Liquid discharge device, liquid discharge method, and article production method

The liquid ejection apparatus addresses the issue of decreased landing position accuracy due to device size increase by using a measurement and control system to adjust ejection parameters based on main body deformation, ensuring accurate and efficient correction.

JP2025089850APending Publication Date: 2025-06-16CANON KK
View PDF 1 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023204763
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-12-04
Publication Date
2025-06-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

As liquid ejection devices increase in size, deformation of the installation surface over time leads to changes in the relative position between the liquid ejection head and the substrate, resulting in decreased landing position accuracy.

Method used

A liquid ejection apparatus that includes an ejection unit, a main body unit, a measurement unit that measures the shape of the main body unit, and a control unit that adjusts the ejection based on the measurement values, allowing for correction of landing position without increasing measurement time.

Benefits of technology

The solution enables accurate correction of landing position deviations caused by deformation, maintaining high precision without prolonging the measurement process.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure 2025089850000001_ABST
    Figure 2025089850000001_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge device which can correct an impact position without increasing the measurement time.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device supplies a liquid onto a substrate and includes: a discharge unit having a discharge part which discharges the liquid to the substrate; a body supporting the discharge unit; a measurement unit which measures a shape of the body; and a control unit which controls the discharging of the discharge part based on a measured value of the measurement unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device, a liquid ejection method, and a method for manufacturing an article.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, when manufacturing various functional elements, attempts have been made to form a pattern by applying a material for the functional element using a liquid ejection device.

[0003] By the way, 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 organic EL materials are expensive, a liquid ejection device that has good material use efficiency and can coat a large area at high speed is expected to be used. A liquid ejection device controls the ejection timing of a liquid according to the flying speed of the liquid adjusted to land the liquid at a target position on a substrate that moves relative to a liquid ejection head, and the relative position between the liquid ejection head and the substrate.

[0004] However, due to the increase in the size of the device, a phenomenon may occur in which the device installation surface deforms over time. When the device installation surface deforms, deformation and posture changes occur in the main body structure, resulting in deformation of the carriage supported by the main body structure, and accordingly, deformation may occur in the ejection surface of the liquid ejection head supported by the carriage. That is, since a change may occur in the relative position between the liquid ejection head and the substrate, there is a problem that the landing position accuracy decreases.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid ejection device including distance measuring means for measuring the distance between a liquid ejection head and a substrate, and means for adjusting ejection parameters according to the measured distance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in order to cope with the increase in the size of the apparatus, when measuring the relative position between the ejection head and the substrate, many measurement points are required, resulting in a problem that the measurement time increases. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection apparatus capable of correcting the landing position without increasing the measurement time.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to achieve the object, a liquid ejection apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a liquid ejection apparatus that supplies liquid onto a substrate, and includes an ejection unit having a portion that ejects the liquid onto the substrate, a main body unit that supports the ejection unit, a measurement unit that measures the shape of the main body unit, and a control unit that controls the ejection of the ejection unit based on a measurement value of the measurement unit.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection apparatus capable of correcting the landing position without increasing the measurement time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are indicated in an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system with a plane parallel to the plane on which the substrate is disposed being defined as the XY plane. Directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are referred to as the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively, and rotations about the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are denoted as θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control and drive (movement) with respect to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis each mean control or drive (movement) in a direction parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, respectively. Further, control or drive with respect to the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis each mean control or drive related to rotation about an axis parallel to the X-axis, rotation about an axis parallel to the Y-axis, and rotation about an axis parallel to the Z-axis, respectively.

[0013] In recent years, when manufacturing various functional elements, attempts have been made to form a pattern by applying a material for the functional element using a liquid ejection device. Patterning using a liquid ejection device has advantages such as high material use efficiency because on-demand patterning is possible, it is a non-vacuum process and the manufacturing apparatus can be relatively small, and it can coat a large area at high speed.

[0014] By the way, various display methods have been proposed for display devices, and in recent years, development of display devices using organic EL elements has been actively promoted. Since organic EL materials are expensive, it is expected that a liquid ejection device with good material use efficiency and capable of coating a large area at high speed will be used. The liquid ejection device controls the flight speed of the liquid adjusted so that the liquid lands at a targeted position and the ejection timing of the liquid according to the relative position between the liquid ejection head and the substrate with respect to the substrate that moves relative to the liquid ejection head. Therefore, in order to maintain high accuracy of the landing position, it is necessary to keep these constant.

[0015] However, due to the increase in the size of the apparatus, a phenomenon may occur in which the apparatus installation surface deforms over time. When the apparatus installation surface deforms, for example, in a main body structure supported by four or more legs (at four or more locations), deformation and change in posture (twisting) occur, deformation occurs in the carriage supported by the main body structure, and deformation may occur in the ejection surface of the liquid ejection head supported by the carriage. That is, since a change occurs in the relative position between the liquid ejection head and the substrate, there is a problem that the landing position accuracy decreases. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection apparatus capable of correction without increasing the measurement time required for correction.

[0016] <Configuration of Liquid Ejection Apparatus> Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a liquid ejection apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a main body structure (main body portion) 11 is supported by, for example, at least four support legs 13 with respect to an apparatus installation surface 10. A substrate stage 30 is disposed at the center of the main body structure 11.

[0017] The substrate stage 30 includes a Y stage 24, an X stage 23, and a Z stage 22 disposed on the main body structure 11. The Y stage 24 is movable in the Y direction with respect to the main body structure 11, the X stage 23 is movable in the X direction with respect to the main body structure 11, and the Z stage 22 is movable in the Z direction with respect to the main body structure 11. The substrate 20 is placed and held on a substrate holding portion 21 disposed on the Z stage 22. The position of the substrate stage 30 is measured by a mirror 25 and an interferometer (laser interferometer) 26 disposed on the Z stage 22, and is position-controlled by a substrate stage control unit (not shown).

[0018] Above the upper part of the main body structure 11 in the vertical direction (Z direction), a carriage 5 is arranged via a main body frame 2. A plurality of liquid ejection heads (ejection parts) 1 two-dimensionally arranged in the XY plane are supported by a carriage structure (supporting member) 9, and the plurality of liquid ejection heads 1 and the carriage structure 9 constitute an ejection unit. The carriage structure 9 has a mechanism that can move up and down (move in the Z direction) by a motor 4 via a ball screw 7. In this specification, the carriage 5 will be described as having a plurality of liquid ejection heads 1 each having one ejection hole, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus having only one liquid ejection head 1 and can enjoy the same effects.

[0019] The liquid ejection head 1 ejects liquid by a piezo method in which voltage is input to an ejection energy generating element (piezoelectric element) to eject the liquid as droplets. Specifically, the liquid ejection head 1 has a liquid ejection surface facing the substrate 20 in the ejection process, and ejects droplets from each of the ejection holes (nozzles) provided on the liquid ejection surface. Alternatively, the liquid ejection head 1 may eject liquid by a thermal method in which the liquid is heated and ejected as droplets. An ejection control unit (control unit) (not shown) is constituted by a computer having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a memory, and controls the liquid ejection head 1. The ejection control unit may be constituted by, for example, 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 computer in which a program is incorporated, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the carriage 5 in the liquid ejection device 100 according to the first embodiment. The carriage structure 9 is moved in the Z direction and position-controlled by a motor 4 and a ball screw 7 connected to the motor 4 via a carriage drive unit 3. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the carriage structure 9 is seated on the seating portion 6 on the main body frame 2, which is the position where the liquid ejection head 1 ejects liquid.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a top view of the carriage 5 in the liquid ejection device 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the carriage structure 9 is seated on four seating portions 6 on the main body frame 2.

[0022] <Liquid landing position deviation due to deformation> Next, regarding the liquid landing position deviation due to the deformation of the liquid ejection device 100, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 12.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positions in the Z direction, 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d, of the schematic diagrams in the XY cross-section shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 in the liquid ejection device 100 according to the first embodiment. When deformation occurs in the device installation surface 10, in the lower cross-section 50a of the main body structure 11 supported by four or more support legs 13, deformation as shown in FIG. 5 occurs.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the torsion in the lower cross-section 50a of the main body structure 11 of the liquid ejection device 100 according to the first embodiment. (a) shows a cross-sectional view when there is no deformation in the lower cross-section 50a of the main body structure 11, and (b) shows a cross-sectional view when there is deformation.

[0025] When the device installation surface 10 is deformed, simultaneously with the deformation of the lower cross-section 50a of the main body structure 11 shown in FIG. 4, deformation as shown in FIG. 6 occurs in the cross-section 50b of the main body frame 2 at the upper part of the main body structure 11.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the twist in the cross section 50b of the main body frame 2 in the liquid ejection device 100 of the first embodiment. (a) shows a cross-sectional view when there is no deformation in the cross section 50b of the main body frame 2, and (b) shows a cross-sectional view when there is deformation. Next, when deformation occurs in the main body frame 2, deformation as shown in FIG. 7 occurs in the upper cross section 50c of the carriage structure 9 shown in FIG. 4.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the twist in the upper cross section 50c of the carriage structure 9 in the liquid ejection device 100 of the first embodiment. (a) shows a cross-sectional view when there is no deformation in the upper cross section 50c of the carriage structure 9, and (b) shows a cross-sectional view when there is deformation.

[0028] Furthermore, when deformation occurs in the carriage structure 9, deformation as shown in FIG. 8 occurs in the liquid ejection surface 50d of the liquid ejection head 1 mounted on the carriage structure shown in FIG. 4.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the twist in the liquid ejection surface 50d in the liquid ejection device 100 of the first embodiment. (a) shows a cross-sectional view when there is no deformation in the liquid ejection surface 50d, and (b) shows a cross-sectional view when there is deformation.

[0030] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view when twist occurs in the liquid ejection surface 50d in the liquid ejection device 100 of the first embodiment. (a) is a top view of the liquid ejection surface 50d (viewed from the Z direction). At this time, the XZ cross-sectional views at cross sections A, B, and C are shown in FIG. 9(b). In cross section A, as going in the positive direction of the X axis, the distance (relative positional difference) between the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection surface 50d increases, and as going in the negative direction of the X axis, the distance between the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection surface 50d decreases.

[0031] In cross section B, the distance between the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection surface 50d does not change at any location in the X-axis direction. On the other hand, in cross section C, as going in the positive direction of the X axis, the distance between the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection surface 50d decreases, and as going in the negative direction of the X axis, the distance between the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection surface 50d increases.

[0032] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the landing position deviation caused by the distance between the liquid ejection surface 50d of the liquid ejection device 100 of the first embodiment and the substrate 20. Consider the case where the liquid ejection surface 50d is deformed as shown in FIG. 8(b).

[0033] FIG. 10(a) shows the position where the liquid 60 ejected from the liquid ejection surface 50d lands on the substrate 20 that is moving in the direction of the arrow with respect to the liquid ejection surface 50d (hereinafter also referred to as the landing position). In the explanatory diagram of FIG. 10, in order to confirm the influence of the distance (separation amount in the Z direction) between the liquid ejection surface 50d and the substrate 20, the liquid from the ejection holes of the liquid ejection surface 50d is ejected in parallel in the Z direction at the same timing. As shown in FIG. 10(a), the landing positions of the liquid 60 at the locations of cross section A and cross section C are shifted from the ideal landing position indicated by parallel lines due to the influence of the relative positional difference between the liquid ejection surface 50d and the substrate 20.

[0034] FIG. 10(b) shows the position where the liquid 60 ejected from the liquid ejection surface 50d lands on the substrate 20 that is moving in the direction of the arrow opposite to that in (a) with respect to the liquid ejection surface 50d. As shown here, when the liquid 60 is ejected from the liquid ejection surface 50d while the substrate 20 is moving in the direction opposite to that in (a), the deviation from the ideal landing position has a tendency opposite to that in (a).

[0035] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the case where torsion occurs in the liquid ejection surface 50d of the liquid ejection device 100 of the first embodiment. FIG. 11(a) is a top view of the liquid ejection surface 50d (viewed from the Z direction). At this time, the YZ cross-sectional views at cross sections D, E, and F are shown in FIG. 11(b). In cross section D, the ejection angle is shifted so that the landing position is uniformly shifted in the negative direction of the Y axis from the designed position. In cross section E, the liquid ejection surface 50d and the substrate D are parallel. In cross section F, the ejection angle is shifted so that the landing position is uniformly shifted in the positive direction of the Y axis from the designed position.

[0036] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the deviation of the landing position due to the ejection angle difference between the liquid ejection surface 50d of the liquid ejection device 100 according to the first embodiment and the substrate 20. When the liquid ejection surface 50d is deformed as shown in FIG. 8(b), as a landing result of the liquid 60 ejected during the relative movement with respect to the substrate 20 that relatively moves with the liquid ejection surface 50d, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the landing positions of the liquid 60 at the locations of cross-section A and cross-section C respectively deviate from the ideal landing position due to the influence of the ejection angle of the liquid ejection surface 50d with respect to the substrate 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 12(b), even when ejection is performed while relatively moving the substrate 20 in the direction opposite to that in FIG. 12(a), different from the ejection due to the influence of the relative position difference between the liquid ejection surface 50d and the substrate 20 shown in FIG. 10, the landing positions are uniformly deviated with the same inclination as in FIG. 12(a).

[0037] In the explanatory diagram of FIG. 12, in order to confirm the influence of the deviation (inclination) from parallelism within the YZ cross-section between the liquid ejection surface 50d and the substrate 20, it is drawn assuming that the distance between each ejection hole as a result of the inclination and the substrate 20 does not change. Further, it is assumed that the liquid from the ejection holes of the liquid ejection surface 50d is ejected at the same timing.

[0038] Thus, due to the influence of the deformation of the main body structure 11 caused by the temporal deformation of the device installation surface 10, a deviation in the landing position occurs due to the relative position difference and ejection angle difference between the liquid ejection surface 50d and the substrate 20.

[0039] FIG. 13 is a top view showing the substrate stage 30 of the liquid ejection device 100 according to the first embodiment. The substrate stage 30 is configured to be movable with respect to the main body structure 11, that is, as shown in FIG. 13(a), based on the measured value of the interferometer 26 provided, it is position-controlled with respect to the main body structure 11 by a substrate stage control unit (control unit) (not shown).

[0040] The substrate stage control unit may be configured by, for example, a PLD (abbreviation for Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation for Field Programmable Gate Array), or an ASIC (abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a general-purpose computer in which a program is incorporated, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0041] However, as shown in FIG. 13(b), due to the deformation and change in posture of the main body structure 11, the main body structure 11 changes from the original posture 41 to the posture 41'. As a result, the position of the interferometer 26 on the main body structure 11 is displaced, and the substrate stage 30 that should be position-controlled at the substrate stage control position 31 is position-controlled at the substrate stage control position 31'. As a result, the position of the substrate 20 shifts on the XY plane with respect to the liquid ejection surface 50d, or a relative positional deviation occurs in the rotational direction. Although the relative positional deviation on the XY plane has been described here, the relative positional deviation in the Z-axis direction can also occur due to the deformation and change in posture of the main body structure 11.

[0042] <Measurement of Deformation Amount (Posture)> Next, the measurement of the deformation amount (posture) of the liquid ejection device 100 (main body structure 11) will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the torsion of the main body structure 11 of the liquid ejection device 100 according to the first embodiment. As described above, due to the influence of the deformation of the device installation surface 10 over time, the shape of the main body structure 11 is deformed. Or, a change in posture occurs. At the same time, the main body frame 2 is deformed, and then the carriage structure 9 is deformed, so that finally the liquid ejection surface 50d of the liquid ejection head 1 is deformed. Due to this deformation of the liquid ejection surface 50d, a deviation in the liquid landing position occurs. Therefore, the deformation of the liquid ejection surface 50d can be estimated by indirectly measuring the deformation of the shape and the change in posture of the main body structure 11.

[0043] For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the displacement amount in the Y-axis direction at the position of the motor 4 configured on the carriage 5 is suitable for more sensitively measuring the deformation of the shape and the change in posture (twist) of the main body structure 11. In the configuration of the present embodiment, the position of the motor 4 configured on the upper part of the carriage 5 is a position away from the apparatus installation surface 10, and the twist of the main body structure 11 due to the influence such as the sinking of the apparatus installation surface 10 can be measured as a more prominent displacement. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the arrangement of sensors (measurement units) for measuring the twist of the main body structure 11 of the liquid ejection apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 15(a) is a top view (XY plane view) of the carriage 5, and FIG. 15(b) is a front view (XZ plane view). The sensor (measurement unit) measures the shape of the main body structure 11. In other words, the sensor (measurement unit) measures the posture of the main body structure 11.

[0044] Here, members 72 and 73 are extended from both sides of the column portion where the ball screws 7 arranged on the left and right of the carriage 5 are arranged to near the center, and an encoder head 70 and a scale 71 constituting the measurement unit (length measurement sensor) are arranged on the end faces close to each other to measure the displacement in the Y-axis direction. By measuring the displacement amount measured here and the displacement amount from the ideal arrangement when the liquid is ejected onto the substrate 20 and landed, it is possible to calculate the correction amount without directly measuring the shape of the liquid ejection surface 50d and the relative position with the substrate 20.

[0045] <Correction Method for Landing Position Deviation> Next, the correction method will be described. As described above, as factors for the landing position deviation of the liquid 60 with respect to the substrate 20, there are the deformation of the liquid ejection surface 50d due to the deformation of the shape and the change in posture of the main body structure 11, and the influence on the positioning control of the substrate stage 30. As a correction method for these landing position deviations, it may be implemented by controlling the liquid ejection, or it may be implemented by controlling the substrate stage.

[0046] Liquid ejection control includes methods of changing the waveform (voltage) input to the ejection energy generating element (piezoelectric element) included in the liquid ejection head 1 and methods of controlling the timing of liquid ejection. By using these methods of liquid ejection control, for example, for those in which the direction of the landing position shift changes depending on the relative movement direction of the substrate 20 as shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to make settings for each ejection nozzle and for each relative movement of the substrate stage 30, so that the landing position can be corrected.

[0047] Also, regarding the components in which the substrate stage 30 uniformly shifts and rotates as shown in FIG. 13, with respect to the scanning direction of the substrate stage 30, it may be dealt with by liquid ejection control, or it is possible to deal with it by correcting the positioning control of the substrate stage 30. Regarding the non-scanning direction, it is possible to deal with it by correcting the positioning control of the substrate stage 30.

[0048] As described above, in the liquid ejection device 100 according to the present embodiment, by measuring the deformation and posture change of the main body structure 11, it is possible to correct the landing position shift without increasing the measurement time of the relative position between the liquid ejection surface 50d and the substrate 20. In the present embodiment, the correction of the landing position shift for the liquid supply device including the liquid ejection head 1 having a plurality of ejection holes is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is applicable to a liquid supply device including a liquid ejection head having one or more ejection holes, and the same effect can be achieved. In the liquid supply device of the exemplified embodiment, the main body structure 11 is supported by four or more support legs 13 with respect to the device installation surface 10, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. By previously obtaining the relationship between the landing position shift and the deformation amount of the main body structure 11 represented by the measurement value at the measurement unit, the present invention can be applied regardless of the form of the support legs 13 with respect to the device installation surface 10, and the effects of the present invention can be enjoyed.

[0049] <Second Embodiment> Next, the posture measurement of the main body structure 11 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the main body structure 11 of the second embodiment and the liquid level gauge 80 used for posture measurement. In the first embodiment, the encoder head 70 and the scale 71 are arranged on the upper parts of the left and right columns of the carriage 5. However, in the second embodiment, at least two or more liquid level gauges 80 are arranged on the main body structure 11, and the amount of deformation or the amount of change in posture of the main body structure 11 is obtained from the respective measurement values. By measuring in advance the measurement values at this time and the amount of deviation from the ideal arrangement when the liquid is discharged onto the substrate 20 and landed, it is possible to calculate the correction amount without directly measuring the shape of the liquid discharge surface 50d and the relative position with the substrate 20. Further, instead of the liquid level gauge 80, a strain gauge or an inclination sensor may be used to measure the amount of change in posture or the amount of deformation of the main body structure 11. Here, the liquid level gauge 80 is arranged on the main body structure 11, but it may be measured on any of the carriage 5 or on the main body frame 2.

[0050] <Embodiment of article manufacturing method> The article manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for application to a substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing articles such as display panels for organic ELs, microdevices such as semiconductor devices, and elements having fine structures. The article manufacturing method of the present embodiment includes a supply step of supplying a liquid onto a substrate using the above liquid supply device (liquid supply method), a processing step of processing the substrate on which the liquid has been supplied in the supply step, and a step of manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step. Further, such an article manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (firing, cooling, washing, oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, 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 as compared with the conventional method.

[0051] The disclosure of this specification includes at least the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) A liquid discharge device for supplying a liquid onto a substrate, A discharge unit that discharges the liquid onto the substrate, and a discharge unit; A main body that supports the discharge unit; A measurement unit that measures the shape of the main body; A control unit that controls the discharge of the discharge unit based on the measurement value of the measurement unit. A liquid discharge device characterized by comprising: (Configuration 2) The liquid discharge device according to Configuration 1, wherein the measurement unit measures the posture of the main body. (Configuration 3) The liquid discharge device according to Configuration 1, wherein the measurement unit measures the shape of a support member that supports the discharge unit. (Configuration 4) The liquid discharge device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 3, wherein the measurement unit is constituted by any one of a length measuring sensor, a liquid level gauge, a strain gauge, and an inclination sensor. (Configuration 5) The liquid discharge device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4, wherein the control unit controls the timing of discharging the liquid from the discharge unit based on the measurement value of the measurement unit. (Configuration 6) The liquid discharge device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 5, wherein the control unit controls the speed at which the liquid is discharged from the discharge unit based on the measurement value of the measurement unit. (Configuration 7) The liquid discharge device according to Configuration 6, wherein the control unit controls the waveform of the voltage for discharging the liquid from the discharge unit based on the measurement value of the measurement unit. (Configuration 8) A substrate stage that is supported by the main body, holds the substrate, and is movable with respect to the discharge unit; The liquid discharge device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 7, wherein the control unit controls the position of the substrate stage based on the measurement value of the measurement unit. (Configuration 9) The liquid ejection unit has a plurality of ejection parts for ejecting the liquid onto the substrate, and the liquid ejection device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 8. (Configuration 10) The main body is supported on an installation surface on which the liquid ejection device is placed, and the liquid ejection device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 9. (Configuration 11) The main body is supported at four or more positions on the installation surface on which the liquid ejection device is placed, and the liquid ejection device according to Configuration 10. (Method 1) A liquid ejection method in a liquid ejection device that supplies the liquid onto the substrate using an ejection part that ejects the liquid onto the substrate, measuring the shape of the main body, controlling the liquid ejection device based on the measured value of the shape so that the deviation of the landing position of the liquid ejected from the ejection part on the substrate is corrected, and the liquid ejection method. (Method 2) A supply step of supplying the liquid onto the substrate using the liquid ejection method according to Method 1, A processing step of processing the substrate on which the liquid has been supplied in the supply step, A manufacturing step of manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step, An article manufacturing method characterized by including. (Configuration 12) A substrate processing device for processing a substrate, a substrate stage for holding and moving the substrate, a liquid ejection device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 11 that ejects liquid onto the substrate held by the substrate stage, and the substrate processing device.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0052] 1 Liquid ejection head (ejection part, ejection unit) 9 Carriage structure (ejection unit) 11 Main body structure (main body) 70 Encoder head (measurement unit) 71 Scale (measurement unit) 80 Liquid level gauge (measurement unit)

Claims

1. A liquid ejection device for supplying liquid onto a substrate, comprising: a discharge unit having a discharge portion for discharging the liquid onto the substrate; a main body portion for supporting the discharge unit; a measurement unit for measuring the shape of the main body portion; and a control unit for controlling the discharge of the discharge portion based on the measurement value of the measurement unit. The liquid ejection device is characterized by having these components.

2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit measures the posture of the main body portion.

3. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit measures the shape of a support member that supports the discharge unit.

4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is constituted by any one of a length measuring sensor, a liquid level gauge, a strain gauge, and an inclination sensor.

5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the timing of discharging the liquid from the discharge portion based on the measurement value of the measurement unit.

6. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the speed at which the liquid is discharged from the discharge portion based on the measurement value of the measurement unit.

7. The liquid ejection device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls the waveform of the voltage for discharging the liquid from the discharge portion based on the measurement value of the measurement unit.

8. having a substrate stage supported by the main body portion, holding the substrate, and movable with respect to the discharge portion, The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the position of the substrate stage based on the measurement value of the measurement unit.

9. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the ejection unit has a plurality of ejection parts for ejecting the liquid onto the substrate.

10. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the main body is supported on an installation surface on which the liquid ejection device is placed.

11. The liquid ejection device according to claim 10, wherein the main body is supported at four or more positions on an installation surface on which the liquid ejection device is placed.

12. A liquid ejection method in a liquid ejection device for supplying the liquid onto a substrate using an ejection part for ejecting the liquid onto the substrate, comprising: measuring the shape of the main body; controlling the liquid ejection device based on the measured value of the shape so that a deviation in the landing position of the liquid ejected from the ejection part on the substrate is corrected.

13. A supply step of supplying a liquid onto a substrate using the liquid ejection method according to claim 12; a processing step of processing the substrate on which the liquid has been supplied in the supply step; a manufacturing step of manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step, wherein the method for manufacturing an article is characterized by including these steps.

14. A substrate processing device for processing a substrate, comprising: a substrate stage for holding and moving the substrate; the liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 11 for ejecting a liquid onto the substrate held by the substrate stage.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Precision alignment, calibration and measurement in printing and manufacturing systems

    JP2020510517A