JP2018008231A - Droplet discharge device and discharge inspection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust a discharge state appropriately based on a result of imaging functional liquid droplets landed on a medium for inspection without performing adjustment by type of a functional liquid in a droplet discharge device for discharging droplets onto a workpiece.SOLUTION: A droplet discharge device 1 includes a nozzle head 24 for discharging droplets of functional liquid onto a workpiece, a discharge inspection unit 50 for receiving the inspection discharge from the nozzle had 24 on the surface having liquid repellency of an inspection film 52, a discharge inspection camera 31 for imaging the droplets inspection-discharged on the surface of the inspection film 52, and an electricity removal unit 80 for removing electricity on the surface having liquid repellency of the inspection film 52. The electricity on the surface of the inspection film 52 is removed by the electricity removal unit 80 before the inspection-discharging of the droplets.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device that discharges and draws a droplet of a functional liquid on a workpiece and a discharge inspection method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus that performs drawing on a workpiece using a functional liquid, an ink jet type liquid droplet ejection apparatus that ejects the functional liquid as droplets is known. As the droplet discharge device, for example, an electro-optical device (flat panel display: FPD) such as an organic EL device, a color filter, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display (PDP device), and an electron emission device (FED device, SED device) is manufactured. It is widely used.

  In the droplet discharge device, accuracy of the discharge position of the functional liquid is required. Therefore, for the purpose of inspecting and correcting the ejection of the functional liquid, the functional liquid is ejected onto the inspection medium before drawing, and the ejected functional liquid is imaged by the imaging device, and the ejection conditions are based on the imaging result. Is corrected to adjust the discharge amount of the functional liquid (see Patent Document 1).

  As an inspection medium, the droplet discharge device of Patent Document 2 uses a film-coated medium that suppresses the penetration of droplets. Further, the droplet discharge device of Patent Document 3 uses an inspection substrate that has been surface-treated so that the landed functional droplets have a predetermined contact angle.

JP 2010-204411 A Japanese Patent No. 5131450 JP 2005-119139 A

  However, as disclosed in Patent Document 2 or 3, when a medium in which the penetration of liquid droplets is suppressed, that is, a liquid-repellent medium, is used as an inspection medium, the functional liquid droplets land when the medium is charged. Many shifts occur from the position. Therefore, when a liquid-repellent medium is used as the inspection medium, it is not possible to appropriately adjust the droplet discharge state based on the imaging result of the droplet on the medium.

By using a permeable medium instead of a liquid-repellent medium as an inspection medium, the above-described problem of landing position deviation is solved. However, since the permeability varies depending on the solute of the functional liquid and the type of the solvent, the state of the functional droplet after landing and penetrating on the medium varies depending on the type of the solute and the solvent of the functional liquid. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the imaging result of the landed functional liquid droplets for each type of functional liquid. Therefore, when a new functional liquid is used, it may be necessary to modify the apparatus or finely adjust the conditions, and it takes time to cope.
Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not provide any disclosure or suggestion regarding this point.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in a droplet discharge device that discharges droplets onto a workpiece, functional droplets that have landed on an inspection medium without being adjusted for each type of functional liquid It is an object to enable the discharge state to be appropriately adjusted based on the imaging result of the above.

  In order to achieve the above object, a droplet discharge head that discharges a droplet of a functional liquid onto a work, and a discharge inspection unit that receives inspection discharge from the droplet discharge head on a surface having liquid repellency of an inspection medium And an image pickup unit for picking up an image of the liquid droplets inspected and discharged on the surface of the inspection medium, comprising: a discharge unit that neutralizes the liquid-repellent surface of the inspection medium. And the surface of the inspection medium is neutralized by the neutralization unit before the droplet is inspected and discharged.

  It is preferable that the droplet discharge device further includes a contamination prevention unit that prevents contamination by droplets inspected and discharged on the surface of the inspection medium.

  The contamination prevention unit is, for example, for removing the droplet discharged from the inspection from the surface of the inspection medium.

  It is preferable that the inspection medium is collected after being imaged by the imaging unit, and the contamination prevention unit covers the collected part of the inspection medium.

  The inspection medium is preferably wound around a winding shaft so that the surface is on the inside.

  It is preferable that the droplet discharge device further includes a surface treatment unit that performs surface treatment before the charge removal by the charge removal unit so that the surface of the inspection medium has liquid repellency.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a droplet discharge head that discharges functional liquid droplets onto a workpiece, and a discharge inspection unit that receives inspection and discharge from the droplet discharge head on a liquid-repellent surface of an inspection medium. And an imaging unit that images the liquid droplets inspected and discharged on the surface of the inspection medium, and prevents contamination by the liquid droplets inspected and discharged on the surface of the inspection medium It is characterized by having a pollution prevention unit.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a droplet discharge head that discharges functional liquid droplets onto a workpiece, and a discharge inspection in which inspection discharge from the droplet discharge head is performed on a liquid-repellent surface of an inspection medium. A liquid droplet ejection apparatus comprising: a unit; and an imaging unit that images the liquid droplets inspected and ejected on the surface of the inspection medium, wherein the surface of the inspection medium has a liquid repellency. It is characterized by including a surface treatment unit for performing.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a droplet of a functional liquid is inspected and ejected from a droplet ejection head onto a liquid-repellent surface of an inspection medium, and the inspected and ejected droplet is imaged by an imaging unit. An ejection inspection method for inspecting ejection failure of the liquid droplet ejection head based on a result, the step of neutralizing a liquid-repellent surface of the inspection medium with a neutralization unit, and the neutralized inspection medium And a step of discharging the droplets from the droplet discharge head onto a surface having liquid repellency.

  According to the present invention, in a liquid droplet ejection apparatus that ejects liquid droplets onto a workpiece, the liquid droplets are appropriately ejected based on the imaging result of functional liquid droplets that have landed on a test medium without adjustment for each type of functional liquid. The state can be adjusted.

It is a model side view which shows the outline of a structure of an example of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the droplet discharge device in FIG. 1. It is a model front view which shows the outline of a structure of a discharge inspection unit. It is explanatory drawing of the processing operation of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the processing operation of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the processing operation of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the processing operation of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a model front view explaining another example of arrangement | positioning of a static elimination unit. It is explanatory drawing of the structural example of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is a model front view which shows the outline of a structure of a droplet removal unit. It is a schematic plan view which shows the other example of a droplet removal unit. It is a schematic front view which shows another example of a droplet removal unit. It is a schematic front view which shows another example of a droplet removal unit. It is explanatory drawing of the structural example of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of a structure of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on the modification of 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the structure of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on the other modification of 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the structural example of the droplet discharge apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment, and is a model front view which shows the outline of a structure of a surface treatment unit.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

<1. First Embodiment>
First, the configuration of the droplet discharge device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an outline of the configuration of an example of a droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the droplet discharge device of FIG. In the following, the main scanning direction of the workpiece is the X-axis direction, the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction is the Y-axis direction, the vertical direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is the Z-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. The rotation direction around is the θ direction. Z-axis direction is vertical

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the droplet discharge device 1 extends in the main scanning direction (X-axis direction) and moves the workpiece W in the main scanning direction, and the X-axis table 10. And a pair of Y-axis tables 11, 11 extending in the sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction). A pair of X-axis guide rails 12 and 12 are provided on the top surface of the X-axis table 10 so as to extend in the X-axis direction, and each X-axis guide rail 12 is provided with an X-axis linear motor (not shown). ing. On the upper surface of each Y-axis table 11, a Y-axis guide rail 13 is provided extending in the Y-axis direction, and a Y-axis linear motor (not shown) is provided on the Y-axis guide rail 13.

  A carriage unit 20 and an imaging unit 30 are provided on the pair of Y-axis tables 11 and 11. A work stage 40 and a discharge inspection unit 50 are provided on the X-axis table 10. A maintenance unit 70 is provided between the pair of Y-axis tables 11 and 11 on the outer side (Y-axis negative direction side) of the X-axis table 10. Further, a static elimination unit 80 is provided between the pair of X-axis guide rails 12 on the substantially upper side (substantially Z-axis positive direction side) of the discharge inspection unit 50.

  A plurality of, for example, ten carriage units 20 are provided in the Y-axis table 11. Each carriage unit 20 includes a carriage plate 21, a carriage rotation mechanism 22, a carriage 23, and a nozzle head (droplet discharge head) 24.

  The carriage plate 21 is attached to the Y-axis guide rail 13 and is movable in the Y-axis direction by a Y-axis linear motor provided on the Y-axis guide rail 13. It is also possible to move the plurality of carriage plates 21 together in the Y-axis direction.

  A carriage rotation mechanism 22 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the carriage plate 21, and a carriage 23 is detachably attached to a lower end portion of the carriage rotation mechanism 22. The carriage 23 is rotatable in the θ direction by a carriage rotation mechanism 22. The work stage 40 is provided with a carriage alignment camera (not shown) that images the carriage 23. The position of the carriage 23 in the θ direction is corrected by the carriage rotation mechanism 22 based on the image captured by the carriage alignment camera.

  A plurality of nozzle heads 24 are provided on the lower surface of the carriage 23. In this embodiment, for example, three nozzle heads 24 are provided in the X-axis direction and two in the Y-axis direction, that is, a total of six nozzle heads 24. A plurality of discharge nozzles (not shown) are formed on the lower surface of the nozzle head 24, that is, the nozzle surface, and functional liquid droplets are discharged from the discharge nozzles.

The imaging unit 30 has a discharge inspection camera 31 as an imaging unit. The discharge inspection camera 31 is arranged on the X axis positive direction side with respect to the carriage 23, that is, on the discharge inspection unit 50 side.
The ejection inspection camera 31 images a droplet that has been inspected and ejected onto an inspection film 52 described later of the ejection inspection unit 50. The discharge inspection camera 31 is supported by a base 32 provided on the side surface of the Y-axis table 11 on the X-axis positive direction side among the pair of Y-axis tables 11 and 11. The base 32 is provided with a moving mechanism (not shown) for moving the discharge inspection camera 31, and the discharge inspection camera 31 is movable in the Y-axis direction. When the discharge inspection unit 50 is guided directly below the locus of the discharge inspection camera 31 moving in the Y-axis direction, the discharge inspection camera 31 is arranged in the discharge inspection unit 50 by moving in the Y-axis direction. The droplet landed on the inspection film 52 can be photographed.

  The work stage 40 is a vacuum suction stage, for example, and sucks and places the work W thereon. The work stage 40 is supported by a stage rotation mechanism 41 provided on the lower surface side of the work stage 40 so as to be rotatable in the θ direction. A work alignment camera (not shown) that images the alignment mark of the work W on the work stage 40 is provided above the work stage 40 on the X-axis negative direction side of the Y-axis table 11. . The position of the workpiece W placed on the workpiece stage 40 in the θ direction is corrected by the stage rotation mechanism 41 based on the image captured by the workpiece alignment camera.

  The work stage 40 and the stage rotation mechanism 41 are supported by a first X-axis slider 42 provided on the lower surface side of the stage rotation mechanism 41. The first X-axis slider 42 is attached to the X-axis guide rail 12 and is movable in the X-axis direction by an X-axis linear motor provided on the X-axis guide rail 12. The work stage 40 (work W) is also movable in the X-axis direction along the X-axis guide rail 12 by the first X-axis slider 42.

  The discharge inspection unit 50 is a unit that receives inspection discharge from the nozzle head 24.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing an outline of the configuration of the discharge inspection unit 50.
The discharge inspection unit 50 is provided with an inspection table 51 that extends in the Y-axis direction. An inspection film 52 as an inspection medium is arranged on the upper surface of the inspection table 51. The inspection film 52 is wound around the supply shaft 53 in advance, is fed from the supply shaft 53 to the Y axis positive direction side, and is wound around the winding shaft 54. The supply shaft 53 and the take-up shaft 54 are supported by shaft support portions 55 and 55, respectively.
The surface (upper surface) of the inspection film 52 has liquid repellency, and when the inspection table 51 is guided directly below the nozzle head 24, the droplets discharged from the nozzle head 24 have liquid repellency. It is designed to land on the surface.

Returning to the description of FIG. 1 and FIG.
The discharge inspection unit 50 is mounted on the second X-axis slider 60. The second X-axis slider 60 is attached to the X-axis guide rail 12 and is movable in the X-axis direction by an X-axis linear motor provided on the X-axis guide rail 12. The discharge inspection unit 50 is also movable in the X-axis direction along the X-axis guide rail 12 by the second X-axis slider 60.

  The maintenance unit 70 performs maintenance of the nozzle head 24 and eliminates the ejection failure of the nozzle head 24.

  The neutralization unit 80 is a unit that neutralizes the surface of the inspection film 52 of the discharge inspection unit 50. The static elimination unit 80 is supported by the housing | casing not shown of the droplet discharge apparatus 1, for example. The static eliminator unit 80 is preferably a non-contact type that eliminates static electricity, and can be constituted by, for example, an ionizer or a soft X-ray photo ionizer. The neutralization unit 80 neutralizes the surface of the inspection film 52 before the inspection discharge onto the inspection film 52. In the inspection film 52, the portion used for the previous discharge inspection is wound up and the unused portion is sent out for each discharge inspection. After the delivery is completed and before the inspection discharge, the static elimination unit 80 performs static elimination.

  The droplet discharge device 1 described above is provided with a control unit 150. The control unit 150 is a computer, for example, and has a data storage unit (not shown). The data storage unit stores, for example, drawing data (bitmap data) for controlling droplets discharged onto the work W and drawing a predetermined pattern on the work W. Further, the control unit 150 has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling various processes in the droplet discharge device 1, a program for controlling the operation of the drive system, and the like.

  The data and the program are stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), flexible disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magnetic optical desk (MO), or memory card. It may be recorded and installed in the control unit 150 from the storage medium.

  Next, work processing performed using the droplet discharge device 1 configured as described above will be described. In the following description, on the X-axis table 10, an area on the X-axis negative direction side from the Y-axis table 11 is referred to as a carry-in / out area A1, and an area between the pair of Y-axis tables 11 and 11 is referred to as a processing area A2. An area on the X axis positive direction side from the Y axis table 11 is referred to as a standby area A3.

  First, the work stage 40 is arranged in the carry-in / out area A1, and the work W carried into the droplet discharge device 1 by the transport mechanism (not shown) is placed on the work stage 40. Subsequently, an alignment mark W3 of the workpiece W on the workpiece stage 40 is imaged by the workpiece alignment camera. Then, based on the captured image, the stage rotation mechanism 41 corrects the position of the work W placed on the work stage 40 in the θ direction, and the work W is aligned (step S1).

  Thereafter, the work stage 40 is moved from the loading / unloading area A1 to the processing area A2 by the X-axis slider 42. In the processing area A <b> 2, droplets are ejected from the nozzle head 24 to the workpiece W that has moved below the nozzle head 24. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the work stage 40 is further moved to the standby area A <b> 3 side so that the entire surface of the work W passes below the nozzle head 24. Then, the workpiece W is reciprocated in the X-axis direction, and the carriage unit 20 is appropriately moved in the Y-axis direction to draw a predetermined pattern on the workpiece W (step S2).

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the work stage 40 is moved from the standby area A3 to the carry-in / out area A1.
When the work stage 40 moves to the carry-in / out area A1, the work W for which the drawing process has been completed is carried out from the droplet discharge device 1. Subsequently, the next workpiece W is carried into the droplet discharge device 1, and the alignment of the workpiece W in step S1 described above is performed (step S3).

  In this manner, while the work W is being carried in / out in step S3, or before being carried out, the static electricity is removed from the inspection film 52 of the discharge inspection unit 50 as shown in FIG. After that, as shown in FIG. 6, the second X-axis slider 60 moves the ejection inspection unit 50 from the standby area A3 to the processing area A2. In the processing area A2, the inspection film 52 of the discharge inspection unit 50 is arranged below the nozzle head 24, and droplets are inspected and discharged from the nozzle head 24 onto the surface of the inspection film 52 (step S4).

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the discharge inspection unit 50 is moved to the X axis positive direction side, and the inspection film 52 of the discharge inspection unit 50 is disposed below the discharge inspection camera 31.
Then, the ejection inspection camera 31 is appropriately moved in the Y-axis direction, and the liquid droplets inspected and ejected onto the inspection film 52 by the ejection inspection camera 31 are imaged. The captured image is output to the control unit 150. The control unit 150 inspects the ejection failure of the ejection nozzles in the nozzle head 24 based on the captured image, and adjusts the ejection state based on the inspection result (step S5). . If it is determined in this inspection result that, for example, the nozzle is missing from the droplet and the ejection defect is due to a curved flight, the maintenance of the nozzle head 24 is performed by the maintenance unit 70. For example, when it is determined that the diameter or position of the droplet landing dot is defective, the bitmap data is corrected, and the discharge of the droplet from the nozzle head 24 is feedback-controlled.

  As described above, steps S1 to S5 are performed on each workpiece W, and a series of workpiece processing ends. For the first workpiece W, it is preferable to perform the inspection ejection process and the ejection state adjustment process in steps S4 and S5 before the drawing process in steps S1 to S3.

  According to the first embodiment described above, in step S4, before the droplets are inspected and discharged from the nozzle head 24 onto the inspection film 52, the surface having the liquid repellency of the inspection film 52 is neutralized. Accordingly, the liquid droplets that have landed on the surface of the inspection film 52 are not displaced from the landing position by electrostatic force. Therefore, in the droplet discharge device 1 according to the first embodiment, the discharge state can be appropriately adjusted based on the imaging result of the landed droplet. In addition, a film having liquid repellency does not need to be adjusted for each type of functional liquid because there is no difference in imaging results between the types of functional liquid compared to a permeable film.

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view illustrating another arrangement example of the charge removal unit 80.
The static elimination unit 80 of the example of FIG. 2 etc. extended along the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the inspection film 52, and was disposed at a position overlapping the carriage unit 20, that is, the carriage 23 as viewed in the X-axis direction. . However, the position of the static elimination unit 80 is not limited to this example. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the position of the static elimination unit 80 is a position that does not overlap the carriage 23 when viewed in the X-axis direction, and is on the negative side in the Y-axis direction with respect to the carriage 23, that is, the winding direction of the inspection film 52. 23, an upstream position.

  In the inspection sheet 52, for example, at the start of the discharge inspection, a portion used for the previous discharge inspection is wound and an unused portion is sent out. The neutralization by the neutralization unit 80 of this example is performed at the time of the delivery.

  The neutralization unit 80 in FIG. 1 and the like is excellent in that it neutralizes the surface of the inspection film 52 in a short time, and the neutralization unit 80 in FIG. 8 is excellent in that it can be reduced in size.

  The static elimination unit may be movable integrally with the discharge inspection unit or may be fixed.

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, the configuration of the droplet discharge device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic front view illustrating an outline of an example of a configuration of a later-described droplet removal unit included in the droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment.

When the inspection film is lyophilic, the droplet penetrates, so the solvent of the droplet diffuses into the droplet discharge device, or the droplet drops from the inspection film on which the droplet is wound. There is no problem of contaminating the inside of the discharge device. However, when the inspection film is liquid repellent, the droplets that have been inspected and discharged on the inspection film do not solidify in a short time, and thus the above-described problems are likely to occur.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the droplet discharge device of the second embodiment is provided with a charge removal unit 80 for the discharge inspection unit 50 as in the case of the first embodiment. In addition, a droplet removal unit 90 as a contamination prevention unit is provided for the discharge inspection unit 50.

  The liquid droplet removal unit 90 is a unit that removes the liquid droplets inspected and discharged on the inspection film 52 after imaging. The droplet removing unit 90 includes an ejection pipe 91 and two suction pipes 92 and 92, and the ejection pipe 91 is sandwiched between the two suction pipes 92 and 92. The injection pipe 91 is connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown), and the suction pipes 92 and 92 are each connected to a pump (not shown). In the droplet removing unit 90, compressed air is ejected from the ejection tube 91 to blow off the droplets on the inspection film 52, and the blown droplets are sucked by the suction tube 92, thereby removing the droplets on the inspection film 52. To do. After the removal, the inspection film 52 is wound on the winding shaft 54.

  According to the second embodiment described above, since the inspection film 52 is wound up in a state where no droplets are present on the surface of the film 52, that is, collected, the inside of the droplet discharge device is contaminated. Can be prevented.

  The position of the droplet removing unit 90 is a position that does not overlap the carriage unit 20 when viewed in the X-axis direction, and is downstream of the carriage 23 with respect to the carriage 23 on the positive side in the Y-axis direction, that is, the winding direction of the inspection film 52. Side position.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the droplet removing unit 90.
In the droplet removing unit 90 of FIG. 9, the jet pipe 91 and the suction pipes 92 and 92 constituting the unit 90 are all located above the inspection film 52 (Z-axis direction positive side).
On the other hand, the droplet removing unit 90 of FIG. 10 includes an air knife 93 positioned on the upper side (Z-axis direction positive side) of the inspection film 52, the laterally outer side of the inspection film 52 (X-axis direction negative side), and the inspection film 52. And a recovery container 94 located on the lower side (Z-axis direction negative side). The air knife 93 is connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown), and the recovery container 94 is connected to a pump (not shown).

  In the droplet removing unit 90 of this example, compressed air is ejected from the air knife 93 and the droplets on the inspection film 52 are blown off to the side of the film 52, and the blown droplets are collected in the collection container 94 opened on the upper side. To do. Thereby, the solvent of the droplets on the inspection film 52 can be removed. Accordingly, in the droplet discharge device having the droplet removal unit 90 of this example, the inspection film 52 is wound on the surface of the film 52 in a state where the droplets are solidified, so that the inside of the droplet discharge device is contaminated. This can be prevented.

FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing another example of the droplet removing unit 90.
The droplet removing unit 90 in FIG. 9 and the like removed droplets on the inspection film 52 by jetting compressed air.
On the other hand, the droplet removing unit 90 in FIG. 11 has a contact tongue piece 95 in contact with the surface of the inspection film 52 and a suction tube 96 in which a suction port is located near the lower portion of the contact tongue piece 95. . In the droplet removal unit 90, the contact tongue piece 95 peels the droplet from the surface of the inspection film 52, and the peeled droplet is sucked by the suction tube 96. Thereby, the droplets on the inspection film 52 can be removed. In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus having the liquid droplet removal unit 90 of this example, since the inspection film 52 is wound up in a state where no liquid droplet exists on the surface of the film 52, the inside of the liquid droplet ejection apparatus is contaminated. Can be prevented.

FIG. 12 is a schematic front view showing another example of the droplet removing unit 90.
The removal unit 90 in FIG. 9 and the like removed droplets on the inspection film 52 by blowing off or the like.
In contrast, the droplet removing unit 90 of FIG. 12 has a heater 97 below the inspection film 52. The droplet removing unit 90 evaporates the droplet on the inspection film 52 by the heater 97. Thereby, the droplets on the inspection film 52 can be removed. In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus having the liquid droplet removal unit 90 of this example, since the inspection film 52 is wound up in a state where no liquid droplet exists on the surface of the film 52, the inside of the liquid droplet ejection apparatus is contaminated. Can be prevented.

  In the droplet removing apparatus having the droplet removing unit 90 of FIG. 3, the inspection film 52 is wound immediately after passing under the carriage 23 on the most downstream side (Y axis direction positive side). On the other hand, the droplet removing apparatus having the droplet removing unit 90 of FIG. 12 has the relay shaft 56 at the lower part of the carriage 23 on the most downstream side, and the supply shaft 53, the relay shaft 56, and the winding shaft 54 The distance between the supply shaft 53 and the relay shaft 56 is substantially the same as the distance between the relay shaft 56 and the take-up shaft 54. For example, the heater 97 is provided so as to extend between the relay shaft 56 and the winding shaft 54. In this example, the inspection film 52 is wound after passing through the upper portion of the heater 97.

  Specifically, in the droplet removing apparatus having the droplet removing unit 90 of the present example, after the inspection ejection and imaging, the portion of the inspection film 2 where the droplets are inspected and ejected is positioned on the heater 97. The inspection film 52 is wound up by a predetermined distance. Thereafter, the inspection film 52 is heated by the heater 97 to evaporate the droplets discharged by inspection. The portion of the inspection film 2 where the droplets are evaporated is wound around the winding shaft 54 at the time of the next inspection discharge.

The example of the droplet removal unit is not limited to the example of FIGS. 9 to 12. For example, a liquid made by inspecting and discharging a roller made of a porous material that absorbs the droplet is brought into contact with the inspection film 52. The droplets may be removed by transferring them to the roller, or a wipe material for wiping off the droplets may be brought into contact with the inspection film 52 to remove the droplets discharged by inspection. Also good.
Further, when a droplet removing unit other than the example of FIG. 10 is used, the inspection film after removing the ejected droplets is returned to the original position (position of the supply shaft 53) without being wound, and the inspection film is inspected. You may make it reuse for discharge.

  The droplet removal unit may be movable integrally with the discharge inspection unit or may be fixed.

<3. Third Embodiment>
Next, the configuration of the droplet discharge device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13A is a schematic plan view showing an example of a later-described droplet drop prevention unit included in the droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 13B shows one of the droplet fall prevention units. It is a front view of the cover.

  The liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the third embodiment includes a static elimination unit similar to that of the first embodiment, and, as shown in FIG. A droplet drop prevention unit 100 is provided.

  The droplet drop prevention unit 100 is a unit that prevents the droplets that have been inspected and discharged on the inspection film 52 from dropping from the inspection film 52. The droplet drop prevention unit 100 includes a cover 101 that covers one end of the inspection film 52 wound around the winding shaft 54 and a cover 102 that covers the other end. Even if the droplets ooze out from both ends of the inspection film 52 when the inspection film 52 on which the droplets have been inspected and discharged is wound up, the droplets fall prevention unit 100 does not drop into the covers 101 and 102. Since the liquid drops, it is possible to prevent the liquid droplets from being dropped on the bottom of the liquid droplet ejection device and contaminating the device.

  In addition, the cover 101 is provided with a slit 101a so that the winding of the inspection film 52 onto the winding shaft 54 is not hindered as shown in FIG. The cover 101 is similarly provided with a slit 101b.

  In this example, both ends of the inspection film 52 wound around the winding shaft 54, that is, both ends of the recovered portion of the inspection film are covered with the two covers 101 and 102. Instead of this, the entire inspection film 52 wound around the winding shaft 54 may be covered with a single cover.

  The configuration according to the third embodiment and the configuration according to the second embodiment may be used in combination. By using in combination, contamination of the droplet discharge device can be prevented more reliably.

<4. Modification of Third Embodiment>
Next, the configuration of a droplet discharge device according to a modification of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic front view illustrating the winding shaft of the droplet discharge device according to this example.
In the droplet discharge device of this example, although not shown, the droplet drop prevention unit described with reference to FIG. 13 is provided for the inspection film 52 wound on the winding shaft 54.

  In the droplet discharge device of the example of FIG. 13 and the like, the take-up shaft 54 is positioned below the inspection film 52 to be conveyed, and the surface of the inspection film 52, that is, the surface on which the droplet is inspected and discharged is outside. Thus, the inspection film 52 was wound around the winding shaft 54.

  On the other hand, in the droplet discharge device of the example of FIG. 14, the winding shaft 54 is positioned above the transported inspection film 52, and the inspection film 52 is arranged so that the surface of the inspection film 52 is inside. Winding is performed from below the winding shaft 54. Therefore, in the process of winding the inspection film 52, the droplets that have been inspected and discharged do not fall from the inspection film 52, so that the droplet discharge device can be more reliably prevented from being contaminated.

FIG. 15 is a schematic front view illustrating a winding shaft of a droplet discharge device according to another modification.
The configuration for winding the inspection film 52 from below the take-up shaft 54 so that the surface of the inspection film 52 is on the inside is not limited to the example of FIG. 14 and may be as shown in FIG.

In the droplet discharge device of the example of FIG. 15, a change roller 57 that changes the traveling direction of the inspection film 52 downward is provided, and the winding shaft 54 is located below the change roller 57. By providing this change roller 57, the inspection film 52 can be wound around the take-up shaft 54 so that the surface of the inspection film 52 is inside.
In the droplet discharge device of this example, the take-up shaft 54 is located below the change roller 57, and the Y-direction negative side end (inner end) of the inspection film 52 taken up by the take-up shaft 54. ) Is disposed at a position on the Y direction positive side from the Y direction positive side end (outer end) of the change roller 57.
Therefore, in the process of winding the inspection film 52, the droplets that have been inspected and discharged do not fall from the inspection film 52, so that the droplet discharge device can be more reliably prevented from being contaminated.

<Embodiment 5.4>
Next, the configuration of the droplet discharge device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a schematic front view showing an outline of an example of a configuration of an after-mentioned surface treatment unit included in the droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment.
As in the first embodiment, the droplet discharge device according to the fourth embodiment also includes a charge removal unit 80 as shown in FIG.

In the droplet discharge device of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the inspection film 52 that has been previously processed so that the surface exhibits liquid repellency is used.
On the other hand, the droplet discharge apparatus of the fourth embodiment is provided with a surface treatment unit 110 for the discharge inspection unit 50 as shown in FIG. Then, before the inspection discharge onto the inspection film 120 made of a new liquid material such as polystyrene resin, the surface treatment unit 110 performs a surface treatment on the surface of the inspection film 120, thereby repelling the surface of the inspection film 120. I try to have liquidity.

  In the case of using an inspection film that has been treated in advance so that the surface exhibits liquid repellency, it is difficult to manage the liquid repellency quality, and it is expensive to obtain uniform quality. However, in the droplet discharge device of the present embodiment, the surface of the inspection film 120 is surface treated immediately before the inspection discharge so that the surface of the inspection film 120 has liquid repellency. Becomes easier and the cost can be reduced.

  The surface processing unit 110 is a remote atmospheric pressure plasma processing apparatus, and plasma generated outside the droplet discharge apparatus is introduced into the surface processing unit 110 to perform surface processing. As the plasma gas, for example, a fluorine-based gas can be used.

  The surface processing unit 110 has a processing chamber 111 into which plasma is introduced, and a partition chamber 112 is provided around the processing chamber 111 to prevent the plasma from leaking into the droplet discharge device. The partition chamber 112 is filled with, for example, nitrogen (N 2) gas, and the partition chamber 112 has a positive pressure with respect to the processing chamber 111.

The surface treatment unit 110 is disposed at a position on the negative side in the Y-axis direction, that is, a position on the upstream side with respect to the charge removal unit 80 with respect to the winding direction of the inspection film 52. Accordingly, the surface can be made liquid repellent immediately before the surface of the inspection film 120 is neutralized by the neutralization unit 80.
It is preferable that the surface treatment unit 110 can be moved integrally with the discharge inspection unit 50.

  In the above example, the remote type, that is, plasma is introduced into the processing chamber 111 from the outside, but it may be generated in the processing chamber 111 of the surface processing unit 110.

<6. Reference Example 1>
The droplet discharge device according to Reference Example 1 does not have a static elimination unit, but has a droplet removal unit and / or a droplet drop prevention unit as a contamination prevention unit exemplified in FIGS. Thereby, when a droplet is inspected and discharged onto the inspection film having liquid repellency, the droplet discharge device can be prevented from being contaminated when the inspection film is wound. Specifically, by having the droplet removal unit, the droplet is removed from the surface of the inspection film after the inspection, and the inspection film is wound up in a state where there is no droplet on the surface. It is possible to prevent contamination. In addition, by having a droplet drop prevention unit, even when the inspection film on which the droplet is inspected and discharged is taken up, even if the droplet oozes out from both ends of the inspection film, the droplet does not drop Since the liquid drops into the unit, it is possible to prevent the liquid droplets from falling on the bottom of the liquid droplet ejection apparatus and the like from being contaminated.

<7. Reference Example 2>
The droplet discharge device according to Reference Example 2 does not have a static elimination unit, but has a surface treatment unit illustrated in FIG. By having the surface treatment unit, the following problems can be solved. That is, when using an inspection film that has been treated in advance so that the surface exhibits liquid repellency, it is difficult to manage the liquid repellency quality, and the cost is high to obtain uniform quality. By having a surface treatment unit, the surface of the inspection film can be surface treated immediately before inspection discharge, and the surface of the inspection can be given liquid repellency, which makes it easy to manage the quality of the liquid repellent layer and reduce costs. Can do.

  The droplet discharge device configured as described above can be applied to a substrate processing system for forming an organic EL layer of an organic light emitting diode described in JP-A-2016-77966. Specifically, any of the above-described droplet discharge devices can be applied to the coating apparatus of the substrate processing system.

  The present invention is useful for a technique for ejecting functional liquid droplets onto a substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus 2 ... Inspection film 23 ... Carriage 24 ... Nozzle head 30 ... Imaging unit 31 ... Discharge inspection camera 40 ... Work stage 50 ... Discharge inspection unit 52,120 ... Inspection film 70 ... Maintenance unit 80 ... Static elimination unit 90 ... droplet removal unit 100 ... droplet drop prevention unit 110 ... surface treatment unit 150 ... control unit

Claims (9)

A droplet discharge head for discharging functional liquid droplets onto a workpiece, a discharge inspection unit for receiving inspection discharge from the droplet discharge head on the surface having liquid repellency of the inspection medium, and a surface of the inspection medium An image pickup unit that images the liquid droplets that have been inspected and discharged,
A neutralization unit for neutralizing the liquid-repellent surface of the inspection medium,
A droplet discharge device characterized in that the surface of the inspection medium is discharged by the charge removal unit before the droplet discharge / discharge.   The droplet discharge device according to claim 1, further comprising a contamination prevention unit that prevents contamination by droplets inspected and discharged on the surface of the inspection medium.   The droplet discharge apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contamination prevention unit removes the droplet discharged from the inspection from the surface of the inspection medium. The inspection medium is collected after imaging by the imaging unit,
The droplet ejection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contamination prevention unit covers a collected portion of the inspection medium.   The droplet ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection medium is wound around a winding shaft so that the surface is on the inner side.   The liquid droplet according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a surface treatment unit for performing a surface treatment before the charge removal by the charge removal unit so that the surface of the inspection medium has liquid repellency. Discharge device. A droplet discharge head for discharging functional liquid droplets onto a workpiece, a discharge inspection unit for receiving inspection discharge from the droplet discharge head on the surface having liquid repellency of the inspection medium, and a surface of the inspection medium An image pickup unit that images the liquid droplets that have been inspected and discharged,
A droplet discharge apparatus comprising a contamination prevention unit for preventing contamination by droplets inspected and discharged on the surface of the inspection medium. A droplet discharge head for discharging functional liquid droplets onto a workpiece, a discharge inspection unit for receiving inspection discharge from the droplet discharge head on the surface having liquid repellency of the inspection medium, and a surface of the inspection medium An image pickup unit that images the liquid droplets that have been inspected and discharged,
A droplet discharge device comprising a surface treatment unit for performing a surface treatment so that the surface of the inspection medium has liquid repellency. A droplet of a functional liquid is inspected and ejected from a droplet ejection head onto a liquid-repellent surface of an inspection medium, and the droplet ejected by the inspection is imaged by an imaging unit, and the droplet ejection is performed based on the imaging result A discharge inspection method for inspecting a discharge failure of a head,
Removing the surface of the inspection medium having liquid repellency with a static elimination unit;
And a step of discharging the droplets from the droplet discharge head onto the liquid-repellent surface of the inspection medium that has been neutralized.

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