Droplet ejection device and droplet ejection method

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is a droplet ejection device, comprising: an object support portion for supporting an object; at least one first droplet ejection nozzle for ejecting a first droplet; a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles, each having a second end portion having a second end portion having a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter of the first end portion of the aforementioned first droplet ejection nozzle, and for ejecting second droplets using the first droplet ejected from the aforementioned first droplet ejection nozzle; and a drive portion for controlling the relative positional relationship between the object supported by the object support portion and the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzles, and the relative positional relationship between the aforementioned first droplet ejection nozzles and the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzles.

Description

Droplet ejection device and droplet ejection method This invention relates to a droplet ejection device and a droplet ejection method. In recent years, inkjet printing technology has been applied to industrial processes. For example, the manufacturing process of color filters for liquid crystal displays is one such application. While piezoelectric inkjet printheads, which eject droplets through mechanical pressure or vibration, have been commonly used in inkjet printing, there is now focus on electrostatic inkjet printheads that can eject even finer droplets. Patent Document 1 discloses an electrostatic inkjet recording apparatus. Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. H10-34967 Recently, there has been progress in the development of simultaneous ejection multi-head nozzles, which utilize the characteristics of electrostatic inkjet heads capable of ejecting fine droplets to improve productivity. With simultaneous ejection multi-head nozzles, the nozzle configuration can be designed arbitrarily. However, with such multi-head nozzles, there is a problem that only patterns with a predetermined nozzle configuration can be formed. To form an ejection pattern different from the predetermined pattern, a new multi-head nozzle configuration must be prepared. In this case, additional time is incurred due to the replacement steps accompanying the exchange of multi-head nozzles. On the other hand, with the piezoelectric multi-head nozzles with a fixed spacing that have existed since the past, in addition to the problem of (1) difficulty in reducing the initial ejection volume, there is also the problem of (2) requiring a raster scan rather than simultaneous ejection to eject ink to positions different from the nozzle spacing. Therefore, there is a limit to the pattern formation time due to the scanning speed. Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a droplet ejection device that allows the ejection pattern to be changed without changing the multi-head nozzle. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection device is provided, comprising: an object support portion for supporting an object; at least one first droplet ejection nozzle for ejecting a first droplet; a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles, each having a second end portion having a second end portion having a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter of the first end portion in the aforementioned first droplet ejection nozzle, and for ejecting second droplets using the first droplet ejected from the aforementioned first droplet ejection nozzle; and a drive portion for controlling the relative positional relationship between the object supported by the aforementioned object support portion and the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzles, and the relative positional relationship between the aforementioned first droplet ejection nozzles and the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzles. In the aforementioned droplet ejection device, each of the plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles may also be connected to a plate portion having a through hole having a third inner diameter that is larger than the aforementioned second inner diameter. In the above-mentioned droplet ejection device, the aforementioned at least one first droplet ejection nozzle may also include multiple first droplet ejection nozzles, and the distance between adjacent second droplet ejection nozzles is smaller than the distance between adjacent first droplet ejection nozzles. In the above-mentioned droplet ejection device, the first droplet ejection nozzle can also be a piezoelectric nozzle, and the second droplet ejection nozzle can also be an electrostatic ejection nozzle. In the above-mentioned droplet ejection device, the aforementioned plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles may also be arranged along the first direction and the second direction intersecting the first direction. The aforementioned droplet ejection device may further include an inspection unit for checking the opening status of the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzle. In the above-mentioned droplet ejection device, the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzle can also be cleaned when specified conditions are met. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection method is provided, comprising: ejecting a first droplet through a first droplet ejection nozzle; providing the first droplet to at least one of a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles having a second end portion having a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter of the first end portion of the first droplet ejection nozzle; and using the first droplet to eject the second droplet toward an object. In the above-mentioned droplet ejection method, the first droplet ejection nozzle can also be a piezoelectric nozzle, and the second droplet ejection nozzle can also be an electrostatic ejection nozzle. In the above droplet ejection method, the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzle can also be cleaned when specified conditions are met. By using one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection device that allows for changing the ejection pattern without changing the multi-head nozzle can be provided. The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates various embodiments of the invention disclosed in this application. However, this invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its spirit and is not limited to the descriptions of the embodiments exemplified below. Furthermore, in the drawings used in this embodiment, there are instances where identical or similar symbols are used to mark the same parts or parts with the same function (only symbols such as A, B, or -1, -2, etc. are used after the numbers), omitting redundant explanations. Also, there are instances where the dimensional ratios in the drawings differ from the actual ratios for ease of explanation, and where parts of the structure are omitted from the drawings. Furthermore, in the detailed description of this invention, when specifying the positional relationship between a structure and other structures, the terms "above" and "below" are defined to include not only the case where the structure is directly above or directly below the structure, but also, unless otherwise noted, the case where there are other structures in between. <First Implementation Type> (1-1. Structure of the droplet ejection device 100) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a droplet ejection device 100 related to one embodiment of the present invention. The droplet ejection device 100 includes a control unit 110, a memory unit 115, a power supply unit 120, a drive unit 130, an ink cartridge 135, a first droplet ejection unit 140, a second droplet ejection unit 150, and an object support unit 160. The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other arithmetic processing circuits. The control unit 110 uses a pre-set droplet ejection program to control the ejection process of the first droplet ejection unit 140. The memory unit 115 functions as a database for storing various information used in the droplet ejection program. Memory unit 115 can utilize memory, SSD, or other memory-enabled components. The power supply unit 120 is connected to the control unit 110, the memory unit 115, the drive unit 130, the ink cartridge 135, the first droplet ejection unit 140, the second droplet ejection unit 150, and the object support unit 160. The power supply unit 120 applies voltage to the first droplet ejection unit 140 and the second droplet ejection unit 150 based on signals input from the control unit 110. In this example, the power supply unit 120 applies a pulsed voltage to the first droplet ejection unit 140 and the second droplet ejection unit 150. However, a constant voltage can also be applied normally, not limited to pulsed voltage. Through the voltage applied to the first droplet ejection unit 140 by the power supply unit 120, the first droplet 147 is ejected from the end portion 141a of the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 (described later) in the direction towards the object 200 (third direction D3). Similarly, through the voltage applied to the second droplet ejection section 150 from the power supply section 120, the second droplet 157 in the second droplet ejection section 150 is ejected from the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 (end portion 153a) provided in the multi-head nozzle head 151 described later in the direction (third direction D3) toward the object 200. The drive unit 130 is composed of drive components such as an electric motor, belt, and gears. Based on instructions from the control unit 110, the drive unit 130 moves the first droplet ejection section 140 (first droplet ejection nozzle 141) and the second droplet ejection section 150 (more specifically, the multi-head nozzle 151) relative to the object support section 160 (in this example, in the second direction D2). In this way, the drive unit 130 controls the relative positional relationship between the object 200 and the multi-head nozzle 151 (second droplet ejection nozzle 153) and the relative positional relationship between the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-head nozzle 151 (second droplet ejection nozzle 153) during device use (droplet ejection). The drive unit 130 can also properly fix the first droplet ejection part 140 (first droplet ejection nozzle 141) and the second droplet ejection part 150 (multi-head nozzle 151) to move the object 200. Furthermore, the drive unit 130 can also be used in combination with a goniometer to finely adjust the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-head nozzle 151 (second droplet ejection nozzle 153). The object support portion 160 functions to support the object 200. In this example, a worktable can be used for the object support portion 160. The mechanism by which the object support portion 160 supports the object 200 is not particularly limited; a general support mechanism can be used. In this example, the object 200 is vacuum-adhered to the object support portion 160. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to this; the object support portion 160 can also use a fixture to support the object 200. Object 200 refers to a component that receives droplets ejected from a droplet ejection section. In this example, object 200 can be a glass plate. However, object 200 is not limited to a glass plate. For example, it can also be a metal plate or an organic resin component. Furthermore, metal wiring or organic resin components can be formed on object 200. Additionally, a counter electrode for droplet ejection can be provided on object 200. In this case, a GND potential can also be applied to object 200. (1-2. Structure of the first droplet ejection section 140) The first droplet ejection section 140 is positioned above the object 200 (object support section 160) and the second droplet ejection section 150 during droplet ejection via the drive section 13. The first droplet ejection section 140 includes a first droplet ejection nozzle 141 for ejecting droplets (first droplet 147) and a piezoelectric element 145. In this example, a piezoelectric inkjet nozzle can be used in the first droplet ejection nozzle 141. Although the piezoelectric element 145 is provided above the first droplet ejection nozzle 141, the arrangement of the piezoelectric element 145 can be appropriately changed. The piezoelectric element 145 is electrically connected to the power supply section 120. The piezoelectric element 145 pushes the liquid supplied from the ink cartridge 135 through the voltage applied from the power supply section 120, thereby ejecting the first droplet 147 from the end section 141a (also referred to as the first end section) of the first droplet ejection nozzle 141. The first droplet ejection nozzle 141 of the first droplet ejection section 140 is configured to be perpendicular to the surface of the object 200 (the upper surface of the object support section 160). (1-3. Structure of the second droplet ejection section 150) The second droplet ejection section 150 is positioned on the object 200 (object support section 160) during droplet ejection via the drive section 130. The first droplet ejection section 140 is positioned above the second droplet ejection section 150 during droplet ejection. Therefore, the second droplet ejection section 150 is positioned between the first droplet ejection section 140 and the object 200 (object support section 160) during droplet ejection. The second droplet ejection section 150 may also be partially connected to or fixed to the first droplet ejection section 140. The second droplet ejection section 150 includes a multi-head nozzle 151. The multi-head nozzle 151 can be fixed to a frame and accessories (not shown) for use. The multi-head nozzle 151 is provided with a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles 153 for ejecting droplets (second droplets 157). The second droplet ejection nozzles 153 can be electrostatic inkjet nozzles. Details of the multi-head nozzle 151 are described below. (1-4. Structure of the multi-branch nozzle head 151) Figure 2 is a top view of the multi-branch nozzle head 151. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. Figure 4(A) is a top view of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. Figure 4(B) is a cross-sectional view between A1 and A2 in the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. As shown in Figure 2, the multi-branch nozzle head 151 includes a plate portion 152 and a second droplet ejection nozzle 153. The plate portion 152 is provided in a plate shape. In this example, the plate portion 152 extends along the first direction D1. Although the plate portion 152 can be made of metal materials such as nickel, copper, or stainless steel, the material can be appropriately changed as long as it is applicable when a potential can be applied. The thickness of the plate portion 152 can be appropriately set. In this example, the thickness of the plate portion 152 is 10 μm or more and 100 μm or less. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 is configured to be connected to one side (lower surface) of the plate portion 152 at the top. The multi-branch nozzle head 151 includes a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles 153. The second droplet ejection nozzles 153 are arranged along the first direction D1. In this embodiment, the second droplet ejection nozzles 153-1, 153-2, ..., 153-(N-1), 153-N are provided on the plate portion 152. N is a natural number of 3 or more. Furthermore, without distinguishing between the second droplet ejection nozzles 153-1, 153-2, ..., 153-(N-1), 153-N, the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 will be described in the form of a second droplet ejection nozzle 153. Although the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 can be made of metal materials such as nickel / copper, the material can be appropriately changed as long as it is usable when an applied potential can be applied. The second droplet ejection nozzle 153 has a shape with a narrowed end. In this example, the distance between adjacent second droplet ejection nozzles 153 (the distance between second droplet ejection nozzle 153-1 and second droplet ejection nozzle 153-2) dis1 is 200 μm. The plate portion 152, at the overlapping portion corresponding to the second droplet ejection nozzle 153, has a through hole 152o with an inner diameter r152o (also referred to as the third inner diameter) larger than the inner diameter r153a (also referred to as the second inner diameter) of the outlet of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 (the opening portion 153ao of the end portion 153a of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153). The inner diameter of the through hole of the plate portion 152 may be 1 μm or more and 100 μm or less. The inner diameter of the end portion 153a of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 may be several hundred nm or more and 50 μm or less, preferably 1 μm or more and 30 μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less. In this embodiment, voltage can be applied to the second droplet ejection nozzle 153, the plate portion 152, or the ink stored in the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. When voltage is applied to the plate portion 152 or the second droplet ejection nozzle 153, electrodes can also be provided. The electrodes can be made of materials such as tungsten, nickel, molybdenum, titanium, gold, silver, copper, or platinum. In this case, multiple electrodes can be provided to ensure that the voltage is applied evenly to the entire plate portion 152. Furthermore, although this embodiment discloses an example of applying voltage to the second droplet ejection nozzle 153, the plate portion 152, or the ink, voltage can also be applied to the fixture (e.g., a frame or accessory) supporting the multi-head nozzle head 151. The inner diameter r153a (second inner diameter) of the outlet (end portion 153a) of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 can also be smaller than the inner diameter (also called the first inner diameter) of the outlet (end portion 141a) of the first droplet ejection nozzle 141. Therefore, the ejection volume per unit time of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 is less than the ejection volume per unit time of the first droplet ejection nozzle 141. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second droplet ejection section 150 is not connected to the ink cartridge 135. During droplet ejection, the first droplet ejection section 140 (first droplet ejection nozzle 141) moves above the second droplet ejection section 150 (multi-head nozzle 151) via the control section 110 and the drive section 130. In short, in this embodiment, the ejection position can be controlled by the relative positional relationship between the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-head nozzle 151, which includes multiple second droplet ejection nozzles. (1-5. Droplet ejection methods) Next, the droplet ejection method in this embodiment will be explained. Figures 5 to 8 are schematic diagrams illustrating the droplet ejection method. First, the first droplet ejection section 140 is moved to a designated position in the first direction D1 by the control section 110 and the drive section 130. At this time, the first droplet ejection section 140 (first droplet ejection nozzle 141) is positioned at a designated position on the multi-head nozzle 151 in the second droplet ejection section 150. Next, as shown in FIG5, the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 ejects the liquid held in the ink cartridge 135 as a first droplet 147 in the third direction D3 (specifically downward) above the multi-head nozzle 151 at a designated position by the voltage applied from the power supply section 120. The ejected first droplet 147 is temporarily stored in a designated second droplet ejection nozzle 153. As shown in FIG6, the first droplet ejection section 140 repeats the above process. Thus, the first droplet 147 is provided (stored) in several of the plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles 153. In this embodiment, the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 is connected to the plate portion 152 on its upper side. The plate portion 152 has a through hole with an inner diameter larger than that of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. Therefore, the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 has a structure that facilitates the storage of the first droplet. Next, the power supply unit 120, under the control of the self-control unit 110, applies a pulsed voltage (in this example, the target object (GND potential) is used as a reference of 1000 V) to the second droplet ejection unit 150 (multi-head nozzle 151). As shown in FIG7, the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 uses the first droplet 147 (a portion of the first droplet 147) supplied to the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 to simultaneously eject the second droplet 157. As shown in FIG8, an ejection pattern caused by the second droplet 157 is formed on the target object 200. In this embodiment, even though the second droplet ejection section 150 has a multi-head nozzle that includes multiple electrostatic ejection type droplet ejection nozzles, the second droplet ejection section 150 is not directly connected to the ink cartridge. Therefore, the simultaneous ejection of droplets from all the second droplet ejection nozzles is limited. Only the first droplet ejection section 140 is connected to the ink cartridge 135. In this embodiment, when forming the ejected pattern, the position of the droplets to be ejected is controlled by moving the first droplet ejection section 140, and the size of the droplets is controlled by the second droplet ejection section 150. Therefore, by using this embodiment, the ejection pattern can be changed without replacing the multi-head nozzle. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a pattern can be formed on the object using small droplets ejected from the electrostatic ejection nozzle. In short, by using this embodiment, the desired ejection pattern can be formed with high precision. <Second Implementation Type> In this embodiment, a second droplet ejection section (multi-branch nozzle head) that differs from the first embodiment will be described. Specifically, an example of a two-dimensional arrangement of the second droplet ejection nozzle will be described. Furthermore, for the sake of explanation, some components will be omitted in the description. (2-1. Structure of the multi-branch nozzle head 151A) Figure 9 is a top view of the multi-branch nozzle head 151A in the second droplet ejection section 150A. As shown in Figure 9, the multi-branch nozzle head 151A includes a plate portion 152 and a second droplet ejection nozzle 153A. A plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles 153A are disposed on one side of the plate portion 152. The second droplet ejection nozzles 153A are arranged at equal intervals along a first direction D1 and a second direction D2 that intersects (or is orthogonal to) the first direction D1. In this example, the multi-branch nozzle head 151A contains 5 columns × 13 rows = 65 droplet ejection nozzles. Furthermore, the number of second droplet ejection nozzles 153 can be appropriately varied. For example, it can be 4 columns × 100 rows = 400 nozzles, or it can be 1,000 columns × 1,000 rows = 1,000,000 nozzles. In this embodiment, even though the second droplet ejection section 150A has a multi-head nozzle comprising multiple electrostatically ejected droplet ejection nozzles arranged in a two-dimensional configuration, the second droplet ejection section 150A is not directly connected to the ink cartridge 135. Therefore, the simultaneous ejection of droplets from all the second droplet ejection nozzles 153 is limited. At this time, only the first droplet ejection section 140 is connected to the ink cartridge 135. In this embodiment, when forming the ejected pattern, the position of the droplets to be ejected is controlled by moving the first droplet ejection section 140, and the size of the droplets is controlled by the second droplet ejection section 150A. Therefore, by using this embodiment, the ejection pattern can be changed without replacing the multi-head nozzle. Furthermore, by using an electrostatic ejection type droplet ejection nozzle to eject droplets, the desired ejection pattern can be formed with higher precision. In this embodiment, although an example is disclosed in which the second droplet ejection nozzles 153A are arranged at equal intervals along the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, they may also be arranged in an alternating (zigzag) pattern in the second direction, and the intervals between adjacent second droplet ejection nozzles 153A may also be different. <Third Implementation Type> In this embodiment, a droplet ejection device that differs from embodiments 1 and 2 will be described. Specifically, an example with multiple first droplet ejection nozzles will be described. Furthermore, for the sake of explanation, some components will be omitted in the description. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the droplet ejection device 100B. As shown in Figure 10, the droplet ejection device 100B includes a control unit 110, a memory unit 115, a power supply unit 120, a drive unit 130, a first droplet ejection unit 140B, a second droplet ejection unit 150B, and an object support unit 160. The first droplet ejection section 140B includes a plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 141B. In this example, two first droplet ejection nozzles 141B are arranged along a first direction D1. Furthermore, each first droplet ejection nozzle 141B can be controlled to eject liquid independently. The number of first droplet ejection nozzles 141B can also be appropriately varied. In this embodiment, the distance dis2 between adjacent first droplet ejection nozzles 141B (more specifically, the end portion 141Ba of the first droplet ejection nozzle 141B) becomes larger than the distance dis1 between adjacent second droplet ejection nozzles 153B (more specifically, the end portion 153Ba of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153B). The second droplet ejection nozzle 153B of the second droplet ejection section 150B can also be arranged in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 in the same manner as the second droplet ejection nozzle 153A. Furthermore, although this embodiment discloses an example of two first droplet ejection nozzles 141B arranged along the first direction D1, the present invention is not limited thereto. Three or more first droplet ejection nozzles 141B may also be provided, and adjacent first droplet ejection nozzles 141B may also be arranged along a direction intersecting the first direction D1. Figure 11 is a top view of a pattern formed using the first droplet ejection section 140B and the second droplet ejection section 150B. As shown in Figure 11, a pattern 190 formed by the second droplet 157 is provided on the object 200. In this embodiment, the first droplet ejection section 140B and the second droplet ejection section 150B can be used in combination. In this case, the first droplet ejection nozzle 141B of the first droplet ejection section 140B moves in two dimensions to the desired position on the multi-head nozzle 151B. By ejecting droplets from each of the first droplet ejection nozzles 141B at once, a complex desired pattern can be formed in a short time without changing the multi-head nozzle. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first droplet ejection section 140B can also eject droplets onto the second droplet ejection section 150B (also referred to as drawing) when the substrate is being transported or aligned with the substrate. In the past, the droplet ejection (painting) process began after the substrate transport and alignment were completed. However, in this embodiment, the ejection process of the first droplet can serve as the time for these processes (substrate transport and alignment). Therefore, the second droplet ejection unit 150B can simultaneously eject the droplet immediately after the substrate alignment. As a result, very high-speed painting is possible. Therefore, by using this embodiment, a multi-headed nozzle of electrostatic ejection type can be used to form the desired ejection pattern with high precision, and high-speed drawing that eliminates wasted time is possible, while more complex ejection patterns can be formed. <Fourth Implementation Type> In this embodiment, a droplet ejection device that differs from embodiments 1 to 3 will be described. Specifically, a droplet ejection device having an inspection section will be described. Furthermore, for the sake of explanation, some components will be omitted in the description. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the droplet ejection device 100C. As shown in Figure 12, in addition to the control unit 110, memory unit 115, power supply unit 120, drive unit 130, first droplet ejection unit 140, second droplet ejection unit 150 and object support unit 160, the droplet ejection device 100C also includes an inspection unit 170. The inspection unit 170 can also inspect the tip 153a of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 before ejecting the droplet. The inspection unit 170 may also use a CMOS image sensor. There may be a situation where a portion of the droplet ejected from the first droplet ejection unit 140 remains in the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 of the second droplet ejection unit 150. When the inspection unit 170 inspects the second droplet 157 via the second droplet ejection unit 150, if the tip 153a of the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 meets specified conditions, the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 can also be cleaned. These specified conditions may also be that the blockage rate of the tip 153a is 30% or more. Organic solvents may also be used when cleaning the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. By using this embodiment, the second droplet 157 can be stably ejected from the second droplet ejection section. (Variation example) Within the scope of this invention, any modifications and alterations that can be conceived by those skilled in the art are also understood to be within the scope of this invention. For example, for the aforementioned embodiments, any appropriate additions, deletions, combinations, or design changes to constituent elements, or additions, omissions, or changes to processing conditions made by those skilled in the art, as long as they possess the essence of this invention, are all included within the scope of this invention. In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is disclosed where the ejected first droplet 147 is temporarily stored in a designated second droplet ejection nozzle 153, but the present invention is not limited thereto. By controlling the timing of the voltage applied to the multi-head nozzle 151, the second droplet 157 can also be ejected without storage after being supplied to the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. Specifically, voltage can also be applied to both the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the second droplet ejection nozzle 153 simultaneously. In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is disclosed where the first droplet ejection portion 140 is disposed on the object 200 (object support portion 160) and the second droplet ejection portion 150, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first droplet ejection portion 140 may also eject the first droplet 147 onto the object 200 without intervening the second droplet ejection portion 150 (multi-branch nozzle head 151). In this way, high-precision patterns and patterns with large droplet sizes can be formed on the object 200. Furthermore, although the first embodiment of the present invention discloses an example of multiple second droplet ejection nozzles 153 ejecting simultaneously, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is also possible to eject the droplets sequentially in multiple stages. Furthermore, although the first embodiment of the present invention discloses an example of ejecting a second droplet 157 after ejecting a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles 153, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the second droplet 157 may also be ejected after ejecting and storing one first droplet 147 in the second droplet ejection nozzle 153. The timing of ejecting the first and second droplets can also be appropriately controlled. Furthermore, although the first embodiment of the present invention discloses an example in which the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-branch nozzle head 151 (second droplet ejection nozzle 153) are disposed above the object to eject droplets, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when ejecting the first droplet 147, the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-branch nozzle head 151 (second droplet ejection nozzle 153) may not be disposed above the object 200. Furthermore, when ejecting the second droplet 157, the first droplet ejection nozzle 141 may not be disposed on the multi-branch nozzle head 151 (second droplet ejection nozzle 153) or on the object 200. 100, 100B, 100C: Droplet ejection device; 110: Control unit; 115: Memory unit; 120: Power supply unit; 130: Drive unit; 135: Ink cartridge; 140, 140B: First droplet ejection unit; 141, 141B: First droplet ejection nozzle; 141a, 141Ba: Terminal part; 145: Piezoelectric element; 147: First droplet; 150, 150A, 150B: Second droplet ejection unit; 151, 151A: Multi-branch nozzle head. Part 152: Plate Part 152o: Through Hole r152o: Inner Diameter 153, 153-1~153-N, 153A: Second Droplet Ejection Nozzle 153a, 153Ba: End Part r153a: Inner Diameter 153ao: Opening Part 157: Second Droplet 160: Object Support Part 170: Inspection Part 190: Pattern 200: Object dis1, dis2: Distance D1: First Direction D2: Second Direction D3: Third Direction Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a droplet ejection device related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a top view of a multi-branched nozzle head related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a droplet ejection nozzle related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a top view and a cross-sectional view of a droplet ejection nozzle related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a droplet ejection method related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a droplet ejection method related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a droplet ejection method related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a droplet ejection method related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a top view of a multi-branched nozzle head related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a droplet ejection device related to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is a top view of the formed pattern. Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a droplet ejection device related to one embodiment of the present invention. 100: Droplet ejection device 110: Control Department 115: Memory Department 120: Power Supply Department 130: Drive Unit 135: Ink cartridge 140: First droplet ejection section 141: The first droplet was ejected from the nozzle. 141a: End portion 145: Piezoelectric element 150: Second droplet ejection section 160: Object support section 200: Object D1: Direction 1 D2: Second Direction D3: 3rd direction

Claims

1. A droplet ejection device, comprising: an object support portion for supporting an object; at least one first droplet ejection nozzle for ejecting a first droplet; a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles, each having a second end portion having a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter of a first end portion in the first droplet ejection nozzle, and for ejecting second droplets using the first droplet ejected from the first droplet ejection nozzle; and a drive portion for controlling the relative positional relationship between the object supported by the object support portion and the second droplet ejection nozzles, and the relative positional relationship between the first droplet ejection nozzles and the second droplet ejection nozzles; wherein the first droplet ejection nozzle is a piezoelectric nozzle, and the second droplet ejection nozzles are electrostatic ejection nozzles.

2. The droplet ejection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles is connected to a plate portion having a through hole having a third inner diameter that is larger than the aforementioned second inner diameter.

3. The droplet ejection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned at least one first droplet ejection nozzle comprises a plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles, and the distance between adjacent second droplet ejection nozzles is smaller than the distance between adjacent first droplet ejection nozzles.

4. The droplet ejection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles are arranged along a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction.

5. The droplet ejection device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an inspection unit for inspecting the opening state of the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzle.

6. The droplet ejection device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzle is cleaned when specified conditions are met.

7. A droplet ejection method comprising: ejecting a first droplet via a first droplet ejection nozzle; providing the first droplet to at least one of a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles having a second end portion having a second inner diameter smaller than the first inner diameter of the first end portion of the first droplet ejection nozzle; and using the first droplet to eject the second droplet toward an object; wherein the first droplet ejection nozzle is a piezoelectric nozzle and the second droplet ejection nozzle is an electrostatic ejection nozzle.

8. The droplet ejection method as described in claim 7, wherein the aforementioned second droplet ejection nozzle is cleaned when specified conditions are met.

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