Liquid supply device, article manufacturing method, and control method

JP2025034098APending Publication Date: 2025-03-13CANON KK
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Application Number
JP2023140266
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-08-30
Publication Date
2025-03-13

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【0010】 本発明によれば、例えば、基板上に液体を供給する液体供給装置のスループットの点で有利な技術を提供することができる。

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Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous in throughput of a liquid supply device for supplying a liquid onto a substrate.SOLUTION: A liquid supply device for supplying a liquid onto a substrate comprises: a head that has a discharge element that discharges the liquid as droplets; a control unit that controls processing for supplying the droplets onto the substrate by moving the substrate in one direction with respect to the head and causing the discharge element to discharge the droplets; and a measurement unit that measures an adhesion state of the droplets on the substrate. The control unit controls movement of the substrate so as to move the substrate without stopping it even after the end of the processing and stop the substrate at a measurement position where the adhesion state can be measured by the measurement unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In recent years, when manufacturing various functional elements, attempts have been made to form patterns on a substrate (patterning) using a liquid supplying device that supplies (applies) the liquid that will be the material of the functional element as droplets onto the substrate by an inkjet method. Patterning using such a liquid supplying device has the advantages of being highly efficient in use of materials because it allows on-demand patterning, being a non-vacuum process that allows the manufacturing device to be relatively small, and being able to coat a large area at high speed. For example, a liquid supplying device can be used to manufacture a display device such as a flat panel display.

[0003] Meanwhile, various display methods have been proposed for display devices, and in recent years, the development of display devices using organic EL elements has been actively promoted. Since the organic EL material for producing the organic EL elements is expensive, a liquid supplying device that is efficient in material usage and capable of applying a large area at high speed may be used. Recently, a color conversion section containing a quantum dot material or a display device having quantum dots as a light-emitting element has been attracting attention. For example, a liquid supplying device that ejects liquid such as ink as droplets from an ejection hole (nozzle) may be used to produce a color conversion section containing a quantum dot material.

[0004] In the liquid supplying device, for example, ink viscosity increases due to evaporation of the ink solvent, air bubbles are mixed in the discharge holes, and discharge defects such as the inability to discharge droplets from the discharge holes, changes in the discharge amount and discharge speed from the discharge holes, or a deviation in the discharge angle may occur. When such discharge abnormalities occur, it becomes difficult to supply droplets onto the substrate with high accuracy, which may lead to a decrease in the quality of the display device manufactured by the liquid supplying device. Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose a technique for measuring the landing position of ink discharged onto a workpiece and controlling the discharge of ink based on the measurement results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5495528 [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-5758 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In liquid supplying devices, there is a demand for improved throughput, and it is desirable to be able to efficiently measure the adhesion state of droplets on a substrate (eg, the landing position, etc.).

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that is advantageous in terms of throughput of a liquid supplying apparatus that supplies liquid onto a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a liquid supplying device as one aspect of the present invention is a liquid supplying device that supplies liquid onto a substrate, and includes: a head having an ejection element that ejects the liquid as droplets; a control unit that controls a process of supplying the droplets onto the substrate by causing the ejection element to eject the droplets while moving the substrate in one direction relative to the head; and a measurement unit that measures an adhesion state of the droplets on the substrate, wherein the control unit controls the movement of the substrate so that the substrate continues to move without stopping even after the process is completed, and the substrate is stopped at a measurement position where the adhesion state can be measured by the measurement unit.

[0009] Further objects and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a technique that is advantageous in terms of the throughput of a liquid supplying apparatus that supplies liquid onto a substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a liquid supply device according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of a liquid supply device. [Diagram 3] Schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining movement of a substrate in a liquid supplying device; [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a speed profile of a substrate from the start of a first supply process until the substrate is placed at a measurement position; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state before the start of a first supply process in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the first supply process is completed and the substrate is stopped at a measurement position in the first embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an adhesion state of ink droplets being supplied to an evaluation area by multiple supply processes in the first embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the first supply process is completed and the substrate is stopped at a measurement position in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the first supply process is completed and the substrate is stopped at a measurement position in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a liquid supply device according to a second embodiment; [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state before the start of a supply process in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the supply process of moving the substrate in the +Y direction relative to the discharge head is completed and the substrate is stopped at the measurement position in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a supply process for moving the substrate in the −Y direction relative to the discharge head is completed and the substrate is stopped at a measurement position in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an adhesion state of ink droplets being supplied to an evaluation area by multiple supply processes in the third embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] 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.

[0013] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are shown in an XYZ coordinate system in which a plane parallel to a surface on which a substrate is placed is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, respectively, and the rotation around the X-axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control and drive (movement) regarding the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis respectively mean control or drive (movement) regarding the direction parallel to the X-axis, the direction parallel to the Y axis, and the direction parallel to the Z axis. In addition, control or drive regarding the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis respectively mean control or drive regarding the rotation around an axis parallel to the X-axis, the rotation around an axis parallel to the Y axis, and the rotation around an axis parallel to the Z axis.

[0014] First Embodiment With reference to FIG. 1, the basic configuration and operation principle of a liquid supplying device 1 (liquid ejection device, inkjet device) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The liquid supplying device 1 is a device that supplies (applies) a liquid, which is a material of a functional element, onto a substrate to form a pattern, and functions as a substrate processing device that processes substrates such as display panels and semiconductors. For example, the liquid supplying device 1 can be used to manufacture display devices such as flat panel displays and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) devices. The liquid supplied onto the substrate is used to form a pattern or film on the substrate, and may be referred to as "ink" below. There is no particular limitation on the components of the ink, but for example, a liquid containing a solute and a solvent for forming an organic film can be used as the ink.

[0015] The liquid supplying apparatus 1 of the present embodiment may include a substrate stage 3 that holds and moves the substrate 2, a discharge head 5 having discharge elements 51 that discharge ink droplets 4, a measurement unit 8 that measures the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 on the substrate 2, and a control unit 11. The liquid supplying apparatus 1 performs a supply process of supplying (disposing) the ink droplets 4 on the substrate 2 by causing the discharge head 5 (discharge elements 51) to discharge the ink droplets 4 while moving the substrate 2 in one direction (Y direction in this embodiment) relative to the discharge head 5. This supply process is performed once or multiple times for the substrate 2. This makes it possible to supply multiple ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2 in a desired distribution.

[0016] The substrate stage 3 is configured to hold and move a substrate 2 such as a display panel. The substrate stage 3 may be understood as a substrate driving mechanism for driving the substrate 2. The substrate 2 may be a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or the like, as appropriate, depending on the target product to be manufactured. The substrate 2 is typically a plate-shaped member, but is not limited to a specific shape as long as it can function as a base, and may be, for example, a deformable film or a circular substrate. The substrate 2 is provided with a pixel area 201 for supplying ink to form an array of a large number of display pixels, and an evaluation area 202 to which ink is supplied on a trial basis to evaluate (measure) the adhesion state of the ink. The pixel area 201 is a region (first region) of the substrate 2 where a pattern as a functional element is to be formed. The evaluation area 202 is a region (second region) adjacent to the pixel area 201 in the direction of movement of the substrate 2 in the supply process.

[0017] The ejection head 5 is configured to be able to eject ink droplets 4 toward the substrate 2. The ejection head 5 has a plurality of ejection elements 51 (ejection units) that eject the ink droplets 4, and the ejection of the ink droplets 4 in each ejection element 51 is individually controlled by the control unit 11. Each ejection element 51 may include, for example, a liquid chamber having an ejection hole, and a piezoelectric element that applies pressure to the liquid chamber according to a drive signal from the control unit 11 to eject the ink droplets 4 from the ejection hole. By arranging such ejection elements 51 in the X direction and the Y direction, the ink droplets 4 can be supplied to the pixel area 201 of the substrate 2 in a desired distribution. Here, the liquid supply device 1 may further include an ink tank 7 that stores ink, and an ink supply system 6 that supplies ink from the ink tank 7 to the ejection head 5. In the example of FIG. 1, the ink tank 7 is provided inside the liquid supply device 1, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided outside the liquid supply device 1. The liquid supply device 1 may also include a recovery unit 9 that performs a cleaning process or the like on the ejection head 5 to recover the ejection characteristics.

[0018] The measurement unit 8 is provided on the side of the ejection head 5 in the moving direction of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) in the supply process, and measures the adhesion state (landing state) of the ink droplets 4 on the substrate 2. The measurement unit 8 has, for example, an imaging unit that images the ink droplets 4 on the substrate 2, and measures at least one of the presence, position, and size of the ink droplets 4 on the substrate 2 as the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 based on the image obtained by the imaging unit. In the case of this embodiment, in the supply process, the ink droplets 4 are supplied not only to the pixel area 201 of the substrate 2 but also to the evaluation area 202, and the measurement unit 8 measures the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 on the evaluation area 202 (on the second region) for each ejection element 51. Then, the control unit 11 evaluates the substrate 2 to which the ink droplets 4 have been supplied by the ejection head 5, and / or detects abnormalities in each ejection element 51 in the ejection head 5, based on the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 on the evaluation area 202 measured by the measurement unit 8. In this embodiment, the evaluation area 202 is provided on the substrate 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the evaluation area 202 may be provided on the substrate stage 3 (for example, outside the substrate 2).

[0019] Here, placement error may occur when the substrate 2 is mounted on the substrate stage 3. Furthermore, as the substrate 2 undergoes various manufacturing processes, shape distortion may occur in the substrate 2 in the XY directions. For this reason, the liquid supplying device 1 may be provided with an alignment scope (not shown) that measures the position and distortion amount of the substrate 2. Furthermore, the substrate 2 held by the substrate stage 3 has a variation in thickness, and when the ink droplets 4 are discharged from the discharge head 5 while the substrate stage 3 is moving, the variation in thickness of the substrate 2 may cause variation in the adhesion positions (landing positions) of the ink droplets 4 on the substrate 2. For this reason, the liquid supplying device 1 may be provided with a height sensor (not shown) that measures the position (height) of the substrate 2 in the Z direction.

[0020] The control unit 11 is configured by a computer (information processing device) having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a memory, and controls each unit of the liquid supplying device 1 to centrally control patterning on the substrate 2. The control unit 11 of this embodiment can control the ejection of ink droplets 4 from each ejection element 51 of the ejection head 5, the measurement of the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 on the substrate 2 by the measurement unit 8, and the movement of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3). Note that the control unit 11 may be configured by, for example, a PLD (abbreviation for Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation for Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a general-purpose computer with a built-in program, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0021] Next, an operational sequence of liquid supplying apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the operational sequence of liquid supplying apparatus 1. The flowchart in Fig. 2 can be executed by control unit 11.

[0022] In step S101, the control unit 11 controls a substrate transport device (not shown) to transport the substrate 2 into the liquid supply device 1. Specifically, the control unit 11 controls a substrate transport device (not shown) to transport the substrate 2 onto the substrate stage 3, and causes the substrate stage 3 to hold the substrate 2. Next, in step S102, the control unit 11 performs a recovery determination for each ejection element 51 of the ejection head 5. The recovery determination is to determine whether or not an ejection abnormality occurs in each ejection element 51 of the ejection head 5, that is, whether or not a recovery process needs to be performed for each ejection element 51. If there is an ejection element 51 that is determined to have an ejection abnormality in this recovery determination, the process proceeds to step S103, and the control unit 11 performs a recovery process for each ejection element 51 of the ejection head 5. The recovery process may include, for example, a process of recovering the ejection characteristics of the ejection head 5 by performing a cleaning process or the like on the ejection head 5 by the recovery unit 9.

[0023] In step S104, the control unit 11 measures the position and distortion amount of the substrate 2 (alignment measurement) using an alignment scope (not shown). When performing alignment measurement on the entire surface of the substrate 2, the substrate stage 3 moves the substrate 2 relatively to the alignment scope. Next, in step S105, the control unit 11 measures the height of the substrate 2 using a height sensor (not shown). When performing height measurement on the entire surface of the substrate 2, the substrate stage 3 moves the substrate 2 relatively to the height sensor. Note that the order of the alignment measurement in step S104 and the height measurement in step S105 may be reversed. Information regarding the position, distortion amount, and height of the substrate 2 obtained by the alignment measurement and height measurement is stored, for example, in a memory in the control unit 11.

[0024] In step S106, the control unit 11 generates discharge control information based on information obtained by the alignment measurement and height measurement as well as information indicating a target supply distribution of the ink droplets 4 in the pixel area 201 and the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2. The discharge control information is information that specifies the movement profile of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) in the supply process and the discharge timing of the ink droplets 4 from the discharge head 5 (each discharge element 51). The movement profile of the substrate 2 may include, for example, a position profile, a speed profile, an acceleration profile, etc. of the substrate 2. In addition, the target supply distribution may be generated based on pixel data that includes information such as the pixel arrangement and pixel size formed on the substrate.

[0025] In step S107, the control unit 11 performs a recovery determination for each ejection element 51 of the ejection head 5. If the recovery determination determines that there is an ejection element 51 that has been determined to have an ejection abnormality, the process proceeds to step S108, where the control unit 11 executes a recovery process for each ejection element 51 of the ejection head 5. Steps S107 to S108 are the same processes as steps S102 to S103 described above.

[0026] In step S109, the control unit 11 performs a supply process on the substrate 2. As described above, the supply process is a process of supplying the ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2 by discharging the ink droplets 4 from each discharge element 51 while moving the substrate 2 in one direction relative to the discharge head 5, and is performed based on the discharge control information generated in step S106. By such a supply process, a large number of functional elements (pixels) to which the ink droplets 4 are respectively supplied can be formed on the substrate 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the substrate 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the surface 101 of the substrate is provided with a pixel area 201 to which the ink droplets 4 are supplied to form a large number of functional elements 102 (patterns), and an evaluation area 202 to which the ink droplets 4 are supplied on a trial basis in order to evaluate (measure) the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4. The evaluation area 202 is disposed adjacent to the pixel area 201 in the movement direction (Y direction) of the substrate 2 in the supply process. It should be noted that since FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram, only 7×5 functional elements 102 are shown, but in reality, a very large number of functional elements can be formed.

[0027] In step S110, the control unit 11 causes the measurement unit 8 to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 that has undergone the supply process (measurement process). Next, in step S111, the control unit 11 evaluates the supply process based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 8 in step S110. The evaluation of the supply process may include evaluation of the substrate 2 to which the ink droplets 4 have been supplied by the discharge head 5, and / or detection of an abnormality in each discharge element 51 in the discharge head 5. A subsequent recovery judgment (step S107) may be made based on the evaluation result in this step S111.

[0028] In step S112, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a predetermined number of supply processes have been completed for the substrate 2. If the predetermined number of supply processes has not been completed, the process returns to step S107, and if the predetermined number of supply processes has been completed, the process proceeds to step S113. In step S113, the control unit 11 controls a substrate transport device (not shown) to transport the substrate 2 out of the liquid supply device 1 (on the substrate stage 3).

[0029] Incidentally, there is a demand for improved throughput in the liquid supplying apparatus 1, and it is desirable to efficiently measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2. Specifically, if it is possible to shorten the time required from the end of the supplying process (S109) to the start of measurement (S110) of the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202, this can be advantageous in terms of the throughput of the liquid supplying apparatus 1. Therefore, the liquid supplying apparatus 1 of this embodiment controls the movement of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) without stopping it even after the end of the supplying process, and stops the substrate 2 at a measurement position where the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 can be measured by the measurement unit 8.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the movement of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) in the liquid supplying device 1 of this embodiment. Below, an example in which the supplying process (S109) is performed multiple times on the substrate 2 will be described, but the supplying process may be performed only once on the substrate 2. The multiple supplying processes may include a first supplying process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the +Y direction (first direction) relative to the ejection head 5, and a second supplying process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the -Y direction (second direction opposite to the first direction) relative to the ejection head 5. The first supplying process may be understood as the n-th supplying process, and the second supplying process may be understood as the (n+1)-th supplying process performed following the first supplying process. In addition, between the first supplying process and the second supplying process, a measuring process (S110) is performed in which the measuring unit 8 measures the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 that has been subjected to the first supplying process.

[0031] FIG. 4(a) shows a state in which the first supply process is being performed. In the first supply process, the substrate 2 is moved in the +Y direction (first direction) relative to the discharge head 5 by the substrate stage 3 so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the pixel area 201 and the evaluation area 202 on the substrate 2, while the discharge elements 51 are caused to discharge the ink droplets 4. After the first supply process is completed, the measurement process is performed. FIG. 4(b) shows a state in which the measurement process is being performed. In the measurement process, the measurement unit 8 measures the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 in a state in which the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is disposed at a measurement position where the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 on the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 can be measured by the measurement unit 8. The measurement position may be understood as a target stop position at which the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is stopped so that the ink droplets 4 on the evaluation area 202 are disposed within the measurement range (imaging field) of the measurement unit 8. The measurement position can be determined based on the discharge control information (target supply distribution) generated in the above-mentioned step S106.

[0032] Here, in the liquid supplying device 1 of this embodiment, even after the first supplying process is completed, the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) continues to move in the +Y direction (first direction) without stopping, and the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position where the measurement process is performed. In other words, the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is moved without stopping from the start of the first supplying process until the substrate 2 is placed at the measurement position. The measurement position can be set on a line (straight line) that is a linear extension of the movement path (movement direction) of the substrate 2 in the first supplying process. This can be advantageous in terms of throughput, since the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 supplied onto the evaluation area 202 can be efficiently measured after the first supplying process is completed.

[0033] Fig. 5 shows an example of a speed profile of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) from the start of the first supply process to the time when the substrate 2 is disposed at the measurement position. In Fig. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the position of the substrate 2 in the Y direction, and the vertical axis indicates the moving speed of the substrate 2. In the example of Fig. 5(a), the supply of ink droplets 4 to the evaluation area 202 is performed while the substrate 2 is moving at a constant speed, and after the supply of ink droplets to the evaluation area 202 is completed, the deceleration of the substrate 2 begins and the substrate 2 is disposed at the measurement position. On the other hand, in the example of Fig. 5(b), the supply of ink droplets 4 to the evaluation area 202 is performed while the substrate 2 is decelerating, and the substrate 2 is disposed at the measurement position.

[0034] Furthermore, the measurement results from the measurement process may be used to evaluate the first supply process in step S111 described above. The evaluation of the first supply process may include evaluation of the substrate 2 to which the ink droplets 4 are supplied by the discharge head 5, and / or detection of an abnormality in each discharge element 51 in the discharge head 5. The evaluation of the first supply process may be fed back to the second supply process, or may be fed back to a supply process for a subsequent substrate.

[0035] When the measurement process is completed, the second supply process is started. Fig. 4(c) shows the state in which the second supply process is being performed. In the second supply process, the substrate 2 is moved in the -Y direction (second direction) relative to the discharge head 5 by the substrate stage 3, so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the pixel area 201 and the evaluation area 202 on the substrate 2, while the ink droplets 4 are discharged from each discharge element 51. Note that, if the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the pixel area 201 in the desired distribution and volume only by the first supply process, the second supply process may be omitted.

[0036] Next, the first supply process and the measurement process will be described in detail with reference to Figures 6 to 7. Figures 6 to 7 are diagrams that diagrammatically show the ejection head 5, the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8, the substrate 2 (pixel area 201, evaluation area 202), and the substrate stage 3 when the liquid supply device 1 is viewed from above (in the +Z direction).

[0037] 6 shows a state before the start of the first supply process in the liquid supplying device 1 of this embodiment. The discharge head 5 is provided with a plurality of discharge elements 51 (discharge holes). In the first supply process, some of the plurality of discharge elements 51 can be selected as specific discharge elements 51a that discharge ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2.

[0038] The liquid supplying device 1 supplies ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2 by specific ejection elements 51a selected from among the multiple ejection elements 51 in the ejection head 5 while moving the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) relatively to the ejection head 5. The specific ejection elements 51a can be selected and controlled to supply ink droplets 4 to target supply positions on the substrate 2. The target supply positions are positions in the pixel area 201 and evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 to which the ink droplets 4 should be supplied. In the pixel area 201, the target supply positions can be set within each functional element 102.

[0039] The specific ejection elements 51a to be used in the first supply process and the droplet ejection timing of each specific ejection element 51a for supplying ink droplets 4 to a target supply position on the substrate 2 are specified by the ejection control information generated in step S106. As described above, in this embodiment, the ejection of ink droplets 4 from each specific ejection element 51a onto the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 may be performed while the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is moving at a constant speed or decelerating. This improves the degree of freedom in setting the droplet ejection timing of each specific ejection element 51a.

[0040] FIG. 7 shows a state in which the first supply process is completed in the liquid supply device 1 of this embodiment and the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is stopped at the measurement position. As described above, in the liquid supply device 1 of this embodiment, even after the first supply process is completed, the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is not stopped but continues to be moved in the +Y direction (first direction) and the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position where the measurement process is performed. This makes it possible to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 more efficiently than when the substrate 2 is stopped once at the end of the first supply process and then moved to the measurement position. Also, the measurement process is performed with the substrate 2 stopped at the measurement position as shown in FIG. 7. Then, the first supply process is evaluated based on the measurement result of the measurement process.

[0041] Next, the evaluation of the supply process will be described. While Fig. 7 described above shows the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 by one supply process (first supply process), here, the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 by multiple supply processes will be described. Fig. 8 shows an example of the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 being supplied to the evaluation area 202 by multiple supply processes. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, multiple supply processes can be controlled so that the positions of the ink droplets 4 supplied onto the evaluation area 202 by multiple supply processes differ from each other in the movement direction (Y direction) of the substrate 2.

[0042] FIG. 8(a) shows the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 after the p-th supply process. The p-th supply process is controlled so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the first target supply position P1 of the evaluation area 202 in the moving direction (Y direction) of the substrate 2. Then, even after the p-th supply process is completed, the substrate 2 is moved continuously without being stopped, and the substrate 2 is stopped so that the ink droplets 4a supplied to the first target supply position P1 of the evaluation area 202 are within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8. In this case, the position of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) that can accommodate the ink droplets 4a supplied to the first target supply position P1 of the evaluation area 202 within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8 is set as the "measurement position". In this state, the control unit 11 can evaluate the p-th supply process based on the measurement result by having the measurement unit 8 measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 at the first target supply position P1. The evaluation of the p-th supply process may be fed back to the subsequent supply process, or may simply be stored in the storage unit of the control unit 11.

[0043] FIG. 8(b) shows the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 after the q-th (q>p) supply process. The q-th supply process is controlled so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the second target supply position P2 of the evaluation area 202 in the moving direction (Y direction) of the substrate 2. Then, even after the q-th supply process is completed, the substrate 2 is moved continuously without being stopped, and the substrate 2 is stopped so that the ink droplets 4b supplied to the second target supply position P2 of the evaluation area 202 are within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8. In this case, the position of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) that can accommodate the ink droplets 4b supplied to the second target supply position P2 of the evaluation area 202 within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8 is set as the "measurement position". In this state, the control unit 11 causes the measurement unit 8 to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 at the second target supply position P2, and can evaluate the q-th supply process based on the measurement result. The evaluation of the q-th supply process may be fed back to the subsequent supply process, or may simply be stored in the storage unit of the control unit 11.

[0044] FIG. 8(c) shows the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 after the r-th (r>q) supply process. The r-th supply process is controlled so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the third target supply position P3 of the evaluation area 202 in the moving direction (Y direction) of the substrate 2. Then, even after the r-th supply process is completed, the substrate 2 is not stopped but continues to move, and the substrate 2 is stopped so that the ink droplets 4c supplied to the third target supply position P3 of the evaluation area 202 are within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8. In this case, the position of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) that can accommodate the ink droplets 4c supplied to the third target supply position P3 of the evaluation area 202 within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8 is set as the "measurement position". In this state, the control unit 11 causes the measurement unit 8 to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 at the third target supply position P3, and can evaluate the r-th supply process based on the measurement result. The evaluation of the rth supply process may be fed back to the subsequent supply process, or may simply be stored in the storage unit of the control unit 11.

[0045] 8, the target supply position of the evaluation area 202 is changed for each supply process. Then, the measurement position at which the substrate 2 is stopped in order for the measurement unit 8 to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplet 4 is changed according to the target supply position of the evaluation area 202 for each supply process. According to this example, the adhesion state (at least one of the presence / absence, position, and size of the ink droplet 4) can be measured for each ink droplet 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202, so that the supply process can be evaluated with high accuracy. In addition, it is also possible to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplet 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 in a past supply process again, for example, by measuring the adhesion state of the ink droplet 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 in the pth supply process again after the rth supply process or later.

[0046] Next, the evaluation of the supply process will be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. As described above, the evaluation of the supply process can include evaluation of the substrate 2 to which the ink droplets 4 are supplied by the ejection head 5, and / or detection of abnormalities in each ejection element 51 in the ejection head 5.

[0047] FIG. 9 shows a state in which the first supply process is completed and the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is stopped at the measurement position, similarly to FIG. 7. In this state, it is assumed that the measurement unit 8 measures the adhesion state of the ink droplet 4 in the evaluation area 202, and as a result, the ink droplet 4 corresponding to one specific discharge element 51ax among the specific discharge elements 51a is not measured. In this case, the control unit 11 can detect the specific discharge element 51ax as a discharge element 51 having a discharge abnormality (non-discharge) of the ink droplet 4 based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 8. In addition, the control unit 11 can estimate that the ink droplet 4 is not supplied to the target supply position (functional element 102x) in the pixel area 201 where the ink droplet 4 should be supplied using the specific discharge element 51ax in which the discharge abnormality is detected. In other words, it is possible to evaluate the substrate 2 that has undergone the supply process by assuming that the target supply position (functional element 102x) where the ink droplet 4 is not supplied is the substrate 2 present in the pixel area 201.

[0048] Here, there are cases where the dimensions of the ink droplet 4 on the evaluation area 202 measured by the measurement unit 8 are smaller than the threshold value. Even in this case, the control unit 11 can detect the specific ejection element 51a corresponding to that ink droplet 4 as an ejection element 51 having an ejection abnormality (insufficient ejection amount) of the ink droplet 4. Furthermore, the control unit 11 can evaluate the substrate 2 that has undergone the supply process by assuming that the substrate 2 has a target supply position (functional element 102) in the pixel area 201 where the supply amount of the ink droplet 4 is less than the specified amount.

[0049] FIG. 10 shows a state in which the first supply process is completed and the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is stopped at the measurement position, similarly to FIG. 7. In this state, the measurement unit 8 measures the adhesion state of the ink droplet 4 on the evaluation area 202, and the deviation amount dX between the adhesion position and the target supply position for the ink droplet 4 corresponding to one specific ejection element 51ay among the specific ejection elements 51a is equal to or greater than a specified value. In this case, the control unit 11 can detect the specific ejection element 51ay as an ejection element 51 having an ejection abnormality (ejection deviation, ejection angle deviation) of the ink droplet 4 based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 8. In addition, the control unit 11 can estimate that the ink droplet 4 supplied using the specific ejection element 51ay in which the ejection abnormality was detected is attached at a deviation from the target supply position (functional element 102y) of the pixel area 201. In other words, the substrate 2 that has undergone the supply process can be evaluated by assuming that the deviation of the adhesion position of the ink droplet 4 is the substrate 2 present in the pixel area 201.

[0050] The evaluation result of the supply process may be stored in the storage unit of the control unit 11. When the supply process is performed multiple times, the evaluation result of the supply process may be stored in the storage unit for each supply process. For the substrate 2 that is evaluated as not having ink droplets 4 supplied to the target supply position in the pixel area 201, the supply of ink droplets 4 on the entire substrate may be determined to be defective, and measures such as discarding the substrate 2 may be taken. Furthermore, the ejection element 51 in which an ejection abnormality is detected may be set as an unusable ejection element so as not to be used in the subsequent supply processes.

[0051] As described above, the liquid supplying device 1 of the present embodiment continues to move the substrate 2 even after the supplying process is completed, and stops the substrate 2 at a measurement position where the measurement unit 8 can measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202. This allows the measurement unit 8 to efficiently measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 after the supplying process is completed, which can be advantageous in terms of throughput.

[0052] <Second embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a plurality of measuring units 8 are provided in the liquid supplying device 1, and a plurality of evaluation areas 202 are provided on the substrate 2. Note that this embodiment basically follows on from the first embodiment, and can follow the first embodiment except for the matters mentioned below. Below, the matters that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0053] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the liquid supplying apparatus 1 of this embodiment. The substrate 2 includes a plurality of evaluation areas 202a-202b arranged to sandwich the pixel area 201 in the movement direction (Y direction) of the substrate 2 in the supplying process. The liquid supplying apparatus 1 of this embodiment also includes a plurality of measuring units 8a-8b arranged to sandwich the ejection head 5 in the movement direction (Y direction) of the substrate 2 in the supplying process. The measuring unit 8a can be used to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202a in the supplying process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the +Y direction relative to the ejection head 5. The measuring unit 8b can be used to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202b in the supplying process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the -Y direction relative to the ejection head 5. The supplying process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the +Y direction relative to the ejection head 5 and the supplying process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the -Y direction relative to the ejection head 5 can be performed alternately. The evaluation areas 202a to 202b are not limited to being located on the substrate 2, but may be located on the substrate stage 3.

[0054] 12 shows a state before the start of the supply process in the liquid supplying device 1 of this embodiment. A plurality of discharge elements 51 (discharge holes) are provided in the discharge head 5. In the supply process, some of the plurality of discharge elements 51 can be selected as specific discharge elements 51a that discharge ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2.

[0055] First, the liquid supplying device 1 supplies ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2 by a specific ejection element 51a selected from among the multiple ejection elements 51 in the ejection head 5 while moving the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) relative to the ejection head 5 in the +Y direction (first direction). The specific ejection element 51a can be selected and controlled to supply the ink droplets 4 to a target supply position on the substrate 2. The target supply position is a position to which the ink droplets 4 should be supplied in the pixel area 201 and the evaluation areas 202a to 202b of the substrate 2. In the pixel area 201, the target supply position can be set within each functional element 102.

[0056] FIG. 13 shows a state where the supply process of moving the substrate 2 in the +Y direction relative to the ejection head 5 is completed and the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position. In this embodiment, even after the supply process is completed, the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is not stopped but continues to be moved in the +Y direction (first direction), and the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position where the measurement unit 8a performs the measurement process for the evaluation area 202a. That is, the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position where the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202a are placed within the measurement range 81a of the measurement unit 8a. This makes it possible to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202a more efficiently than when the substrate 2 is temporarily stopped at the end of the supply process. Also, as shown in FIG. 13, the measurement process for the evaluation area 202a is performed while the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position. Then, the supply process is evaluated based on the measurement result of the measurement process.

[0057] Next, the liquid supplying device 1 supplies ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2 by specific ejection elements 51a selected from the multiple ejection elements 51 in the ejection head 5 while moving the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) in the -Y direction (second direction) relative to the ejection head 5. The specific ejection elements 51a can be selected and controlled to supply ink droplets 4 to a target supply position on the substrate 2.

[0058] FIG. 14 shows a state where the supply process of moving the substrate 2 in the -Y direction relative to the ejection head 5 is completed and the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position. In this embodiment, even after the supply process is completed, the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) is not stopped but continues to be moved in the -Y direction (second direction), and the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position where the measurement unit 8b performs the measurement process for the evaluation area 202b. That is, the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position where the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202b are placed within the measurement range 81b of the measurement unit 8b. This makes it possible to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202b more efficiently than when the substrate 2 is temporarily stopped at the end of the supply process. Also, as shown in FIG. 14, the measurement process for the evaluation area 202b is performed while the substrate 2 is stopped at the measurement position. Then, the supply process is evaluated based on the measurement result of the measurement process.

[0059] Furthermore, the liquid supplying device 1 may supply ink droplets 4 onto the substrate 2 by specific ejection elements 51a selected from the multiple ejection elements 51 in the ejection head 5 while moving the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) in the +Y direction relative to the ejection head 5. The supplying process and measuring process at this time are as described above with reference to Fig. 13, and therefore will not be described here.

[0060] Here, in the case of this embodiment, only one of the measuring units 8a to 8b may be used to perform a measurement process on only one of the evaluation areas 202a to 202b. In this case, the ink droplets 4 supplied by the supply process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the +Y direction relative to the ejection head 5 and the ink droplets 4 supplied by the supply process in which the substrate 2 is moved in the -Y direction relative to the ejection head 5 are attached to the evaluation area on which the measurement process is performed. Therefore, in the measurement process using one of the measuring units 8a to 8b, it is possible to simultaneously measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area by multiple supply processes in which the substrate 2 moves in different directions. In other words, it is possible to simultaneously evaluate multiple supply processes in which the substrate 2 moves in different directions.

[0061] As described above, in this embodiment, for each of a plurality of supply processes in which the movement directions of the substrate 2 are different from one another, the substrate 2 is not stopped even after the end of the supply process, but is moved and stopped at the measurement position. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202 can be efficiently measured by the measurement unit 8, which can be advantageous in terms of throughput.

[0062] <Third embodiment> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment basically follows the first embodiment, and may follow the first embodiment except for the matters mentioned below. In addition, the second embodiment may be applied to this embodiment.

[0063] Fig. 15 shows an example of the adhesion state of ink droplets 4 being supplied to the evaluation area 202 by multiple supply processes. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 15, the multiple supply processes can be controlled so that the positions of the ink droplets 4 supplied onto the evaluation area 202 by the multiple supply processes overlap each other.

[0064] FIG. 15(a) shows the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 after the p-th supply process. The p-th supply process is controlled so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the target supply position of the evaluation area 202. After the p-th supply process is completed, the substrate 2 is moved continuously without being stopped, and the substrate 2 is stopped so that the ink droplets 4a supplied to the target supply position of the evaluation area 202 are within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8. In this case, the position of the substrate 2 (substrate stage 3) at which the ink droplets 4 supplied to the target supply position of the evaluation area 202 can be accommodated within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8 is set as the "measurement position". In this state, the control unit 11 can cause the measurement unit 8 to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202, and can evaluate the p-th supply process based on the measurement result. The evaluation of the p-th supply process may be fed back to the subsequent supply process, or may be simply stored in the storage unit of the control unit 11.

[0065] FIG. 15(b) shows the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 after the q-th (q>p) supply process. The q-th supply process is controlled so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the same target supply position in the evaluation area 202 as in the p-th supply process. After the q-th supply process is completed, the substrate 2 is moved continuously without being stopped, and the substrate 2 is stopped so that the ink droplets 4 supplied to the target supply position in the evaluation area 202 are within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8. In this state, the control unit 11 causes the measurement unit 8 to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202, and can evaluate the q-th supply process based on the measurement result. The evaluation of the q-th supply process may be fed back to the subsequent supply process, or may simply be stored in the storage unit of the control unit 11.

[0066] FIG. 15(c) shows the evaluation area 202 of the substrate 2 after the r-th (r>q) supply process. The r-th supply process is controlled so that the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the same target supply position in the evaluation area 202 as in the p-th and q-th supply processes. After the r-th supply process is completed, the substrate 2 is moved continuously without being stopped, and the substrate 2 is stopped so that the ink droplets 4 supplied to the target supply position in the evaluation area 202 are within the measurement range 81 of the measurement unit 8. In this state, the control unit 11 can cause the measurement unit 8 to measure the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4 in the evaluation area 202, and evaluate the r-th supply process based on the measurement result. The evaluation of the r-th supply process may be fed back to the subsequent supply process, or may be simply stored in the storage unit of the control unit 11.

[0067] Here, in the case of this embodiment, in the q-th supply process and the r-th supply process, the ink droplets 4 are supplied to the same target supply position of the evaluation area 202 as in the p-th supply process. Therefore, in the measurement process performed following the q-th supply process and the measurement process performed following the r-th supply process, the same "measurement position" as in the measurement process performed following the p-th supply process is used. Also, the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 through the q-th supply process are simply larger in size than the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 through the p-th supply process. Similarly, the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 through the r-th supply process are simply larger in size than the ink droplets 4 supplied to the evaluation area 202 through the q-th supply process. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is difficult to accurately measure the amount of deviation between the adhesion position of the ink droplets 4 and the target supply position by the measurement unit 8 as the adhesion state of the ink droplets 4, but it is effective in terms of reducing the area of ​​the evaluation area 202.

[0068] <Embodiment of the article manufacturing method> The article manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as display panels for organic EL displays, microdevices such as semiconductor devices, and elements having fine structures. The article manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes a supplying step of supplying liquid onto a substrate using the above-mentioned liquid supplying device (liquid supplying method), a processing step of processing the substrate to which the liquid has been supplied through the supplying step, and a step of manufacturing an article from the substrate processed through the processing step. Furthermore, the article manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (baking, cooling, cleaning, oxidation, film formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to conventional methods.

[0069] <Summary of the embodiment> The disclosure of the present specification includes at least the following liquid supply device, article manufacturing method, and control method. (Item 1) A liquid supplying apparatus for supplying liquid onto a substrate, comprising: a head having ejection elements that eject the liquid as droplets; a control unit that controls a process of supplying the droplets onto the substrate by causing the ejection elements to eject the droplets while moving the substrate in one direction relative to the head; a measurement unit that measures an adhesion state of the droplet on the substrate; Equipped with The liquid supplying device is characterized in that the control unit controls the movement of the substrate so that the substrate continues to move without being stopped even after the processing is completed, and stops at a measurement position where the adhesion state can be measured by the measurement unit. (Item 2) the substrate includes a first region in which a pattern is to be formed and a second region adjacent to the first region in the one direction; In the process, the droplets are provided to each of the first region and the second region; 2. The liquid supplying apparatus according to item 1, wherein the measurement position is a position on the substrate where the adhesion state of the droplet on the second region can be measured by the measurement unit. (Item 3) The process is performed multiple times on the substrate; The liquid supplying device described in item 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the multiple processes so that the positions of the droplets supplied onto the second region by each of the multiple processes differ from each other in the one direction. (Item 4) 4. The liquid supplying device according to item 3, wherein the control unit changes the measurement position between multiple processing operations depending on the position of the droplet supplied onto the second region for each processing operation. (Item 5) The process is performed multiple times on the substrate; The liquid supplying device described in item 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the multiple processes so that the positions of the droplets supplied onto the second region by each of the multiple processes overlap each other. (Item 6) 6. The liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of items 2 to 5, wherein the supply of the droplets to the second region in the processing is performed while the substrate is moving at a constant speed or while the substrate is decelerating. (Item 7) 7. The liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the control unit causes the measurement unit to measure the adhesion state in a state in which the substrate is stopped at the measurement position. (Item 8) 8. The liquid supplying apparatus according to item 7, wherein the control unit evaluates the substrate onto which the droplets have been supplied after the processing based on the adhesion state measured by the measurement unit. (Item 9) 9. The liquid supplying device according to item 7 or 8, wherein the control unit detects an abnormality in the ejection element based on the adhesion state measured by the measurement unit at the end of the process. (Item 10) The processing includes a first processing of moving the substrate relative to the head in a first direction, and a second processing of moving the substrate relative to the head in a second direction opposite to the first direction, The liquid supplying device described in any one of items 1 to 9, characterized in that the control unit stops the substrate at the measurement position by continuing to move the substrate without stopping it even after the first process is completed, and starts the second process after having the measurement unit measure the adhesion state of the droplets on the substrate that has undergone the first process. (Item 11) 11. The liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the measurement unit measures at least one of the presence / absence, position, and size of the droplet on the substrate as the adhesion state. (Item 12) The head has a plurality of the ejection elements, 12. The liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 11, wherein the measurement unit measures, for each of the ejection elements, the adhesion state of the droplet on the substrate that has been subjected to the processing. (Item 13) 13. The liquid supplying device according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the measurement unit is provided on a side of the head in the one direction. (Item 14) A supplying step of supplying a liquid onto a substrate using the liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 13; a processing step of processing the substrate to which the liquid has been supplied via the supplying step; a manufacturing process for manufacturing an article from the substrate processed through the processing process; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: (Item 15) A method for controlling a liquid supplying device that is equipped with a head having ejection elements that eject liquid as droplets and that supplies the liquid onto a substrate, comprising the steps of: a supplying step of supplying the droplets onto the substrate by causing the ejection element to eject the droplets while moving the substrate in one direction relative to the head; a measuring step of measuring an adhesion state of the droplets on the substrate after the supplying step; Equipped with a control method for controlling the substrate to continue to move without stopping even after the supply step is completed, and to stop the substrate at a measurement position where the adhesion state can be measured in the measurement step;

[0070] 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]

[0071] 1: liquid supply device, 2: substrate, 201: pixel area, 202: evaluation area, 3: substrate stage, 5: ejection head, 51: ejection element, 8: measurement unit, 11: control unit

Claims

1. A liquid supplying apparatus for supplying liquid onto a substrate, comprising: a head having ejection elements that eject the liquid as droplets; a control unit that controls a process of supplying the droplets onto the substrate by causing the ejection elements to eject the droplets while moving the substrate in one direction relative to the head; a measurement unit that measures an adhesion state of the droplet on the substrate; Equipped with The liquid supplying device is characterized in that the control unit controls the movement of the substrate so that the substrate continues to move without being stopped even after the processing is completed, and stops at a measurement position where the adhesion state can be measured by the measurement unit.

2. the substrate includes a first region in which a pattern is to be formed and a second region adjacent to the first region in the one direction; In the process, the droplets are supplied to each of the first region and the second region; 2. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement position is a position on the substrate where the adhesion state of the droplet on the second region can be measured by the measurement unit.

3. The process is performed multiple times on the substrate; The liquid supplying device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls the multiple processes so that positions of the droplets supplied onto the second region by each of the multiple processes differ from each other in the one direction.

4. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit changes the measurement position between multiple processing operations depending on a position of the droplet supplied onto the second region for each processing operation.

5. The process is performed multiple times on the substrate; The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls the multiple processes so that positions of the droplets supplied onto the second region by the multiple processes overlap each other.

6. 3. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the supply of the droplets to the second region in the processing is performed while the substrate is moving at a constant speed or while the substrate is decelerating.

7. 2. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the measurement unit to measure the adhesion state in a state in which the substrate is stopped at the measurement position.

8. 8. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit evaluates the substrate onto which the droplets have been supplied after the process, based on the adhesion state measured by the measurement unit.

9. 8. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit detects an abnormality in the ejection element based on the adhesion state measured by the measurement unit at the end of the process.

10. The processing includes a first processing of moving the substrate relative to the head in a first direction, and a second processing of moving the substrate relative to the head in a second direction opposite to the first direction, The liquid supplying device described in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit stops the substrate at the measurement position by continuing to move the substrate without stopping it even after the first process is completed, and starts the second process after having the measurement unit measure the adhesion state of the droplets on the substrate that has undergone the first process.

11. 2. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit measures at least one of the presence / absence, position and size of the droplet on the substrate as the adhesion state.

12. The head has a plurality of the ejection elements, 2. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit measures the adhesion state of the droplet on the substrate that has been subjected to the processing for each of the ejection elements.

13. 2. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit is provided on a side of the head in the one direction.

14. a supplying step of supplying a liquid onto a substrate using the liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13; a processing step of processing the substrate to which the liquid has been supplied via the supplying step; a manufacturing process for manufacturing an article from the substrate processed through the processing process; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

15. A method for controlling a liquid supplying device that is equipped with a head having ejection elements that eject liquid as droplets and that supplies the liquid onto a substrate, comprising the steps of: a supplying step of supplying the droplets onto the substrate by causing the ejection element to eject the droplets while moving the substrate in one direction relative to the head; a measuring step of measuring an adhesion state of the droplets on the substrate after the supplying step; Equipped with a control method for controlling the substrate to continue to move without stopping even after the supply step is completed, and to stop the substrate at a measurement position where the adhesion state can be measured in the measurement step;

Citation Information

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