JP5849459B2 - Processing apparatus and processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing apparatus, a processing method, and the like.

By discharging the liquid material from the discharge head while relatively displacing the discharge head and the work for discharging the liquid material such as paste and liquid to one of the processing apparatuses that perform various processes on the workpiece such as the substrate, There is a drawing apparatus that draws a desired pattern on a workpiece with a liquid material.
Conventionally, in such a drawing apparatus, the height position of the workpiece is detected by a detector integrally provided with the syringe in a device that transports the syringe that is one of the ejection heads, and the detected height position of the workpiece is set. There is known one that can change the height of the syringe accordingly (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-152261 A

  According to the drawing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the height position of the workpiece is detected by a detector provided integrally with the syringe in the apparatus that conveys the syringe, and the height position of the workpiece is detected. The height of the syringe can be changed. Thereby, the gap between the nozzle of the syringe and the workpiece can be easily maintained constant over the surface of the workpiece. As a result, it is possible to easily maintain the coating accuracy of the liquid material high, and it is possible to easily improve the pattern drawing quality of the workpiece.

  By the way, in the processing apparatus having a stage device in which a table for supporting and holding a workpiece is configured to be movable, the feeding / dispensing material is an area for supplying the workpiece to the table and removing the workpiece from the table. The table can be configured to be movable between the area and a processing area which is an area where the workpiece is processed. Furthermore, if a plurality of tables are provided, the plurality of tables are alternately reciprocated between the processing area and the supply / discharge material area, thereby performing processing on the workpieces in the tables in the processing area. It becomes possible to feed and unload other workpieces on the table in the feeding and unloading material area. That is, while a process is being performed on one workpiece, it is possible to prepare a workpiece to be processed next. With this configuration, this processing apparatus can easily improve the processing efficiency.

The detector described in Patent Document 1 can be applied to such a stage apparatus having a plurality of tables. However, in this configuration, the detector is provided integrally with the ejection head (syringe) in the processing region. That is, in this configuration, the height position of the workpiece is detected in the processing area. For this reason, in this configuration, it is necessary to detect the height position of the workpiece in a state where the processing on the workpiece is interrupted, or to perform processing on the workpiece while detecting the height position of the workpiece. As a result, it becomes difficult to improve the processing efficiency in the processing apparatus.
That is, the conventional processing apparatus has a problem that it is difficult to improve the processing efficiency.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example 1] In a plurality of tables that support a workpiece, a guide unit that guides each of the plurality of tables with a travel route including a common route that is a route common to the plurality of tables, and the common route Each of the plurality of tables, a processing unit for performing processing on the facing workpiece in a state of facing the workpiece supported on each of the plurality of tables, and the plurality of the plurality of tables in the common path A detection device that is provided outside a processing region that is an area where each of the tables can face the processing unit, and detects a height position of the workpiece supported by the table outside the processing region; and the processing And a gap amount adjusting device for adjusting a gap amount between the part and the workpiece.

The processing device of this application example includes a plurality of tables, a guide unit, a processing unit, a detection device, and a gap amount adjusting device.
Each of the plurality of tables supports the workpiece.
The guide unit guides each of the plurality of tables through a movement route including a common route that is a route common to the plurality of tables.
The processing unit performs processing on the workpiece for each of the plurality of tables. The processing unit performs processing on the facing workpiece in a state of facing the workpiece supported on each of the plurality of tables in the common path.
The detection device is provided outside the processing region. The processing area is an area where each of the plurality of tables can face the processing unit in the common path. The detection device detects the height position of the work supported by the table outside the processing region.
The gap amount adjusting device adjusts the gap amount between the processing unit and the workpiece.
In this processing apparatus, the detection device is provided outside the processing area, and detects the height position of the workpiece outside the processing area. For this reason, when the workpiece is processed in the processing area, the height position of another workpiece can be detected outside the processing area. And when processing with respect to this workpiece | work, the clearance gap between a process part and a workpiece | work can be adjusted based on the detected height position of the workpiece | work. As a result, it is possible to easily improve the processing efficiency in the processing apparatus.

  Application Example 2 In the above processing apparatus, the processing apparatus includes a control unit that controls the gap amount adjusting device based on the detection result of the height position of the workpiece by the detection device. apparatus.

  The processing apparatus of this application example includes a control unit that controls the gap amount adjusting device based on the detection result of the height position of the workpiece by the detection device. Thereby, the clearance gap between a process part and a workpiece | work can be adjusted based on the detected height position of the workpiece | work. As a result, the workpiece can be easily processed with the gap amount corresponding to the height position of the workpiece.

  Application Example 3 In the above processing apparatus, the processing unit includes an ejection head that ejects a liquid material.

  In this application example, the processing unit includes an ejection head that ejects the liquid material. Thereby, the coating process of the liquid material which is one of the processes can be performed on the workpiece with a gap amount corresponding to the height position of the workpiece. As a result, it is possible to easily maintain high application accuracy of the liquid material.

  Application Example 4 In the above processing device, the gap amount adjusting device includes a displacement device that displaces the processing unit.

  In this application example, the gap amount adjusting device includes a displacement device that displaces the processing unit. Thereby, the gap amount can be adjusted by displacing the processing unit.

  Application Example 5 In the common route, a plurality of tables that support the workpiece, a guide unit that guides each of the plurality of tables along a travel route that includes a common route that is a common route among the plurality of tables, A processing unit that performs processing on the facing workpieces in a state of facing the workpieces supported by each of the plurality of tables, for each of the tables of the plurality of tables. In the processing area where each of the plurality of tables can face the processing section in the path, the processing section performs processing on the workpiece supported by one of the plurality of tables. The height position of the workpiece before processing supported by the other table among the plurality of tables outside the processing area. Grasping and grasping the height position of the workpiece when processing the workpiece supported by the other table is performed in the processing area after the processing on the workpiece supported by the one table is completed. A processing method comprising adjusting a gap amount between the processing unit and the workpiece based on a result.

The processing method of this application example can be applied to a processing apparatus having a plurality of tables, a guide unit, and a processing unit.
Each of the plurality of tables supports the workpiece.
The guide unit guides each of the plurality of tables through a movement route including a common route that is a route common to the plurality of tables.
The processing unit performs processing on the workpiece for each of the plurality of tables. The processing unit performs processing on the facing workpiece in a state of facing the workpiece supported on each of the plurality of tables in the common path.
This processing apparatus has a processing area. The processing area is an area where each of the plurality of tables can face the processing unit on a common path.
In the processing method of this application example, when the processing unit is processing the workpiece supported by one of the plurality of tables in the processing region, a plurality of processing is performed outside the processing region. The height position of the workpiece before processing supported by another table among the tables is grasped.
Then, after the processing for the work supported by one table is completed, when the processing for the work supported by the other table is performed in the processing area, the processing unit is based on the result of grasping the height position of the work. Adjust the gap between the workpiece and the workpiece.
According to this processing method, when the workpiece is processed in the processing area, the height position of the workpiece before processing is grasped outside the processing area. You can make the necessary preparations to adjust the amount. As a result, it is possible to easily improve the processing efficiency in workpiece processing.

  Application Example 6 In the processing method described above, when the height position of the workpiece is grasped, the height positions at a plurality of locations of the workpiece are grasped.

  In this application example, when the height position of the workpiece is grasped, the height positions at a plurality of locations of the workpiece are grasped. For example, the gap amount can be adjusted for each detected portion when the processing is performed.

  Application Example 7 In the above processing method, when the height position of the workpiece is grasped, the height position of the workpiece is grasped by detecting the height position of the workpiece. Processing method.

  In this application example, when the height position of the workpiece is grasped, the height position of the workpiece is grasped by detecting the height position of the workpiece, so that the accuracy of the height position can be easily improved.

  Application Example 8 In the above processing method, when the height position of the workpiece is grasped, the detection position of the table is determined based on the result of detecting the height position at the plurality of detection positions of the table. A processing method characterized in that the height position of the workpiece is grasped by adding the results of the height positions of the workpiece detected at a number smaller than the number of the workpieces.

In this application example, when the height position of the workpiece is grasped, each of the results of detecting the height position at a plurality of detection locations of the table indicates that the workpiece is detected at a smaller number of locations than the number of detection locations of the table. By adding the results of the height positions of the workpieces, the height position of the workpiece is grasped.
Here, for example, the height positions at a plurality of detection locations of the table can be grasped in advance for each table. The height position of the table is difficult to change. Therefore, it is reasonable to grasp at a frequency lower than the frequency of processing the workpiece.
Further, for example, in a workpiece such as a substrate, it is rare that the thickness differs greatly for each part of the workpiece. Therefore, it is reasonable to detect the thickness at a smaller number of locations than the number of detected locations of the height position of the table.
For this reason, it is reasonable to grasp the result of adding the thickness of each work to the result of the height position of the table grasped in advance as the work height position. Thereby, the processing efficiency in the processing of the workpiece can be further improved. At this time, the thickness of each work can be detected as the height position of the work in a state supported by the table.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment. The front view when the carriage in this embodiment is seen in the A viewing direction in FIG. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the ejection head in the present embodiment. Sectional drawing in the BB line in FIG. The side view when the droplet discharge apparatus in this embodiment is seen in the C view direction in FIG. The side view when the droplet discharge apparatus in this embodiment is seen in the C view direction in FIG. The side view when the droplet discharge apparatus in this embodiment is seen in the C view direction in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge device according to the present embodiment. The top view which shows the work table and work in this embodiment. The top view which shows the work table and work in this embodiment. The top view which shows the work table in 2nd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a droplet discharge device as an example. In addition, in each drawing, in order to make each structure the size which can be recognized, the structure and the scale of a member may differ.

As shown in FIG. 1, which is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration, the droplet discharge device 1 in the present embodiment includes a work transfer device 3, a carriage 7, a carriage transfer device 11, a first detection device 14, And a second detection device 15.
The carriage 7 is provided with a head unit 17 and a lifting motor 18.
In the droplet discharge device 1, the liquid material is discharged as droplets from the discharge head 19 provided in the head unit 17 while changing the relative position of the head unit 17 and the workpiece W such as a substrate in plan view. A desired pattern can be drawn (recorded) on the workpiece W with a liquid material. That is, the droplet discharge device 1 is one of processing devices that perform drawing (recording) processing on the workpiece W.

In the figure, the Y direction indicates the moving direction of the workpiece W, and the X direction indicates a direction orthogonal to the Y direction in plan view. A direction orthogonal to the XY plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction is defined as the Z direction. Further, the direction of rotation about the axis along the Z direction is defined as the θ direction. In the present embodiment, the Z direction is along the vertical direction.
The lift motor 18 generates power for moving the head unit 17 up and down along the Z direction. The power from the lifting motor 18 is transmitted to the head unit 17 via a lifting mechanism (not shown). Thereby, in the droplet discharge device 1, the discharge head 19 can be moved up and down along the Z direction.

Such a droplet discharge device 1 can be applied to drawing (recording) processing on various workpieces W such as a substrate, cloth, paper, and resin film.
The droplet discharge device 1 can be applied to, for example, the manufacture of color filters used for liquid crystal display panels and the like, and the manufacture of organic EL (Electro Luminescence) devices.
In the case of a color filter having three color filter elements of red, green, and blue, the droplet discharge device 1 can be suitably used, for example, in a process of forming red, green, and blue colored layers on a substrate. In this case, each liquid corresponding to each colored layer is ejected from the head unit 17 as droplets onto the work W, whereby the patterns of the red, green and blue filter elements are drawn on the work W.
Further, in the manufacture of an organic EL device, for example, it can be suitably used in a step of forming a functional layer (organic layer) corresponding to each color for each of red, green and blue pixels. In this case, each liquid material corresponding to the functional layer of each color is ejected as a droplet from the head unit 17 to the work W, whereby the patterns of the red, green, and blue functional layers are drawn on the work W. .

Here, the details of each component of the droplet discharge device 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the work transfer device 3 includes a base portion 21, a guide rail 23, a guide rail 24, and two work tables 25.
The base portion 21 is made of a material that is small in change with time, such as stone, and is placed so as to extend along the Y direction.
Each of the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24 is made of a material having a small change with time, such as a stone, and is disposed on the upper surface 22 of the base portion 21. Each of the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24 extends along the Y direction. The guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24 are lined up with a gap in the X direction.

The two work tables 25 are provided so as to face the upper surface 22 of the base portion 21 with the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24 interposed therebetween. The two work tables 25 are respectively placed on the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24 in a state of floating from the base portion 21. That is, two work tables 25 coexist on the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24. The two work tables 25 face each other in the Y direction.
In the present embodiment, the two work tables 25 have the same size.
In the following, when identifying each of the two work tables 25, the two work tables 25 are represented as a work table 25a and a work table 25b, respectively.

Each of the two work tables 25 has a placement surface 28 that is a surface on which the workpiece W is placed. Hereinafter, when the work W placed on the work table 25a and the work W placed on the work table 25b are distinguished from each other, the work W placed on the work table 25a is referred to as the work W1. And the workpiece W placed on the workpiece table 25b is denoted as workpiece W2.
The placement surface 28 is directed to the side (upper side) opposite to the base part 21 side. The work table 25a and the work table 25b are guided along the Y direction by the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24, respectively, and are configured to be able to reciprocate along the Y direction on the base portion 21.

The two work tables 25 are configured to reciprocate in the Y direction independently (individually) by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism in which a ball screw and a ball nut are combined, a linear motor mechanism, or the like can be adopted. In the present embodiment, a work transfer motor described later is employed as a power source for moving each of the two work tables 25 along the Y direction. As the work transfer motor, various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be adopted.
The power from the work transport motor is transmitted to each of the two work tables 25 via the moving mechanism. Thereby, the two work tables 25 can individually reciprocate along the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24, that is, along the Y direction. That is, the work transfer device 3 can reciprocate the work W1 placed on the placement surface 28 of the work table 25a along the Y direction. Moreover, the workpiece conveyance apparatus 3 can reciprocate the workpiece | work W2 mounted in the mounting surface 28 of the work table 25b along the Y direction.

The head unit 17 has a head plate 31 as shown in FIG. 2, which is a front view when the carriage 7 is viewed in the A viewing direction in FIG. The discharge head 19 is provided on the head plate 31.
As shown in FIG. 3 which is a bottom view, the discharge head 19 has a nozzle surface 35. A plurality of nozzles 37 are formed on the nozzle surface 35. In FIG. 3, the nozzles 37 are exaggerated and the number of the nozzles 37 is reduced in order to easily show the nozzles 37.
In the discharge head 19, the plurality of nozzles 37 constitute a nozzle row 39 arranged along the Y direction. In the nozzle row 39, the plurality of nozzles 37 are formed at a predetermined nozzle interval P along the Y direction.

The discharge head 19 includes a nozzle plate 46, a cavity plate 47, a diaphragm 48, and a plurality of drive elements 49, as shown in FIG. 4 which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. doing. In the present embodiment, a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric element is employed as the drive element 49.
The nozzle plate 46 has a nozzle surface 35. The plurality of nozzles 37 are provided on the nozzle plate 46.
The cavity plate 47 is provided on the surface opposite to the nozzle surface 35 of the nozzle plate 46. A plurality of cavities 51 are formed in the cavity plate 47. Each cavity 51 is provided corresponding to each nozzle 37 and communicates with each corresponding nozzle 37. Each cavity 51 is supplied with a functional liquid 53 that is a liquid material from a tank (not shown).

The diaphragm 48 is provided on the surface of the cavity plate 47 opposite to the nozzle plate 46 side. The vibration plate 48 vibrates in the Z direction (longitudinal vibration), thereby enlarging or reducing the volume in the cavity 51.
The plurality of drive elements 49 are respectively provided on the surface of the diaphragm 48 opposite to the cavity plate 47 side. Each drive element 49 is provided corresponding to each cavity 51 and faces each cavity 51 with the diaphragm 48 interposed therebetween. Each drive element 49 expands based on the drive signal. Thereby, the diaphragm 48 reduces the volume in the cavity 51. At this time, pressure is applied to the functional liquid 53 in the cavity 51. As a result, the functional liquid 53 is discharged as droplets 55 from the nozzle 37. The method of discharging the droplet 55 by the discharge head 19 is one of ink jet methods. The ink jet method is one of coating methods.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ejection head 19 having the above configuration is supported by the head plate 31 with the nozzle surface 35 protruding from the head plate 31.
As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 7 supports a head unit 17. Here, the head unit 17 is supported by the carriage 7 with the nozzle surface 35 directed downward in the Z direction.
As described above, the functional liquid 53 can be applied to the workpiece W from the ejection head 19.
In this embodiment, a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric element is used as the drive element 49, but the drive element 49 for applying pressure to the functional liquid 53 is not limited to this, and for example, the lower electrode Also, a bending deformation type piezoelectric element in which a piezoelectric layer and an upper electrode are laminated may be employed. Further, as the drive element 49, a so-called electrostatic actuator that generates static electricity between the diaphragm and the electrode, deforms the diaphragm by electrostatic force, and discharges the droplet 55 from the nozzle 37 can be employed. . Furthermore, the structure which produces a bubble in the nozzle 37 using a heat generating body, and gives a pressure to the functional liquid 53 with the bubble may be employ | adopted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carriage transport device 11 includes a gantry 61 and a guide rail 63.
The gantry 61 extends in the X direction and straddles the work transfer device 3 in the X direction. The gantry 61 is opposite to the base portion 21 side of the work table 25 and faces the work transfer device 3. The gantry 61 is supported by a pair of support columns 67. The pair of struts 67 are provided at positions facing each other in the X direction across the base portion 21.
In the following, when identifying each of the pair of columns 67, the notations of columns 67a and columns 67b are used. Each of the support columns 67a and the support columns 67b protrudes above the two work tables 25 in the Z direction. Thereby, a gap is maintained between the gantry 61 and each of the two work tables 25.

The guide rail 63 is provided on the base portion 21 side of the gantry 61. The guide rail 63 extends along the X direction, and is provided across the width of the gantry 61 in the X direction.
The carriage 7 described above is supported by the guide rail 63. In a state where the carriage 7 is supported by the guide rail 63, the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 19 faces the two worktables 25 in the Z direction. The carriage 7 is guided along the X direction by the guide rail 63, and is supported by the guide rail 63 so as to be able to reciprocate in the X direction. In a plan view, in a state where the carriage 7 overlaps each of the two work tables 25, the nozzle surface 35 and the placement surface 28 face each other with a gap therebetween.

The carriage 7 is configured to reciprocate in the X direction by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism combining a ball screw and a ball nut, a linear guide mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the present embodiment, a carriage transport motor, which will be described later, is employed as a power source for moving the carriage 7 along the X direction. As the carriage conveyance motor, various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be employed.
The power from the carriage transport motor is transmitted to the carriage 7 through the moving mechanism. Thus, the carriage 7 can reciprocate along the guide rail 63, that is, along the X direction. That is, the carriage transport device 11 can reciprocate the head unit 17 supported by the carriage 7 along the X direction.

Details of the work transfer device 3 will be described.
In the present embodiment, the workpiece transfer device 3 is divided into a first standby area 71, a processing area 73, and a second standby area 75 along the Y direction, as shown in FIG.
The first standby area 71 is set on one end side on the work table 25a side of the two work tables 25 arranged in the Y direction in the base portion 21 extending along the Y direction.
The second standby area 75 is set on the other end side opposite to the first standby area 71 side in the base portion 21 extending along the Y direction.
The processing area 73 is set between the first standby area 71 and the second standby area 75 in the base portion 21 extending along the Y direction.

The carriage conveyance device 11 straddles the base portion 21 in the X direction in the processing region 73. For this reason, the head unit 17 provided on the carriage 7 moves in the X direction across the workpiece transfer device 3 in the processing region 73.
As shown in FIG. 5 which is a side view when the droplet discharge device 1 is viewed in the direction C in FIG. 1, the processing region 73 has two positions on the boundary hy in the Y direction of the discharge head 19. It has the area | region for which the work table 25 was arranged in the state which mutually contact | abutted.
For this reason, in the processing area 73, the two work tables 25 can reciprocate beyond the position hy in the Y direction of the ejection head 19, respectively. As a result, each of the workpiece W1 and the workpiece W2 and the ejection head 19 can intersect each other in the processing region 73. That is, the workpiece W and the ejection head 19 can be opposed to each other over the entire area of the workpiece W in the processing region 73. Thereby, in the droplet discharge device 1, the processing can be performed over the entire area of the workpiece W in the processing region 73.

Note that each of the first standby area 71 and the second standby area 75 shown in FIG. 1 also has an area for arranging the two work tables 25 in contact with each other.
In the present embodiment, the work table 25 a can move over an area including the first standby area 71 and the processing area 73. That is, an area including the first standby area 71 and the processing area 73 is set as a movable area of the work table 25a.
In addition, the work table 25 b can move over an area including the second standby area 75 and the processing area 73. That is, an area including the second standby area 75 and the processing area 73 is set as a movable area of the work table 25b.
That is, the work table 25a and the work table 25b share a route in the processing area 73 as a common route among the respective movement routes.

Details of the configurations of the first detection device 14 and the second detection device 15 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the first detection device 14 is provided outside the processing region 73. In the present embodiment, the first detection device 14 is provided inside the first standby area 71. The first detection device 14 includes a detection sensor 77 that detects the height position of the workpiece W1. In the present embodiment, the height position of the workpiece W1 is detected via the detection sensor 77.
The second detection device 15 is provided outside the processing region 73. In the present embodiment, the second detection device 15 is provided inside the second standby region 75. The second detection device 15 includes a detection sensor 78 that detects the height position of the workpiece W2. In the present embodiment, the height position of the workpiece W2 is detected via the detection sensor 78.

As the detection sensor 77 and the detection sensor 78, for example, various optical sensors such as a laser displacement meter can be employed. In the present embodiment, the detection sensor 77 of the first detection device 14 and the detection sensor 78 of the second detection device 15 are the same as each other. The first detection device 14 and the second detection device 15 have the same configuration. For this reason, below, the structure of the 1st detection apparatus 14 is demonstrated, about the structure of the 2nd detection apparatus 15, the code | symbol same as the structure of the 1st detection apparatus 14 is attached | subjected, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
The first detection device 14 has a transport device 81. Further, the second detection device 15 includes a transport device 83.
The transport device 81 transports the detection sensor 77 along the X direction. The transport device 83 transports the detection sensor 78 along the X direction.
Each of the transport device 81 and the transport device 83 includes a carriage 85, a gantry 87, and a guide rail 89.

In the transport device 81, the carriage 85 supports a detection sensor 77. In the transport device 83, the carriage 85 supports the detection sensor 78.
In each of the transport device 81 and the transport device 83, the gantry 87 extends in the X direction and straddles the work transport device 3 in the X direction. The gantry 87 faces the work transfer device 3 on the side opposite to the base portion 21 side of the work table 25. The gantry 87 is supported by a pair of support columns 91. The pair of support columns 91 are provided at positions facing each other in the X direction with the base portion 21 interposed therebetween.
In each of the transfer device 81 and the transfer device 83, the pair of support columns 91 protrudes upward in the Z direction from each of the two work tables 25. Thereby, a gap is maintained between each mount 87 and each of the two work tables 25.
In each of the transport device 81 and the transport device 83, the guide rail 89 is provided on the base portion 21 side of the gantry 87. The guide rail 89 extends along the X direction and is provided across the width of the gantry 87 in the X direction.

In each of the transport device 81 and the transport device 83, the carriage 85 is supported by the guide rail 89. In a state where the carriage 85 is supported by the guide rail 89, the detection sensor 77 and the detection sensor 78 are each directed toward the two work tables 25 in the Z direction. The carriage 85 is guided along the X direction by the guide rail 89 and is supported by the guide rail 89 in a state where the carriage 85 can reciprocate in the X direction. In plan view, in a state where each carriage 85 overlaps each of the two work tables 25, each of the detection sensor 77 and the detection sensor 78 and each of the placement surfaces 28 are in a state of maintaining a gap. opposite.
The transport device 81 and the transport device 83 each have a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown) for moving the carriage 85 in the X direction.

In each of the transport device 81 and the transport device 83, the carriage 85 is configured to be able to reciprocate in the X direction by a moving mechanism and a power source (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a mechanism combining a ball screw and a ball nut, a linear guide mechanism, or the like may be employed. In the present embodiment, a sensor transport motor, which will be described later, is adopted as a power source for moving the carriage 85 along the X direction. Various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be adopted as the sensor transport motor.
In each of the transport device 81 and the transport device 83, the power from the sensor transport motor is transmitted to the carriage 85 via the moving mechanism. Thereby, the carriage 85 can reciprocate along the guide rail 89, that is, along the X direction. That is, the transport device 81 and the transport device 83 can reciprocate the detection sensor 77 and the detection sensor 78 supported by the carriage 85 along the X direction, respectively.

The gantry 87 and the guide rail 89 of the transport device 81 straddle the base portion 21 in the X direction in the first standby area 71. For this reason, the detection sensor 77 provided in the carriage 85 moves in the X direction across the workpiece transfer device 3 in the first standby area 71.
As shown in FIG. 6 which is a side view when the droplet discharge device 1 is viewed in the C view direction in FIG. 1, the first standby region 71 has a position s1 in the Y direction of the detection sensor 77 as a boundary. It has the area | region for which the two work tables 25 were arranged in the state which mutually contact | abutted.
Therefore, in the first standby area 71, the work table 25a can reciprocate beyond the position s1 in the Y direction of the detection sensor 77. As a result, the workpiece W1 and the detection sensor 77 can intersect each other in the first standby area 71. That is, the workpiece W1 and the detection sensor 77 can be opposed to each other over the entire area of the workpiece W1 in the first standby area 71. Thereby, the droplet discharge device 1 can detect the height position at an arbitrary position of the workpiece W <b> 1 in the first standby region 71.

The gantry 87 and the guide rail 89 of the transport device 83 straddle the base portion 21 in the X direction in the second standby region 75. For this reason, the detection sensor 78 provided on the carriage 85 moves in the X direction across the workpiece transfer device 3 in the second standby area 75.
As shown in FIG. 7 which is a side view when the droplet discharge device 1 is viewed in the direction C in FIG. 1, the second standby region 75 has a position s2 in the Y direction of the detection sensor 78 as a boundary. It has the area | region for which the two work tables 25 were arranged in the state which mutually contact | abutted.
Therefore, in the second standby area 75, the work table 25b can reciprocate beyond the position s2 in the Y direction of the detection sensor 78. As a result, the workpiece W2 and the detection sensor 78 can cross each other in the second standby area 75. That is, the workpiece W2 and the detection sensor 78 can be opposed to each other over the entire area of the workpiece W2 within the second standby area 75. As a result, the droplet discharge device 1 can detect the height position at an arbitrary position of the workpiece W <b> 2 within the second standby region 75.

As shown in FIG. 8, the droplet discharge device 1 includes a control unit 111 that controls the operation of each of the above-described configurations. The control unit 111 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 113, a drive control unit 115, and a memory unit 117. The drive control unit 115 and the memory unit 117 are connected to the CPU 113 via the bus 119.
The droplet discharge device 1 includes a carriage transport motor 121, a work transport motor 123, a work transport motor 124, a sensor transport motor 125, a sensor transport motor 126, an input device 129, and a display device 131. Have.
The carriage transport motor 121, the work transport motor 123, the work transport motor 124, the sensor transport motor 125, and the sensor transport motor 126 are connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively. The input device 129 and the display device 131 are also connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively.

The carriage transport motor 121 generates power for driving the carriage 7.
The work conveyance motor 123 generates power for driving the work table 25a. The work conveyance motor 124 generates power for driving the work table 25b.
The sensor transport motor 125 generates power for driving the carriage 85 on which the detection sensor 77 is mounted. The sensor transport motor 126 generates power for driving the carriage 85 on which the detection sensor 78 is mounted.
The input device 129 is a device for inputting various processing conditions. The display device 131 is a device that displays processing conditions and work status. An operator who operates the droplet discharge device 1 can input various information via the input device 129 while confirming information displayed on the display device 131.
The lift motor 18, the discharge head 19, the detection sensor 77, and the detection sensor 78 are also connected to the control unit 111 via the input / output interface 133 and the bus 119, respectively.

The CPU 113 performs various arithmetic processes as a processor. The drive control unit 115 controls driving of each component. The memory unit 117 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like. In the memory unit 117, an area for storing the program software 135 in which the operation control procedure in the droplet discharge device 1 is described, a data development unit 137 that is an area for temporarily developing various data, and the like are set. Yes. Examples of data developed in the data development unit 137 include recording data indicating a pattern to be drawn, program data such as recording processing, and the like.
The drive control unit 115 includes a motor control unit 141, a sensor control unit 143, a discharge control unit 145, and a display control unit 151.

Based on a command from the CPU 113, the motor control unit 141 drives the carriage transport motor 121, the work transport motor 123, the work transport motor 124, the sensor transport motor 125, and the sensor transport motor 126. And the drive of the lift motor 18 are individually controlled.
The sensor control unit 143 individually controls each of the detection sensor 77 and the detection sensor 78 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The discharge controller 145 controls driving of the discharge head 19 based on a command from the CPU 113.
The display control unit 151 controls driving of the display device 131 based on a command from the CPU 113.

The sensor control unit 143 causes each of the detection sensor 77 and the detection sensor 78 to detect the height position of the workpiece W based on a command from the CPU 113, and causes the memory unit 117 and the CPU 113 to detect the height position detection result. Output.
At this time, the CPU 113 calculates an adjustment amount for the gap amount between the ejection head 19 and the workpiece W based on the result of the height position detected by the detection sensor 77 or the detection sensor 78. Next, the CPU 113 outputs a drive command for the lift motor 18 to the motor control unit 141. At this time, the CPU 113 instructs the motor control unit 141 as the drive amount of the elevating motor 18 for the drive amount corresponding to the calculated adjustment amount.

In the droplet discharge device 1 having the above-described configuration, in the first standby area 71 shown in FIG. 1, the material supply (supply) and material removal of the workpiece W1 with respect to the workpiece table 25a, the height position detection processing of the workpiece W1, and the like. Done.
In the first standby area 71, when the work W1 is supplied (supplied) to the work table 25a (feeding process), the height position detection process is performed on the work W1.
The height position detection process is a process for detecting the height position of the workpiece W with respect to the droplet discharge device 1.
In the droplet discharge device 1, the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the discharge head 19 and the workpiece W shown in FIG. 2 is uniform over the entire area of the workpiece W from the viewpoint of improving the drawing quality in the drawing process. ,desired.
In the present embodiment, the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 19 and the workpiece W is adjusted based on the result of detecting the height position of the workpiece W. The gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 and the workpiece W is adjusted by driving the elevating motor 18. By driving the elevating motor 18, the ejection head 19 can be raised and lowered along the Z direction, so that the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 and the workpiece W can be adjusted.

The height position detection process for the workpiece W1 is performed by detecting the height position of the workpiece W1 via the first detection device 14 (detection step).
The work table 25a transports the work W1 to the processing area 73 after the height position detection process for the work W1 is performed in the first standby area 71 (conveying step).
In the processing area 73, a drawing process is performed on the work W1 placed on the work table 25a (processing step). In the droplet discharge device 1, a pattern is drawn on the workpiece W by a drawing process.

In the droplet discharge device 1, the workpiece 55 is discharged from the discharge head 19 while the discharge head 19 and the workpiece W are relatively reciprocated while the discharge head 19 is opposed to the workpiece W. A pattern is drawn on W.
In the drawing process for the workpiece W1, the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 19 and the workpiece W1 is adjusted based on the result of detecting the height position of the workpiece W1.
The workpiece W1 that has been subjected to the drawing process is transported from the processing area 73 to the first standby area 71 by the work table 25a.
The workpiece W1 transferred to the first standby area 71 by the work table 25a is removed from the work table 25a in the first standby area 71. Then, a new work W1 is supplied to the work table 25a.

On the other hand, in the second standby area 75, the material supply (supply) and material removal of the work W2 with respect to the work table 25b, the height position detection process of the work W2, and the like are performed.
In the second standby area 75, when the work W2 is supplied (supplied) to the work table 25b (feeding process), the height position detection process for the work W2 is performed. The height position detection process for the workpiece W2 is performed by detecting the height position of the workpiece W2 via the second detection device 15 (FIG. 1) (detection step).
The work table 25b transports the work W2 to the processing area 73 after the height position detection process for the work W2 is performed in the second standby area 75 (conveying process).

In the processing area 73, a drawing process is performed on the work W2 placed on the work table 25b (processing step).
At this time, in the drawing process for the workpiece W2, the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 19 and the workpiece W2 is adjusted based on the result of detecting the height position of the workpiece W2.
The workpiece W2 subjected to the drawing processing is transported from the processing area 73 to the second standby area 75 by the work table 25b.
The workpiece W2 transferred to the second standby area 75 by the work table 25b is removed from the work table 25b in the second standby area 75. Then, a new work W2 is supplied to the work table 25b.

As described above, in the droplet discharge device 1, the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the discharge head 19 and the workpiece W is adjusted based on the result of detecting the height position of the workpiece W in the drawing process. be able to.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9 which is a plan view of the work table 25 and the work W, a plurality of detection points Kp are set in one work W. The detection location Kp is a location where the detection sensor 77 or the detection sensor 78 detects the height position.
In the droplet discharge device 1, a coordinate system is set on the placement surface 28 of each work table 25. And the coordinate based on the coordinate system set to the mounting surface 28 of each work table 25 is prescribed | regulated at the some detection location Kp, respectively. Accordingly, the plurality of detection points Kp are individually identified by the defined coordinates.
For this reason, the result of the height position detected for each detection location Kp by the detection sensor 77 or the detection sensor 78 can be identified for each detection location Kp.

In the drawing process for the workpiece W, the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 19 and the workpiece W is determined for each detection location Kp based on the result of the height position for each detection location Kp in the workpiece W. Adjusted to In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the workpiece W is divided into a plurality of control areas Sa including only one detection location Kp for each detection location Kp. In the present embodiment, a method of adjusting the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 19 and the work W is employed for each control area Sa in the drawing process on the work W. Thereby, the gap amount Gp between the nozzle surface 35 of the ejection head 19 and the workpiece W can be adjusted for each detection location Kp.
As a result, the application accuracy of the functional liquid 53 to the workpiece W can be easily maintained high over the workpiece W, so that the drawing quality of the workpiece W can be easily improved.

In this embodiment, the work table 25 corresponds to the table, the guide rail 23 and the guide rail 24 correspond to the guide portion, the discharge head 19 corresponds to the processing portion, and the lifting motor 18 corresponds to the gap amount adjusting device and the displacement device. Correspondingly, the CPU 113 corresponds to the control unit.
In the present embodiment, while the drawing process is performed on the workpiece W placed on one of the two workpiece tables 25 in the processing area 73, the height position detection processing of the workpiece W on the other workpiece table 25 is performed. Is implemented. For this reason, in this embodiment, the efficiency of the drawing process can be easily improved.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, a plurality of detection locations Kp are set for one workpiece W, but the method for setting the detection locations Kp is not limited to this. As a method of setting the detection location Kp, a method of setting a plurality of detection locations Kp on the placement surface 28 of each work table 25 may be employed.
An example in which a plurality of detection locations Kp are set on the placement surface 28 of each work table 25 will be described below as a second embodiment. Note that the droplet discharge device 1 in the second embodiment has the same configuration as the droplet discharge device 1 in the first embodiment. For this reason, in 2nd Embodiment, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the code | symbol same as 1st Embodiment is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

In a workpiece W such as a substrate, it is rare that the thickness of one workpiece W varies greatly depending on the portion of the workpiece W. For this reason, setting many detection locations Kp for one work W may be unreasonable if the efficiency of the drawing process and the improvement in drawing quality are weighed.
Therefore, in such a case, as shown in FIG. 11, it is considered effective to set a plurality of detection locations Kp on the placement surface 28 of each work table 25. Even in this case, it is desirable to set a plurality of detection points Kp in the region where the workpiece W is placed.
By setting a plurality of detection points Kp on the mounting surface 28, the state of the mounting surface 28 such as the unevenness of the mounting surface 28 and the inclination of the mounting surface 28 can be detected.
The state of the mounting surface 28 such as the unevenness of the mounting surface 28 and the inclination of the mounting surface 28 does not change frequently. For this reason, in this example in which a plurality of detection locations Kp are set on the placement surface 28, it is reasonable to detect the height position of the placement surface 28 at the plurality of detection locations Kp each time the workpiece W is fed or unloaded. It seems that it is not right. Therefore, the frequency of detecting the height positions at the plurality of detection points Kp on the placement surface 28 is reasonable, for example, once a day or every time the droplet discharge device 1 is started from the rest state to the operation state. Frequency can be set.

The results of the height positions at the plurality of detection locations Kp on the mounting surface 28 are stored as data in the memory unit 117. And whenever it detects with a reasonable frequency, the result of the height position in the some detection location Kp of the mounting surface 28 is updated.
Thus, if the height position in the several detection location Kp of the mounting surface 28 is grasped | ascertained, the height position of the workpiece | work W will be added by adding the thickness for every workpiece | work W to the height position of the mounting surface 28. Can be grasped. When the workpiece W such as a substrate is placed on the placement surface 28 where the unevenness is generated or inclined, the unevenness and the inclination of the placement surface 28 are reflected on the work W. That is, in this work W, the gap amount Gp between the ejection head 19 and the work W changes according to the unevenness or inclination of the mounting surface 28.

For this reason, in the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 28, the height position of the location corresponding to each detection location Kp is obtained by adding the thickness of the workpiece W to the height position at each detection location Kp on the placement surface 28. Can be calculated.
In the second embodiment, a method of detecting the thickness of the workpiece W by the detection sensor 77 or the detection sensor 78 is adopted for each workpiece W. That is, in the second embodiment, the thickness of the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 28 is detected as the height position.
As described above, in the work W such as the substrate, it is rare that the thickness of the work W differs greatly for each part of the work W. Therefore, the number of locations for detecting the thickness of the workpiece W may be smaller than the number of detected locations Kp.
In 2nd Embodiment, the location which detects the thickness of the workpiece | work W is made into one.

As described above, in the second embodiment, since the frequency of detecting the height positions at the plurality of detection locations Kp can be reduced, it is possible to further improve the efficiency of the drawing process.
In the second embodiment, each of the first standby area 71 and the second standby area 75 can be reduced.
In the first embodiment, two areas of the work table 25 are required in each of the first standby area 71 and the second standby area 75. This is because the height position of the workpiece W is detected in the first standby area 71 and the second standby area 75 when the drawing process is performed in the processing area 73.
On the other hand, in 2nd Embodiment, the frequency which detects the height position in the some detection location Kp is lower than the frequency of the feed material of the workpiece | work W. FIG. For this reason, when detecting the height position in the several detection location Kp of the mounting surface 28, even if a drawing process is stopped, it is satisfactory. For this reason, in the second embodiment, one area of the work table 25 can be reduced from each of the first standby area 71 and the second standby area 75 in the first embodiment. And the height position in the some detection location Kp of the mounting surface 28 can be detected by utilizing from the 1st standby area 71 or the 2nd standby area 75 to the process area 73. FIG.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the configuration including the first detection device 14 and the second detection device 15 is employed, but the configuration of the droplet discharge device 1 is not limited to this. As the configuration of the droplet discharge device 1, for example, a configuration in which one of the first detection device 14 and the second detection device 15 is omitted may be employed. In this case, the remaining one of the first detection device 14 and the second detection device 15 is configured to be capable of reciprocating between the first standby region 71 and the second standby region 75, so that the first In each of the standby area 71 and the second standby area 75, the height position of the workpiece W can be detected.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 3 ... Work conveying apparatus, 14 ... 1st detection apparatus, 15 ... 2nd detection apparatus, 18 ... Lifting motor, 19 ... Discharge head, 23 ... Guide rail, 24 ... Guide rail, 25, 25a , 25b ... Work table, 28 ... Placement surface, 35 ... Nozzle surface, 53 ... Functional liquid, 55 ... Droplet, 71 ... First standby area, 73 ... Processing area, 75 ... Second standby area, 77 ... Detection sensor , 78 ... detection sensor, 81 ... transport device, 83 ... transport device, 85 ... carriage, 87 ... frame, 89 ... guide rail, 91 ... strut, Gp ... gap amount, Kp ... detection location, W, W1, W2 ... work .

Claims (9)

A first table supporting a first workpiece;
A second table for supporting the second workpiece;
A guide unit that guides a moving route including a common route that is a common route between the first table and the second table ;
In the common path, each said first table and said second table, from and opposite to the first table and the first supported on each of the second table of the workpiece and the second workpiece A processing unit that performs processing on the first workpiece and the second workpiece facing each other in a state;
Said common each of said first table and said second table in a path is provided outside the processing region is a region that can be opposed to the processing unit, said supported on the first table the first workpiece A first detection unit for detecting the height position of the second workpiece supported on the second table, and a first detection unit for detecting the height position of the second workpiece supported by the second table on the outside of the processing region. A detection device including two detection units ;
During said processing section and said first work, and, have a, a gap amount adjustment device for adjusting the gap amount between said processing unit and the second workpiece,
When the processing unit is processing one of the first workpiece and the second workpiece, the detection device has the other height of the first workpiece and the second workpiece. Detect position,
The processing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. Based on the detection result of the height position of the first workpiece in the detection device or the detection result of the height position of the second workpiece, the control unit controls the gap amount adjusting device.
The processing apparatus according to claim 1. The processing unit includes an ejection head that ejects a liquid.
The processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The gap amount adjusting device includes a displacement device that displaces the processing unit.
The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:   A plurality of tables supporting the workpiece;
  A guide unit that guides each of the plurality of tables by a movement route including a common route that is a route common to the plurality of tables;
  In the common path, for each table of the plurality of tables, a processing unit that performs processing on the facing workpieces in a state of facing the workpieces supported on each of the plurality of tables;
  In the common path, each of the plurality of tables is provided outside the processing area which is an area that can face the processing unit, and the height position of the workpiece supported by the table is detected outside the processing area. A detecting device to
  A gap amount adjusting device that adjusts a gap amount between the processing unit and the workpiece;
  A control unit,
  The controller is
    While the processing unit is processing the workpiece supported by one of the plurality of tables, the detection device is supported by the other table among the plurality of tables. Control to detect the height position of the workpiece before processing,
    Based on the result of grasping the height position of the workpiece when performing the processing on the workpiece supported by the other table in the processing area after the processing on the workpiece supported by the one table is completed. The gap amount adjusting device is controlled so as to adjust the gap amount between the processing section and the workpiece. A plurality of tables supporting the workpiece;
A guide unit that guides each of the plurality of tables by a movement route including a common route that is a route common to the plurality of tables;
In the common path, for each table of the plurality of tables, a processing unit that performs processing on the facing workpieces in a state of facing the workpieces supported on each of the plurality of tables;
In the processing area that is an area where each of the plurality of tables can face the processing unit on the common path of the processing apparatus, the workpiece supported on one of the plurality of tables. When the processing unit is performing processing, outside the processing region, grasp the height position of the workpiece before processing supported by the other table among the plurality of tables,
Based on the result of grasping the height position of the workpiece when performing the processing on the workpiece supported by the other table in the processing area after the processing on the workpiece supported by the one table is completed. Adjusting the amount of gap between the processing unit and the workpiece,
A processing method characterized by the above. When grasping the height position of the workpiece, grasp the height position in a plurality of locations of the workpiece,
The processing method according to claim 6 . Grasping the height position of the workpiece by detecting the height position of the workpiece when grasping the height position of the workpiece;
The processing method according to claim 7 . When the height position of the workpiece is grasped, the workpiece detected at a number of locations smaller than the number of the detection locations of the table as a result of detecting the height position at a plurality of detection locations of the table. The height position of the workpiece is grasped by adding the result of the height position of
The processing method according to claim 7 .

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