JP4894842B2 - Color filter manufacturing method, display device manufacturing method, coating method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a color filter manufacturing method, a display device manufacturing method, and a coating method. Specifically, the present invention relates to an ink jet color filter manufacturing method, a display device manufacturing method, and a coating method.

  In recent years, with the widespread use of personal computers and mobile phones, high-definition and thin display devices are required. The display device is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display Panel), a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), or an organic EL (Electro Luminescent Display). A color filter is used as a constituent member of these display devices.

As a method for forming a colored layer in a color filter, there are various methods such as an inkjet method, a dyeing method, a pigment dispersion method, an electrodeposition method, and a printing method.
In the ink jet method, a colored layer is formed by applying ink to an ink receiving layer patterned on a substrate. Alternatively, the colored layer is formed by applying ink to the opening provided by the light shielding portion on the substrate.

  In addition, a color filter manufacturing method has been proposed in which a different amount of ink is applied to each pixel region to match the total ink amount for each pixel column (see, for example, [Patent Document 1]).

JP 2007-178906 A

  However, in the color filter manufacturing method of [Patent Document 1], the total amount of ink can be adjusted in units of pixel columns, but since the amount of ink is different in units of pixel regions, the chromaticity and color layer shape of each pixel region are different. There is a problem. If the chromaticity of each pixel area is different, the human vision is uncomfortable with respect to the hue and reflection of the color filter. If the color layer shape for each pixel region is different, the gap corresponding to the layer thickness of the liquid crystal sealed when forming the display device becomes non-uniform, which affects the quality of the display device.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a color filter manufacturing method, a display device manufacturing method, and a coating method capable of making the coating amount uniform for each predetermined region such as a pixel region. For the purpose.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the first invention performs at least one scan by moving an inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles relative to the substrate, and performs the same pixel region on the substrate. A color filter manufacturing method for manufacturing a color filter by discharging and applying colored layer forming ink from a plurality of nozzles, and a target amount setting step of setting a target amount of the ink to be applied to the pixel region A droplet amount setting step for setting a droplet amount for one drop of ink for each nozzle, and a plurality of droplets used for coating each pixel region based on the target amount and the droplet amount for one drop of ink. A droplet number calculating step for calculating the number of droplets of the ink discharged to the pixel region for each nozzle, and discharging the ink corresponding to the calculated droplet number from the nozzle to the pixel region. Comprising the step out, and performed a plurality of times the scanning of the ink jet head is a color filter manufacturing method characterized by discharging the ink to the same of the pixel area from the different nozzles for each of the scan .

  In the color filter manufacturing method of the first invention, a target amount of ink to be applied to one pixel region is set, a droplet amount for one ink droplet is set for each nozzle, and the set target amount and one ink droplet are set. The number of ink droplets to be ejected to the pixel region is calculated for each of the plurality of nozzles used for application of each pixel region based on the amount of the minute droplets, and the inkjet head is moved relative to the substrate to at least one The color filter is manufactured by performing scanning once and applying the ink by ejecting the ink corresponding to the calculated number of droplets from the nozzle to the pixel region.

  In the first invention, based on the target amount of ink to be applied to one pixel region and the amount of droplets for one drop of ink, a combination of the nozzle and the number of droplets used for application of each pixel region is calculated. By applying ink to the pixel region, the amount of ink applied not only in the pixel column unit but also in the pixel region unit becomes the same, and the colored layer shape and thickness in each pixel region can be made uniform. As for the ink amount, the ink weight or the ink volume may be used.

  In addition, when the amount of ink initially ejected from the nozzle of the inkjet head is unstable, a predetermined threshold (for example, 3 drops) is provided for the number of droplets, and solutions with the number of droplets smaller than the threshold are excluded. Thus, it is desirable to calculate the number of droplets. Accordingly, each pixel region can be accurately applied with the target ink amount, excluding the solution of the number of droplets in which the ink amount becomes unstable.

  If the inkjet head contains unusable nozzles, the number of ink droplets ejected from the unusable nozzles is set to “0”, and the number of ink droplets ejected from the remaining nozzles is adjusted. By doing so, the amount of ink applied to each pixel region can be made uniform. For example, among the nozzles of the long head in which a plurality of ink jet heads are connected in the nozzle row direction, the nozzles near the joints of the long heads cannot be used, so the number of droplets is “0 droplet”.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles is moved relative to the substrate to perform scanning at least once, and a colored layer is formed from the plurality of nozzles for the same pixel region on the substrate. A color filter manufacturing step of manufacturing a color filter by discharging ink for application and manufacturing, a spacer forming step of forming a spacer on the color filter, a bonding step of bonding the color filter and the array substrate, A manufacturing method of a display device comprising: a sealing material forming step of providing a sealing material in a peripheral portion of the color filter and the array substrate; and a liquid crystal sealing step of sealing a liquid crystal between the color filter and the array substrate. Setting a target amount of the ink to be applied to the pixel area in the color filter manufacturing step. Based on the target amount setting step, the droplet amount setting step for setting the droplet amount for one drop of ink for each nozzle, and the target amount and the droplet amount for one drop of ink, A droplet number calculating step for calculating the number of droplets of the ink discharged to the pixel region for each of a plurality of nozzles used for coating, and discharging the ink corresponding to the calculated droplet number from the nozzle to the pixel region. An ejection step, wherein the scanning of the inkjet head is performed a plurality of times, and the ink is ejected from different nozzles for each scanning to the same pixel region. It is a manufacturing method.

  2nd invention is invention regarding the manufacturing method of a display apparatus provided with the color filter produced by 1st invention.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the entire coating area is divided into a plurality of predetermined areas, the coating head having a plurality of nozzles is moved relative to the coating area to perform at least one scan, and the same predetermined area A coating method for performing coating by discharging a coating liquid from a plurality of nozzles, a target amount setting step for setting a target amount of the coating liquid to be applied to the predetermined region, and the coating liquid for each nozzle The predetermined area is set for each of a plurality of nozzles used for coating each predetermined area based on a droplet volume setting step for setting a droplet volume for one drop, and the target volume and the droplet volume for one drop of the coating liquid. A droplet number calculating step for calculating the number of droplets of the coating liquid to be discharged on, and a discharging step for discharging the coating liquid for the calculated number of droplets from the nozzle to the predetermined region , The scanning of the coating head is Times performed, identical to said predetermined region is a coating method characterized by discharging from different nozzles of the coating liquid for each of the scan.

  In the coating method of the third invention, the entire coating area is divided into predetermined areas, a target amount of coating liquid to be applied to one predetermined area is set, a droplet amount for one drop of the coating liquid is set for each nozzle, Based on the set target amount and the droplet amount for one drop of the coating liquid, the number of droplets of the coating liquid ejected to the predetermined area is calculated for each of the plurality of nozzles used for coating each predetermined area. The coating head having the coating head is moved relative to the coating area to perform scanning a plurality of times, and coating is performed by ejecting the coating liquid corresponding to the calculated number of droplets from the nozzle to a predetermined area.

  In the color filter manufacturing method of the first invention, the number of droplets is calculated for each nozzle to be used by setting a target amount of ink to be applied in pixel area units. In the coating method of the third invention, the number of droplets is calculated in pixel area units. However, the entire coating area is divided into predetermined areas (for example, 1 μm square), and the number of nozzles to be used and the number of droplets of the coating liquid are set for each predetermined area.

Thereby, the application amount can be made uniform for the entire application region. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the case where an alignment film such as polyimide sandwiching liquid crystal is formed on the surface of an array substrate or a color filter by an ink jet method.
In addition, when the predetermined area is set by dividing the entire application area exclusively, defects such as coating unevenness may occur, and therefore, for adjacent predetermined areas, positions where the end portions of the predetermined areas overlap each other By disposing in the above, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects such as coating unevenness by performing overcoating on the end portion of the predetermined region.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a color filter manufacturing method, a display device manufacturing method, and a coating method that can make the coating amount uniform for each predetermined region such as a pixel region.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a color filter manufacturing apparatus and a color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to components having substantially the same functional configuration, and redundant description will be omitted.

(1. Configuration of color filter manufacturing apparatus 1)
First, the configuration of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a color filter manufacturing apparatus 1.

  The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 2, a suction table 4 on which a substrate 3 is placed, an inkjet head 5, a moving unit 6, an alignment camera 7, and a droplet number setting unit 10. The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by ejecting ink from a nozzle 9 of an inkjet head 5 to the substrate 3 and performing patterning.

The substrate 3 is a glass substrate or a film substrate.
The suction table 4 is a table that sucks and fixes the substrate 3. The adsorption of the substrate is performed, for example, by reducing the pressure or vacuum of the air between the adsorption table 4 and the substrate 3. In this case, the suction table is provided with a small hole (not shown) for sucking air, and at the time of suction, air is sucked by a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like through the hole.

The ink jet head 5 is a device that ejects ink containing a colorant and the like. The inkjet head 5 applies ink to an ink receiving layer formed on the substrate 3 or applies ink to an opening provided by a light shielding portion.
The moving unit 6 is a device that moves and positions the suction table 4 and the inkjet head 5. A general-purpose guide mechanism or a moving actuator can be used as the moving mechanism. For example, a step motor, a servo motor, or a linear motor can be used as the moving actuator, and a linear moving mechanism or an air slide can be used as the guide mechanism.
The alignment camera 7 is a camera that captures an image of a predetermined portion (such as an alignment mark formed on the substrate) of the substrate 3 in order to detect the position coordinates of the substrate 3.

The droplet number setting unit 10 sets the number of droplets of ink ejected for each nozzle 9 of the inkjet head 5. The droplet number setting unit 10 includes an application information setting unit 11, a nozzle information setting unit 12, a droplet number information calculation unit 13, and a storage unit 14. The storage unit 14 stores application information 15, nozzle information 16, and droplet number information 17.
The application information setting unit 11 creates application information 15 and holds it in the storage unit 14. The application information 15 will be described later. The nozzle information setting unit 12 creates nozzle information 16 and stores it in the storage unit 14. The nozzle information 16 will be described later. The droplet number information calculation unit 13 calculates droplet number information 17 based on the application information 15 and the nozzle information 16 and stores the calculated droplet number information 17 in the storage unit 14. The calculation of the droplet number information 17 will be described later.

(2. Application method)
Next, a coating method using the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between the nozzle number and the number of nozzles of the inkjet head 5.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating scanning of the substrate 3 by the inkjet head 5.

  The inkjet head 5 has N nozzles from nozzle N01 (nozzle number 1) to nozzle N (nozzle number N). These N nozzles are arranged in a row. The inkjet head 5 scans the same pixel column on the substrate 3 a plurality of times. The number of scans and the amount of movement of the inkjet head 5 between scans are determined by the dispersion number B. Since the dispersion number B is the number of nozzles used for applying ink to the same pixel region, in this embodiment, scanning is performed for the number of times of the dispersion number B. When the inkjet head 5 finishes scanning in one direction, it moves in the nozzle row direction by the number of N / B nozzles and performs the next scan in the reverse direction. The same number of scans is performed on the same pixel column as many times as the number of distributions B. As shown in FIG. 3, in the first scan to the fourth scan, scanning is performed in the direction of the arrow from the position of the inkjet head 5-1 to the inkjet head 5-4, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the group 31 of the inkjet head 5 and the nozzle number 32.
The N nozzles 9 of the inkjet head 5 are classified into a group composed of a number B of dispersion numbers. The nozzles of the same group are assigned at intervals of N / B corresponding to the movement amount of the inkjet head 5 in the nozzle row direction. B nozzles of nozzle numbers 1, 1 + N / B, 1 + 2N / B,..., 1+ (B−1) N / B are assigned to the first group, and nozzle numbers 2, 2 + N / B are assigned to the second group. B, 2 + 2N / B,..., 2+ (B-1) N / B B nozzles are assigned, and the N / B group has nozzle numbers N / B, 2N / B, 3N / B,. N B nozzles are assigned. For each pixel region belonging to the same pixel column, ink is ejected from nozzles belonging to the same group.

(3. Application information 15, nozzle information 16, droplet number information 17)
Next, the application information 15, nozzle information 16, and droplet number information 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, a case where ink of color R (RED) is applied among color R (RED), color G (GREEN), and color B (BLUE) will be described. The number of nozzles 9 in the inkjet head 5 is N = 20, the number of dispersions is B = 4, and the number of groups (N / B) = (20/4) = 5.

(3-1. Inkjet head 5)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the inkjet head 5.
The ink jet head 5 in FIG. 5 is an ink jet head that ejects ink of color R (RED) as the ink for forming the colored layer. The ink jet head 5 of FIG. 5 includes 20 nozzles 9 of nozzles N01 to N20 and an ink supply unit 21. The ink supply unit 21 includes a chamber filled with ink, an ink pipe for supplying ink to the nozzles 9, a discharge amount control unit for controlling the ink discharge amount for each nozzle, and the like. For example, the ejection amount control unit controls the ink ejection amount by controlling the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element provided for each nozzle.

(3-2. Color filter 23)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the color filter 23 formed by applying ink to the substrate 3.
A light shielding portion 25 is formed on the substrate 3. A plurality of pixel regions 27 are provided by the light shielding unit 25. In the color filter 23 of FIG. 6, the color R ink is applied to the pixel rows 29-1, 29-2,..., 29-5. The pixel column 29-1 includes pixel regions R01, R11, R21,..., R51,..., And the pixel column 29-2 includes pixel regions R02, R12, R22,. 3 includes pixel regions R03, R13, R23,..., R53,..., And the pixel column 29-4 includes pixel regions R04, R14, R24,. Regions R05, R15, R25,..., R55,. In each pixel region of the pixel columns 29-1, 29-2,..., 29-5, a first group (nozzles N01, N06, N11, N16) and a second group (nozzles N02, N07, N12, N17) are respectively provided. , ..., ink is ejected from four nozzles belonging to the fifth group (nozzles N05, N10, N15, N20).

(3-3. Application information 15)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the application information 15.
The application information 15 is information relating to the application amount and the application method. The application information 15 includes items such as a pixel region weight 33 [T], a pixel region droplet number 34 and a dispersion number 35 [B]. The pixel area weight 33 [T] indicates a target amount of ink to be applied to one pixel area, and is, for example, “20 ng”. The number of droplets 34 in the pixel area indicates the number of ink droplets when ink is applied by a standard nozzle, and is, for example, “40 droplets”. The dispersion number 35 [B] corresponds to the number of scans (the number of times of application and the number of times of overcoating) for the same pixel row, and is “4”, for example.

(3-4. Nozzle information 16)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the nozzle information 16.
The nozzle information 16 is information relating to the nozzles 9 of the inkjet head 5. The nozzle information 16 includes items of a nozzle 36, a droplet weight 37 [W], a group 38, and a coating pixel region 39. The nozzle 36 indicates an identifier for identifying the nozzle 9 of the inkjet head 5, and is “N01”, for example. The droplet weight 37 [W] indicates the weight per one droplet of ink ejected from the nozzle 9 of the inkjet head 5, and is, for example, “W01 (ng / drop)”. The group 38 indicates a group to which each nozzle belongs, and is, for example, a “first group”. The relationship between the nozzle 36 and the group 38 is the same as the relationship between the nozzle number 32 and the group 31 in FIG. The application pixel region 39 [R] indicates a pixel region to be applied for each nozzle, and is, for example, “pixel row 29-1 (R01, R11, R21,...)”.

(3-5. Number of droplets information 17)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the droplet number information 17.
The droplet number information 17 is information indicating the number of ink droplets for each scan, each pixel region, and each nozzle. For example, in the pixel region R01, 9 drops of ink are ejected from the nozzle N01 in the first scan, 9 drops of ink are ejected from the nozzle N06 in the second scan, and 10 drops of ink are ejected from the nozzle N11 in the third scan. In the fourth scan, 12 drops of ink are ejected from the nozzle N16. The droplet number information 17 is calculated based on the application information 15 and the nozzle information 16.

(4. Operation of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1)
Next, the operation of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1.

  The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 sets application information 15 including a pixel area weight 33 [T], which is a target amount of ink applied to one pixel area, according to an operation instruction from the operator (step 1001). The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 sets the nozzle information 16 including the droplet weight 37 [W] per droplet of ink according to the operation instruction of the operator (step 1002). For example, the weight of a plurality of droplets (for example, 100,000 droplets) is measured using a measuring instrument such as an electronic balance, and the droplet weight 37 [W] per droplet of ink is calculated.

  Based on the application information 15 and the nozzle information 16, the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 uses a plurality of nozzles [N] used for application of the pixel region [R] and a droplet weight 37 [1] per ink droplet of the nozzle [N]. W] is read (step 1003). The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 uses a liquid for each nozzle [N] used for application of the pixel region [R] based on the weight 33 [T] in the pixel region and the droplet weight 37 [W] per droplet of ink. The number of drops [D] is calculated.

Specifically, for the pixel region R01,
T [ng] = (W01 [ng / drop] × D01 [drop])
+ (W06 [ng / drop] x D06 [drop])
+ (W11 [ng / drop] × D11 [drop])
+ (W16 [ng / drop] x D16 [drop]),
As a result, the number of droplets D01 of nozzle N01, the number of droplets D06 of nozzle N06, the number of droplets D11 of nozzle N11, and the number of droplets D16 of nozzle N16 are calculated.

Similarly, for the pixel region R02,
T [ng] = (W02 [ng / drop] × D02 [drop])
+ (W07 [ng / drop] × D07 [drop])
+ (W12 [ng / drop] × D12 [drop])
+ (W17 [ng / drop] x D17 [drop]),
As a result, the number of droplets D02 of the nozzle N02, the number of droplets D07 of the nozzle N07, the number of droplets D12 of the nozzle N12, and the number of droplets D17 of the nozzle N17 are calculated.

The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 creates droplet number information 17 based on the calculated droplet number [D] and stores it in the storage unit 14 (step 1005).
Based on the droplet number information 17, the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 sets the nozzle [N] to be used and the number of droplets [D] of ink applied by the nozzle [N] for each scan and each pixel region. Then, coating is performed on the substrate 3 (step 1006). The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 performs the same processing on the pixel areas of the color G (GREEN) and the color B (BLUE).

  Through the above process, the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 is based on the pixel area weight 33 [T], which is the target amount of ink applied to one pixel area, and the droplet weight 37 [W] per ink drop. In addition, droplet number information 17 indicating a combination of a plurality of nozzles [N] and the number of droplets [D] used for coating each pixel region is calculated. Based on the droplet number information 17, each scan and each pixel region are calculated. The nozzle [N] and the number of droplets [D] to be used are set, and ink is applied to each pixel region of the substrate 3.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate 3 to which the color R ink is applied. FIG. 11 shows the number of droplets of color R ink applied to the substrate 3 for each pixel region and each nozzle.
In the pixel area R01, the pixel area R02, the pixel area R03, the pixel area R04, and the pixel area R05, ink is applied by different nozzles for each scan. The pixel region R01, the pixel region R02, the pixel region R03, the pixel region R04, and the pixel region R05 include four nozzles in the first group, four nozzles in the second group, four nozzles in the third group, and fourth nozzles, respectively. Four scans are performed by four nozzles in the group and four nozzles in the fifth group to apply ink.
Although the number of ink droplets to be applied is different for each scan, each pixel region, and each nozzle, finally, each pixel region [R] is applied with the same in-pixel weight 33 [T]. Therefore, the color layer shape and thickness of each pixel region [R] are uniform.

If ink is ejected from the same nozzle to one pixel area, even if the number of droplets is adjusted, the amount of ink applied to the pixel area can only be an integer multiple of the amount of ink per drop of the nozzle. Cannot be adjusted.
For example, when the target amount of ink applied to one pixel region is set to 1000 ng, the actual ink application amount in each pixel region is set to a target amount ± 3 ng (997 ng to 1003 ng). In the case where ink is ejected from the same nozzle having an ink amount of about 20 ng per one pixel region, the ink application amount in the pixel region can be adjusted only by an integer multiple of ± 20 ng. It is difficult to obtain a uniform coating amount for each region.

  The color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention scans a single pixel region a plurality of times, and ejects ink corresponding to the number of droplets calculated for each nozzle from a plurality of different nozzles. Since the difference in ink amount per drop between different nozzles is significantly smaller than the ink amount per drop, by adjusting the number of droplets for each nozzle in consideration of the difference in ink amount per drop, The ink application amount in the pixel region can be adjusted with high accuracy.

  As described above, based on the pixel area weight 33 [T], which is the target amount of ink applied to one pixel area, and the droplet weight 37 [W] per ink drop, a plurality of pixels used for application of each pixel area. By calculating the combination of the nozzle [N] and the number of droplets [D] and applying the ink to each pixel region, the amount of ink applied not only in the pixel column unit but also in the pixel region unit becomes the same. The colored layer shape and thickness in the pixel region can be made uniform. Thereby, the hue and reflective appearance of the color filter can be improved. Further, the gap corresponding to the layer thickness of the liquid crystal sealed when forming the display device becomes uniform, and the quality of the display device can be improved.

  In the process of step 1004 in FIG. 10, when the amount of ink initially ejected from the nozzle 9 of the inkjet head 5 is unstable, a predetermined threshold (for example, 3 drops) is set for the number of droplets [D]. It is desirable to calculate the droplet number information 17 by excluding the solution for the droplet number smaller than the threshold. Accordingly, each pixel region can be accurately applied with the target ink amount, excluding the solution of the number of droplets in which the ink amount becomes unstable.

(5. Long head)
Next, ink application using the long head according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a plurality of inkjet heads.
Generally, when applying ink using a plurality of ink jet heads, a plurality of ink jet heads 51 and ink jet heads 52 are arranged in a staggered manner as shown in FIG. The nozzle pitch 53 of the inkjet head 51, the nozzle pitch 54 of the inkjet head 52, and the nozzle pitch 55 between the heads have the same length. Productivity is improved by applying ink using the plurality of inkjet heads.
However, since the inkjet head 51 and the inkjet head 52 are arranged in a staggered manner, an installation space is required. Further, since the ink landing positions in the application direction are different between the inkjet head 51 and the inkjet head 52, it is necessary to adjust the application timing.

FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 are diagrams showing the long head 60, the long head 70, and the long head 80, respectively.
The long head 60 in FIG. 13 is obtained by cutting and connecting the right end of the member of the ink jet head 61 and the left end of the member of the ink jet head 62. The nozzle pitch 63 of the inkjet head 61, the nozzle pitch 64 of the inkjet head 62, and the nozzle pitch 65 between the heads are the same length. The nozzle at the connection position 66 cannot be used because the installation space for the ink supply unit 21 cannot be provided. Therefore, in the conventional color filter manufacturing apparatus, pixel areas that cannot be applied when ink is applied using the long head 60 are generated.

  The long head 70 in FIG. 14 is cut and connected at the nozzle position at the right end of the inkjet head 71 and the nozzle position at the left end of the inkjet head 72. The inter-head nozzle pitch 75 is twice the nozzle pitch 73 of the inkjet head 71 and the nozzle pitch 74 of the inkjet head 72. The nozzle at the connection position 76 cannot be used because the nozzle is cut. Therefore, in the conventional color filter manufacturing apparatus, pixel areas that cannot be applied when ink is applied using the long head 70 are generated.

  The long head 80 in FIG. 15 is obtained by connecting the right end of the inkjet head 81 and the left end of the inkjet head 82. The inter-head nozzle pitch 85 is an integral multiple (for example, twice) of the nozzle pitch 83 of the inkjet head 81 and the nozzle pitch 84 of the inkjet head 82. A member for adjusting the inter-head nozzle pitch 85 may be provided at the connection position. There is no nozzle at the connection position 86. Accordingly, in the conventional color filter manufacturing apparatus, pixel areas that cannot be applied when ink is applied using the long head 80 are generated.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing droplet number information 90 calculated for the long head.
In the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the number of ink droplets is set for each scan, for each pixel region, and for each nozzle. Therefore, the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 uses the nozzle [N] and the droplets used for coating each pixel region in the long head 60, the long head 70, or the long head 80 in the process of step 1004 in FIG. When calculating the combination with the number [D], the droplet number information 90 is calculated as “0 droplet” for an unusable nozzle. For example, when the nozzle N01 and the nozzle N20 at both ends of the inkjet head 5 are unusable, the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 uses the droplet number data 91 “nozzle N01: 0 droplet” and the droplet number data 92 “nozzle N20: 0”. As the “droplet”, the droplet number information 90 is calculated.

  As described above, the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 cannot be used when a long head in which a plurality of ink jet heads are connected and the same pixel region is scanned a plurality of times and ink is applied by different nozzles. By setting the number of ink droplets discharged from various nozzles to “0 droplets” and adjusting the number of ink droplets discharged from the remaining nozzles, the amount of ink applied to each pixel region can be made uniform. . Moreover, productivity can be improved by using a long head. Further, by using a long head instead of arranging a plurality of inkjet heads in a staggered manner, the ink landing positions in the application direction coincide with each other, so that it is not necessary to adjust the application timing. This is applicable not only when the nozzles near the connection position are unusable, but also when the nozzles are unusable due to nozzle clogging, etc., so some nozzles of the long head are unusable. Even in such a case, the long head can be used continuously without replacement, and the maintenance burden can be reduced.

(6. Production of display device 101)
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the display device 101. Here, a liquid crystal display panel will be described as the display device 101.
The substrate 102 is a color filter manufactured by the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1. The substrate 102 is formed with a spacer 106 for securing a liquid crystal sealing space. The substrate 103 is an array substrate such as a TFT (Thin Film Transistor). The display device 101 is manufactured by bonding the substrate 102 and the substrate 103, providing the sealant 104 around the substrate, and enclosing the liquid crystal 107 between the substrates.

(7. Others)
In the above-described embodiment, the ink weight is measured as the ink amount. However, the ink volume may be measured. For example, the volume of the ink is obtained by measuring the ink droplet three-dimensionally.

Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, an example of modification will be described.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which ink is applied to one pixel region 27 from different nozzles for each scan of the inkjet head 5 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When a plurality of nozzles included in the inkjet head 5 face one pixel region 27 on the substrate 3 when the inkjet head 5 moves relative to the substrate 3 (scanning), one time is required. During scanning, ink may be ejected from a plurality of nozzles to one pixel region 27.

  In the embodiment described above, the example in which the relative movement direction of the inkjet head 5 with respect to the substrate 3 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the pixel region 27 having a rectangular shape in plan view is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 5, if the relative movement direction of the inkjet head 5 with respect to the color filter 23 (substrate 3) is configured to be orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (arrow direction in FIG. 18) of the pixel region 27 having a rectangular shape in plan view. When the inkjet head 5 scans the substrate 3, the plurality of nozzles 9 included in the inkjet head 5 face one pixel region 27 on the substrate 3. According to the example shown in FIG. 18, in FIG. 18, ink is ejected from the four nozzles belonging to the first group to each pixel region of the pixel regions R01, R02, R03, R04, R05. That is, it is possible to apply ink from a plurality (four) of nozzles 9 to one pixel region 27 during one scan. The number of droplets can be calculated by the above-described method for each of the plurality of nozzles 9 that apply ink to one pixel region 27. By ejecting ink with the calculated number of droplets, the total amount of ink applied to each pixel region 27 can be brought close to the target amount with high accuracy, and the amount of ink applied can be changed between the pixel regions 27. It can be made uniform. In the example shown in FIG. 18, the number of distributions is 4.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the color layer forming ink is applied to the pixel region has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The entire coating area is divided into predetermined areas (for example, 1 μm square), the same predetermined area is scanned a plurality of times, and the coating liquid is applied by different nozzles. The number of drops may be set. Thereby, the application amount can be made uniform for the entire application region. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the case where an alignment film such as polyimide sandwiching liquid crystal is formed on the surface of an array substrate or a color filter by an ink jet method.

  In addition, when a predetermined area is set by dividing the entire coating area exclusively, defects such as coating unevenness may occur, so the adjacent predetermined areas are set by overlapping the end portions of the predetermined area. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects such as coating unevenness by performing overcoating on the end portion of the predetermined region.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of the color filter manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method concerning this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, this invention is not limited to this example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea disclosed in the present application, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

Configuration of color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 The figure which shows the relationship between the nozzle number of the inkjet head 5, and the number of nozzles The figure which shows the scan (scanning) of the board | substrate 3 by the inkjet head 5. FIG. The figure which shows the relationship between the group 31 of the inkjet head 5, and the nozzle number 32 The figure which shows the inkjet head 5 The figure which shows the color filter 23 formed by apply | coating the ink to the board | substrate 3. The figure which shows the application information 15 The figure which shows the nozzle information 16 The figure which shows the droplet number information 17 Flow chart showing the operation of the color filter manufacturing apparatus 1 Sectional drawing of the board | substrate 3 with which the ink of color R was apply | coated Diagram showing the arrangement of multiple inkjet heads The figure which shows the elongate head 60 The figure which shows the elongate head 70 The figure which shows the elongate head 80 The figure which shows the droplet number information 90 calculated about the elongate head The figure which shows the display apparatus 101 The figure explaining the direction of relative movement with respect to the color filter 23 of the inkjet head 5 in other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ......... Color filter manufacturing apparatus 2 ......... Control part 3 ......... Substrate 4 ......... Suction table 5 ......... Inkjet head 6 ......... Moving part 7 ......... Alignment camera 9 ......... Nozzle 10 ... …… Droplet number setting unit 11 ………… Application information setting unit 12 ………… Nozzle information setting unit 13 ………… Droplet number information setting unit 14 ………… Storage unit 15 ………… Application information 16 ………… Nozzle Information 17, 90 ......... Droplet number information 21 ......... Ink supply unit 23 ......... Color filter 25 ......... Shading unit 27 ......... Pixel areas 29-1, 29-2, ..., 29-5 ... ...... Pixel row 31, 38 ......... Group 33 ......... Weight in pixel area [T]
35 ......... Distribution number [B]
37 .... Droplet weight [W]
51, 52, 61, 62, 71, 72, 81, 82 ......... Inkjet head 60, 70, 80 ... ... Long heads 66, 76, 86 ... ... Connection position 101 ... ... Display device 102 ... ... color filter substrate 103 ... …… array substrate

Claims (13)

An inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles is moved relative to the substrate to perform scanning at least once, and ink for forming a colored layer is ejected from the plurality of nozzles to the same pixel region on the substrate. A color filter manufacturing method for manufacturing a color filter by coating,
A target amount setting step for setting a target amount of the ink to be applied to the pixel region;
A droplet amount setting step of setting a droplet amount for one droplet of the ink for each nozzle;
A droplet number calculating step of calculating the number of droplets of the ink to be ejected to the pixel region for each of a plurality of nozzles used for application of the pixel region based on the target amount and the droplet amount of one ink droplet; ,
An ejection step of ejecting the ink for the calculated number of droplets from the nozzle to the pixel region;
Equipped with,
The scanning of the inkjet head is performed a plurality of times,
A method for producing a color filter , wherein the ink is ejected from different nozzles for each scan to the same pixel region . The color filter manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the droplet number calculating step calculates a predetermined number or more of droplets for each nozzle. 3. The color filter manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the droplet number calculating step, the number of droplets of at least one of the plurality of nozzles is set to 0. 4. In the droplet number calculating step, the number of droplets of a nozzle near the joint of the long head among the nozzles of the long head in which a plurality of the inkjet heads are connected in the nozzle row direction is set to 0. The color filter manufacturing method according to claim 3 . An inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles is moved relative to the substrate to perform scanning at least once, and ink for forming a colored layer is ejected from the plurality of nozzles to the same pixel region on the substrate. A color filter production step for producing a color filter by coating,
A spacer forming step of forming a spacer on the color filter;
A bonding step of bonding the color filter and the array substrate;
A sealing material forming step of providing a sealing material in a peripheral portion of the color filter and the array substrate;
A liquid crystal sealing step for sealing liquid crystal between the color filter and the array substrate;
A manufacturing method of a display device comprising:
A target amount setting step for setting a target amount of the ink to be applied to the pixel region in the color filter manufacturing step;
A droplet amount setting step of setting a droplet amount for one droplet of the ink for each nozzle;
A droplet number calculating step of calculating the number of droplets of the ink to be ejected to the pixel region for each of a plurality of nozzles used for application of the pixel region based on the target amount and the droplet amount of one ink droplet; ,
An ejection step of ejecting the ink for the calculated number of droplets from the nozzle to the pixel region;
Equipped with,
The scanning of the inkjet head is performed a plurality of times,
A manufacturing method of a display device , wherein the ink is ejected from different nozzles for each scanning to the same pixel region . 6. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 5 , wherein the droplet number calculating step calculates a predetermined number or more of droplets for each nozzle. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 5 , wherein the number of droplets calculating step sets the number of droplets of at least one of the plurality of nozzles to zero. In the droplet number calculating step, the number of droplets of a nozzle near the joint of the long head among the nozzles of the long head in which a plurality of the inkjet heads are connected in the nozzle row direction is set to 0. A method for manufacturing the display device according to claim 7 . The entire coating area is divided into a plurality of predetermined areas, a coating head having a plurality of nozzles is moved relative to the coating area to perform at least one scan, and a plurality of nozzles for the same predetermined area A coating method for performing coating by discharging a coating liquid from
A target amount setting step for setting a target amount of the coating liquid to be applied to the predetermined region;
A droplet amount setting step for setting a droplet amount for one droplet of the coating liquid for each nozzle;
Based on the target amount and the droplet amount for one drop of the coating liquid, the number of droplets for calculating the number of droplets of the coating liquid to be ejected to the predetermined area for each of a plurality of nozzles used for coating each predetermined area Steps,
A discharge step of discharging the coating liquid for the calculated number of droplets from the nozzle to the predetermined region;
Equipped with,
The scanning of the coating head is performed a plurality of times,
A coating method, wherein the coating liquid is ejected from different nozzles for each scan to the same predetermined region . The coating method according to claim 9 , wherein the droplet number calculating step calculates a predetermined number or more of droplets for each nozzle. 11. The coating method according to claim 9 , wherein the droplet number calculation step sets the number of droplets of at least one of the plurality of nozzles to 0. In the droplet number calculating step, the number of droplets of a nozzle in the vicinity of a joint of the long head among the nozzles of a long head in which a plurality of coating heads are connected in the nozzle row direction is set to 0. The coating method according to claim 11 . The coating method according to any one of claims 9 to 12 , wherein the adjacent predetermined areas are arranged at positions where ends of the predetermined areas overlap each other.

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