Liquid discharge device, liquid discharge method, article manufacturing method, and data structure

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for reducing the size of data for controlling a discharge head of a liquid discharge device.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device includes: a discharge head which includes a plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid; a drive mechanism which scans the discharge head and a substrate relatively to each other; and a control unit which controls the discharge head so as to repeat the operation of discharging liquid from the discharge head according to the basic discharge data for controlling the discharge of liquid from the discharge head to a unit area composed of at least one target area, according to repetition number data. The plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group composed of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of the plurality of target areas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device, a liquid ejection method, an article manufacturing method, and a data structure. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacture of devices such as OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays, a technique of disposing a functional element material on a substrate using a liquid ejection device may be used. Patent Document 1 describes an inkjet application device that applies ink to application target pixels on an application medium using an inkjet head having a plurality of nozzles arranged in an equally spaced row. The inkjet application device generates application data and timing control data from pattern data that describes the pattern of the application target pixels. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4479239 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As the devices to be manufactured become larger, the size of the data for controlling the ejection head of the liquid ejection device becomes larger, which poses a problem.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that is advantageous for reducing the size of data for controlling the ejection head of a liquid ejection device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a liquid ejection device that supplies liquid to a plurality of target areas provided on a substrate, the liquid ejection device comprising an ejection head having a plurality of nozzles that eject liquid, a drive mechanism that scans the ejection head and the substrate relative to one another, and a control unit that controls the ejection head to repeat the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with basic ejection data for controlling the ejection of liquid from the ejection head to a unit area consisting of at least one target area, in accordance with repetition number data, and the plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of the plurality of target areas. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a technique is provided that is advantageous for reducing the size of data for controlling the ejection head of a liquid ejection device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a liquid ejection apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a target area group in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of ejection control data that can be generated by a control unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of a control unit in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the ejection head in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a method of generating ejection control data in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a target area group in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of discharge control data that can be generated by a control unit in the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating examples of the relationship between a substrate having a target area that is misaligned from a reference position and a nozzle of a discharge head. [Figure 10] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating examples of ejection control data that can be generated by a control unit in the third embodiment. [Figure 11] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an example of an operation related to adjustment of ejection timing in the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a plurality of target area groups in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating examples of ejection control data that can be generated by a control unit in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating an example of an operation related to control of ejection timing in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating examples of ejection patterns according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 16] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating examples of ejection control data that can be generated by a control unit in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating the operation of a discharge head according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a liquid ejection device 1 according to an embodiment. The liquid ejection device 1 may be configured to supply a liquid 4 to a plurality of target areas 201 provided on a substrate 2, for example. The liquid 4 may be provided in the form of droplets in each target area 201. Each target area 201 may be a recess provided on the substrate 2, for example. The substrate 2 may be a substrate for manufacturing an OLED device, for example, and the recess may be an opening provided in a bank (insulating film) covering the periphery of a lower electrode of a light-emitting element so as to expose an inner area of ​​the periphery of the lower electrode. In other words, the recess may be an opening provided in a bank so as to define a light-emitting area of ​​the light-emitting element. The liquid 4 may be, for example, a material for forming a light-emitting element or a functional element, for example, an organic material. In this specification and the drawings, directions are indicated according to an XYZ coordinate system in which a plane parallel to the surface on which the substrate 2 is disposed is the XY plane.

[0011] The liquid ejection device 1 includes a substrate stage 3 that holds and moves a substrate 2. The substrate 2 is made of a material according to the article to be manufactured, and may be, for example, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate. The substrate 2 may typically have a plate shape, but may have other shapes. The substrate 2 may be, for example, a deformable film. The liquid ejection device 1 may include a driving mechanism 12 that scans the substrate stage 3, thereby scanning the substrate 2. In one example, the driving mechanism 12 may scan the substrate stage 3 or the substrate 2 in the Y direction. The driving mechanism 12 may be configured to drive the substrate stage 3 or the substrate 2 in the X direction as well.

[0012] The liquid ejection device 1 may include an ejection head 5 having a plurality of nozzles that eject the liquid 4. The plurality of nozzles of the ejection head 5 may be arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of a plurality of target regions 201 provided on the substrate 2. The plurality of nozzles of the ejection head 5 may include a plurality of nozzles arranged along the X direction. The ejection head 5 may have a plurality of chips, each of which has a plurality of nozzles arranged at least along the X direction. The plurality of chips may be arranged at least along the X direction. The driving mechanism 12 may be understood as a driving mechanism that scans the ejection head 5 and the substrate 2 relative to each other. The driving mechanism 12 may be configured to scan the ejection head 5 in the Y direction. The liquid 4 is ejected from a selected nozzle of the plurality of nozzles of the ejection head 5 while the substrate 2 is scanned by the driving mechanism 12, thereby supplying the liquid 4 to a plurality of target regions 201 of the substrate 2.

[0013] The liquid ejection device 1 may include a control unit 11. The control unit 11 may be configured, for example, by a PLD (abbreviation of Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation of Field Programmable Gate Array), or an ASIC (abbreviation of Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a general-purpose or dedicated computer with a built-in program, or a combination of all or part of these. The control unit 11 may control the ejection head 5 based on basic ejection data for controlling ejection of the liquid 4 from the ejection head 5 to a unit area formed of at least one target area 201, and repetition number data. The control unit 11 may control the ejection head 5 so that the operation of ejecting the liquid 4 from the ejection head 5 according to the basic ejection data is repeated according to the repetition number data. As described above, the multiple nozzles of the ejection head 5 may be arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of the multiple target areas 201 provided on the substrate 2. Here, a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles may be assigned to each of a plurality of target regions 201 provided on the substrate 2 through a plurality of scans of the substrate 2 by the driving mechanism 12. The position of the substrate stage 3 may be controlled so that the relative positions of the substrate 2 with respect to the ejection head 5 in the X direction (sub-scanning direction) differ from one another during the plurality of scans. The basic ejection data may be prepared for each of the plurality of target regions to control the ejection of liquid from the plurality of nozzles such that liquid is supplied to the target region by at least one of the at least two nozzles constituting the nozzle group assigned to the target region.

[0014] The liquid ejection device 1 may include an alignment scope 9 and / or a height sensor 10. The alignment scope 9 may be configured to detect the positions of a plurality of marks provided on the substrate 2. The control unit 11 may detect the position and shape of the substrate 2 based on the output of the alignment scope 9. Alternatively, the control unit 11 may detect the positions of a plurality of target areas on the substrate 2 based on the output of the alignment scope 9. The height sensor 10 may be configured to detect the height or height distribution of the substrate 2. The control unit 11 may adjust or correct the timing of ejecting the liquid 4 from the ejection head 5 based on the output of the height sensor 10.

[0015] The control unit 11 acquires a pattern (pattern data) of the liquid 4 to be placed on the substrate 2 from, for example, a higher-level control device or a server, and generates ejection control data for controlling the ejection of the liquid 4 from the ejection head 5 based on the pattern. The control unit 11 can then control the ejection of the liquid 4 from the ejection head 5 based on the ejection control data. The ejection control data can include data to be transmitted by the control unit 11 to the ejection head 5, or data for generating data to be transmitted by the control unit 11 to the ejection head 5. The ejection control data can also include data specifying the transmission timing of an ejection timing signal to be transmitted by the control unit 11 to the ejection head 5.

[0016] The substrate 2 may have one or more target area groups 202 onto which the liquid 4 is to be disposed, supplied or applied. Each target area group 202 includes a plurality of target areas 201. In other words, each target area group 202 is a collection of a plurality of target areas 201. The plurality of target areas 201 constituting each target area group 202 may be arranged, for example, in a grid pattern, may be arranged according to a Pentile array, or may be arranged according to another array.

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of the target area group 202 in the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, the target area group 202 is composed of 12 target areas 201 arranged to form a grid of three columns in the X direction (sub-scanning direction) and four rows in the Y direction (main scanning direction). In FIG. 2, nozzles N1 to N11 are a plurality of nozzles provided in the discharge head 5. The plurality of nozzles N1 to N11 are arranged so that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of the plurality of target areas 201. L1 to L4 indicate the discharge timing of the liquid 4 from the discharge head 5 (or the discharge position of the liquid 4 on the substrate 2). Here, the liquid 4 is discharged from a nozzle selected from the plurality of nozzles N1 to N11 of the discharge head 5 while the substrate 2 is scanned by the driving mechanism 12. Therefore, the discharge timing of the liquid 4 from the discharge head 5 and the discharge position of the liquid 4 on the substrate 2 are parameters that can be converted into each other. At each ejection timing or ejection position, white circles such as 401 indicate nozzles that do not eject liquid, and black circles such as 402 indicate nozzles that eject liquid. In the example of Fig. 2, at ejection timings L1 and L3, nozzles N2, N6, and N10 eject liquid, and at ejection timings L2 and L4, nozzles N3, N5, and N9 eject liquid.

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a data structure of the discharge control data that can be generated by the control unit 11 in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the discharge control data includes basic discharge data, repetition number data, timing data, and discharge interval data. The basic discharge data is data for controlling the discharge of liquid from the discharge head 5 to a unit area (area that is a unit of repetition) that is composed of at least one target area 201. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the basic discharge data can be expressed, for example, by dividing the columns by commas for each nozzle, with a nozzle that does not discharge liquid being 0 and a nozzle that discharges liquid being 1, and dividing the rows by discharge timing. The repetition number data indicates the number of times that an operation according to the basic discharge data (operation of supplying liquid to a unit area) should be repeated. The timing data indicates the time from the start of scanning of the substrate stage 3 to the first discharge timing. The discharge interval data specifies the discharge interval of droplets in the scanning direction. The discharge interval data indicates, for example, the time from one discharge timing to the next discharge timing. In the example of FIG. 3, the timing data is 400000 microseconds, and the ejection interval data (T1 in FIG. 2) is 200 microseconds.

[0019] 3, the timing data and the discharge interval data are data in the dimension of time, but distance and time can be mutually converted based on the speed at which the substrate stage 3 is scanned. Therefore, for example, the timing data and the discharge interval data may be replaced by distance data. Also, the unit of the timing data does not need to be microseconds, and may be, for example, milliseconds or nanoseconds.

[0020] 4 illustrates an example of the operation of the control unit 11 in the first embodiment. In step S101, the control unit 11 generates the discharge control data illustrated in FIG. 3 based on the pattern (pattern data) of the liquid 4 to be placed on the substrate 2 from a higher-level control device or server and the scanning speed of the substrate stage 3. In step S102, the control unit 11 transmits basic discharge data and repetition number data of the discharge control data to the discharge head 5. In step S103, the control unit 11 causes the driving mechanism 12 to start scanning the substrate stage 3. In step S104, the control unit 11 transmits a discharge timing signal to the discharge head 5 after a time specified by the timing data has elapsed since the start of scanning the substrate stage 3 in step S103. Thereafter, the control unit 11 repeats the transmission of the discharge timing signal in step S104 according to the discharge interval data until it is determined in step S105 that the transmission of the discharge timing signal has been completed a number of times specified by the basic discharge data and the repetition number data. 2 and 3, ejection timing signals L1 to L4, that is, four ejection timing signals, are transmitted from the control unit 11 to the ejection head 5. In the example of FIG.

[0021] FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of the ejection head 5 in the first embodiment. A processor is built into the ejection head 5, and the operation of the ejection head 5 can be controlled by the processor. In step S201, the ejection head 5 sets the value of the parameter i to 0. In step S202, the ejection head 5 reads the first line of the basic ejection data transmitted from the control unit 11 in step S102. In step S203, the ejection head 5 ejects liquid from the nozzle designated by the data read in step S202 in response to an ejection timing signal transmitted from the control unit 11 in step S104. In step S204, the ejection head 5 determines whether the basic ejection data transmitted from the control unit 11 in step S102 has a next line. If there is a next line, in step S205, the ejection head 5 reads the next line of the basic ejection data and returns to step S203. In step S203, in response to a discharge timing signal transmitted from the control unit 11 in step S104, the discharge head 5 discharges liquid to the nozzles designated by the data read in step S205.

[0022] If it is determined in step S204 that there is no next row in the basic discharge data, the discharge head 5 increments the value of i by 1 in step S204 and proceeds to step S207. In step S207, the discharge head 5 determines whether the value of i is smaller than the repetition number data, and if the value of i is smaller than the repetition number data, returns to step S202. In this manner, the operation according to the basic discharge data is repeated the number of times according to the repetition number data. On the other hand, if the value of i is equal to the number of times according to the repetition number data, the discharge head 5 ends the operation.

[0023] In the above description, the control unit 11 transmits the ejection timing signal to the ejection head 5 multiple times, but the control unit 11 may transmit the ejection timing signal to the ejection head 5 only once, and the ejection head 5 may control the ejection timing thereafter. For example, in step S102, the control unit 11 may also transmit the ejection interval data to the ejection head 5, and in step S104, the control unit 11 may transmit the ejection timing signal to the ejection head 5 only once. The subsequent ejection timing may be determined in the ejection head 5 based on the ejection interval data.

[0024] As described above, the size of the data for controlling the discharge head 5 can be reduced by repeating the operation according to the basic discharge data a number of times according to the repetition number data. For example, when controlling the discharge shown in FIG. 2, if control data for all nozzles is individually held for all discharge timings, 44 pieces of data are required, which is the number of nozzles (11 pieces of data) x the number of discharge timings (4 pieces of data). In the first embodiment, when controlling the discharge shown in FIG. 2, the necessary data can be reduced to 23 pieces of data, which is the basic discharge data (22 pieces of data) + the repetition number data (1 piece of data). Also, an example is described here in which the number of repetitions specified by the repetition number data is 2, but even if the number of repetitions is 100, for example, the number of data is 23, and the greater the number of repetitions, the greater the reduction effect.

[0025] Hereinafter, a method for generating the discharge control data will be described by way of example with reference to FIG. 6. In step S001, the control unit 11 determines the position of the substrate stage 3 in the sub-scanning direction (X direction). Here, when liquid is placed in the target area group 202 by only one scan, the center of the nozzle array of the discharge head 5 in the sub-scanning direction and the center of the target area group 202 may be aligned. On the other hand, when liquid is placed in the target area group 202 by multiple scans, the position of the substrate stage 3 in the sub-scanning direction between multiple scans may be determined so that the difference in the number of nozzles capable of discharging liquid to each target area 201 becomes small. For example, the step amount of the substrate stage 3 in the sub-scanning direction between multiple scans may be set to 1.6 times the nozzle pitch of the discharge head 5. For example, if the nozzle pitch is 100 μm and liquid is supplied to the target area group 202 through five scans, the X-direction position of the substrate stage 3 during the multiple scans can be −320 μm, −160 μm, 0 μm, +160 μm, and +320 μm.

[0026] In step S002, the control unit 11 determines the number of rows and columns of the basic ejection data. The number of rows of the basic ejection data may be, for example, the number of target areas 201 in the Y direction divided by an arbitrary number. The arbitrary number may affect the data compression rate and the variation in the amount of liquid arranged between the multiple target areas 201. If the arbitrary number is increased, the data compression rate increases and the data size of the ejection control data decreases, but the number of nozzle combinations used for ejection decreases, and the amount of arrangement may vary. On the other hand, if the arbitrary number is decreased, the data compression rate decreases and the data size of the ejection control data increases, but the number of nozzle combinations used for ejection increases, and the amount of arrangement may be suppressed. If the number of columns of the basic ejection data is, for example, the number of nozzles of each chip constituting the ejection head 5, the efficiency of transmitting the basic ejection data to the chip is good.

[0027] In step S003, the control unit 11 specifies nozzles that can be assigned to each row of the target area 201 based on the position of the target area 201 and the nozzle position. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, the nozzles N2 and N3 can be assigned to the target area 201 in the first row (the leftmost row). The nozzles N5, N6, and N7 can be assigned to the target area 201 in the second row, and the nozzles N9 and N10 can be assigned to the target area 201 in the third row. In step S004, the control unit 11 determines the nozzles to be assigned to each target area 201 based on the results specified in step S003. This determination may be made by randomly selecting a required number of nozzles from the nozzles that can be assigned to the target area, or may be made according to a rule prepared in advance. In step S005, the control unit 11 generates discharge control data based on the results determined in step S004.

[0028] The second embodiment will be described below, but matters not mentioned as the second embodiment may follow the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, a case is considered in which the ejection interval within a target region 201 differs from the ejection interval between adjacent target regions 201. From another perspective, in the second embodiment, a case is considered in which the ejection interval within a unit region differs from the ejection interval between adjacent unit regions.

[0029] Fig. 7 illustrates an example of the configuration of the target area group 202 in the second embodiment. In the example of Fig. 7, liquid is ejected from the ejection head 5 a maximum of two times onto each target area 201 or unit area. Also, in the example of Fig. 7, the interval T1 between the ejection timings L1, L2 assigned to the same target area 201 or unit area is different from the interval T2 between the ejection timings L2, L3 assigned to adjacent target areas 201 or unit areas.

[0030] Fig. 8 illustrates an example of the data structure of the ejection control data that can be generated by the control unit 11 in the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the ejection control data also includes basic ejection data, repetition number data, timing data, and ejection interval data. However, in the second embodiment, the ejection interval data includes a plurality of data. In the example shown in Figs. 7 and 8, T1 is 50 microseconds, T2 is 200 microseconds, and each ejection timing is shown in a separate row.

[0031] The third embodiment will be described below, but matters not mentioned as the third embodiment may follow the first or second embodiment. In the third embodiment, a case where the ejection timing should be adjusted for each unit area is considered. When the substrate 2 is placed on the substrate stage 3, a placement error with respect to the target position may occur. In addition, as the substrate 2 undergoes various manufacturing processes, shape distortion may occur in the X and Y directions. When the substrate 2 has a placement error and / or shape distortion, the relative position between the ejection head 5 and the target area 201 of the substrate 2 deviates from the target relative position. The liquid ejection device 1 may operate to adjust the ejection timing of the liquid from the ejection head 5 based on the placement error and / or shape distortion of the substrate 2 detected using the alignment scope 9.

[0032] Furthermore, the substrate 2 placed on the substrate stage 3 may have a variation in thickness. If the thickness of the substrate 2 deviates from the reference thickness, i.e., if the height of the surface of the substrate 2 deviates from the reference height, the position of the liquid supplied from the discharge head 5 to the substrate 2 will deviate from the target position unless this effect is corrected. Therefore, the liquid discharge device 1 can operate to adjust the discharge timing of the liquid from the discharge head 5 based on the output of the height sensor 10, i.e., based on the height of the surface of the substrate 2.

[0033] 9 illustrates an example of the relationship between a substrate having a target area that is displaced from a reference position and nozzles N1 to N11 of a discharge head 5. Reference numeral 501 indicates a target area 201 that is placed at a reference position, i.e., a designed position. Reference numeral 502 indicates the position of the target area 201 detected using an alignment scope 9. In the example of FIG. 9, the discharge timings L1 and L2 need to be adjusted in the negative direction, and the discharge timings L3 and L4 need to be adjusted in the positive direction.

[0034] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the data structure of the discharge control data that may be generated by the control unit 11 in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the discharge control data includes timing adjustment data in addition to basic discharge data, repetition number data, timing data, and discharge interval data. The control unit 11 can generate the timing adjustment data based on the results detected using the alignment scope 9 and the results detected using the height sensor 10. The timing adjustment data may be generated for each unit area, and may be expressed by dividing each unit area into rows. The sign of the timing adjustment data indicates the direction in which the discharge timing is shifted, with a negative value indicating that correction should be made in the negative Y-axis direction and a positive value indicating that correction should be made in the positive Y-axis direction.

[0035] When the substrate stage 3 is scanned in the negative direction of the Y axis, if the landing position (supply position) of the liquid on the substrate 2 is corrected in the positive direction of the Y axis, the ejection timing is delayed (the ejection timing is made positive). Also, if the landing position of the liquid on the substrate 2 is corrected in the negative direction of the Y axis, the ejection timing is advanced (the ejection timing is made negative). On the other hand, when the substrate stage 3 is scanned in the positive direction of the Y axis, if the landing position of the liquid on the substrate 2 is corrected in the positive direction of the Y axis, the ejection timing is advanced (the ejection timing is made negative). Also, if the landing position of the liquid on the substrate 2 is corrected in the negative direction of the Y axis, the ejection timing is delayed (the ejection timing is made positive). The ejection timing adjustment data may be provided separately for each scanning direction of the substrate stage 3.

[0036] FIG. 11 illustrates an operation related to the adjustment of the ejection timing in the third embodiment. Matters not mentioned here may follow the first embodiment. In step S301, the control unit 11 detects the positions of the multiple marks on the substrate 2 using the alignment scope 9, detects the position and shape of the substrate 2, and determines the correction amount 1 based on the scanning speed of the substrate stage 3 and the unit area as a result. Here, if data is obtained for each of the multiple unit areas, the correction amount 1 may be determined by statistically processing such data. In step S302, the control unit 11 detects the height or height distribution of the substrate 2 using the height sensor 10, and determines the correction amount 2 based on the ejection speed of the liquid from the ejection head 5, the scanning speed of the substrate stage 3, and the unit area as a result. Here, if data is obtained for each of the multiple unit areas, the correction amount 2 may be determined by statistically processing such data. The order of execution of steps S301 and S302 may be reversed. In step S303, the control unit 11 generates timing adjustment data based on the correction amount 1 and the correction amount 2. The correction amount 1 is determined based on the unit area.

[0037] The fourth embodiment will be described below, but matters not mentioned in the fourth embodiment may follow the first to third embodiments. The fourth embodiment takes into consideration a case where the substrate 2 has a plurality of target area groups 202. FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a configuration of a plurality of target area groups 202 in the fourth embodiment. In the example of FIG. 12, the substrate 2 has two target area groups 202, 202 arranged along the scanning direction. Liquid is supplied to one target area group 202 at ejection timings L1 to L4, and liquid is supplied to the other target area group 202 at ejection timings L5 to L8. Between the two target area groups 202, 202, there is a section T2 during which liquid is not ejected from the ejection head 5.

[0038] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a data structure of the discharge control data that may be generated by the control unit 11 in the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the discharge control data includes basic discharge data, repetition number data, timing data, discharge interval data 1, and discharge interval data 2. The discharge interval data 1 defines the discharge interval in each unit area. The discharge interval data 2 defines the discharge interval between unit areas. In the examples of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the discharge interval data 2 includes the discharge interval between unit areas in the target area group 202 and the discharge interval between the target area group 202. The number of data in the discharge interval data 2 is a number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of repetitions indicated by the repetition number data.

[0039] 12 and 13, the interval between the ejection timings L1 to L4 and the interval between the ejection timings L5 to L8 is the interval T1, which is 200 microseconds, and the interval between the ejection timings L4 and L5 is T2, which is 600 microseconds.

[0040] 14 illustrates an example of an operation related to the control of the ejection timing in the fourth embodiment. Matters not mentioned here may follow the first embodiment. In step S401, the control unit 11 transmits an ejection timing signal to the ejection head 5 at a timing according to the timing data after starting scanning of the substrate stage 3. In step S402, the control unit 11 sets the value of the parameter i to a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the row of the basic ejection data. In step S403, the control unit 11 sets the value of the parameter j to 0. In step S404, the control unit 11 transmits an ejection timing signal to the ejection head 5 at a timing according to the ejection interval data 1.

[0041] In step S405, the control unit 11 adds 1 to the value of j, and in step S406, it is determined whether the value of i is smaller than the value of j. If the value of i is smaller than the value of j, the process returns to step S404, and if not, the process proceeds to step S407. In step S407, the control unit 11 determines whether all the ejection intervals defined in the ejection interval data 2 have been processed, and if so, the process ends, and if not, the process proceeds to step S408. In step S408, the control unit 11 transmits an ejection timing signal to the ejection head 5 at a timing according to the ejection interval data 2, and returns to step S403.

[0042] The fifth embodiment will be described below, but matters not mentioned as the fifth embodiment may follow the first to forty-third embodiments. In the fifth embodiment, the control unit 11 controls the ejection head 5 so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head 5 according to data in a specified range of the basic ejection data is repeated according to the repetition number data. For example, the control unit 11 controls the ejection head so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head 5 according to data in a specified range for each unit area of ​​the basic ejection data is repeated according to the repetition number data.

[0043] An example of a discharge pattern in the fifth embodiment is shown in Fig. 15. In the example of Fig. 15, there are 11 discharge timings, L1 to L11, and discharge is performed from one of N1 to N5 at each discharge timing. Also, in the example of Fig. 15, discharge is performed from nozzle N3 at the first discharge timing L1, and discharge is performed from nozzle N3 at the last discharge timing L11.

[0044] FIG. 16 illustrates an example of the data structure of the discharge control data that can be generated by the control unit 11 in the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the discharge control data includes basic discharge data, repetition number data, timing data, discharge interval data, and range designation data. The range designation data designates which range of the basic discharge data is to be used in the repetition. The first line (3,5) of the range designation data indicates the start line (=3) and end line (=5) for defining the first unit area of ​​the basic discharge data, and both are separated by a comma. In other words, the first line of the basic discharge data means that the third to fifth lines of the basic discharge data are used to define the first unit area.

[0045] The second line of the range specification data indicates the start line (=1) and end line (=5) for defining the second unit area of ​​the basic discharge data, and the two are separated by a comma. In other words, the second line of the basic discharge data (1,5) means that lines 1 to 5 of the basic discharge data are used to define the second unit area. The third line of the range specification data (1,3) indicates the start line (=1) and end line (=3) for defining the third unit area of ​​the basic discharge data, and the two are separated by a comma. In other words, the third line of the basic discharge data (1,3) means that lines 1 to 3 of the basic discharge data are used to define the third unit area.

[0046] 17 illustrates an example of the operation of the discharge head 5 in the fifth embodiment. Basic discharge data, repetition number data, and range designation data are transmitted in advance from the control unit 11 to the discharge head 5. In step S501, the discharge head 5 reads the data of the start line and end line that designate the range of the basic discharge data from the line designated by the pointer in the range designation data, and sets the value of the start line to parameter i and the value of the end line to parameter j. Here, when step S501 is executed for the kth time, the value of the pointer is k. For example, when step S501 is executed for the first time (initial time), the value of the pointer is 1.

[0047] In step S502, the ejection head 5 reads the i-th row of the basic ejection data. In step S503, the ejection head 5 adds 1 to the value of i. In step S504, in response to the ejection timing signal sent from the control unit 11, the ejection head 5 ejects liquid from the nozzles according to the data read in step S503. In step S505, the ejection head 5 determines whether j < i. If so, it proceeds to step S502; otherwise, it proceeds to step S506. In step S506, the ejection head 5 determines whether it has executed the processes of steps S501 to S505 for the number of repetitions indicated by the repetition number data. If so, it ends the series of processes; otherwise, it returns to step S501.

[0048] Hereinafter, an article manufacturing method for manufacturing an article using the liquid ejection device 1 will be described. The article manufacturing method may include, for example, an arranging step of arranging droplets on a substrate using the liquid ejection device 1, and a step of processing the substrate on which the droplets are arranged to obtain an article. The article may be, for example, an organic EL (OLED) panel. In the arranging step, droplets of ink, for example, a solution (a solution containing a solute and a solvent for forming an organic film), may be arranged or supplied onto the substrate. The processing step may include, for example, a drying step of drying the droplets on the substrate by a reduced-pressure drying device. Further, the processing step may include other well-known steps (such as firing, cooling, dehumidification, dry cleaning, formation of electrodes, formation of a sealing film, etc.). The article manufacturing method of the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to the conventional method.

[0049] The present disclosure includes the following. (Item 1) A liquid ejection device that supplies liquid to a plurality of target regions provided on a substrate, An ejection head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid, A drive mechanism that scans the ejection head and the substrate relative to each other, a control unit that controls the ejection head so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with basic ejection data for controlling ejection of liquid from the ejection head to a unit area constituted by at least one target area is repeated in accordance with repetition number data; the plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of the plurality of target regions; A liquid ejection device comprising: (Item 2) the basic ejection data controls ejection of liquid from the plurality of nozzles so that liquid is supplied to each of the plurality of target regions by at least one of at least two nozzles constituting a nozzle group assigned to the target region; 2. The liquid ejection device according to item 1, (Item 3) Each of the plurality of target areas is a recess provided in the substrate. 3. The liquid ejection device according to item 1 or 2. (Item 4) The unit area is composed of one target area. 4. The liquid ejection device according to item 3, (Item 5) The unit area is composed of at least two target areas. 4. The liquid ejection device according to item 3, (Item 6) The control unit further controls the ejection head based on ejection interval data for controlling an ejection interval of droplets. 6. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 5, (Item 7) the ejection interval data includes data for controlling an ejection interval within the unit area; 7. The liquid ejection device according to item 6, (Item 8) the ejection interval data includes data for controlling an ejection interval between the adjacent unit regions; 8. The liquid ejection device according to item 6 or 7, (Item 9) the control unit adjusts the ejection timing of the droplets for each of the unit areas based on timing adjustment data for adjusting the ejection timing of the droplets for each of the unit areas. 9. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 8, (Item 10) the control unit controls the ejection head so as to repeat an operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with a specified range of the basic ejection data in accordance with the repetition number data. 10. The liquid ejection device according to any one of items 1 to 9. (Item 11) the control unit controls the ejection head so as to repeat an operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with data within a range designated for each unit region among the basic ejection data in accordance with the repetition number data. 11. The liquid ejection device according to item 10. (Item 12) A liquid ejection method for supplying liquid to a plurality of target areas provided on a substrate, comprising the steps of: a control step of controlling the ejection head so as to repeat an operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with basic ejection data for controlling ejection of liquid from the ejection head to a unit area constituted by at least one target area in accordance with repetition number data; the ejection head has a plurality of nozzles, and the plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of the plurality of target regions; A liquid ejection method comprising: (Item 13) Each of the plurality of target areas is a recess provided in the substrate. 13. A liquid ejection method according to item 12, characterized in that (Item 14) A step of disposing a liquid on a substrate according to the liquid ejection method according to item 12 or 13; processing the substrate on which the liquid is disposed to obtain an article; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: (Item 15) A data structure for controlling a liquid ejection device, comprising: the liquid ejection device includes an ejection head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid, a drive mechanism for scanning the ejection head and a substrate relative to each other, and a control unit for controlling the ejection head, and is configured to supply liquid to a plurality of target regions provided on the substrate; the data structure includes basic ejection data for controlling ejection of liquid from the ejection head to a unit area formed by at least one target area, and repetition number data; the liquid ejection device controlled by the data structure controls the ejection head so as to repeat an operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with the basic ejection data in accordance with the repetition number data; the plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to each of the plurality of target regions; 1. A data structure comprising:

[0050] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1: liquid ejection device, 2: substrate, 3: substrate stage, 4: liquid, 5: ejection head, 11: control unit, 12: driving mechanism

Claims

1. A liquid ejection device that supplies liquid to a substrate, a discharge head having a plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid; a drive mechanism that scans the ejection head and the substrate relatively; a control unit that controls the ejection head so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with basic ejection data for controlling the ejection of liquid from the ejection head to a unit area made up of a plurality of target areas including a first target area and a second target area is repeated in accordance with repetition number data; the plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to the first target area and the second target area; the control unit controls the nozzle group so as to change the ejection pattern of the nozzle group between the first target area and the second target area. A liquid ejection device characterized by:

2. the basic ejection data controls ejection of liquid from the plurality of nozzles so that liquid is supplied to each of the plurality of target areas by at least one of at least two nozzles constituting a nozzle group assigned to the target area; The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

3. each of the plurality of target areas is a recess provided in the substrate; The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

4. the control unit further controls the ejection head based on ejection interval data for controlling the ejection interval of droplets. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

5. the ejection interval data includes data for controlling the ejection interval within the unit area; 5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 4.

6. the ejection interval data includes data for controlling the ejection interval between the adjacent unit areas; 6. The liquid ejection device according to claim 5.

7. the control unit adjusts the ejection timing of the droplets for each of the unit areas based on timing adjustment data for adjusting the ejection timing of the droplets for each of the unit areas.

7. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the ejection head is a nozzle.

8. the control unit controls the ejection head so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head is repeated in accordance with the repetition number data in accordance with data within a specified range of the basic ejection data.

7. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the ejection head is a nozzle.

9. the control unit controls the ejection head so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head is repeated in accordance with the repetition number data in accordance with data within a range designated for each unit area among the basic ejection data.

9. The liquid ejection device according to claim 8.

10. A liquid ejection method for supplying liquid to a substrate, comprising: a control step of controlling the ejection head so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with basic ejection data for controlling ejection of liquid from the ejection head to a unit area made up of a plurality of target areas including a first target area and a second target area is repeated in accordance with repetition number data; the ejection head has a plurality of nozzles, and the plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to the first target area and the second target area; In the control step, the nozzle group is controlled so that the ejection pattern of the nozzle group is changed between the first target area and the second target area. A liquid ejection method comprising:

11. each of the plurality of target areas is a recess provided in the substrate; The liquid ejection method according to claim 10 .

12. disposing a liquid on a substrate according to the liquid ejection method of claim 10 or 11; processing the substrate on which the liquid is disposed to obtain an article; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

13. A data structure for controlling a liquid ejection device, comprising: the liquid ejection device is configured to include an ejection head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid, a drive mechanism for relatively scanning the ejection head and a substrate, and a control unit for controlling the ejection head, and to supply liquid to the substrate; the data structure includes basic ejection data for controlling ejection of liquid from the ejection head onto a unit area configured of a plurality of target areas including a first target area and a second target area, and repetition number data; the liquid ejection device controlled by the data structure controls the ejection head so that the operation of ejecting liquid from the ejection head in accordance with the basic ejection data is repeated in accordance with the repetition number data; the plurality of nozzles are arranged such that a nozzle group consisting of at least two nozzles is assigned to the first target area and the second target area; the liquid ejection device controlled by the data structure controls the nozzle group so as to change the ejection pattern of the nozzle group between the first target area and the second target area; 1. A data structure comprising:

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