JP2003266679A - Droplet discharging method and device manufactured by the droplet discharging method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (with correction) [PROBLEMS] To provide an ink jet type ejection method capable of precisely controlling an ejection amount. It enables the manufacture of microlenses, color filters, organic electroluminescence devices, precision machinery and the like. A discharge amount from a discharge head is controlled by setting a drive frequency and a temperature of a functional liquid in a cavity to predetermined values. In addition, pressurization in the cavity is performed with a constant drive voltage, drive waveform, and drive frequency.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet type ejection method to which a recording method used in an ink jet printer or an ink jet plotter is applied. More specifically, precise control of the discharge rate is possible,
The present invention relates to an ink jet type ejection method that can be suitably adopted for manufacturing precision machinery, color filters, microlenses and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ejection head used in an ink jet type device such as an ink jet printer or an ink jet plotter is provided with a nozzle forming plate 210, a cavity forming plate 220 and a vibrating plate 230, as shown in FIG. There is. The cavity forming plate 220 includes a cavity (pressure generating chamber) 221, a side wall (partition wall) 222, a reservoir 223, and an introduction path 224. The cavity 221 is formed by etching a substrate made of silicon or the like, and serves as a space for storing ink just before ejection. The side wall 221 is formed so as to partition the cavities 221, and the reservoir 223 serves as a flow path for filling the cavities 221 with ink. The introduction path 224 is formed so that ink can be introduced from the reservoir 223 into each cavity 221.

The nozzle forming plate 210 is bonded to one surface of the cavity forming plate 220 with an organic or inorganic adhesive so that the nozzle opening 211 is located at a position corresponding to each of the cavities 221 formed in the cavity forming plate 220. It is pasted together with an agent. The cavity forming plate 220 to which the nozzle forming plate 210 is attached is further housed in the housing 225 to form the ejection head 200.

The vibrating plate 230 is a cavity forming plate 220.
The other surface is bonded with an organic or inorganic adhesive. Piezoelectric vibrators (not shown) as pressure generating elements are provided at portions of the diaphragm 230 corresponding to the positions of the cavities 221. Also, the diaphragm 2
A supply port (not shown) is formed at a portion of the reservoir 30 corresponding to the position of the reservoir 223, and the ink stored in the ink tank (not shown) is stored in the cavity forming plate 22.
It can be supplied to the inside of 0.

According to such an ink jet apparatus, when liquids such as lubricating oil and resin are ejected instead of ink, these liquids are high in a predetermined area on the object without contacting the object. It has the advantage that it can be applied with precision. Therefore, it can be used for assembling a precision mechanical device and manufacturing various substrates constituting an electro-optical device. Further, the ejected material is not limited to the liquid, and can be applied to a liquid containing fine particles in the liquid.

In the above-mentioned ink jet apparatus, the drive voltage and the drive waveform are appropriately set in order to set the ejection amount per dot to a desired value. Further, in order to eject a high-viscosity liquid, it is also possible to heat the liquid to reduce its viscosity, thereby enabling ejection from the ejection head. In this case, by keeping the liquid temperature after heating constant, it is possible to make the viscosity of the liquid constant and control the ejection amount per dot to some extent.

There is also a demand for changing the discharge amount according to the application, for example, forming a plurality of lines having different thicknesses on the same substrate. In such a case, the ejection amount is increased a plurality of times at the same location to increase the ejection amount and adjust the thickness. In particular, when forming a thick line, a high driving frequency is desired because ejection is performed a plurality of times in a short time.

[0008]

However, even if the driving voltage, the driving waveform, and the liquid temperature are kept constant, the ejection amount per dot may vary, and precise control of the ejection amount is difficult. Met. In addition, if a high drive frequency is set in order to improve the efficiency of multiple ejections to the same location, the ejection volume predicted from the ejection frequency will differ from the actual ejection volume, and a line with the desired thickness will be displayed. It was difficult to form.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet type ejection method capable of precisely controlling the ejection amount, and an ink jet type ejection method capable of precisely controlling the ejection amount even at high frequency. Along with providing
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet type ejection method which enables manufacture of microlenses, color filters, organic electroluminescence devices, precision mechanical devices and the like.

[0010]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION As a result of studying the above-mentioned problems, the present inventor has found that, even if the driving voltage, the driving waveform, and the liquid temperature are held constant, if the driving frequency changes, the ejection amount per dot becomes I found that there were variations. It is considered that this is because the liquid in the cavity does not return to the quiescent state as the driving frequency increases. As a result, 1
In order to precisely control the ejection amount per dot, it was found that the driving frequency should be considered in addition to the temperature and the like, and the following invention was made.

That is, the present invention provides a droplet discharge method for discharging a functional liquid from the nozzle opening by using a discharge head having a cavity and a nozzle opening communicating with the cavity and pressurizing the inside of the cavity. Pressurization in the cavity is performed by a constant drive voltage and drive waveform, and the ejection frequency from the ejection head is controlled by setting the drive frequency and the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity to predetermined values. There is provided a droplet discharge method characterized by the above. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a desired discharge amount by changing the driving frequency and the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity under the condition that the driving voltage and the driving waveform are constant.

Further, the present invention uses an ejection head having a cavity and a nozzle opening communicating with the cavity,
In the droplet discharge method of pressurizing the inside of the cavity to eject the functional liquid from the nozzle opening, pressurization inside the cavity is performed with a constant drive voltage and drive waveform, and There is provided a droplet discharge method characterized in that the discharge amount from the discharge head is controlled by keeping the temperature constant and setting the drive frequency to a predetermined value. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a desired discharge amount by changing the drive frequency under the condition that the drive voltage, the drive waveform, and the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity are constant.

Further, the present invention uses a discharge head having a cavity and a nozzle opening communicating with the cavity,
A method for ejecting a functional liquid from the nozzle opening by pressurizing the inside of the cavity, wherein pressurization in the cavity is performed by a constant drive voltage, drive waveform and drive frequency, and the function inside the cavity is A droplet discharge method characterized in that the discharge amount from the discharge head is controlled by setting the temperature of the ionic liquid to a predetermined value. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a desired ejection amount by changing the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity under the condition that the drive voltage, drive waveform, and drive frequency are constant.

In each of the above inventions, the functional liquid is not limited to a general ink for printing or recording, but means any liquid ejected by a so-called ink jet system. For example, various resin-like liquids and lubricating oils can be used as the functional liquid.

Therefore, the present invention can be characterized in that the functional liquid is a material for forming a microlens. That is, according to the present invention, the microlens forming material can be ejected in a dot shape onto the substrate to manufacture the microlens.

Further, the present invention can be characterized in that the functional liquid is a material for forming a color filter. That is, according to the present invention, a color filter forming material can be discharged onto a substrate to manufacture a color filter.

Further, the present invention can be characterized in that the functional liquid is a material for forming an organic electroluminescence device. That is, according to the present invention, an organic electroluminescent device can be manufactured by ejecting a material for forming an organic electroluminescent device onto a substrate. Examples of the material for forming the organic electroluminescence device include a light emitting layer forming material and a hole injecting / transporting layer forming material.

Further, the present invention can be characterized in that the functional liquid is a lubricating oil. That is, according to the present invention, lubricating oil can be discharged to a precision machine or the like. The present invention also provides a device manufactured by any one of the droplet discharge methods according to the present invention.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. (Overall Configuration of Inkjet Device) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of an inkjet device which is a droplet discharge device to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet type device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an ejection head group 10
0, X-direction drive motor 2, X-direction drive shaft 4, Y-direction drive motor 3, Y-direction guide shaft 5, control device 6, stage 7, cleaning mechanism section 8, and base 9.

The ejection head group 100 comprises a plurality of ejection heads H, and a tank 500 storing a functional liquid.
The functional liquid supplied from the above through the supply pipe 400 (a set of liquid supply paths corresponding to each ejection head H) is ejected from each ejection head H. Here, the ejection head group 100, the tank 500, and the supply pipe 4
00 includes first to third heaters 3 as described later.
10, 320, and 330 are provided, respectively.

The stage 7 is for mounting the substrate W on which the functional liquid is ejected from the ejection head group 100, and has a mechanism for fixing the substrate W at a predetermined reference position.

The X-direction drive shaft 4 is composed of a ball screw or the like, and the X-direction drive motor 2 is connected to the end thereof. The X-direction drive motor 2 is a stepping motor or the like and rotates the X-direction drive shaft 4 when a drive signal in the X-axis direction is supplied from the control device 6. When the X-direction drive shaft 4 rotates, the ejection head group 100 moves on the X-direction drive shaft 4 in the X-direction.

The Y-direction guide shaft 5 is also composed of a ball screw or the like, but is arranged at a predetermined position on the base 9. The stage 7 is arranged on the Y-direction guide shaft 5,
The stage 7 includes a Y-direction drive motor 3. The Y-direction drive motor 3 is a stepping motor or the like, and when a drive signal in the Y-axis direction is supplied from the control device 6, the stage 7 moves in the Y-direction while being guided by the Y-direction guide shaft 5. In this way, driving in the X-axis direction and Y
By performing axial driving, the ejection head group 100
Can be moved to any place on the substrate W.

As will be described later with reference to FIG. 2, which will be described later, the control device 6 includes a drive signal control device 31 which supplies a signal for controlling the ejection of the functional liquid to the ejection head group 100. Further, the control device 6 controls the X-direction drive motor 2 and the Y-direction drive motor 2.
The direction drive motor 3 is provided with a head position control device 32 that supplies a signal for controlling the positional relationship between the ejection head group 100 and the stage 7. In addition, the control device 6 is shown in FIG.
The temperature control unit 300 shown in FIG.

The cleaning mechanism section 8 includes the ejection head group 1
00 is provided for cleaning. The cleaning mechanism unit 8 includes a Y-direction drive motor (not shown), and the cleaning mechanism unit 8 is moved along the Y-direction guide shaft 5 by driving the drive motor. The movement of the cleaning mechanism portion 8 is also controlled by the control device 6.

(Structure of Control System for Discharge Operation) FIG. 2
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the inkjet device 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the inkjet device 1 of the present embodiment, the control device 6 includes a drive signal control device 31 including a personal computer or the like.
And a head position control device 32.

The drive signal control device 31 includes the ejection head group 1
The waveform for driving 00 is output. Further, the drive signal control device 31, for example, among the plurality of ejection heads H,
Bit map data indicating which of the ejection heads H is used to eject the functional liquid is also output.

Here, the drive signal control device 31 is connected to the analog amplifier 33 and the timing control circuit 34. The analog amplifier 33 is a circuit that amplifies the above waveform to obtain a predetermined drive voltage. Timing control circuit 3
Reference numeral 4 is a circuit which has a built-in clock pulse circuit and controls the discharge timing of the functional liquid in accordance with the bitmap data and the drive frequency determined by the clock pulse circuit.

Both the analog amplifier 33 and the timing control circuit 34 are connected to a relay circuit 35, and the relay circuit 35 is output from the analog amplifier according to the timing signal of a predetermined drive frequency output from the timing control circuit 34. The drive voltage is output to the ejection head group 100.

The head position control device 32 is a circuit for controlling the positional relationship between the ejection head group 100 and the stage 7. The head position control device 32 cooperates with the drive signal control circuit 31 to eject from the ejection head group 100. The liquid droplet of the functional liquid is the substrate W.
It is controlled so as to land at a predetermined position above. The head position control device 32 is connected to an XY control circuit 37, and the ejection head group 1 is connected to the XY control circuit 37.
00 and the information on the relative position of the stage 7 are output.

The XY control circuit 37 is connected to the X-direction drive motor 2 and the Y-direction drive motor 3, and based on the signal output from the head position control device 32, the X-direction drive motor 2 and the Y-direction drive circuit 37. X for the drive motor 3
A signal for controlling the position of the ejection head group 100 in the axial direction and the position of the stage 7 in the Y-axis direction is output.

(Structure of Ejection Head H) FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the individual ejection heads H which constitute the ejection head group 100 of the ink jet type apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the ejection head H of this embodiment generally includes a nozzle forming plate retainer 110, a nozzle forming plate 120, a cavity forming plate 130, a vibrating plate 140, a case 150, a pressure generating element assembly 160, and a heater housing 170. It is configured. A cartridge heater 180 provided for each ejection head H as a first heater 310 and a temperature sensor 190 provided for each ejection head H are incorporated in the heater housing 170.

First, the nozzle forming plate retainer 110 is made of a rectangular metal material or the like, in which the L-shaped through groove 1 is formed.
11 is formed. In the nozzle forming plate retainer 110,
Through holes 112 are formed in the four corners, and positioning small holes 113 are formed on both sides of the through groove 111. Further, a suction pipe 116 for removing excess liquid is connected to the nozzle plate retainer 110.

The nozzle forming plate 120 is a rectangular metal plate, and a nozzle opening 121 is formed in the center thereof. Through holes 122 are formed in the four corners of the nozzle forming plate 120, and small holes 123 for positioning are formed on both sides of the nozzle opening 121. Here, the nozzle forming plate 120 is formed such that the through holes 112 and 122 overlap each other and the positioning small holes 113 and 123 overlap each other when the nozzle forming plate retainer 110 is overlapped on the lower surface of the nozzle forming plate 120. ing.

When the functional liquid is hydrophilic, the nozzle forming plate 120 having a water repellent surface treatment is used, and when the functional liquid is water repellent, the hydrophilic surface treatment is performed. The applied nozzle forming plate 120 is used. This has the effect that the functional liquid is unlikely to adhere to the periphery of the nozzle opening 121. In addition, the larger the nozzle forming plate 120 having the nozzle openings 121, the easier the ejection of the high-viscosity functional liquid. On the other hand, when the viscosity of the functional liquid is low, the nozzle forming plate 12 having a small nozzle opening 121 is formed.
The discharge amount is more stable when 0 is used.

The cavity forming plate 130 is composed of a rectangular silicon substrate or the like which is larger than the nozzle forming plate 120, and has a cavity (pressure generating chamber) 131 formed at a position where it can communicate with the nozzle opening 121, and this. A flow path 133 is formed which is composed of a reservoir 132 connected to the cavity 131 via a constricted portion. When the nozzle forming plate 120 is stacked on the lower surface of the cavity forming plate 130, the nozzle forming plate 1
Four through holes 134 that overlap the 20 through holes 122 and a positioning small hole 135 that overlaps the small hole 123 are formed. Further, in the cavity forming plate 130, six through holes 136 are formed from the longitudinal center to the region where the reservoir 132 is formed, and two positioning holes that are slightly larger than the small holes 135. 137 is also formed.

It should be noted that the use of the cavity forming plate 130 having a large cross-sectional area of the flow path 133 facilitates the ejection of the functional liquid having a high viscosity. On the other hand, when the viscosity of the functional liquid is low, the cavity forming plate 13 having a small cross-sectional area of the flow path 133 is formed.
The discharge amount is more stable when 0 is used.

The vibrating plate 140 is the cavity forming plate 130.
And a cavity plate of the cavity forming plate 130 when the vibrating plate 140 is placed on the upper surface of the cavity forming plate 130.
A thin vibrating plate portion 141 is formed in a region overlapping with No. 1, and a supply port 142 and a thin heat transfer unit 143 are formed in a region overlapping with the reservoir 132.
Further, the vibration plate 140 includes a through hole 134, a through hole 136, and a positioning hole 137 of the cavity forming plate 130, respectively.
Overlapping through hole 144, through hole 146, positioning hole 14
7 are formed.

The case 150 is made of a thick metal material having substantially the same size as that of the diaphragm 140.
When 40 is stacked on the lower surface of the case 150, a first opening 151 for arranging elements is provided in a region overlapping with the cavity 131.
Is formed, and a second opening 152 is formed in a region overlapping with the heat transfer portion 143. Further, in the case 150, a screw hole 154, a screw hole 156, which overlap with the through hole 144, the through hole 146, and the positioning hole 147 of the diaphragm 140, respectively.
A positioning hole 157 is formed.

Here, the case 150 is partially hollow inside, and a first supply port (not shown) that overlaps the supply port 142 of the diaphragm 140 is formed on the lower surface of the case 150. A second supply port (not shown) communicating with the first supply port is formed on the rear end surface of the case 150. In this embodiment, the liquid supply path 107 corresponding to each ejection head H of the supply pipe 400 extending from the tank 500 (see FIG. 1) is supplied to the second supply port of the case 150.
Are connected via the mesh filter 108.

The vibrating plate 140, the cavity forming plate 130, the nozzle forming plate 120, and the nozzle forming plate retainer 110 are attached in this order to the lower surface of the case 150 having the above structure.

First, with the vibration plate 140 and the cavity forming plate 130 stacked in this order on the lower surface of the case 150, the positioning pins 101 are inserted into the respective positioning holes 137, 147, 157, and these plate materials are inserted. After positioning, screw (not shown) through holes 136, 14
The vibration plate 140 and the cavity forming plate 130 are fixed to the lower surface of the case 150 in this order by stacking them in this order through the screw holes 156.

Next, with the nozzle forming plate 120 and the nozzle forming plate retainer 110 stacked in this order on the lower surface of the cavity forming plate 130, the positioning small holes 113, 12 are formed.
After positioning the plate members by inserting the positioning pin 103 into the screws 3, 135, screws (not shown) are screwed through the through holes 112, 122, 134, 144 to the screw holes 15
4, the diaphragm 14 is attached to the lower surface of the case 150.
0, the cavity forming plate 130, the nozzle forming plate 120, and the nozzle forming plate retainer 110 are fixed in a state of being stacked in this order.

On the other hand, above the case 150,
A pressure generating element assembly 160 including a pressure generating element 161 composed of a piezoelectric vibrator is attached to the first opening 151 for element arrangement from the lower end side thereof. At this time, the lower end portion of the pressure generating element assembly 160 (the lower end portion of the pressure generating element 161) and the diaphragm portion 141 of the diaphragm 140 are fixed with an adhesive.

A metallic heater housing 170 is attached above the case 150 so as to cover the pressure generating element assembly 160. Here, the heater housing 170 has a screw hole (not shown) formed in the case 150 when the heater housing 170 is placed above the case 150.
Through hole is formed so as to overlap with the. Therefore, the heater housing 170 can be fixed above the case 150 by fixing screws (not shown) from the through holes of the heater housing to the screw holes of the case 150.

Here, the heater housing 170 is provided with a heater mounting hole 172 penetrating in the lateral direction.
A round rod-shaped cartridge heater 180 is mounted in the heater mounting hole 172. Also, the heater housing 17
The temperature sensor 190 is mounted by utilizing the stepped portion formed on the upper surface of 0 as shown by the one-dot chain line. The temperature sensor 190 is attached to the heater housing 170 by an L-shaped plate or a screw (not shown). It is fixed.

In the thus-configured ejection head H, when a predetermined driving voltage is applied to the pressure generating element 161 from the relay circuit 35 described with reference to FIG. 2, the pressure generating element 161 vibrates as it deforms. The diaphragm part 141 of the plate 140 vibrates. Meanwhile, after the volume of the cavity 131 expands, the volume of the cavity 131 contracts, and a positive pressure is generated in the cavity 131. As a result, the functional liquid in the cavity 131 is discharged as droplets from the nozzle opening 121 to a predetermined position on the substrate W.

(Structure for Temperature Control) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a structure for temperature control of the ink jet apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the ejection head group 100 is provided with a first heater 310 and a first temperature sensor 315 (a set of the temperature sensors 190 of FIG. 3), and a second heater for the tank 500. Heater 32
0 and a second temperature sensor 325 are provided. further,
The supply pipe 400 is provided with a third heater 330 and a third temperature sensor 335. A heat insulating material and the like are also arranged in each part, but they are not shown in FIG.

The temperature control unit 300 is provided in the control device 6 shown in FIG. 1. The first temperature sensor 315, the second temperature sensor 325, and the third temperature sensor 335 are the ejection head group 100 and the tank 500. And supply pipe 400
Are output to the temperature control unit 300. And these temperature sensors 3
Based on the temperature monitoring results of 15, 325, and 335, the temperature control unit 300 determines that the first heater 310 and the second heater 3
20 and the third heater 330 are individually controlled. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ejection head group 100,
The temperatures of the tank 500 and the supply pipe 400 can be independently controlled to predetermined temperatures.

Further, for the ejection head group 100, each cartridge heater 18 is based on the temperature monitoring result of the temperature sensor 190 incorporated in each ejection head H.
0 is controlled individually. Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the heating amount can be adjusted individually, uniform temperature adjustment can be performed so that the temperature does not differ for each ejection head H. Further, if a heat insulating material is provided between the individual ejection heads H, it is possible to control the individual temperatures of the individual ejection heads H so that the temperatures are individually set.

The third heater 330 may be provided in the entire supply pipe 400, or may be provided only in the vicinity of the ejection head group 100 of the supply pipe 400. In addition, the supply pipe 400 near the ejection head group 100 and the supply pipe 40
The temperature near the ejection head group 100 may be set higher than the temperature near the tank 500 by separately providing the temperature near the tank 500 of 0. Further, when it is necessary to individually set the temperature of the liquid supply passage 107 corresponding to each ejection head H, a heater may be provided for each liquid supply passage 107.

In the present embodiment, the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity can be set substantially by controlling the temperature of the ejection head group 100 with the first heater 310.
In addition, since the volume of the functional liquid in the cavity is small,
When the temperature cannot be sufficiently set only by the heater of No. 2, the temperature of the functional liquid can be set to a desired value by controlling the temperature of the supply pipe 400 together with the second heater 320. Furthermore, when the temperature of the functional liquid to be set is relatively high, it is possible to preheat the functional liquid in the tank 500 by the third heater 330. In the present embodiment, the temperature control is described as being performed by heating, but the temperature control may be performed by cooling or by combining heating and cooling.

(Discharging Method) First, in order to determine the driving frequency and the temperature of the functional liquid to be set, the driving frequency and / or the temperature and the discharging amount of the functional liquid are preliminarily set for each functional liquid to be discharged. Seek the relationship. Specifically, the set value is determined by the first to third determination methods described below.

In the first determination method, the temperature of the functional liquid, the drive voltage, and the drive waveform are kept constant, the drive frequency is changed to various values, and the ejection amount per dot at that time is obtained. Then, a calibration curve showing the relationship between the ejection amount and the driving frequency is created. By using this calibration curve,
It is possible to know the drive frequency for obtaining the desired discharge amount. Therefore, a desired ejection amount can be obtained by appropriately setting the drive frequency. In this way, when the temperature of the functional liquid is kept constant by changing only the driving frequency, the means for temperature control can be simplified. For example, the temperature can be controlled only by arranging the ink jet recording device in a temperature-controlled room. in this case,
It is possible to omit a heater or a cooler that heats individual members such as a discharge head. Further, since the functional liquid is not altered or denatured, it is possible to cope with a case where only a narrow temperature range can be selected. When changing the drive frequency, it is necessary to appropriately set the relative movement speed between the ejection head group 100 and the substrate W. Thereby, even if the drive frequency changes, the functional liquid can be ejected onto the substrate W at a desired position interval.

In the second determining method, the driving frequency, the driving voltage, and the driving waveform are kept constant, the temperature of the functional liquid is changed to various values, and the ejection amount per dot at that time is obtained. Then, a calibration curve showing the relationship between the discharge amount and the temperature of the functional liquid is created. By using this calibration curve, the temperature of the functional liquid for obtaining the desired discharge amount can be known. Therefore, a desired discharge amount can be obtained by appropriately setting the temperature of the functional liquid. In this way, in the case where the temperature of the functional liquid is changed and the drive frequency is kept constant, the substrate is moved at a desired position interval without changing the relative movement speed between the ejection head group 100 and the substrate W. The functional liquid can be discharged onto W. In addition, when changing the temperature of the functional liquid, care must be taken so that the temperature range is such that the functional liquid is not altered or denatured.

In the third determination method, the drive voltage and the drive waveform are kept constant, the drive frequency and the temperature of the functional liquid are changed to various values, and the ejection amount per dot at that time is obtained. . Then, a table of how the ejection amount changes according to the combination of the driving frequency and the temperature of the functional liquid is created. By using this table, it is possible to know the combination of the temperature of the functional liquid and the driving frequency for obtaining the desired discharge amount. Therefore, by properly setting the temperature of the functional liquid and the driving frequency,
A desired discharge amount can be obtained. There may be a plurality of combinations of the temperature of the functional liquid and the driving frequency for obtaining the desired discharge amount, and in that case, it is possible to arbitrarily select from the combination thereof.

The driving frequency and / or the temperature of the functional liquid determined as described above are set and ejection is performed.
The drive frequency can be set to a determined value by changing the selection of the data table of the clock pulse circuit built in the timing control circuit 34 shown in FIG. Further, the temperature of the functional liquid can be set by controlling the first heater 310 by the temperature control unit 300 so that the detected value of the temperature sensor 315 shown in FIG. 4 becomes the determined temperature of the functional liquid. .

According to the discharge method of this embodiment, not only the temperature of the functional liquid but also the driving frequency are taken into consideration, so that the discharge amount can be precisely controlled. In particular, even when the drive frequency is set high, the ejection amount per dot can be precisely controlled. Therefore, the ejection efficiency can be increased without lowering the ejection accuracy.

(Production of Microlens) A method of producing a microlens by the ejection method of the above embodiment will be described. The microlens is manufactured by ejecting a material for forming the microlens onto a transparent substrate and curing the material.

Examples of materials for forming microlenses include acrylic resins such as polymethylmethacrylate, polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate and polycyclohexylmethacrylate, allyl resins such as polydiethylene glycol bisallylcarbonate and polycarbonate, methacrylic resins and polyurethane resins. , Polyester-based resin, polyvinyl chloride-based resin, polyvinyl acetate-based resin, cellulose-based resin, polyamide-based resin, fluorine-based resin, polypropylene-based resin, polystyrene-based resin or other thermoplastic or thermosetting light-transmitting resin, Alternatively, a mixture of these resins may be used. Further, the light-transmitting resin to be used may be used as a radiation-curing type by blending such a light-transmitting resin with a photopolymerization initiator such as a biimidazole compound.

As the transparent substrate, when the obtained microlens is applied to, for example, an optical film for a screen,
A transparent sheet or transparent film made of a cellulosic resin such as cellulose acetate or propyl cellulose, or a transparent resin (light transmissive resin) such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester is used. When the microlens is applied to a microlens array or the like, as a transparent substrate, a transparent material such as glass, polycarbonate, polyarylate, polyethersulfone, amorphous polyolefin, polyethylene terephthalate, or polymethylmethacrylate (light transmissive material) is used. A substrate consisting of

On this transparent substrate, prior to the ejection of the material for forming the microlenses, a lyophobic pattern is formed on the portions where the microlenses are not formed and a lyophilic pattern is formed on the portions where the microlenses are formed. Thereby, the shape of the formed microlens can be improved.

Then, a plurality of droplets of the material for forming the microlenses are ejected from the ink jet type ejection head to the microlens formation locations on the transparent substrate in accordance with the ejection method of the above embodiment.

Thereafter, the material for forming the microlenses thus formed in a substantially hemispherical shape is subjected to a drying treatment such as a heat treatment, a pressure reduction treatment or a heat pressure reduction treatment, or the light transmitting resin is irradiated with radiation as described above. If it is a curable type,
By irradiating radiation such as ultraviolet rays, this is cured to form a microlens.

The microlens thus obtained is, for example, a microlens formed on the screen surface for the purpose of brightening an image in a liquid crystal projector system, an optical interconnection of an optical fiber or a condensing element for laser, and further. It can be used as a lens for collecting incident light in a solid-state imaging device.

According to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the manufacturing cost can be reduced by not requiring a molding die. Further, since the microlens manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment can precisely control the discharge amount of droplets, it can be easily formed into a desired size and shape, and exhibits optical characteristics as designed. Will be things.

(Production of Color Filter) A method of producing a color filter by the ejection method of the above embodiment will be described. The color filter is manufactured by discharging a color filter forming material onto a transparent substrate and curing the material.

As a material for forming the color filter, for example, a material obtained by adding a solvent to acrylic resin or polyurethane resin colored with an inorganic pigment of each color is used.

As the transparent substrate, one having appropriate mechanical strength and high light transmittance is used. For example, transparent glass substrates, acrylic glass, plastic substrates, plastic films, and surface-treated products thereof can be applied.

A process for adjusting the liquid repellency of the surface is performed on this transparent substrate prior to the ejection of the color filter forming material. First, a black matrix is formed at a position where a color filter is not formed, and the surface is made liquid repellent. Further, the location where the color filter is formed is made lyophilic. As a result, the color filter can be accurately provided at a predetermined position.
Further, the black matrix can prevent light from being transmitted from a place other than the color filter. Further, partition walls called banks may be provided and partitioned so that the color filter forming materials of different colors are not mixed with each other.

Then, a plurality of droplets of the color filter forming material are discharged from the ink jet type discharge head to the color filter forming portion on the transparent substrate in accordance with the discharge method of the above-described embodiment.

Thereafter, the material for forming the color filter thus discharged is heated to remove the solvent and dry,
Use as a color filter. The color filter thus obtained can be arranged, for example, on one substrate side of the liquid crystal device to provide a liquid crystal device capable of full-color display.

The color filter manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment can precisely control the discharge amount of droplets, so that the desired thickness can be easily obtained and the optical characteristics as designed can be exhibited. .

(Manufacture of Organic Electroluminescence Device) A method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescence device by the discharge method of the above embodiment will be described. The manufacturing process of the organic electroluminescence device includes a partition wall forming step, a hole injecting / transporting layer forming step, a light emitting layer forming step,
It basically comprises a cathode forming step and a sealing step.
Among these steps, the ejection method of the above-described embodiment can be preferably applied to the hole injection / transport layer forming step and the light emitting layer forming step.

In the partition forming step, a bank layer (partition) for separating each pixel region is formed on a transparent electrode made of ITO or the like formed on a substrate on which TFTs or the like are provided in advance, if necessary.
To form.

In the hole injecting / transporting layer forming step, the hole injecting / transporting layer forming material is used as the forming material of the organic electroluminescent device by using the discharging method of the above embodiment.
Discharge to each pixel area. As a material for forming a hole injection / transport layer, for example, polyethylenedioxythiophene (PED
A composition in which a mixture of a polythiophene derivative such as OT) and polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSS) is dissolved in a polar solvent can be used. As the polar solvent, for example, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), normal butanol, γ-
Butyrolactone, N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), 1,3
Examples thereof include dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) and its derivatives, glycol ethers such as carbitol acetate and butyl carbitol acetate. The hole injection / transport layer is formed by drying the hole injection / transport layer formation material after discharge to evaporate the polar solvent contained in the hole injection / transport layer formation material.

Next, in the light emitting layer forming step, the light emitting layer forming material is ejected onto the hole injecting / transporting layer of each pixel region as the forming material of the organic electroluminescence device by using the ejecting method of the above embodiment. . The light emitting layer forming material is composed of a solute component such as an organic electroluminescent material corresponding to each color and a non-polar solvent. Organic electroluminescent materials include fluorene polymer derivatives, (poly) paraphenylene vinylene derivatives, polyphenylene derivatives, polyfluorene derivatives, polyvinylcarbazole, polythiophene derivatives, perylene dyes, coumarin dyes, rhodamine dyes, and other benzene derivatives. Soluble low molecular weight organic EL materials, high molecular weight organic EL materials and the like can be mentioned. As the non-polar solvent, those which are insoluble in the hole injection / transport layer formed above are preferable.
Examples thereof include cyclohexylbenzene, dihydrobenzofuran, trimethylbenzene and tetramethylbenzene. The light emitting layer is formed by drying the discharged light emitting layer forming material to evaporate the non-polar solvent contained in the light emitting layer forming material.

Next, in the cathode forming step, a cathode is formed on the entire surface of the light emitting layer and the bank layer. Further, in the sealing step, a sealing material made of a thermosetting resin or an ultraviolet curing resin is applied on the entire surface of the cathode to form a sealing layer. Further, a sealing substrate is laminated on the sealing layer. An organic electroluminescence device can be manufactured by the above steps.

(Discharge of Lubricating Oil to Precision Machine Device) Lubricating oil can be discharged to a predetermined position of the precision machine by the discharging method of this embodiment. Examples of the precision mechanical device include a wristwatch. Further, the predetermined position where the lubricating oil should be discharged includes a gear, a cam portion, and the like.

In the above embodiments, the microlens, the color filter and the organic electroluminescence device are shown as examples of the device manufactured by the droplet discharge method of the present invention, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, it is formed by forming a protective film for a color filter, metal wiring on a substrate such as a semiconductor, hard coating for optical components such as glasses, or the like by forming a film with a liquid (including a liquid containing fine particles) ejected by an ejection head. It can be applied to various things.

[0081]

As described above, according to the ink jet type ejection method of the present invention, not only the temperature of the functional liquid but also the driving frequency are taken into consideration, so that the ejection amount can be precisely controlled. In particular, even when the drive frequency is set high, the ejection amount per dot can be precisely controlled. Therefore, the ejection efficiency can be increased without lowering the ejection accuracy. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently manufacture a microlens, a color filter, an organic electroluminescence device, a precision machine device, and the like with high quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an inkjet device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for the ejection operation of the inkjet device shown in FIG.

3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a discharge head of the ink jet type apparatus shown in FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a configuration for temperature control of the ink jet type apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a discharge head of a conventional inkjet type device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Inkjet device 3 Y direction drive motor 4 X-direction drive shaft 5 Y direction guide shaft 6 control device 7 stages 8 Cleaning mechanism section 9 bases 31 Drive signal controller 32 head position controller 100 ejection heads 400 supply pipe 500 tanks 121 nozzle opening 130 Cavity forming plate 300 temperature controller 310, 320, 330 heater 315, 325, 335 Temperature sensor W board

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H05B 33/10 B41J 3/04 101Z 33/14 F term (reference) 2C056 EC07 EC21 EC29 EC42 EC72 FA04 FA15 FB01 FD20 2C057 AF71 AH20 AJ10 AM15 AM16 AN07 BA03 BA14 2H048 BA02 BA11 BA55 BA64 BB02 BB42 3K007 AB18 BB02 DB03 FA01

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A liquid droplet ejection method for ejecting a functional liquid from the nozzle opening by using an ejection head having a cavity and a nozzle opening communicating with the cavity to pressurize the inside of the cavity. Pressurization is performed with a constant drive voltage and drive waveform, and the discharge frequency from the discharge head is controlled by setting the drive frequency and the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity to predetermined values. Droplet discharging method. 2. A droplet discharge method for discharging a functional liquid from the nozzle opening by using a discharge head having a cavity and a nozzle opening communicating with the cavity to pressurize the inside of the cavity. Pressurization is performed with a constant drive voltage and drive waveform, the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity is kept constant, and the drive frequency is set to a predetermined value to control the discharge amount from the discharge head. A method for ejecting liquid drops, comprising: 3. A liquid droplet ejection method for ejecting a functional liquid from the nozzle opening by pressurizing the interior of the cavity by using an ejection head having a cavity and a nozzle opening communicating with the cavity. Pressurization is performed with a constant drive voltage, drive waveform, and drive frequency, and the temperature of the functional liquid in the cavity is set to a predetermined value to control the discharge amount from the discharge head. Droplet discharging method. 4. The droplet discharge method according to claim 1, wherein the functional liquid is a material for forming a microlens. 5. The droplet discharge method according to claim 1, wherein the functional liquid is a color filter forming material. 6. The droplet discharge method according to claim 1, wherein the functional liquid is a liquid material for forming an organic electroluminescence device. 7. The droplet discharge method according to claim 1, wherein the functional liquid is lubricating oil. 8. A device manufactured by the droplet discharge method according to claim 1.