JP3100918B2 - Method and apparatus for manufacturing color filter, method for manufacturing display apparatus, and method for manufacturing apparatus provided with display apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a color filter for manufacturing a color filter by discharging ink toward a substrate by an ink jet head and coloring each pixel with a plurality of discharged inks. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a device and a display device, and a method for manufacturing a device including a display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of personal computers,
In particular, with the development of portable personal computers, the demand for liquid crystal displays, especially color liquid crystal displays, tends to increase. However, for further widespread use, it is necessary to reduce the cost of the liquid crystal display, and in particular, there is an increasing demand for reducing the cost of a color filter having a high specific gravity. Conventionally, various methods have been tried to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements while satisfying the required characteristics of the color filter, but a method for satisfying all the required characteristics has not yet been established. The respective methods will be described below.

[0003] The first method is a pigment dispersion method, which is recently replacing the dyeing method. In this method, a photosensitive resin layer in which a pigment is dispersed is formed on a substrate, and a monochromatic pattern is obtained by patterning the photosensitive resin layer. This process is further repeated three times to form R, G, B color filter layers. On the other hand, the second method is a staining method. In the dyeing method, a water-soluble polymer material, which is a material for dyeing, is applied on a glass substrate, and is patterned into a desired shape by a photolithography process. Get a pattern. This is repeated three times to form R, G, B color filter layers.

As a third method, there is an electrodeposition method. In this method, a transparent electrode is patterned on a substrate, and immersed in an electrodeposition coating solution containing a pigment, a resin, an electrolytic solution, and the like to electrodeposit a first color. This process is repeated three times to form R, G, and B color filter layers, and finally fired. A fourth method is a printing method. In this method, a pigment is dispersed in a thermosetting resin, R, G, and B are separately applied by repeating printing three times, and then the resin is thermoset to form a colored layer. In any method, a protective layer is generally formed on the colored layer.

The common features of these methods are R,
In order to color the three colors G and B, the same process needs to be repeated three times, which increases the cost. In addition, there is a problem that the yield decreases as the number of steps increases.
Further, in the electrodeposition method, since the pattern shape that can be formed is limited, it is difficult to apply the current technology for TFT. Further, in the printing method, it is difficult to form a fine pitch pattern due to poor resolution and smoothness.

To make up for these disadvantages, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
JP-A-5205, JP-A-63-235901 and JP-A-1-217320 disclose a method of manufacturing a color filter using an ink jet system. These methods are R (red), G (green), B
A colored liquid containing three (blue) dyes is discharged onto a light-transmitting substrate by an inkjet method, and each colored liquid is dried to form a colored pixel portion. In such an ink-jet method, each of the R, G, and B pixels can be formed at a time, so that a great simplification of the manufacturing process and a great cost reduction effect can be obtained.

[0007]

In a color filter used in a general liquid crystal display device or the like, an opening (that is, a pixel) of a black matrix for partitioning each pixel is rectangular. Since the shape of the ink ejected from the liquid crystal is substantially circular, it is difficult to eject the required amount of ink in one pixel at a time and to spread the ink uniformly over the entire opening of the black matrix. Therefore, a plurality of inks are ejected to each pixel and colored while the inkjet head scans the substrate on which the pixel is formed. At this time, simply ejecting a plurality of inks uniformly to each pixel means that the ink ejection amount fluctuates due to, for example, aging of the inkjet head, and the density between the plurality of pixels is increased as coloring proceeds in the scanning direction. Unevenness may occur. That is, the density may be different between a pixel colored mainly at the beginning of scanning and a pixel colored at the latter half of scanning.

When a color filter is colored by a multi-head having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles in a direction substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction, the ink discharge amount varies for each nozzle, and is substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction. Density unevenness may occur between pixels arranged in the direction. Such a problem may occur not only in the production of the above-described color filter but also in ordinary printing using an inkjet head.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a color filter capable of manufacturing a high-quality color filter with less density unevenness. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a display device using a color filter manufactured by the method and the device, and a method for manufacturing a device including the display device.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, a method of manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention includes the steps of causing each pixel to be scanned while an inkjet head having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles is relatively scanned with respect to a substrate in a direction substantially orthogonal to a scanning direction. A method for manufacturing a color filter by coloring with a plurality of ejection inks arranged in a scanning direction, wherein a monitoring step of monitoring a coloring state of each pixel formed by the plurality of ejection inks, and monitoring in the monitoring step A setting step of setting an ink ejection interval for each pixel or pixel group to be arranged according to the result; and a coloring step of ejecting ink at the ink ejection interval set in the setting step to color the pixels. And characterized in that:

Further, the method of manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention is characterized in that the method further comprises a step of setting an ink ejection volume for each pixel or pixel group to be arranged.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention, the ink discharge interval is changed for each pixel or each pixel group arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction.

Further, in the method of manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention, each pixel is scanned in the scanning direction while an inkjet head having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles is relatively scanned with respect to a substrate in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction. A method of manufacturing a color filter by coloring with a plurality of ejection inks arranged in a row, comprising a step of changing the ink ejection pattern for each pixel or pixel group to be arranged and coloring, and The change is performed by adjusting the ink discharge amount to each pixel by adjusting the ink discharge interval within each pixel, and further finely adjusting the ink discharge amount to each pixel by adjusting the volume of each discharge ink. It is characterized by adjustment.

Further, in the method of manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention, the ink jet head is a head for discharging ink using thermal energy,
It is characterized by having a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy given to the ink.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, each pixel is scanned in the scanning direction while an ink jet head having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles is relatively scanned with respect to the substrate in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction. An apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by coloring with a plurality of ejection inks arranged in a line, wherein a monitoring unit for monitoring a coloring state of each pixel formed by the plurality of ejection inks, and monitored by the monitoring unit Setting means for setting an ink discharge interval for each pixel or pixel group to be arranged according to the result, and coloring the pixels by discharging ink at the ink discharge interval set by the setting means Control means for controlling the inkjet head as described above.

Further, the apparatus for manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention is characterized in that the apparatus further comprises means for setting an ink discharge volume for each pixel or pixel group to be arranged.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the ink discharge interval is changed for each pixel or each pixel group arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, each pixel is scanned in the scanning direction while an ink jet head having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles is relatively scanned with respect to the substrate in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction. An apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by coloring with a plurality of ejection inks arranged in a row, wherein the inkjet head is controlled such that the ink ejection pattern is changed and colored for each pixel or pixel group to be arranged. Control means for changing the discharge pattern, by adjusting the ink discharge amount in each pixel by adjusting the discharge interval of ink in each pixel, and adjusting the volume of each discharge ink It is characterized in that the amount of ink input to each pixel is further finely adjusted.

In the apparatus for manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention, the ink jet head is a head for discharging ink using thermal energy,
It is characterized by having a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy given to the ink.

Further, according to a method of manufacturing a display device according to the present invention, each pixel is scanned in the scanning direction while an ink jet head having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles is relatively scanned with respect to a substrate in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction. A method of manufacturing a display device including a color filter manufactured by coloring with a plurality of ejection inks arranged in a line, wherein the step of manufacturing a color filter by the above manufacturing method, and the manufactured color filter, A step of integrating variable light amount varying means.

Further, according to a method of manufacturing a device having a display device according to the present invention, each pixel is scanned while an ink jet head having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles is relatively scanned with respect to a substrate in a direction substantially orthogonal to a scanning direction. A display device having a color filter manufactured by coloring a plurality of ejection inks lined up in the scanning direction with a display device, the method comprising the steps of: Providing image signal supply means for supplying an image signal to the manufactured display device in the manufactured display device.

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

[0025]

[0026]

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a color filter manufacturing apparatus. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 51 denotes an apparatus mount; 52, an XYθ stage arranged on the mount 51; 53, a color filter substrate set on the XYθ stage 52;
Is a color filter formed on the color filter substrate 53, 55 is R (red) for coloring the color filter 54,
G (green) and B (blue) inkjet heads; 58, a controller for controlling the overall operation of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 90; 59, a teaching pendant (personal computer), which is a display unit of the controller;
Reference numeral 0 denotes a keyboard which is an operation unit of the teaching pendant 59.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a control controller of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 90. 59 is a teaching pendant which is an input / output means of the controller 58;
Reference numeral denotes a display unit for displaying information such as the progress of manufacturing and the presence / absence of an abnormality in the head. 58 is a controller for controlling the overall operation of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 90; 65 is an interface for transferring data to and from the teaching pendant 59; 66 is a CPU for controlling the color filter manufacturing apparatus 90;
A ROM storing a control program for operating the PU 66; a RAM 68 for storing production information;
Is a discharge control unit that controls the discharge of ink into each pixel of the color filter.
A stage control unit for controlling the operation of the Yθ stage 52, 9
Reference numeral 0 denotes a color filter manufacturing apparatus connected to the controller 58 and operating according to the instruction.

Next, FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of the ink jet head 55 used in the color filter manufacturing apparatus 90 described above. In FIG. 1, three inkjet heads are provided corresponding to three colors of R, G, and B,
Since these three heads have the same structure, FIG. 3 shows only one of the three heads as a representative structure.

In FIG. 3, the ink jet head 55
Is schematically composed of a heater board 104 as a substrate on which a plurality of heaters 102 for heating ink are formed, and a top plate 106 overlaid on the heater board 104. A plurality of discharge ports 108 are formed in the top plate 106, and a tunnel-shaped liquid path 110 communicating with the discharge ports 108 is formed behind the discharge ports 108. Each liquid channel 110 is separated from an adjacent liquid channel by a partition 112. Each liquid path 110 is commonly connected to one ink liquid chamber 114 at the rear thereof, and ink is supplied to the ink liquid chamber 114 through an ink supply port 116. The liquid is supplied to each of the liquid paths 110.

The heater board 104 and the top plate 106
Each heater 102 is positioned so as to come to a position corresponding to each liquid path 110, and assembled in a state as shown in FIG.
Although only two heaters 102 are shown in FIG. 3, one heater 102 is
Are arranged one by one. When a predetermined drive pulse is supplied to the heater 102 in the assembled state as shown in FIG. 3, film boiling occurs in the ink on the heater 102 to form bubbles. 10
8 and is ejected. Therefore, the heater 102
The size of the bubbles can be adjusted by controlling the drive pulse applied to the ink, for example, by controlling the magnitude of the electric power, and the volume of the ink ejected from the ejection port can be freely controlled.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the amount of ink ejection by changing the electric power applied to the heater. In this embodiment, two types of constant voltage pulses are applied to the heater 102 in order to adjust the ink ejection amount. The two pulses are a preheat pulse and a main heat pulse (hereinafter simply referred to as a heat pulse) as shown in FIG. The preheat pulse is a pulse for warming the ink to a predetermined temperature before actually discharging the ink, and is set to a value shorter than the minimum pulse width t5 required for discharging the ink. Therefore, no ink is ejected by this preheat pulse. Preheat pulse to heater 10
The reason for adding to (2) is to raise the initial temperature of the ink to a constant temperature so that the ink ejection amount when a constant heat pulse is applied later is always constant. Conversely, by adjusting the length of the pre-heat pulse, the temperature of the ink can be adjusted in advance, and even when the same heat pulse is applied, the ejection amount of the ink can be made different. In addition, by warming the ink prior to the application of the heat pulse, the ink also has the function of accelerating the temporal rise of ink ejection when the heat pulse is applied and improving the responsiveness.

On the other hand, the heat pulse is a pulse for actually discharging ink, and is set to be longer than the minimum pulse width t5 required for discharging the ink. Since the energy generated by the heater 102 is proportional to the width of the heat pulse (application time), by adjusting the width of the heat pulse,
Can be adjusted.

It is also possible to adjust the amount of ink discharged by adjusting the interval between the preheat pulse and the heat pulse and controlling the state of heat diffusion by the preheat pulse. As can be seen from the above description, the ink ejection amount can be controlled by adjusting the application time of the pre-heat pulse and the heat pulse, or by adjusting the application interval of the pre-heat pulse and the heat pulse. Is also possible. Therefore, by adjusting the application time of the pre-heat pulse and the heat pulse and the application interval of the pre-heat pulse and the heat pulse as necessary, it is possible to freely adjust the ink ejection amount and the responsiveness of the ink ejection to the application pulse. It becomes possible.

Next, the adjustment of the ink ejection amount will be specifically described. For example, a case will be described in which the ejection openings (nozzles) 108a, 108b, and 108c have different ink ejection amounts when the same energy is applied as shown in FIG. Specifically, when constant energy is applied at a constant temperature, the amount of ink discharged from the nozzle 108a becomes 3
6 pl (picoliter), the ink ejection amount of the nozzle 108 b is 40 pl, and the ink ejection amount of the nozzle 108 c is 40 p.
It is assumed that the resistance value of the heater 102a corresponding to the nozzle 108a and the resistance value of the heater 102b corresponding to the nozzle 108b are 200Ω, and the resistance value of the heater 102c corresponding to the nozzle 108c is 210Ω. Then, it is assumed that the discharge amounts of the respective nozzles 108a, 108b, 108c are all set to 40 pl.

Each of the nozzles 108a, 108b, 1
In order to adjust the ejection amount of 08c to the same amount, the width of the preheat pulse and the width of the heat pulse may be adjusted, but various combinations of the width of the preheat pulse and the width of the heat pulse are conceivable. Here, the amount of energy generated by the heat pulse is set to be the same for the three nozzles, and the discharge amount is adjusted by adjusting the width of the preheat pulse.

First, the heater 102a of the nozzle 108a and the heater 102b of the nozzle 108b have the same resistance value of 200.
In order to make the energy generated by the heat pulse the same, a voltage pulse having the same width may be applied to the heaters 102a and 102b. Here, the width of the voltage pulse is set to t3 longer than t5 described above. on the other hand,
The nozzles 108a and 108b output different amounts of 36 pl and 40 pl when the same energy is applied.
A preheat pulse of t2 longer than the preheat pulse width t1 of the heater 102b is applied to a. In this way, the ejection amounts of the nozzles 108a and 108b are
pl.

On the other hand, since the resistance value of the heater 102c of the nozzle 108c is 210Ω which is higher than the resistance values of the other two heaters 102a and 102b, the heater 102c generates the same energy as the other two heaters. Requires a longer heat pulse width. Therefore, here, the width of the heat pulse is set to t4 which is longer than t3 described above. Further, regarding the width of the preheat pulse, the nozzle 10 when a certain energy is applied is used.
8b and 108c have the same discharge amount,
2b, and a preheat pulse having a width of t1 is applied.

As described above, the three nozzles 108 having different ink ejection amounts when a resistance value and constant energy are applied.
The same amount of ink can be ejected from a, 108b, and 108c. Further, it is also possible to intentionally change the ink ejection amount by the same method. The reason why the preheat pulse is used is to reduce the variation in the discharge of each nozzle.

Next, FIG. 5 is a view showing a process of manufacturing a color filter. The manufacturing process of the color filter 54 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A shows the glass substrate 1 provided with the black matrix 2 forming the light transmitting part 9 and the light shielding part 10. First, on the substrate 1 on which the black matrix 2 is formed, the ink itself is rich in ink receptivity, but under certain conditions (for example, light irradiation, or light irradiation and heating), the ink receptivity is reduced. A resin composition having a property of curing under conditions is applied, and prebaking is performed as necessary to form a resin composition layer 3 (FIG. 5).
(B)). For forming the resin composition layer 3, spin coating,
Coating methods such as roll coating, bar coating, spray coating, and dip coating can be used, and are not particularly limited.

Next, using the photomask 4, the light shielding portion 1 is formed.
By performing pattern exposure in advance on the resin layer above the ink composition, the ink receptivity of the resin layer is partially reduced (FIG. 5C), and the ink receptivity 6 and the ink receptivity of the resin composition layer 3 are reduced. A portion 5 is formed (FIG. 5D). Further, when the ink jet head ejects ink while scanning the substrate relatively a plurality of times, when performing relative scanning by moving the substrate while fixing the ink jet head,
Any of the cases where relative scanning is performed by moving the inkjet head while fixing the substrate is possible.

Thereafter, R
Each color ink of (red), G (green) and B (blue) is discharged to the resin composition layer 3 to be colored at a time (FIG. 5 (e)), and the ink is dried if necessary. Examples of the inkjet method include a method using thermal energy and a method using mechanical energy, and any of these methods can be suitably used. The ink to be used is not particularly limited as long as it can be used for inkjet, and the colorant of the ink is required for each pixel of R, G, B from various dyes or pigments. A transmission spectrum suitable for the transmission spectrum is selected as appropriate. The ink ejected from the inkjet head may be in the form of drops at the time of being attached to the resin composition layer 3, but is preferably not separated from the inkjet head in the form of drops but is attached in a columnar form. .

Next, the colored resin composition layer 3 is cured by light irradiation or light irradiation and heat treatment, and a protective layer 8 is formed as necessary (FIG. 5 (f)). In order to cure the resin composition layer 3, conditions different from the conditions in the previous ink-affinity conversion process, for example, increasing the exposure amount in light irradiation, tightening heating conditions, or using light irradiation and heat treatment together And the like.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are sectional views showing the basic structure of a color liquid crystal display device 30 incorporating the above color filters. In general, a color liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal compound
8 is formed. A TFT (Thin Film Transistor) is provided inside one substrate 21 of the liquid crystal display device.
(Not shown) and transparent pixel electrodes 20 are formed in a matrix. In addition, a color filter 54 is provided inside the other substrate 1 so that RGB color materials are arranged at positions facing the pixel electrodes, and a transparent counter electrode (common electrode) 16 is formed on the entire surface. Is done. Black matrix 2
Is usually formed on the color filter substrate 1 side (see FIG. 6), but is formed on the opposite TFT substrate side in a BM (black matrix) on-array type liquid crystal panel (see FIG. 7). Further, an alignment film 19 is formed in the planes of both substrates, and rubbing the alignment film 19 allows liquid crystal molecules to be aligned in a certain direction. Polarizing plates 11 and 22 are provided outside the respective glass substrates.
Are adhered, and the liquid crystal compound 18 fills the gap (about 2 to 5 μm) between these glass substrates. In addition, a combination of a fluorescent lamp (not shown) and a scattering plate (not shown) is generally used as the backlight, and the display is performed by making the liquid crystal compound function as an optical shutter that changes the transmittance of the backlight light. An example of a case where such a liquid crystal display device that performs the above is applied to an information processing device will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration in a case where the above-mentioned liquid crystal display device is applied to an information processing device having functions as a word processor, a personal computer, a facsimile device, and a copying device. In the figure, 1801
Is a control unit for controlling the entire apparatus, which is provided with a CPU such as a microprocessor and various I / O ports, outputs control signals and data signals to each unit, and inputs control signals and data signals from each unit. Control. Reference numeral 1802 denotes a display unit, on which various menus, document information, image data read by the image reader 1807, and the like are displayed. 1803 is a display unit 180
By pressing a surface of the transparent pressure-sensitive touch panel provided on the display unit 2 with a finger or the like, an item input, a coordinate position input, and the like on the display unit 1802 can be performed.

Reference numeral 1804 denotes an FM (Frequency Modulation) sound source unit, which stores music information created by a music editor or the like as digital data in the memory unit 1810 or the external storage device 1812, and reads out the FM information from the memory or the like to read the FM information.
The modulation is performed. The electric signal from the FM sound source unit 1804 is converted into an audible sound by the speaker unit 1805.
The printer unit 1806 is used as an output terminal of a word processor, a personal computer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine.

Reference numeral 1807 denotes an image reader unit which photoelectrically reads and inputs document data. The image reader unit is provided in the document transport path and reads various types of documents other than facsimile documents and copy documents. Reference numeral 1808 denotes an image reader unit 1807
And a facsimile (FAX) transmission / reception unit that receives and decodes the transmitted facsimile signal, and has an external interface function. Reference numeral 1809 denotes a telephone unit having various telephone functions such as a normal telephone function and an answering machine function.

Reference numeral 1810 denotes a ROM for storing a system program, a manager program, other application programs, character fonts, a dictionary, and the like; application programs and document information loaded from an external storage device 1812; and a memory including a video RAM and the like. Department. Reference numeral 1811 denotes a keyboard unit for inputting document information, various commands, and the like.

Reference numeral 1812 denotes an external storage device using a floppy disk, a hard disk, or the like as a storage medium. The external storage device 1812 stores document information, music or audio information,
A user application program and the like are stored.
FIG. 9 is a schematic overview of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 1901 denotes a flat panel display using the above-described liquid crystal display device, which displays various menus, graphic information, document information, and the like. By pressing the surface of the touch panel 1803 with a finger or the like on the display 1901, coordinate input and item designation input can be performed. 19
02 is a handset used when the device functions as a telephone. The keyboard 1903 is detachably connected to the main body via a cord, and can perform various document functions and various data inputs. The keyboard 1903 is provided with various function keys 1904 and the like. Reference numeral 1905 denotes a slot for inserting a floppy disk into the external storage device 1812.

Reference numeral 1906 denotes a sheet placing portion on which a document to be read by the image reader portion 1807 is placed. The read document is discharged from the rear of the apparatus. In the case of facsimile reception or the like, printing is performed by the inkjet printer 1907. When the information processing apparatus functions as a personal computer or a word processor, various information input from the keyboard unit 1811 is processed by the control unit 1801 according to a predetermined program, and the
06 is output as an image.

When functioning as a receiver of a facsimile apparatus, facsimile information input from a facsimile transmission / reception unit 1808 via a communication line is received and processed by a control unit 1801 according to a predetermined program.
Is output as a received image. When functioning as a copying apparatus, an original is read by an image reader unit 1807, and the read original data is output as a copied image to a printer unit 1806 via a control unit 1801. When functioning as a receiver of a facsimile apparatus, original data read by the image reader unit 1807 is transmitted by a control unit 1801 according to a predetermined program, and then transmitted to a communication line via a facsimile transmission / reception unit 1808. You.

It should be noted that the information processing apparatus described above may be of an integrated type in which an ink jet printer is built in the main body as shown in FIG. 10. In this case, portability can be further improved. In the figure, parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals. Next, two representative methods for reducing the density unevenness of each pixel of the color filter will be described.

FIGS. 11 to 13 are diagrams showing a method (hereinafter referred to as bit correction) for correcting a difference in ink discharge amount between each nozzle of an ink jet head IJH having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles. First, as shown in FIG. 11, ink is ejected from a nozzle 1, a nozzle 2, and a nozzle 3, for example, three nozzles of an ink jet head IJH onto a predetermined substrate.
The size of the ink dot formed thereon is measured, and the amount of ink ejected from each nozzle is measured. At this time, the heat pulse (see FIG. 4) applied to the heater of each nozzle has a fixed width, and the preheat pulse (see FIG. 4) has been described above.
To change the width. As a result, a curve showing the relationship between the preheat pulse width (shown as the heating time in FIG. 12) and the ink ejection amount as shown in FIG. 12 is obtained. Here, for example, assuming that all the ink ejection amounts from the nozzles are to be unified to 20 ng, from the curve shown in FIG. 12, the width of the preheat pulse applied to the nozzle 1 is 1.0 μs, that of the nozzle 2 is 0.5 μs, It can be seen that the time is 0.75 μs. Therefore, by applying a pre-heat pulse having such a width to the heater of each nozzle, the ink ejection amount from each nozzle can be made uniform to 20 ng as shown in FIG. Correcting the ink ejection amount from each nozzle in this manner is called bit correction. In the present embodiment, the width of the preheat pulse is changed in four steps,
% Correction width is realized. The correction resolution is 2-3.
%.

FIGS. 14 to 16 show a method for correcting the density unevenness in the scanning direction of the ink jet head by adjusting the ink discharge density from each ink discharge nozzle (hereinafter referred to as shading correction). It is.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the ink ejection amount of the nozzle 3 of the ink jet head is
It is assumed that the ink ejection amount of the nozzle 2 is -10% and the ink ejection amount of the nozzle 2 is + 20%. At this time, while scanning the ink jet head IJH, as shown in FIG. 15, a heat pulse is applied to the heater of the nozzle 1 once every nine times of the reference clock, and the heater of the nozzle 2 is heated to 12 times of the reference clock. The heat pulse is applied once each time, and the heater pulse of the nozzle 3 is applied once every ten times of the reference clock. By doing so, the number of ink ejections in the scanning direction can be changed for each nozzle, and as shown in FIG. 16, the ink density in the scanning direction in the pixels of the color filter can be kept constant, and the density of each pixel can be maintained. Unevenness can be prevented. Correcting the ink ejection density in the scanning direction in this manner is called shading correction. In this embodiment, a correction width of about 40% is realized by this correction.
In addition, the resolution of the correction can be finely and unlimitedly controlled, but there is a restriction that the data becomes large and the speed becomes slow. In practice, it is preferably about 10%.

Next, a characteristic part of this embodiment is as follows.
A method for further reducing the color density difference for each pixel by combining the above-described bit correction and shading correction will be described. In the above bit correction, as described above,
The resolution of the density correction is high but the correction width is small. Conversely, the shading correction has the characteristic that the width of the density correction is large but the resolution of the correction is low. Therefore, in this embodiment, the density difference of each pixel is 10%. A method of reducing the density difference of each pixel to 2.5% or less is performed by performing shading correction until the pixel density reaches the level, and performing subsequent correction using bit correction.

First, in order to perform the bit correction and the shading correction, as described above, it is necessary to inspect the variation of the ink ejection amount of each ejection nozzle of the ink jet head 55. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The head 55 is set on the head inspection machine 204 to measure the ejection amount of each ejection nozzle, and to create data on the relationship between the ejection amount of each ejection nozzle and the width of the preheat pulse and the heat pulse. Then, the inkjet head 55 that has been inspected is attached to the color filter manufacturing apparatus 90, and the created data is sent to the controller 58.

Since it is necessary to detect a change in the discharge amount of each nozzle with respect to the elapsed time of the ink jet head 55, a sensor 202 for detecting the temperature of the ink jet head is attached to the head as shown in FIG. The signal from the sensor 202 is sent to the controller 5
While monitoring in step 8, the application interval of the preheat pulse and the heat pulse applied to each heater of the inkjet head 55 is controlled. The relationship between the ejection amount of each nozzle of the inkjet head and the detection signal value of the sensor 202 such as a temperature detector is also measured in advance by the head inspection device 204 shown in FIG.

In actual coloring of the color filter, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the relationship between the ejection amount of the ink jet head and the preheat pulse and the heat pulse obtained as described above, Data and the relationship between the discharge amount and the elapsed time (heating time table,
Based on the ejection density table and the relationship table between the ejection amount and the elapsed time, the density unevenness of each pixel is within 10% by shading correction, and the density unevenness of each pixel is 2.5% by bit correction. Coloring is performed under such a condition (step S2). The color filter thus colored is used as a sample and applied to an unevenness inspection machine to inspect for color unevenness (step S4). The inspection of the coloring state may be performed by a sampling inspection. In this inspection, if the degree of color unevenness of the actually colored color filter is within 2.5% (step S5YES), the production of the next color filter is continued under the above conditions. If the degree of color unevenness of the color filter of this sample exceeds the allowable value (NO in step S5), based on the inspection result, correction is made to further apply the shading correction and bit correction execution data. Create a table (Step S
6). Then, shading correction and bit correction are performed based on the data further corrected in this way, and the color filter as a product is colored (step S8). As described above, a color filter with high color unevenness can be manufactured.

A provisional coloring step is provided between step S6 and step S8, and the inspection of the coloring state in step S4 is performed again. If color unevenness is still found, a correction table creation step (step S6) ) A predetermined number of times,
Alternatively, it may be repeated until color unevenness is not recognized. Next, a description will be given of the result of a simulation performed on the degree of improvement in color unevenness when shading correction and bit correction are combined as described above.

First, a description will be given of a simulation of variation in absorbance between pixels after performing shading correction. It is assumed that one nozzle (one cell) corresponds to one pixel (cell) for coloring. Here, the number of nozzles of the inkjet head: N The ink discharge amount of the n-th nozzle: Vn (ng) The average discharge amount of all nozzles: Vave = (ΣVn / N) (ng) Vn = Vave Standard discharge pitch: Ps
(Μm / dot) Pitch adjustment resolution: Assuming that Pr (μm), the discharge pitch Pn of the nth nozzle for performing shading correction is Pn = MROUND (Vn / Vave · Ps, Pr).

Here, MROUND (a, b) is a function for rounding up or down the value of a to obtain a value that is the nearest multiple of b. At this time, the absorbance variation rate H (n) between the pixels after the shading correction can be simulated by the following equation. H (n) = (Pn / Ps) · (Vn / Vave) Then, the horizontal axis represents the nozzle number, and the vertical axis represents H (n).
Is a curve for only shading correction in FIG.

Next, a description will be given of a simulation of variation in absorbance between pixels (cells) after bit correction. For the function Vn (t) of the discharge amount of each nozzle with respect to the measured heat time, the slope of the least square approximation line of Vn (t): an Y intercept of the least square approximation line of Vn (t): bn Assuming that the heat time adjustment resolution is Tr, the heat time Tn of the n-th nozzle for performing bit correction and adjusting to the discharge amount target value Vs is as follows: Tn = MROUND ((Vs-bn) / an, Tr). However, MROUND is the function already described.

At this time, the absorbance variation rate B (n) between the pixels after the bit correction is simulated by the following equation. B (n) = (Tn.an + bn) / Vs Here, when performing only bit correction, Vs = Vave. FIG. 21 shows the simulation result.
5 is a curve of only the bit correction in FIG.

When the shading correction and the bit correction were combined, a simulation was performed with Vs = Vave / H (n). What shows the result is a curve of shading correction + bit correction in FIG. As can be seen from FIG. 21, by combining the shading correction and the bit correction, the density unevenness between the pixels is reduced as compared with the case where only the shading correction is performed or only the bit correction is performed. In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the ink is colored in a continuous line in the longitudinal direction of the pixel has been described. However, when the pixel is composed of a large number of independent cells, the ink is intermittently provided for each cell. The present invention may be applied by applying ink to the ink.

In the above embodiment, the same color is colored linearly in the pixel longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. 13 or FIG. 16, but when the RGB arrangement of the liquid crystal panel is staggered or delta type, as shown in FIG. The ink ejection position may be changed for each pixel 248. In FIG. 22, a portion indicated by a solid-line circle in the pixel 248 is an ink dot. As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, coloring is performed by changing the ink ejection pattern for each pixel or each pixel group to be arranged, and the volume and / or the amount of ink applied to each pixel or each pixel group are changed. Alternatively, since the coloring can be performed by changing the number of ejections per unit area, that is, the ejection density, the color density unevenness between pixels can be highly reduced, and a high-quality color filter can be manufactured.

The present invention can be applied to a modification or modification of the above embodiment without departing from the gist of the invention. The present invention particularly includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for causing ink to be ejected even in an ink jet recording system, and the state of the ink by the thermal energy is provided. Although the printing apparatus of the type that causes a change has been described, according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

The typical structure and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the film boiling to the electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path holding the Since thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. It is valid. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the pulse-shaped driving signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed. As a configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the ejection port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, a heat acting surface A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a is bent, is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 5 discloses a configuration in which a common slot is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-123670 discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge portion.
A configuration based on JP-A-9-138461 may be adopted.

Further, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length is determined by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. This may be either a configuration satisfying the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally. In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the device main body and supplied with ink from the device main body by being attached to the device main body, or ink that is integrated with the recording head itself A cartridge type recording head provided with a tank may be used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as components of the printing apparatus of the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. . If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and printing Performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection is also effective for performing stable printing.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, any ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, or one that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. It is only necessary that the ink be in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied. In addition, to prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy as energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or to prevent the ink from evaporating, the ink solidifies in a standing state. Alternatively, ink that liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, the application of heat energy causes the ink to be liquefied by application of the heat energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink to be ejected, or to start to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink having a property of liquefying for the first time is used. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-568.
No. 47 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 60-71260, in a state in which the sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It may be. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[0074]

As described above, according to the present invention, the color ejection state is changed for each pixel or each pixel group among the plurality of pixels constituting the color filter. A high-quality color filter with less unevenness can be manufactured. Further, by performing the rough correction of the color unevenness by the shading correction and performing the fine adjustment by the bit correction, it is possible to manufacture a color filter with extremely small color unevenness.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a color filter manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit that controls the operation of the color filter manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a structure of an ink jet head used in a color filter manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of controlling the amount of ink ejection by changing the power applied to a heater.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a manufacturing process of the color filter.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a basic configuration of a color liquid crystal display device incorporating a color filter of one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a basic configuration of a color liquid crystal display device incorporating a color filter according to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus in which a liquid crystal display device is used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus in which a liquid crystal display device is used.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device in which a liquid crystal display device is used.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting a difference in ejection amount for each nozzle.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting a difference in ejection amount for each nozzle.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting a difference in the ejection amount of each nozzle.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a method of changing the ink ejection density.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting a difference in the ejection amount of each nozzle.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting a difference in ejection amount for each nozzle.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a head inspection machine and a color filter manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a sensor provided on a head.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing how color unevenness of a color filter is fed back to a manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart for feeding back color unevenness of a color filter to a manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a simulation result of the degree of color unevenness of each pixel when shading correction and bit correction are combined.

FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining another example of coloring a color filter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 52 XYθ stage 53 Glass substrate 54 Color filter 55 Coloring head 58 Controller 59 Teaching pendant 60 Keyboard

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hideto Yokoi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-7-270608 (JP, A) JP-A Heisei 7-242004 (JP, A) JP-A-7-318723 (JP, A) JP-A-7-290695 (JP, A) JP-A-6-31936 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ^7, DB name) G02B 5/20 101 B41J 2/12 B41J 2/21

Claims (12)

(57) [Claims] An ink jet head having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles in a direction substantially orthogonal to a scanning direction is attached to a substrate .
While relatively scanning, a method of manufacturing a color filter by coloring a plurality of discharge inks arrayed pixels in the scanning direction, the colored state of each pixel to be formed by the plurality of ejected ink A monitoring step of monitoring, and according to a result monitored in the monitoring step,
Ink ejection for each pixel or group of pixels arranged
A method for producing a color filter, comprising: a setting step of setting an interval; and a coloring step of discharging ink at an ink discharge interval set in the setting step to color the pixel. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of setting an ink ejection volume for each pixel or each pixel group to be arranged. 3. The color filter manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the ink discharge interval is changed for each pixel or each pixel group arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction. 4. An ink jet head having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles in a direction substantially orthogonal to a scanning direction is attached to a substrate .
And while relatively scanning, a method of manufacturing a color filter by coloring a plurality of discharge inks arrayed pixels in the scanning direction, the discharge pattern of each pixel or each ink in each pixel group arranged Changing the ejection pattern, and changing the ejection pattern includes ejecting ink in each pixel.
By adjusting the interval, the amount of ink input to each pixel is adjusted, and by adjusting the volume of each ejected ink,
A method for manufacturing a color filter, further comprising finely adjusting the amount of ink supplied to each pixel . 5. The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet head uses thermal energy to discharge the ink, and includes a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. The method for producing a color filter according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . 6. An ink jet head having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles in a direction substantially orthogonal to a scanning direction is attached to a substrate .
While relatively scanning an apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by coloring a plurality of discharge inks arrayed pixels in the scanning direction, the colored state of each pixel to be formed by the plurality of ejected ink and monitoring means for monitoring, in accordance with a result of monitoring in the monitoring means,
Ink ejection for each pixel or group of pixels arranged
Setting means for setting an interval; and control means for controlling the ink jet head so as to discharge the ink at the ink discharge intervals set by the setting means to color the pixels. A color filter manufacturing apparatus. 7. The color filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising means for setting an ink ejection volume for each pixel or pixel group to be arranged. Wherein said ink discharge intervals, apparatus for producing a color filter according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that to vary substantially aligned to each or each pixel group pixels in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. 9. pairs jet head substrate having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles in the scanning direction and a direction substantially orthogonal
And while relatively scanning an apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by coloring a plurality of discharge inks arrayed pixels in the scanning direction, the discharge pattern of each pixel or each ink in each pixel group arranged Control means for controlling the ink-jet head so as to change the color of the ink, and changing the discharge pattern includes discharging the ink in each pixel.
By adjusting the interval, the amount of ink input to each pixel is adjusted, and by adjusting the volume of each ejected ink,
An apparatus for manufacturing a color filter, wherein the amount of ink supplied to each pixel is further finely adjusted. 10. The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet head uses thermal energy to eject ink, and includes a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy to be applied to the ink. 6 to 9
An apparatus for manufacturing a color filter according to any one of the preceding claims. 11. The ink jet head substrate having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles in the scanning direction and a direction substantially orthogonal
While relatively scanning contrast, a method of manufacturing a display device comprising a color filter manufactured by coloring a plurality of discharge inks arrayed pixels in the scanning direction, one of the claims 1 to 5 1 According to the manufacturing method described in
A step of manufacturing a color filter, the manufactured color filter, and a light that varies a light amount.
Method for manufacturing a display device characterized in that it comprises the step of integrating the quantity varying means. 12. The ink jet head substrate having a plurality of ink discharge nozzles in the scanning direction and a direction substantially orthogonal
While relatively scanning contrast, manufacturing side of device pixels including a display device having a color filter manufactured by coloring a plurality of discharge inks arranged in the scanning direction
A display device is manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 11.
And having a step, the image signal supply means for supplying an image signal to the manufactured display device, and a step provided in the manufactured display device, manufacturing of a device equipped with a display device
Construction method .