Liquid discharge apparatus, method of controlling liquid discharge apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and method of manufacturing article

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for strengthening recovery processing of a defective discharge port by suction.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a discharge head configured to discharge a liquid from a plurality of discharge ports, a suction unit configured to suck the plurality of discharge ports, and a control unit configured to control the suction unit. The controller detects a state of each of the plurality of discharge ports and individually controls a suction force by the suction unit for each of the plurality of discharge ports based on a result of the detection.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus, a method for controlling a liquid ejection apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, when manufacturing various functional elements, techniques have been proposed in which a liquid ejection device is used to deposit materials for the functional elements to form patterns or films. Techniques for forming patterns or films using a liquid ejection device have advantages such as high material utilization efficiency, being a non-vacuum process that is advantageous for miniaturizing the device, and being able to coat large areas at high speed.

[0003] However, in the liquid ejection devices described above, problems such as poor ejection or quality degradation can occur due to the adhesion of foreign matter near the opening of the ejection port or thickening of the liquid flowing near the ejection port during dot pattern formation or standby. Therefore, a technology to address such problems is needed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology that increases the pressure inside the ejection port to expel foreign matter from inside the ejection port and performs non-contact suction on the surface of the ejection port. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a technology that performs a suction operation while performing a wiping operation in which a suction cap is placed in contact with the ejection port surface and slides parallel to the ejection port surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-215638 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-253408 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the configuration described in Patent Document 1, even if foreign matter is pressurized and expelled, the pressure is dispersed to the ejection ports where there is no foreign matter, so sufficient pressure is not applied to the ejection ports where there is foreign matter, and the foreign matter may not be expelled. Also, with the configuration described in Patent Document 2, there is a possibility that the ejection port surface may be damaged by the wiping operation. Therefore, from the perspective of protecting the ejection port surface, it is desirable to remove foreign matter in a non-contact manner rather than by a wiping operation.

[0006] The present invention provides an advantageous technique for strengthening the recovery process of defective ejection ports by suction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejection device comprising an ejection head that ejects liquid from a plurality of ejection ports, a suction unit that sucks the plurality of ejection ports, and a control unit that controls the suction unit, wherein the control unit detects the state of each of the plurality of ejection ports and, based on the results of the detection, individually controls the suction force applied by the suction unit to each of the plurality of ejection ports. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for strengthening the recovery process of defective ejection ports by suction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a liquid ejection device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a residual signal waveform. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for controlling the liquid ejection device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining application of a material for a functional element. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of a nozzle recovery process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the liquid ejection device in a state in which liquid is being pressurized and ejected from the ejection port surface. [Figure 7]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the liquid ejection device in a state in which deposits on the ejection port surface are removed by suction. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a liquid ejection device in a state where the distance between the ejection port surface and the suction port surface is narrowed. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a liquid ejection device having a mechanism for rotating a suction port surface. [Figure 10] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the positional relationship between a plurality of ejection ports on an ejection port surface and a suction range. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the suction range is rotated in the θZ direction. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a suction port in a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration for individually controlling the on / off of a plurality of suction ports in the third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a plurality of suction ranges divided corresponding to a plurality of suction ports. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] First Embodiment The configuration and operating principle of a liquid ejection device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the specification and drawings, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system, with the horizontal plane being the XY plane. Generally, a substrate 112 is placed on a substrate stage 113 so that its surface is parallel to the horizontal plane (XY plane). Therefore, in the following, the directions that are perpendicular to each other in a plane along the surface of the substrate stage 113 on which the substrate 112 is placed are referred to as the X-axis and Y-axis, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is referred to as the Z-axis. Furthermore, in the following, the 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 the directions of rotation around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are referred to as the θX-direction, θY-direction, and θZ-direction, respectively.

[0012] The liquid ejection device 1 of this embodiment can be configured in a substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates for display panels, semiconductors, etc. The liquid ejection device 1 can deposit a material for a functional element onto a substrate to form a pattern. Alternatively, the liquid ejection device 1 can deposit a material onto a substrate to form a film.

[0013] The liquid ejection device 1 includes a substrate stage 113 for fixing a substrate 112 (e.g., a substrate for a display panel). The substrate 112 may be a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or the like, depending on the product to be manufactured. The substrate 112 is typically a plate-shaped member, but its shape is not limited as long as it can function as a substrate. For example, it may be a deformable film or a circular substrate. The substrate 112 has a pixel area 109 for forming an array of multiple display pixels by applying a liquid. An evaluation area 110 is provided on the side of the substrate 112 on the substrate stage 113, where a liquid is test-ejected to evaluate the state of the liquid. Alternatively, the evaluation area 110 may be provided in a specific area of ​​the substrate 112. In this specification, the term "liquid" may refer to an "ink" used to form a pattern or film on the substrate 112. The ink components are not particularly limited, and a liquid containing a solute and a solvent for forming an organic film may be used.

[0014] The liquid ejection device 1 includes a liquid tank 101 that stores a liquid 103, an ejection head 104, and a liquid supply system 102 that supplies the liquid in the liquid tank 101 to the ejection head 104. The ejection head 104 is capable of ejecting the liquid 103 in the form of droplets toward a predetermined position on a substrate 112. The ejection head 104 includes multiple ejection ports 105. Hereinafter, each individual ejection port may be referred to as a "nozzle." The multiple ejection ports 105 may be arranged in a matrix in the X and Y directions. The ejection ports 105 constitute ejection elements that include piezoelectric elements (ejection energy generating elements). The liquid ejection device 1 controls the ejection of liquid from each ejection port, thereby applying the liquid with a desired distribution to a pixel area 109 on the substrate. The liquid ejection device 1 also includes a recovery unit 11 that detects the condition (e.g., degree of contamination and ejection characteristics) of the multiple ejection ports 105 of the ejection head 104 and performs cleaning or other processes based on the detection results to restore the ejection characteristics.

[0015] When the substrate 112 is mounted on the substrate stage 113, a placement error may occur. Furthermore, shape distortion in the X and Y directions may occur when the substrate 112 undergoes various manufacturing processes. For this reason, the liquid ejection device 1 may be provided with an alignment scope 107 for measuring the position and distortion amount of the substrate 112. Furthermore, since substrates vary in thickness, when the ejection head 104 ejects liquid while scanning the substrate stage 113 in the Y direction, the landing position of the droplets on the substrate may vary due to the variation in the thickness of the substrate. For this reason, the liquid ejection device 1 may be provided with a height sensor 108 for measuring the position (height) of the substrate in the Z direction.

[0016] The control unit 150 controls each unit of the liquid ejection device 1. The control unit 150 can be configured, for example, by 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 with an embedded program, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0017] As described above, the ejection head 104 includes a plurality of ejection ports 105. Hereinafter, the end faces of the plurality of ejection ports 105 will be referred to as ejection port faces 111. The end faces of the plurality of ejection ports 105 may be, for example, faces obtained by connecting the tips of the respective ejection ports. Alternatively, the end faces of the plurality of ejection ports 105 may be understood as the end faces (head faces) of the ejection head 104.

[0018] The liquid ejection device 1 further includes a pressure control unit 100 that controls the pressure inside the ejection head 104 in order to eject the liquid 103. During ejection, the pressure control unit 100 controls the pressure inside the ejection head so that it becomes a pressure (negative pressure) lower than atmospheric pressure. This negative pressure control causes the liquid inside the ejection head 104 to form a meniscus near the opening of the ejection port, creating a state suitable for ejection, and preventing the liquid from leaking at an unintended timing. In one example, the pressure control unit 100 controls the pressure inside the ejection head so that the meniscus pressure becomes a pressure (negative pressure) that is 0.3 to 2.0 kPa lower than atmospheric pressure.

[0019] During or while waiting to eject liquid, problems such as ejection failure or quality degradation (hereinafter simply referred to as "ejection failure") may occur. Causes of this may include the adhesion of foreign matter near the opening of the ejection port 105, thickening of the liquid near the opening of the ejection port 105, or residual air bubbles inside the ejection port.

[0020] The state of each outlet can be confirmed based on a related signal (residual signal waveform) measured after the generation of a specific pressure wave. Specifically, the control unit 150 operates the piezoelectric element by providing a specific pulse signal to the piezoelectric element via a driver (not shown) of the outlet 105. Operation of the piezoelectric element generates a specific pressure wave in the piezoelectric element. If the piezoelectric element is normal, this pressure wave causes liquid to drip from the outlet. At this time, the pressure wave generated in the piezoelectric element causes distortion in the piezoelectric element, generating an electrical signal corresponding to the distortion. This electrical signal is called a "residual signal." The control unit 150 detects this electrical signal and determines the state of the piezoelectric element based on the detected electrical signal.

[0021] FIG. 2(a) shows an example of a residual signal waveform. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the potential of the residual signal. FIG. 2(a) shows a reference signal waveform that indicates the state of an ejection port capable of stable ejection. If a residual signal waveform equivalent to this is obtained, the ejection port 105 can be determined to be in a normal state. As the ejection failure state of the ejection port 105 progresses, this residual signal waveform changes. If foreign matter is clogged inside the ejection port 105, the period of the residual signal waveform will be long and the amplitude will be large, as shown in FIG. 2(b). If the detected residual signal waveform changes in this way from the reference waveform, the ejection port 105 can be determined to be experiencing ejection failure.

[0022] The liquid and foreign matter inside the discharge port 105 can be discharged to the outside by controlling the pressure inside the discharge port 105 to be higher than atmospheric pressure using the pressure control unit 100. In one example, the pressure control unit 100 controls the pressure inside the discharge port 105 to be 5 to 50 kPa higher than atmospheric pressure (positive pressure), thereby discharging the liquid and foreign matter inside the discharge port to the outside.

[0023] A control method for the liquid ejection device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. In S301, the control unit 150 controls a substrate transport device (not shown) to load the substrate 112 into the liquid ejection device 1 and hold it on the substrate stage 113. In S302, the control unit 150 controls the substrate stage 113 and the alignment scope 107 to perform alignment measurement of the substrate 112 held by the substrate stage 113. In S303, the control unit 150 controls the substrate stage 113 and the height sensor 108 to measure the height of the substrate 112. Note that the order of the alignment measurement in S302 and the height measurement in S303 may be reversed. Information regarding the position, distortion amount, and height of the substrate 112 obtained by the alignment measurement and height measurement is stored, for example, in a memory within the control unit 150. The control unit 150 calculates ejection control information based on pixel data including information such as the pixel arrangement and size of pixels formed on the substrate 112. The ejection control information can include information indicating a target distribution of the liquid to be applied in the pixel area 109 and the evaluation area 110 on the substrate 112 .

[0024] In S304, the control unit 150 performs a recovery determination (nozzle recovery determination) for the multiple ejection ports 105. The nozzle recovery determination in S304 can be performed, for example, by determining whether the first peak position of the residual signal waveform is equivalent to that of the reference waveform. However, the nozzle recovery determination in S304 may be performed by other methods. If it is determined in this nozzle recovery determination that nozzle recovery is necessary, the process proceeds to S305. In S305, the control unit 150 performs nozzle recovery processing. Details of the nozzle recovery processing will be described later. When the nozzle recovery processing is completed, the process returns to S304. If it is determined in S304 that nozzle recovery is not necessary, the process proceeds to S306.

[0025] In S306, the control unit 150 controls the discharge of droplets by the discharge head 104 based on the target coating distribution while synchronously driving the discharge head 104 and the substrate stage 113. In this discharge control, the control unit 150 may drive the substrate stage 113, or may keep the substrate stage 113 fixed and drive the discharge head 104 and alignment scope 107 within the XY plane. Alternatively, the control unit 150 may drive the substrate stage 113, the discharge head 104, and the alignment scope 107 together. To form multiple functional elements on a substrate using the liquid discharge device 1, the discharge head 104 and the coating area where the liquid is to be applied are scanned relative to each other to apply the material for the functional elements. FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view illustrating the application of the material for the functional elements. In FIG. 4, a substrate 400 has a substrate surface 401, which is the surface of the substrate on which the functional elements are formed. A plurality of functional elements 402 are formed in a matrix on the substrate surface 401. Although only 7×5 functional elements 402 are shown in FIG. 4, in practice a much larger number of functional elements can be formed.

[0026] When the discharge control based on the target application distribution is completed in S306, the control unit 150 controls the substrate transport device (not shown) to transport the substrate 112 out of the liquid discharger 1 in S307.

[0027] The sequence of the nozzle recovery process in S305 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In S501, the control unit 150 performs a detection process A. The detection process A is a process of detecting residual signal waveforms for all of the ejection ports 105 and identifying normal nozzles and abnormal nozzles (ejection-failure nozzles) based on the detected residual signal waveforms.

[0028] In S502, the control unit 150 performs the discharge process. The discharge process will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In the discharge process, the pressure control unit 100 pressurizes the liquid tank 101, thereby discharging the liquid from the discharge port 105. The liquid discharged from the discharge port 105 spreads over the discharge port surface 111. The recovery unit 11 is provided with a receiving tray 114 that receives the liquid and foreign matter discharged from the discharge port 105. In the discharge process, the control unit 150 moves at least one of the discharge head 104 and the recovery unit 11 so that the receiving tray 114 is positioned below the discharge port 105.

[0029] In S503, the control unit 150 carries out the detection process B. Similar to the detection process A, the detection process B is a process of detecting residual signal waveforms for all of the outlets 105 and identifying normal nozzles and abnormal nozzles (nozzles with poor ejection performance) based on the detected residual signal waveforms. Hereinafter, nozzles detected as normal in this process will be referred to as "OK nozzles" (first outlets), and nozzles detected as abnormal will be referred to as "NG nozzles" (second outlets).

[0030] Thereafter, the control unit 150 performs the suction process on each nozzle by scanning the plurality of suction ports 115. During this scanning, the process indicated as "loop on all nozzles" in FIG.

[0031] First, in S504, the control unit 150 determines whether the nozzle of interest is a defective nozzle. If the nozzle of interest is a defective nozzle, the process proceeds to S505, where a first suction step is performed. If the nozzle of interest is a defective nozzle, the process proceeds to S507, where a second suction step is performed. The reason for performing the first suction step on the defective nozzle in S505 is mainly to suck the liquid remaining on the discharge port surface 106 after the discharge step in S502. The first suction step is a step in which suction is performed in a non-contact state where the suction port surface 116 and the discharge port surface 111 are spaced apart by a certain distance or more. The second suction step is a step in which suction is performed on a defective nozzle with a stronger suction force than in the first suction step, in a non-contact state where the suction port surface 116 and the discharge port surface 111 are not in contact. The reason for performing different suction methods on the defective nozzle and the defective nozzle is to protect the suction port, reduce liquid consumption, and shorten the time required for the recovery process. If strong suction were applied to the OK nozzles in the second suction process, the suction port would be more likely to be damaged, more liquid would be sucked in than necessary, and the recovery process would take longer. For this reason, different suction methods are used for OK and NG nozzles.

[0032] When the first suction process is completed for the OK nozzle in S505, the next nozzle is designated as the nozzle of interest (S506), and the process returns to S504 and is repeated.

[0033] On the other hand, when the second suction process is completed for a defective nozzle in S507, the control unit 150 performs a detection process C in S508. The detection process C is a process of detecting a residual signal waveform for the defective nozzle and determining whether the defective nozzle has recovered to a normal state based on the detected residual signal waveform. In S509, the control unit 150 determines whether the defective nozzle is still a defective nozzle. If the determination is that the nozzle is still a defective nozzle, the process returns to S507 and the second suction process is performed again. The second suction process is performed again within a specified number of times until the nozzle is determined to have recovered to normal. The suction force may be further strengthened in the re-executed second suction process. If the second suction process is re-executed more than the specified number of times, the nozzle may be classified as an unrecoverable non-ejection nozzle and excluded from the nozzles to be used. If the nozzle is determined to be a normal nozzle in S508 (detection process C), the process proceeds to S505, where the first suction process is performed, and the next nozzle is designated as the nozzle of interest in S506, and the loop is repeated. The above loop is repeated until suction is completed for all nozzles, and then recovery is completed (S510).

[0034] FIG. 7 shows the liquid ejection device 1 in a state in which deposits on the ejection port surface 11 are being suctioned and removed. The recovery unit 11 has a suction port 115. The suction port 115 has a suction port surface 116, which is the end surface of the tip of the suction port 115. The recovery unit 11 also has a flow rate control unit 118 that controls the flow rate at which liquid is sucked through the suction port 115. As described above, the recovery unit 11 in this embodiment has the function of sucking liquid through the suction port 115, and therefore may be referred to as a suction unit. The recovery unit 11 also has a drive system 119 that moves the suction port 115 in directions parallel to the ejection port surface 111 (X and Y directions), and a drive system 117 that moves the suction port 115 in a direction perpendicular to the ejection port surface 111 (Z direction). The drive system 117 functions as an adjustment unit that adjusts the distance between the suction port surface 116 and the ejection port surface 111. The control unit 150 can control the suction force by using the drive system 117 to control the distance between the outlet surface 111 and the suction surface 116 and / or by controlling the flow rate at which the liquid is sucked using the flow rate control unit 118.

[0035] As an example, a second suction process in which suction is stronger than in the first suction process will be described. Figure 8 shows the liquid ejection device 1 in a state in which suction is being performed with the distance between the ejection port surface 111 and the suction port surface 116 narrowed. The distance between the ejection port surface 111 and the suction port surface 116 in the first suction process is set to G1, and the distance between the ejection port surface 111 and the suction port surface 116 in the second suction process is set to G2. The control unit 150 controls the drive system 117 so that G1 > G2 in the second suction process.

[0036] By narrowing the distance between the discharge port surface 111 and the suction port surface 116 in this way, it becomes possible to increase the suction force in the second suction step compared to the first suction step.

[0037] Second Embodiment 9, the recovery unit 11 further includes a rotation mechanism 124 that rotates the suction port 115 around a direction perpendicular to the discharge port surface 111 (in the θZ direction). The rotation mechanism 124 is configured, for example, at the base of the suction port 115. The rotation mechanism 124 rotates the suction port 115 in the θZ direction about the center of the suction port surface 116.

[0038] 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the multiple outlets 105 on the outlet surface 111 and the suction range, and is a view of the outlet surface 111 in FIG. 9 viewed from below in the Z direction. As shown, the outlet surface 111 has multiple outlets 105 arranged in a matrix. While FIG. 10 shows 4 x 5 outlets 105, in reality, a larger number of outlets 105 may be arranged. A suction range 1001 indicates the range that is suctioned by the suction port surface 116.

[0039] 12(a) is a plan view of the suction port 115 seen from above in the Z direction, and 12(b) is a side view of the suction port 115 seen from the Y direction. The suction port surface 116 has a slit-like shape and is connected to a flow rate control unit 118.

[0040] In the suction process, suction port 115 is scanned in the Y direction as shown in Fig. 10 to suck each suction port. At this time, if the suction range 1001 includes an outlet that is not clogged with foreign matter, the suction pressure will be dispersed to that outlet, which can cause a problem in that pressure is not applied to the outlet with a discharge defect that should be sucked.

[0041] 11, the suction range 1001 is rotated in the θZ direction so that the discharge-failure nozzles are included within the suction range 1001, but normal nozzles are not included within the suction range 1001. Therefore, the control unit 150 controls the rotation mechanism 124 so that the discharge-failure nozzles are included within the suction range 1001, but normal nozzles are not included.

[0042] This allows suction pressure to be applied only to the ejection ports that are experiencing ejection problems, thereby enhancing the recovery effect.

[0043] <Third embodiment> Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 13(a) is a plan view of the suction port 115 as viewed from above in the Z direction, and FIG. 13(b) is a side view of the suction port 115 as viewed from the Y direction. In the third embodiment, the recovery unit 11 has multiple suction ports 115. This can be understood as the suction port 115 shown in FIG. 12 being divided into multiple ports. The multiple suction ports 115 are each connected to a flow rate control unit 118. The recovery unit 11 also has multiple valves 1301 that control the suction operation of each of the multiple suction ports 115. This allows the multiple suction ports 115 to be individually controlled on / off. By configuring the multiple suction ports 115 to be individually controlled on / off, the suction range 1001 is divided corresponding to the multiple suction ports 115, as shown in FIG. 14.

[0044] In the second suction step, the control unit 150 controls the multiple valves 1301 so that suction operation is not performed from the suction ports corresponding to normal nozzles. Specifically, in the second suction step, suction is turned off for the suction range 1001 that includes suction ports that are not defective in ejection, and turned on for the suction range 1001 that includes suction ports that are defective in ejection. This makes it possible to apply suction pressure only to the defective ejection ports, thereby enhancing the recovery effect.

[0045] According to each of the embodiments described above, the recovery process for defective ejection ports by non-contact suction is strengthened.

[0046] <Embodiment of an article manufacturing method> The article manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as display panels for organic electroluminescence (EL) displays, microdevices such as semiconductor devices, and elements having fine structures. The article manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes a first step of discharging a liquid onto a substrate using the liquid discharge device described above to form a discharged liquid film; a second step of drying the substrate on which the discharged liquid film has been formed to form a dry film; and a third step of manufacturing an article from the substrate on which the dry film has been formed. Furthermore, this article manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (such as baking, cooling, cleaning, oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, and packaging). The article manufacturing method according to this embodiment is advantageous over conventional methods in at least one of article performance, quality, productivity, and production cost.

[0047] The disclosure of the present specification includes at least the following techniques. (Item 1) a discharge head that discharges liquid from a plurality of discharge ports; a suction unit that sucks the plurality of discharge ports; a control unit that controls the suction unit; and The control unit Detecting the state of each of the plurality of ejection ports; based on the detection result, individually controlling the suction force of the suction unit for each of the plurality of discharge ports; A liquid ejection device characterized by: (Item 2) a pressure control unit that controls the pressure inside the plurality of discharge ports; the control unit detects a state of each of the plurality of ejection ports after the pressure control unit pressurizes the interiors of the plurality of ejection ports so that liquid is discharged from the plurality of ejection ports. 2. The liquid ejection device according to item 1, (Item 3) The liquid ejection device described in item 2 is characterized in that the control unit uses the suction unit to perform a first suction on a first ejection port among the multiple ejection ports that is detected as normal, and uses the suction unit to perform a second suction with a suction force stronger than the first suction on a second ejection port that is detected as abnormal. (Item 4) the suction unit includes a suction port and an adjustment unit that adjusts a distance between an end face of the plurality of discharge ports and an end face of the suction port, the control unit uses the adjustment unit to narrow the distance more than that in the first suction, thereby increasing suction force and performing the second suction. 4. The liquid ejection device according to item 3, (Item 5) the suction unit further includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the suction port around a direction perpendicular to the end faces of the plurality of discharge ports, the control unit controls the rotation mechanism so that the second discharge port is included in a suction range of the suction port and the first discharge port is not included in the suction range of the suction port. 5. The liquid ejection device according to item 4, (Item 6) the suction unit includes a plurality of suction ports and a plurality of valves that control suction operations of the plurality of suction ports, the control unit controls the plurality of valves so that, during the second suction, a suction operation is not performed from a suction port corresponding to the first discharge port. 5. The liquid ejection device according to item 4, (Item 7) A method for controlling a liquid ejection device, comprising: a detection step of detecting the state of each of a plurality of ejection ports that eject liquid; a first suction step of performing suction on a first outlet detected as normal in the detection step among the plurality of outlets; a second suction step of performing suction with a stronger suction force than that in the first suction step on a second outlet detected as abnormal in the detection step among the plurality of outlets; A control method comprising: (Item 8) 8. The control method according to item 7, further comprising a discharge step of pressurizing the interior of the plurality of discharge ports to discharge liquid from the plurality of discharge ports before the detection step. (Item 9) The method further includes a determination step of determining whether the second discharge port has returned to normal after the second suction step, The second suction step is performed again within a specified number of times until it is determined in the determination step that the second discharge port has returned to normal. 9. The control method according to item 7 or 8, (Item 10) 10. The control method according to item 9, wherein, when it is determined in the determination step that the second outlet has returned to normal, the first suction step is performed on the second outlet. (Item 11) A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a stage that holds and moves the substrate; 7. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 6, which ejects liquid onto the substrate held by the stage; A substrate processing apparatus comprising: (Item 12) A first step of discharging a liquid onto a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to item 11 to form a liquid film; a second step of drying the substrate on which the liquid film has been formed to form a dry film; a third step of manufacturing an article from the substrate on which the dry film is formed; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

[0048] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made 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]

[0049] 1: liquid ejection device, 11: recovery unit, 100: pressure control unit, 104: ejection head, 105: ejection port, 150: control unit

Claims

1. a discharge head that discharges liquid from a plurality of discharge ports; a suction unit that sucks the plurality of discharge ports; a control unit that controls the suction unit; and The control unit Detecting the state of each of the plurality of ejection ports; based on the detection result, individually controlling the suction force of the suction unit for each of the plurality of discharge ports; A liquid ejection device characterized by:

2. a pressure control unit that controls the pressure inside the plurality of discharge ports; the control unit detects a state of each of the plurality of ejection ports after the pressure control unit pressurizes the interiors of the plurality of ejection ports so that liquid is discharged from the plurality of ejection ports. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1 .

3. The liquid ejection device described in claim 2, characterized in that the control unit uses the suction unit to perform a first suction on a first ejection port among the plurality of ejection ports that is detected as normal, and uses the suction unit to perform a second suction with a suction force stronger than the first suction on a second ejection port that is detected as abnormal.

4. the suction unit includes a suction port and an adjustment unit that adjusts a distance between an end face of the plurality of discharge ports and an end face of the suction port, the control unit uses the adjustment unit to narrow the distance more than that in the first suction, thereby increasing suction force and performing the second suction.

4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 3.

5. the suction unit further includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the suction port around a direction perpendicular to the end faces of the plurality of discharge ports, the control unit controls the rotation mechanism so that the second discharge port is included in a suction range of the suction port and the first discharge port is not included in the suction range of the suction port.

5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 4.

6. the suction unit includes a plurality of suction ports and a plurality of valves that control suction operations of the plurality of suction ports, the control unit controls the plurality of valves so that, during the second suction, a suction operation is not performed from a suction port corresponding to the first discharge port.

5. The liquid ejection device according to claim 4.

7. A method for controlling a liquid ejection device, comprising: a detection step of detecting the state of each of a plurality of ejection ports that eject liquid; a first suction step of performing suction on a first outlet detected as normal in the detection step among the plurality of outlets; a second suction step of performing suction with a stronger suction force than that in the first suction step on a second outlet detected as abnormal in the detection step among the plurality of outlets; A control method comprising:

8. 8. The control method according to claim 7, further comprising a discharge step, prior to the detection step, of pressurizing the interior of the plurality of discharge ports to discharge the liquid from the plurality of discharge ports.

9. The method further includes a determination step of determining whether the second discharge port has returned to normal after the second suction step, the second suction step is repeated within a specified number of times until it is determined in the determination step that the second discharge port has returned to normal.

9. The control method according to claim 7 or 8.

10. 10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein the first suction step is performed on the second outlet when it is determined in the determining step that the second outlet has recovered to normal.

11. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a stage that holds and moves the substrate; a liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1 , which ejects liquid onto the substrate held by the stage; A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

12. a first step of discharging a liquid onto a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11 to form a liquid film; a second step of drying the substrate on which the liquid film has been formed to form a dry film; a third step of manufacturing an article from the substrate on which the dry film is formed; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

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