Droplet discharge apparatus, nozzle head for droplet discharge, and droplet discharge method

Abstract

A droplet ejecting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an object holding unit for holding an object; a first droplet ejecting unit having a plurality of first droplet ejecting nozzles for ejecting first droplets onto the object, the first droplet ejecting nozzles being electrostatic ejecting nozzles; a second droplet ejection unit having at least one second droplet ejection nozzle for ejecting a second droplet containing a material different from that of the first droplet, and a control unit for controlling the relative positional relationship between the second droplet ejection nozzle and the first droplet ejection nozzle, the second droplet discharge section closes at least one first electrostatic discharge nozzle among the plurality of first droplet discharge nozzles by discharging the second droplet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid droplet ejection device, a nozzle head for liquid droplet ejection and a liquid droplet ejection method. Background Art

[0002] 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 an example. As an inkjet printing technology, a so-called piezoelectric type nozzle that ejects liquid droplets by mechanical pressure or vibration is generally used, but an electrostatic ejection type inkjet head that can eject finer liquid droplets has attracted attention. Patent document 1 discloses an electrostatic ejection type inkjet head recording device.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-34967 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the present invention

[0007] Recently, from the viewpoint of improving productivity while utilizing the characteristics of electrostatic ejection type inkjet heads that can eject fine droplets, the development of simultaneous ejection type multi-nozzle heads is underway. In the case of a simultaneous ejection type multi-nozzle head, the arrangement of the nozzles can be arbitrarily designed. However, in the case of such a multi-nozzle head, there is a problem of forming only a predetermined nozzle arrangement pattern. In order to form an ejection pattern different from the predetermined pattern, it is necessary to separately prepare a multi-nozzle head with a new nozzle arrangement. In this case, there is a problem that additional time is required to change the settings when replacing the multi-nozzle head. On the other hand, in the case of a conventional piezoelectric multi-nozzle head with a fixed pitch, in addition to the problem of (1) difficulty in reducing the initial ejection amount, there is also the problem of (2) requiring raster scanning rather than simultaneous ejection in order to eject ink to a position different from the nozzle pitch. Therefore, there is a limitation on the scanning speed in the pattern formation time.

[0008] Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a liquid droplet ejecting device capable of changing the ejection pattern using a multi-nozzle head.

[0009] Means used to solve problems

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection device is provided, which includes an object holding portion for holding an object, a first droplet ejection portion having a plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles for ejecting first droplets toward the object, and the first droplet ejection nozzles are electrostatic ejection type nozzles, a second droplet ejection portion having at least one second droplet ejection nozzle for ejecting second droplets containing a material different from the first droplets, and a control portion for controlling the relative positional relationship between the second droplet ejection nozzle and the first droplet ejection nozzle, wherein the second droplet ejection portion blocks at least one first electrostatic ejection type nozzle among the plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles by ejecting the second droplet.

[0011] In the above droplet ejecting device, the first droplets may contain a polar solvent, and the second droplets may contain a non-polar solvent.

[0012] In the above-mentioned liquid droplet ejection device, when the first liquid droplet ejection section ejects the first liquid droplet, the second liquid droplet blocking the first electrostatic ejection nozzle may come into contact with the first liquid supplied from the ink tank and ejected as the first liquid droplet.

[0013] In the above-mentioned liquid droplet ejection device, the second liquid droplet may be a resist.

[0014] In the above-mentioned liquid droplet ejecting device, the second liquid droplet ejecting nozzle may be a piezoelectric nozzle.

[0015] The above-mentioned liquid droplet ejecting device may further include an inspection unit that inspects an opening state of the first liquid droplet ejecting nozzle.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle head for droplet ejection, which includes a plurality of electrostatic ejection type nozzles arranged at equal intervals and having the same shape, wherein at least one first electrostatic ejection type nozzle among the plurality of electrostatic ejection type nozzles is occluded by an occluding object.

[0017] In the above-mentioned nozzle head for ejecting liquid droplets, the first electrostatic ejection type nozzle may be arranged between two second electrostatic ejection type nozzles that are not blocked among the plurality of electrostatic ejection type nozzles.

[0018] In the above-mentioned nozzle head for ejecting liquid droplets, the blocking material may contain a non-polar solvent.

[0019] In the above-mentioned nozzle head for liquid droplet ejection, the blocking material may be a resist.

[0020] In the above-mentioned nozzle head for ejecting liquid droplets, the blocking object may be a magnetic body.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a droplet ejection method is provided, which includes blocking a first droplet ejection nozzle arranged in a first area of ​​a multi-nozzle head including a plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles, and ejecting first droplets toward an object from a first droplet ejection nozzle arranged in a second area different from the first area among the plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles, wherein the first droplet ejection nozzle is an electrostatic ejection type nozzle.

[0022] In the above droplet discharge method, the second droplet discharge nozzle may be discharged from the second droplet discharge nozzle, and the first droplet discharge nozzle provided in the first area among the plurality of first droplet discharge nozzles may be blocked with the second droplet.

[0023] In the above droplet ejection method, the second droplet may contain a non-polar solvent.

[0024] In the above droplet ejection method, the second droplet may be a resist.

[0025] In the above droplet discharge method, the second droplet may be removed when the first droplet discharge nozzle blocked by the second droplet is heated to a predetermined temperature or higher.

[0026] In the above droplet ejecting method, the second droplet ejecting nozzle may be a piezoelectric nozzle.

[0027] In the above droplet ejecting method, a first droplet ejecting nozzle disposed in the first region may be blocked using a solid substance.

[0028] In the above droplet ejection method, the solid substance may be a magnetic substance.

[0029] In the above droplet ejection method, the solid matter may be removed by bringing a magnet close to the blocked first droplet ejection nozzle.

[0030] Effects of the Invention

[0031] By using one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid droplet ejecting device capable of changing the ejection pattern using a multi-nozzle head. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid droplet ejection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a plan view of a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a liquid droplet ejection nozzle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4A This is a plan view of a liquid droplet ejection nozzle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 4B This is a cross-sectional view of a liquid droplet ejection nozzle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 5A This is a plan view of a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 5B This is a cross-sectional view of a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing a liquid droplet discharge method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing a liquid droplet discharge method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing a liquid droplet discharge method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram showing a liquid droplet discharge method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Fig.10 This is a plan view of a multi-nozzle head according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid droplet ejection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Fig.12 is a schematic plan view of the formed pattern.

[0046] Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid droplet ejection device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Fig.14 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid droplet ejection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist thereof, and should not be construed as being limited to the description content of the embodiments illustrated below.

[0049] In addition, in the drawings referred to in the present embodiment, the same parts or parts having the same functions are represented by the same reference numerals or similar reference numerals (only reference numerals such as A, B, -1, -2 are added after the numbers), and their repeated descriptions may be omitted. In addition, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the dimensional ratios in the drawings may be different from the actual ratios, or some structures may be omitted from the drawings.

[0050] Furthermore, in the detailed description of the present invention, when defining the positional relationship between one component and another component, “above” or “below” includes not only the case of being directly above or below one component, but also the case of inserting another component therebetween, unless otherwise specified.

[0051] <First Embodiment>

[0052] (1-1. Structure of Liquid Droplet Discharging Device 100)

[0053] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a liquid droplet ejection device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] The droplet ejection device 100 includes a control unit 110 , a storage unit 115 , a power supply unit 120 , a drive unit 130 , a second ink tank 135 , a second droplet ejection unit 140 , a first ink tank 149 , a first droplet ejection unit 150 , and an object holding unit 160 .

[0055] The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other arithmetic processing circuits. The control unit 110 controls the ejection process of the second droplet ejection unit 140 and the first droplet ejection unit 150 using a pre-set program for droplet ejection.

[0056] The storage section 115 has a function as a database storing a program for liquid droplet discharge and various information used in the program for liquid droplet discharge. A memory, an SSD, or a storable element is used as the storage section 115 .

[0057] The power supply unit 120 is connected to the control unit 110, the storage unit 115, the drive unit 130, the second ink tank 135, the second droplet ejection unit 140, the first droplet ejection unit 150, and the object holding unit 160. The power supply unit 120 applies a voltage to the second droplet ejection unit 140 and the first droplet ejection unit 150 according to a signal input from the control unit 110. In this example, the power supply unit 120 applies a pulse voltage to the second droplet ejection unit 140 and the first droplet ejection unit 150. In addition, it is not limited to the pulse voltage, and a constant voltage may be applied to the second droplet ejection unit 140 and the first droplet ejection unit 150. The liquid that becomes the second droplet 147 is supplied from the second ink tank 135 to the second droplet ejection unit 140. By applying a voltage from the power supply unit 120 to the second droplet ejection unit 140, a second droplet 147 is ejected from a front end portion 141a of a second droplet ejection nozzle 141 described later toward a direction (third direction D3) of the object 200. A liquid to become a first droplet 157 is supplied from a first ink tank 149 to the first droplet ejection unit 150. By applying a voltage from the power supply unit 120 to the first droplet ejection unit 150, a first droplet 157 is ejected from a first droplet ejection nozzle 153 (front end portion 153a) provided in the first droplet ejection unit 150 (multi-nozzle head 151 described later) toward a direction (third direction D3) of the object 200.

[0058] The driving unit 130 is composed of driving components such as motors, belts, gears, etc. The driving unit 130 moves the second droplet ejection unit 140 (second droplet ejection nozzle 141) and the first droplet ejection unit 150 (more specifically, the multi-nozzle head 151) relative to the object holding unit 160 (in this example, in the second direction D2) according to instructions from the control unit 110. Thus, the driving unit 130 can control the relative position relationship between the object 200 and the multi-nozzle head 151 (first droplet ejection nozzle 153) when the device is in use (when ejecting droplets), and the relative position relationship between the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-nozzle head 151 (first droplet ejection nozzle 153). The driving unit 130 can also be used in combination with a corner stage to make fine adjustments to the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-nozzle head 151 (first droplet ejection nozzle 153).

[0059] The object holding part 160 has a function of holding the object 200. In this example, a stage is used for the object holding part 160. There is no particular limitation on the mechanism of the object holding part 160 for holding the object 200, and a general holding mechanism can be used. In this example, the object 200 is vacuum-sucked onto the object holding part 160. In addition, the present invention is not limited to this, and the object holding part 160 can also use a fixing tool to hold the object 200.

[0060] The object 200 refers to a component on which the droplets ejected from the first droplet ejection unit 150 are ejected. In this example, a glass plate is used as the object 200. In addition, the object 200 is not limited to a glass plate. For example, the object 200 may be a metal plate or an organic resin member. In addition, a metal wiring or an organic resin member may be formed on the object 200. In addition, the object 200 may be provided with a counter electrode for droplet ejection. At this time, a GND potential may also be applied to the object 200.

[0061] (1-2. Structure of the Second Liquid Droplet Discharging Unit 140)

[0062] The second droplet ejection unit 140 is arranged above the object 200 (object holding unit 160) and the first droplet ejection unit 150 by the driving unit 130 when the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 of a part of the first droplet ejection unit 150 (more specifically, the multi-nozzle head 151) is blocked. The second droplet ejection unit 140 includes a second droplet ejection nozzle 141 for ejecting droplets (second droplets 147) and a piezoelectric element 145. In this example, the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 uses a piezoelectric inkjet nozzle. The piezoelectric element 145 is arranged on the upper part of the second droplet ejection nozzle 141, but the configuration of the piezoelectric element 145 can also be appropriately changed. The piezoelectric element 145 is electrically connected to the power supply unit 120. The piezoelectric element 145 presses the liquid supplied from the second ink tank 135 by the voltage applied from the power supply unit 120 , thereby ejecting the second liquid droplet 147 from the tip portion 141 a (also referred to as the first tip portion) of the second liquid droplet ejection nozzle 141 .

[0063] (1-3. Structure of the First Liquid Droplet Discharging Unit 150)

[0064] When ejecting the first droplet 157, the first droplet ejection unit 150 is disposed on the object 200 (object holding unit 160) by the driving unit 130. The first droplet ejection unit 150 may be partially connected to the second droplet ejection unit 140. The first droplet ejection unit 150 includes a multi-nozzle head 151.

[0065] The multi-nozzle head 151 is fixed to a fixing member 155 such as a mounting member and an accessory (see Figure 5B ) is used. A plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153 for ejecting droplets (first droplets 157) are provided on the multi-nozzle head 151. The liquid ejected as the first droplet 157 is provided by a first ink tank 149 connected to the first droplet ejection unit 150. The first droplet ejection nozzles 153 use an electrostatic ejection type inkjet nozzle. The details of the multi-nozzle head 151 will be described in detail below.

[0066] (1-4. Structure of multi-nozzle head 151)

[0067] Figure 2 It is a plan view of the multi-nozzle head 151. Figure 3 It is a perspective view of the first liquid droplet ejecting nozzle 153 . Figure 4A FIG. 1 is a plan view of the first liquid droplet ejecting nozzle 153 . Figure 4B It is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1 - A2 in the first liquid droplet ejecting nozzle 153 .

[0068] like Figure 2 As shown, the multi-nozzle head 151 includes a plate portion 152 and a first liquid droplet ejecting nozzle 153 .

[0069] The plate portion 152 is formed in a plate shape. In this example, the plate portion 152 extends in the first direction D1. For the plate portion 152, a metal material such as nickel, copper, stainless steel, etc. is used, and it can be appropriately changed as long as it is a material used when a potential is applied. The thickness of the plate portion 152 is appropriately set. In this example, the thickness of the plate portion 152 is greater than 10 μm and less than 100 μm.

[0070] like Figure 3 , Figure 4A , Figure 4B As shown, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 is provided to be connected to a surface (lower surface) of the plate portion 152 at the upper portion. The multi-nozzle head 151 includes a plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153. The first droplet ejection nozzles 153 are arranged in a first direction D1. Figure 2 As shown, the first droplet ejection nozzles 153-1, 153-2, ..., 153-M, ..., 153-(N-1), 153-N are arranged on the plate portion 152. N is a natural number greater than 3, and M is a natural number between 1 and N. In addition, when it is not necessary to separately describe the first droplet ejection nozzles 153-1, 153-2, ..., 153-M, ..., 153-(N-1), 153-N, they are described as the first droplet ejection nozzle 153. The first droplet ejection nozzle 153 uses a metal material such as nickel or copper, but it can be appropriately changed as long as it is a material to which an electric potential can be applied. The first droplet ejection nozzle 153 has a shape with a tapered front end. In this example, the distance d1 between adjacent first droplet ejection nozzles 153 (the distance between the first droplet ejection nozzle 153-1 and the first droplet ejection nozzle 153-2) is 200μm. The first liquid droplet ejection nozzles 153 have the same shape and are arranged at equal intervals.

[0071] The plate portion 152 has a through hole 152o at a portion (overlapping portion) corresponding to the first droplet ejection nozzle 153, and the through hole 152o has an inner diameter r152o (also referred to as a third inner diameter) larger than the inner diameter r153a (also referred to as a second inner diameter) of the ejection outlet of the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 (the opening portion 153ao of the front end portion 153a of the first droplet ejection nozzle 153). The inner diameter of the through hole 152o of the plate portion 152 can be greater than 1 μm and less than 100 μm. The inner diameter of the front end portion 153a of the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 can be greater than several hundred nm and less than 50 μm, preferably greater than 1 μm and less than 30 μm, and more preferably greater than 5 μm and less than 20 μm.

[0072] In the present embodiment, a voltage may be applied to the first droplet ejection nozzle 153, a voltage may be applied to the plate portion 152, and a voltage may be applied to the ink stored in the first droplet ejection nozzle 153. In the case where a voltage is applied to the plate portion 152 and the first droplet ejection nozzle 153, an electrode may be provided. The electrode may be provided with tungsten, nickel, molybdenum, titanium, gold, silver, copper, platinum, or the like. In this case, a plurality of electrodes may be provided so that the voltage is uniformly applied to the entire plate portion 152. In addition, in the present embodiment, an example of applying a voltage to the first droplet ejection nozzle 153, the plate portion 152, or the ink is shown, but a voltage may also be applied to a fixing member 155 (e.g., a mounting member or an accessory) that holds the multi-nozzle head 151.

[0073] The inner diameter r153a (second inner diameter) of the discharge port (front end portion 153a) of the first droplet discharge nozzle 153 may be smaller than the inner diameter (also referred to as the first inner diameter) of the discharge port (front end portion 141a) of the second droplet discharge nozzle 141. In this case, the discharge amount per unit time of the first droplet discharge nozzle 153 is smaller than the discharge amount per unit time of the second droplet discharge nozzle 141.

[0074] Figure 5A It is a plan view of the multi-nozzle head 151 which is partially blocked. Figure 5B FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a partially blocked multi-nozzle head 151. Figure 5A as well as Figure 5B As shown in FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, in order to form a predetermined pattern using the multi-nozzle head 151, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 provided in a part of the multi-nozzle head 151 is blocked by a blocking object. In this example, the multi-nozzle head 151 includes an area where the first droplet 157 cannot be ejected (also referred to as the first area R1) and an area where the first droplet can be ejected (also referred to as the second area R2). Specifically, Figure 2As shown, the first droplet ejection nozzles 153 (in this example, the first droplet ejection nozzles 153-1, 153-M, and 153-N) provided in the first region R1 are blocked by the second droplet 147 ejected from the second droplet ejection nozzle 141. The first droplet ejection nozzle 153-M is arranged between the two unblocked first droplet ejection nozzles 153. The position of the blocked first droplet ejection nozzle 153 is not limited to the end, and may be appropriately changed in order to form a predetermined ejection pattern.

[0075] The second liquid droplets 147 include a material different from that of the first liquid droplets 157. In this embodiment, in order to perform electrostatic discharge, a polar solvent is used in the first liquid droplets 157. The second liquid droplets 147 use a non-polar solvent (for example, hydrocarbons such as tetradecane).

[0076] In addition, if Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown, when the first droplet 157 is ejected from the multi-nozzle head 151, the upper part of the multi-nozzle head 151 is filled with liquid (ink) 156 supplied from the first ink tank 149 and ejected as the first droplet 157. At this time, the liquid 156 and the second droplet 147 may also contact the multi-nozzle head 151 in the area surrounded by the fixing member 155.

[0077] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the occlusion pattern is formed, the second droplet ejection unit 140 (second droplet ejection nozzle 141) is moved above the first droplet ejection unit 150 (multi-nozzle head 151) by the control unit 110 and the drive unit 130. That is, in the present embodiment, by controlling the relative positional relationship between the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-nozzle head 151 including the plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153, the second droplet 147 can be ejected to a predetermined position of the multi-nozzle head 151.

[0078] (1-5. Droplet ejection method)

[0079] Next, a liquid droplet ejection method according to the present embodiment will be described. Figures 6 to 9 is a schematic diagram showing a droplet ejection method.

[0080] First, the second droplet ejection unit 140 is moved to a predetermined position (first region R1) in the first direction D1 by the control unit 110 and the drive unit 130. The first region R1 is a region in the multi-nozzle head 151 where the first droplets 157 are not ejected. The second droplet ejection unit 140 (second droplet ejection nozzle 141) is arranged at a predetermined position on the multi-nozzle head 151 in the first droplet ejection unit 150. In this example, the second droplet ejection unit 140, the second droplet ejection nozzle 141, and the multi-nozzle head 151 are arranged on the object 200. Next, as shown in FIG. Figure 6As shown, the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 ejects the liquid held in the second ink tank 135 as second droplets 147 in a third direction D3 (specifically downward) at a predetermined position above the multi-nozzle head 151 by a voltage applied from the power supply unit 120 .

[0081] The ejected second droplet 147 is provided to the specified first droplet ejection nozzle 153 and stored. At this time, the second droplet uses a non-polar solvent (for example, hydrocarbons such as tetradecane). The non-polar solvent has low volatility (high boiling point) at room temperature. The non-polar solvent is less likely to cause charging. Therefore, even if a voltage is applied, the non-polar solvent will not be ejected as a droplet. Therefore, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 that ejected the non-polar solvent is blocked. Figure 7 As shown, the discharge process of the second liquid droplets 147 is repeatedly performed until all the second liquid droplet discharge nozzles 141 provided in the first region R1 are blocked (a predetermined blocking pattern is formed).

[0082] Next, ink for forming a jetting pattern is supplied from the first ink tank 149 to the multi-nozzle head 151. At this time, the first droplet 157 is supplied (stored) to the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 that is not blocked among the plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153. In the present embodiment, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 is connected to the plate portion 152 at the upper side. The plate portion 152 has a through hole having an inner diameter larger than that of the first droplet ejection nozzle 153. Thus, it can be said that the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 has a structure that easily stores the second droplet 147.

[0083] Next, the power supply unit 120 applies a pulse voltage (in this example, 1000 V with respect to the object (GND potential)) to the first droplet ejection unit 150 (multi-nozzle head 151) according to the control from the control unit 110. Figure 8 As shown, the first droplet 157 is ejected simultaneously using the liquid stored in the first ink tank 149 provided to the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 which is not blocked (can eject) and is arranged in the second area. Fig. 9 As shown, a discharge pattern based on the first liquid droplets 157 is formed on the object 200 .

[0084] After forming a predetermined pattern on the object 200, the second liquid droplets 147 stored in the blocked first liquid droplet ejection nozzles 153 may be removed when a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, the blocked first liquid droplet ejection nozzles 153 in the multi-nozzle head 151 may be heated to a predetermined temperature or higher to the extent that the second liquid droplets 147 evaporate. Thus, the multi-nozzle head 151 returns to the original unblocked state.

[0085] In this embodiment, the first droplet ejection nozzles 153 are blocked by ejecting the second droplets 147 at positions where it is not desired to eject droplets for pattern formation. Therefore, when voltage is applied to the multi-nozzle head 151, the first droplets 157 can be ejected only from the desired first droplet ejection nozzles 153.

[0086] Therefore, by using this embodiment, the ejection pattern can be changed using the multi-nozzle head 151, and the trouble of replacing the multi-nozzle head 151 can be omitted. In addition, in the case of this embodiment, a pattern can be formed using small-diameter droplets ejected from the electrostatic ejection nozzle onto an object. That is, by using this embodiment, a desired ejection pattern can be formed with high definition.

[0087] <Second Embodiment>

[0088] In this embodiment, a first liquid droplet ejection unit (multi-nozzle head) different from the first embodiment is described. Specifically, an example in which the first liquid droplet ejection nozzles are arranged two-dimensionally is described. In addition, for the convenience of explanation, components will be omitted as appropriate.

[0089] (2-1. Structure of multi-nozzle head 151A)

[0090] Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a plan view of the multi-nozzle head 151A in the first droplet ejection unit 150A. Fig. 9 As shown, the multi-nozzle head 151A includes a plate portion 152 and first droplet ejecting nozzles 153A.

[0091] A plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153A are provided on one surface of the plate portion 152. The first droplet ejection nozzles 153A are arranged at equal intervals in a first direction D1 and a second direction D2 intersecting (orthogonal in this example) the first direction D1. In this example, the multi-nozzle head 151A includes 3 rows × 13 columns = 39 droplet ejection nozzles. In addition, the number of the first droplet ejection nozzles 153 can be appropriately changed. For example, it can be 4 rows × 100 columns = 400, or it can be 1,000 rows × 1,000 columns = 1,000,000.

[0092] In the case of the present embodiment, the first droplet ejection unit 150A is two-dimensionally configured, and when forming a desired ejection pattern, the position of the first droplet ejection nozzle 153A set at the position to be blocked is controlled by moving the second droplet ejection unit 140, and the size of the droplets is controlled by the first droplet ejection unit 150A.

[0093] Therefore, by using the present embodiment, the ejection pattern can be changed using the multi-nozzle head 151, and there is no need to replace the multi-nozzle head 151. Furthermore, by ejecting droplets using the electrostatic ejection type droplet ejection nozzle, a desired ejection pattern can be formed with high definition.

[0094] In this embodiment, the first droplet ejection nozzles 153A are arranged at equal intervals in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first droplet ejection nozzles 153A may be arranged offset (zigzag) in the second direction, or the intervals between adjacent first droplet ejection nozzles 153A may be different.

[0095] <Third Embodiment>

[0096] In this embodiment, a liquid droplet ejection device different from the first and second embodiments is described. Specifically, an example in which a plurality of second liquid droplet ejection nozzles are provided is described. For the sake of convenience of explanation, parts are omitted as appropriate.

[0097] Fig.11 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a droplet ejection device 100B. Fig.11 As shown, the droplet ejection device 100B includes a control unit 110 , a storage unit 115 , a power supply unit 120 , a drive unit 130 , a second droplet ejection unit 140B, a first droplet ejection unit 150B, and an object holding unit 160 .

[0098] The second droplet ejection unit 140B includes a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles 141B. In this example, two second droplet ejection nozzles 141B are arranged in a row in the first direction D1. In addition, each second droplet ejection nozzle 141B can also be controlled to move and eject independently. In addition, the number of the second droplet ejection nozzles 141B can also be appropriately changed.

[0099] In this embodiment, the distance d2 between adjacent second droplet ejection nozzles 141B (more specifically, the front end portions 141Ba of the second droplet ejection nozzles 141B) is greater than the distance d1 between adjacent first droplet ejection nozzles 153B (more specifically, the front end portions 153Ba of the first droplet ejection nozzles 153B).

[0100] The first droplet ejection nozzles 153B of the first droplet ejection section 150B may be arranged in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 similarly to the first droplet ejection nozzles 153A.

[0101] In addition, in this embodiment, an example in which two second droplet ejection nozzles 141B are arranged in the first direction D1 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Three or more second droplet ejection nozzles 141B may be provided, and adjacent second droplet ejection nozzles 141B may be arranged in a direction intersecting the first direction D1.

[0102] Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pattern formed by using the second liquid droplet ejection unit 140B and the first liquid droplet ejection unit 150B. Fig.12 As shown, the pattern 190 formed by the first droplet 157 is set on the object 200. In the case of this embodiment, the second droplet ejection unit 140B and the first droplet ejection unit 150B are used in combination. At this time, the second droplet ejection nozzle 141B of the second droplet ejection unit 140B moves two-dimensionally to the desired position (the position to be blocked) on the multi-nozzle head 151B. By ejecting droplets from each second droplet ejection nozzle 141B at a time, a complex desired pattern can be formed in a short time using the multi-nozzle head, and the trouble of replacing the multi-nozzle head can be saved.

[0103] In addition, in the present embodiment, the second liquid droplet ejecting section 140B may eject (also referred to as draw) the second liquid droplets 147 onto the first liquid droplet ejecting section 150B when conveying the substrates and aligning the substrates.

[0104] In the conventional case, the liquid droplet ejection (drawing) step is started after the substrate conveying and aligning operation is completed. On the other hand, in the case of the present embodiment, the process time (substrate conveying and aligning) can be used for the ejection process of the second liquid droplet 147. Therefore, after the substrate is aligned, it is possible to eject all liquid droplets from the first liquid droplet ejection unit 150B. Thus, very fast drawing can be achieved.

[0105] Therefore, by using the present embodiment, a desired ejection pattern can be formed with high definition using an electrostatic ejection type multi-nozzle head, high-speed drawing can be performed while eliminating wasted time, and a more complex ejection pattern can be formed.

[0106] <Fourth Embodiment>

[0107] In this embodiment, a liquid droplet ejection device different from the first to third embodiments will be described. Specifically, a liquid droplet ejection device including an inspection portion will be described. For convenience of explanation, components will be appropriately omitted.

[0108] Fig.13 Schematic diagram of a droplet ejection device 100C. Fig.13As shown, the droplet ejection device 100C includes an inspection unit 170 in addition to the control unit 110 , the storage unit 115 , the power supply unit 120 , the drive unit 130 , the second droplet ejection unit 140 , the first droplet ejection unit 150 , and the object holding unit 160 .

[0109] The inspection unit 170 may inspect the front end portion 153a of the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 before ejecting the droplets. A CMOS image sensor may be used for the inspection unit 170. A portion of the second droplet 147 ejected from the second droplet ejection unit 140 sometimes remains in the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 of the first droplet ejection unit 150. Therefore, when the front end portion 153a of the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 satisfies a prescribed condition, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 may be cleaned. In this case, the prescribed condition may be that the occlusion rate of the front end portion 153a is 30% or more. When cleaning the first droplet ejection nozzle 153, an organic solvent such as ethanol or acetone may be used.

[0110] By using this embodiment, the first liquid droplets 157 can be stably discharged from the first liquid droplet discharge section 150 .

[0111] (Variation Example)

[0112] Within the scope of the present invention, those skilled in the art can think of various variations and modifications, and it can be understood that these variations and modifications also belong to the scope of the present invention. For example, for each of the above-mentioned embodiments, those skilled in the art appropriately add or delete constituent elements, combine embodiments or change designs, or add, omit processing or change conditions. The embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention, as long as these embodiments include the main points of the present invention.

[0113] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is shown in which the second liquid droplet ejecting unit 140 ejects the second liquid droplet 147 toward the first liquid droplet ejecting unit 150 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. Fig.14 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a droplet ejection device 100D. Fig.14 As shown, in the case of having a plurality of second droplet ejection nozzles 141D (piezoelectric inkjet nozzles), a liquid (second droplet) for closing the multi-nozzle head 151 can be ejected from the first piezoelectric inkjet nozzle 141D-1, and a liquid (also referred to as a third droplet) of the same material as the first droplet 157 can be ejected from the second piezoelectric inkjet nozzle 141D-2 toward the object 200. Thus, a pattern with a large droplet size and a high-definition pattern can be formed on the object 200.

[0114] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is shown in which a plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153 eject liquid simultaneously, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153 may eject liquid sequentially in a plurality of times.

[0115] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example of using a piezoelectric inkjet nozzle in the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. An electrostatic ejection inkjet nozzle may also be used for the second droplet ejection nozzle 141. Thus, a portion of the first droplet ejection nozzles 153 in the multi-nozzle head 151 can be blocked with high precision.

[0116] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is shown in which a part of the plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153 is blocked by ejecting the second droplet 147 from the second droplet ejection unit 140, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The second droplet ejection unit 140 may not be provided. In this case, a part of the plurality of first droplet ejection nozzles 153 may be manually blocked in advance.

[0117] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is shown in which the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 is blocked by using the second droplet 147 as an occluding object, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a specified first droplet ejection nozzle 153 can be blocked by using a solid as an occluding object. For example, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 can also be blocked by silica particles. In addition, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 can also be blocked by a magnetic body. In this case, after the specified pattern is formed by the first droplet, the magnetic body can be recovered by a magnet. Thereby, the multi-nozzle head 151 can be restored to the original state in which the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 is not blocked.

[0118] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is shown in which the first liquid droplets 157 are ejected simultaneously from the ejectable first liquid droplet ejection nozzles 153 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first liquid droplets 157 may be ejected sequentially.

[0119] In the case of the first embodiment of the present invention, the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-nozzle head 151 (first droplet ejection nozzle 153) are arranged above the object 200, and the second droplet 147 is ejected from the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 to the multi-nozzle head 151 on the object 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when ejecting the second droplet 147, the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 and the multi-nozzle head 151 (first droplet ejection nozzle 153) may not be arranged above the object 200. In addition, when ejecting the first droplet 157, the second droplet ejection nozzle 141 may not be arranged on the multi-nozzle head 151 (first droplet ejection nozzle 153) and the object 200. That is, the first droplet 157 may be ejected using the multi-nozzle head 151 formed with an occlusion pattern.

[0120] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example of using a non-polar solvent is shown as the second droplet 147, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a resist may also be sprayed as the second droplet 147. The resist includes a photosensitive material, a resin, an additive, and a solvent. Therefore, after the resist is sprayed to the specified first droplet ejection nozzle 153, the resist is solidified by making the resist photosensitive. As a result, the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 is blocked. Furthermore, after forming a specified pattern on the object 200 using the first droplet 157, the resist may also be removed by a wet process such as a resist stripping solution, or a dry process such as O2 ashing. Thus, the multi-nozzle head 151 can be restored to its original state in which the first droplet ejection nozzle 153 is not blocked.

[0121] In addition, in the first embodiment of the present invention, an example of ejecting a non-polar solvent as the second liquid droplet 147 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The second liquid droplet may be a polar solvent containing bubbles. Since the bubbles are contained, the ejection of the liquid droplet is restricted.

[0122] In the first embodiment of the present invention, an example is shown in which the second droplet ejection unit 140 and the first droplet ejection unit 150 are provided in one device, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The second droplet ejection unit may also be provided in other devices. In this case, the droplet ejection device 100 is provided with only the first droplet ejection unit 150.

[0123] Description of Reference Numerals

[0124] 100…droplet ejection device, 110…control unit, 115…storage unit, 120…power supply unit, 130…driving unit, 135…second ink tank, 140…second droplet ejection unit, 141…second droplet ejection nozzle, 141a…front end portion, 145…piezoelectric element, 147…second droplet, 149…first ink tank, 150…first droplet ejection unit, 151…multi-nozzle head, 152…plate unit, 153…first droplet ejection nozzle, 153a…front end portion, 153ao…opening portion, 157…first droplet, 160…object holding unit, 170…inspection unit, 190…pattern, 200…object

Claims

1. A droplet ejection device, comprising: an object holding portion for holding an object; a first liquid droplet ejecting unit having a plurality of first liquid droplet ejecting nozzles for ejecting first liquid droplets toward the object, wherein the first liquid droplet ejecting nozzles are electrostatic ejecting nozzles; a second liquid droplet ejecting section having at least one second liquid droplet ejecting nozzle for ejecting second liquid droplets containing a material different from that of the first liquid droplets; as well as a control unit configured to control a relative positional relationship between the second liquid droplet ejecting nozzle and the first liquid droplet ejecting nozzle; The second liquid droplet ejecting unit closes at least one first electrostatic ejection nozzle among the plurality of first liquid droplet ejecting nozzles by ejecting the second liquid droplet.

2. The liquid droplet ejection device according to claim 1, wherein: The first droplet contains a polar solvent, The second droplet contains a non-polar solvent.

3. The liquid droplet ejection device according to claim 2, wherein: When the first liquid droplet ejecting section ejects the first liquid droplet, the second liquid droplet that blocks the first electrostatic ejection nozzle comes into contact with the first liquid supplied from the ink tank and ejected as the first liquid droplet.

4. The liquid droplet ejection device according to claim 1, wherein: The second droplet is a resist.

5. The liquid droplet ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The second droplet ejecting nozzle is a piezoelectric nozzle. 6 . The liquid droplet ejection device according to claim 5 , further comprising an inspection unit that inspects an opening state of the first liquid droplet ejection nozzle.

7. A nozzle head for ejecting liquid droplets, comprising: a plurality of electrostatic spray type nozzles arranged at equal intervals and having the same shape; At least one first electrostatic ejection nozzle among the plurality of electrostatic ejection nozzles is blocked by a blocking object.

8. The nozzle head for droplet ejection according to claim 7, wherein: The first electrostatic ejection nozzle is arranged between two unblocked second electrostatic ejection nozzles among the plurality of electrostatic ejection nozzles.

9. The nozzle head for liquid droplet ejection according to claim 7, wherein: The occlusion contains a non-polar solvent.

10. The nozzle head for liquid droplet ejection according to claim 7, wherein: The occlusion is a resist.

11. The nozzle head for liquid droplet ejection according to claim 7, wherein: The blocking object is a magnetic body.

12. A droplet ejection method, comprising: blocking a first liquid droplet ejection nozzle disposed in a first region of a multi-nozzle head including a plurality of first liquid droplet ejection nozzles; as well as ejecting first liquid droplets toward the object from first liquid droplet ejection nozzles disposed in a second area different from the first area among the plurality of first liquid droplet ejection nozzles; Wherein, the first droplet ejecting nozzle is an electrostatic ejecting nozzle.

13. The droplet ejection method according to claim 12, wherein: By discharging the second liquid droplet from the second liquid droplet discharging nozzle, the first liquid droplet discharging nozzle provided in the first region among the plurality of first liquid droplet discharging nozzles is blocked with the second liquid droplet.

14. The droplet ejection method according to claim 13, wherein: The second droplet contains a non-polar solvent.

15. The droplet ejection method according to claim 13, wherein: The second droplet is a resist.

16. The droplet ejection method according to claim 14, wherein: The second liquid droplet is removed when the first liquid droplet ejection nozzle blocked by the second liquid droplet is heated to a predetermined temperature or higher.

17. The droplet ejection method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: The second droplet ejection nozzle is a piezoelectric type nozzle.

18. The droplet ejection method according to claim 12, wherein: The first liquid droplet ejection nozzle disposed in the first region is blocked using a solid substance.

19. The droplet ejection method according to claim 18, wherein: The solid substance is a magnetic substance.

20. The droplet ejection method according to claim 19, wherein: The solid matter is removed by bringing a magnet close to the blocked first liquid droplet ejection nozzle.

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