WO2013069256A1

WO2013069256A1 - Inkjet application device and inkjet application method

Info

Publication number: WO2013069256A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/007096
Authority: WO
Inventors: 真介井口; 定信池本; 聡雨宮
Original assignee: 株式会社アルバック; 住友化学株式会社
Priority date: 2011-11-07
Filing date: 2012-11-06
Publication date: 2013-05-16
Also published as: TW201334982A; KR20140088116A; JP2013101780A; CN103918350A

Abstract

[Problem] To minimize unevenness in the drying of ink applied to a substrate. [Solution] The inkjet application device in one embodiment of the present invention is provided with an ink head module (12) that has a first head group (12A) and a second head group (12B). Partitioning the entire surface of a substrate (S) into a plurality of regions (R1 to R6) along an X-axis, the first head group (12A) applies ink droplets to a prescribed first set of regions (R1, R3, R5). The second head group (12B) is offset a prescribed distance (H) along a Y-axis from the first head group (12A) and applies ink droplets to the remaining regions, namely a second set of regions (R2, R4, R6). The movement of a stage (11) that supports the substrate (S) is controlled such that the droplets from the second head group (12B) land on the substrate (S) within a prescribed amount of time from when the droplets from the first head group (12A) land on the substrate.

Description

Inkjet coating apparatus and inkjet coating method

The present invention relates to an ink jet coating apparatus and an ink jet coating method for ejecting ink droplets containing an organic EL material for forming an organic EL element on a substrate, for example.

The ink jet method can accurately drop ink at a predetermined position on a substrate, and is widely used in a process of manufacturing a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display using an ink containing spacer particles or an organic light emitting material, for example. Yes. For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes a method of forming a spacer by an inkjet method, and the following Patent Document 2 discloses R (red), G (green), and B (blue) organic light emitting materials by an inkjet method. A method of forming a layer is described.

The inkjet coating apparatus typically has one or a plurality of ink heads in which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed at a predetermined pitch, and while relatively moving the substrate horizontally in a uniaxial direction with respect to the ink heads, Ink droplets are applied to a plurality of locations on the substrate from the ink head.

On the other hand, when the inkjet method is applied to a relatively large substrate, after moving the substrate in the uniaxial direction, the substrate is moved in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the uniaxial direction, so that the relative position to the ink head can be adjusted. The substrate is moved again in the uniaxial direction. Such operations are repeated as many times as necessary to apply droplets to the entire surface of the substrate (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-147861 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-77678

However, in the method of repeating the reciprocating movement of the substrate with respect to the ink head as described above, uneven drying of the droplets may occur between the region where the droplets are applied first and the region where the droplets are applied later. Such a problem remarkably occurs when an ink that is relatively easy to dry, such as an ink containing an organic EL material, is used. Unevenness of drying causes variations in the thickness and shape of the organic EL layer, leading to a decrease in image quality.

In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet coating apparatus and an ink jet coating method that can suppress uneven drying of ink applied on a substrate.

In order to achieve the above object, an inkjet coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stage, a first ink head module, a moving mechanism, and a controller.
The stage has a support surface parallel to the first axial direction and a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction, and is configured to be able to support the substrate on the support surface. The
The first ink head module has a first head group and a second head group. When the first head group divides the entire surface of the substrate on the support surface into a plurality of regions arranged along the first axial direction, a predetermined first of the plurality of regions is formed. An ink droplet is applied to one region group. The second head group is disposed at a position offset by a predetermined distance in the second axial direction with respect to the first head group, and the remaining second region group of the plurality of rows of regions is filled with ink. Configured to apply droplets.
The moving mechanism is configured to move the stage in the second axial direction.
The controller has a predetermined time period from when the liquid droplets from the first head group land on the substrate to when the liquid droplets from the second head group land on the substrate. The moving mechanism is controlled so that

An inkjet coating method according to an aspect of the present invention includes disposing a substrate on a support surface that is parallel to each of a first axial direction and a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction.
A plurality of rows of heads arranged so as to correspond to the plurality of rows of regions when the entire surface of the substrate on the support surface is partitioned by a plurality of rows of regions arranged along the first axial direction. The nozzle pitch of each of the plurality of head portions is adjusted such that ink droplets ejected from each portion land on the substrate at a predetermined pitch in the first axial direction.
The support surface is moved relative to the plurality of rows of head portions in the second axial direction.
The droplets are ejected to a first region group selected every other row of the plurality of regions.
Within a predetermined time after ink droplets are ejected to the first region group, the droplets are ejected to the remaining second region group of the plurality of regions.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the inkjet coating apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows the said inkjet coating apparatus. It is an enlarged view of the principal part which shows the ink discharge surface of the ink head in the said inkjet coating apparatus. It is a schematic plan view explaining the effect | action of the said inkjet coating apparatus. It is a schematic plan view which shows the inkjet coating apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

An inkjet coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stage, a first ink head module, and a moving mechanism.

The stage has a support surface parallel to the first axial direction and a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction, and is configured to be able to support the substrate on the support surface. The Therefore, the surface of the substrate disposed on the support surface belongs to a plane parallel to the first axial direction and the second axial direction.

The first ink head module has a first head group and a second head group. When the first head group divides the entire surface of the substrate on the support surface into a plurality of regions arranged along the first axial direction, a predetermined first of the plurality of regions is formed. An ink droplet is applied to one region group. The second head group is disposed at a position offset by a predetermined distance in the second axial direction with respect to the first head group, and the remaining second region group of the plurality of rows of regions is filled with ink. Configured to apply droplets.

The moving mechanism is configured to move the stage in the second axial direction. The controller has a predetermined time period from when the liquid droplets from the first head group land on the substrate to when the liquid droplets from the second head group land on the substrate. The moving mechanism is controlled so that

According to the inkjet coating apparatus, ink droplets can be applied to the entire surface of the substrate by a single movement operation of the substrate with respect to the first head module. Thereby, productivity can be improved. In addition, the time from when the droplets from the first head group land on the substrate to when the droplets from the second head group land on the substrate is within a predetermined time, so that the coating is performed on the substrate. Unevenness of dried ink can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to realize a high-quality printing process in which variations in thickness and shape of the ink layer are suppressed.

For the adjustment of the predetermined time, an appropriate method such as adjusting the moving speed of the stage or adjusting the magnitude of the offset between the first head group and the second head group can be adopted. It is. Further, the predetermined time can be set to an appropriate time that does not cause unevenness of ink drying, and is typically set according to the drying speed of the ink. The predetermined time can be, for example, 10 seconds or less.

The stage may further include a cooling mechanism configured to cool the substrate on the support surface to a predetermined temperature or lower. Thereby, since the drying speed of the droplet applied on the substrate can be adjusted, drying unevenness of the droplet applied on the substrate can be more easily suppressed. As the cooling mechanism, a mechanism that circulates cooling water inside the stage can be typically employed.

The substrate cooling temperature is not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate according to the drying speed of the ink. If the substrate temperature is excessively high, ink drying is promoted, and if the substrate temperature is excessively low, condensation may occur on the substrate. Typically, the substrate temperature is set to 20 ° C. or lower, for example.

A plurality of rows of regions that virtually divide the substrate surface on the support surface are divided into a first region group processed by the first head group and a second region group processed by the second head group. Divided. The first region and the second region may be selected in any manner, and each of the first region and the second region is constituted by, for example, a plurality of regions selected every other row. As a result, the restriction on the size of the individual ink heads constituting the first and second head groups can be reduced, and the degree of freedom in the installation layout of each ink head can be increased.

The ink heads constituting the first head group and the second head group may be arranged in any way, may be arranged along the first axial direction, or may be arranged in the first axial direction. Alternatively, they may be arranged along a horizontal direction that crosses diagonally.

The plurality of ink heads constituting the first head group and the second head group respectively have a plurality of droplet discharge nozzles. In this case, the relative positions of the plurality of ink heads with respect to the substrate can be adjusted so that the droplets ejected from the plurality of droplet ejection nozzles land on the substrate at a predetermined pitch along the first axial direction. You may have an adjustment mechanism. Typically, the adjustment mechanism is configured by a mechanism that can individually rotate the ink head around the normal direction of the substrate. Thereby, it is possible to apply droplets at a desired pitch along the first axial direction on the substrate.

The ink may include an organic EL material for forming an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) element. As a result, a high-quality organic EL display in which variations in thickness and shape of the organic EL layer are suppressed can be stably manufactured.

The inkjet coating apparatus may further include a second head module and a third head module.
The second head module is arranged in series with the first head module in the second axial direction, and has the same configuration as the first head module. The third head module is arranged in series with the first and second head modules in the second axial direction, and has the same configuration as the first head module.
In this case, the second head module is configured to eject ink droplets containing a second organic EL material having a color different from that of the first organic EL material ejected from the first head module. The third head module ejects ink droplets containing a third organic EL material having a different color from the first and second organic EL materials ejected from the first and second head modules, respectively. Composed.
Thereby, for example, the organic EL layer of R, G, B can be continuously formed on the substrate by only one movement operation of the substrate in the second axial direction. Productivity can be improved.

An inkjet coating method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes disposing a substrate on a support surface that is parallel to a first axial direction and a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction. .
A plurality of rows of heads arranged so as to correspond to the plurality of rows of regions when the entire surface of the substrate on the support surface is partitioned by a plurality of rows of regions arranged along the first axial direction. The nozzle pitch of each of the plurality of head portions is adjusted such that ink droplets ejected from each portion land on the substrate at a predetermined pitch in the first axial direction.
The support surface is moved relative to the plurality of rows of head portions in the second axial direction.
The droplets are ejected to a first region group selected every other row of the plurality of regions.
Within a predetermined time after ink droplets are ejected to the first region group, the droplets are ejected to the remaining second region group of the plurality of regions.

According to the above-described ink jet coating method, ink droplets can be applied to the entire surface of the substrate by a single movement operation of the substrate with respect to the first head module. Thereby, productivity can be improved. Further, by discharging droplets to the second region group within a predetermined time after discharging the ink droplets to the first region group, drying unevenness of the ink applied on the substrate is suppressed. Can do. Thereby, it is possible to realize a high-quality printing process in which variations in thickness and shape of the ink layer are suppressed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an inkjet coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view thereof. In each drawing, the X axis and the Y axis indicate horizontal directions orthogonal to each other, and the Z axis indicates a vertical direction orthogonal to the X axis and Y axis, respectively.

The inkjet coating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a stage 11 that supports a substrate S, a head module 12 that applies ink droplets to the substrate S on the stage 11, and a moving mechanism 13 that moves the stage 11 in a uniaxial direction. Have

The substrate S is composed of a substantially rectangular glass substrate. The magnitude | size of the board | substrate S is not specifically limited, For example, they are 1850 mm wide and 1500 mm long. In addition to the above, the substrate S may be composed of a plate, sheet, or film substrate such as metal, plastic, or paper. The substrate S is not limited to a single layer, and may have a multilayer structure in which a solid film such as an insulating film or a conductive film or a functional film patterned in a predetermined shape is laminated on the surface.

The stage 11 is installed on the base unit 10 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction. The stage 11 has a support surface 11a supported by the substrate S. The support surface 11a belongs to planes (XY plane) parallel to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively, and is configured by a substantially rectangular flat surface in the present embodiment. The stage 11 may include various chuck mechanisms for holding the substrate S on the support surface 11a.

The inkjet coating apparatus 1 has a cooling mechanism 14 for cooling the support surface 11a of the stage 11 to a predetermined temperature or lower. The cooling mechanism 14 includes, for example, a cooling water circulation passage formed inside the stage 11 and a pump unit that circulates the cooling water through the circulation passage. The cooling mechanism 14 has a function of cooling the substrate S supported on the support surface 11 a to the temperature by maintaining the support surface 11 a at 20 ° C. or less, preferably 18 ° C. or less. The pump unit may be integrally attached to the stage 11 or may be installed on the base portion 10 or other part via a flexible pipe member through which cooling water passes.

The moving mechanism 13 controls a pair of

guide rails

13a and 13b laid on the base portion 10, a driving source such as a linear motor that moves the stage 11 along the

guide rails

13a and 13b, and the driving source. Includes a control unit and the like. The pair of

guide rails

13a and 13b extend parallel to the Y-axis direction, and the stage 11 is installed on the

guide rails

13a and 13b. The drive source is arranged inside the stage 11, and the control unit performs highly accurate movement control of the stage 11 along the guide rail.

The head module 12 has a plurality of ink heads 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126. The ink heads 121 to 126 are configured to apply a predetermined ink droplet D over the entire surface of the substrate S on the stage 11 moving in the Y-axis direction along the

guide rails

13a and 13b.

When the ink heads 121 to 126 virtually divide the entire surface of the substrate S on the stage 11 into a plurality of regions R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6 arranged along the X-axis direction, Arranged so as to correspond to each of the plurality of regions R1 to R6. The regions R1 to R6 partitioned on the surface of the substrate S are formed in a rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction parallel to the Y-axis direction and a width direction in the X-axis direction, and the ink heads 121 to 126 are formed in the regions R1 to R6. Ink droplets D are applied at predetermined pitches in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively.

The plurality of regions R1 to R6 are divided into a first region group RA and a second region group RB. In the present embodiment, the first region group RA is composed of a plurality of regions R1, R3, R5 selected every other column from the plurality of regions R1 to R6, and the second region group RB is composed of a plurality of columns. Among the regions R1 to R6, a plurality of remaining regions R2, R3, and R5 are formed.

The first area group RA is processed by the ink heads 121, 123, and 125. That is, the ink heads 121, 123, and 125 apply the droplets D to the regions R1, R3, and R5 that constitute the first region group RA, respectively. On the other hand, the second region group RB is processed by the ink heads 122, 124 and 126. That is, the ink heads 122, 124, and 126 apply the droplets D to the regions R2, R4, and R6 constituting the second region group RB, respectively.

The ink heads 121, 123, and 125 constitute a first head group 12A. The first head group 12A is installed at a position directly above the base portion 10 via the support frame 120A, and the ink heads 121, 123, 125 are respectively in the first area group RA (R1, R3, R5) on the substrate S. Are positioned so as to face each other. On the other hand, the ink heads 122, 124, and 126 constitute the second head group 12B. The second head group 12B is installed at a position directly above the base portion 10 via the support frame 120B, and the ink heads 122, 124, 126 are respectively second region groups RB (R2, R4, R6) on the substrate S. Are positioned so as to face each other.

The head module 12 has a plurality of rotation mechanism units M (adjustment mechanisms) that can rotate the ink heads 121 to 126 about the Z axis, respectively. These rotation mechanisms M are provided on the support frames 120A and 120B, respectively, and are configured to be able to individually rotate the ink heads 121 to 126 over a predetermined angular range around the Z axis. These rotation mechanisms M are controlled by the controller 15.

The controller 15 is typically composed of a computer including a CPU and various memories. The controller 15 controls driving of various mechanisms such as the head module 12, the moving mechanism 13, and the cooling mechanism 14. The controller 15 is installed in the base unit 10, but may be installed in a position different from the base unit 10.

Each of the ink heads 121 to 126 has an ink ejection surface on which a plurality of droplet ejection nozzles are formed. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part showing the ink discharge surface 121 s of the ink head 121. The ink discharge surface 121s has a substantially rectangular shape, and a plurality of droplet discharge nozzles N are formed at a predetermined pitch p0 along the longitudinal direction thereof. Each droplet discharge nozzle N is connected to an ink tank (not shown), and each droplet discharge nozzle N is provided with a piezoelectric drive unit V for discharging a predetermined amount of ink. The ink discharge surface 121s is disposed so as to face the surface of the substrate S that passes immediately below the ink discharge surface through a predetermined distance.

The rotation mechanism M adjusts the droplet discharge pitch along the X-axis direction by rotating the ink head 121 around the Z-axis. For example, FIG. 3A shows a state in which the droplet discharge pitch along the X-axis direction is converted from p0 to p1 when the ink head 121 is tilted by an angle θ1 around the Z-axis with respect to the X-axis. In FIG. 3B, the droplet discharge pitch along the X-axis direction when the ink head 121 is inclined by the angle θ2 (θ2> θ1) around the Z-axis with respect to the X-axis is from p0 to p2 (p2). It shows how it is converted into <p1). In this way, the droplet discharge pitch along the X-axis direction can be continuously changed according to the rotation angle of the ink head 121.

The ink heads 122 to 126 are configured in the same manner as the ink head 121. The ink droplets 121 to 126 are set to have the same droplet discharge pitch along the X-axis direction. The droplet discharge pitch along the X-axis direction is appropriately adjusted according to the type and process of the droplet applied onto the substrate S.

The ink heads 121, 123, and 125 constituting the first head group 12A are arranged on the same straight line along their longitudinal directions. Similarly, the ink heads 122, 124, and 126 that constitute the second head group 12B are arranged on the same straight line along the longitudinal direction thereof. Instead of this, the respective ink heads constituting the first and

second head groups

12A and 12B may be arranged along the X-axis direction.

The second head group 12B is arranged at a position offset (separated) from the first head group 12A in the moving direction (Y-axis direction) of the substrate S. As described above, the ink heads 121 to 126 are arranged corresponding to all the regions R1 to R6 on the substrate S, so that the ink can be spread over the entire surface of the substrate S by one movement operation of the substrate S in the Y axis direction. It is possible to apply the droplets. Thereby, the efficiency of the droplet application process for the substrate S is increased, and the productivity can be improved.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which droplets are applied to the surface of the substrate S by the head module 12. The substrate S moves at a predetermined speed in the direction indicated by the arrow A along the Y-axis direction directly below the head module 12. On the surface of the substrate S, droplets D ejected from the head module 12 are applied from the start end S1 toward the end S2.

The droplets D are applied at a constant pitch px, py in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The pitch px is adjusted by the rotation angle of the ink heads 121 to 126 by the rotation mechanism unit M, and the pitch py is adjusted by the discharge timing of the droplets D from the ink heads 121 to 126. The droplet layer formed on the substrate S may be formed by discharging the droplet D once, or may be formed by discharging the droplet D a plurality of times.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the head module 12 is configured by the first head group 12A and the second head group 12B, and the first head group 12A is located upstream of the second head group 12B. Be placed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, first, droplets D are ejected onto the substrate S by the first head group 12A (ink heads 121, 123, 125) to the first region group RA (R1, R3, R5). After that, the discharge of the droplet D to the second area group RB (R2, R4, R6) is started by the second head group 12B (ink heads 122, 124, 126).

Here, when a plurality of droplet groups are applied to a single area on the substrate with a single ink head at a predetermined pitch, the droplet drying speed at the center side of the droplet group and the end side of the droplet group Differences are likely to occur. This is because the vapor density of the solvent component that volatilizes from the droplet group differs depending on the location of the droplet group. Normally, the outer side of the droplet group is dried more than the inner side of the droplet group. Tend to be fast. Therefore, when drying starts from a droplet located on the outer side of the droplet group, the shape changes so that the inner droplet of the droplet group that has not yet been dried is drawn to the outer side. Will begin. Such drying unevenness causes variations in the shape and height of the droplet layer, making it difficult to realize a high-quality droplet coating process.

Therefore, the controller 15 determines the time from when the droplets ejected from the first head group 12A land on the substrate S to when the droplets ejected from the second head group 12B land on the substrate S. The moving mechanism 13 is controlled to be within a predetermined time. As the predetermined time, an appropriate time during which the drying unevenness of the droplet D applied to the first region group RA does not occur is set.

In the present embodiment, since the first region group RA is composed of a plurality of regions R1, R3, R5 selected every other row, the droplets are applied to each of these regions and then within the predetermined time. The droplets are applied to the second region group RB (R2, R4, R6) adjacent to these. As a result, the drying of the droplets positioned on the outer side of the previously applied droplet group can be delayed, so that the droplet layer can be formed in a uniform form without causing uneven drying over the entire surface of the substrate S. Can be formed.

The predetermined time is adjusted by the offset amount (separation distance) H between the first head group 12A and the second head group 12B, the moving speed of the stage 11, and the like. In the present embodiment, the movement of the stage 11 is controlled so that the predetermined time is within 10 seconds, preferably within 7 seconds. In this case, the predetermined time can be secured by setting the offset amount H to 600 mm or less and the moving speed of the stage 11 to 70 mm / sec or more.

The predetermined time can also be appropriately selected depending on the type of ink constituting the droplet D, the coating pitch, and the like. By setting the predetermined time to 10 seconds or less, variations in the thickness and shape of the ink layer can be suppressed even when the present invention is applied to the ink material constituting the organic EL layer. In particular, since the luminance of the organic EL layer varies depending on the thickness, the organic EL layer having uniform luminance can be formed over the entire surface of the substrate S with the above-described configuration.

In this embodiment, since the cooling mechanism 14 capable of cooling the support surface 11a of the stage 11 to a predetermined temperature or less is provided, the drying speed of the droplets applied onto the substrate S can be adjusted by the substrate temperature. . As a result, drying unevenness of the droplets applied on the substrate can be more easily suppressed.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the entire surface of the substrate S is partitioned by a first region group RA composed of a plurality of regions selected every other row and a remaining second region group. As a result, the size limitation of the individual ink heads 121 to 126 constituting the

head groups

12A and 12B arranged so as to correspond to each of these area groups can be reduced, and the degree of freedom of the installation layout can be increased. Can do.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an inkjet coating apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described, and configurations similar to those of the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted or simplified.

The inkjet coating apparatus 2 of the present embodiment is an apparatus for applying a droplet layer made of organic light emitting materials of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) on a substrate S. The head module 21, the second head module 22, and the third head module 23 are included.

The first head module 21 is configured to apply an R light emitting layer at a predetermined pitch over the entire surface of the substrate S, and is arranged in a plurality of regions (R1 to R6, see FIG. 4) that divide the entire surface of the substrate S. It has a plurality of corresponding ink heads. The first head module 21 has a first head group 21A and a second head group 21B. The first head module 21 is installed at a position directly above the base 20 via the support frame 221.

The first head group 21A and the second head group 21B are arranged at a position offset by a predetermined distance (H) with respect to the Y-axis direction, and details thereof are the same as those of the head module 12 in the first embodiment described above. Since it has the same configuration as the first head group 12A and the second head group 12B, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The second head module 22 is configured to apply a G light emitting layer to the entire surface of the substrate S at a predetermined pitch, and a plurality of regions corresponding to a plurality of regions (R1 to R6) that divide the entire surface of the substrate S. It has an ink head. The second head module 22 includes a first head group 22A and a second head group 22B. The first head group 22A and the second head group 22B have the same configuration as the first head group 21A and the second head group 21B of the first head module 21. The second head module 22 is installed at a position directly above the base 20 via the support frame 222.

The third head module 23 is configured to apply the B light emitting layer to the entire surface of the substrate S at a predetermined pitch, and a plurality of regions corresponding to a plurality of regions (R1 to R6) defining the entire surface of the substrate S. It has an ink head. The third head module 23 includes a first head group 23A and a second head group 23B. The first head group 23A and the second head group 23B are
The first head module 21 has the same configuration as the first head group 21A and the second head group 21B. The third head module 23 is installed at a position directly above the base 20 via the support frame 223.

The first to third head modules 21 to 23 are arranged in series along the Y-axis direction. As a result, the substrate S on the stage 11 moves from the position shown in FIG. 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, while the R light emitting layer is formed by the first head module 21 and the G light emitting layer is formed by the second head module 22. Then, the B light emitting layer is sequentially applied by the third head module 23.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the R, G, and B light emitting layers can be continuously formed over the entire surface of the substrate S by only one movement operation of the substrate S in the Y-axis direction. The productivity of the organic EL display can be improved. Also in this embodiment, since the EL layers of the respective colors can be formed without causing uneven drying, a high-quality organic EL display can be stably manufactured.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited only to the above-mentioned embodiment, Of course, in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, a various change can be added.

For example, in the above embodiment, the head module is configured such that one ink head is arranged in each of a plurality of regions defining the entire surface of the substrate S. A plurality of ink heads may be arranged in the region.

In the above embodiment, the entire surface of the substrate S is divided into six rows of regions (R1 to R6). However, the number of regions is not limited to this, and is appropriately determined according to the size of the substrate and the form of the ink head. It is possible to change.

In the above embodiment, one head module is composed of two head groups, but may be composed of three or more head groups. For example, among a plurality of rows that divide the entire surface of the substrate S, a first region group selected every two rows, a second region group selected every other two rows, and the remaining third The three head groups can be arranged corresponding to each of these area groups. Also in this case, the offset amount along the Y-axis direction of each head group is set within the above H, so that a predetermined droplet layer can be formed on the substrate without causing uneven drying.

DESCRIPTION OF

SYMBOLS

1, 2 ... Inkjet coating device 11 ... Stage 12 ... Head module 12A ... 1st head group 12B ... 2nd head group 13 ... Movement mechanism 14 ... Cooling mechanism 15 ... Controller 21 ... 1st head module 22 ... 2nd Head module 23 ...

third head module

121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126 ... ink head D ... droplet M ... rotating mechanism N ... droplet discharge nozzle RA ... first region group RB ... second Area group S ... substrate

Claims

A stage having a support surface parallel to each of a first axial direction and a second axial direction perpendicular to the first axial direction and capable of supporting a substrate on the support surface;
When the entire surface of the substrate on the support surface is partitioned by a plurality of regions arranged along the first axial direction, an ink liquid is applied to a predetermined first region group among the plurality of regions. A first head group configured to apply droplets, and a first head group disposed at a position offset by a predetermined distance in the second axial direction with respect to the first head group; A first ink head module having a second head group configured to apply ink droplets to the second area group;
A moving mechanism configured to move the stage in the second axial direction;
The time from when the droplets from the first head group land on the substrate to when the droplets from the second head group land on the substrate is within a predetermined time. An ink jet coating apparatus comprising: a controller that controls the moving mechanism.
The inkjet coating apparatus according to claim 1,
The predetermined time is within 10 seconds.
The inkjet coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The inkjet coating apparatus, wherein the stage further includes a cooling mechanism configured to cool the substrate on the support surface to a predetermined temperature or less.
The inkjet coating apparatus according to claim 3,
The said predetermined temperature is 20 degrees C or less. The inkjet coating device.
The inkjet coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first region group is configured by a plurality of regions selected every other column from the plurality of regions.
The inkjet coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The first head group and the second head group are respectively
A plurality of ink heads having a plurality of droplet discharge nozzles;
The relative positions of the plurality of ink heads with respect to the substrate can be adjusted so that droplets discharged from the plurality of droplet discharge nozzles land on the substrate at a predetermined pitch along the first axial direction. An inkjet coating apparatus having an adjustment mechanism.
The inkjet coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The ink includes an organic EL material for forming an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) element.
The inkjet coating apparatus according to claim 7,
A second head module disposed in series with the first head module in the second axial direction and having the same configuration as the first head module;
A third head module disposed in series with the first and second head modules in the second axial direction and having the same configuration as the first head module;
The second head module is configured to eject ink droplets containing a second organic EL material having a different color from the first organic EL material ejected from the first head module;
The third head module ejects ink droplets containing a third organic EL material having a different color from the first and second organic EL materials ejected from the first and second head modules, respectively. Constructed as an inkjet coating device.
A substrate is disposed on a support surface parallel to each of a first axial direction and a second axial direction orthogonal to the first axial direction;
A plurality of heads arranged so as to correspond to the plurality of regions when the entire surface of the substrate on the support surface is partitioned by the plurality of regions arranged along the first axial direction. Adjusting the nozzle pitch of each of the plurality of head portions so that ink droplets discharged from each portion land on the substrate at a predetermined pitch in the first axial direction;
Moving the support surface relative to the plurality of head portions in the second axial direction;
Discharging the droplets to a first region group selected every other row of the plurality of regions;
An inkjet coating method in which the droplets are ejected to the remaining second region group of the plurality of regions within a predetermined time after the ink droplets are ejected to the first region group.