JPH0943424A - Production of color filter and producing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a production method of a color filter to suppress defective products by monitoring the distance between an ink-jet head and a substrate. SOLUTION: A color filter is produced by injecting an ink to a substrate 1 by using an ink-jet head IJH to color each pixel of a color filter. In this method, when the distance between the ink-jet head IJH and the surface of the substrate 1 exceeds a specified value, coloring of pixels by using the ink-jet head IJH is stopped.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color filter manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by forming a large number of pixels colored in a plurality of colors on a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of personal computers,
In particular, with the development of portable personal computers, the demand for liquid crystal displays, especially color liquid crystal displays, tends to increase. However, for further popularization, it is necessary to reduce the cost of the liquid crystal display, and in particular, there is an increasing demand for the cost reduction of the color filter, which has a high cost weight. Conventionally, various methods have been tried to satisfy the above-mentioned requirements while satisfying the required characteristics of the color filter, but a method for satisfying all the required characteristics has not yet been established. The respective methods will be described below.

The first method is a dyeing method. The staining method is
A water-soluble polymer material, which is a material for dyeing, is applied on a glass substrate, and is patterned into a desired shape by a photolithography process. Then, the obtained pattern is immersed in a dye bath to obtain a colored pattern. . By repeating this three times, R, G, B color filter layers are obtained.

[0004] The second method is a pigment dispersion method, which is recently replacing the dyeing method. In this method, a photosensitive resin layer in which a pigment is dispersed is formed on a substrate, and a monochromatic pattern is obtained by patterning the photosensitive resin layer. By repeating this process three times, R, G, B color filter layers are formed.

A third method is an electrodeposition method. In this method, a transparent electrode is patterned on a substrate, and immersed in an electrodeposition coating solution containing a pigment, a resin, an electrolytic solution, and the like to electrodeposit a first color. This process is repeated three times to separately apply R, G, and B, and then the resin is thermally cured to form a color layer.

As a fourth method, there is a printing method. In this method, a pigment is dispersed in a thermosetting resin, R, G, and B are separately applied by repeating printing three times, and then the resin is thermoset to form a colored layer. In any method, a protective layer is generally formed on the colored layer.

The common feature of these methods is that R,
It is necessary to repeat the same process three times in order to color the three colors G and B, which increases the cost. There is also a problem that the yield decreases as the number of processes increases. Further, in the electrodeposition method, since the pattern shape that can be formed is limited, the current technology cannot be applied to a TFT type color liquid crystal display. Further, the printing method cannot form fine-pitch patterns because of poor resolution and smoothness.

In order to make up for these drawbacks, JP-A-59-7 is used.
5205, JP-A-63-235901, JP-A-63-294503, or
Japanese Patent No. 217320 discloses a method of manufacturing a color filter using an inkjet method.

[0009]

Generally, when a color filter is manufactured by an inkjet method, the flight direction of ink ejected from an ejection nozzle of an inkjet head has a slight variation for each ejection nozzle or for each ejection. are doing. When the flight direction of the ink is bent, the ink is ejected obliquely to the color filter substrate, so that the landing position of the ink on the substrate is displaced. Specifically, the deviation of the ink landing position increases in proportion to the distance between the inkjet head and the substrate. When coloring a high-definition pattern such as a color filter, the allowable deviation of the landing position is several μm.
It is about tens of μm and such a deviation of the landing position is a big problem. Therefore, in the manufacture of color filters, the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the color filter substrate is strictly controlled, so that the deviation of the landing position can be kept within the allowable value even if the flight direction of the ink is slightly deviated. Is taken into consideration.

However, since the color filter substrate is usually made of glass, the surface thereof is several tens of μm.
There is a degree of undulation, and the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the color filter substrate changes accordingly.
Ink landing position accuracy is deteriorated. Therefore, if a part of the substrate has a swell that is larger than a predetermined value, if the coloring operation is continued as it is, the ink landing position will shift, causing color mixing with the adjacent pixel,
There is a problem in that a target pixel cannot be colored and a white spot occurs, which causes a defective product to be manufactured.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to monitor the distance between the ink jet head and the substrate to suppress the production of defective products. It is to provide a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus of a color filter.

[0012]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned problems are solved,
In order to achieve the object, a method for manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention is a color filter for manufacturing a color filter by discharging ink toward a substrate by an inkjet head to color each pixel of the color filter. The manufacturing method is characterized in that coloring of the pixels by the inkjet head is stopped when the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate reaches or exceeds a predetermined value.

In the method of manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention, when the coloring of the pixel is stopped,
The feature is that the operator is informed that the coloring of the pixel is stopped.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention, the predetermined value is determined by previously measuring information on the ink ejection direction of the ink jet head.

In the color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention, when the distance between the ink jet head and the surface of the substrate is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the distance between the ink jet head and the substrate is set to the predetermined value. The method is characterized by further comprising a step of adjusting the value to be less than the value and restarting the coloring.

In the method of manufacturing a color filter according to the present invention, the ink jet head is a head for discharging ink using thermal energy,
It is characterized by having a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy given to the ink.

The color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is a color filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by ejecting ink toward the substrate by an ink jet head to color each pixel of the color filter. A detecting means for detecting a distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate during coloring of each pixel, and the detecting means is provided between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate. And a control means for controlling the inkjet head so as to stop the coloring of the pixel by the inkjet head when it is detected that the distance is equal to or more than a predetermined value.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, when coloring of the pixels is stopped,
It is characterized by further comprising an informing means for informing the operator that the pixel coloring has been stopped.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, when the notification means notifies that the coloring of the pixel is stopped, the operator stops or continues the coloring of the pixel. Is further provided with input means capable of inputting to the control means.

Further, in the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the control means stores in advance information regarding an ink ejection direction of the ink jet head, and the predetermined value is determined based on the information. Is characterized by.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the ink jet head is detected when the detecting means detects that the distance between the ink jet head and the surface of the substrate is equal to or more than the predetermined value. Further comprising an adjusting unit for adjusting the distance between the substrate and the substrate so as to be less than the predetermined value, and the control unit causes the adjusting unit to adjust the height of the inkjet head, and restarts coloring of the inkjet head. The feature is to let.

In the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the ink jet head is a head for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy,
It is characterized by having a thermal energy generator for generating thermal energy given to the ink.

In the color filter manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, when it is detected that the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate is a predetermined value or more, the inkjet head By stopping the coloring operation, it is possible to prevent a defective color filter from being manufactured.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a manufacturing process of a color filter by a color filter manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, a glass substrate is generally used as the substrate 1, but it is not limited to the glass substrate as long as it has necessary properties such as transparency and mechanical strength as a color filter for liquid crystal. Absent.

First, a glass substrate 1 on which a black matrix 2 for clearing an image by clarifying the division of each pixel of a color filter is formed (FIG. 1) is prepared.
(A)). As a method of forming the black matrix, there is a method of forming a metal thin film by sputtering or vapor deposition and patterning it by a photolithography process.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the coating material according to the present embodiment is applied onto the substrate 1 on which the black matrix 2 is formed, and if necessary, prebaked to perform light irradiation or The resin composition layer 3 whose ink absorbency at the light-irradiated portion is increased by light irradiation and heat treatment is formed. As the coating material, a resin composition in which the ink absorbency of the exposed area is increased by exposure or by using exposure and heat treatment together is used. This is to prevent the color mixture of ink and the diffusion of ink more than necessary by utilizing the difference in the ink absorbency between the exposed portion and the unexposed portion.

Next, the coating material of the portion not shielded by the black matrix 2 is subjected to pattern exposure through the mask 4 in advance to perform the ink-philic treatment (FIG. 1 (c)) to form a latent image (FIG. 1). 1 (d)).

Then, using an ink jet head,
The R (red), G (green), and B (blue) inks are colored in the ink-affinitive portion 6 (FIG. 1E), and the ink is dried as necessary.

Next, light irradiation, heat treatment, or light irradiation and heat treatment is performed to cure the colored coating material, and the protective film 8 is formed if necessary (FIG. 1 (f)).
As the protective film 8, a photocurable type, a thermosetting type or a photothermal combined type resin material, or an inorganic film formed by vapor deposition, sputtering or the like can be used, and it has transparency as a color filter. And then IT
Any material that can withstand an O (Indium Tin Oxide) forming process, an alignment film forming process, and the like can be used.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) color liquid crystal panel incorporating the color filter according to the present embodiment. The mode is not limited to this example.

A color liquid crystal panel is generally formed by combining a color filter substrate 1 and a counter substrate and enclosing a liquid crystal compound. TFTs (not shown) and transparent pixel electrodes are formed in a matrix inside one of the substrates of the liquid crystal panel. Also, inside the other substrate 1,
R (red), G (green), B at the position facing the pixel electrode
The color filter 10 is arranged so that the (blue) color material is arranged, and a transparent counter electrode is formed on one surface of the color filter 10.
Further, an alignment film is formed on the surface of the substrate, and by lapping the alignment film, liquid crystal molecules can be aligned in a certain direction. Further, a polarizing plate is adhered to the outside of each glass substrate, and the liquid crystal compound is filled in the gap (about 2 to 5 μm) between these glass substrates. In addition, a combination of a fluorescent lamp (not shown) and a scattering plate (not shown) is generally used as the backlight, and the liquid crystal compound is displayed by functioning as an optical shutter that changes the transmittance of the backlight. I do.

An example in which such a liquid crystal panel is applied to an information processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration when the above liquid crystal panel is applied to an information processing apparatus having a function as a word processor, a personal computer, a facsimile apparatus, and a copying apparatus.

In the figure, reference numeral 1801 denotes a control unit for controlling the entire apparatus, which is provided with a CPU such as a microprocessor and various I / O ports, outputs control signals and data signals to each unit, and controls signals from each unit. Control is performed by inputting a data signal. A display unit 1802 has various menus, document information, and an image reader 180 on this display screen.
The image data and the like read in 7 are displayed. 180
Reference numeral 3 denotes a transparent pressure-sensitive touch panel provided on the display unit 1802. By pressing the surface of the touch panel with a finger or the like, it is possible to perform item input or coordinate position input on the display unit 1802.

Reference numeral 1804 denotes an FM (Frequency Modulation) sound source section, which stores music information created by a music editor or the like in the memory section 1810 or an external storage device 1812 as digital data and reads it from the memory or the like to perform FM.
The modulation is performed. The electric signal from the FM sound source unit 1804 is converted into an audible sound by the speaker unit 1805.
The printer unit 1806 is used as an output terminal of a word processor, a personal computer, a facsimile machine, and a copying machine.

Reference numeral 1807 denotes an image reader unit for photoelectrically reading and inputting original data, which is provided in the original conveying path and reads various originals such as facsimile originals and copy originals.

Reference numeral 1808 denotes facsimile transmission of original data read by the image reader unit 1807, and facsimile (F) for receiving and decoding the transmitted facsimile signal.
AX), and has an external interface function. Reference numeral 1809 denotes a telephone unit having various telephone functions such as a normal telephone function and an answering machine function.

Reference numeral 1810 denotes a ROM for storing a system program, a manager program, other application programs, etc., a character font, a dictionary, etc., an application program loaded from an external storage device 1812, document information, and a memory including a video RAM. It is a department.

Reference numeral 1811 denotes a keyboard for inputting document information and various commands.

Reference numeral 1812 denotes an external storage device using a floppy disk, a hard disk or the like as a storage medium. The external storage device 1812 stores document information, music or voice information, user application programs, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a schematic external view of the information processing apparatus shown in FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 1901 denotes a flat panel display using the above liquid crystal panel for displaying various menus, graphic information, document information and the like. This display 19
On 01, by pressing the surface of the touch panel 1803 with a finger or the like, coordinate input or item designation input can be performed. 1902 is a handset used when the device functions as a telephone. The keyboard 1903 is detachably connected to the main body via a cord, and can perform various document functions and various data inputs. The keyboard 1903 is provided with various function keys 1904 and the like. Reference numeral 1905 denotes a slot for inserting a floppy disk into the external storage device 1812.

Reference numeral 1906 denotes a paper placing portion on which a document to be read by the image reader portion 1807 is placed. The read document is discharged from the rear of the apparatus. In the case of facsimile reception or the like, printing is performed by the inkjet printer 1907.

When the information processing apparatus functions as a personal computer or a word processor, various information input from the keyboard unit 1811 is processed by the control unit 1801 according to a predetermined program, and
The image is output to an image 806.

When functioning as a receiver of a facsimile apparatus, facsimile information input from a facsimile transmission / reception unit 1808 via a communication line is received and processed by a control unit 1801 according to a predetermined program.
Is output as a received image.

When functioning as a copying apparatus, an original is read by an image reader 1807 and the read original data is sent to a printer 18 via a controller 1801.
It is output as a copied image in 06. When functioning as a facsimile receiver, the image reader unit 1
The original data read by 807 is transmitted to control unit 180.
After transmission processing according to a predetermined program by 1
It is transmitted to the communication line via the FAX transmission / reception unit 1808.

As shown in FIG. 5, the above-mentioned information processing apparatus may be an integral type in which an ink jet printer is built in the main body, and in this case, it becomes possible to enhance portability. In the figure, parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals.

Next, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a color pattern of a color filter manufactured by the color filter manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment. Each of the colored portions colored by the R, G, and B inks is one pixel and has a substantially rectangular shape. Assuming that the longitudinal direction of one pixel is the X direction and the direction orthogonal to the X direction is the Y direction, the size of one pixel is the same, 230 μm × 80 μm, and the pitch in the X direction is 300 μm, and the pitch in the Y direction is 300 μm. The pitch is 100 μm. Then, pixels of the same color are arranged in a straight line in the X direction, and Y
In the direction, each pixel is arranged so that adjacent pixels have different colors. Also, the pattern shown in this figure is
This corresponds to the pattern of the black matrix created in the step of FIG.

The number of pixels is 480 in the X direction and 1920 in the Y direction (640 for each color). As shown in FIG.
The size of the color filter screen is 144 mm x 192
mm for a 9.4 inch size liquid crystal panel with a diagonal length of 240 mm.

Next, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the construction of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the color filter shown in FIG.

In FIG. 8, the manufacturing apparatus 20 is placed on a gantry (not shown) and is movable in the X and Y directions in the figure, and a supporting member (not shown) above the XY table 22. The inkjet head IJH is fixed on the mount via the. On the XY table 22, the glass substrate 1 on which the black matrix 2 and the resin composition layer 3 are formed by the method described above is placed. The inkjet head IJH includes a red head 120a for discharging red ink, a green head 120b for discharging green ink, and a blue head 120c for discharging blue ink.
Each of 20a, 120b, and 120c is configured to be able to eject ink independently.

Inkjet heads IJH are provided on both sides of the inkjet head IJH in the scanning direction (X direction).
Distance sensor 1 for detecting the distance between the glass substrate 1 and
22 are provided. With this distance sensor 122,
The distance between the inkjet head IJH and the glass substrate 1 is constantly monitored. As the distance sensor 122, for example, a laser distance sensor or the like is used, but the distance sensor 122 is not limited to this and may be anything as long as it can measure the distance between the substrate and the inkjet head in a non-contact manner.

A recovery unit 30 for carrying out a recovery operation of the ink jet head IJH is provided at the end of the XY table 22.
It is arranged so as to be movable in the Z direction.

The recovery unit 30 prevents the nozzles of the ink jet head IJH from being clogged, and ink droplets on the nozzle surface of the ink jet head IJH,
It has a role to wipe off dust and to always perform normal ink ejection, and a role to prevent dust on the nozzle surface from falling during coloring of the glass substrate to cause a defect.

Next, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the structure of an ink jet head IJH for ejecting ink onto the resin composition layer 3. The three inkjet heads 120
Since a, 120b, and 120c have the same structure, FIG. 9 shows one of them as a representative.

In FIG. 9, the ink jet head IJ
The H is generally composed of a heater board 104 which is a substrate on which a plurality of heaters 102 for heating ink are formed, and a top plate 106 which is placed on the heater board 104. A plurality of ink ejection ports 108 are formed in the top plate 106, and a tunnel-shaped liquid path 110 connected to the ejection ports 108 is formed behind the ejection ports 108. Each liquid channel 110 is separated from an adjacent liquid channel by a partition 112. Each liquid path 110 is commonly connected to one ink liquid chamber 114 at the rear thereof,
Ink is supplied to the ink liquid chamber 114 through an ink supply port 117, and the ink is supplied from the ink liquid chamber 114 to each liquid path 110.

The heater board 104 and the top plate 106 are
The heaters 102 are aligned so that they come to the positions corresponding to the respective liquid paths 110, and the state is assembled as shown in FIG. Although only two heaters 102 are shown in FIG. 9, one heater 102 is arranged corresponding to each liquid passage 110. Then, when a predetermined driving pulse is supplied to the heater 102 in the assembled state as shown in FIG. 9, the ink on the heater 102 boils to form a bubble, and the volume expansion of the bubble causes the ink to eject.
And is ejected.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of the color filter manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment.

In FIG. 10, an X-direction drive motor 56 and a Y-direction drive motor 58 for driving the XY stage 22 in an XY direction are provided in a CPU 50 which controls the overall operation of the manufacturing apparatus, and an X motor drive circuit 52 and a Y motor. A Z-direction drive motor 59, which is connected via the motor drive circuit 54 and drives the recovery system unit 30 in the Z direction, is connected via the Z motor drive circuit 55.

Further, the CPU 50 has a head drive circuit 6
0 is connected to the inkjet head IJH. Further, the CPU 50 has an X encoder 62 and a Y encoder 64 for detecting the position of the XY stage 22.
Are connected, and position information of the XY stage 22 is input. The control program in the program memory 66 is also input. The CPU 50 moves the XY stage 22 based on the control program and the positional information of the X encoder 62 and the Y encoder 64 to move a desired grid frame (pixel) on the glass substrate 1 to the inkjet head IJH.
And the glass substrate 1 is colored by discharging ink of a desired color into the pixel and coloring the pixel. By performing this for each pixel, a color filter is manufactured. Each time the coloring of the glass substrate 1 is completed, the recovery system unit 30 attached to the end of the XY stage 22 immediately below the inkjet head IJH.
Is moved, and the wiping operation is performed by the X-direction drive motor 56. Further, the Z-direction drive motor 59 moves the cap (not shown) in the Z-direction to perform the preliminary ejection operation. In the meantime, the work of exchanging the colored glass substrate 1 and the uncolored glass substrate 1 is performed by a substrate transfer device (not shown).

The distance information between the glass substrate 1 and the inkjet head IJH output from the distance sensor 122 is input to the CPU 50, and the CPU 50 controls the operation of the inkjet head IJH and the operation of the XY stage 22 based on this information. . Specifically, information on the size of the bending in the ejection direction of each nozzle of the inkjet head IJH stored in advance in the CPU 50 and the glass substrate 1 are stored.
Head IJ caused by the undulation of the surface of
When it is determined that the deviation of the ink landing position on the glass substrate 1 exceeds the allowable value based on the information on the distance change between H and the glass substrate 1, the ejection operation of the inkjet head IJH is stopped and the XY stage 22 is also stopped. The amount of bending of each nozzle of the inkjet head IJH in the ejection direction is experimentally obtained in advance, and the information about the amount of bending is stored in advance in the memory of the CPU 50.

Further, the ink jet head IJH has
An adjusting mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the height of the inkjet head IJH is provided, and when the distance between the inkjet head IJH and the surface of the glass substrate 1 becomes the allowable value or more, the CPU 50 causes the inkjet head The height of IJH is adjusted to control the distance from the glass substrate 1 to be less than the allowable value, and the coloring operation of the glass substrate 1 is restarted. This adjusting mechanism can be constituted by a known means such as a gear mechanism for converting the rotation amount of the screw into vertical movement of the base of the inkjet head IJH.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the bending of the ink jet head IJH in the ink ejection direction and the waviness of the glass substrate 1.

In the ink jet IJH of this embodiment, the direction of the ink discharge nozzle is inclined by 10 degrees with respect to the direction orthogonal to the glass substrate 1 as shown in FIG. Then, the inkjet head IJH having the inclined ejection nozzles is arranged at a height of 50 μm from the glass substrate 1. In this case, when the glass substrate 1 has a swell of 50 μm in height,
As shown in the figure, the landing position of the ink dot is 8.8 μm from the vertical line at the highest position of the glass substrate 1 and 17.6 μm at the lowest position, resulting in a landing position deviation of 8.8 μm. If such displacement of the landing position occurs,
The positions of the ink dots are largely deviated from the grid frame of the black matrix 2 as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the glass substrate has a waviness of 50 μm or more, the distance sensor 122 detects the waviness and immediately stops the coloring operation of the inkjet head IJH. As a result, it is possible to prevent the production of a color filter having a defect such as a color mixture with an adjacent pixel or a blank area.

In addition to the original inclination of the nozzle itself as described above, the bending of the ink dot in the ejection direction may be caused by a habit or variation in each nozzle, and this element further varies the landing position. It will cause it to fade. In the present embodiment, such a bend in the ink ejection direction for each nozzle is measured in advance, and according to the measured value,
Set the swell limit of the board. As a result, it is possible to more strictly suppress the error in the landing position of the ink dot. Further, even on a glass substrate that has become defective with a certain ink jet head, it is possible to keep the ink dot landing position within the reference value by coloring with a head with little habit or variation in each nozzle.

Further, as described above, even when the distance between the glass substrate and the ink jet head is equal to or greater than the reference value, the height of the ink jet head is adjusted to be less than the reference value to restart the coloring of the substrate. Can be done.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, when the waviness of the glass substrate exceeds the allowable value, the coloring operation of the ink jet head is stopped to manufacture a defective color filter. Is prevented.

In the above embodiment, the case where the black matrix 2 is formed on the glass substrate 1 has been described, but the black matrix 2 is not limited to being formed on the glass substrate 1. Alternatively, in FIG. 2, it may be formed on the other opposing substrate side. In this case, the ink is ejected so as to enter the frame of the portion 5 of FIG. 1 which is not ink-philic.

Further, in the present embodiment, the ink jet head is of a bubble jet type in which the ink jet on the heater 102 is boiled to generate bubbles, and the volume expansion of the bubbles causes the ink to be ejected from the ejection port 108. Although an inkjet head is used, the present invention is
The present invention is not limited to this, and may be an inkjet head using a piezo element.

The present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet recording system, and the thermal energy The printing apparatus of the type that causes a change in the state of ink has been described. According to such a method, the recording density is increased,
High definition can be achieved.

With regard to its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding the film boiling to an electrothermal transducer arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path in which Since thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer and film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed. It is valid. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose configurations in which the heat-acting surface is arranged in a bending region. In addition, for multiple electrothermal transducers,
JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a configuration in which a common slot is used as a discharge part of an electrothermal transducer, and JP-A-59-123670 which discloses a configuration in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge part. A configuration based on 138461 may be adopted.

Further, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either of the structure satisfying the requirement or the structure as one recording head integrally formed may be used.

In addition, by being attached to the apparatus main body, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can be supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by a replaceable chip type recording head or the recording head itself. Alternatively, a cartridge type recording head provided with an ink tank may be used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. . Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means for the recording head, preheating means using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, and recording. It is also effective to perform a stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which another discharge is performed.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above,
Although the ink is described as a liquid, an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, or one that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used, or the ink itself may be 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or more in the inkjet method. In general, the temperature is adjusted within the following range to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is in the stable ejection range. Therefore, the ink may be in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

In addition, in order to positively prevent the temperature rise due to the thermal energy from being used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state,
Alternatively, in order to prevent evaporation of the ink, an ink which solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used. In any case, by applying thermal energy such as ink that is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In such a case, as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, the ink is held in a liquid state or a solid state in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It is good also as a form which opposes an electrothermal transducer. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[0081]

As described above, in the color filter manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, when it is detected that the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate is a predetermined value or more, the inkjet head is detected. It is possible to prevent the defective product of the color filter from being manufactured by stopping the coloring operation.

[0082]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a color filter.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure when a color filter manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus of one embodiment is incorporated in a TFT liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus using a liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an information processing apparatus using a liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus using a liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a pattern of a color filter manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a size of a display unit when the color filter manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment is incorporated in a TFT liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a structure of an inkjet head.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the bending of the inkjet head IJH in the ink ejection direction and the waviness of the glass substrate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Glass Substrate 2 Black Matrix 3 Resin Composition 4 Mask 5 Non-ink-philic Part 6 Ink-philic Part 7 Ink 8 Protective Film 22 XY Stage 30 Recovery System Unit 108 Ejection Nozzle 120a Inkjet Head (R) 120b Inkjet Head (G) 120c Inkjet head (B) IJH Inkjet head

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a color filter for manufacturing a color filter by ejecting ink toward the substrate by an inkjet head to color each pixel of the color filter, the method comprising: A method of manufacturing a color filter, wherein coloring of the pixels by the inkjet head is stopped when the distance from the surface becomes a predetermined value or more. 2. The method of manufacturing a color filter according to claim 1, wherein when the coloring of the pixel is stopped, the operator is notified that the coloring of the pixel is stopped. 3. The method of manufacturing a color filter according to claim 1, wherein information about an ink ejection direction of the inkjet head is measured in advance and the predetermined value is determined. 4. When the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate is equal to or more than the predetermined value, the distance between the inkjet head and the substrate is adjusted to be less than the predetermined value, and coloring is performed. The method of manufacturing a color filter according to claim 1, further comprising a step of restarting. 5. The ink jet head is a head for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with a heat energy generator for generating heat energy given to the ink. 5. The method for manufacturing a color filter according to any one of 1 to 4. 6. A color filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by ejecting ink toward a substrate by an inkjet head to color each pixel of the color filter, the inkjet head comprising: Detecting means for detecting a distance to the surface during coloring of each pixel, and the detecting means detects that the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate is equal to or more than a predetermined value. And a control means for controlling the inkjet head so that the coloring of the pixels by the inkjet head is stopped. 7. The apparatus for manufacturing a color filter according to claim 6, further comprising an informing unit for notifying an operator that the coloring of the pixel has been stopped when the coloring of the pixel has been stopped. 8. An input unit capable of inputting to the control unit whether the operator stops or continues the coloring of the pixel when the coloring of the pixel is stopped by the notifying unit. The color filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: 9. The color according to claim 6, wherein the control unit stores in advance information regarding an ink ejection direction of the inkjet head, and the predetermined value is determined based on the information. Filter manufacturing equipment. 10. The distance between the inkjet head and the substrate is less than the predetermined value when the detecting means detects that the distance between the inkjet head and the surface of the substrate is equal to or more than the predetermined value. Further comprising an adjusting means for adjusting the height of the inkjet head to be adjusted by the adjusting means.
The apparatus for manufacturing a color filter according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet head resumes coloring. 11. The ink jet head is a head for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with a heat energy generator for generating heat energy to be given to the ink. 6 to 1
An apparatus for manufacturing a color filter according to any one of 0.