JP2003270425A - Film forming apparatus and liquid suction method therefor, and device manufacturing apparatus, device manufacturing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suck a liquid into a plurality of heads with a simple configuration without increasing cost. <P>SOLUTION: A film forming apparatus has a plurality of heads 14 to discharge the liquid, and a suction device 39 to suck the plurality of heads 14 in a lump. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a liquid suction method therefor, a device manufacturing apparatus and a device manufacturing method, and a device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the development of electronic equipment such as computers and portable information equipment terminals, there is an increasing demand for liquid crystal display devices, especially color liquid crystal display devices. This type of liquid crystal device uses a color filter for colorizing a display image. R of color filter
An inkjet method is adopted as a method for forming each of the (red), G (green), and B (red) filter elements in a predetermined pattern.

When an ink jet system is adopted, a film is formed by ejecting a predetermined amount of ink from a head of an ink jet onto a substrate. This substrate is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-271724. To
It is mounted on an XY stage (a stage that is movable in a two-dimensional direction along the XY plane). By moving the substrate in the X and Y directions by this XY stage, ink from a plurality of inkjet heads can be supplied to a predetermined position on the substrate.

[0004]

However, the conventional ink-jet type film forming apparatus as described above has the following problems. The ink ejected from the inkjet head is stored in an ink tank and is supplied to the inkjet head through, for example, a tube, but the ink is ejected to the head during an initial operation (initial operation) or after an interruption of, for example, one day. Is not filled, it is necessary to introduce the ink to the inkjet head. Further, if ink is continuously discharged onto a large number of substrates, nozzle clogging may occur. Therefore, normally, a step of periodically sucking the nozzles is provided after processing a predetermined number of substrates.

Therefore, conventionally, a negative pressure suction mechanism such as a pump or a tube serving as a suction drive source is connected to a cap that covers the ink ejection surface of the ink jet head to prevent drying, corresponding to each of the plurality of ink jet heads. Then
By suctioning negative pressure with this cap in contact with the inkjet head, ink was introduced and filled into the inkjet head from the ink tank through the tube, and nozzle clogging caused by continuous ejection etc. was eliminated. .

However, since the above-mentioned cap is provided with a negative pressure suction mechanism for each of a plurality of ink jet heads, there is a problem in that the structure becomes complicated and the size and cost of the apparatus increase.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and a film forming apparatus capable of sucking a liquid with a simple structure even for a plurality of heads without increasing the cost. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid suction method, a device manufacturing apparatus, a device manufacturing method, and a device manufactured by this device manufacturing apparatus.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following constitutions. The present invention is
A film forming apparatus having a plurality of heads for ejecting a liquid,
A film forming apparatus comprising a suction device for sucking a plurality of heads together.

Thus, in the film forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to collectively suck a plurality of heads, for example, as a measure against liquid introduction and nozzle clogging, so it is necessary to provide a suction drive source such as a pump for each head. Disappears. for that reason,
Since the number of suction drive sources is reduced, the device configuration and the piping system are simplified, and the device can be downsized and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the suction device has a suction drive source connected to the suction passages provided in each of the plurality of heads, and the suction passages are opened and closed for each of the plurality of heads. It is preferable to have an opening / closing means and a control unit for controlling opening / closing of the opening / closing means.

As a result, in the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the opening / closing of the suction passage is controlled so that the suction passage is opened for the head that performs suction and the suction passage is closed for the head that does not perform suction. You can Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to arbitrarily select the head for suction, and it is possible to collectively suck the selected heads.

Further, the film forming apparatus of the present invention may be provided with a detecting device for detecting the ejection state of the liquid from the head, and the control section may control the opening / closing of the opening / closing means based on the detection result of the detecting device. Is.

As a result, in the film forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to detect the discharge state of the liquid before or during the device manufacturing process. Then, in the present invention, based on this discharge state, specifically, by controlling to open the suction path only to the head that is not discharging the liquid, it is possible to suck the target head, It is possible to suppress wasteful liquid consumption caused by sucking another head that is not the target.

Further, in the film forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to adopt a structure in which the suction device is provided with a switching means for switching the pressure of the suction space formed between the head and the head between the suction pressure and the atmospheric pressure. .

Thus, in the present invention, when sucking the liquid sucked from the head and accumulated in the suction space, the suction space can be switched from the suction pressure to the atmospheric pressure. Therefore, when sucking the liquid in the suction space, it is possible to prevent the liquid from being sucked from the head, and it is possible to suppress wasteful liquid consumption.

Further, in the film forming apparatus of the present invention, a gap is formed between the cap for the suction device to contact the head to suck, the position where the cap contacts the head, the retracted position separated from the head, and the head. A configuration including a moving device that moves between a droplet receiving position that receives droplets discharged from the head and a droplet receiving position is also preferable.

Thus, in the present invention, when the head is sucked, the cap is moved from the retracted position to the contact position,
When the suction is completed, the cap can be moved to the retracted position. Further, according to the present invention, by receiving the droplets ejected from the head by the cap at the receiving position, it is possible to preliminarily eject the droplets before or during the device manufacturing process. Can be stabilized.

The device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a device manufacturing apparatus having a film forming apparatus for supplying droplets ejected from a plurality of heads to a substrate and performing film forming processing on the substrate. The above film forming apparatus is used.

As a result, in the present invention, it is not necessary to provide a suction drive source such as a pump, so that the cost required for manufacturing the device can be suppressed by reducing the cost related to liquid suction.

The device of the present invention is characterized by being manufactured by the above device manufacturing apparatus.

Thus, in the present invention, the cost of the device can be suppressed by reducing the cost of the film forming apparatus.

Further, the present invention is a method for sucking a liquid through a head to a film forming apparatus having a plurality of heads for discharging a liquid, and includes a suction step for collectively sucking the plurality of heads. Is characterized by.

As a result, in the suction method of the present invention, it is possible to collectively suction even when a plurality of heads are sucked as a measure for introducing liquid or nozzle clogging, so it is necessary to provide a suction drive source such as a pump for each head. Disappear. for that reason,
Since the number of suction drive sources is reduced, the device configuration and the piping system are simplified, and the device can be downsized and the cost can be reduced.

In the liquid suction method of the film forming apparatus of the present invention, suction paths may be provided in each of the plurality of heads, and opening / closing of the suction paths may be controlled for each head.

As a result, in the present invention, the opening and closing of the suction passage can be controlled so that the suction passage is opened for the head that performs suction and the suction passage is closed for the head that does not perform suction. It is possible to arbitrarily select the head for performing the above, and it is possible to collectively suck the selected heads.

Further, in the liquid suction method of the film forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to control the opening / closing of the suction passage based on the result of detecting the discharge state of the liquid from the head.

As a result, in the present invention, it is possible to detect the discharge state of the liquid, for example, before or during the device manufacturing process. Then, in the present invention, based on this discharge state, specifically, by controlling to open the suction path only to the head that is not discharging the liquid, it is possible to suck the target head, It is possible to suppress wasteful liquid consumption caused by sucking another head that is not the target.

Further, in the liquid suction method of the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the step of sucking the liquid in the suction space formed between the head and the head, and the pressure of the suction space in the state where the suction to the head is released. It is possible to adopt a procedure including a step of switching the pressure to the atmospheric pressure and a step of re-sucking the suction space under the atmospheric pressure.

Thus, in the present invention, the suction space can be switched from the suction pressure to the atmospheric pressure when the liquid sucked from the head and collected in the suction space is sucked. Therefore, when sucking the liquid in the suction space, it is possible to prevent the liquid from being sucked from the head, and it is possible to suppress wasteful liquid consumption.

Further, in the liquid suction method of the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the liquid discharged from the head is received by the cap in a state where the cap for contacting and sucking the head has a gap formed between the cap and the head. A procedure that includes steps can be employed.

Thus, in the present invention, the cap can be moved from the retracted position to the contact position when the head is sucked, and can be moved to the retracted position when the suction is completed. Further, in the present invention, by receiving the liquid ejected from the head by the cap, it is possible to preliminarily eject the liquid before or during the device manufacturing process, and to stabilize the ejection of the liquid in the manufacturing process. You can

The device manufacturing method of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a device by using a film forming apparatus having a plurality of heads for ejecting droplets, and the head is formed by the liquid suction method of the film forming apparatus. It is characterized in that it includes a step of sucking the liquid through.

As a result, in the present invention, the cost required for manufacturing the device can be suppressed by reducing the cost related to liquid suction.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of a film forming apparatus, a liquid suction method therefor, a device manufacturing apparatus and a device manufacturing method, and a device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
Will be described with reference to. Here, the film forming apparatus of the present invention will be described as being applied to a filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter used for a liquid crystal device, for example.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the filter manufacturing apparatus 1. The filter manufacturing apparatus 1 includes three film forming apparatuses 2b, 2d, 2f having substantially the same structure, and a transfer system 3 for transferring a substrate such as a glass substrate between the film forming apparatuses 2b, 2d, 2f. Is equipped with.

The transfer system 3 transfers a substrate between the magazine loader 4 and the film forming apparatus 2b, between the film forming apparatuses 2b, 2d and 2f, and between the film forming apparatus 2f and the magazine unloader 5. Therefore, the substrate transfer / rotation areas 3a and 3g, the film forming apparatus areas 3b, 3d and 3f, and the intermediate transfer areas 3c and 3e are installed along the X direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1). . In the following,
The scanning direction in which the substrate moves when ink as liquid is supplied is the Y direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1), and the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1 is the Z direction.

The magazine loader 4 is capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates (for example, 20 substrates along the Z direction), and is provided with two substrates arranged at intervals in the Y direction. Similarly, the magazine unloader 5 is capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates (for example, 20 substrates along the Z direction), and is arranged in two rows at intervals in the Y direction.

In the substrate transfer / rotation area 3a, a mounting table 6 is installed at a position facing each magazine loader 4. Each mounting table 6 is configured to rotate 90 ° by a rotation driving device (not shown) and to temporarily position the mounted substrate. Similarly, substrate transfer
In the rotation area 3g, mounting tables 7 are installed at positions facing the magazine unloaders 5, respectively. Each mounting table 7 is configured to rotate 90 ° by a rotation driving device (not shown).

A heating device (bake furnace) 8b for heating the substrate and transfer robots 9b, 10b having a double arm structure are installed in the film forming apparatus area 3b. The heating device 8b uses the substrate formed by the film forming device 2b (for example, 1
It is heated (baked) at 20 ° C. for 5 minutes. The transfer robot 9b includes the magazine loader 4 and the mounting table 6, the mounting table 6 and the film forming apparatus 2b, and the film forming apparatus 2
The substrate is conveyed by suction and holding between b and the heating device 8b, and the transfer robot 10b includes the heating device 8b and the cooling unit 1 described later between the film forming device 2b and the heating device 8b.
1c, and between the cooling unit 11c and a buffer unit 13c described later, the substrate is conveyed by suction and holding.

In the intermediate transfer area 3c, a cooling unit 11c for cooling the substrate, a rotating unit 12c for rotating the mounted substrate by 90 ° or 180 ° by a rotation driving device (not shown), and film forming apparatuses 2b, 2d. A buffer unit 13c for stocking a substrate that cannot be conveyed from the cooling unit 11c to the rotating unit 12c due to a difference in processing time between them (for example, a time difference required for head cleaning or a time difference required for drying ink of each color) is installed. The buffer unit 13c is Z
It has a plurality of substrate stock slots along the direction and is movable in the Z direction.

A heating device 8d for heating a substrate and transfer robots 9d and 10d having a double arm structure are installed in the film forming device area 3d. The heating device 8d heats the substrate formed by the film forming device 2d (for example, at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes). The transfer robot 9d includes a buffer unit 13c and a rotating unit 12c, a rotating unit 12c and a film forming apparatus 2d, and a film forming apparatus 2d and a heating apparatus 8d.
The transfer robot 10d transfers the substrate by suction and holding between the film forming device 2d and the heating device 8d, between the heating device 8d and a cooling unit 11e described later, and between the cooling unit 11e. The substrate is conveyed by suction and holding with a buffer portion 13e described later.

In the intermediate transfer area 3e, a cooling unit 11e for cooling the substrate, a rotating unit 12e for rotating the mounted substrate by 90 ° or 180 ° by a rotation driving device (not shown), and film forming devices 2d, 2f. The buffer unit 1 that stocks the substrate that cannot be transferred from the cooling unit 11e to the rotating unit 12e due to a difference in processing time (for example, a time difference required for head cleaning or a difference in cooling time in the heating device).
3e and are installed. The buffer portion 13e has a plurality of slots for substrate stock along the Z direction, and
It is movable in any direction.

In the film forming apparatus area 3f, a heating device 8f for heating the substrate and transfer robots 9f, 10f having a double arm structure are installed. The heating device 8f heats the substrate formed by the film forming device 2f (for example, at 120 ° C. for 5 minutes). The transfer robot 9f includes a buffer unit 13e and a rotating unit 12e, a rotating unit 12e and the film forming apparatus 2f, and a film forming apparatus 2f and a heating apparatus 8f.
The transfer robot 10f transfers the substrate by suction holding between the film forming device 2f and the heating device 8f, the heating device 8f and the substrate transfer / reversal area mounting table 7, and the like. Also, the substrate is conveyed by suction and holding between the mounting table 7 and the magazine unloader 5.

The film forming apparatuses 2b, 2d and 2f are for performing film forming processing on the conveyed substrate with the respective colored inks of red, blue and green, and have substantially the same structure. , An inkjet head (head) 14 housed in a thermal clean chamber (not shown), and a driving device such as a linear motor.
The X table 15 that supports the No. 4 and moves in the X direction along the pair of X guides 17, below the X table 15 (−Z side).
And a Y table 16, which moves in the Y direction along a pair of Y guides 18 while holding the substrate by suction, an ink system 19, and the like.

The X table 15 drives the ink jet head 14 in the X direction by a driving device such as a linear motor.
In addition to positioning, the rotation drive device such as a direct drive motor causes the θZ direction (rotation direction around the Z axis), the θX direction (rotation direction around the X axis), and the θY direction (Y direction).
Drive and position in the direction of rotation around the axis). Further, the X table 15 is provided with a motor (not shown) for driving and positioning the inkjet head 14 in the Z direction.

The Y table 16 is driven and positioned in the Y direction by a driving device such as a linear motor, and is driven and positioned in the θ direction (rotational direction around the Z axis) by a rotary driving device such as a direct drive motor. It is configured. A substrate alignment camera (not shown) is installed in the vicinity of the movement path of the Y table 16, and the placement direction and position of the substrate can be detected by detecting the alignment mark formed on the transported substrate. Has become.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ink jet head 14 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the ink ejection surface (the surface facing the substrate) has a row shape along the length direction of the head.
In addition, a plurality of nozzles (for example, 180 nozzles in one row, 360 nozzles in total) are provided in two rows at intervals in the width direction of the head. Further, the inkjet head 14 is
Aim the nozzle to the substrate side, and X-axis (or Y-axis)
A plurality of the support plates 20 each having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view are arranged in a row along the substantially X-axis direction in a state of being inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to, and in two rows at a predetermined interval in the Y direction (see FIG. In 2, the number is 6 in one row, 12 in total). The inkjet head 14 is supported by the X table 15 via the support plate 20. The angle at which the inkjet head 14 is inclined with respect to the X axis (or the Y axis) is set based on the arrangement pitch of the filter elements formed on the substrate.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG. As shown in this figure, each inkjet head 14 has
Introducing units 21 for introducing the ink supplied from the ink system 19 are provided respectively (note that these introducing units 21 are not shown in FIG. 2). Each introducing unit 21 has two nozzle rows.
The system is configured to supply ink.

On the side of the support plate 20 to which the ink jet head 14 is attached, a plurality of shafts 22 having a hole (not shown) for position detection formed in the tip end surface are provided in a protruding manner. An image of this hole is picked up by a head alignment camera (not shown), the position is detected, and the position of the support plate 20 in the θ direction with respect to the X table 15 is corrected by a rotation driving device such as a motor, so that the inkjet head 14 is corrected. The position (and thus the position of the nozzle) can be aligned.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink system 19 includes an ink tank 24 mounted on a base 23.
In addition, the ink stored in the sub tank 25 is supplied to the inkjet head 14, and an ink unit (described later) for collecting and discharging the ink, a cap unit 26, a wiping unit 27, a weight measuring unit 2
8, a discharge confirmation unit 29, and the like. Among these, the cap unit 26, the wiping unit 27,
The weight measurement unit 28 (the sample acquisition device 57 thereof; described later),
The ejection confirmation unit 29 is disposed below the inkjet head 14 and is installed on a moving platen 31 that moves on the base 23 along the pair of Y guides 30 in the Y direction, and is integrated with the moving plate 31 in the Y direction. It can be moved to.

The wiping unit 27 wipes (wipes) the ink ejection surface (that is, substantially the nozzle surface) of the ink jet head 14 with a cloth material such as a band-shaped nonwoven fabric.
The winding reel 27a for unwinding the cloth material, the cleaning liquid ejecting section 27b for ejecting the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid tank 32 installed on the base 23 onto the cloth material, and the cloth material wiped with the inkjet head 14 are wound. A take-up reel 27c and the like are provided, and the take-up reel 27a, the cleaning liquid ejecting section 27b, the take-up reel 27c, and the moving board 31 are provided.
By synchronously driving, the ink ejection surface can be wiped with a cloth material containing a cleaning liquid after the film forming process on the substrate.

The ejection confirming units 29 are provided at two locations for each row, with the inkjet heads 14 arranged below the movement path of the inkjet heads 14 in the X direction. Each unit 29 is provided with an ejection detection device (detection device; not shown) that detects the ejection state of ink from the nozzles by shielding and transmitting laser light for each inkjet head 14 and for each nozzle. The detection result is output to the control unit 52 (described later).

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram (front view) of the cap unit 26. The cap unit 26 is a drive device (moving device) such as an air cylinder that drives the support plate 34 in the Z direction via the support plate 34 that supports the plurality of caps 33 and the support plates 35 and 36 that are connected to the support plate 34. 37,
38, and a suction device 39 (not shown in FIG. 6, see FIG. 10) connected to the cap 33.

The cap 33 is used for the ink jet head 1.
No. 4 ink ejection surface 14a (see FIG. 3) on the upper surface side (+ Z side) of the support plate 34 at a position and inclination corresponding to the inkjet head 14, and more specifically, as shown in FIG. ) Are arranged in a row along the substantially X-axis direction and are fixed in two rows at a predetermined interval in the Y-direction in a state of being inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to FIG. In addition, these caps 3
3 and the support plate 34 correspond to X of the inkjet head 14.
It is arranged below the moving path in the direction.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, each cap 33 includes a cap body 40, a rubber member (sealing member) 41 and a rubber member 41, which are replaceably provided on the tip (+ Z) side of the cap body 40. A lid 42 that is sandwiched between the cap body 40, a holding body 43 that holds the cap body 40 movably in the vertical direction (Z direction), and a shaft body 44 provided on the holding body 43. On the other hand, it is composed of a coil spring (urging member) 45 for urging the cap body 40 upward (+ Z side), an atmospheric pressure release valve (switching means) 46, a joint 47 connected to the suction device 39, and the like.

The rubber member 41 is made of an elastic material such as rubber and is provided so as to surround a concave suction space (sealing space) 48 formed at the upper end of the cap body 40 so as to protrude from the ink jet. Convex portion 41a that seals the suction space 48 when contacting the head 14, cap body 4
Seat portion (sandwiching portion) 41b sandwiched between 0 and the lid 42
have. Then, the four fastening portions 51 shown in FIG.
In, the lid member 42 is releasably fastened to the cap body 40 with a countersunk screw or the like, so that the rubber member 41 sandwiched by the seat portion 41b is fixed to the cap body 40.

The coil spring 45 urges the rubber member 41 upward through the cap body 40, that is, to the ink jet head 14, and the urging force is applied by the rubber member 41 to the ink ejection surface 14a of the ink jet head 14. The spring constant and the amount of bending are set such that a pressing force of, for example, about 400 g is exerted when abutting against.

Suction space 4 formed in the cap body 40
A sheet-shaped absorbent material 49 for absorbing the ink is fixed to the bottom of 8 by a ladder-shaped pressing member 50 so as to face the suction space 48. A hole 53 communicating with the joint 47 is opened at the bottom of the suction space 48. The pressure of the suction space 48 can be switched between suction pressure by the suction device 39 when the atmospheric pressure release valve 46 is closed and atmospheric pressure when the atmospheric pressure release valve 46 is opened.

The drive devices 37 and 38 are regulated to move in the Z direction by a stopper (not shown), so that the cap 33 is moved.
Of the ink jetting surface 14a of the inkjet head 14 and the suction position, the retracted position where the cap 33 is separated from the inkjet head 14, and the gap between the cap 33 and the inkjet head 14 (for example, 2 mm). The support plate 34 is moved between a contact position and a retracted position where the ink ejected from the inkjet head 14 is received between the contact position and the retracted position.

Here, the ink system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The entire system in 9 will be described.

This ink system is mainly composed of an ink supply system 54 for supplying ink to the ink jet head 14 and an ink suction system 55 for sucking the ink discharged to the cap 33. Ink supply system 54
Is an inert gas supply system 54a for ink pressure feed, a liquid feed system 54b for feeding ink to the ink tank 24, and a pressure feed system 5 for pressure feed of ink from the ink tank 24 to the sub tank 25.
4c, and an introduction system 54d for guiding the ink from the sub tank 25 to the inkjet head 14, and are generally configured.

In the inert gas supply system 54a, the inert gas such as nitrogen gas has the air filter 61 remove the dust in the air, and the mist separator 62 removes the mist in the air. The cleaned inert gas is supplied to the ink side system having the ink pressure supply pressure adjusting valve 63 and the ink side residual pressure exhaust valve 64, and the cleaning liquid side having the cleaning liquid pressure supply pressure adjusting valve 65 and the cleaning liquid side residual pressure exhaust valve 66. System, and the supply destination is switched by the ink / cleaning liquid pressure sending pressure switching valve 67. In this, the inert gas supplied to the ink tank 24 is introduced into the ink tank 24 after dust is removed again by the air filter 68. A safety gas pressure sensor 69 is provided between the ink tank 24 and the air filter 68.

In the liquid feeding system 54b, the ink is fed from the deaeration ink bottle 71 provided with the air filter 70 to the ink tank 24 by driving the ink feeding pump 72. An ink presence / absence detection load sensor 74 is provided at the bottom of the ink tank 24 so that the presence / absence of ink (or presence / absence of a prescribed amount) can be detected.

In the pressure feeding system 54c, the ink is pressure fed from the ink tank 24 to the sub tank 25 by the pressure of the inert gas according to the opening / closing of the liquid pressure feeding ON / OFF switching valve 73. In the pressure feeding system 54c, the liquid pressure feeding pressure detection sensor 7 provided between the ink tank 24 and the liquid pressure feeding ON / OFF switching valve 73.
5 can detect out-of-flow passage, hydraulic pressure ON / OFF switching valve 73
The flow path grounding joint 76 provided between the sub tank 25 and the sub tank 25 can prevent charging in the flow path.

The sub-tank 25 is provided with an air filter 77 to clean the air in the tank, and a sub-tank upper limit detection sensor 78 such as an infrared sensor and an ink liquid level detection sensor 79. The sub-tank upper limit detection sensor 78 detects the flow path deviation for safety, and the ink liquid level detection sensor 79 is provided in the sub-tank 25 in order to suppress the variation in the weight of the ink ejected from the nozzles of the inkjet head 14. The water head value between the ink surface and the ink ejection surface 14a is controlled to be constant.
It is used when controlling.

In the introduction system 54d, the head bubble elimination valve 8
Ink is introduced from the sub tank 25 to the inkjet head 14 in response to opening / closing of 0. In this introduction system 54d, the head bubble elimination valve 80 and the inkjet head 1
4 can be prevented from being charged in the flow path by the flow path section ground joint 81 provided between the flow path section and the ground path. The head bubble removal valve 80 closes the flow path when the inkjet head 14 is sucked to increase the ink flow velocity and exhaust the bubbles from the nozzle.

On the other hand, the ink suction system 55 has a cap 3
3, an ink suction pump (suction drive source) 84 such as a tube pump that sucks ink from the recovery tank 83, and an ink suction valve (opening and closing) provided in a flow path (suction path) between the cap 33 and the ink suction pump 84. Means 85, an ink suction pressure detection sensor 86 provided between the ink suction valve 85 and the ink suction pump 84 for detecting a suction abnormality,
The ink collected in the collection tank 83 is supplied to the ink bottle 87.
An ink waste liquid pump 88 for sending to the ink, a tank upper limit detection sensor 89 for detecting the upper limit of the ink in the recovery tank 83, and the like are installed. These ink suction pump 84, ink suction valve 85, ink suction pressure detection sensor 86, ink The suction device 39 is configured by the waste liquid pump 88, the tank upper limit detection sensor 89, and the control unit 52 that controls the opening and closing of the ink suction valve 85.

The ink suction valve 85 is provided for each of the plurality of caps 33 (that is, corresponding to each of the plurality of ink jet heads 14), and the flow path is opened and closed under the control of the controller 52. Be seen. The ink suction pump 84 is connected to all the flow paths between the ink suction pump 84 and the plurality of caps 33, and the driving of the ink suction pump 84 acts on all the caps 33.

FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of the weight measuring unit 28. The weight measurement unit 28 is provided for each inkjet head 14, and is a sample that collectively obtains the absorbent member 55 that absorbs ink such as sponge as a sample for measuring the weight of ink ejected by the inkjet head 14 for each inkjet head 14. It is roughly configured by an acquisition device 57 and a weight measuring device 58 shown in FIG. 12 that is attached to the sample acquisition device 57 and measures the ejected ink weight by the sample acquired by the sample acquisition device 57.

The sample acquiring device 57 includes a plurality of absorbing members 55.
The support plate 56 having a rectangular shape in plan view, which holds (supports) all of them in a detachable manner, and the absorbing member 55 are the inkjet heads 14.
The drive device 59 is configured to move the support plate 56 in the Y direction between a sample acquisition position facing the inkjet head 14 below the movement path of (1) and a standby position separated from the sample acquisition position.

The driving device 59 includes a pair of Y guides 90 extending in the Y direction on a support column 61 fixed to the movable platen 31, and a fixed platen 91 that moves along the Y guides 90.
It is roughly configured by a drive source 92 such as an air cylinder for driving the fixed plate 91 in the Y direction, a shock absorber 93 for alleviating an impact caused by stopping the movement of the fixed plate 91, and the like.

On the upper surface side (+ Z side) of the support plate 56, there are formed recesses 93 each having a rectangular shape in plan view, into which the absorbent members 55 are fitted and positioned and held. By being held in the recesses 93, the absorbent member 55 is absorbed. 55 is the inkjet head 1
The position and the tilt corresponding to 4, more specifically, in a state of being tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the X-axis (or the Y-axis) in a line along the substantially X-axis direction and at predetermined intervals in the Y-direction. It is arranged in two columns. It should be noted that the size of the concave portion 93 depends on the absorbing member 5.
5 is set to a value having a relatively large clearance. Further, the support plate 56 is formed with a positioning hole 94a, which is circular in a plan view, and a positioning hole 94b, which is a long hole in a plan view, located substantially at the center in the width direction. In addition, this support plate 5
6 is detachably fastened and fixed to a fixed platen 91 by a wing screw (wing nut) 95.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view of the weight measuring device 58. The weight measuring device 58 includes a mounting table 96 on which the supporting plate 56 is mounted, the supporting plate 56 on the mounting table 96 to the absorbing member 5.
5, a transfer robot 97 that is movable by three axes in the xyZ directions and that transfers the absorption member 55 (that is,
An electronic balance 98 for measuring the weight of the absorbed ink) is provided. The x-direction and the y-direction in which the transfer robot 97 moves need not necessarily be the same as the above-mentioned X-direction and Y-direction.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged plan view of the mounting table 96. The mounting table 96 is provided with a positioning pin 99a that fits into the positioning hole 94a of the support plate 56 and a positioning pin 99b that fits into the positioning hole 94b. These positioning pins 99a, 99b are provided with positioning holes 94a, 9b.
4b, so that the arrangement direction (length direction) of the absorbing member 55 is along the x direction, that is, the transfer robot 9
It is set so as to be parallel to the conveyance direction of 7.

In the filter manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above structure,
First, a substrate transfer process in the transfer system 3 will be described. The substrate to be subjected to the film forming process with the color ink is taken out from the magazine loader 4 by the transfer robot 9b and transferred to the mounting table 6, rotated in the direction (direction) corresponding to the film forming process, and at the same time provisional positioning (pre-positioning). ) Will be done. The substrate on the mounting table 6 is again transported by the transport robot 9b to the Y table 16 of the film deposition apparatus 2b, and is subjected to a film deposition process using, for example, red ink.

The substrate on which the film forming process is completed in the film forming apparatus 2b is transferred from the Y table 16 to the heating device 8b by the transfer robot 10b and heated and dried, and then transferred to the cooling unit 11c in the intermediate transfer area 3c. It Note that if another substrate that has been previously processed is present at the substrate transfer destination, the substrate is transferred by another transfer robot in advance. Specifically, when another substrate is held on the Y table 16 when the transfer robot 9b transfers the substrate to the Y table 16, the transfer robot 10b transfers the substrate to the heating device 8b in advance. deep. In this way, by adopting the double arm structure, it is possible to eliminate a wasteful waiting time related to the substrate transfer, so that the production efficiency is improved.

The substrates cooled by the cooling unit 11c to the proper temperature for the film forming process in the film forming apparatus 2d are the film forming apparatuses 2b and 2b.
In order to absorb the difference in processing time between d, it is transferred and stocked in the buffer unit 13c. If there is no difference in processing time, it is not always necessary to stock in the buffer unit 13.

When the preparation for processing in the film forming apparatus 2d is completed,
The transfer robot 9d in the film forming apparatus area 3d transfers the substrate and transfers it from the buffer unit 13c to the rotating unit 12c. The substrate rotated and positioned by the rotating unit 12c in the direction corresponding to the film forming process in the film forming apparatus 2d is transferred to the Y table 16 of the film forming apparatus 2d by the transfer robot 9d, and is subjected to the film forming process using, for example, blue ink. Is given.

Since the subsequent operation is similar to that described above, a brief description will be made. For the substrate on which the film forming process is completed in the film forming apparatus 2d, the Y table 16 is transferred by the transfer robot 10d.
After being transferred from the heating device 8d to the heating device 8d and heated and dried, it is transferred to the cooling unit 11e in the intermediate transfer area 3e. The cooled substrate is transferred to the buffer unit 13 by the transfer robot 10d.
After transfer to e, the rotating unit 12 is moved by the transfer robot 9f.
The film is transported to e and rotated / positioned according to the processing in the film forming apparatus 2f. Then, this substrate is transferred to the Y table 16 of the film forming apparatus 2f by the transfer robot 9f and subjected to film forming processing using, for example, green ink.

The substrate on which the film forming process is completed in the film forming apparatus 2f is transferred to the heating section 8f by the transfer robot 10f and heated, and then transferred to the mounting table 7 in the substrate transfer / rotation area 3g. It is rotated in the direction (direction) in which it is accommodated in the magazine unloader 5, and again accommodated in the magazine unloader 5 by the transfer robot 10f.

Next, the film forming process of the substrate in the film forming apparatuses 2b, 2d, 2f will be described. In the filter manufacturing apparatus 1, it depends on the color and the characteristics and specifications of the color filter to be manufactured. Inks with different components are used. Further, as will be described later, inks (liquids) having different components are used in the manufacture of electroluminescent devices, conductive wirings, etc. in addition to color filters, depending on their respective applications. Therefore, it may be necessary to replace the rubber member 41 of the cap 33 depending on the component. In this case, the rubber member 41 of a material suitable for the ink component (ink characteristic) is replaced before the film forming process.

Specifically, first, the fastening at the fastening portion 51 shown in FIG. 9 is released, the lid 42 is removed from the cap body 40, and then the rubber member 41 ′ is attached to the cap body 4.
Remove from 0. Then, after the rubber member 41 made of a material suitable for the ink characteristics to be used is attached to the cap body 40, the seat portion 41 of the rubber member 41 is formed between the rubber body 41 and the cap body 40.
The lid 42 is attached to the cap body 40 while sandwiching b, and is fastened and fixed at the fastening portion 51. This allows
The cap 33 is replaced with a rubber member 41 according to the ink characteristics.

Next, the film forming process will be described.
When the substrate is transferred to the Y table 16, the substrate alignment camera captures an image of the alignment mark of the substrate to detect the mounting direction and position of the substrate. And
The substrate is positioned (aligned) at a predetermined position by driving the drive device and the rotation drive device based on the detected position. On the other hand, with respect to the inkjet head 14, the position of the support plate 20, that is, the position of the inkjet head 14 (and thus the position of the nozzle) is detected by imaging the hole of the shaft 22 with a head alignment camera, and a linear motor or By driving a drive device such as a direct drive motor, positioning is performed at a predetermined position / posture.

Here, no ink is introduced into the ink jet head 14 at the beginning of the film forming process.
Therefore, before the film formation, a suction step of suctioning the inkjet head 14 by the suction device 39 to introduce the ink is performed. This suction step is a step of sucking ink into the suction space 48 between the ink jet head 14, a step of switching the pressure of the suction space 48 to the atmospheric pressure in a state where the suction to the ink jet head 14 is released, and a suction under the atmospheric pressure. It is roughly divided into a step of re-sucking the space 48. Less than,
Each step will be described in detail.

In the step of sucking the ink into the suction space 48, when the X table 15 first moves in the X direction and the ink jet head 14 is positioned at a position facing the cap 33, it is supported by driving the driving devices 37 and 38. Board 3
4 moves in the + Z direction from the retracted position to the contact position. As a result, the projections 41a of all the caps 33 come into contact with the corresponding ink ejection surfaces 14a of the inkjet heads 14 and the suction space 48 is sealed.

Here, the cap body 40 is urged by the coil spring 45, and the ink jet head 14 is pressed.
Therefore, the rubber member 41 seals the suction space 48 with a pressing force of, for example, about 400 g. Therefore,
Even if the suction space 48 has a negative pressure than the atmospheric pressure, the negative pressure state of the suction space can be maintained. In particular, since the rubber member 41 is made of an elastic material, even if the surface roughness of the ink ejection surface 14a is low, the rubber member 41 is elastically deformed by the pressing force and follows the ink ejection surface 14a. It is possible to prevent a gap from being formed in the suction space 48. Furthermore, even if the positioning of the cap 33 in the Z direction includes an error and the cap 33 comes into contact with the inkjet head 14 with a pressing force of a set value or more, the rubber member 41 is elastically deformed and the biasing member is deformed. Damage to the inkjet head 14 can be avoided.

Then, when the cap 33 is positioned at the contact position, the suction device 39 is operated. In particular,
The ink suction pump 84 is operated with the atmospheric pressure release valve 46 closed and all the ink suction valves 85 shown in FIG. 10 opened. As a result, the suction space 48 between the cap 33 and the inkjet head 14 becomes a negative pressure, and the ink stored in the sub-tank 25 is nozzle (and the suction space 48) through the introduction system 54d in all the inkjet heads 14. Will be introduced all at once.

In the subsequent step of switching the pressure of the suction space 48 to the atmospheric pressure, the atmospheric pressure release valve 46 is opened while all the ink suction valves 85 are closed and negative pressure suction to the suction space 48 is released. As a result, the suction space 48 is opened to the atmospheric pressure, and unnecessary ink suction from the nozzles is blocked.

Then, in the step of re-suctioning the suction space 48, the ink suction valve 85 is opened with the atmospheric pressure release valve 46 opened. As a result, the suction space 48 is sucked under the atmospheric pressure, and the ink in the suction space 48 is sucked without the ink leaking from the nozzle. At this time, the ink is absorbed by the absorbent material 49, and then the ink is absorbed from the hole portion 53 through the joint 47.
Since it is sucked through the suction space 48, the suction space 48 is sucked without any trouble even if it is collected at a position separated from the hole portion 53.

As described above, after the ink jet heads 14 are collectively sucked by the cap 33, the supporting plate 34 is used.
Although the cap 33 descends to the retracted position in the −Z direction via the, the suction space 48 is under the atmospheric pressure, the rubber member 4
It is possible to prevent the ink from being scattered due to a rapid pressure change in the suction space 48 when the inkjet head 14 and the inkjet head 14 are separated from each other.

When ink is introduced into the ink jet head 14 (nozzle), the ink jet head 14 is moved above the ejection confirmation unit 29 via the X table. Then, the ink is preliminarily ejected from the inkjet head 14 to the ejection confirmation unit 29. More specifically, the support plate 20 is reciprocated above the ejection confirmation unit 29, and ink is ejected from the inkjet heads 14 in each of the forward and backward paths. When ejecting ink, the ejection detection device emits detection light such as laser light,
So-called dot dropout detection is performed to detect the ink ejection state for each inkjet head 14 and for each nozzle.

When the dot omission is detected here, the cap unit 26 sucks the ink jet head 14 in the same manner as the above-described procedure. At this time, the inkjet head 14 in which the dot omission has occurred is recognized by the control unit 52, and the control unit 52 opens only the ink suction valve 85 corresponding to the target inkjet head 14 and supports the other inkjet heads 14. The ink suction valve 85 is closed. As a result, only the inkjet head 14 having the nozzles from which the ink is not ejected is sucked, and the ink is not needlessly sucked from the inkjet head 14 that normally ejects the ink.

When the head suction after the dot dropout detection is completed, the caps 33 are driven by the drive devices 37 and 38.
Performs so-called in-cap flushing in which the ink is ejected toward the suction space 48 of the cap 33 by moving the ink to a receiving position that forms a gap with the inkjet head 14. Since this flushing is performed with a gap, it is possible to stably eject the ink.

On the other hand, when missing dots are not detected,
When the head suction after the dot dropout detection is completed, the weight of the ink ejected by each inkjet head 14 is measured using the weight measuring unit 28 in order to define an appropriate ink ejection amount. It should be noted that this ink weight measurement is preferably performed at the time of initial operation or at the beginning of lot processing.

First, the drive device 59 is operated while the cap 33 of the cap unit 26 is moved (lowered) to the retracted position so as not to interfere with the sample acquisition device 57 of the weight measurement unit 28 (see FIG. 11). ), Support plate 56
(That is, the absorbing member 55) is moved to the sample acquisition position, and the X table 15 is moved in the X direction to position the inkjet head 14 at a position facing the absorbing member 55. Then, the ink is ejected from the inkjet head 14 to the absorbing member 55 by the first head drive voltage for the piezo element. Further, after the support plate 56 and the absorbing member 55 are exchanged with each other, ink is ejected from the inkjet head 14 to the absorbing member 55 by the second head driving voltage.

The replacement of the support plate 56 and the absorbing member 55 is carried out by moving the support plate 56 to the standby position and the operator operating the thumbscrew 95 to remove the support plate 56 from the fixed platen 91. At this time, since it is not necessary to use a tool to operate the thumbscrew 95, the efficiency of replacement work is improved.

The removed support plate 56 is transported by an operator and placed on the mounting table 96 of the weight measuring device 58. At this time, by fitting the positioning holes 94a and 94b of the support plate 56 to the positioning pins 99a and 99b of the mounting table 96, the operator can easily set the support plate 56 on the mounting table 96 in a positioned state. When the support plate 56 is placed on the mounting table 96, the transfer robot 97 holds the absorbing member 55, takes it out of the support plate 56, and transfers it to the electronic balance 98. In this electronic balance 98, the weight of the absorbing member 55, in other words, Since the weight of the absorbing member 55 before absorbing the ink is known, the weight of the ink absorbed by the absorbing member 55 is measured. Then, by repeating this operation in sequence, the weight of the ink can be measured for all the absorbing members 55.

Since the absorbing member 55 is conveyed to the weight measuring device 58 all at once through the support plate 56, it is possible to prevent mistaken selection of the measuring object which is likely to occur during individual conveying. Further, since the transport robot 97 transports the absorbing member 55 in parallel with the arrangement direction thereof, stable transport can be performed without forming a holder for the absorbing member 55 at an angle, and at the same time, the absorbing member 55 can be transported. Pneumatic resistance is reduced and more stable transportation is possible.

In this way, each ink jet head 14
When the weight of the ink ejected with the first head drive voltage and the second head drive voltage is measured for each time, the head drive voltage for obtaining the specified ink ejection amount is back-calculated by a method such as linear approximation, This drive voltage is set as the voltage during the film forming process.

When the ink for the film forming process is ready, the film forming process is performed. In addition, before the film forming process,
The discharge confirmation unit 29 may perform discharge confirmation. Hereinafter, an example of manufacturing a color filter by a film forming process will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.

The substrate 100 shown in FIG. 14 is a transparent substrate having a suitable mechanical strength and a high light transmittance. As the substrate 100, for example, a transparent glass substrate, an acrylic glass, a plastic substrate, a plastic film, or a surface-treated product thereof can be applied.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of color filter regions 105 are formed in a matrix on a rectangular substrate 100 from the viewpoint of improving productivity. These color filter regions 105 can be used as color filters suitable for a liquid crystal device by cutting the glass 100 later.

In the color filter area 105, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, filter elements of respective colors are formed in a predetermined pattern with R ink, G ink and B ink, and arranged. As the formation pattern, as shown in the figure, in addition to the conventionally known stripe type, there are a mosaic type, a delta type, a square type, and the like.

FIG. 14 shows an example of a process of forming the color filter region 105 on the substrate 100.

In FIG. 14A, the black matrix 110 is formed on one surface of the transparent substrate 100. Substrate 10 that is the basis of the color filter
0 is a resin with no light transmission (preferably black)
To a predetermined thickness (for example, 2
to about 100 μm), and the black matrix 110 is provided in a matrix by a method such as a photolithography method. The smallest display element surrounded by the grid of the black matrix 110 serves as a filter element, and is, for example, a window having a width of 30 μm in the X-axis direction and a length of 100 μm in the Y-axis direction.

After the black matrix 110 is formed, the substrate 1 is heated by applying heat, for example.
Bake the resin above 00.

As shown in FIG. 14B, the ink droplet 99
Are supplied to the filter element 112. The amount of the ink droplet 99 is a sufficient amount in consideration of the volume reduction of the ink in the heating process.

In the heating step of FIG. 14C, when all the filter elements 112 on the color filter are filled with the ink droplets 99, the heating process is performed using the heater. The substrate 100 is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, about 70 ° C.). The evaporation of the ink solvent reduces the volume of the ink. When the volume decrease is severe, until a sufficient ink film thickness as a color filter is obtained,
The ink discharging step and the heating step are repeated. By this treatment, the solvent of the ink evaporates, and finally only the solid content of the ink remains to form a film.

In the protective film forming step of FIG. 14D, heating is performed at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time in order to completely dry the ink droplet 99. When the drying is completed, the protective film 120 is formed to protect the color filter substrate 100 having the ink film formed thereon and to flatten the filter surface. The protective film 120 is formed by, for example, a spin coating method,
A method such as a roll coating method or a ripping method can be adopted.

In the transparent electrode forming step of FIG. 14E, the transparent electrode 13 is formed by using a recipe such as a sputtering method or a vacuum evaporation method.
0 is formed over the entire surface of the protective film 120.

In the patterning step of FIG. 14F, the transparent electrode 130 is further patterned into pixel electrodes corresponding to the openings of the filter element 112.

A TFT (Thin F) is used to drive the liquid crystal.
This patterning is not necessary when using an ilm Transistor element or the like.

During the film forming process, it is desirable to wipe the ink ejection surface 14a of the ink jet head 14 using the wiping unit 27 regularly or as needed. This wiping is performed by the unwind reel 27a.
Wet cloth material unwound from the cleaning fluid and discharged from the moving board 3
It can be carried out by making sliding contact with the ink ejection surface 14a with the movement of 1.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the plurality of ink jet heads 14 are collectively sucked by the suction device 39, the suction drive source such as the ink suction pump 84 for each ink jet head 14 is conventionally used. Is not required, the device configuration can be simplified, and the device can be downsized and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, the ink suction valve 85 of the suction device 39 opens and closes the suction flow path for each ink jet head 14, so that when a nozzle clogging occurs, the particular ink jet head 14 is opened.
The suction operation can be performed only for the other ink jet heads, and the ink can be prevented from being sucked wastefully from the other inkjet heads 14 that normally eject ink, which can further contribute to cost reduction. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the opening / closing of the ink suction valve 85 is automatically controlled according to the detection result of the ejection detection device, it is possible to surely and quickly perform the ink suction to the target inkjet head 14.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the cap 33
After suctioning the ink jet head 14 under negative pressure by
Since the suction space 48 is once opened to the atmospheric pressure, it is possible to prevent a sudden pressure change in the suction space 48 even when the cap 33 is separated from the inkjet head 14. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ink accumulated in the suction space 48 from scattering. Further, with respect to the movement of the cap 33, in the present embodiment, since the step of receiving the ink ejected in the state where the gap is formed between the cap 33 and the ink jet head 14 is provided, it is stable immediately after the ink suction. Flushing can be performed in the state.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the rubber member 41 is provided on the cap body 40 in a replaceable manner, it is possible to deal with various ink characteristics by replacing only the rubber member 41 according to the ink characteristics. It is possible to prevent an increase in cost associated with replacement of the cap body 40, and eliminate the need for piping work associated with replacement of the cap body 40, thereby avoiding a decrease in production efficiency. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the rubber member 41 can be replaced by a simple operation of fastening and unfastening the lid body 42 to the cap body 40, and the exchange work is simplified.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the cap 33
(That is, the rubber member 41) to the inkjet head 14
Since it is urged against, the negative pressure state can be easily maintained by sealing the sealed space with a pressing force according to the urging force, and the cap 33 abuts the inkjet head with a pressing force of a set value or more. Even in such a case, it is possible to avoid the damage of the inkjet head 14 by the deformation of the coil spring 45. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the rubber member 41 is formed of an elastic material, the rubber member 41 elastically deforms and follows the ink ejection surface 14a, so that a gap is formed in the sealed space and a negative pressure state is created. It is possible to prevent the (sealed state) from being broken, and even when the cap 33 contacts the inkjet head 14 with a pressing force of a set value or more, the elastic deformation of the rubber member 41 further prevents damage to the inkjet head 14. It will be possible.

Further, in this embodiment, since the absorbent material 49 is attached to the cap body 40, the ink in the suction space 48 is sucked through the absorbent material 49, and the ink is separated from the suction hole portion 53. It is possible to suck and collect the ink that has accumulated at the specified position without any trouble.

In the present embodiment, when the weight of the ink ejected by the ink jet head 14 is measured, the weight measurement samples are collectively obtained for the plurality of ink jet heads 14, and therefore, the weight measurement samples are likely to occur during individual conveyance. It is possible to prevent mistakes in selection of measurement targets, and the work required for sample acquisition is easier and the work time is shorter than in the case of individually acquiring samples. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to shorten the time required to derive all the driving force of the inkjet head (piezo element) and prevent the productivity from decreasing.

Further, in this embodiment, since the support plate 56 is fixed by the thumbscrew 95, the operator can operate without using a tool. Therefore, the workability in mounting and dismounting the support plate 56 is improved. Moreover, in the present embodiment, since the absorbing member 55 is conveyed in parallel with the arrangement direction thereof, stable conveying can be performed without forming a holder for the absorbing member 55 at an angle, and the absorbing member 55 at the time of conveying is also possible. Pneumatic resistance to is reduced, and more stable transportation becomes possible.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

The ink jet head 14 of the illustrated filter manufacturing apparatus is R (red). G (green). Although one type of ink of B (blue) can be ejected, it is of course possible to eject two or three types of ink among them.

The device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the manufacture of color filters for liquid crystal display devices, but can be applied to EL (electroluminescence) display devices, for example. EL
A display device has a structure in which a thin film containing a fluorescent inorganic and organic compound is sandwiched between a cathode and an anode, and electrons and holes are injected into the thin film to recombine to generate excitons ( An element that emits light by utilizing the emission of light (fluorescence / phosphorescence) when the exciton is deactivated. Among the fluorescent materials used for such EL display devices, the materials exhibiting the respective red, green and blue emission colors, that is, the material for forming the light emitting layer and the material for forming the hole injecting / electron transporting layer are used as inks, and each of the present invention By patterning on an element substrate such as a TFT using the device manufacturing apparatus described in (1), a self-luminous full-color EL device can be manufactured. Such a EL device is included in the scope of the device in the present invention.

In this case, for example, a resin resist is used in the same manner as the black matrix of the color filter described above.
After forming the partition for partitioning each pixel, the discharged droplets are easily attached to the surface of the lower layer, and
In order to prevent the ejected droplets of the partition wall from being repelled and mixed with the droplets of the adjacent compartments, the substrate is subjected to surface treatment such as plasma, UV treatment, and coupling as a pre-process of ejecting the droplets. . Thereafter, it is manufactured through a first film forming step of supplying a material for forming a hole injecting / electron transporting layer as droplets to form a film, and a second film forming step of similarly forming a light emitting layer. . The EL device manufactured in this manner is used for segment display and still image display of simultaneous simultaneous emission of light, such as pictures,
It can be applied to the field of raw information such as characters and labels, or can be used as a light source having a dot / line / surface shape. Furthermore, by using a passive drive display element and an active element such as a TFT for driving, it is possible to obtain a full-color display device having high brightness and excellent responsiveness.

Further, if a metal material or an insulating material is provided to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, direct fine patterning of metal wiring, an insulating film or the like becomes possible, and it can be applied to the production of a new high-performance device.

In the above embodiment, for convenience, the "inkjet device" and the "inkjet head" are used.
Although the ejected substance to be ejected is described as “ink”, the ejected substance ejected from the inkjet head is not limited to so-called ink, and is adjusted to a liquid that can be ejected as a droplet from the head. As long as, for example,
It goes without saying that various materials such as the above-mentioned EL device material, metal material, insulating material, or semiconductor material are included.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ink jet head using the piezoelectric element has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an ink jet head in which bubbles are generated in the liquid by the heating element and droplets are ejected by this pressure is used. It is also possible to use.

Furthermore, not only these ink jet heads but also a dispenser can be used as a means for discharging a fixed amount of liquid droplets.

[0130]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to simplify the structure of the device and to contribute to the downsizing and cost reduction of the device. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effect that the liquid suction to the target head can be performed reliably and quickly. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the liquid accumulated in the suction space from scattering and to perform flushing in a stable state immediately after suction. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a device whose cost is suppressed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention and is a schematic plan view of a filter manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a support plate that supports an inkjet head.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of an ink system that constitutes a film forming apparatus.

5 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of a cap unit that constitutes the ink system.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a support plate that supports the cap.

FIG. 8 is a sectional front view of the cap.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of a cap.

FIG. 10 is an overall system diagram of an ink system.

FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of a sample acquisition device that constitutes a weight measurement unit.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view of a weight measuring device that constitutes the weight measuring unit.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged plan view of a mounting table that constitutes the weight measuring device.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of manufacturing a color filter using a substrate.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a substrate and a part of a color filter region on the substrate.

[Explanation of symbols]

2b, 2d, 2f film forming apparatus 14 Inkjet head (head) 14a Ink ejection surface 33 caps 37, 38 Drive device (moving device) 39 Suction device 40 cap body 41 Rubber member (sealing member) 41b Seat (clamping part) 42 Lid 45 Coil spring (biasing member) 46 Atmospheric pressure release valve (switching means) 48 Suction space (sealed space) 49 absorber 52 control unit 55 Absorbing member (weight measurement sample) 57 Sample acquisition device 58 Weighing device 84 Ink suction pump (suction drive source) 85 Ink suction valve (opening / closing means) 95 Thumbscrew (wing nut) 96 table 100 substrates

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A film forming apparatus having a plurality of heads for ejecting a liquid, comprising a suction device for collectively sucking the plurality of heads. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction device has a suction drive source connected to a suction passage arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of heads, A film forming apparatus comprising: an opening / closing means for opening / closing the suction passage for each head; and a control section for controlling opening / closing of the opening / closing means. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a detection device that detects a state in which the liquid is ejected from the head, and the control unit is configured to open / close the opening / closing means based on a detection result of the detection device. A film forming apparatus, which controls opening and closing of a film. 4. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a pressure of a suction space formed between the suction device and the head is between the suction pressure and the atmospheric pressure. A film forming apparatus comprising a switching means for switching. 5. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the suction device includes a cap that abuts against the head to suck, a position at which the cap abuts the head, and a position from the head. A film forming apparatus comprising: a retreating position that is separated from the head, and a moving device that moves between a retracted position and a droplet receiving position where a gap is formed between the head and the head to receive droplets ejected from the head. 6. A device manufacturing apparatus having a film forming apparatus that supplies liquid droplets ejected from a plurality of heads to a substrate and performs film forming processing on the substrate, wherein the film forming apparatus is a device manufacturing apparatus. Item 5. A device manufacturing apparatus, wherein the film forming apparatus according to any one of Items 5 is used. 7. A device manufactured by the device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6. 8. A method of sucking a liquid through a head of a film forming apparatus having a plurality of heads for discharging a liquid, the method including a suction step of collectively sucking the plurality of heads. And a liquid suction method for a film forming apparatus. 9. The liquid suction method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a suction passage is provided in each of the plurality of heads, and opening / closing of the suction passage is controlled for each head. Liquid suction method for film forming apparatus. 10. The liquid suction method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein opening / closing of the suction passage is controlled based on a result of detecting a discharge state of the liquid from the head. Liquid suction method of device. 11. The liquid suction method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the suction step sucks the liquid into a suction space formed between the head and the head, A method for sucking liquid in a film forming apparatus, comprising: a step of switching the pressure of the suction space to an atmospheric pressure in a state where the suction to the head is released; and a step of re-sucking the suction space under the atmospheric pressure. . 12. The liquid suction method for a film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cap that abuts against the head and sucks is formed with a gap between the cap and the cap. And a step of receiving the liquid ejected from the head according to the above method. 13. A method of manufacturing a device by using a film forming apparatus having a plurality of heads for ejecting liquid drops, wherein the suction method according to claim 8 is used to interpose the heads. A method for manufacturing a device, comprising the step of sucking a liquid by using a device.