JP2009112991A - System for forming dot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system capable of forming a fine dot at a target. <P>SOLUTION: The system has a head 10 for ejecting droplets from a nozzle N to the target 150, and a device 20 for making a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle N of the head 10 not arrive at a target 150. The droplets ejected from the nozzle N of the head 10 sometimes contains a plurality of small droplets on a flying path P from the nozzle N to the target 150. In this case, it is preferable that the means 20 for making not arrive is a means for making at least one of a plurality of the small droplets not arrive at the target 150. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for forming dots on a target by droplets ejected from a head.

There is known a method of forming (recording) an image on a recording medium by discharging droplets from nozzles of an ink jet head and forming dots on the recording medium such as paper. Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet recording method for recording an image by ejecting an ink jet recording ink containing at least a colorant and resin fine particles onto an ink jet recording medium. In this ink jet recording method, in order to reproduce the texture of a silver salt photograph, the ink droplet amount per discharge operation of the ink jet recording ink is set to 0.5 to 4.0 pl (picoliter), and the above The viscosity of the ink jet recording ink is 1.0 <ηa / ηb ≦ 1.8 (ηa represents the viscosity (mPa · s) at 25 ° C. when concentrated by 25% by mass, and ηb represents the initial viscosity of the ink at 25 ° C. ( mPa · s)) is satisfied.
JP 2005-88485 A

  The so-called ink jet technology is a technology capable of landing a substantially accurate amount of droplets at a substantially accurate position in a non-contact manner. Moreover, the droplets ejected from the nozzles of the head are not necessarily limited to ink. For this reason, the ink-jet technology has attracted attention not only in the field of printers that form images on recording media such as paper, but also in other fields.

  In other fields, for example, fields where it is necessary to form wiring on a substrate or the like, in recent years, inkjet technology has been used to make small dots as stable as possible on a desired target such as a substrate. There is a demand to form a shape. That is, if even smaller dots can be formed on the target, there is a possibility that finer wiring than before can be formed on the target due to the continuation of small dots.

  However, there is a limit to reducing the droplet discharge amount (droplet amount per discharge operation) in one shot of the inkjet head. That is, there is a limit to reducing the minimum diameter of the dod formed by the droplets ejected using the inkjet head. For example, when a piezo-type ink jet head is used, the minimum discharge amount of liquid at a practical level is about 1 pl (picoliter) at present, and in this case, the droplet diameter per droplet in air is 10 It is several μm. When this droplet lands on the liquid repellent surface, it spreads about 2 to 3 times, so the actually formed dot diameter is 30 to 50 μm.

  This dot diameter is a size that can be applied to some applications, such as image formation by a printer, but it can be widely used in other fields such as electronic devices and semiconductors if smaller dots can be formed on the target. can do. Of course, even in the field of printers and the like, if even smaller dots can be formed on a desired target such as a recording medium, a higher quality (high quality) image can be formed. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that can form fine dots with a target in various fields.

  One aspect of the present invention is a head that discharges (discharges) droplets from a nozzle to a target, and a unit that causes a part of the droplets discharged (discharged) from the nozzle of the head to remain unattached to the target. It is the system which has.

  According to this system, a part of the liquid droplets ejected from the nozzles of the head is made unattached to the target by the means for making it non-attached, so that the remaining liquid droplets land on the target. Therefore, according to this system, the amount of liquid that lands on the target can be smaller than the amount of liquid droplets ejected in one shot of the head (the amount of liquid droplets per one ejection operation), and the target is larger than the amount of ink ejected from the head The amount of liquid to land can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to form finer dots on the target than the dots formed by the droplets discharged from the head.

  A typical technique for ejecting droplets from a nozzle of a head to a target is an inkjet technique. One of the merits of this inkjet technology is high reproducibility. That is, by controlling the physical property value of the liquid to be used and the driving conditions on the head side, variation in droplets ejected (released) from one nozzle into the air can be reduced, and a stable result can be obtained. Therefore, according to this system, an inkjet head is used as the head, and a part of the liquid droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head is made unattached to the target under the same conditions by means for making it non-attached. As a result, fine dots can be formed on the target with high reproducibility.

  A typical means for unattaching is to make some of the plurality of small droplets unattached. Depending on the type of the head, the driving conditions of the head, or the physical properties of the liquid to be used, a droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head may include a plurality of small droplets in the flight path from the nozzle to the target. In this case, it is preferable that the means for unattaching causes at least one of the plurality of small droplets that are part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle to be unattached to the target. As described above, the merit of inkjet technology is high reproducibility. Therefore, the reproducibility of the situation (state) in which the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head include a plurality of small droplets in the flight path from the nozzle to the target is very high. It is easier to cause at least one of the small droplets not to adhere to the target than to make a part of one (a lump) droplet not adhere to the target. Reproducibility is often high. Therefore, finer dots can be formed on the target relatively easily and with high reproducibility.

  In this system, the means for non-attachment includes means for removing a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head from the flight path from the nozzle to the target so as to make it non-attached to the target. Is preferred. The means for non-attachment includes means for moving the target so as to retreat from the flight path and causing a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzles of the head to remain unattached to the target. However, the target generally has a larger area and larger mass than the droplet. Therefore, the means for removing a part of the droplets discharged from the nozzle of the head from the flight path is easier to adjust the timing for moving the target (than the means for moving the target). This mechanism can also be simplified.

  A typical means for removing a part of the liquid droplets ejected from the head nozzle from the flight path is a means for evaporating (disappearing) a part of the liquid droplets ejected from the head nozzle in the middle of the flight path. Means for capturing a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head in the course of the flight path, and means for changing the direction so that a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head is removed from the flight path.

  The system may further include means for controlling the timing at which the droplets are ejected from the head nozzle and the timing at which the removing means removes a part of the droplets ejected from the head nozzle in synchronization. preferable. It is also possible to activate a means for detecting the ejection of droplets from the nozzles of the head by a sensor, image processing, or the like and removing them. By adopting means for controlling the ejection timing and the removal timing in synchronization, the function of monitoring droplets may be omitted for that purpose, and the reproducibility of fine dots is likely to be improved.

  One form of the removing means includes an irradiation unit that irradiates a laser for evaporating a part of droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head. A part of the liquid droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head can be evaporated (disappeared) in the course of the flight path from the nozzle to the target by the laser irradiated from the irradiation unit. it can. In this case, it is preferable that the irradiation unit irradiates the laser from a direction intersecting with the discharge direction of the droplet from the head nozzle, and evaporates a part of the droplet discharged from the head nozzle. In this case, the system preferably further includes means for absorbing the vapor of the evaporated droplet. It is possible to suppress the influence such as once evaporated droplets adhere to the target or the like.

  When the means for removing includes an irradiation unit, the means for controlling includes a first control unit that performs control including ejection timing of droplets from the nozzles of the head, and a control that includes timing of laser irradiation from the irradiation unit. It is preferable to include a second control unit that performs the following. The system can be controlled to synchronize the discharge timing of the droplets from the nozzle of the head and the irradiation timing of the laser from the irradiation unit and remove a certain part of the droplets. The ejection timing may be synchronized with the irradiation timing. However, since the laser is faster than the droplet and the ejection control is often easier, the irradiation timing can be synchronized with the ejection timing. Further preferred.

  One of the other forms of the removing means includes a disk including a plurality of slits radially provided in a predetermined pattern and a motor for driving the disk to rotate. A part of droplets discharged from the nozzle of the head is moved from the nozzle to the target by a disk (more specifically, a portion between adjacent slits, a portion where no slit is provided, a portion where droplets can be captured). It can be captured in the middle of the flight path (it is trapped so as to be captured), and the remaining droplets that have passed through the slit can be landed on the target. In this case, since the liquid captured on the disk (peripheral part of the disk) accumulates, the disk is further provided at the center or in the vicinity thereof with a plurality of concave receiving portions respectively provided between the plurality of slits. It is preferable to include a concave waste liquid collecting portion and a plurality of groove-shaped (concave) waste liquid flow paths extending radially from the plurality of receiving portions toward the waste liquid collecting portion, respectively. Part of the liquid droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head is captured by a receiving part provided between the slits, and the liquid captured by the receiving part is passed through the waste liquid flow path to the waste liquid collecting part (the center of the disk or In the vicinity).

  When the means for removing includes a disk and a motor, the means for controlling includes a first control unit for performing control including ejection timing of droplets from the nozzles of the head, and a sensor for detecting passage of a plurality of slits on the disk. And a third control unit that encodes and outputs the timing at which the disk removes (captures) some of the droplets. The timing of ejecting droplets from the head nozzle, the timing at which the disk removes (captures) some of the droplets, that is, the ejection timing and the passage timing of the portion between the slits (portion where droplets can be captured) The system can be controlled to synchronize and capture a certain portion of the droplet. In this case, with respect to the discharge timing, the passage timing of the portion where the droplet can be captured (the timing at which the disc can remove a part of the droplet) or the passage timing of the slit (the disc can pass the remaining droplet) (Timing) may be synchronized. However, since the disk is slower than the droplet and the moment of inertia is larger, basically, the passage timing of the portion where the droplet can be captured (timing at which the disc can remove a part of the droplet) or the passage timing of the slit It is preferable to synchronize the ejection timing with respect to (the timing at which the disc can pass the remaining droplets).

  One of the other forms of the removing means is a trap head arranged in a direction crossing the head, and the liquid discharged from the nozzle of the trap head is discharged from the nozzle of the head. A trap head for colliding with a part of the droplet, a droplet discharged from the nozzle of the trap head, and a droplet recovery member (gutter member) for recovering a part of the droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head ). A droplet ejected from the nozzle of the trap head collides with a part of the droplet ejected from the nozzle of the head, thereby causing a part of the droplet ejected from the nozzle of the head to fly from the nozzle to the target. It can be turned away from the path and captured at the droplet collection member.

  When the removing means includes the trap head and the droplet recovery member, the control means includes a first control unit that performs control including the discharge timing of the droplet from the nozzle of the head, and the trap head. It is preferable to include a fourth control unit that performs control including the discharge timing of droplets from the nozzle. The ejection timing of the head droplets and the ejection timing of the trap head droplets are synchronized, and a certain part of the droplets ejected from the head is removed (so as to deviate from the flight path). ) Can control the system. In this case, the droplet ejection timing of the head may be synchronized with the droplet ejection timing of the trap head, and the droplet ejection timing of the trap head with respect to the droplet ejection timing of the head. May be synchronized.

  It is also effective to observe the flying state of the liquid droplets ejected from the head nozzles in order to make some of the liquid droplets ejected from the head nozzles unattached to the target. Therefore, this system preferably further includes means for observing the flying state of the droplets ejected from the nozzles of the head. By providing a means for observing the flying state of the droplet, it is possible to form fine dots having a stable shape.

  The system also includes a first electrode provided at the tip of the nozzle of the head, the first electrode for charging a droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head to a first potential, a target head, Is a second electrode provided on the opposite side, and preferably has a second electrode charged to a second potential. The droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head is charged to the first potential and drawn toward the second electrode charged to the second potential, so that the droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head jumps. Deceleration in the path (in the air) can be suppressed or re-accelerated, and the straightness of droplet flight can be improved. For this reason, the remaining droplets can be landed at more accurate positions. In particular, when the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head include a plurality of small droplets in the flight path, it is less affected by the air flow in the flight path by improving the straightness in the flight path, Stable fine dots can be formed.

  In addition, this system may further include a cylindrical member that is provided at the tip of the nozzle of the head and allows a droplet that is flying to pass from the nozzle of the head toward the target. The droplets in flight are guarded by the cylindrical member and are not easily affected by the air flow in the flight path. Therefore, fine dots having a stable shape can be formed.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a step of causing a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head to be unattached to the target by means of causing the remaining droplets to land and landing the remaining droplets on the target (landing) ). According to this dot forming method, it is possible to form finer dots on the target than in the prior art.

One form of the landing (landing step) includes the following steps.
(A1) Evaporating a part of the droplets discharged from the nozzle of the head and landing the remaining droplets on the target.

Other forms of landing (landing step) include the following steps.
(A2) Capturing a part of the droplets ejected from the head nozzle and landing the remaining droplets on the target.

Still another form of landing (landing step) includes the following steps.
(A3) The direction of a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head is changed so as to deviate from the flight path from the nozzle to the target, and the remaining droplets are landed on the target.

Further, when the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head include a plurality of small droplets in the flight path from the nozzle to the target, the landing (the step of landing) preferably includes the following steps. .
(B) At least one of the plurality of small droplets is not deposited on the target, and the remaining small droplets are landed on the target.

  FIGS. 1A to 1G schematically show an example of a change with time of a droplet D ejected from a nozzle N of a piezo-type inkjet head 10. Ink jet technology adjusts the physical property value of the liquid L and the driving conditions of the ink jet head 10 and optimizes (optimizes) so as to obtain a desired discharge condition (discharge state). The variation in the state of the liquid L discharged (released) can be made within approximately ± 1%. As described above, the ink jet technique has very high reproducibility, and the droplets D can be formed so that there is almost no variation.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, when the liquid L is ejected (released) from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 into the air, generally, as shown in FIGS. Instead of two round particles, the columnar liquid is called a liquid column LC having a certain length. That is, the liquid column LC is formed in front of the nozzle surface F (discharge direction). Furthermore, depending on the type of the inkjet head 10, the driving conditions of the inkjet head 10, or the physical properties of the liquid L to be used, the droplet D that has become the liquid column LC on the nozzle surface F is a process of flying in the air, that is, In the flight path P from the nozzle N to the target 150, as shown in FIGS. 1D to 1G, the leading relatively small droplet is caused by the surface tension and air resistance of the liquid L (droplet D). Ds (described as a small droplet M in FIG. 1G) and at least one small droplet Ds after this leading small droplet Ds (as small droplets S1 to S4 in FIG. 1G) The target 150 is reached while being separated. Hereinafter, the small droplet Ds formed at the head is referred to as a main droplet M, and the small droplets Ds generated after the main droplet M are referred to as satellite droplets S (S1 to S4).

  In the stable ejection state of the ink jet technology, the satellite droplet S is relatively easily generated. In the conventional ink jet technology, a condition that the satellite droplet S is not generated is searched for, or a condition that the satellite droplet S catches up with the main droplet M and is united with the target droplet S is searched for. The formation of the satellite droplets S varies depending on the physical properties of the liquid L and the driving conditions of the inkjet head 10. In the inkjet technology, not only the main droplet M but also the satellite droplet S is formed, the physical properties of the liquid L and the driving conditions of the inkjet head 10 are optimized so as to form the satellite droplet S in a predetermined state (optimum) It is known that the reproducibility of generating the droplet D including the generation of the satellite droplet S is very high.

  The dot forming systems 1a to 1c according to the following embodiments utilize the high reproducibility of the ink jet technology including the satellite droplets S, and by forming the satellite droplets S stably, fine dots Can be formed. Accordingly, in order to form more stable dots or fine wiring, in this example, the satellite droplets S that can be stably generated by the ink jet technology are actively used (generated) to make fine Dots are formed. It is effective in the present embodiment to miniaturize the satellite droplets S, rather than miniaturizing the droplets D themselves ejected from the nozzles N or examining the ejection conditions in which the satellite droplets S are not generated.

  That is, in the following system, desired (desired and intended) small droplets among the small droplets Ds (main droplet M and satellite droplet S) included in the droplet D generated from the nozzle N. By making Ds unattached (trapped) to the target 150, the small droplets Ds that land on the target 150 are narrowed down, and only the remaining small droplets Ds that are desired (desired and intended) are targeted. To land on. For this reason, it is possible to form dots that are substantially uniform and have a fine dot diameter.

There are various methods for generating the satellite droplets S more actively. For example, while observing the flying state of the droplets D, as shown below, the driving conditions and ejection of the inkjet head 10 are as follows. It is preferable to set conditions and the like. Further, in this example, the case where the droplet D is ejected from the head 10 so as to form four satellite droplets S (S1 to S4) is described as an example, but this is an example. It is also possible to change the number of satellite droplets S to be formed by setting various conditions as shown.
(1) Driving condition setting of inkjet head by head controller, driving voltage of head, driving waveform of head (2) Setting condition of formation of droplets ejected from inkjet head, flight speed of main droplet is 4 m / s or more The length WL of the liquid column with respect to the nozzle diameter d of the inkjet head satisfies the condition of WL> 3d.

  In the pattern formation using the ink jet technique, under the condition that the satellite droplet S is generated, after the main droplet M has landed on the target 150, the satellite droplet S having a slower flight speed than the main droplet M is formed on the target 150. To land on. For this reason, when dots are formed (drawn) while moving the inkjet head 10 and / or the target 150, a difference occurs between the landing position of the main droplet M and the landing position of the satellite droplet S. The difference in landing position increases as the moving speed (relative moving speed) of the inkjet head 10 and / or the target 150 increases. Therefore, particularly when the inkjet technology is to be applied to an industrial application, the deviation in the landing position may lead to a problem that the target performance cannot be achieved. In the systems 1a to 1c described below, it is possible to solve such a problem by narrowing the droplets that land.

  That is, according to the dot forming systems 1a to 1c according to the following embodiments, only the desired (desired and intended) small liquid droplets Ds can be landed on the target 150. For this reason, it is possible not only to form dots having a substantially uniform fine dot diameter, but also to suppress the deviation of the landing positions and to suppress the dot disturbance due to the difference of the landing positions. According to the dot formation systems 1a to 1c according to the following embodiments, it can be a means for solving a large problem when the inkjet technology is applied to industrial use.

  Below, the dot formation system of some embodiments concerning the system of the present invention is explained. These dot forming systems include an inkjet head 10 and a part of a droplet D ejected from the inkjet head 10, for example, a plurality of small droplets (a main droplet M and at least one satellite droplet S) Ds. And an apparatus 20 that causes at least one to be unattached to the target 150. Moreover, the dot formation method of this embodiment demonstrated below is realizable by using the dot formation system of embodiment described below, for example.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the dot forming system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 schematically shows a configuration mainly relating to ejection and trapping of the droplets of the dot forming system 1a of FIG. An example of the dot forming system 1a is a manufacturing apparatus or printer for forming a fine pattern or structure on a substrate or a recording medium (for example, paper or paper). An example of the substrate is a circuit substrate that forms a circuit with dots. Another example of the substrate is a MEMS substrate in which a fine structure is formed by dots. The substrate may be a semiconductor chip, a DNA chip, or the like. An example of a recording medium is paper that needs anti-counterfeiting, and by forming a fine pattern that is difficult to see, it is possible to discriminate imitations and suppress duplication Become.

  The dot forming system 1a includes an inkjet head 10 that ejects droplets D from a nozzle N to a target, for example, a substrate 150, and a part of droplets D that are ejected from the inkjet head 10, for example, a plurality of small droplets. And a device 20 that causes some of the droplets (main droplets M and / or satellite droplets S1 to S4) Ds to remain unattached to the substrate 150. For example, the inkjet head 10 is disposed so as to discharge the droplet D downward (downward in the vertical direction). In other words, the inkjet head 10 is arranged so that the nozzle surface F faces downward. In this example, for example, a piezo head is used as the inkjet head 10.

  In the apparatus 20 of this example, a part of the droplet D, for example, some of the plurality of small droplets (main droplet M and / or satellite droplets S1 to S4) Ds are not attached to the substrate 150. As described above, a removal device 30 that removes a part of the droplet D from the flight path P from the nozzle N to the target 150 is provided. Therefore, the removing device 30 is generally arranged at a position where the flight path P is desired, and droplets D (for example, main droplet M and satellite droplet S) passing through the flight path P from a position intersecting the flight path P are used. It can be accessed by the following method. Typically, the removal device 30 is preferably provided at a position away from the tip of the nozzle N by about 0.2 to 5.0 mm.

  The removal apparatus 30 of this example includes an irradiation unit (irradiation apparatus) 31 that irradiates a laser. The irradiation unit 31 irradiates a laser from a direction that intersects the ejection direction of the droplet D from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10, for example, a direction orthogonal (horizontal direction in this example), and the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. A part of the droplet D ejected from is evaporated. Although not shown, the irradiation unit 31 is a component for outputting laser light such as a semiconductor laser emission source or the like that generates laser light and a waveguide that guides the laser light in a predetermined direction and outputs it to the outside. including. Further, the irradiation unit 31 has an adjustment mechanism 32 for adjusting the position and irradiation direction of the irradiation unit 31, that is, the position in the height direction (Z direction), the horizontal direction (X direction), and the vertical direction (Y direction). have. Therefore, the irradiation unit 31 can adjust so that the laser is irradiated to the droplet D passing through a predetermined position in the path P among the droplets D passing through the flight path P.

  The dot forming system 1 a further includes an absorption device (vaporization liquid absorption device) 40 that absorbs the vapor of the droplet (part of the droplet D) evaporated by the irradiation unit 31. As the absorption device 40, for example, a device including a mechanism for sucking the evaporated (vaporized) liquid L with an intake fan or the like is preferable.

  The dot forming system 1 a further includes an observation device 60 that observes the flying state of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. The observation device 60 includes a strobe unit 61, a droplet observation unit 62 including a CCD and a zoom lens, and a monitor 63. By observing the flying state of the droplet D with the observation device 60, the conditions for positively generating the satellite droplet S can be set by changing the driving conditions and ejection conditions of the head 10. Further, it is possible to set a timing for evaporating and removing a part of the droplet D by irradiating a laser, and observing and confirming the state of evaporating and removing.

  The dot forming system 1a further includes a control device 50 that controls in synchronization the timing at which the droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 and the timing at which the removal device 30 removes a part of the droplet D. Have. The control device 50 includes a head control unit (head controller, first control unit) 51 that controls the operation of the inkjet head 10 and an irradiation unit control unit (laser control unit) that controls the operation of the irradiation unit 31 included in the removal device 30. , A second control unit) 52 and a strobe control unit (strobe controller) 58 for controlling the operation of the strobe unit 61 provided in the observation apparatus 60.

  The head control unit 51 generates a discharge timing of the droplet D from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 and drives a drive unit such as a piezo element (head drive signal) to discharge the droplet from the nozzle N. Control including the function of supplying Hs is performed. For this reason, the head control unit 51 includes a function (control unit) for setting the drive conditions of the inkjet head 10 including the voltage and pulse shape of the drive pulse Hs. The strobe control unit 58 performs control including the timing of strobe irradiation from the strobe unit 61. A head drive signal (or a head drive synchronization signal synchronized with the head drive signal) Hs supplied from the head controller 51 to the head 10 is transmitted from the head controller 51 to the input side 58 a of the strobe controller 58. The strobe controller 58 generates a strobe drive signal that is synchronized with the head drive signal Hs, and transmits the strobe drive signal to the strobe unit 61 from the output side 58b. Accordingly, the flash unit 61 emits light in synchronization with the head drive signal Hs, and the droplet D discharged from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 is photographed by the droplet observation unit 62, and the nozzle of the inkjet head 10 is displayed on the monitor 63. The flying state of the droplet D ejected from N is displayed.

  The irradiation unit control unit 52 performs control including the timing of laser irradiation from the irradiation unit 31. A head drive signal Hs is supplied to the irradiation unit controller 52 directly from the head controller 51 or via the inkjet head 10. The irradiation unit controller 52 outputs a laser drive signal in synchronization with the head drive signal Hs. Therefore, the irradiation unit control unit 52 has a function for determining the laser irradiation emission timing (laser emission timing control unit) and a function for setting the laser intensity (for example, irradiation time and emission intensity) (light emission time control unit). Contains. Since the transmission speed of the laser light is faster than the flying speed of the droplet D, in general, the laser light emission timing may be later than the ejection timing given by the head drive signal Hs, and the laser emission timing control unit A laser drive signal is generated with a delay. For this reason, laser light having a predetermined intensity (irradiation time and emission intensity) is emitted from the irradiation unit 31 based on (in synchronization with) the head drive signal Hs, and one droplet D from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 is emitted. The laser beam is irradiated to the part.

  The timing of laser irradiation can be controlled while observing the flying state of the droplet D on the monitor 63. Further, it is possible to confirm with the monitor 63 that a part of the droplet D is removed by laser irradiation. The desired small droplet (remaining small droplet) Ds can be landed on the substrate 150 without fail.

  In the dot forming system 1a of this example, the removal device 30 and the control device 50 output the laser from the irradiation unit 31 at a timing synchronized with the discharge timing of the droplet D from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10, and the inkjet head 10 A part of the droplets D ejected from the nozzle N, for example, at least one small droplet Ds is evaporated to remove by evaporation. Therefore, in the dot formation system 1a, every time the droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10, the removal device 30 causes the main droplet M and / or the plurality of satellite droplets S1 to S4 included in the droplet D to be generated. It is possible to evaporate and remove predetermined droplets, for example, the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3.

  For this reason, the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S <b> 1 to S <b> 3 are removed from the flight path P and are not attached to the substrate 150. Therefore, only the satellite liquid S4 is landed on the substrate 150, and a pattern, a circuit, or the like is formed on the substrate 150 only by the satellite liquid S4. Therefore, in a job for forming a pattern, a circuit, or the like on the substrate 150, this is equivalent to discharging only the satellite liquid S4 from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. For this reason, a system 1a capable of printing, processing, and the like with a droplet having a fraction of the amount of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N using the head 10 that ejects the droplet D from the nozzle N is provided. it can.

  Further, the system 1a includes an absorption device (vaporization liquid absorption device) 40 that absorbs the vapor of the droplets (main droplet M and satellite droplets S1 to S3 in this example) evaporated by the removing device 30. . If the droplets can be completely evaporated by the laser, it is considered that the influence on the substrate 150 is small unless the gas condenses. However, since some of the droplets have evaporated, the droplets may become mist, and it may be difficult to completely evaporate all of the droplets to be removed. In this system 1a, an absorber 40 can be prepared and absorbed and removed, including mist droplets. Therefore, some of the droplets D (in this example, the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3) discharged from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 are reliably transmitted from the flight path P from the nozzle N to the substrate 150. Can be removed (erased), and the influence on the substrate 150 can be suppressed. Therefore, only the remaining satellite droplets S4 are landed on the substrate 150, and fine dots can be formed more reliably.

  The removal device 30 may be any device that removes a part of the droplet D and leaves it to the target 150. In other words, the removing device 30 may irradiate the main droplet M with a laser so that the main droplet M is not attached to the target 150. Further, when a plurality (n) of satellite drops S are formed, the removing device 30 irradiates the 1 to n satellite drops S with a laser so as not to arrive at the target 150, The main droplet M and at least one satellite droplet S may be irradiated with a laser so as not to be attached to the target 150.

  Further, the removing device 30 using this laser can remove (evaporate) a part or all of the droplets Ds as well as the liquid column LC. Therefore, the removal device 30 using this laser does not necessarily have to wait for the droplet D to separate before irradiating the laser, and is also effective when removing part or all of the liquid column LC. is there.

  Which portion (small droplet Ds and / or liquid column LC) of the droplet D is not attached can be arbitrarily set by a program of the control device 50, for example. In addition, for example, by changing the timing of laser irradiation, it is also possible to dynamically change the small liquid droplets Ds and / or the liquid column LC to be removed by laser irradiation. For this reason, a certain droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N of the head 10 under stable conditions, and the line width generated on the substrate 150 is changed by changing the small droplet Ds and / or the liquid column LC to be removed. The size of the structure formed on the substrate 150 can be controlled dynamically.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the dod forming method. In the dod forming method using the dot forming system 1 a, first, in step 201, the droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. Based on (synchronized with) the head drive signal Hs, when the laser irradiation timing is reached, in step 202, the laser is irradiated from the irradiation unit 31 toward the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3 of the droplet D. The main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3 of the droplet D are removed from the flight path P. Therefore, in step 203, the remaining droplets, satellite droplets S4 in the above example, land on the substrate 150. By doing so, dots corresponding to satellite droplets S4 smaller than the droplets D ejected from the nozzles N can be formed on the substrate 150.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the control method of the dot forming system 1a. In the control device 50, first, in step 211, it is determined that the droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. When the ejection timing is known, the timing for irradiating the laser from the irradiation unit 31 is determined in step 212 based on the timing. In step 212, when it is time to irradiate the laser toward the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3, in step 213, the laser is irradiated, thereby removing the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3.

  As described above, according to the dot forming system 1a and the dot forming method of the present example, even when the size of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the head is the same as the conventional size, finer dots are formed on the substrate 150. Can be formed. Further, according to the dot forming system 1a and the dot forming method of the present example, a desired part of the droplet D (for example, a plurality of small droplets (main droplet M and / or satellite droplets S1 to S4) Ds) The desired at least one small droplet Ds) is selectively removed. For this reason, it is possible to form a dot whose size is accurately controlled while being a fine dot. Furthermore, according to the dot formation system 1a and the dot formation method of this example, the satellite droplet S is actively generated, and the desired one of the plurality of small droplets (main droplet M and / or satellite droplets S1 to S4) Ds is selected. Since at least one small droplet Ds can be removed, dot disturbance caused by a difference in landing positions of the main droplet and the satellite droplet can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the dot forming system 1a of this example, while observing the flying state of the droplet D on the monitor 63, the driving conditions of the inkjet head 10 are optimized, and the liquid L is in a desired state (for example, a desired state). It is possible to set conditions for stable ejection in a state where main droplets and satellite droplets can be formed). Furthermore, by using the head driving signal Hs, an unnecessary portion of the droplet D can be removed (trapped) relatively easily during the droplet flight (in the flight path P).

  FIG. 6 schematically shows a modification of the dot forming system 1a. A droplet D having a diameter (φ) of 2 μm or less is likely to float and mist in the air. Therefore, in the present embodiment and the dot forming system and the dot forming method described below, the size of the droplet D ejected from the inkjet head 10 is preferably about φ2 to 200 μm. Furthermore, when the size of the droplet D is close to the lower limit, it is easily affected by the environment (gravity, wind, etc.) of the flight path P. Further, the small droplet Ds from which a part of the droplet D is removed is more susceptible to the environment of the flight path P.

  For this reason, the dot forming system 1a shown in FIG. 6 further includes a battery 70 and a cylindrical first electrode (charged electrode (charged electrode)) provided in front of (below) the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. 71 and a second electrode (transfer electrode (acceleration electrode)) 72 provided on the opposite side of the substrate 150 from the inkjet head 10, that is, on the lower side. The height position of the first electrode 71 in the vertical direction can be, for example, between the tip of the nozzle N and the removal device 30. It is also possible to use the nozzle N as the first electrode. Note that the height position of the first electrode 71 in the vertical direction may be between the removing device 30 and the substrate 150.

  The first electrode 71 charges the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 to a first potential, in this example, a positive potential (positive potential). Typically, the first electrode 71 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery 70. The second electrode 72 is connected to the negative electrode of the battery 70 and charges the substrate 150 to a second potential, in this example, a negative potential (negative potential). If the substrate 150 is not conductive, the second electrode 72 may be spread on the back side of the substrate 150 so that the electric field is formed through the substrate 150. Note that the first electrode 71 may have a negative potential and the second electrode may have a positive potential.

  In the system 1a of this example, the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 is positively charged and is drawn in the direction of the negatively charged second electrode (force works). For this reason, even if it is the micro droplet Ds, the deceleration by the air resistance in the flight path P can be suppressed, and the fall of a flying droplet speed can be suppressed. Accordingly, the straightness of the droplet D can be improved, mist formation can be prevented, and a desired part of the droplet D (remaining target) can be placed at a more accurate position on the upper surface of the substrate 150. , A small droplet S4) in this example can be landed. Moreover, since it is difficult to be influenced by the air flow in the flight path P, fine dots having a stable shape can be formed.

  In this example or the dot forming systems 1a to 1c described below, the size of the flying droplet D (flying small droplet Ds) is often small. For this reason, when the gap P between the nozzle N and the substrate 150 is large, there is a risk that the remaining droplets (small droplets) Ds may float before landing on the substrate 150 due to the air resistance. There is. Therefore, it is an object to apply the configuration in which the flying droplet D (flying small droplet Ds) is charged and the deceleration is suppressed or reaccelerated in the flying path P (in the air) to the dot forming systems 1a to 1c. This is effective as a method for reliably landing the remaining droplets on the substrate 150.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows a part of a dot forming system 1b according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 schematically shows an example of a disc applicable to the dot forming system 1b of FIG. FIG. 9 shows an enlarged part of the disk of FIG.

  The dot forming system 1b of this example includes a removing device 80 using a disk instead of the removing device 30 using the laser beam of the first embodiment. The removing device 80 includes a disk (disk) 81 including a plurality of slits 84 provided in a predetermined pattern radially around the turning center, and a motor 82 for rotating the disk 81 around the turning center. I have. As the motor 82, it is preferable to use a motor having high responsiveness such as a stepping motor or a servo motor and capable of controlling the rotation speed with high accuracy.

  The control device 50 provided in the dot forming system 1b of the present example includes a timing control unit (a sensor (encoder) 83) that detects the passage of the plurality of slits 84 of the disk 81 instead of the irradiation unit control unit (laser control unit) 52. (Third control unit) 53 is provided. The head control unit 51 determines the ejection timing in synchronization with the signal from the encoder 83 or the signal from the timing control unit 53 and outputs the head drive signal Hs. Then, it is possible to remove a part of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 by the disk 81. The control device 50 further includes a motor control unit 59 that controls the rotation of the motor 82. The motor control unit 59 performs timing control in order to finely adjust the timing at which the head drive signal Hs is output based on the signal from the encoder 83, or to adjust the rotation speed in accordance with the small droplet Ds to be removed by the disk 81. The signal may be exchanged between the unit 53 and / or the head control unit 51.

  In the system 1b of this example, the encode output from the timing control unit 53 reveals the timing at which the slit 84 of the disk 81 passes under the nozzle N and crosses the flight path P. It may be said that the timing at which a portion (a portion where no slit 84 is provided, a portion capable of capturing a droplet) 85 between the adjacent slits 84 of the disk 81 passes through the flight path P is known. Accordingly, by synchronizing the passage of the slit 84 or the trappable portion 85 and the discharge timing of the droplet D from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10, a plurality of small droplets (main droplets) are generated in the droplet trappable portion 85. M and / or satellite droplets S1 to S4) Ds are captured, and the remaining small droplets Ds pass through the slit 84 and land on the substrate 150.

  For example, similarly to the above description, the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3 can be captured in the droplet captureable portion 85, and the small droplets Ds can be controlled to be unattached to the substrate 150. Only the satellite droplet S4 passes through the slit 84 and lands on the substrate 150. Therefore, in the system 1b of this example, the signal from the sensor 83 is used as a discharge start trigger signal for the inkjet head 10. The ejection timing of the inkjet head 10 is controlled relatively easily by controlling the trigger signal output from the disk 81 whose rotation is controlled by the motor control unit 59 (for example, delay control), so that the trap timing (desired small droplets) Ds capture timing) can be optimized. Therefore, similarly to the system 1 a, it is possible to form a dot having a liquid amount of a fraction of the droplet D on the substrate 150 using the head 10 that discharges the droplet D. A part of the droplet D (small droplet Ds) captured by the disk 81 is not limited to the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3, and can be arbitrarily determined.

  FIG. 10 schematically shows another example of a disk applicable to the dot forming system 1b of FIG. FIG. 11 shows an enlarged part of the disk of FIG. The dot forming system 1b can use a disk 86 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 in place of the disk 81. FIG.

  The disk 86 includes a plurality of slits 84 provided radially in a predetermined pattern, a plurality of concave receiving portions 87 provided between the plurality of slits (parts capable of capturing droplets) 85, and the center of the disk 86. Alternatively, a concave waste liquid collecting portion 88 provided in the vicinity thereof and a plurality of groove-shaped waste liquid flow paths 89 extending radially from the plurality of receiving portions 87 toward the waste liquid collecting portion 88 are included. By doing so, a part of the droplet D discharged from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 is captured by the receiving part 87, and the liquid L captured by the receiving part 87 is passed through the waste liquid channel 89. It can be collected in a waste liquid collecting part (center of the disk or its vicinity) 88. In addition, the waste liquid flow path 89 may be inclined toward the waste liquid collecting part 88 so that the liquid L captured by the receiving part 87 can be easily collected. In addition, in order to recover the waste liquid satisfactorily, the waste liquid collecting unit 88 and the waste liquid tank 91 may be connected by a tube 93 or the like, and a pump 92 may be provided therebetween. Waste liquid can be collected in the tank 91 by the suction force generated by the pump 92.

  FIG. 12 schematically shows still another example of a disk applicable to the dot forming system 1b of FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG.

  As with the disk 86, the disk 95 has a plurality of slits 84 provided radially in a predetermined pattern and a plurality of concave receiving portions provided between the adjacent slits 84 (parts capable of capturing droplets) 85. 87, a concave waste liquid collecting portion 88 (not shown in FIG. 12) provided at the center of the disk 95 or in the vicinity thereof, and a groove-like shape extending radially from the plurality of receiving portions 87 toward the waste liquid collecting portion 88, respectively. A plurality of waste liquid flow paths 89 are included.

  In addition to this, in this disk 95, a water repellent treatment is performed between the slit 84 and the receiving portion 87 (a part of the droplet capturing portion 85). For example, a water repellent film (water repellent part) 96 is provided between the slit 84 and the receiving part 87. Further, a taper (tapered portion, tapered surface) 97 that is inclined to the bottom side is formed on the plurality of receiving portions 87 on the water repellent treatment film (water repellent treatment portion) 96 side. The plurality of receiving portions 87 are subjected to hydrophilic treatment. For example, the plurality of receiving portions 87 are provided with a hydrophilic treatment film (hydrophilic treatment portion) 98. By doing in this way, even if a part of the droplet D is captured between the slit 84 and the receiving part 87, it is easy to collect a part (waste liquid) of the captured droplet D in the receiving part 87. it can.

  FIG. 14 schematically shows still another example of a disc applicable to the dot forming system 1b of FIG. The disk 110 includes a plurality of slits 84 that are radially provided in a predetermined pattern, a plurality of concave receiving portions 87 that are provided between adjacent slits 84 (parts capable of capturing droplets), and the disk 110. A waste liquid collecting section (waste liquid collecting space) 88 provided at or near the center thereof, and a plurality of tunnel-shaped waste liquid flow paths 89 extending radially from the plurality of receiving sections 87 toward the waste liquid collecting section 88, respectively. Contains. Further, the waste liquid collecting unit 88 and the waste liquid tank 91 are connected by a tube 93 or the like, and a pump 92 is provided therebetween. The plurality of receiving portions 87 are respectively connected to a plurality of tunnel-like waste liquid passages (waste liquid suction paths) 89 through openings (suction ports, ink suction ports, waste liquid suction ports) 89a.

  Further, depending on the rotational speed of the disk 110, the waste liquid may collect on the peripheral portion (periphery) of the disk 110 due to centrifugal force. For this reason, the disk 110 has a circumferential waste liquid collecting groove 111 that is continuous with the plurality of receiving portions 87 on the circumferential portion (periphery). The waste liquid collecting section 88 and the waste liquid tank 91 are connected by a tube 93 or the like, and a pump 92 is provided between them. It can be collected (sucked) into the tank 91 via the space 89 and the waste liquid collecting space 88.

  The other configuration is the same as that of the system 1b of the second embodiment described above, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a control method of the dot forming system 1b. First, in step 221, the controller 50 rotates the disk 81 (disk 86) at a predetermined speed. When the encoder 83 detects the passage of the slit 81 of the disk 81 and the droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N in step 222, the desired small droplet Ds is caught (trap) by the disk 81 crossing the flight path P. When the desired small droplet Ds passes through the disk 81, the droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 in step 223. By controlling the ejection timing of the inkjet head 10 and the rotational speed of the disk 81 by the motor control unit 59, it is possible to optimize the trap timing (desired capture timing of the small droplet Ds) relatively easily. it can. The rotational speed control of the disk 81 can be realized relatively easily by performing phase control while observing the flight of the droplet D.

  As described above, according to the dot forming system 1b and the dot forming method of the present example, a part of the droplet D can be captured from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 in the middle of the flight path P. Therefore, also in the dot forming system 1b and the dot forming method of this example, finer dots can be formed on the substrate 150 using the head 10 that discharges droplets of the same size as the conventional one. By changing the rotational speed of the disk 81 or changing the timing of ejecting droplets from the nozzles N, the dot forming system 1b of this example also uses dots formed by the droplets D ejected from the nozzles N. Small dots can be formed with good reproducibility. Furthermore, also in the dot formation system 1b of this example, it is possible to suppress dot disturbance caused by the difference in landing position between the main droplet M and the satellite droplet S.

  FIG. 16 schematically shows a modification of the dot forming system 1b. The dot forming system 1 b is further provided at the tip (lower side) of the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10, and a cylindrical member (liquid droplet) that allows the droplet D (or small droplet Ds) flying toward the substrate 150 to pass therethrough. A droplet passage protecting member, a droplet passage slit member) 90. The vertical position of the cylindrical member 90 is preferably between the tip of the nozzle N and the disk 81. Further, in order to make it possible to observe the flying state of the droplets D ejected from the nozzles N of the inkjet head 10, it is more preferable that the cylindrical member 90 is formed of a transparent member.

  In the dot forming system 1b, an air flow may be generated in the flight path P due to the rotation of the disk 81 (slit 84). Even in such a case, since the droplet D (or small droplet Ds) in flight is guarded by the cylindrical member 90, it is less likely to be affected by the air flow in the flight path P. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the flying turbulence of the droplet D (or small droplet Ds) from being generated by the airflow generated when the disk 81 (slit 84) rotates, so that fine dots having a more stable shape are formed. can do.

  The cylindrical member 90 can also be applied to the dot forming system 1a according to the first embodiment and the dot forming system 1c described below. Furthermore, the cylindrical member 90 can be applied (applied) as the first electrode 71 (charging electrode) described in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 17 schematically shows a part of a dot forming system 1c according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The dot forming system 1c of this example includes a removing device 100 including a trap inkjet head 101 instead of the removing device 30 of the first embodiment using laser light. The trap head 101 is basically the same shape as the ink jet head 10, and an ink jet head in which the droplet Dt discharged from the nozzle Nt of the trap ink jet head 101 passes through the flight path P. The nozzles N are arranged so that they can collide with a part of the droplets D discharged from the ten nozzles N. In this example, the trap inkjet head 101 is arranged in a direction that intersects, for example, orthogonal to the inkjet head 10. The trap inkjet head 101 also has an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the trap inkjet head, that is, the height (Z direction), lateral (X direction), and vertical (Y direction) positions. 102.

  Further, the removing device 100 further includes a droplet recovery member for recovering the droplet Dt ejected from the nozzle Nt of the trap inkjet head 101 and a part of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. The droplet recovery member 103 including the (gutter member) 103 is disposed at a position facing the nozzle Nt of the trap inkjet head 101.

  Further, the control device 50 provided in the dot forming system 1c of this example is a trap head controller (trap head controller) that controls the operation of the trap inkjet head 101 instead of the irradiation unit controller (laser controller) 52. , A fourth control unit) 54. The trap head controller 54 determines (delays) the ejection timing of the trap inkjet head 101 using the head drive signal Hs (control unit), and sets the drive conditions of the trap inkjet head 101. (Control unit). The trap head controller 54 is electrically connected to the head controller 51 and receives a head drive signal Hs from the head 10.

  The dot forming system 1c can be controlled to remove the main droplet M and the satellite droplets S1 to S3, as in the above example. Although the above system is possible, the system 1c can be controlled by the control device 50 so as to collect, for example, the main droplet M as a part of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. . That is, the droplet Dt ejected from the nozzle Nt of the trap inkjet head 101 is ejected through the flight path P in a state where it is ejected from the main droplet M (the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 and then separated as the main droplet M). It is controlled by the control device 50 so as to collide with a small droplet Ds). A part of the droplet D to be removed (small droplet Ds) is not limited to the main droplet M, and can be arbitrarily determined.

  The control method of the dot formation system 1c of this example is basically the same as the control method of the dot formation system 1a of the first embodiment. That is, first, the droplet D is ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. Based on (synchronized with) the head drive signal Hs, when the ejection timing of the trap inkjet head 101 is reached, the droplet Dt is ejected from the nozzle Nt of the trap inkjet head 101, and a part of the droplet D (for example, Collide with main drop M). In this way, the droplet Dt ejected from the nozzle Nt of the trap inkjet head 101 and a part of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 (for example, the main droplet M) are in flight path. The direction is changed so as to deviate from P, and the droplet is recovered (captured) by the droplet recovery member 103 disposed at a position facing the nozzle Nt of the trap inkjet head 101. The remaining droplets Ds (satellite droplets S1 to S4) land on the substrate 150 to form dots. The other configuration is the same as that of the system 1a of the first embodiment described above, and a duplicate description is omitted.

  As described above, in the dot forming system 1c of this example, the droplet Dt ejected from the nozzle Nt of the trap inkjet head 101 collides with a part of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10. Thereby, the direction of a part of the droplet D ejected from the nozzle N of the inkjet head 10 can be changed so as to be out of the flight path P from the nozzle N to the substrate 150. Therefore, finer dots can be formed on the substrate 150 by using the head 10 that discharges the droplets D having the same size as the conventional one. Also in the dot formation system 1c of this example, by changing the small droplets that are removed from the flight path P by collision (trap), the dots are smaller than the dots formed by the droplets D and the size is controlled with high accuracy. The formed dots can be formed on the substrate 150. Furthermore, also in the dot formation system 1c of this example, it is possible to suppress dot disturbance caused by the difference in landing position between the main droplet M and the satellite droplet S.

  In the dot forming systems 1a to 1c according to the above-described embodiments, ink is used as the liquid L, and a fine pattern including images, characters, and the like is formed on the target recording medium (target) 150 with high quality (high image quality). Can record. These systems 1a to 1c are also suitable for forming (drawing) fine wiring on the target substrate (target) 150 using the liquid L having conductivity, and for forming fine dots. In addition, it is suitable as a manufacturing apparatus for products that are required to produce fine wiring such as IC tags at low cost. Therefore, the liquid L ejected from the nozzles N in these systems 1a to 1c is not limited to so-called ink (colored liquid). The liquid L to be used may be colored or colorless. Moreover, the liquid L to be used may be transparent or opaque. When fine wiring is formed on the target substrate (target) 150, for example, a material in which ITO fine particles are dispersed in a solvent (so-called ITO ink) can be used.

  The head for ejecting liquid droplets from the nozzle is not limited to a piezo type head, and may be a thermal type head or the like.

(A)-(g) is a figure which shows typically an example of the time-dependent change of the droplet discharged from the nozzle of the inkjet head. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a dot forming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. The figure which shows typically a part of dot formation system of FIG. The flowchart for demonstrating an example of a dod forming method. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a control method of the dot forming system of FIG. 2. FIG. The figure which shows the modification of the dot formation system of FIG. 2 typically. The figure which shows typically a part of dot formation system concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a disc applicable to the dot forming system of FIG. The figure which expands and shows a part of disk of FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a disc applicable to the dot forming system of FIG. The figure which expands and shows a part of disk of FIG. The figure which expands and shows a part of other example of the disk applicable to the dot formation system of FIG. Sectional drawing cut | disconnected and shown along the XIII-XIII line | wire in FIG. The figure which expands and shows a part of other example of the disk applicable to the dot formation system of FIG. The flowchart for demonstrating an example of the control method of the dot formation system of FIG. The figure which shows typically the modification of the dot formation system of FIG. The figure which shows typically a part of dot formation system concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1a-1c dot forming system, 10 heads (inkjet head)
20 Non-arrival device (means for non-arrival)
30 removing device (means for removing), 31 irradiation unit 40 absorbing device (means for absorbing vapor of evaporated droplets)
50 control device (means for controlling), 51 head control unit (first control unit)
52 Irradiation unit controller (second control unit)
53 Timing control unit (third control unit)
54 Trap Head Control Unit (Fourth Control Unit)
60 Observation device (observation means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 71 1st electrode, 72 2nd electrode 80 Removal apparatus (means to remove), 81, 86 Disk 82 Motor, 84 Slit, 87 Receiving part 88 Waste liquid concentration part, 89 Waste liquid flow path 100 Removal apparatus (means to remove) ,
101 Trap head (Inkjet head for trap)
103 droplet recovery member, 150 substrate (target)
D droplet, N head nozzle, P flight path

Claims (20)

A head for discharging droplets from a nozzle to a target;
Means for causing a part of droplets discharged from the nozzle of the head to be unattached to the target. In claim 1, the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head includes a plurality of small droplets in a flight path from the nozzle to the target,
The system for causing the non-attached means to make at least one of the plurality of small droplets non-attached to the target. 3. The flying from the nozzle to the target according to claim 1, wherein the non-attaching means causes the part of droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head to be unattached to the target. Including means for removal from the path,
The system further comprising means for controlling synchronously a timing at which a droplet is ejected from the nozzle of the head and a timing at which the removing means removes a part of the droplet ejected from the nozzle of the head.   4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the means for removing includes an irradiation unit that irradiates a laser for evaporating a part of droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head.   5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the irradiation unit irradiates a laser beam from a direction intersecting a discharge direction of a droplet from the nozzle of the head to evaporate a part of the droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head.   6. The system according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising means for absorbing vapors of the evaporated droplets. The control means according to any one of claims 4 to 6,
A first control unit for performing control including ejection timing of droplets from the nozzles of the head;
And a second control unit that performs control including timing of laser irradiation from the irradiation unit.   4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the removing means includes a disk including a plurality of slits radially provided in a predetermined pattern, and a motor for rotating the disk.   9. The disk according to claim 8, further comprising: a plurality of concave receiving portions provided between the plurality of slits; a concave waste liquid collecting portion provided at or near the center; and the plurality of receiving portions. And a plurality of groove-shaped waste liquid flow paths extending radially toward the waste liquid collecting part. In Claim 8 or 9, the means for controlling comprises
A first control unit for performing control including ejection timing of droplets from the nozzles of the head;
And a third control unit that detects the passage of the plurality of slits of the disk by a sensor and encodes and outputs the timing at which the disk removes some of the droplets ejected from the nozzles of the head. ,system. 4. The trapping head according to claim 3, wherein the removing means is a trap head arranged in a direction crossing the head, and the liquid ejected from the nozzle of the trap head is ejected from the nozzle of the head. A trap head for colliding with a portion of the drop;
A system comprising: a droplet recovery member for recovering a part of a droplet discharged from the nozzle of the trap head and a part of the droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head. The means for controlling according to claim 11, wherein:
A first control unit for performing control including ejection timing of droplets from the nozzles of the head;
And a fourth control unit that performs control including timing of discharging droplets from the nozzle of the trap head.   13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for observing a flying state of a droplet ejected from a nozzle of the head. 14. The first electrode according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode is provided at the tip of the nozzle of the head, and charges the droplet discharged from the nozzle of the head to a first potential. When,
The system further comprising: a second electrode provided on the opposite side of the target from the head, the second electrode being charged to a second potential.   15. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical member that is provided in front of the nozzle of the head and allows a droplet that is flying toward the target to pass therethrough.   A dot forming method comprising: causing a part of droplets ejected from a nozzle of a head to be unattached to a target by means of unattaching the droplets, and causing the remaining droplets to land on the target. In Claim 16, the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head includes a plurality of small droplets in the flight path from the nozzle to the target,
The landing method includes causing at least one of the plurality of small droplets not to land on the target and landing the remaining small droplets on the target.   18. The dot forming method according to claim 16, wherein the landing includes evaporating a part of droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head and landing the remaining droplets on a target.   18. The dot forming method according to claim 16, wherein the landing includes capturing a part of droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head and landing the remaining droplets on a target.   18. The landing in claim 16 or 17, wherein a part of the droplets ejected from the nozzle of the head is redirected so as to deviate from a flight path from the nozzle to the target, and the remaining droplets are A dot formation method including landing on a target.

Images