Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-31
2002-04-02
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
active
06364450
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display device panel manufacturing method and apparatus for manufacturing a display device panel (display element) by coloring pixels on a substrate using heads and, for example, to a method and apparatus for manufacturing color filters used in a color TV, personal computer, and the like, a display device manufacturing method, a method of manufacturing an apparatus having the display device, and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With recent advances in portable personal computers, demand for liquid crystal displays, especially color liquid crystal displays has arisen. At the same time, demand has arisen for a reduction in the cost of apparatuses. It is required to reduce the cost of a color filter, in particular, which occupies a relatively large proportion of the total cost. Various methods have been tried to satisfy the required characteristics of color filters while meeting the above requirements. However, no method has yielded satisfactory results so far. The respective methods will be described below.
The first method is pigment dispersion, which is the most popular method. In this method, a pigment-dispersed photosensitive resin layer is formed on a substrate and patterned into a single-color pattern. This process is repeated three times to obtain R, G, and B color filter layers.
The second method is dyeing. In this method, a water-soluble polymer material as a dyeable material is formed on a glass substrate and patterned into a given shape by a photolithography process. The obtained pattern is dipped in a dye bath to obtain a colored pattern. This process is repeated three times to form R, G, and B color filter layers.
The third method is electrodeposition. In this method, a transparent electrode is patterned on a substrate, and the resultant structure is dipped in an electrodeposition coating fluid containing a pigment, resin, electrolyte, and the like to be colored in the first color by electrodeposition. This process is repeated three times to form R, G, and B color filter layers. Finally, these layers are calcined.
The fourth method is printing. In this method, a pigment is dispersed in a thermosetting resin, printing is repeated three times to form R, G, and B coatings separately, and the resins are cured, thereby forming colored layers. In any of the above methods, a protective layer is generally formed on the colored layers.
These methods have as their common feature that the same process must be repeated three times to obtain layers colored in three colors, i.e., R, G, and B. This causes an increase in cost. In addition, as the number of processes increases, the yield decreases. In the electrodeposition method, limitations are imposed on pattern shapes which can be formed. For this reason, with the existing techniques, this method cannot be applied to TFTs. In the print method, a pattern with a fine pitch cannot be formed because of poor resolution.
In order to eliminate these drawbacks, methods of manufacturing color filters by ink-jets are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 59-75205, 63-235901, 1-217320, 4-123005 and 9-138306. Unlike in the above conventional methods, in these methods, R (red), G (green), and B (blue) inks are sprayed from ink-jet heads onto predetermined positions on a transparent substrate, and the respective inks are dried on the substrate to form colored layers. According to these methods, R, G, and B layers can be formed at once, and ink can be efficiently used. This makes it possible to attain a great increase in productivity, a reduction in cost, and the like.
When color filters are manufactured by using such an ink-jet system, the nozzle surfaces of the ink-jet heads are smudged with ink after repeatedly discharging ink. For this reason, the nozzle surfaces must be periodically cleaned.
Conventionally, the nozzle surfaces have been cleaned by wiping the nozzle surfaces of the ink-jet heads with elastic, spongy wiping members.
In this case, the nozzle surfaces are generally cleaned by moving the wiping members in the direction in which the nozzles of each ink-jet head are arrayed or a direction perpendicular to the nozzle array.
In general, when the nozzle surfaces (orifice surfaces) of the ink-jet heads are repeatedly wiped, small flaws gradually form in those portions of the nozzle surfaces which are located near the orifices of the nozzles, and the water repellency of the water-repellent portions deteriorates. As a consequence, the flying directions of ink droplets discharged from the ink-jet head slightly change, and their landing positions are offset.
In general ink-jet printers, such landing position offsets are at a negligible level. In coloring high-resolution patterns such as color filters, however, these offsets cause color mixing among adjacent colored areas, resulting in a reduction in yield.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a color filter manufacturing method and apparatus which can manufacture a color filter without decreasing the yield even if the nozzle surfaces (orifice surfaces) of ink-jet heads are repeatedly wiped, a color filter manufactured by the manufacturing method, a method of manufacturing a display device having the color filter, a method of manufacturing an apparatus having the display device, and a display device panel manufacturing method and apparatus.
In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a color filter manufacturing method of manufacturing a color filter by discharging ink from an ink-jet head onto a color filter substrate to form colored areas in units of colors, which extend in a predetermined direction, the ink-jet head having an orifice surface in which orifices for discharging ink are formed and a water-repellent member covering at least peripheral portions of the orifices, comprising the steps of preparing a wiping member for wiping the orifice surface, and wiping the orifice surface with the wiping member, wherein a defective portion is produced in the water-repellent member as the orifice surface is wiped, and the defective portion is produced in the wiping direction, and wherein a wiping direction of the wiping member coincides with a direction along with the predetermined direction.
According to the present invention, there is provided a color filter manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter by discharging ink from an ink-jet head onto a color filter substrate to form colored areas in units of colors, which extend in a predetermined direction, the ink-jet head having an orifice surface in which orifices for discharging ink are formed and a water-repellent member covering at least peripheral portions of the orifices, comprising the steps of a wiping member for wiping the orifice surface, and wiping means for controlling wiping operation of said wiping member, wherein a defective portion is produced in the water-repellent member as the orifice surface is wiped, and the defective portion is produced in the wiping direction, and wherein a wiping direction of said wiping member controlled by said wiping means coincides with a direction along with the predetermined direction.
According to the present invention, there is provided a display device manufacturing method of manufacturing a display device using a color filter manufactured by discharging ink from an ink-jet head onto a color filter substrate to form colored areas in units of colors, which extend in a predetermined direction, the ink-jet head having an orifice surface in which orifices for discharging ink are formed and a water-repellent member covering at least peripheral portions of the orifices, comprising the steps of manufacturing a color filter by the manufacturing method described above, and integrating the color filter with light amount changing means for changing a light amount.
According to the present invention, there is provided a manufacturing method of manufact
Akahira Makoto
Yamaguchi Hiromitsu
Barlow John
Mouttet Blaise
LandOfFree
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