Liquid supply apparatus, method of controlling the same, and method of manufacturing article

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for accurately supplying a liquid onto a substrate in a liquid supply device.SOLUTION: A liquid supply device that supplies a liquid onto a substrate includes a head that discharges the liquid as droplets, a control unit that controls a process of causing the head to discharge the droplets while relatively scanning the head and the substrate, and a generation unit that generates, based on a height distribution of a surface of the substrate, first correction data for correcting a variation in a gap between the head and the substrate in a height direction during the process and second correction data for correcting a discharge timing of the droplets from the head during the process. The controller controls the processing based on the first correction data and the second correction data generated by the generator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, when manufacturing various functional elements, attempts have been made to form patterns on substrates (i.e., patterning) using liquid supply devices that supply (apply, place) liquid, which will be the material for the functional elements, as droplets onto a substrate using an inkjet method. Patterning using such liquid supply devices has advantages such as high material usage efficiency due to the ability to perform on-demand patterning, a relatively small manufacturing device due to the fact that it is a non-vacuum process, and the ability to coat large areas at high speed. For example, liquid supply devices can be used to manufacture display devices such as flat panel displays.

[0003] Various display methods have been proposed for display devices, and in recent years, the development of display devices using organic EL elements has been particularly active. Because the organic EL materials used to manufacture organic EL elements are expensive, liquid supply devices that are efficient in material usage and capable of applying a large area at high speed are sometimes used. For example, Patent Document 1 describes the manufacture of organic EL elements using an inkjet method in the manufacturing process of a display device. Patent Document 2 also describes a method of disposing droplets on a substrate by ejecting droplets from an ejection head while moving the ejection head and the substrate relative to each other in the main scanning direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-12815 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4305478 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a liquid supply device using an inkjet method, when the surface height of the substrate changes, the distance between the discharge head and the surface of the substrate changes accordingly, which can cause a deviation between the deposition position on the substrate of droplets discharged from the discharge head and the target position (hereinafter referred to as deposition position deviation). Patent document 2 describes a method of correcting deposition position deviation by correcting the discharge timing of droplets from the discharge head, but depending on the magnitude of the deposition position deviation, it can be difficult to accurately correct the deposition position deviation by correcting the discharge timing alone.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an advantageous technique for accurately supplying liquid onto a substrate in a liquid supply device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one aspect of the present invention is a liquid supply device that supplies liquid onto a substrate, and includes: a head that ejects the liquid as droplets; a control unit that controls a process of causing the head to eject droplets while scanning the head and the substrate relative to each other; and a generation unit that generates, based on a height distribution of the surface of the substrate, first correction data for correcting fluctuations in the distance between the head and the substrate in the height direction during the process, and second correction data for correcting the timing of ejection of droplets from the head during the process, and the control unit controls the process based on the first correction data and the second correction data generated by the generation unit.

[0008] 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. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for accurately supplying liquid onto a substrate in a liquid supply apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1A] 1 is a schematic diagram (side view) showing an example of the configuration of a liquid supply device; [Figure 1B] Schematic diagram (top view) showing an example of the configuration of a liquid supply device [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a data group of ejection correction data generated by a second generation unit; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect obtained by controlling the discharge process based on both the position correction data and the discharge correction data. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations in the liquid supply device; [Figure 5] Schematic diagram explaining the ejection of functional element materials (droplets) [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the definition of each value in a liquid supply device. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a liquid supply device having a first measurement unit and a second measurement unit; [Figure 8] Schematic diagram showing the operation of measuring the height distribution on the surface of a substrate using a first measurement unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the definition of each value in a liquid supply device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing discharge correction data generated for each discharge element of the discharge head and for each discharge of a droplet to a target position on a substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF 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 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.

[0012] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are typically indicated in an XYZ coordinate system, with the XY plane being a plane parallel to the horizontal plane. The directions parallel to the X, Y, and Z axes in the XYZ coordinate system are the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively, and rotation around the X axis, rotation around the Y axis, and rotation around the Z axis are referred to as θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control and drive (movement) about the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis refer to control or drive (movement) about the direction parallel to the X axis, direction parallel to the Y axis, and direction parallel to the Z axis, respectively. Furthermore, control or drive about the θX axis, θY axis, and θZ axis refer to control or drive about rotation about an axis parallel to the X axis, rotation around an axis parallel to the Y axis, and rotation around an axis parallel to the Z axis, respectively.

[0013] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a liquid supplying apparatus 1 (liquid ejection apparatus, inkjet apparatus) according to this embodiment. FIG. 1A shows a side view of the liquid supplying apparatus 1, and FIG. 1B shows a top view of the liquid supplying apparatus 1. The liquid supplying apparatus 1 is an apparatus for supplying (applying, disposing) a liquid, which is a material for a functional element, onto a substrate to form a pattern, and functions as a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates such as display panels and semiconductors. For example, the liquid supplying apparatus 1 can be used to manufacture display devices such as flat panel displays and OLED (organic light-emitting diode) devices. Note that, hereinafter, the liquid supplied onto a substrate by the liquid supplying apparatus 1 may be simply referred to as "liquid." The liquid may be called ink, and its components are not particularly limited. For example, the liquid may contain a solute and a solvent for forming an organic film on the substrate.

[0014] The liquid supply device 1 may include a substrate stage 3 that holds and moves the substrate 2, a discharge head 5 that discharges the liquid as droplets 4, an imaging unit 6 that images an alignment mark 2b provided on the substrate 2, a control unit 7, and a generation unit 8. The liquid supply device 1 performs a discharge process in which the discharge head 5 discharges droplets 4 while scanning the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 relatively in the Y direction (scanning direction). In this discharge process, the discharge of droplets from the discharge head 5 is repeated multiple times. This allows multiple droplets 4 to be supplied (applied, arranged) on the substrate 2 in a desired distribution. The discharge process may be performed once or multiple times for one substrate 2.

[0015] The substrate stage 3 may include a substrate holder 3a that holds the substrate 2 by vacuum suction or the like, and a substrate driving mechanism 3b that drives the substrate holder 3a to drive the substrate 2. The substrate driving mechanism 3b may be configured to drive the substrate 2 about multiple axes (e.g., six axes: X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis).

[0016] The substrate 2 may be a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or the like, as appropriate, depending on the product to be manufactured. The substrate 2 is typically a plate-shaped member, but is not limited to a particular shape as long as it can function as a substrate. For example, the substrate 2 may be a deformable film or a disk-shaped substrate. The substrate 2 also has a pixel area 2a for supplying a liquid to form an array of multiple display pixels, and an alignment mark 2b used for aligning the substrate 2. The alignment mark 2b can be imaged by the imaging unit 6 to measure the position and rotation of the substrate 2.

[0017] The ejection head 5 is configured to be able to eject droplets 4 toward the substrate 2. The ejection head 5 has multiple ejection elements 5a (ejection nozzles, ejection holes) that each eject droplets 4, and the ejection of droplets 4 from each ejection element 5a is individually controlled by the control unit 7. In this embodiment, the width of the ejection head 5 in the X direction (sub-scanning direction) is equal to or greater than the width of the pixel area 2a of the substrate 2 in the X direction, and the multiple ejection elements 5a are arranged along the X direction. As a result, in the ejection process, the ejection head 5 and the substrate 2 are scanned relatively once in the Y direction (scanning direction), allowing the ejection head 5 to supply (eject) droplets 4 onto the entire surface of the pixel area 2a. Note that the number of ejection processes for one substrate 2 is set according to the amount and arrangement of droplets 4 to be supplied onto the substrate 2, and is not limited to one, but may be multiple times.

[0018] In this embodiment, the relative scanning between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 is performed by moving the substrate 2 with the substrate driving mechanism 3b (substrate stage 3), but this is not limiting. For example, if a head driving mechanism (not shown) that drives the discharge head 5 in the Y direction is provided, the relative scanning between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 may be performed by moving the discharge head 5 with the head driving mechanism. Alternatively, the relative scanning between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 may be performed by moving the discharge head 5 relatively with the head driving mechanism and the substrate driving mechanism 3b. In other words, a driving unit that drives the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 relatively may be configured by at least one of the head driving mechanism and the substrate driving mechanism 3b.

[0019] The imaging unit 6 (camera) captures an image of the alignment mark 2b on the substrate 2. For example, the control unit 7 moves the substrate stage 3 so that the alignment mark 2b on the substrate 2 is positioned below the imaging unit 6, and then causes the imaging unit 6 to capture (detect) the alignment mark 2b, and measures the position and rotation of the substrate 2 based on the image thus obtained. Here, the imaging unit 6 may be used to capture an image of the droplets 4 ejected onto the substrate 2 by the ejection head 5. In this case, the control unit 7 causes the imaging unit 6 to capture an image of the droplets 4 ejected onto the substrate 2, and measures the deposition position (landing position) and shape of the droplets 4 on the substrate 2 based on the image thus obtained.

[0020] The control unit 7 is configured by, for example, a computer having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a memory, and controls each part (substrate stage 3, discharge head 5, etc.) of the liquid supply apparatus 1. The control unit 7 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 an embedded program, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0021] In this embodiment, the control unit 7 controls the discharge process of causing the discharge head 5 to discharge droplets 4 while scanning the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 in the Y direction (scanning direction). For example, the control unit 7 has control information (control program) created in advance to control the discharge process under predetermined conditions, and controls the discharge process based on the control information. The predetermined conditions include a condition that the surface of the substrate 2 held by the substrate stage 3 is flat, i.e., a condition that the distance between the discharge head 5 and the surface of the substrate 2 is constant during the discharge process (i.e., there is no fluctuation in the distance). The control information may also include drive information for driving the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 relatively during the discharge process, and discharge information indicating the discharge timing for causing the discharge head 5 to discharge droplets 4 during the discharge process. The drive information may also include a scanning speed at which the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 are scanned relatively in the Y direction during the discharge process. The ejection timing of the ejection information is set (defined) for each of the multiple ejection elements 5a in the ejection head 5 as the timing for ejecting droplets 4 from the ejection head 5 so that the droplets 4 adhere to the target position on the substrate 2 under specified conditions.

[0022] The generation unit 8 (arithmetic unit) is configured by a computer having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a memory, and generates various correction data for correcting the control information of the control unit 7. The generation unit 8 is connected to the control unit 7 by a data transmission path 9, and transmits (transmits, transfers) the various generated correction data to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9. In the present embodiment, the generation unit 8 can include a first generation unit 8a, a second generation unit 8b, and a storage unit 8c. The storage unit 8c stores distribution information indicating the height distribution on the surface of the substrate 2.

[0023] Based on the distribution information stored in memory unit 8c, first generator 8a generates interval correction data (first correction data) for correcting fluctuations in the interval (distance) between discharge head 5 and substrate 2 in the height direction (e.g., Z direction) during the discharge process. For example, first generator 8a can generate, as the interval correction data, a drive profile for driving discharge head 5 and substrate 2 relatively in the height direction so as to reduce fluctuations in the interval between discharge head 5 and the surface of substrate 2 during the discharge process. The interval correction data generated by first generator 8a is transmitted to controller 7 via data transmission path 9.

[0024] The second generation unit 8b generates discharge correction data (second correction data) for correcting the discharge timing of droplets 4 from the discharge head 5 during the discharge process, based on the distribution information stored in the memory unit 8c. For example, the second generation unit 8b estimates the deviation between the deposition position of the droplets 4 on the substrate 2 and the target position when the discharge process is controlled using the interval correction data (drive profile) generated by the first generation unit 8a, and generates discharge correction data to reduce the deviation. The discharge correction data represents the amount of correction for the discharge timing when causing the discharge head 5 to discharge one droplet 4, and can be generated for each discharge of the droplet 4 from the discharge head 5, which is repeated during the discharge process. Furthermore, the discharge correction data can be generated for each discharge element 5a in the discharge head 5. The discharge correction data generated by the second generation unit 8b is transmitted to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9. The correction data generated for each discharge of the droplet 4 from the discharge head 5 and / or for each discharge element 5a may be transmitted to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9 via a serial transmission method or a parallel transmission method.

[0025] In the liquid supply device 1, when the surface height of the substrate 2 changes, the distance between the discharge head 5 and the surface of the substrate 2 changes accordingly, which can result in a deviation between the deposition position of the droplets 4 on the substrate 2 and the target position (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as deposition position deviation). If such deposition position deviation is corrected using only the distance correction data, depending on the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2, the driving of the substrate 2 in the height direction may become large, which may result in the driving of the substrate 2 in the height direction not being able to keep up with the scanning of the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2. In this case, it may be necessary to reduce the scanning speed of the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2, which may be disadvantageous in terms of throughput. On the other hand, if the deposition position deviation is corrected using only the discharge correction data, depending on the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2, the timings of repeated droplets 4 ejected from the same discharge element 5a may become too close to each other, which may result in the droplets 4 not being ejected in time.

[0026] Furthermore, when the deposition position deviation is corrected using only the discharge correction data, the amount of discharge correction data may become large depending on the height distribution on the surface of the substrate 2, which may result in a longer time required to transmit the discharge correction data to the control unit 7. This may be disadvantageous in terms of throughput.

[0027] For example, Fig. 2 shows an example of a data group of ejection correction data generated by the second generator 8b. The ejection correction data can be generated for each ejection of a droplet 4 and for each ejection element 5a as numerical information representing the amount of correction for correcting the ejection timing so that the droplet 4 is deposited at a target position on the substrate 2 (pixel area 2a) during the ejection process. The data group of ejection correction data shown in Fig. 2 is expressed as a two-dimensional matrix consisting of columns corresponding to each ejection element 5a arranged in the sub-scanning direction (X direction) and rows corresponding to each target position (each pixel) on the substrate 2 in the scanning direction (Y direction).

[0028] The data group of discharge correction data contains a huge amount of data (data volume) and is numerical information with sufficient resolution to precisely (accurately) discharge a large number of droplets from a large number of discharge elements 5a onto the pixel area 2a of the substrate 2. Therefore, the amount of communication required to transmit the data group of discharge correction data from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9 becomes enormous, and it takes a considerable amount of time to complete the transmission. For this reason, in this embodiment, the discharge process is controlled based on both the interval correction data and the discharge correction data. Note that the following description will be given using as an example a data group of discharge correction data generated for each discharge of a droplet 4 from one discharge element 5a.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect obtained by controlling the discharge process based on both position correction data and discharge correction data. FIG. 3(a) shows discharge correction data (data group) in a conventional example that does not use distance correction data, and FIG. 3(b) shows discharge correction data (data group) in this embodiment that uses distance correction data. In FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the upper diagram schematically illustrates the discharge process being performed on a substrate 2 whose surface height varies in the scanning direction, and the lower diagram (graph) shows the amount of discharge timing correction versus the elapsed time of the discharge process. The amount of discharge timing correction corresponds to the data length (message length) of the discharge correction data; the smaller the amount of discharge timing correction, the shorter the data length of the discharge correction data. As can be seen from FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the data length of the discharge correction data can be shortened by correcting the fluctuation in the vertical distance between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 using distance correction data during the discharge process. As a result, the time it takes to transmit the discharge correction data to the control unit 7 can be reduced.

[0030] [Liquid supply device operation] The following describes the flow of operations in the liquid supply apparatus 1. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations in the liquid supply apparatus 1.

[0031] In step S101, the control unit 7 uses a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) to load the substrate 2 onto the substrate stage 3 (substrate holding unit 3a) and causes the substrate stage 3 to hold the substrate 2. Next, in step S102, the control unit 7 creates control information for controlling the discharge process. As described above, the control information can include drive information for driving the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 relative to each other in the discharge process, and discharge information indicating the discharge timing for causing the discharge head 5 to discharge droplets 4 in the discharge process. From the perspective of improving throughput, the control information may be created in advance through experiments, simulations, etc., in which case step S102 may be omitted.

[0032] In step S103, the control unit 7 aligns the substrate 2. For example, the control unit 7 moves the substrate stage 3 so that the alignment mark 2b of the substrate 2 is positioned below the imaging unit 6, and then causes the imaging unit 6 to capture an image of the alignment mark 2b, and measures the position and rotation of the substrate 2 based on the image thus obtained. As a result, the control unit 7 can align the substrate 2 by driving the substrate stage 3 in the XY directions and the θZ directions based on the measurement results of the position and rotation of the substrate 2.

[0033] In step S104, the generation unit 8 acquires distribution information indicating the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2. The generation unit 8 may acquire the distribution information based on the results of measuring the height of the surface of the substrate 2 by an external measurement device (a device different from the liquid supply device 1). In this case, for example, the liquid supply device 1 may include an acquisition unit (receiving unit) that acquires information from the external measurement device, and the generation unit 8 may acquire the distribution information (height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2) based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit. Furthermore, if the liquid supply device 1 is provided with a measurement unit that measures the height of the surface of the substrate 2, the generation unit 8 may acquire the distribution information based on the measurement results of the measurement unit. The acquired distribution information may be stored in the storage unit 8c.

[0034] In step S105, the generation unit 8 (first generation unit 8a) generates interval correction data based on the distribution information acquired in step S104. In addition, in step S106, the generation unit 8 (second generation unit 8b) generates ejection correction data based on the distribution information acquired in step S104 and the interval correction data generated in step S105.

[0035] In step S107, the generation unit 8 starts transmitting the interval correction data and the ejection correction data to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9. Next, in step S108, the generation unit 8 determines whether or not the transmission of the interval correction data and the ejection correction data has been completed. If the transmission has not been completed, step S108 is repeated, and if the transmission has been completed, the process proceeds to step S109.

[0036] In step S109, the control unit 7 corrects the control information based on the interval correction data and the ejection correction data received from the generation unit 8 via the data transmission path 9. As described above, the control information may include drive information and ejection information. For example, the control unit 7 corrects the drive information based on the interval correction data, and corrects the ejection information based on the ejection correction data.

[0037] In step S110, the control unit 7 executes a discharge process in accordance with the information obtained by correcting the control information (drive information, discharge information) in step S109. To form multiple functional elements on the substrate 2 using the liquid supply device 1, the control unit 7 discharges the liquid, which is the material for the functional elements, as droplets 4 from each discharge element 5a of the discharge head 5 while scanning the discharge head 5 relative to the substrate 2 (pixel area 2a). Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the discharge of such functional element material (droplets 4). In Figure 5, the pixel area 2a is the area on the surface of the substrate 2 where the functional elements 201 (pixels) are formed. Because Figure 5 is a schematic diagram, only 7 × 5 functional elements 201 are shown, but in reality, a significantly larger number of functional elements may be formed. After the discharge process is completed, the process proceeds to step S111, where the control unit 7 uses a substrate transport mechanism (not shown) to remove the substrate 2 from the substrate stage 3 (substrate holder 3a).

[0038] [Driving information correction] An example of a method for correcting the drive information will be described below. In the following description, "m" is an integer value representing the number of the discharge of the droplet 4 for each target position (i.e., each pixel position) on the substrate 2 to which the droplet 4 is to be deposited in the scanning direction, and "n" is an integer value representing the number (nozzle number) of the discharge element 5a in the discharge head 5.

[0039] 6(a) shows an example in which the surface of the substrate 2, which is the target of the discharge process in the liquid supply device 1, has a designed shape (for example, a planar shape). In this case, even if the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 are not driven relatively in the height direction (Z direction) during the discharge process, the distance L between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 becomes constant simply by scanning the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 relatively in the Y direction.

[0040] On the other hand, FIG. 6(b) shows an example in which the surface of the substrate 2 to be subjected to the discharge process in the liquid supply device 1 has a shape (e.g., an uneven shape) that differs from the design shape. In this case, the distance L between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 during the discharge process may vary depending on the surface shape (surface height) of the substrate 2 shown in FIG. 6(b), which may result in a deviation in the deposition position. Therefore, in this embodiment, distance correction data is generated so as to reduce the variation in the distance L. Below, an example will be described in which a drive profile for driving the substrate 2 in the height direction by the substrate stage 3 is generated as distance correction data.

[0041] The design value (designed spacing value) of the spacing L in the height direction between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 is defined as "Ls," and the actual measured value (measured spacing value) of the spacing L with respect to the elapsed time t of the discharge process (scanning of the substrate stage 3) is defined as "Ls'(t,m,n)." Furthermore, the representative value of the measured spacing value Ls'(t,m,n) at the elapsed time t is defined as "Ls'(t)." The measured spacing value Ls'(t,m,n) can be calculated (determined) based on distribution information that indicates the height distribution on the surface of the substrate 2. Examples of representative values ​​include the average value, maximum value, and minimum value, and here, the average value will be used as the representative value.

[0042] The interval correction data can be calculated (determined) based on the difference (Ls'(t) - Ls) between the average value Ls'(t) and the interval design value Ls. Furthermore, by correcting the position design value Zpos(t) relating to the position of the substrate 2 in the height direction during the discharge process using the interval correction data, a position command value ZposComp(t) relating to the position of the substrate 2 in the height direction during the discharge process can be obtained. The position command value ZposComp(t) may be understood as information obtained by correcting the drive information using the interval correction data. For example, the position command value ZposComp(t) can be obtained by adding the difference between the average value Ls'(t) and the interval design value Ld to the position design value Zpos(t), as shown in the following equation (1): ZposComp(t)=Zpos(t)+(Ls'(t)-Ls) …(1)

[0043] The control unit 7 controls the driving of the substrate stage 3 in the height direction based on the position command value ZposComp(t). This reduces fluctuations in the distance L between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 during the discharge process, thereby reducing deviations in the deposition position. Here, even if the driving of the substrate stage 3 is controlled based on the command value ZposComp(t) obtained by the above equation (1), if a position deviation occurs in the substrate stage 3, corrections may be made in the height direction or other directions to suppress the position deviation. For example, feedback control or feedforward control may be performed to suppress the occurrence of position deviations, or the substrate stage 3 may be driven by applying corrections such as approximation calculations or spline interpolation to the setting of the drive target position of the substrate stage 3.

[0044] Next, we will explain how to obtain the measured value Ls'(t, m, n) of the distance L. Here, a first measurement unit 10 that measures the height of the surface (upper surface) of the substrate 2 and a second measurement unit 11 that measures the height of the lower surface of the ejection head 5 are provided within the liquid supply device 1, and we will explain how to obtain the measured value Ls'(t, m, n) based on the results of these measurements.

[0045] FIG. 7 shows a configuration example of a liquid supplying device 1 having a first measuring unit 10 and a second measuring unit 11. The first measuring unit 10 may include, for example, an interferometer (height sensor) that irradiates the surface of the substrate 2 with light (laser light) and measures the distance to the surface of the substrate 2 based on the light reflected from the surface. The first measuring unit 10 is provided on a structure that supports the ejection head 5. The second measuring unit 11 may include, for example, an interferometer (height sensor) that irradiates the lower surface of the ejection head 5 with light (laser light) and measures the distance to the lower surface of the ejection head 5 based on the light reflected from the lower surface. The second measuring unit 11 is provided on the substrate stage 3 (substrate driving mechanism 3b). Here, if the positional relationship between the first measuring unit 10 and the lower surface of the ejection head 5 in the height direction is known in advance, the second measuring unit 11 can be omitted. Note that the imaging unit 6 is not shown in FIG. 7.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an operation for measuring the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2 using the first measurement unit 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the control unit 7 moves the substrate 2 in the scanning direction (Y direction) using the substrate stage 3 while measuring the surface heights of multiple locations on the substrate 2 (pixel area 2a) using the first measurement unit 10. By repeatedly performing this operation while changing the position in the sub-scanning direction (X direction), the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2 can be measured. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the control unit 7 moves the substrate 2 in the sub-scanning direction (X direction) using the substrate stage 3 while measuring the surface heights of multiple locations on the substrate 2 (pixel area 2a) using the first measurement unit 10. By repeatedly performing this operation while changing the position in the scanning direction (Y direction), the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2 can be measured.

[0047] The substrate stage 3 (substrate 2) may be stopped or moved during measurement by the first measurement unit 10. When the first measurement unit 10 is made to perform measurement while the substrate stage 3 is stopped, the measurement accuracy can be improved. On the other hand, when the first measurement unit 10 is made to perform measurement while the substrate stage 3 is moving, the measurement time can be shortened.

[0048] Distribution information indicating the height distribution measured using the first measuring unit 10 can be stored in the memory unit 8c of the generating unit 8. Based on the distribution information, the control unit 7 can determine the actual measured value Ls'(t, m, n) of the distance L in the height direction between the ejection head 5 and the substrate 2. Here, if the first measuring unit 10 and the second measuring unit 11 are not provided inside the liquid supplying device 1, the distribution information may be determined using an external measuring device that measures the surface height of the substrate 2.

[0049] [Discharge information correction] An example of a method for correcting the discharge information will be described below. The design value (designed distance value) of the distance L between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 in the height direction is defined as "Ls," and the design value (designed speed value) of the discharge speed of the droplets 4 from the discharge head 5 (each discharge element 5a) is defined as "V." The design value of the discharge timing for discharging the droplets 4 from the discharge head 5 (each discharge element 5a) is defined as "T(m,n)." The design distance value Ls, the design speed value V, and the design discharge timing value T(m,n) are acquired in advance and stored in the generation unit 8 (storage unit 8c). Furthermore, the actual measured value (actual distance value) of the distance in the height direction between the discharge head 5 and each target position (each pixel) on the substrate 2 to which the droplets 4 should be deposited is defined as "Ls'(m,n)," and the actual measured value of the discharge speed of the droplets 4 from the discharge head 5 (each discharge element 5a) is defined as "V'(n)."

[0050] The ejection timing correction amount CT (ejection correction data) can be calculated (determined) using the following equation (2). Furthermore, the ejection timing command value T'(m,n) can be obtained by correcting the ejection timing design value T(m,n) using the correction amount CT. The ejection timing command value T'(m,n) can be understood as information obtained by correcting the ejection information using the ejection correction data. For example, the ejection timing command value T'(m,n) can be obtained by subtracting the correction amount CT from the ejection timing design value T(m,n), as shown in the following equation (3). CT=Ls / V-Ls'(m,n) / V'(n) …(2) T'(m,n)=T(m,n)-CT …(3)

[0051] In this embodiment, a correction amount CT (discharge correction data) for the discharge timing is calculated so as to reduce the deviation between the target position and the deposition position of the droplets 4 on the substrate 2, which is estimated when the discharge process is controlled using the interval correction data. In this case, the difference between the actual interval value Ls'(t,m,n) obtained when correcting the drive information and the average value Ls'(t) can be used as the actual interval value Ls'(m,n) in the above equation (2).

[0052] The control unit 7 controls the ejection of droplets 4 from the ejection head 5 based on the ejection timing command value Ts'(m, n). This allows the droplets 4 ejected from the ejection head 5 to adhere to each target position on the substrate 2 during the ejection process. In other words, the ejection correction data can be used to reduce the correction residual of the deposition position deviation that may occur when the ejection process is controlled using the interval correction data.

[0053] Next, as an example, a method for calculating the distance between the discharge head 5 (each discharge element 5a) and each target position on the substrate 2 from information indicating the thickness of the substrate 2 measured by an external measurement device will be described. The memory unit 8c pre-stores information regarding the distance in the height direction between the discharge head 5 (each discharge element 5a) and the substrate holding unit 3a of the substrate stage 3. The memory unit 8c also stores information indicating the thickness of the substrate 2 measured by the external measurement device. The generation unit 8 calculates the distance in the height direction between the discharge head 5 and each target position on the substrate 2 based on the difference between the distance between the discharge head 5 and the substrate holding unit 3a and the thickness of the substrate 2. The generation unit 8 can also calculate the discharge timing command value T'(m,n) by using the distance in the height direction between the discharge head 5 and each target position on the substrate 2 as the measured distance value Ls'(m,n) in equations (2) and (3). In this embodiment, the distance between the ejection head 5 and each target position on the substrate 2 is not measured within the liquid supply apparatus 1, so that the throughput of the liquid supply apparatus 1 can be improved.

[0054] As another embodiment, a method for calculating the distance between the ejection head 5 (each ejection element 5a) and each target position on the substrate 2 using a first measurement unit 10 and a second measurement unit 11 provided in the liquid supply apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 7 will be described. The generation unit 8 uses the first measurement unit 10 to measure the distance L1 between the first measurement unit and the surface of the substrate 2 (height distribution on the surface of the substrate 2), and uses the second measurement unit 11 to measure the distance L2 between the second measurement unit 11 and the bottom surface of the ejection head 5. The generation unit 8 also has a known distance L3 between the first measurement unit 10 and the second measurement unit 11 in the height direction. The generation unit 8 can thereby calculate the ejection timing command value T'(m,n) by determining the measured distance value Ls'(m,n) based on the distances L1 to L3. In this embodiment, the distance between the ejection head 5 and each target position on the substrate 2 is measured using the first measurement unit 10 and the second measurement unit 11 provided in the liquid supply device 1, so that the command value for the ejection timing can be determined with high accuracy.

[0055] As described above, in this embodiment, distance correction data for correcting fluctuations in the distance between the discharge head 5 and the substrate 2 in the height direction during the discharge process, and discharge correction data for correcting the discharge timing of droplets 4 from the discharge head 5 during the discharge process are calculated. The discharge process is then controlled based on both the distance correction data and the discharge correction data. This allows the liquid supply device 1 to supply liquid onto the substrate 2 with high accuracy. Furthermore, using the distance correction data can reduce the amount of discharge correction data, thereby shortening the time required to transmit the discharge correction data from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9.

[0056] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment basically follows on from the first embodiment, and can follow the first embodiment except for the matters mentioned below.

[0057] The height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2 is made up of the height distribution of the upper surface of the substrate holding part 3a of the substrate stage 3 (i.e., the holding surface that holds the substrate 2) and the thickness distribution of the substrate 2. Specifically, the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 2 can be generated as a distribution obtained by adding the thickness distribution of the substrate 2 to the height distribution of the holding surface of the substrate holding part 3a. In this embodiment, of the attachment position deviation, the component caused by the height distribution of the holding surface of the substrate holding part 3a is corrected using spacing correction data, and the component caused by the thickness distribution of the substrate 2 is corrected using ejection correction data. In other words, the generation unit 8 of this embodiment generates spacing correction data based on the height distribution of the holding surface of the substrate holding part 3a, and generates ejection correction data based on the thickness distribution of the substrate 2.

[0058] FIG. 9(a) shows an example in which the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a has a designed shape (e.g., a planar shape), and the thickness of the substrate 2 is constant and equal to the designed value. That is, FIG. 9(a) shows an example in which the height distribution of the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a and the thickness distribution of the substrate 2 are exactly as designed. In this example, the designed value of the heightwise distance between the discharge head 5 and the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the designed distance between the holding surface) is defined as "Lh." Furthermore, the designed value of the heightwise distance between the discharge head 5 and the surface of the substrate 2 (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the designed distance between the substrate surface) is defined as "Ls."

[0059] On the other hand, FIG. 9(b) shows an example in which the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a has a shape (e.g., an uneven shape) that differs from the design shape, and the thickness of the substrate 2 is constant and not the design value. In this example, the actual measured value of the heightwise distance between the discharge head 5 and the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a with respect to the elapsed time t of the discharge process (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the actual measured distance between the holding surface) is defined as "Lh'(t)." The actual measured distance between the holding surface Lh'(t) can be obtained based on the results of measuring the height distribution of the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a by the first measurement unit 10 before the substrate 2 is placed on the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a. Furthermore, the actual measured distance between the discharge head 5 and the surface of the substrate 2 with respect to the elapsed time t (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the actual measured distance between the substrate surface) is defined as "Ls'(t)." The measured distance Ls'(t) on the substrate surface can be obtained based on the results of measuring the height distribution on the surface of the substrate 2 by the first measurement unit 10 after the substrate 2 is mounted on the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a.

[0060] In this embodiment, the distance correction data can be calculated (determined) based on the difference between the design distance Lh(t) between the holding surfaces and the measured distance Lh'(t) between the holding surfaces. Furthermore, by correcting the design position value Zpos(t) relating to the position of the substrate 2 in the height direction during the discharge process using the distance correction data, a position command value ZposComp(t) relating to the position of the substrate 2 in the height direction during the discharge process can be obtained. The position command value ZposComp(t) may be understood as information obtained by correcting the drive information using the distance correction data. For example, the position command value ZposComp(t) can be obtained by adding the difference between the design distance Lh(t) between the holding surfaces and the measured distance Lh'(t) between the holding surfaces to the design position value Zpos(t), as shown in the following equation (4): ZposComp(t)=Zpos(t)+(Lh'(t)-Lh) …(4)

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the discharge correction data can be calculated (determined) based on the measured value of the thickness of the substrate 2 relative to the elapsed time t of the discharge process (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the measured thickness value w(t)). The measured thickness value w(t) can be calculated (determined) based on the difference between the measured distance Lh'(t) of the holding surface and the measured distance Ls'(t) of the substrate surface, as shown in the following equation (5). Then, the discharge timing correction value CT (discharge correction data) can be calculated (determined) using the following equation (6). w(t) = Lh'(t) - Ls'(t) ... (5) CT=(Ls / V-Ls'(m,n) / V'(n)) -(w(t)-w) / V(n) …(6)

[0062] As described above, in this embodiment, the interval correction data is generated based on the height distribution of the holding surface of the substrate holding unit 3a, and the discharge correction data is generated based on the thickness distribution of the substrate 2. This embodiment also enables the liquid supply device 1 to supply liquid onto the substrate 2 with high accuracy. Furthermore, the use of the interval correction data can reduce the amount of discharge correction data, thereby shortening the time required to transmit the discharge correction data from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9.

[0063] <Third embodiment> A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment basically follows on from the first embodiment, and can follow the first embodiment except for the matters mentioned below. The second embodiment may also be applied to this embodiment. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the number of bits used to transmit ejection correction data from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 is changed depending on the ejection timing correction value.

[0064] According to the first and second embodiments described above, the amount of correction of the ejection timing (i.e., the data length of the ejection correction data) is reduced by correcting fluctuations in the distance between the ejection head 5 and the substrate 2 in the height direction during the ejection process using the distance correction data. This makes it possible to change the number of bits used to send the ejection correction data from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 according to the amount of correction of the ejection timing. For example, the smaller the amount of correction of the ejection timing, the smaller the number of bits can be.

[0065] In this embodiment, the generation unit 8 changes the number of bits used to transmit the discharge correction data to the control unit 7, depending on the amount of correction to the discharge timing. Here, the generation unit 8 may determine the number of bits so that the discharge correction data having the longest data length can be accommodated among the discharge correction data generated for each discharge of the droplet 4 from the discharge head 5 in the discharge process. Furthermore, the generation unit 8 may set the same number of bits for the discharge correction data generated for each discharge of the droplet 4 from the discharge head 5 in the discharge process.

[0066] As one example, the generation unit 8 calculates a correction value for the ejection timing used when ejecting droplets 4 from the ejection head 5 to each target position on the substrate 2, and transmits the ejection correction data generated based on the correction value to the control unit 7 via the data transmission path 9. The ejection correction data is generated for each ejection element 5a of the ejection head 5 and for each ejection of droplets 4, and different ejection correction data must be transmitted to the control unit 7 for each ejection. The ejection correction data can be expressed in a graph as shown in Figure 10.

[0067] Figure 10 shows the discharge correction data generated for each discharge element 5a(n) of the discharge head 5 and for each discharge (m) of a droplet 4 to a target position on the substrate 2. In Figure 10, the vertical axis on the left represents the amount of discharge timing correction, and the vertical axis on the right represents the number of bits. The amount of discharge timing correction and the data length of the discharge correction data correspond to each other.

[0068] The data length (message length) of the discharge correction data sent to the control unit 7 can be determined by the following method. In this embodiment, the discharge correction data sent from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 is an unsigned fixed-point data in units of 0.1 μs.

[0069] The number of bits used to send the discharge correction data to the control unit 7 can be set based on the maximum data length of the discharge correction data generated by the generation unit 8. In other words, the number of bits is set so that the discharge correction data having the maximum data length among the discharge correction data generated by the generation unit 8 can fit. Specifically, when expressing the discharge correction data having the maximum data length as a binary bit string, the generation unit 8 sets the number of bits to the number of digits required for the bit string. If the maximum data length of the discharge correction data is 102.3 μs or less, the number of bits is set to 10 bits, and if the maximum data length is 51.1 μs or less, the number of bits is set to 9 bits.

[0070] In this way, by changing the number of bits used to send the ejection correction data from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 according to the amount of correction of the ejection timing, it is possible to avoid sending ejection correction data with an unnecessarily large number of bits from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7. As a result, the total amount of data in the data group of ejection correction data generated for each ejection element 5a and each ejection of a droplet 4 can be reduced, and the time required to send the data group of ejection correction data from the generation unit 8 to the control unit 7 can be shortened.

[0071] <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 microstructures. The article manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes a supplying step of supplying a liquid onto a substrate using the liquid supply device (liquid supplying method) described above, a processing step of processing the substrate to which the liquid has been supplied via the supplying step, and a step of manufacturing an article from the processed substrate via the processing step. Furthermore, this article manufacturing method includes other well-known processes (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.

[0072] <Summary of the embodiment> The disclosure of the present specification includes at least the following liquid supply device, a control method thereof, and an article manufacturing method. (Item 1) A liquid supply device that supplies a liquid onto a substrate, a head that ejects the liquid as droplets; a control unit that controls a process of causing the head to eject droplets while scanning the head and the substrate relatively; a generation unit that generates, based on a height distribution of the surface of the substrate, first correction data for correcting fluctuations in the distance between the head and the substrate in the height direction during the processing, and second correction data for correcting the timing of droplet ejection from the head during the processing; Equipped with The liquid supplying device, wherein the control unit controls the processing based on the first correction data and the second correction data generated by the generation unit. (Item 2) The liquid supply device described in item 1, characterized in that the generation unit generates the second correction data based on the deviation between the deposition position of each droplet on the substrate estimated when the process is controlled using the first correction data and the target position. (Item 3) a substrate holder having a holding surface for holding the substrate; the height distribution of the surface of the substrate is comprised of a height distribution of the holding surface and a thickness distribution of the substrate; 2. The liquid supply device according to item 1, wherein the generation unit generates the first correction data based on a height distribution of the holding surface, and generates the second correction data based on a thickness distribution of the substrate. (Item 4) the second correction data is data representing a correction amount for the ejection timing when causing the head to eject one droplet, 4. The liquid supplying device according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the generation unit changes the number of bits used to transmit the second correction data to the control unit according to the correction amount. (Item 5) In the process, droplets are repeatedly ejected from the head, The liquid supply device described in item 4, characterized in that the generation unit generates the second correction data for each droplet ejection from the head, and sets the number of bits so that the second correction data having the longest data length among them can be accommodated. (Item 6) 6. The liquid supplying device according to item 5, wherein the generating section sets the number of bits of the second correction data generated for each ejection of a droplet from the head to the same number. (Item 7) the head has a plurality of ejection elements that eject droplets, 7. The liquid supplying device according to any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the generation section generates the second correction data for each of the plurality of ejection elements. (Item 8) the ejection timing is set as a timing for ejecting droplets from the head under the condition that the interval is constant in the process; 8. The liquid supplying device according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the control unit controls the processing in accordance with information obtained by correcting the ejection timing based on the second correction data. (Item 9) further comprising a measurement unit that measures the surface height of the substrate; 9. The liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the generating unit obtains a height distribution of the surface of the substrate based on the measurement result of the measuring unit. (Item 10) an acquisition unit that acquires information from a device different from the liquid supply device, 9. The liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the generating unit acquires a height distribution of the surface of the substrate based on the information acquired by the acquiring unit. (Item 11) a supplying step of supplying a liquid onto a substrate using the liquid supplying device according to any one of items 1 to 10; a processing step of processing the substrate to which the liquid has been supplied through 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 12) A control method for a liquid supply device that includes a head that ejects liquid as droplets, and that supplies the liquid onto a substrate by performing a process of causing the head to eject droplets while scanning the head and a substrate relatively, comprising: a generation step of generating first correction data for correcting fluctuations in the distance between the head and the substrate in the height direction during the processing, and second correction data for correcting the timing of droplet ejection from the head during the processing, based on distribution information indicating the height distribution on the surface of the substrate; a control step of controlling the processing based on the first correction data and the second correction data generated in the generation step; A control method comprising:

[0073] 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]

[0074] 1: Liquid supply device, 2: Substrate, 3: Substrate stage, 4: Droplet, 5: Discharge head, 6: Imaging unit, 7: Control unit, 8: Generation unit, 9: Data transmission path, 10: First measurement unit, 11: Second measurement unit

Claims

1. A liquid supply device that supplies a liquid onto a substrate, a head that ejects the liquid as droplets; a control unit that controls a process of causing the head to eject droplets while scanning the head and the substrate relatively; a generation unit that generates, based on a height distribution of the surface of the substrate, first correction data for correcting fluctuations in the distance between the head and the substrate in the height direction during the processing, and second correction data for correcting the timing of droplet ejection from the head during the processing; Equipped with The liquid supplying device, wherein the control unit controls the processing based on the first correction data and the second correction data generated by the generation unit.

2. The liquid supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the generation unit generates the second correction data based on the deviation between the deposition position of each droplet on the substrate estimated when the process is controlled using the first correction data and the target position.

3. a substrate holder having a holding surface for holding the substrate; the height distribution of the surface of the substrate is comprised of a height distribution of the holding surface and a thickness distribution of the substrate; The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit generates the first correction data based on a height distribution of the holding surface, and generates the second correction data based on a thickness distribution of the substrate.

4. the second correction data is data representing a correction amount of the ejection timing when causing the head to eject one droplet, 2. The liquid supply device according to claim 1, wherein the generation section changes the number of bits used to transmit the second correction data to the control section in accordance with the correction amount.

5. In the process, droplets are repeatedly ejected from the head, The liquid supply device according to claim 4, characterized in that the generation unit generates the second correction data for each droplet ejection from the head, and sets the number of bits so that the second correction data having the longest data length among them can be accommodated.

6. The liquid supplying apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the generating section sets the number of bits of the second correction data generated for each ejection of a droplet from the head to the same number.

7. the head has a plurality of ejection elements that eject droplets, The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generation section generates the second correction data for each of the plurality of ejection elements.

8. the ejection timing is set as a timing for ejecting droplets from the head under the condition that the interval is constant in the process; 2. The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the process in accordance with information obtained by correcting the ejection timing based on the second correction data.

9. further comprising a measurement unit that measures the surface height of the substrate; The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit acquires a height distribution of the surface of the substrate based on the measurement result of the measurement unit.

10. an acquisition unit that acquires information from a device different from the liquid supply device, The liquid supply apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generation unit acquires a height distribution of the surface of the substrate based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

11. a supplying step of supplying a liquid onto a substrate using the liquid supplying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a processing step of processing the substrate to which the liquid has been supplied through 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:

12. A control method for a liquid supply device that includes a head that ejects liquid as droplets, and that supplies the liquid onto a substrate by performing a process of causing the head to eject droplets while scanning the head and a substrate relatively, comprising: a generation step of generating, based on distribution information indicating a height distribution on the surface of the substrate, first correction data for correcting fluctuations in the distance between the head and the substrate in the height direction during the processing, and second correction data for correcting the timing of droplet ejection from the head during the processing; a control step of controlling the processing based on the first correction data and the second correction data generated in the generation step; A control method comprising:

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