JP5958012B2 - Droplet discharge device and inspection method of droplet discharge device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a liquid droplet ejection head capable of ejecting fluid as liquid droplets has been provided, and various fluids (hereinafter referred to as ink) are used as recording media from the liquid droplet ejection head. 2. Related Art Droplet discharge devices that perform drawing by discharging toward a surface are widely used. As a typical droplet discharge device, for example, an ink jet type discharge head (recording head) is provided, and dots are formed by discharging and landing fluid-like ink from a nozzle of the discharge head toward a printing paper or the like. Thus, there is an image recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer that performs drawing (printing). Here, in order to perform desired drawing without missing or bent ink droplets ejected from the ejection head during printing, it is necessary to periodically inspect the drawing state. There are known a method of directly measuring using a method and the like, and a method of measuring ink droplets printed on an inspection recording medium.

JP 2003-80687 A

  However, in the printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, white paper or a resin film is used as a normal print recording medium, so that it is difficult to detect the result of printing white UV ink on a white recording medium with an image. There was a problem.

  Application Example 1 A liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to this application example includes an ejection head that ejects a liquid toward a recording medium, a head holding member that holds the ejection head, and the recording medium that is a drawing target. A drawing area for holding a drawing recording medium, and an inspection area for holding an inspection recording medium as the recording medium that discharges the liquid material in order to inspect a discharge state, and the head holding member and the head In a droplet discharge apparatus that performs desired drawing by applying droplets of the liquid material from the discharge head to the drawing recording medium while relatively changing the position of the drawing region, the inspection of the inspection region The reflectance of the surface on the side holding the recording medium for recording is higher than the reflectance of the liquid material.

  According to this application example, since the reflectance of the surface holding the recording medium in the inspection area of the droplet discharge device is higher than the reflectance of the liquid material, illumination irradiation from above is performed when both images are recognized. This makes it possible to increase the difference between the reflection and absorption of light at the liquid crystal, so that the liquid shape image can be easily recognized.

  Application Example 2 In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, the inspection area and the drawing area are separate tables arranged on the same movement axis.

  According to this application example, the inspection region and the drawing region of the droplet discharge device are separate tables arranged on the same movement axis, so that the material and surface state of each of them (surface roughness, gloss, reflection) And the like can be arbitrarily changed so as to be in a desired state.

  Application Example 3 In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example, the inspection recording medium is a substrate in which a receiving layer is laminated on a surface layer of a transparent base material.

  According to this application example, the transparent print medium for inspection of the droplet discharge device is a substrate in which a receiving layer is laminated on the surface of a transparent base material, so that a recording medium in an inspection area by illumination irradiation from above is used. Can be suppressed, and the difference in reflectance between the surface and the droplet can be increased.

  Application Example 4 In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus according to the application example described above, the surface of the inspection region is a ground surface, and the surface roughness is Ra 0.8 to 1.6.

  According to this application example, the surface of the inspection region of the droplet discharge device is a ground surface, and the surface roughness is Ra 0.8 to 1.6, thereby increasing the reflectance in illumination irradiation from above. be able to.

  Application Example 5 In the droplet discharge device according to the application example, the reflectance of the liquid material is an average reflectance of the liquid material on the recording medium.

  According to this application example, the reflectance of the liquid material of the droplet discharge device is the average reflectance of the liquid material on the recording medium, and the liquid material without the receiving layer is formed in a semicircular shape. It is possible to make it difficult for the reflectance to vary due to shape errors.

Explanatory drawing which shows typically schematic structure of one Embodiment of a marking system. The perspective view which shows schematic structure of the substrate board | substrate as a recording medium for drawing. The top view which shows schematic structure of the marking apparatus of a marking system. The perspective view which shows schematic structure of the marking part as a droplet discharge apparatus. Sectional drawing explaining schematic structure of the discharge head of a marking apparatus. Sectional drawing explaining the principal part structure of the discharge head of a marking apparatus. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of a marking apparatus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One Embodiment of the recording medium for a test | inspection is shown typically, (a) is a top view, (b) is the sectional view on the aa line of (a).

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode of a droplet discharge device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the droplet discharge device is applied to a marking device that marks a defective portion of a substrate substrate (substrate) for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the following description, various structures are illustrated using the drawings. However, in order to make the characteristic portions of the structure easy to see, the dimensions and scale of the structure are illustrated as appropriately different from the actual structure.

First, a schematic configuration of a marking system including a marking device as a droplet discharge device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a schematic configuration of the marking system of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, a marking system 500 generates input data including input data including a mark shape and mark coordinates for marking a defective portion of a substrate, generates image data from the input data, and generates recording data from the image data. And a marking device 3 as a droplet ejection device that performs marking by ejecting ink droplets from nozzles to corresponding defective portions of a substrate substrate (not shown) as a drawing recording medium based on the recording data. And.

  First, prior to the marking operation, the substrate substrate is inspected by an inspection device (device including continuity inspection, image inspection, and other functional inspections) (not shown), and the defective portion of the substrate substrate is monitored based on the inspection result. Output to the screen. Based on the output screen of the inspection result, the operator performs an input operation to the marking device 3 while visually confirming the substrate substrate. The input unit 1 inputs input data including mark shapes and mark coordinates for marking defective portions of individual IC chips on the substrate substrate.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the substrate substrate P. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate substrate P includes a plurality of IC chips 15 and is separated into a plurality of IC chips 15 by a dicing process performed later. In FIG. 2, various markings are given by the marking device 3.

  For example, a liquid crystal tablet or an image scanner is preferably used as the input unit 1. As will be described later, the liquid crystal tablet can directly input position data such as a mark shape and mark coordinates by pressing on a monitor screen, and can output an input image.

  When the input data is transmitted from the input unit 1 described above, the control unit 2 creates mark image data (bitmap file) from the input data, and generates recording data from the mark image data (bitmap file). For example, a personal computer (PC) is used as the control unit 2. An input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse, a CPU that outputs calculation processing and control commands by the computer, a ROM that stores a control program, a work area of the CPU, and temporary data storage A memory such as a RAM for performing storage, a display, and the like are provided.

  The control unit 2 generates recording data from the image data including the mark shape and the mark coordinates, and outputs the recording data to the marking device 3. Specifically, the mark shape and mark coordinates to be marked on the defective chip of the substrate substrate P are transmitted through the communication cable, and a bitmap file for marking at a specified position is created based on each data. The bitmap file is created based on application software.

  The control unit 2 converts the format of the bitmap file into a data structure for printing based on the driver software, and the recording data (nozzle data) is transmitted to the marking device 3 through a communication cable (USB code). The marking device 3 performs marking by ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles of the inkjet head to the corresponding defective chip among the IC chips 15 constituting the substrate substrate P based on the recording data (nozzle data) output from the control unit 2. To do. The marking device 3 can also record individual information (model number, date of manufacture, etc.) for each IC chip 15.

Next, the configuration of the marking device 3 will be described. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the marking device 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the marking device 3 is provided with respect to a carry-in portion (substrate carry-in portion) 4 for carrying a magazine in which the substrate substrate P is accommodated, and to individual IC chips on the substrate substrate P. A pretreatment unit 5 for performing the pretreatment, and a marking unit as a liquid droplet ejection device that ejects ink droplets from the ejection head (liquid droplet ejection head) 60 to the substrate substrate P that has been subjected to the pretreatment. (Droplet Discharge Unit) 6, post-processing unit 7 that performs predetermined post-processing on the substrate substrate P after marking, and the substrate substrate P between the pre-processing unit 5 and the post-processing unit 7 A substrate transfer arm 8 for transferring, and a carry-out unit (substrate carry-out unit) 9 for carrying out a magazine containing a substrate substrate P subjected to post-processing. Management unit 5, the marking portion 6, the post-processing unit 7, the substrate conveying arm 8, unloading unit 9 is in the state in which the outer peripheral portion is surrounded by the device main body 3a. That is, in this embodiment, the shape of the marking device 3 when viewed in plan is a rectangular shape. The apparatus main body 3a is provided with an entrance (not shown) that is accessible inside.

  The pre-processing unit 5 is arranged on the left side when the marking device 3 is viewed from the −Y direction to the + Y direction in the drawing (hereinafter referred to as the device main body 3a viewed from the front side). Further, a post-processing unit 7 is arranged on the right side when the marking device 3 is viewed from the front, and the pre-processing unit 5 and the post-processing unit 7 are arranged so as to face each other so as to sandwich the marking portion 6. ing.

  By arranging the long side direction of the pre-processing unit 5 and the post-processing unit 7 along the depth direction of the apparatus main body 3a in this way, it is possible to suppress the width dimension on the front side of the apparatus main body 3a. .

  The pre-processing unit 5 has a processing unit (not shown) that performs a roughening process (pre-processing) for enhancing the adhesion of marking performed on the substrate substrate P by an inkjet process described later. Examples of the processing unit include a hydrogen burner, an excimer laser, a plasma discharge unit, and a corona discharge unit. When a hydrogen burner is used, the surface can be roughened by partially reducing the oxidized surface of the substrate substrate P. When an excimer laser is used, the surface of the substrate substrate P is partially melted and solidified. In the case of using plasma discharge or corona discharge, the surface of the substrate substrate P can be roughened by mechanical grinding.

  The post-processing unit 70 is for performing a main curing process (post-processing) for main-curing the marking applied to the substrate substrate P with the ultraviolet curable ink by the marking unit 6 as described later. The post-processing unit 70, for example, irradiates ultraviolet rays onto a processing chamber (not shown), a transport unit that transports the substrate substrate P, and a substrate substrate P transported on the transport unit. A lamp unit is provided. An example of the transport unit is a belt conveyor. The lamp unit includes, for example, lamps such as a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, a carbon arc lamp, a chemical lamp, a low pressure mercury lamp, and a high pressure mercury lamp.

Next, the marking unit 6 as a droplet discharge device will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the marking unit 6 of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4, the marking unit 6 includes a carriage 69 as a head holding member that holds a head unit 65 having an ejection head 60 (droplet ejection head), and a head unit moving mechanism that reciprocates the carriage 69. 62, a printing table 6a for performing a marking process using the head unit 65 of the ejection head 60, an inspection table 6b for inspecting a printing state, and a substrate movement for reciprocating the printing table 6a and the inspection table 6b A camera unit 17 having a mechanism 130, a camera 17a that captures an image of a recording medium such as a substrate (substrate substrate P) on the print table 6a or the inspection table 6b, and a camera moving mechanism 17b that reciprocates the camera 17a. , Including.
The carriage 69 is provided with a head unit 65 and an irradiation device 95 as an ultraviolet irradiation means.

  In the marking unit 6, the liquid material is ejected as droplets from the ejection head 60 of the head unit 65 while changing the relative position in plan view of the carriage 69 that holds the head unit 65 and the substrate substrate P as a recording medium. By doing so, a desired pattern can be drawn on the substrate substrate P with a liquid material. In the figure, the Y direction indicates the moving direction (sub-scanning direction) of the head unit 65, and the X direction indicates a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the Y direction in plan view. A direction orthogonal to the XY plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction is defined as the Z direction.

  The substrate moving mechanism 130 includes a base 21, guide rails 23a and 23b, a printing table 6a, and an inspection table 6b. The substrate moving mechanism 130 conveys the substrate substrate P in the X direction. Thereby, the substrate moving mechanism 130 moves the substrate substrate P relative to the head unit 65. Instead of transporting the substrate substrate P by the substrate moving mechanism 130, the head unit 65 may be moved in the X direction with respect to the substrate substrate P.

The printing table 6a has a substrate placement surface 16a on which the substrate substrate P is placed.
The substrate mounting surface 16a is subjected to a special surface treatment so as to moderate discharge from the substrate substrate P charged during the transfer in the apparatus or due to the influence of handling, so that the substrate mounting surface 16a is mounted on the substrate substrate P. The IC chip is prevented from electrostatic breakdown.
On the other hand, the inspection table 6b has a substrate placement surface 16b on which an inspection recording medium is placed. The substrate mounting surface 16b is subjected to surface treatment so as to define a surface roughness and a surface treatment method so that the surface state has a higher reflectance than that of ink droplets of ink used for drawing. More specifically, it is preferable that the surface of the substrate mounting surface 16b of the inspection table 6b is a ground surface and the surface roughness is Ra 0.8 to 1.6. By doing so, the difference in reflectance between the ink droplets and the surface state of the inspection table is widened so that the ink droplets can be easily recognized, and the inspection accuracy by image processing or the like can be improved.
The print table 6a and the inspection table 6b are movable along the X direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the ejection head 60 by the head unit moving mechanism 62.

The head unit moving mechanism 62 includes a main body portion 64 provided so as to be spanned between the two support members 63, and a guide portion 66 that is installed in the width direction of the main body portion 64.
As shown in FIG. 4, the head unit moving mechanism 62 includes a main body portion 64 and a guide portion 66.
The main body 64 extends in the Y direction and straddles the substrate moving mechanism 130 in the X direction. The main body 64 faces the substrate moving mechanism 130 on the side opposite to the base 21 side of the printing table 6a (and the inspection table 6b). The main body 64 is supported by a pair of support members 63. The pair of support members 63 are provided at positions facing each other in the Y direction across the base 21.
Each of the support members 63 protrudes upward in the Z direction from the printing table 6a (and the inspection table 6b). Thereby, a gap is maintained between the main body portion 64 and the print table 6a (and the inspection table 6b).

The guide part 66 is provided on the base 21 side of the main body part 64. The guide part 66 extends along the Y direction, and is provided across the width of the main body part 64 in the Y direction.
The carriage 69 described above is supported by the guide portion 66. In a state where the carriage 69 is supported by the guide portion 66, the nozzle surface 147A of the ejection head 60 held by the head unit 65 supported by the carriage 69 faces the print table 6a (and the inspection table 6b) in the Z direction. ing. The carriage 69 is guided along the Y direction by the guide portion 66, and is supported by the guide portion 66 in a state where it can reciprocate in the Y direction. In a plan view, in a state where the ejection head 60 overlaps the print table 6a (or the inspection table 6b), the nozzle surface 147A and the substrate placement surface 16a (or the test table 6b) of the print table 6a (or the inspection table 6b). The substrate mounting surface 16b) is opposed to each other while maintaining a gap.

The carriage 69 is configured to reciprocate in the Y direction by a head unit moving mechanism 62 and a power source (not shown). As the head unit moving mechanism 62, for example, a mechanism in which a ball screw and a ball nut are combined, a linear guide mechanism, or the like can be employed. In the present embodiment, a carriage transport motor (not shown) is employed as a power source for moving the carriage 69 along the Y direction. As the carriage conveyance motor, various motors such as a stepping motor, a servo motor, and a linear motor can be employed.
Power from the carriage transport motor is transmitted to the carriage 69 via the head unit moving mechanism 62. Thus, the carriage 69 can reciprocate along the guide portion 66, that is, along the Y direction. That is, the head unit moving mechanism 62 can reciprocate the head unit 65 supported by the carriage 69 along the Y direction.
In the marking unit 6 having the above-described configuration, the ejection head 60 and the substrate substrate P (or inspection substrate P ′) with the ejection head 60 opposed to the substrate substrate P (or inspection substrate P ′). ) Are reciprocated relative to each other while ejecting ink droplets from the ejection head 60 for pattern recording (drawing) on the substrate substrate P or for inspection on the inspection substrate P ′. Test printing is performed.

The camera unit 17 having the camera 17a and the camera moving mechanism 17b is supported by the camera guide unit 67 so as to be able to reciprocate in the Y direction.
The camera guide part 67 extends in the Y direction of the main body part 64 of the head unit moving mechanism 62. The camera moving mechanism 17b that holds the camera 17a is supported by the camera guide portion 67. In a state where the camera moving mechanism 17b is supported by the camera guide portion 67, the image capturing lens (not shown) of the camera 17a faces the print table 6a (and the inspection table 6b) in the Z direction. The camera 17a is guided along the Y direction by the camera guide part 67 and supported by the camera guide part 67 in a state where the camera 17a can reciprocate in the Y direction.
The camera 17a is a substrate substrate on the printing table 6a by the relative movement of the movement of the camera 17a itself in the Y direction by the camera guide unit 67 and the movement of the printing table 6a and the inspection table 6b in the X direction by the substrate moving mechanism 130. An image of a desired portion of a recording medium such as P or an inspection substrate P ′ on the inspection table 6b can be captured.

Next, the configuration and operation principle of the ejection head 60 of the marking unit 6 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the ejection head 60 of the present embodiment, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the ejection head 60 in this embodiment includes an introduction needle unit 117, a head case 118, a flow path unit 119, and an actuator unit 120 as main components.
Two ink introduction needles 122 are mounted side by side on the upper surface of the introduction needle unit 117 with the filter 121 interposed. The sub tanks 102 are respectively attached to these ink introduction needles 122. An ink introduction path 123 corresponding to each ink introduction needle 122 is formed inside the introduction needle unit 117.

  The upper end of the ink introduction path 123 communicates with the ink introduction needle 122 via the filter 121, and the lower end communicates with the case flow path 125 formed inside the head case 118 via the packing 124.

  In this embodiment, since four types of ink are used, four sub tanks 102 are provided. However, the present invention uses two types of ink such as black and white, or three types. Of course, the present invention is also applied to the case of using the above-mentioned ink or a configuration using five or more types of ink.

  The sub tank 102 is molded from a resin material such as polypropylene. The sub-tank 102 is formed with a concave portion that becomes the ink chamber 127, and the ink chamber 127 is partitioned by sticking a transparent elastic sheet 126 to the opening surface of the concave portion.

  Further, a needle connecting portion 128 into which the ink introduction needle 122 is inserted projects downward from the sub tank 102. The ink chamber 127 in the subtank 102 has a shallow mortar shape, and an opening on the upstream side of the connection channel 129 communicating with the needle connection portion 128 is located slightly below the center of the upper and lower sides on the side surface. Is facing. A tank section filter (not shown) is provided on the upstream side of the ink chamber 127. A seal member 131 into which the ink introduction needle 122 is liquid-tightly fitted is fitted in the internal space of the needle connecting portion 128.

  The marking device 3 according to the present embodiment includes four ink cartridges (not shown), and each is connected to a corresponding sub tank 102 via an ink supply tube. Each ink cartridge stores ultraviolet curable inks of four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

  The ultraviolet curable ink is prepared by adding an auxiliary agent such as an antifoaming agent or a polymerization inhibitor to a mixture of a vehicle, a photopolymerization initiator and a pigment, and is dissolved or dispersed in an organic solvent. ing. The vehicle is prepared by adjusting the viscosity of an oligomer, monomer or the like having photopolymerization curability with a reactive diluent. Therefore, the solvent is not volatilized for the purpose of curing the ink.

  As the vehicle, monofunctional or polyfunctional polymerizable compounds can be used. More specifically, oligomers (prepolymers) such as polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, and urethane acrylate can be exemplified, and these materials can also be used as a reactive diluent for adjusting the viscosity as an ink.

  As the photopolymerization initiator, benzophenone series, benzoin series, acetophenone series, and thioxanthone series are widely used. More specifically, 4-benzoyl-N, N, N-trimethyl benzene methaneanennium chloride, 2-hydroxy 3- (4-benzoyl-phenoxy) -N, N, N-trimethyl 1-propylene benzene l -N, N-dimethyl N- [2- (1-oxo-2-propenyloxy) ethyl] A quaternary ammonium salt-type water-soluble organic substance such as benzene methanol bromide can be used.

  This type of photopolymerization initiator has different ultraviolet absorption characteristics, reaction initiation efficiency, yellowing, and the like depending on its composition, so that it is properly used depending on the color of the ink.

  As the polymerization inhibitor, any compound that has radical scavenging ability and inhibits radical polymerization can be used. However, in consideration of ejection suitability and the like in the ink jet recording apparatus, at least one compound selected from hydroquinones, catechols, hindered amines, phenols, phenothiazines, and condensed aromatic ring quinones is preferable.

  Examples of hydroquinones include hydroquinone, hydroquinone monomethyl ether, 1-o-2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone, 2-tert-butylhydroquinone and the like. Examples of catechols include catechol, 4-methylcatechol, 4-tert-butylcatechol and the like. Examples of hindered amines include compounds having a tetramethylpiperidinyl group.

  Examples of phenols include phenol, butylhydroxytoluene, butylhydroxyanisole, pyrogallol, gallic acid, gallic acid alkyl ester, and the like. Examples of phenothiazines include phenothiazine. Moreover, naphthoquinone etc. can be illustrated as quinones of a condensed aromatic ring.

  Further, the polymerization inhibitor may be carbon black or inorganic / organic fine particles having a polymerization-inhibiting functional group introduced on the surface. Examples of the polymerization-preventing functional group include a hydroxyphenyl group, a dihydroxyphenyl group, a tetramethylpiperidinyl group, and a condensed aromatic ring.

  The elastic sheet 126 shown in FIG. 5 can be deformed into a direction in which the ink chamber 127 is contracted and a direction in which the ink chamber 127 is expanded. In addition, the ink pressure fluctuation is absorbed by the damper function due to the deformation of the elastic sheet 126. That is, the sub tank 102 functions as a pressure damper by the action of the elastic sheet 126. Therefore, the ink is supplied to the ejection head 60 side in a state where pressure fluctuation is absorbed in the sub tank 102.

  The head case 118 is a hollow box-shaped member made of synthetic resin, and a flow path unit 119 is joined to the lower end surface, the actuator unit 120 is accommodated in an accommodation space formed inside, and the flow path unit 119 side. Is configured such that the introduction needle unit 117 is attached with the packing 124 interposed on the upper end surface on the opposite side. The sub tank 102 and the head case 118 may be connected by a tube.

  A case channel 125 is provided inside the head case 118 so as to penetrate the height direction. The upper end of the case flow path 125 communicates with the ink introduction path 123 of the introduction needle unit 117 via the packing 124.

  The lower end of the case flow path 125 communicates with the common ink chamber 144 in the flow path unit 119. Therefore, the ink introduced from the ink introduction needle 122 is supplied to the common ink chamber 144 side through the ink introduction path 123 and the case flow path 125.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the actuator unit 120 housed in the housing space 137 of the head case 118 has a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators 138 arranged in a comb shape, and the piezoelectric vibrators 138 joined together. And a flexible cable 140 as a wiring member for supplying a drive signal from the printer main body side to the piezoelectric vibrator 138. Each piezoelectric vibrator 138 has a fixed end portion bonded to the fixed plate 139 and a free end portion protruding outward from the tip surface of the fixed plate 139. That is, each piezoelectric vibrator 138 is mounted on the fixed plate 139 in a so-called cantilever state.

  The fixing plate 139 that supports each piezoelectric vibrator 138 is made of, for example, stainless steel having a thickness of about 1 mm. The actuator unit 120 is housed and fixed in the housing space 137 by bonding the back surface of the fixed plate 139 to the inner wall surface of the case that partitions the housing space 137.

The flow path unit 119 is manufactured by joining and integrating with a bonding agent in a state where the flow path unit constituent members including the vibration plate (sealing plate) 141, the flow path substrate 142, and the nozzle substrate 143 are laminated. A member that forms a series of ink flow paths (liquid flow paths) from the common ink chamber 144 to the nozzle 147 through the ink supply port 145 and the pressure chamber 146. The pressure chamber 146 is formed as an elongated chamber in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle arrangement direction (nozzle row direction).
The common ink chamber 144 communicates with the case flow path 125 and is a chamber into which ink is introduced from the ink introduction needle 122 side. The ink introduced into the common ink chamber 144 is distributed and supplied to each pressure chamber 146 through the ink supply port 145.

  The nozzle substrate 143 disposed at the bottom of the flow path unit 119 is a thin metal plate having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row at a pitch (for example, 180 dpi) corresponding to the dot formation density, and the lower surface of the nozzle substrate 147A. Is configured. The nozzle substrate 143 of the present embodiment is made of a stainless steel plate material. In this embodiment, two rows of nozzles (that is, nozzle rows) are arranged side by side corresponding to each sub tank 102, for a total of eight rows. ing. One nozzle row is composed of, for example, 180 nozzles. A flow path substrate 142 disposed between the nozzle substrate 143 and the vibration plate 141 is a flow path section that becomes an ink flow path, specifically, a common ink chamber 144, an ink supply port 145, and a pressure chamber 146. It is a plate-like member in which a section is formed.

  In the present embodiment, the flow path substrate 142 is produced by subjecting a silicon wafer, which is a crystalline base material, to anisotropic etching. The vibration plate 141 is a composite plate material having a double structure in which an elastic film is laminated on a metal support plate such as stainless steel. In the portion corresponding to the pressure chamber 146 of the vibration plate 141, an island portion 148 to which the tip surface of the piezoelectric vibrator 138 is joined is formed by removing the support plate in an annular shape by etching or the like. Functions as a diaphragm. That is, the diaphragm 141 is configured such that the elastic film around the island portion 148 is elastically deformed in accordance with the operation of the piezoelectric vibrator 138. Further, the vibration plate 141 seals one opening surface of the flow path substrate 142 and also functions as a compliance portion 149. As for the portion corresponding to the compliance portion 149, the support plate is removed by etching or the like in the same manner as the diaphragm portion to make only the elastic film.

  In the ejection head 60, when a drive signal is supplied to the piezoelectric vibrator 138 through the flexible cable 140, the piezoelectric vibrator 138 expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction of the element, and accordingly, the island portion 148 enters the pressure chamber 146. Move in the direction of approaching or separating. As a result, the volume of the pressure chamber 146 changes and pressure fluctuation occurs in the ink L in the pressure chamber 146. The ink droplet D is ejected from the nozzle 147 by this pressure fluctuation.

Next, the operation of the marking device 3 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, the worker installs a magazine in which the substrate substrate P is accommodated in the carry-in unit 4 (step S1). Next, in step S2, the substrate substrate P is taken out from the magazine installed in the carry-in unit 4, and the taken out substrate substrate P is transported into the pre-processing unit 50 (see FIG. 3).

Next, the substrate substrate P is subjected to surface roughening (pretreatment) in the pretreatment unit 50 (step S3).
Next, whether or not to perform an ejection test for inspecting whether or not the ink droplet D is normally ejected from the nozzle 147 before performing marking by ejecting the ink droplet D from the nozzle 147 of the ejection head 60. Is determined (step S4). The ejection inspection is performed every time before marking on the substrate substrate P, periodically performed every arbitrary number of marking work cycles, or the ink ejection state by the ejection head 60 is abnormal. It can be performed at an appropriate frequency, such as when the sign is seen.
If it is determined that the discharge inspection is not to be performed (NO in step S4), the process proceeds to step S10, and the substrate substrate P is loaded from the pretreatment unit 5 onto the marking unit 6 by the conveying means in order to perform marking on the substrate substrate P. Change.

If it is determined that a discharge inspection is to be performed (YES in step S4), an inspection substrate P ′ as an inspection recording medium is placed on the inspection table 6b (step S5), and the inspection table 6b is moved by the substrate moving mechanism 130. Thus, the inspection substrate P ′ is positioned at the drawing position directly under the ejection head 60.
Next, as shown in step S6, test printing is performed in which a predetermined test pattern is printed by ejecting ink droplets D from the nozzles 147 of the ejection head 60 toward the test substrate P ′. The test printing is performed periodically or at any time in order to maintain the print quality without missing or bent ink droplets D ejected from the nozzles 147 of the ejection head 60. A method may be adopted in which ink droplets are ejected onto a test recording medium (test substrate) having a receiving layer laminated on the surface and absorbed by the receiving layer, and the landing ink droplets are measured by an image processing apparatus. it can.
Here, an example of the inspection substrate P ′ used for the test printing in step S6 will be described. FIGS. 8A and 8B schematically show an embodiment of an inspection substrate used for test printing for marking operations. FIG. 8A is a plan view and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line aa in FIG. is there.
In FIG. 8, the test substrate P ′ shows a state after the test printing is performed. In the test substrate P ′, a transparent receiving layer 85 is laminated on a surface layer of a transparent base material 81 made of, for example, PET. The ink droplet D ejected from the nozzle 147 of the ejection head 60 to the receiving layer 85 side of the test substrate P ′ is received by the receiving layer 85 as the landing ink D ′.

Next, in step S7, it is inspected whether the landing state of the ink droplet D on the test substrate P ′ is normal with respect to a predetermined test pattern.
Here, by performing test printing using the test substrate P ′ having the above-described configuration, that is, the test substrate P ′ in which the transparent receiving layer 85 is laminated on the surface of the transparent base material 81, illumination is performed from above. When the inspection is performed by the camera 17a while irradiating the light, it is possible to suppress a decrease in light transmission reflectance in the inspection region where the ink on the test substrate P ′ is not landed. In other words, the test substrate P ′ has high light transmittance.
And in the marking part 6 of the marking device 3 of this embodiment, the processed surface roughness and the surface treatment method are such that the substrate mounting surface 16b of the inspection table 6b is in a surface state having a reflectance higher than the reflectance of the ink. The surface treatment is prescribed. Specifically, as described above, the surface of the substrate mounting surface is a ground surface, and the surface roughness is a suitable surface roughness of Ra 0.8 to 1.6. The ink reflectance is specifically the reflectance of the surface of the landing ink D ′ landed on the test substrate P ′.
As a result, the light transmitted through the test substrate P ′ having high light transmittance is reflected by the substrate mounting surface 16b of the inspection table 6b having high reflectance, and again passes through the test substrate P ′ having high light transmittance. The camera 17a is reached.
It is possible to increase the difference between the reflectance of the landing ink D ′, that is, the reflectance of the landing ink D ′ and the reflectance of the inspection region of the test substrate P ′ in the region where the ink has not landed, so that image processing or the like can be performed. Can improve the accuracy of inspection. By adopting such a configuration, for example, even when white ink is used, the image of the landing droplet captured by the camera 17a can be recognized with high accuracy, so that the accuracy of the discharge inspection is improved and the marking quality is improved. Can be held.

If it is determined that there is an abnormality as a result of the inspection of the landing state of the ink droplet D in the test printing in step S7 (NO in step S8), an abnormality treatment is performed according to the abnormality state (step S9). For example, when a defect is observed in the landed ink pattern with respect to a predetermined test pattern (landing ink drops missing), it is considered that the nozzle 147 of the ejection head 60 is clogged. As an abnormal treatment in this case, a treatment using a flushing unit, a wiping unit, a suction unit, etc. (not shown) provided in the marking unit 6 of the marking device 3 can be exemplified. That is, the flushing unit forcibly and continuously ejects ink from the nozzle 147, the wiping unit using the wiping unit to wipe the nozzle surface 147A with the wipe material, or the suction unit using the suction unit 147A side. The foreign matter such as the nozzle surface 147A and the ink solidified product of the nozzle 147 is removed by a method of sucking the nozzle 147 from the nozzle 147.
After performing the abnormality treatment, the process returns to step S6, and the processes after the test printing are performed again, and it is confirmed whether or not the cause of the landing state abnormality has been eliminated by the abnormality treatment in step S9.
If it is determined that there is no abnormality as a result of the inspection in step S7 (YES in step S8), the process proceeds to step S10, and in order to perform marking on the substrate substrate P, the substrate substrate P is transferred to the preprocessing unit by the transfer means. 5 is transferred to the marking unit 6.

Next, in step S10, the substrate substrate P placed on the printing table 6a has, for example, a camera 17a (see FIG. 2) in which two alignment marks (not shown) of the substrate substrate P are installed on the printing table 6a. 4), the positional deviation is calculated with respect to the image position of the substrate substrate P registered in advance, and the position of XYθ is corrected.
In the marking unit 6 as the droplet discharge device of the present embodiment, the inspection table 6b and the print table 6a are separate tables provided on the same movement axis of the substrate moving mechanism 130. The surface state of the substrate mounting surface 16a of 6a can be formed in a desired state, or a desired surface treatment can be performed. In the present embodiment, the printing table 6a is subjected to a special surface treatment on the substrate mounting surface 16a in order to moderate discharge from the substrate substrate P that has been charged during transportation in the apparatus or due to the influence of handling. The IC chip 15 mounted on the straight substrate P is prevented from electrostatic breakdown. Here, as the special surface treatment, for example, a slow leak treatment, a radiant treatment, a black alumite treatment, a black chrome plating treatment, and the like are preferable.

  Next, as shown in step S <b> 11, the marking device 3 applies the corresponding defective chip among the individual IC chips 15 constituting the substrate substrate P based on the recording data (nozzle data) output from the control unit 2. In contrast, predetermined ink marking is performed by ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles 147 of the ejection head 60.

In the marking device 3 according to the present embodiment, since ultraviolet curable ink is used, an electric signal is supplied from the outside to the light emitting element of the ultraviolet irradiation unit 95 when the ink is ejected, and ultraviolet light is emitted from the light emission surface. .
In the marking step, the marking device 3 moves the head unit 65 along the guide portion 66 and moves the substrate substrate P placed on the printing table 6a (or the inspection table 6b) to the head unit 65 (discharge head 60). ) And the ink is ejected from the ejection head 60. By moving the carriage 69 in this way, the ink disposed on the substrate substrate P is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. When the ink is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the ink is temporarily cured and fixed on the substrate substrate P. In this way, the marking process on the substrate substrate P is performed.

After completion of the marking process as described above, the substrate substrate P is transferred from the marking unit 6 to the post-processing unit 7 as shown in step S12.
Then, a main curing process (post-processing) is performed by a lamp unit (not shown) in the post-processing unit 7 (step S13). Thereafter, the substrate substrate P which has been subjected to the main curing process by a transport device (not shown) is transported to an empty magazine (not shown) placed on the carry-out unit 9 (step S14).

When the marking operation on one substrate substrate P is completed through the steps described above and the marking operation on the next substrate substrate P is executed (YES in step S15), the process returns to step S2, and the above-described steps are performed. The steps after step S2 are repeated.
In the case where the marking of the next substrate substrate P is not executed (eg, NO in step S15) because the substrate substrate P that has been subjected to the marking process is accommodated in all the accommodating portions of the magazine of the carry-out portion 9, the operator Then, the magazine placed on the carry-out unit 9 is taken out (step S16), and a series of marking operations is completed.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the drawing area and the inspection area are separate tables arranged on the same movement axis, that is, the print table 6a as the drawing area and the inspection table 6b as the inspection area. explained.
The configuration is not limited to this, and the drawing area and the inspection area may be two areas defined in one table.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input part, 2 ... Control part, 3 ... Marking apparatus, 3a ... Apparatus main body, 4 ... Carry-in part, 5 ... Pre-processing unit, 6 ... Marking part as droplet discharge apparatus, 6a ... Print table as drawing area , 6b ... Inspection table as inspection area, 7 ... Post-processing unit, 8 ... Substrate transport arm, 9 ... Unloading part, 15 ... IC chip, 16a ... Substrate placement surface of printing table, 16b ... Substrate placement of inspection table Surface, 17 ... Camera unit, 17a ... Camera, 17b ... Camera moving mechanism, 21 ... Base, 23a, 23b ... Guide rail, 50 ... Pre-processing unit, 53 ... Ink, 60 ... Discharge head, 62 ... Head unit moving mechanism, 63 ... Support member, 64 ... Main body, 65 ... Head unit, 66 ... Guide part, 67 ... Camera guide part, 69 ... Carriage, 70 ... Post-processing unit, 81 ... Base material, 85 ... 95: UV irradiation section, 102: Sub tank, 117: Introducing needle unit, 118: Head case, 119 ... Flow path unit, 120 ... Actuator unit, 120 ... Actuator unit, 121 ... Filter, 122 ... Ink introducing needle, 123: Ink introduction path, 124 ... Packing, 125 ... Case flow path, 126 ... Elastic sheet, 127 ... Ink chamber, 128 ... Needle connection portion, 129 ... Connection flow path, 130 ... Substrate moving mechanism, 131 ... Seal member, 137 DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS: Storage space, 138: Piezoelectric vibrator, 139: Fixed plate, 140 ... Flexible cable, 141 ... Vibration plate, 142 ... Flow path substrate, 143 ... Nozzle substrate, 144 ... Common ink chamber, 145 ... Ink supply port, 146 ... pressure chamber, 146 ... pressure chamber, 147 ... nozzle, 147A ... nozzle surface, 148 ... island, 14 ... Compliance Department, 500 ... marking system, P ... substrate board, P'... the testing board.

Claims (4)

A head for discharging liquid toward a medium ;
A head holding part for holding the head;
An inspection stage for holding an inspection medium having a substrate on which a receiving layer is laminated on a transparent layer;
In the liquid droplet ejection apparatus for inspecting the ejection state using the inspection medium in which the liquid is ejected and landed from the ejection head while relatively changing the positions of the head holding unit and the inspection stage ,
Droplet discharge apparatus reflectance on the side of the surface for holding the test medium of the test stage, being higher than the reflectivity of the surface of the liquid landed on the test medium. 2. The droplet discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein the surface of the inspection stage is a ground surface and the surface roughness is Ra 0.8 to 1.6. The liquid reflectance is an average reflectance of the liquid obtained by averaging each of the reflectances of the surface of the liquid landed on the inspection medium in a plurality of regions on the medium. the apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized.   A process in which the head holding unit discharges the liquid from the holding head toward the medium;
  Holding an inspection medium having a substrate having a receiving layer laminated on a transparent layer,
  An inspection method for a droplet discharge apparatus that inspects a discharge state using the inspection medium in which the liquid is discharged and landed from the discharge head while relatively changing the positions of the head holding unit and the inspection stage. There,
  An inspection method for a droplet discharge device, wherein a reflectance of a surface of the inspection stage on a side holding the inspection medium is higher than a reflectance of a surface of the liquid landed on the inspection medium.

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