CN217411165U

CN217411165U - Droplet discharge device

Info

Publication number: CN217411165U
Application number: CN202220582362.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 三根阳介
Original assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
Current assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-29
Filing date: 2022-03-17
Publication date: 2022-09-13
Anticipated expiration: 2032-03-17
Also published as: TW202245039A; JP2022152751A; CN115138501A; KR20220135174A

Abstract

The utility model discloses a liquid drop release can carry out the inspection of the release state of liquid drop steadily. The droplet discharge device includes a conveyance mechanism, a plurality of discharge heads, an inspection stage, a medium conveyance section, and an imaging section. The conveying mechanism conveys the workpiece along a conveying direction. The plurality of discharge heads discharge droplets of the functional liquid to the workpiece. The inspection stage adsorbs an inspection medium that receives the droplets for inspection released from the plurality of release heads. The medium conveying unit conveys the inspection medium in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The imaging unit images the droplets discharged to the inspection medium. The inspection station has a plurality of first header sections and a plurality of second header sections. The plurality of first header units are coupled to each other in an orthogonal direction. The plurality of second headers are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first headers in the conveying direction and are connected to each other in an orthogonal direction, and the joints of the plurality of second headers are located at positions not overlapping the joints of the plurality of first headers in the conveying direction.

Description

Droplet discharge device

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a liquid drop release.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a droplet discharge device that discharges droplets of a functional liquid from a discharge head to an inspection film, and inspects a discharge state of the droplets by imaging the droplets discharged to the inspection film with an inspection camera. Patent document 2 discloses a technique in which an inspection stage for sucking an inspection film is composed of a plurality of division stages connected to each other.

Documents of the prior art

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-21026

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2007 and 237125

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Technical problem to be solved by the utility model

The utility model provides a technique that can carry out the inspection of the release state of liquid drop steadily.

Technical solution for solving technical problem

The utility model discloses a liquid drop release of mode includes conveying mechanism, a plurality of release head, inspection desk, medium conveying part and shooting part. The conveying mechanism conveys the workpiece along a conveying direction. The plurality of discharge heads discharge droplets of the functional liquid to the workpiece. The inspection stage adsorbs an inspection medium that receives the droplets for inspection released from the plurality of release heads. The medium conveying unit conveys the inspection medium in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The imaging unit images the droplets discharged to the inspection medium. The inspection station has a plurality of first headers and a plurality of second headers. The plurality of first header units are coupled to each other in an orthogonal direction. The plurality of second headers are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first headers in the conveying direction and are connected to each other in orthogonal directions, and the joints of the plurality of second headers are located at positions not overlapping the joints of the plurality of first headers in the conveying direction.

Effect of utility model

According to the utility model discloses, play the effect that can carry out the inspection of the release state of liquid drop steadily.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a left side view showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the heads according to the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a part of the inspection mechanism of the embodiment when viewed from the positive X-axis direction.

Fig. 5 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of the inspection mechanism of fig. 4 as viewed from above.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the slider of the embodiment is moved from the standby position to the first release position.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the plurality of first header sections and the plurality of second header sections and the first nozzle group and the second nozzle group at the first release position.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing a state in which the slider of the embodiment is moved from the first release position to the second release position.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view showing a state in which the slider of the embodiment is moved from the second release position to the imaging position.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the slider of the embodiment is moved from the imaging position to the standby position.

Description of the reference numerals

1 droplet discharge device

4 substrate conveying mechanism

7 inspection mechanism

8 control device

63 spray head

63a first head group

63b second head group

71 inspection bench

71a first header

71b second header

77 inspection film

631 first nozzle

632 second nozzle

711. 712 seam

A W substrate.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the droplet discharge device and the droplet discharge method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Further, the disclosed droplet discharge apparatus and droplet discharge method are not limited to the embodiments given below.

The inspection film receives the droplets of the functional liquid discharged from the discharge head in a state of being adsorbed to the inspection stage. In a structure in which the inspection stage is constituted by a plurality of dividing stages connected to each other, droplets of the functional liquid discharged from the discharge head may land on a portion of the inspection film corresponding to a seam of the plurality of dividing stages constituting the inspection stage. When the droplets of the functional liquid land on the portions of the inspection film corresponding to the seams of the plurality of dividing stages, the shapes of the droplets after landing are disordered, and therefore the accuracy of the result of capturing the droplets of the functional liquid by the inspection camera is reduced. As a result, it is difficult to stably inspect the discharge state of the droplet.

In recent droplet discharge apparatuses, discharge heads tend to be arranged at high density. In the case where the discharge heads are arranged in a high density, the droplets of the functional liquid discharged from the discharge heads are more likely to land on portions of the inspection film corresponding to the seams of the plurality of dividing stages, and therefore, the stability of the inspection of the discharge state of the droplets is likely to be further lowered. Therefore, even when the discharge heads tend to be arranged at high density, it is desirable to stably inspect the discharge state of the liquid droplets.

In the drawings referred to below, a rectangular coordinate system is defined in which the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction are orthogonal to each other and the positive Z-axis direction is set to be a vertical upward direction for easy understanding of the description.

The X-axis direction is a conveying direction in which the substrate W as a workpiece is conveyed. The Y-axis direction is a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The Z-axis direction is a direction parallel to the vertical direction.

Here, the front-rear direction is defined with the X-axis positive direction as the front and the X-axis negative direction as the rear, and the left-right direction is defined with the Y-axis positive direction as the right and the Y-axis negative direction as the left. In addition, the up-down direction is defined with the Z-axis positive direction as the upper side and the Z-axis negative direction as the lower side. The negative direction of the Z axis is the vertical direction.

A droplet discharge device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a left side view showing a schematic configuration of a droplet discharge apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the droplet discharge apparatus 1 according to the embodiment.

The droplet discharging apparatus 1 is a drawing apparatus that performs drawing on a substrate W by an ink jet method while conveying the substrate W along a conveying direction. The substrate W is, for example, a substrate W for a flat panel display.

The droplet discharge apparatus 1 is housed in the chamber space 100. An inert gas (e.g., nitrogen) is supplied to the chamber space 100. The droplet discharging apparatus 1 discharges the functional liquid to the substrate W in an inert gas atmosphere, and performs drawing on the substrate W. Further, the droplet discharge apparatus 1 may be an apparatus which is not accommodated in the chamber space 100.

The functional liquid includes, in addition to ink, a liquid for forming a Hole Injection Layer (HIL), a Hole Transport Layer (HTL), and the like.

An electrical room 101 for housing the control device 8 and the like is provided in the chamber space 100. The chamber space 100 is provided with a replacement chamber 102 for replacing a functional liquid tank, not shown, that stores a functional liquid.

The droplet discharge apparatus 1 includes a stage 2, a first guide 3, a substrate transport mechanism 4 (an example of a transport mechanism), a second guide 5, a drawing mechanism 6, an inspection mechanism 7, and a control device 8.

The stage 2 is formed to extend in the conveyance direction of the substrate W. That is, the mount 2 is formed to extend in the front-rear direction.

The first rail 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the gantry 2. A pair of first rails 3 is arranged in a row in the left-right direction. Each first guide rail 3 is formed to extend in the front-rear direction.

The substrate transport mechanism 4 includes a workpiece stage 40, a stage rotating section 41, and a slide member 42. The substrate conveying mechanism 4 conveys the substrate W (workpiece) in a conveying direction (front-rear direction).

The workpiece stage 40 is, for example, a vacuum suction stage, and can suck the substrate W. The table rotating unit 41 is provided below the workpiece table 40, and rotates the workpiece table 40 about an axis parallel to the vertical direction. That is, the workpiece table 40 is supported by the table rotating unit 41 so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the vertical direction.

Further, a workpiece alignment camera (not shown) for photographing an alignment mark of the substrate W on the workpiece table 40 is provided above the workpiece table 40. The stage rotating unit 41 rotates about an axis parallel to the vertical direction based on the image captured by the workpiece alignment camera, and corrects the position of the substrate W.

The slider 42 is provided below the table rotating portion 41 and supports the table rotating portion 41 and the workpiece table 40. The slider 42 is attached to the pair of first guide rails 3, and is movable along the pair of first guide rails 3 by a drive unit (not shown) such as a linear motor provided on at least one of the pair of first guide rails 3.

That is, the workpiece table 40 and the table rotating portion 41 move in the front-rear direction together with the slider 42 by the slider 42 moving in the front-rear direction along the pair of first guide rails 3. Thereby, the substrate W is conveyed in the front-rear direction.

The substrate transfer mechanism 4 may be a suspension type transfer mechanism. The levitation type transport mechanism supports, for example, an end of the substrate W from below, and moves the substrate W while blowing compressed air from below to the substrate W to horizontally hold the substrate W.

A pair of second guide rails 5 is arranged in a front-rear direction. Each second guide rail 5 is formed to extend in the left-right direction. Each second guide rail 5 is attached to the upper surface of a support portion 5a formed in a gate shape, for example.

The pair of second rails 5 are provided to extend leftward from the gantry 2, for example. A maintenance unit 9 is disposed between the pair of second rails 5 extending leftward from the gantry 2. The pair of second guide rails 5 is provided so that the drawing mechanism 6 can move in the left-right direction between a drawing position where the substrate W is drawn and a maintenance position where the maintenance unit 9 performs maintenance.

The maintenance unit 9 performs maintenance of the heads 63 described later, and eliminates or prevents discharge failure of the heads 63.

A plurality of drawing mechanisms 6 are arranged along the left-right direction. For example, 3 drawing units 6 are arranged in the left-right direction. Further, the number of drawing mechanisms 6 is not limited thereto. Each drawing mechanism 6 includes a carriage plate 60, a carriage turning portion 61, a carriage (carriage)62, and a plurality of heads 63 (an example of a discharge head).

The carriage plate 60 is attached to the pair of second guide rails 5, and is movable in the left-right direction along the pair of second guide rails 5 by a drive unit (not shown) provided on at least one of the pair of second guide rails 5, for example, a linear motor. Further, the plurality of carriage plates 60 can be moved in the left-right direction as one body.

The carriage pivoting portion 61 is disposed below the carriage plate 60. The bracket pivoting portion 61 is attached to the center of the bracket plate 60 in the front-rear direction. A bracket 62 is attached to a lower end of the bracket rotating portion 61. The bracket turning portion 61 rotatably supports the bracket 62 about an axis parallel to the vertical direction.

The carriage rotating unit 61 rotates the carriage about an axis parallel to the vertical direction based on an image captured by a carriage alignment camera (not shown) provided on the stage 40. Thereby, the position of the bracket 62 is corrected.

The plurality of heads 63 are provided on the carriage 62. Each head 63 is connected to a functional liquid tank (not shown) via a supply pipe (not shown), and functional liquid is supplied from the functional liquid tank via the supply pipe to discharge droplets of the functional liquid onto the substrate W (workpiece). Each head 63 can discharge a plurality of kinds of functional liquids.

On the lower surface of the bracket 62, a plurality of heads 63 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction and at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the head 63 according to the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the carriage 62 as viewed from above, and the arrangement position where the head 63 is provided is indicated by a broken line. The bracket 62 is formed in a rectangular shape having a long side extending in the left-right direction and a short side extending in the front-rear direction. A plurality of heads 63 adjacent to each other in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction are disposed on the lower surface of the bracket 62.

The plurality of heads 63 have a first head group 63a (an example of a first discharge head group) and a second head group 63b (an example of a second discharge head group). Hereinafter, the heads 63 belonging to the first head group 63a will be referred to as first heads 631 (an example of a first discharge head), and the heads 63 belonging to the second head group 63b will be referred to as second heads 632 (an example of a second discharge head). The first head group 63a is formed by arranging a plurality of first heads 631 in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the transport direction). The second head group 63b is formed by arranging a plurality of second heads 632 in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction) at positions adjacent to the first head group 63a in the front-rear direction (conveyance direction). The second heads 632 of the second head group 63b are located at positions not overlapping with the first heads 631 of the first head group 63a in the front-rear direction (conveyance direction). In other words, the first heads 631 of the first head group 63a and the second heads 632 of the second head group 63b adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction are located at different positions in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction). This allows the heads 63 to be arranged at high density.

The first head group 63a and the second head group 63b are provided in a plurality of rows along the front-rear direction (conveying direction). For example, the first and

second head groups

63a and 63b are arranged in 2 rows in the front-rear direction. The first head group 63a and the second head group 63b may be arranged in 1 row in the front-rear direction, or may be arranged in 3 or more rows.

Next, the structure of the inspection mechanism 7 will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a part of the inspection mechanism 7 of the embodiment as viewed from the positive X-axis direction. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the inspection mechanism 7 of fig. 4 as viewed from above. In fig. 5, the inspection film 77 is indicated by a 2-dot chain line.

The inspection mechanism 7 receives the droplets of the functional liquid by the inspection film 77 (an example of an inspection medium) and images the discharge state of the droplets.

The inspection film 77 is a hydrophobic inspection film. Specifically, the inspection film 77 is an inspection film having a surface (a surface from which droplets are discharged) with hydrophobicity.

The inspection mechanism 7 includes a slider 70, an inspection table 71, a film conveying section 72 (an example of a medium conveying section), and an imaging section 74 (see fig. 1).

The slider 70 is attached to the pair of first guide rails 3 and formed to extend in the left-right direction. The slider 70 is movable along the pair of first guide rails 3 by a drive unit (not shown) provided on at least one of the pair of first guide rails 3, for example, a linear motor. That is, the slider 70 moves in the front-rear direction.

The slider 70 moves among a release position, a shooting position, and a standby position set in the front-rear direction.

The release position is a position below the plurality of heads 63. The release positions include a first release position and a second release position. The first discharge position is a position where the inspection film 77 receives droplets of the functional liquid for inspection discharged from the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b in the first row from the rear (X-axis negative direction) of the plurality of heads 63. The second discharge position is a position where the inspection film 77 receives droplets of the functional liquid for inspection discharged by the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b in the second row from the rear (X-axis negative direction) of the plurality of heads 63.

The imaging position is a position forward of the release position and below the imaging unit 74. The standby position is a position forward of the shooting position.

The inspection table 71 is attached to the center of the upper surface of the slider 70 in the left-right direction. The inspection table 71 moves in the front-rear direction together with the slider 70. That is, the examination table 71 moves among a release position, an imaging position, and a standby position set in the front-rear direction.

The length of the inspection stage 71 in the left-right direction is longer than a release region a (see fig. 4) in which droplets of the functional liquid are released to the inspection films 77 by the drawing mechanism 6.

The inspection stage 71 has a suction plate (not shown) on the upper surface. The suction plate of the inspection stage 71 is made of, for example, a porous member. A suction device (not shown) is housed inside the inspection table 71. The inspection stage 71 sucks the suction plate by a suction device, thereby sucking the inspection film 77.

The inspection table 71 is divided into a plurality of first header 71a and a plurality of second header 71 b. The first headers 71a are coupled to each other in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the conveying direction). The plurality of second headers 71b are disposed adjacent to the plurality of first headers 71a in the front-rear direction (conveying direction), and are connected to each other along the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the conveying direction). The joints 712 of the plurality of second header 71b are located at positions that do not overlap the joints 711 of the plurality of first header 71a in the front-rear direction (conveying direction). In other words, in the plurality of first header 71a and the plurality of second header 71b adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction, the

joints

711 and 712 are arranged at different positions in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the conveying direction).

In this manner, by not overlapping the

joints

711 and 712 of the first and second cutting stages 71a and 71b constituting the inspection stage 71 in the conveyance direction, the arrangement positions of the

joints

711 and 712 can be dispersed in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Therefore, the possibility that the droplets of the functional liquid discharged from the head 63 land on the portions of the inspection film 77 adsorbed on the inspection stage 71 corresponding to the

seams

711 and 712 can be reduced. As a result, according to the droplet discharge apparatus 1 of the embodiment, since the shape of the droplets after landing can be suppressed from being disordered, the discharge state of the droplets can be stably inspected even when the heads 63 are arranged at high density.

The film conveying section 72 is disposed above the slider 70. The film conveying section 72 conveys an inspection film 77 (inspection medium) that receives droplets for inspection released from the plurality of heads 63 in the left-right direction (direction orthogonal to the conveying direction).

The film conveying section 72 includes a feed shaft support section 72a, a feed shaft 72b, a take-up shaft support section 72c, and a take-up shaft 72 d.

The feed shaft supporting portion 72a is mounted on the upper surface of the slider 70. The feed shaft support portion 72a is disposed on the left of the inspection stage 71. The feed shaft support portion 72a rotatably supports the feed shaft 72 b.

The feed shaft 72b is provided to protrude forward from the feed shaft support portion 72 a. The feed shaft 72b is disposed on the left of the inspection stage 71. A roll-shaped inspection film 77 is attached to the feed shaft 72 b. The feed shaft 72b feeds out the inspection film 77.

The take-up shaft supporting portion 72c is mounted on the upper surface of the slider 70. The winding shaft support portion 72c is disposed on the right side of the inspection table 71. The winding shaft support portion 72c supports the winding shaft 72d so as to be rotatable. The winding shaft support portion 72c is provided with a motor (not shown) for rotating the winding shaft 72 d. Further, the feed shaft support portion 72a may be provided with a motor for rotating the feed shaft 72 b.

The winding shaft 72d is provided so as to protrude forward from the winding shaft support portion 72 c. The winding shaft 72d is disposed rightward of the inspection stage 71. The winding shaft 72d is attached to one end of the inspection film 77, and winds the inspection film 77 from which the droplets of the functional liquid are discharged. Specifically, the winding shaft 72d is rotated by the rotation of the motor provided in the winding shaft support portion 72c, and the inspection film 77 from which the droplets of the functional liquid are discharged is wound.

The feed shaft 72b and the take-up shaft 72d are disposed so as to sandwich the inspection stage 71 in the left-right direction. The film transport unit 72 is provided to transport the inspection film 77 from the left to the right.

That is, the film conveying unit 72 conveys the inspection film 77 in the left-right direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the substrate W.

As shown in fig. 1, the imaging unit 74 is attached to the second rail 5 via a base portion 74 a. The base portion 74a is provided with a moving mechanism (not shown) for moving the imaging unit 74 in the left-right direction. The imaging unit 74 is attached to the second rail 5 arranged in front of the pair of second rails 5. That is, the imaging unit 74 is disposed forward of the bracket 62.

The imaging unit 74 images the droplets of the functional liquid discharged to the inspection film 77.

Further, a plurality of imaging units 74 may be provided, and droplets of the functional liquid discharged to the inspection film 77 may be imaged by the plurality of imaging units 74. In this case, the imaging unit 74 may be fixed to the second guide rail 5 so as not to be movable in the left-right direction.

The control device 8 shown in fig. 2 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit (not shown) and a storage unit (not shown). The storage unit is realized by, for example, a semiconductor Memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a Flash Memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

The control Unit includes a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM, an input/output port, and the like, and various circuits. The CPU of the microcomputer realizes control of the substrate transport mechanism 4, the drawing mechanism 6, and the inspection mechanism 7 by reading and executing the program stored in the ROM.

The program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium and installed from the storage medium into the storage unit of the control device 8. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium include a Hard Disk (HD), a Flexible Disk (FD), an optical disk (CD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

In the droplet discharge apparatus 1, the discharge state of the droplet in the head 63 is checked based on the imaging result of the droplet of the functional liquid in the imaging section 74.

Next, the droplet inspection by the inspection mechanism 7 will be described. The droplet inspection in the inspection mechanism 7 is mainly performed based on the control of the control device 8. Here, an example of discharging droplets of the functional liquid to the inspection film 77 will be described.

The slider 70 of the inspection mechanism 7 is held at the standby position as shown in fig. 1 when the droplet inspection is not performed, for example, when the functional liquid is discharged to the substrate W by the drawing mechanism 6, or when the droplet discharge device 1 is not used.

When the inspection film 77 receives the droplets of the functional liquid discharged from the plurality of heads 63, the slider 70 moves rearward from the standby position. Specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the slider 70 moves from the standby position to the first release position, which is a position where the inspection film 77 is positioned below the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b in the first row from the rear of the plurality of heads 63. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the slider 70 of the embodiment is moved from the standby position to the first release position.

The examination table 71 is moved together with the slide 70 from the standby position to the first release position. When the inspection table 71 is located at the first release position, the positional relationship between the plurality of first header 71a and the plurality of second header 71b constituting the inspection table 71 and the first nozzle group 63a and the second nozzle group 63b is as shown in fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the plurality of first header 71a and the plurality of second header 71b and the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b at the first release position. Fig. 7 shows a plan view of the inspection table 71 as viewed from above, and the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b are indicated by broken lines. The seams 711 of the plurality of first headers 71a are located at positions corresponding to the gaps between the adjacent 2 first nozzles 631 of the first nozzle group 63 a. Further, the seams 712 of the plurality of second header 71b are located at positions corresponding to the gaps between the adjacent 2 second nozzles 632 of the second nozzle group 63 b.

By thus making the

seams

711 and 712 correspond to the gap between the first head 631 and the second head 632, the possibility that the droplets of the functional liquid will land on the portions of the inspection film 77 corresponding to the

seams

711 and 712 can be further reduced. As a result, according to the droplet discharge apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the inspection of the discharge state of the droplet can be performed more stably.

Returning to fig. 6, when the film transport unit 72 moves from the standby position to the first release position or after moving to the first release position, the film transport unit winds up the inspection film 77 from which the droplets of the functional liquid have been released in the droplet inspection of the previous time. Thereby, the inspection film 77 from which the droplets of the functional liquid are discharged is wound by the winding shaft 72d, and a new inspection film 77 is adsorbed by the inspection stage 71.

After the slider 70 has moved to the first release position, the controller of the controller 8 releases droplets of the functional liquid from the plurality of heads 63 to the inspection film 77 with the inspection film 77 being adsorbed to the inspection table 71. Specifically, the control unit discharges droplets of the functional liquid from the first heads 631 of the first head group 63a to the portions of the inspection film 77 adsorbed to the plurality of first headers 71 a. Then, the control unit discharges droplets of the functional liquid from the second heads 632 of the second head group 63b to the other portions of the inspection film 77 adsorbed to the plurality of second header 71 b. In this case, the first heads 631 of the first head group 63a and the second heads 632 of the second head group 63b may discharge droplets of functional liquids having different compositions.

After the droplets of the functional liquid are discharged to the inspection film 77, the slider 70 moves from the first discharge position to the second discharge position, which is a position where the inspection film 77 is positioned below the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b in the second row from the rear, as shown in fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the slider 70 of the embodiment is moved from the first release position to the second release position.

The examination table 71 is moved together with the slide 70 from the first release position into the second release position. When the inspection stage 71 is located at the second release position, the positional relationship between the plurality of first header 71a and the plurality of second header 71b constituting the inspection stage 71 and the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b is the same as the positional relationship at the first release position.

After the droplets of the functional liquid are discharged to the inspection film 77, the slider 70 moves from the second discharge position to the imaging position, which is a position where the inspection film 77 is located below the imaging unit 74, as shown in fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the slider 70 of the embodiment is moved from the second release position to the imaging position.

After the slider 70 is moved to the imaging position, the imaging unit 74 images the droplets of the functional liquid discharged to the inspection film 77.

When the imaging of the droplets of the functional liquid released to the inspection film 77 is finished, the slider 70 moves from the imaging position to the standby position as shown in fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the slider 70 of the embodiment is moved from the imaging position to the standby position.

< Effect >

Next, the effects of the embodiment will be explained.

The droplet discharging device (for example, the droplet discharging device 1) includes a conveying mechanism (for example, the substrate conveying mechanism 4), a plurality of discharging heads (for example, the head 63), an inspection stage (for example, the inspection stage 71), a medium conveying section (the film conveying section 72), and an imaging section (for example, the imaging section 74). The conveying mechanism conveys a workpiece (e.g., a substrate W) in a conveying direction (e.g., a front-rear direction). The plurality of discharge heads discharge droplets of the functional liquid to the workpiece. The inspection stage adsorbs an inspection medium (for example, an inspection film 77) that receives the droplets for inspection released from the plurality of discharge heads. The medium conveying unit conveys the inspection medium in a direction (for example, a left-right direction) orthogonal to the conveying direction. The imaging unit images the droplets discharged to the inspection medium. The inspection station has a plurality of first headers (e.g., first header 71a) and a plurality of second headers (e.g., second header 71 b). The plurality of first header units are coupled to each other in an orthogonal direction. The plurality of second headers are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first headers in the conveying direction and are connected to each other in an orthogonal direction, and the joints (for example, the joints 712) of the plurality of second headers are located at positions not overlapping with the joints (for example, the joints 711) of the plurality of first headers in the conveying direction. Thus, the droplet discharge device can stably inspect the discharge state of the droplet.

In addition, the plurality of discharge heads may have a first discharge head group (for example, the first head group 63a) and a second discharge head group (for example, the second head group 63 b). The first discharge head group may be formed by arranging a plurality of first discharge heads (for example, the first heads 631) that discharge liquid droplets in orthogonal directions. The second head group may be formed by arranging a plurality of second heads (for example, the second heads 632) that discharge droplets at positions adjacent to the first head group in the transport direction in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. Each second discharge head of the second discharge head group may be located at a position not overlapping with each first discharge head of the first discharge head group in the conveying direction. Thus, the droplet discharge apparatus can stably inspect the discharge state of the droplets even when the discharge heads are arranged at high density.

Further, the inspection table may be movable to a release position (for example, a first release position and a second release position) where the inspection medium is positioned below the first release head group and the second release head group. When the inspection table is located at the release position, the joints of the plurality of first header plates may be located at positions corresponding to the gaps between the adjacent 2 first release heads of the first release head group. When the inspection table is in the release position, the joints of the plurality of second header tables may be located at positions corresponding to the gaps between the 2 adjacent second release heads of the second release head group. This enables the droplet discharge device to more stably inspect the discharge state of the droplets.

Further, the droplet discharge apparatus may further include a control unit (for example, a control unit of the control apparatus 8). The control unit may execute: processing for discharging liquid droplets from each first discharge head of the first discharge head group to a portion of the inspection medium adsorbed to the plurality of first header groups; and a process of discharging the liquid droplets from the second discharge heads of the second discharge head group by the other portions of the inspection medium adsorbed to the plurality of second header stages. Thus, even when the discharge heads are arranged at a high density, the droplet discharge device can appropriately discharge the droplets to the portions of the inspection medium sucked to the plurality of first header stages and the other portions sucked to the plurality of second header stages.

Further, the first discharge heads of the first discharge head group and the second discharge heads of the second discharge head group may discharge droplets of functional liquid having different compositions. Thus, the droplet discharge apparatus can stably inspect the discharge state of droplets of functional liquids having different compositions.

< modification example >

Next, a modified example of the present embodiment will be described.

In the droplet discharge device according to the modification, a plurality of first header 71a and a plurality of second header 71b may be arranged in a plurality of rows adjacent to each other in the conveyance direction. For example, the groups of the plurality of first header 71a and the plurality of second header 71b may be arranged in 2 rows, and the number of groups of the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b arranged in 2 rows in the front-rear direction is the same. In this case, the release position is not divided into the first release position and the second release position. The release position is a position at which the inspection film 77 adsorbed by the plurality of first header 71a and the plurality of second header 71b in 2 rows receives the droplets of the functional liquid for inspection released by the first head group 63a and the second head group 63b in 2 rows. The droplet discharge device of the modified example discharges droplets of the functional liquid from the first heads 631 of the first head group 63a at the portions of the inspection film 77 adsorbed to the plurality of first header 71a at the 1 discharge position. Then, the droplet discharge device of the modified example discharges droplets of the functional liquid from the second heads 632 of the second head group 63b to the other portions of the inspection film 77 adsorbed to the plurality of second header 71b at 1 discharge position.

Thus, the droplet discharge device of the modified example can receive the droplets of the functional liquid at the 1 discharge position by the inspection film 77, and therefore, the inspection of the discharge state of the droplets can be performed efficiently.

The embodiments disclosed herein are all illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. In fact, the above-described embodiments can be embodied in various ways. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A droplet delivery apparatus, comprising:

a conveying mechanism for conveying the workpiece along a conveying direction;

a plurality of discharge heads that discharge droplets of the functional liquid to the workpiece;

an inspection stage that adsorbs an inspection medium that receives the droplets for inspection released from the plurality of discharge heads;

a medium conveying unit that conveys the inspection medium in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; and

an imaging unit that images the droplet discharged to the inspection medium,

the inspection station includes:

a plurality of first headers linked to each other along the orthogonal direction; and

and a plurality of second headers that are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first headers in the conveyance direction and are connected to each other along the orthogonal direction, wherein seams of the plurality of second headers are located at positions that do not overlap with seams of the plurality of first headers in the conveyance direction.

2. A droplet release apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of release heads include:

a first discharge head group formed by arranging a plurality of first discharge heads that discharge the liquid droplets in the orthogonal direction; and

and a second head group formed by arranging a plurality of second heads that discharge the droplets in the orthogonal direction at positions adjacent to the first head group in the transport direction, each second head being located at a position that does not overlap with each first head of the first head group in the transport direction.

3. The drop delivery device of claim 2, wherein:

the inspection table is movable to a release position where the inspection medium is located below the first and second groups of discharge heads,

with the inspection table in the release position, the seams of the plurality of first header are located at positions corresponding to gaps between adjacent 2 of the first release heads of the first release head group,

the joints of the plurality of second header are located at positions corresponding to gaps between 2 adjacent second release heads of the second group of release heads with the inspection table located at the release position.

4. A droplet release apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein:

further comprises a control unit which executes the following processing:

a process of discharging the liquid droplets from the first discharge heads of the first discharge head group for a portion of the inspection medium adsorbed to the plurality of first headers; and

and a process of discharging the liquid droplets from the second discharge heads of the second discharge head group to the other portions of the inspection medium adsorbed to the second header groups.

5. A droplet release apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein:

each of the first discharge heads of the first discharge head group and each of the second discharge heads of the second discharge head group discharge droplets of functional liquid of different compositions.

6. A droplet release apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

the plurality of first headers and the plurality of second headers are arranged adjacently in a plurality of rows in the conveying direction.