droplet discharge device or the droplet discharge method. It is characterized by that.
According to this manufacturing method, as described above, a uniform amount of ink is ejected from all the nozzles of the droplet ejection head, so that a high-quality color filter free from unevenness can be produced.

It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the droplet discharge apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of a droplet discharge head. It is explanatory drawing of the method of forming a color filter on a color filter board | substrate. It is a flowchart which shows the process of a droplet discharge method. It is a figure which shows the relationship between an ink discharge amount and a landing area. It is a figure which shows the relationship between an applied voltage and a landing area. It is a figure which shows the discharge characteristic of the droplet discharge head before and after dispersion | variation correction | amendment of an ink discharge amount.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Moreover, in the following drawings, in order to make each structure easy to understand, an actual structure and a scale, a number, and the like in each structure are different.

  In the following description, the XYZ rectangular coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 is set, and each member will be described with reference to this XYZ rectangular coordinate system. In the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system, the X axis and the Y axis are set in a direction parallel to the work stage 16, and the Z axis is set in a direction orthogonal to the work stage 16. In the XYZ coordinate system in FIG. 1, the XY plane is actually set to a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z axis is set to the vertically upward direction.

(Droplet discharge device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device 1 according to the present invention. The droplet discharge device 1 is a device that forms a color filter layer by discharging droplets of a color filter material (functional liquid) onto a predetermined region of a color filter substrate (base material) P by, for example, an inkjet method. The droplet discharge device 1 also performs the droplet discharge method of the present invention.

  The droplet discharge apparatus 1 includes a work stage 16, a droplet discharge head 5, a tube 44, a tank 33, a sheet member transport table 11, a supply reel 12, a take-up reel 13, an area measurement camera 14, and a control unit (control means). 31, an area measurement analysis unit (landing area measuring means) 32, a first wiring 41, a second wiring 42, and a third wiring 43 are provided.

  The work stage 16 is installed so as to be movable in the X-axis direction by a stage moving device (not shown). The work stage 16 holds the color filter substrate P transported from a transport apparatus (not shown) on the XY plane by a vacuum suction mechanism (not shown).

  The droplet discharge head 5 is electrically connected to the control unit 31 via the first wiring 41. The droplet discharge head 5 has a plurality of nozzles N (see FIG. 2), and discharges droplets of color filter material based on drawing data and drive control signals input from the control unit 31. The droplet discharge heads 5 are provided corresponding to the color filter materials R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The droplet discharge head 5 is connected to the tank 33 via a tube 44.

  The droplet discharge head 5 includes a bearing mechanism (not shown) such as a pole screw or a linear guide in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. The droplet discharge head 5 is movable in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction based on the position control signal indicating the Y coordinate and the Z coordinate input from the control unit 31.

  The tube 44 is a tube for supplying a color filter material that connects the tank 33 and the droplet discharge head 5. The tank 33 stores three color filter materials: a color filter material for R (red), a color filter material for G (green), and a color filter material for B (blue). The tank 33 stores the color filter materials of three colors and supplies the color filter materials to the droplet discharge heads 5 corresponding to the three colors via the tubes 44.

  The sheet member transport table 11 is movable in the X-axis direction by a transport table moving device (not shown). The sheet member conveying table 11 is a conveying table for the sheet member 15 that conveys the belt-shaped sheet member 15 supplied from the supply reel 12. The sheet member 15 supplied from the supply reel 12 is taken up by the take-up reel 13.

  The sheet member 15 is a recording medium on which dot-shaped landing areas of ink (functional liquid) ejected from a plurality of nozzles N of the droplet ejection head 5 can be recorded. As the sheet member 15, for example, recording paper such as roll paper can be used. In addition, as the sheet member 15, a substrate having water repellency such as a glass substrate can be used instead of the roll paper.

  Further, the sheet member 15 may be used for confirming the discharge state (nozzle omission and bending) of the plurality of nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 5 before production, that is, before drawing on the color filter substrate P. is there.

  The area measuring camera 14 is disposed at a position facing the recording surface (upper surface) of the sheet member 15 on the sheet member conveying table 11. The area measurement camera 14 is a camera that photographs the landing area of ink ejected from the plurality of nozzles N to the sheet member 15. The area measurement camera 14 is electrically connected to the area measurement analysis unit 32 via the second wiring 42. The area measurement camera 14 outputs image data of the landed area of the photographed ink to the area measurement analysis unit 32.

  The area measurement analysis unit 32 has a function of measuring the landing area of ink imaged by the area measurement camera 14. The area measurement analysis unit 32 is electrically connected to the control unit 31 via the third wiring 43. The area measurement analysis unit 32 outputs the measured data of the ink landing area at the plurality of nozzles N to the control unit 31.

  The control unit 31 adjusts the voltage applied to the droplet discharge head 5 having the drive element PZ (see FIG. 2) based on the measurement data of the landing area input from the area measurement analysis unit 32. Then, the variation in the landing area of the ink at the plurality of nozzles N is adjusted by the driving element PZ. That is, the variation in the ink landing area in the plurality of nozzles N is corrected. After the variation in the landing area of the ink is corrected by the drive element PZ, droplets of the color filter material are ejected from the plurality of nozzles N of the droplet ejection head 5 to predetermined positions on the color filter substrate P.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the droplet discharge head 5. 2A is a plan view of the droplet discharge head 5 viewed from the work stage 16, FIG. 2B is a partial perspective view of the droplet discharge head 5, and FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view of 1 nozzle.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the droplet discharge head 5 includes a plurality of (for example, 180) nozzles N _{1 to} N ₁₈₀ arranged in the Y-axis direction. A nozzle row NA is formed by the nozzles N _{1 to} N ₁₈₀ . Although FIG. 2A shows one row of nozzles, the number of nozzles and the number of nozzle rows provided in the droplet discharge head 5 can be arbitrarily changed, and the nozzles for one row arranged in the Y-axis direction are arranged as X. A plurality of rows may be provided in the axial direction.

2B, the droplet discharge head 5 includes a vibration plate 20 provided with a material supply hole 20a connected to a tube 44, and a nozzle plate 21 provided with nozzles N _{1 to} N _180. A liquid reservoir 22 provided between the vibration plate 20 and the nozzle plate 21, a plurality of partition walls 23, and a plurality of storage chambers 24 are provided. Drive elements PZ _{1 to} PZ ₁₈₀ are arranged on the vibration plate 20 corresponding to the nozzles N1 to N180. The drive elements PZ _{1 to} PZ ₁₈₀ are, for example, piezo elements.

The liquid reservoir 22 is filled with a liquid color filter material supplied through the material supply hole 20a. The storage chamber 24 is formed so as to be surrounded by the vibration plate 20, the nozzle plate 21, and a pair of partition walls 23. The storage chamber 24 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each of the nozzles N _{1 to} N ₁₈₀ . In addition, the color filter material is introduced into the respective storage chambers 24 from the liquid reservoir 22 through a supply port 24 a provided between the pair of partition walls 23.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the drive element PZ ₁ is obtained by sandwiching a piezoelectric material 25 between a pair of electrodes 26. The drive element PZ ₁ is configured such that the piezoelectric material 25 contracts when a drive signal is applied to the pair of electrodes 26. The vibration plate 20 such drive elements PZ ₁ is disposed, wrinkles become integral with the drive element PZ ₁ applies a driving signal to the pair of electrodes 26 to the outside (opposite side of the accommodating chamber 24) at the same time It bends, and thereby the volume of the storage chamber 24 is increased.

Accordingly, the color filter material corresponding to the increased volume in the storage chamber 24 flows from the liquid reservoir 22 through the supply port 24a. Further, when the application of the drive signal to the drive element PZ ₁ is stopped from such a state, the drive element PZ ₁ and the diaphragm 20 both return to the original shape, and the storage chamber 24 also returns to the original volume. Accordingly, accommodation chamber pressure of the color filter material 24 is increased, the droplet L of the color filter material is ejected toward the nozzle N ₁ on the color filter substrate P. In addition, by using the drive element PZ ₁ , it is possible to cause fine vibration in the storage chamber 24 and adjust the ink discharge amount with high accuracy.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a method for forming a color filter layer (color filter) CF on the color filter substrate P using the droplet discharge head 5. FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view of a color filter substrate P that is an ink discharge target. FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged plan view of the color filter substrate P.

  In FIG. 3A, a plurality of panel areas CA are set on the surface of a large-area color filter substrate P formed of glass, plastic or the like. Each panel area CA is separated (cut) from each other and provided as an individual color filter substrate. In each panel area CA, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of pixels PX (predetermined areas) arranged in a dot shape are provided. The pixels PX are arranged in a matrix in each panel area CA, and a color filter layer (colored layer) CF is formed for each pixel PX.

  The vertical direction (indicated by arrows A1 and A2) in FIG. 3B is the main scanning direction, and the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction (left and right direction in the drawing) is the sub-scanning direction. Arranged on the filter substrate P. Then, while moving (scanning) the color filter substrate P relative to the droplet discharge head 5 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, ink containing a coloring material from a plurality of nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 5 ( Color filter material) is discharged, and a color filter layer CF is formed on each pixel PX on the color filter substrate P.

  The droplet discharge head 5 is scanned a plurality of times for one panel area CA. For example, after the droplet discharge head 5 is scanned in the main scanning direction, the droplet discharge head 5 is moved (scanned) in the sub-scanning direction, and scanning is performed again in the main scanning direction. After moving (sub-scanning) from the left end to the right end of one panel area CA, it returns to the left end of the panel area CA again, and scans in the main scanning direction at a position slightly different from the position where the ejection has already been performed. Then, by performing such scanning a plurality of times, the color filter layer CF having a desired film thickness is formed on all the pixels PX in the panel area CA.

  In FIG. 3B, the reason why the droplet discharge head 5 is inclined with respect to the sub-scanning direction is to match the pitch of the nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 5 with the pitch of the pixels PX. If the pitch of the nozzles N and the pitch of the pixels PX are set so as to satisfy a predetermined correspondence relationship, it is not necessary to tilt the droplet discharge head 5 obliquely.

  The color filter layer CF is formed by arranging R, G, and B colors in an appropriate arrangement form such as a so-called stripe arrangement, delta arrangement, mosaic arrangement, or the like. Therefore, in the ink ejection process shown in FIG. 3B, the droplet ejection heads 5 that eject R, G, and B color filter materials are prepared in advance for the three colors R, G, and B. Then, an array of three color filter layers CF of R, G, and B is formed on one color filter substrate P using these droplet discharge heads 5 in order.

  In general, in a droplet discharge head, there is a slight variation in ink discharge characteristics (discharge amount) between nozzles (see the solid line before correction in FIG. 7). If there is a variation in the amount of ink discharged between the nozzles, the amount of ink disposed on the color filter substrate P varies due to this variation, which causes unevenness in the color filter.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the ejection characteristics of the droplet ejection head before and after correcting the variation in the ink ejection amount. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis indicates the nozzle numbers 1 to 180 of the nozzle array NA, and the vertical axis indicates the discharge amount of the nozzle corresponding to each nozzle number. As shown in FIG. 7, when the solid line before the correction of the variation in the ink discharge amount is seen, it can be seen that the ink discharge amount tends to be relatively large at the nozzles at both ends and the central portion.

  Therefore, in the droplet discharge method of the present invention, the voltage applied to the drive element PZ of the droplet discharge head 5 is adjusted before drawing on the color filter substrate P before correction (before production), and a plurality of nozzles A step of adjusting the ink ejection characteristics at N is provided. Hereinafter, an example of the droplet discharge method of the present invention will be described.

(Droplet ejection method)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the steps of the droplet discharge method of the present invention. In the droplet discharge method of the present invention, the apparatus is positioned at a predetermined position and the apparatus is aligned (step S1), and the voltage applied to the drive element PZ is kept constant. “First landing process” (step S2) for landing on the sheet member 15, and “first landing area measuring process” for measuring the first landing area where ink has landed on the sheet member 15 after the first landing process (step S3), a “sheet member winding step” (step S4) for winding the sheet member 15, and adjusting the voltage applied to the driving element PZ so as to adjust the variation in the first landing area, thereby supplying ink to the sheet member 15 A “second landing step” (step S5).

  First, the apparatus is positioned at a predetermined position to align the apparatus (step S1 in FIG. 4). Specifically, the sheet member conveyance table 11 is moved in the X-axis direction toward the work stage 16 and is disposed immediately below the droplet discharge head 5. As a result, the sheet member 15 on the sheet member conveyance table 11 is disposed so as to face the plurality of nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 5.

  Next, the voltage applied to the drive element PZ is made constant, and ink is landed on the sheet member 15 (step 2 in FIG. 4). The ink is preferably landed in an appropriate arrangement form such as a stripe arrangement, a delta arrangement, or a mosaic arrangement in accordance with the color filter layer CF. This ensures the discharge state before correction (when discharging to the sheet member 15) of the plurality of nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 5 and the discharge state after correction (when discharging to the color filter substrate P). To be consistent.

  In addition, when the ink is landed on the sheet member 15, it is preferable to land the ink in a plurality of times. Specifically, first, the first ink is landed on a predetermined area on the sheet member 15. Next, the second ink is landed on a region where the first ink is not landed. Thereby, since ink can be repeatedly landed on the sheet member 15 a plurality of times, the sheet member 15 can be used effectively without waste.

  Next, the landing area where ink is landed on the sheet member 15 is measured (step 3 in FIG. 4). Specifically, the area of the ink discharged from the plurality of nozzles N to the sheet member 15 is photographed by the area measurement camera 14 disposed at a position facing the upper surface of the sheet member 15. At this time, the magnification of the lens of the area measurement camera 14 is preferably set to 4 to 10 times, for example, in terms of measurement accuracy and measurement time. Further, the N number for measuring the ink landing area is preferably set to N = 20 to 30 from the viewpoint of measurement accuracy.

  The ink landing area image data photographed by the area measurement camera 14 is output to the area measurement analysis unit 32. Then, the measurement data of the ink landing area at the plurality of nozzles N measured by the area measurement analysis unit 32 is output to the control unit 31.

  In the present embodiment, a method of measuring the ejection amount based on the landing area is used in contrast to the conventional method of measuring the weight of ink ejected from a plurality of nozzles. As a result, measurement becomes easy, and enormous man-hours are not required for measuring the discharge amount. This is because the present inventor has found that there is a certain relationship between the ink discharge amount and the landing area.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the ink discharge amount and the landing area. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the ink discharge amount, and the vertical axis represents the landing area. In FIG. 5, ◯ is a plot of a plurality of landing area data corresponding to the ink discharge amount. The solid line in FIG. 5 is a line (calibration curve) obtained from a plurality of data by regression analysis using the least square method, for example. When the variation of the plurality of data from the calibration curve is expressed by the correlation coefficient ρ, ρ> 0.9. Even if FIG. 5 is seen, it is confirmed that the plot of data is located in a substantially straight line. Thereby, it turns out that the inventor of the present application has found a proportional relationship between the ink discharge amount and the landing area with high reliability.

  Next, the sheet member 15 is wound up (step S4 in FIG. 4). Specifically, the sheet member 15 on which ink is landed is taken up by the take-up reel 13. That is, a new sheet member 15 that is not landed with ink is supplied from the supply reel 12.

  Next, the voltage applied to the drive element PZ is adjusted to land the ink on the sheet member 15 (step S5 in FIG. 4). Specifically, the voltage applied to the drive element PZ provided for each of the plurality of nozzles N is adjusted by the control unit 31.

  For example, a predetermined voltage is applied to the drive element PZ corresponding to the nozzle in the region where the ink ejection amount is relatively small in the initial state (see the solid line before correction in FIG. 7). On the other hand, no voltage is applied to the drive element PZ corresponding to the nozzle in the region where the ink discharge amount is relatively large in the initial state. In this way, the variation in the discharge amount generated between the plurality of nozzles N is adjusted by the drive element PZ. As a result, variations in the ink landing area at the plurality of nozzles N are corrected. This is because the present inventor found that there is a certain relationship between the applied voltage and the landing area.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the applied voltage and the landing area. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis indicates the applied voltage, and the vertical axis indicates the landing area. As shown in FIG. 6, it is confirmed that there is a proportional relationship between the applied voltage and the landing area. By applying a predetermined voltage to the drive element PZ using this relationship, the ink discharge amount generated between the plurality of nozzles N in the initial state (solid line before correction) as shown in FIG. The variation can be substantially averaged as shown by the solid line after correction.

  According to the droplet discharge device 1 of the present embodiment, the landing area of the ink discharged from the plurality of nozzles N is measured by the area measurement analysis unit 32. Then, the voltage applied to the drive element PZ is adjusted by the control unit 31, and the variation in the landing area of the plurality of nozzles N is adjusted. That is, the control unit 31 corrects the variation in the ink discharge amount of the plurality of nozzles N. This is because the inventor of the present application has found a certain relationship between the amount of ink discharged from the plurality of nozzles N and the landing area. For this reason, it is possible to discharge a uniform amount of ink from all the nozzles of the droplet discharge head 5. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality by making the stripes inconspicuous. In addition, the method of measuring the ejection amount based on the landing area of the ink ejected from the plurality of nozzles N does not require enormous man-hours as compared with the conventional method of measuring the weight of the ejected ink, so that the production efficiency is improved. Excellent. Further, since the sheet member 15 on which the ink ejected from the plurality of nozzles N has been landed is appropriately transported, the ink landing area can be efficiently measured.

  According to the droplet discharge method of the present embodiment, the ink landing areas at the plurality of nozzles are measured by the first landing area measuring step after the first landing step. And the dispersion | variation in the ink discharge amount in the some nozzle N is adjusted by a 2nd landing process. For this reason, it is possible to discharge a uniform amount of ink from all the nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 5. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the image quality by making the stripes inconspicuous.

In the droplet discharge method, after the second landing step, the second landing area measuring step for measuring the second landing area where the ink has landed on the sheet member 15 and the variation in the second landing area are adjusted. In this way, the third landing step of adjusting the voltage applied to the drive element PZ and landing the ink on the sheet member 15 may be provided at least once.
According to this manufacturing method, after the second landing step, the landing area measuring step and the landing step are repeatedly performed a plurality of times, so that the variation in the ink discharge amount of the plurality of nozzles N is reliably adjusted. For this reason, it becomes possible to discharge a substantially uniform amount of ink from all the nozzles N of the droplet discharge head 5. Therefore, it is possible to make the unevenness more inconspicuous and to suppress the deterioration of the image quality.

  In the droplet discharge method, the ink that is landed in the second landing process is arranged in an appropriate arrangement form in the same manner as in the first landing process (step 2 in FIG. 4), following the color filter layer CF. It ’s better to land. Thereby, the ejection state before correction of the plurality of nozzles N of the droplet ejection head 5 and the ejection state after correction are surely matched.

  Further, according to the method for producing a color filter of the present invention, since a uniform amount of ink is ejected from all nozzles of the droplet ejection head as described above, it is possible to produce a high-quality color filter without streaks. it can.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the color filter is manufactured using the droplet discharge device 1 in which the variation in the ink discharge amount between the nozzles is adjusted has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the droplet discharge device 1 of the present invention can be applied not only to the manufacture of a color filter but also to a film forming process in which uniform film thickness is required and the formation of stripes becomes a problem.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 5 ... Droplet discharge head, 12 ... Supply reel, 13 ... Take-up reel, 24 ... Storage chamber, 31 ... Control unit (control means), 32 ... Area measurement analysis unit (landing area measurement means) ), CF: Color filter layer (color filter), N: Nozzle, P: Color filter substrate (base material), PZ: Drive element

Claims (4)

A droplet discharge head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging a functional liquid, and a plurality of drive elements provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles;
A supply reel for supplying a sheet member for landing the functional liquid discharged from the plurality of nozzles;
A take-up reel that winds up the sheet member supplied from the supply reel;
A landing area measuring means for measuring a landing area of the functional liquid discharged from the plurality of nozzles on the sheet member between the supply reel and the take-up reel;
And a control unit that adjusts the voltage applied to the plurality of drive elements to adjust variation in the landing area of the plurality of nozzles. A droplet discharge method using a droplet discharge head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging a functional liquid and a plurality of drive elements provided corresponding to the plurality of nozzles,
A first landing step of landing the functional liquid on a sheet member with a constant voltage applied to the plurality of driving elements;
After the first landing step, a first landing area measuring step of measuring a first landing area where the functional liquid has landed on the sheet member;
And a second landing step of adjusting the voltage applied to the plurality of drive elements so as to adjust the variation of the first landing area and landing the functional liquid on the sheet member. Discharge method. A second landing area measuring step of measuring a second landing area where the functional liquid has landed on the sheet member after the second landing step;
And a third landing step of adjusting the voltage applied to the plurality of driving elements so as to adjust the variation of the second landing area and landing the functional liquid on the sheet member, at least once. The droplet discharge method according to claim 2.   Using the droplet discharge device according to claim 1 or the droplet discharge method according to claim 2 or 3, the functional liquid is disposed in a predetermined region provided on the substrate to form a color filter. A method for producing a color filter characterized by the above.

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