JP2016196128A - Liquid discharge device, imprint device, and component manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge device which maintains a pressure in a head more stably with a simple structure and inhibits leakage of a liquid from the head.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device includes: a head 1 having a discharge port surface 10 on which a discharge port for discharging a liquid is formed; a first tank 2 which houses the liquid supplied to the head 1; a flexible part 8 which divides an internal space of the first tank 2 into a first chamber 21 for storing the liquid and a second chamber 22 for storing a hydraulic fluid and has flexibility; a second tank 3 which stores the hydraulic fluid supplied to the second chamber 22; a first passage T1 allowing the second chamber 22 and the second tank 3 to communicate with each other; and air bubble removing means 7 which removes air bubbles generated in the first passage T1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus including a liquid ejection head that ejects liquid, an imprint apparatus, and a component manufacturing method.

  2. Description of the Related Art A liquid discharge apparatus including a liquid discharge head (hereinafter simply referred to as “head”) having a discharge port (hereinafter referred to as “nozzle”) for discharging liquid is known. In recent years, such a liquid ejection apparatus has been used in various fields, for example, an inkjet recording apparatus.

  Generally, the inside of the head needs to be always maintained at a negative pressure (pressure lower than atmospheric pressure) so that liquid does not leak from the head (nozzle) to the outside.

  For example, in the invention of Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 10, in order to maintain the pressure in the sub tank 202 communicating with the head 201 at a negative pressure, the inside of the sub tank is connected to the ink chamber 204 with a flexible member 203. The structure divided | segmented into the buoyancy generating chamber 205 is disclosed. A floating bag 206 having a small specific gravity is connected to the flexible member 203 in the buoyancy generating chamber 205. Due to the buoyancy of the floating bag 206 in the buoyancy generation chamber 205, the inside of the head 201 communicated with the ink chamber 204 is maintained in a negative pressure state.

JP 2008-105360 A

  However, the ink jet recording apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.

  That is, in the inkjet recording apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the floating bag 206 filled with gas needs to be attached to the flexible member 203 and submerged in the liquid in the buoyancy generation chamber 205, and the configuration is complicated. It was. In such a configuration, since the difference between the density of the gas and the density of the liquid is relatively large, the floating bag 206 swings greatly when an impact is applied to the housing of the sub tank 202. Therefore, the pressure in the ink chamber 204 connected to the floating bag 206 or the head 201 communicating with the ink chamber 204 is likely to change.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a liquid ejection device that can more stably maintain the pressure in the head with a simple configuration and can further suppress liquid leakage from the head. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid discharge apparatus according to the present invention includes a head having a discharge port surface on which a discharge port for discharging a liquid is formed, a first tank that stores liquid supplied to the head, and the first tank. An internal space of one tank is divided into a first chamber for storing the liquid and a second chamber for storing the working fluid, and a flexible portion having flexibility and the working fluid supplied to the second chamber are stored. A second tank that communicates with the second chamber, and a fluid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank is lower than the discharge port surface. In the liquid discharge apparatus that is disposed and controlled by a height difference between the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank and the discharge port surface, the pressure in the head is generated in the first flow path. It has a bubble removing means for removing bubbles.

  According to the present invention, the pressure in the head can be more stably maintained with a simple configuration, and liquid leakage from the head can be further suppressed.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a liquid ejection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The conceptual diagram which shows the state which the bubble generate | occur | produced in the 1st flow path of 1st Example. The conceptual diagram which shows the state in the middle of the bubble shown in FIG. The conceptual diagram which shows the state by which the bubble shown in FIG. 2 was finally discharge | released to the 2nd tank. The flowchart which shows the control which removes the bubble in a 1st flow path. The conceptual diagram of the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. The conceptual diagram of the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. The conceptual diagram of the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the modification of 3rd Example. The conceptual diagram of the imprint apparatus which concerns on 4th Example of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the conventional inkjet recording device.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus that discharges ink (hereinafter referred to as “ejection apparatus”) will be described as an example of the liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention. The “ink” used in the ejection device of the present embodiment is an example that constitutes the “liquid” used in the liquid ejection device of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the ejection device (liquid ejection device) of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the ejection device 100 mainly includes a head 1 that ejects ink (liquid), a first tank 2 that accommodates ink, and a second tank 3 that accommodates hydraulic fluid. I have. Further, the ejection device 100 includes a transport unit 92 that transports the recording medium 91, a support unit 93 that supports the transport unit 92, and the like. Note that the recording medium 91 is sucked and held by the transport unit 92 by a suction unit (not shown).

  The first tank 2 includes a rectangular parallelepiped casing 20 that is substantially sealed, and the head 1 is attached to the bottom of the casing 20. The first tank 2 is not provided with an air communication port. The head 1 includes a discharge port surface 10 in which a discharge port (not shown) is formed on the bottom surface of the housing 20.

  A flexible film 8 (flexible portion) having flexibility is provided inside the housing 20, and the first tank 2 is moved into the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 by the flexible film 8. Partitioned. The first chamber 21 communicates with the inside of the head 1 provided at the bottom of the housing 20 and stores the ink supplied to the head 1. On the other hand, the second chamber 22 communicates with the second tank 3 through the first flow path T <b> 1 and accommodates the working fluid supplied from the second tank 3.

  In the present embodiment, the first chamber 21 is filled with ink, and the second chamber 22 is filled with hydraulic fluid.

  In the present embodiment, a second channel T2 is provided between the second chamber 22 and the second tank 3 in addition to the first channel T1. That is, the second chamber 22 and the second tank 3 are connected by the first flow path T1 and the second flow path T2 provided side by side.

  One end (lower end) of the first flow path T1 and the second flow path T2 connected to the second tank 3 is disposed below the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank 3. Further, the first flow path T1 and the second flow path T2 are configured to be filled with the hydraulic fluid.

  In the present embodiment, the first flow path T1 and the second flow path T2 are constituted by tubes or the like. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can provide a joint part in the middle of the 1st flow path T1, and the 2nd flow path T2, and the 2nd tank 3 and the 1st tank 2 can be attached or detached (separable).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, an on-off valve 72 is provided in the second flow path T2, and the on-off valve 72 is in a closed state at a time other than the bubble removal operation (control) described later. Thus, the second flow path T2 is blocked.

  On the other hand, the first flow path T1 is provided with a circulation pump 71 (circulation means), and is composed of the first flow path T1, the second chamber 22, the second flow path T2, and the second tank 3. The hydraulic fluid can be circulated and moved in the circulation channel. The circulation pump 71 may be provided in the second flow path T2, or may be provided in both the first flow path and the second flow path. Further, the circulation pump 71 constitutes the bubble removing means 7 described later together with the second flow path T2.

  The circulation pump 71 may have a pump function, and may employ a syringe pump, a tube pump, a diaphragm pump, a gear pump, or the like. In addition, since it is necessary to make the 1st flow path T1 into an open state when the drive of the circulation pump 71 is stopped, when using the pump which cannot communicate during a drive stop, it is separately comprised, such as a bypass flow path and an on-off valve May be added as appropriate.

  In the present embodiment, as will be described later, in order to maintain the negative pressure in the head 1 more stably, the working fluid in the second chamber 22 has substantially the same density as the ink in the first chamber 21. Adopts liquid. The hydraulic fluid is an incompressible substance, and for example, a liquid such as water or a gel substance can be used as the hydraulic fluid.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an atmosphere communication port 31 is provided in the upper part of the second tank 3, and the second tank 3 is opened to the atmosphere. The position B of the hydraulic fluid level in the second tank 3 is the discharge port surface of the head 1 so that the negative pressure is always maintained in the head 1 with the second tank 3 opened to the atmosphere. 10 below the position A. That is, in the discharge device 100 of the present embodiment, the inside of the head 1 is caused by the difference in height (water head difference H) between the position B of the liquid surface in the second tank 3 containing the working fluid and the position A of the discharge port surface 10. The negative pressure state is maintained.

  When the ink in the first tank 2 (first chamber 21) is consumed, the hydraulic fluid is supplied from the second tank 3 to the second chamber 22 by capillary force. Accordingly, the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank 3 is lowered, and the water head difference H between the position A and the position B is changed.

  In this embodiment, the ejection device 100 is arranged so that the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank 3 is within a predetermined range so that the negative pressure in the head 1 is maintained within the predetermined range. Adjustment means 4 for adjustment is provided.

  Specifically, the adjusting unit 4 includes a liquid level detecting unit 5 that detects the position of the liquid level in the second tank 3 and a replenishing unit 6 that replenishes the second tank 3 with the working fluid.

  The liquid level detection means 5 includes a lower limit position sensor 5A and an upper limit position sensor 5B in the second tank 3. The lower limit position sensor 5A and the upper limit position sensor 5B are disposed at positions where the pressure (negative pressure) in the head 1 is within a predetermined range. In the present embodiment, the lower limit position sensor 5A and the upper limit position sensor 5B are optical sensors.

  By maintaining the liquid level in the second tank 3 within a predetermined range (between the lower limit position Lo and the upper limit position Hi), the negative pressure in the head 1 can be kept within the predetermined range. In other words, if the liquid level in the second tank 3 does not drop below the lower limit position Lo, the negative pressure in the head 1 does not exceed the upper limit of the predetermined range, and the possibility of breaking the meniscus at the discharge port is low. On the other hand, if the liquid level does not rise above the upper limit position Hi, the negative pressure in the head 1 does not exceed the lower limit of the predetermined range, and there is little possibility of ink leaking from the head 1.

  The replenishing means 6 is disposed in the flow path 62 that connects the second tank 3 and the third tank 61, the third tank 61 that stores the working fluid, and operates from the third tank 61 to the second tank 3. And a pump 63 for supplying (feeding) the liquid. The third tank 61 is provided with an atmosphere communication port 611 as in the second tank 3 and is open to the atmosphere. Further, the pump 63 is stopped except for the replenishment operation for replenishing the second tank 3 with the working fluid, and the flow path 62 is also closed.

  In addition, when the lower limit position sensor 5A detects that the liquid level in the second tank 3 has decreased to the lower limit position Lo, the replenishing means 6 (pump 63) is operated to supply the hydraulic fluid from the third tank to the second tank. It replenishes and the liquid level in a 2nd tank is recovered more than the lower limit position Lo. When it is detected that the liquid level in the second tank 3 has reached the upper limit position Hi again, the pump 63 is stopped. Thereby, the negative pressure in the head 1 can be maintained within a predetermined range.

  Hereinafter, control for replenishing the hydraulic fluid from the third tank to the second tank will be described.

  When the ejection of ink from the head 1 is started, the replenishment control of the working fluid from the third tank to the second tank is started based on the detection result of the liquid level detecting means 5. That is, simultaneously with the start of the ejection operation of the head 1, the detection (monitoring) of the liquid level in the second tank is started by the lower limit position sensor 5 </ b> A installed in the second tank 3.

  When the lower limit position sensor 5A detects that the liquid level in the second tank 3 has decreased to the lower limit position Lo, the pump 63 is driven to send the hydraulic fluid from the third tank 61 to the second tank 3. Liquid.

  Further, when the hydraulic fluid is supplied from the third tank 61 to the second tank 3, the liquid level in the second tank 3 rises. When the upper limit position sensor 5B detects that the liquid level in the second tank 3 has risen to the upper limit position Hi, the pump 63 is stopped and the replenishment control ends.

  That is, the liquid feeding operation by the pump 63 is continued until the upper limit position sensor 5B detects that the liquid level in the second tank 3 reaches the upper limit position Hi.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the liquid level in the second tank 3 is disposed below the discharge port surface 10, and the liquid level in the second tank 3 is adjusted within a predetermined range by the adjusting means 4. Thus, the pressure in the head 1 can be stably controlled within a predetermined range (negative pressure). Therefore, ink leakage from the head 1 can be effectively suppressed. Further, ink can be stably ejected from the head 1.

  In particular, in this embodiment, since the inside of the first tank 2 (the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22) is filled with ink and hydraulic fluid having close densities, vibration is effective even when the housing 20 is impacted. To be suppressed. Therefore, the influence of the vibration on the pressure in the head 1 is small, and the inside of the head 1 can be maintained in a stable negative pressure state.

  In the present embodiment, the hydraulic fluid filled in the second chamber 22 is less susceptible to changes in environmental temperature and pressure than gas. Therefore, even if the temperature or atmospheric pressure around the ejection device 100 changes, the volume of the hydraulic fluid hardly fluctuates, so that fluctuations in the pressure of the ink in the head 1 communicating with the first chamber 21 are reliably suppressed. .

  Hereinafter, the flexible film 8 (flexible part) of the discharge device 100 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the flexible membrane 8 is connected to the top surface, bottom surface, and two side surfaces of the housing, and is provided in the housing 20 along the vertical direction (longitudinal direction). ing. As a result, the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 are formed separately in the left and right in the housing 20.

  When the ink in the first chamber 21 of the first tank 2 is consumed, the flexible film 8 is deformed, the volume of the first chamber 21 is reduced, and the volume of the second chamber 22 is increased. Accordingly, the hydraulic fluid having the same volume as the ink consumed in the first chamber 21 is supplied from the second tank 3 to the second chamber 22 through the first flow path T1. At this time, the flexible membrane 8 moves from left to right along the horizontal direction as shown in FIG.

  In other words, the volume ratio of the ink and the working fluid stored in the first tank 2 changes depending on the consumption of the ink. However, since the working fluid and the ink have substantially the same density, the center of gravity in the first tank 2 is almost the same. It does not change. For this reason, a stable negative pressure is maintained in the head 1 located in the lower part of the housing 20.

  In particular, in this embodiment, by arranging the flexible film 8 along the vertical direction, even if a working fluid having a density different from that of the ink is employed, the ink in the first tank 2 (liquid) is consumed due to consumption of the ink. The center of gravity moves only in the horizontal direction and hardly moves in the height direction.

  On the other hand, when the flexible film 8 is arranged in the horizontal direction, the center of gravity of the first tank 2 moves in the height direction as the ink is consumed. When the flexible film 8 is arranged in the vertical direction, the negative pressure in the head 1 can be stably maintained as compared with the case where the flexible film 8 is arranged in the horizontal direction. Therefore, by disposing the flexible membrane 8 (flexible portion) in the vertical direction, there are effects that the choices of usable hydraulic fluid increase and the design becomes easy.

  In the present embodiment, the flexible film 8 is described as being formed by partitioning the housing into the first chamber 21 and the second chamber 22 by connecting to the upper surface, the lower surface, and the side surface of the housing. Other arrangements are possible. For example, the flexible film 8 may be attached to the housing 20 so that the first chamber 21 that stores ink is substantially surrounded by the second chamber 22 that stores hydraulic fluid. In other words, the flexible film 8 may be attached to the housing 20 so that the first chamber 21 (space) containing the ink is wrapped with the flexible film 8.

  For the flexible film 8 used in the present embodiment, it is preferable to select a member suitable for the characteristics of the ink (liquid stored in the first chamber) from the viewpoint of wettability and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the liquid ejecting apparatus has been described using an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink as an example. However, for example, the present invention is appropriately changed to a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid such as a conductive liquid or a UV curable liquid. And can be applied.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the head 1 is attached to and integrated with the lower portion of the housing 20 of the first tank 2 has been described. However, the head 1 and the first tank 2 are configured separately, and the head 1 is formed using a connection tube. And the first tank 2 (first chamber 21) may be connected.

  In this embodiment, the volume of the casing 20 is 500 ml, the initial amount of ink in the first chamber 21 is about 400 ml, and the initial amount of hydraulic fluid in the second chamber 22 is about 100 ml. May be.

  For example, the volume of the housing 20 may be 400 ml, the initial amount of ink (liquid) in the first chamber 21 may be about 400 ml, and the working fluid may be set to a minimum value close to 0 in the initial state. That is, when the air mixture can be ignored, the second chamber 22 may not be filled with the working fluid in the initial state.

  In this embodiment, the first tank 2 (head 1) is mounted on a carriage (not shown), and ink is ejected as the carriage moves to perform a recording operation. Even when the first tank 2 is moving, the internal space of the first tank 2 is filled with ink and hydraulic fluid, and the swinging of the flexible film 8 is suppressed. For this reason, pressure fluctuations in the head 1 hardly occur, and ink leakage from the head 1 is reduced.

  In the present embodiment, an optical sensor is used as the liquid level detection means 5. For example, the liquid level detection means 5 includes an electrode pair provided in the second tank 3, and the electrode is brought into contact with the liquid level by contact between the electrode and the liquid level. The structure which detects the electrical change in between may be sufficient.

  Further, the liquid level detection means 5 may be configured to detect the liquid level position in the second tank 3 using a capacitance type sensor. And the liquid level detection means 5 may be the structure which detects a liquid level by providing a float in the 2nd tank 3, and detecting the position of a float.

  In this embodiment, examples of the pump 63 include a syringe pump, a tube pump, a diaphragm pump, and a gear pump, but a pump suitable for the performance of the discharge device 100 can be selected. For example, when the third tank 61 is a sealed space, the inside of the third tank 61 may be pressurized to supply the working fluid to the second tank 3.

  In addition, when there is a difference in level between the second tank 3 and the third tank 61 and one end of the flow path 62 exists in the hydraulic fluid in the second tank 3, the supply of the hydraulic fluid is stopped. It is necessary to close the flow path 62 even during the time. In this case, a pump capable of shielding the flow path when stopped may be used, and the one end of the flow path 62 may be disposed at a position above the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank 3. Or you may arrange | position the valve | bulb which can close the flow path 62 separately.

  Hereinafter, the bubble removal means 7 of a present Example is demonstrated.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which bubbles 25 are generated in the first flow path of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, air in the atmosphere permeates through the tube wall of the tube constituting the first flow path T1, and bubbles 25 are formed on the inner wall surface of the first flow path T1. These bubbles 25 accumulate and increase with time, and the flow path resistance of the first flow path T1 increases.

  When the flow path resistance of the first flow path T <b> 1 increases due to the presence of the bubbles 25, it becomes difficult for the hydraulic fluid to flow from the second tank 3 to the second chamber 22, and the ejection performance of the head 1 is reduced. Further, due to the presence of the bubbles 25 in the first flow path T1, the water head difference between the discharge port surface 10 of the head 1 and the liquid level in the second tank 3 becomes unstable, and the negative pressure in the head 1 is negative. There is a possibility that the pressure cannot be stably maintained.

  In this embodiment, the bubble removing means 7 is provided in the discharge device 100, and the bubbles 25 in the channel are periodically removed by the bubble removing means 7 to suppress an increase in channel resistance due to bubble growth. Can do.

  Specifically, the bubble removing means 7 of the present embodiment mainly includes a second flow path T2 and a circulation pump 71 (circulation means) capable of moving the liquid by a rotating operation. By driving the circulation pump 71 with the second flow path T2 (open / close valve 72) opened, the second flow path T2, the second chamber 22, and the second flow path T2 are used. The working fluid in the tank 3 is circulated. Thereby, the hydraulic fluid including the bubbles 25 in the first flow path T <b> 1 can be moved to the second tank 3, and the bubbles 25 can be discharged from the second tank 3.

  In the present embodiment, the circulation means is constituted by the circulation pump 71, but other structures may be adopted as the circulation means. For example, the circulation means may be configured by a combination of a check valve and a piston pump.

  FIG. 3 shows a state where the bubble 25 is being moved by the bubble removing means 7. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the bubbles 25 are finally discharged to the second tank 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hydraulic fluid including the bubbles 25 in the first flow path T <b> 1 is moved from the first flow path T <b> 1 to the second chamber 22 by driving the circulation pump 71, and It is moved to the second flow path T2 connected to the upper part of the second chamber 22. Further, the hydraulic fluid containing the bubbles 25 is finally moved (released) to the second tank 3 through the second flow path T2. The second tank 3 is opened to the atmosphere by the atmosphere communication port 31.

  Hereinafter, control for removing bubbles in the flow path will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control for removing the bubbles 25 in the first flow path T1 of this embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the bubble removal operation is controlled by a timer or the like and is performed periodically. That is, when a predetermined time has elapsed, it is determined that bubbles have been generated in the first flow path, and the bubble removal means 7 performs a bubble removal operation (control).

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the bubble removal control is started, the on-off valve 72 disposed in the second flow path T2 is switched from the closed state to the open state (S1).

  After the second flow path T2 is opened, the circulating pump 71 is driven to circulate the working fluid (S2). That is, by driving the circulation pump 71, the hydraulic fluid is supplied from the second tank 3 to the second chamber 22 through the first flow path T1, and from the second chamber 22 to the second tank 3 through the second flow path T2. The hydraulic fluid is recovered. Accordingly, the hydraulic fluid is circulated in the order of the second tank 3, the first flow path T 1, the second chamber 22, the second flow path T 2, and the second tank 3.

  By circulating the working fluid by the circulation pump 71, the bubbles generated in the first flow path T1 are moved to the second tank 3 together with the flow of the working fluid and discharged.

  In addition, after circulating the working fluid for a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) by the circulation pump 71, it is determined that the bubbles in the first flow path T1 have been removed, and the circulation pump 71 is stopped (S3). Then, the on-off valve 72 is switched from the open state to the closed state (S4), and the bubble removal control is completed.

  Further, it is preferable that the bubble removing operation is performed within a period when the discharging operation of the head 1 is not performed so that the bubble removing operation does not affect the discharging operation of the head 1. In order to suppress the pressure in the head, the liquid feeding speed of the circulation pump 71 may be set to a predetermined speed or less. Further, when the period during which the ejection operation of the head 1 is not performed is short, the bubble removal operation may be divided into a plurality of times and performed within the period during which the ejection operation is not performed.

  Even if the bubbles 25 are moved (exist) in the second flow path T2 by closing the on-off valve 72 after circulating the hydraulic fluid by the circulation pump 71, the second flow path Bubbles do not flow into the second chamber 22 from T2.

  Thus, by circulating the working fluid in the second tank 3 through the first flow path T1, the second chamber 22, and the second flow path T2 by the bubble removing means 7 (circulation means), Bubbles in the flow path including the first flow path T1 can be removed. Thereby, while suppressing the increase in flow path resistance of the 1st flow path T1, the discharge performance of the head 1 can be maintained. Further, the water head difference between the discharge port surface 10 of the head 1 and the liquid level in the second tank 3 is maintained in a stable state, and the negative pressure in the head 1 can be maintained more stably.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “ejection apparatus”) will be described as an example of a liquid ejection apparatus.

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the ejection device 100 of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and the bubble removing means 7 is different.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the bubble removing means 7 further includes a connection channel T3 that connects the middle of the first channel T1 and the middle of the second channel T2.

  After the on-off valve 72 is switched from the closed state to the open state, by driving the circulation pump 71, the hydraulic fluid including the bubbles 25 in the first flow path T1 is connected from the first flow path T1 to the connection flow path. It is moved to T3 and the second chamber 22. Then, after the working fluid passes through the connection flow path T3 and the second chamber 22, it joins in the second flow path T2. Furthermore, the hydraulic fluid containing the bubbles 25 is finally moved (released) to the second tank 3 through the second flow path T2.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, when moving the hydraulic fluid containing bubbles in the first flow path T1, the amount of the hydraulic fluid passing through the second chamber 22 can be reduced by the connection flow path T3. The negative pressure on the head 1 side can be maintained more stably.

  In particular, if the flow path diameter of the connection flow path T3 is set larger than the flow path diameters of the first flow path T1 and the second flow path T2, the working fluid in the first flow path T1 is transferred from the second chamber 22 side. Can be easily moved to the connection flow path T3 side, and the influence on the pressure of the second chamber 22 (head 1 side) can be further reduced.

  Moreover, the first flow path T1 can be more easily arranged by arranging the position where the connection flow path T3 is connected to the first flow path T1 closer to the second chamber 22 side than the second tank 3 side. The bubbles inside can be discharged.

[Third embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In this embodiment, as in the second embodiment, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “ejection apparatus”) will be described as an example of a liquid ejection apparatus.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a liquid ejection apparatus according to a modification of the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the ejection device 100 of the present embodiment is basically the same as that of the second embodiment, and the bubble removing means 7 is different.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, the bubble removing means 7 includes a branch channel T20 that is branched from the branching portion 73 of the first channel T1 and connects the first channel T1 and the second tank 3. ing.

  After switching the on-off valve 72 from the closed state to the open state, the hydraulic fluid containing the bubbles 25 in the first flow path T1 is driven from the first flow path T1 by driving the circulation pump 71. Moved to T20. Then, the hydraulic fluid moves (releases) to the second tank 3 after passing only through the branch flow path T20.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the working fluid in the flow path is moved, the pressure in the second chamber 22 (head 1 side) is more stably maintained because it does not pass through the second chamber 22. be able to.

  As in the second embodiment, by disposing the branch portion at a position closer to the second chamber 22 side than the second tank 3 side, bubbles in the first flow path T1 can be more easily removed. Can be discharged.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the flow path diameter of one end T21 where the branch flow path T20 is connected to the branch portion 73 is made larger than that of the first flow path T1, thereby allowing the first flow when circulating the working fluid. The hydraulic fluid in the passage T1 is more likely to flow from the branch portion 73 to the branch flow channel T20 side. For this reason, the influence of the pressure transmitted to the second chamber 22 side becomes smaller.

  On the other hand, as in the modification shown in FIG. 8, an on-off valve 74 can be further arranged in the first flow path T <b> 1 between the branch portion 73 and the second chamber 22. Thereby, when performing bubble removal operation, closing the on-off valve 74 further reduces the entry of the bubbles 25 in the first flow path into the second chamber. Further, the influence of the pressure transmitted from the first flow path T1 to the second chamber 22 side can be further shielded, and the pressure on the head 1 side can be maintained more stably.

  In particular, by providing the on-off valve 74, the bubbles 25 in the first flow path T1 are reduced from being mixed into the first tank 1, so that when the hydraulic fluid needs to be pressurized or depressurized, The impact of the damper effect can be reduced. For example, it is effective when a hydraulic fluid is pressurized and a cleaning operation is performed on the ejection port of the head 1.

[Fourth embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of the imprint apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the imprint apparatus 200 of the present invention mainly includes a liquid ejection apparatus 100 </ b> A and a pattern forming unit (pattern forming unit) 900.

  The liquid ejection device 100A has basically the same configuration as the ejection device 100 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, a photocurable resist is accommodated in the first chamber 21 of the first tank 2, and a wafer substrate 91 </ b> A (substrate) described later from the head 1 communicating with the first chamber 21. Resist is discharged. On the other hand, the second chamber 22 is filled with a working fluid having a density close to that of the resist.

  In this embodiment, the resist is made of a photocurable resin, but may be made of another photocurable material (liquid). In this embodiment, an aluminum multilayer film having a thickness of 10 μm to 200 μm is used as the flexible film 8. A material such as an aluminum multilayer film is suitable as a flexible portion because it has stability with respect to a resist and has a characteristic that liquid and gas are not easily transmitted.

  The pattern forming unit 900 mainly includes a mold 94 and an exposure unit (light irradiation means) 95. Further, the pattern forming unit 900 is provided with a moving means 96 for moving the mold 94 up and down.

  The mold 94 is held by the first holding unit 97 via the moving unit 96, and the exposure unit 95 is held by the second holding unit 98. The mold 94 is made of a light-transmitting quartz material, and a groove-like fine pattern (uneven pattern) is formed on one surface (lower surface) side. The exposure unit 95 is disposed above the mold 94 and can be cured by irradiating a resist (pattern) on a wafer substrate 91 </ b> A described later across the mold 94.

  Hereinafter, a forming process for forming a pattern on the surface of the wafer substrate 91A using the imprint apparatus 200 of the present embodiment will be described.

  In this embodiment, the upper surface of the wafer substrate on which the resist is discharged (applied) by the liquid discharge device is brought into contact with the lower surface of the mold on which the concave / convex pattern is formed, and the upper surface of the wafer substrate is on the lower surface of the mold. A pattern corresponding to the uneven pattern is formed.

  Specifically, a resist is ejected (applied) from the head 1 of the liquid ejecting apparatus 100A onto the upper surface of the wafer substrate 91A in a predetermined pattern (applying step).

  Thereafter, the wafer substrate 91 </ b> A to which a resist (pattern) is applied (formed) is conveyed below the mold 94 by the conveying means 92.

  The moving means 96 lowers the mold 94 downward, and presses the lower surface of the mold 94 against the resist (pattern) formed on the upper surface of the wafer substrate 91A. As a result, the resist is pushed into and filled in the groove-like fine pattern constituting the concave-convex pattern on the lower surface of the mold 94 (pattern formation step).

  In a state where the resist is filled in a fine pattern, the resist is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the exposure unit 95 through the light-transmitting mold 94, thereby forming a pattern made of the resist on the surface of the wafer substrate 91A (processing step). ).

  After the pattern is formed, the mold 94 is raised by the moving means 96, and the pattern formed on the wafer substrate 91A and the mold 94 are separated. The pattern formation process on the wafer substrate 91A is completed.

  Similar to the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the liquid level in the second tank 3 is arranged below the discharge port surface 10, and the liquid level in the second tank is set within a predetermined range by the adjusting means 4. By adjusting to, the pressure in the head 1 can be stably controlled within a predetermined range (negative pressure). Therefore, resist (liquid) leakage from the head 1 can be effectively suppressed. Also, the resist can be stably discharged from the head 1.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the space in the first tank 2 is filled with the resist and the working fluid that are close in density, vibration is effectively suppressed even if the housing 20 is impacted. Therefore, the influence of the vibration on the pressure in the head 1 is small, and the inside of the head 1 can be maintained in a stable negative pressure state.

  In the present embodiment, the hydraulic fluid filled in the second chamber 22 is less susceptible to changes in environmental temperature and pressure than gas. Therefore, even if the ambient temperature or atmospheric pressure around the imprint apparatus 200 changes, the volume of the hydraulic fluid hardly fluctuates, so that fluctuations in the pressure of the resist in the head 1 communicating with the first chamber 21 are reliably suppressed. Yes.

  The imprint apparatus of the present invention can be applied to, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus or a nanoimprint apparatus that manufactures devices such as semiconductor integrated circuit elements and liquid crystal display elements.

  Parts can be manufactured using the imprint apparatus of the present invention.

  The component manufacturing method may include a step (applying step) of discharging (applying) a resist to a substrate (wafer, glass plate, film-like substrate, etc.) using an imprint apparatus (head).

  In addition, there is a pattern forming process in which the surface of the substrate on which the resist is discharged (applied) and the surface of the mold on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed are brought into contact with each other to form a pattern corresponding to the concavo-convex pattern on the substrate. May be.

  Moreover, you may have a process process which processes the board | substrate with which the pattern was formed. In addition, you may have an etching process process which etches a board | substrate as a process process which processes a board | substrate.

  When manufacturing a device (part) such as a patterned medium (recording medium) or an optical element, a processing process other than the etching process is preferable.

  According to the component manufacturing method of the present invention, the performance, quality, and productivity of the component can be improved and the production cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional component manufacturing method.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head 2 1st tank 3 2nd tank 4 Adjustment means 7 Bubble removal means 8 Flexible membrane (flexible part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Discharge port surface 21 1st chamber 22 2nd chamber T1 1st flow path T2 2nd flow path 71 Circulation pump (circulation means)
100 Inkjet recording device (liquid ejection device)

Claims (12)

A head having a discharge port surface on which a discharge port for discharging liquid is formed;
A first tank for storing liquid to be supplied to the head;
A flexible portion that divides the internal space of the first tank into a first chamber that stores the liquid and a second chamber that stores the working fluid and has flexibility;
A second tank containing the hydraulic fluid supplied to the second chamber;
A first flow path communicating with the second chamber and the second tank, the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank being disposed below the discharge port surface, In the liquid discharge apparatus in which the pressure is controlled by a height difference between the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank and the discharge port surface,
A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a bubble removing unit that removes bubbles generated in the first flow path. The bubble removing means includes
A second flow path communicating with the second tank and the second chamber;
The circulating means for circulating the working fluid in the second tank through the first flow path, the second chamber, and the second flow path is provided. Liquid ejection device.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circulation unit includes a circulation pump provided in at least one of the first flow path and the second flow path.   The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circulation pump is provided in the first flow path. The second flow path is connected to an upper portion of the second chamber;
The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first flow path is connected to the second chamber so as to be lower than the second flow path.   6. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circulation pump is driven within a period in which the ejection operation of the head is not performed. An on-off valve for opening and closing the second flow path;
7. The on-off valve is in an open state when the circulation pump is driven, and the on-off valve is in a closed state when the circulation pump is not driven. The liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of the above. A connection flow path connecting the middle of the first flow path and the middle of the second flow path;
The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a flow path diameter of the connection flow path is larger than flow path diameters of the first flow path and the second flow path. The bubble removing means includes
A branch channel branched from the branch portion of the first channel and connecting the first channel and the second tank;
The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a circulation unit that circulates the hydraulic fluid in the second tank through the first channel and the branch channel. A head having a discharge port surface on which a discharge port for discharging liquid is formed;
A first tank for storing liquid to be supplied to the head;
A flexible portion that divides the internal space of the first tank into a first chamber that stores the liquid and a second chamber that stores the working fluid and has flexibility;
A second tank containing the hydraulic fluid supplied to the second chamber;
A first flow path communicating with the second chamber and the second tank, the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank being disposed below the discharge port surface, In the imprint apparatus in which the pressure is controlled by a height difference between the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank and the discharge port surface,
Bubble removing means for removing bubbles generated in the first flow path;
The one surface of the substrate on which the liquid is discharged onto one surface by the head is brought into contact with the surface on which the concavo-convex pattern of the mold on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed, and the one surface of the substrate And forming means for forming a pattern corresponding to the concave-convex pattern of the mold. The liquid is a photocurable liquid,
The imprint apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the pattern forming unit includes a light irradiation unit configured to irradiate the pattern formed on the substrate with light to cure the pattern. A head having a discharge port surface on which a discharge port for discharging liquid is formed;
A first tank for storing liquid to be supplied to the head;
A flexible portion that divides the internal space of the first tank into a first chamber that stores the liquid and a second chamber that stores the working fluid and has flexibility;
A second tank containing the hydraulic fluid supplied to the second chamber;
A first flow path communicating the second chamber and the second tank;
Bubble removing means for removing bubbles generated in the first flow path, and the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank is disposed below the discharge port surface, Is a component manufacturing method for manufacturing a component having a substrate using an imprint apparatus in which the pressure of the hydraulic fluid is controlled by a height difference between the liquid level of the hydraulic fluid in the second tank and the discharge port surface. And
An applying step of applying a liquid to the surface of the substrate by the head;
A pattern forming step of bringing the surface of the substrate to which the liquid has been applied into contact with the surface of the mold on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed, and forming a pattern corresponding to the concavo-convex pattern of the mold on the surface of the substrate; ,
And a processing step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed.

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