Back to results
US 8,464,652 B2Granted
Film forming apparatus and method of forming film
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorOsamu Kasuga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A temperature adjustment unit is provided to a chamber for accommodating a stage, a discharge head, and a maintenance device. The temperature adjustment unit adjusts the temperature of the maintenance area at least while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the maintenance area to be equal to or greater than the temperature of the drawing area while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the drawing area.
Claims8
A film-forming apparatus comprising:
- a stage for mounting a substrate;
- a discharge head having a nozzle surface provided with a plurality of nozzles and configured and arranged to discharge droplets of a functional liquid from nozzles of the nozzle surface;
- a maintenance device configured and arranged to perform maintenance of the discharge head;
- and
- a chamber accommodating the stage, the discharge head, and the maintenance device, with the chamber including a drawing area, in which the stage is arranged, a maintenance area, in which the maintenance device is arranged, and a transport device configured and arranged to move the discharge head between the drawing area and the maintenance area inside the chamber, and
- a temperature adjustment unit provided to the chamber and configured and arranged to adjust the temperature of the maintenance area at least while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the maintenance area to be equal to or greater than the temperature of the drawing area while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the drawing area.
3 more elements
A film-forming apparatus comprising:
- a discharge head configured and arranged to discharge droplets of a functional liquid from nozzles;
- a maintenance device configured and arranged to perform maintenance of the discharge head;
- a chamber having a drawing area, in which the discharge head discharges droplets on a substrate, and a maintenance area, in which the maintenance device performs maintenance of the discharge head;
- a temperature adjustment unit configured and arranged to adjust the temperature inside the chamber;
- and
- a transport device configured and arranged to move the discharge head between the drawing area and the maintenance area,
- the temperature adjustment unit being configured and arranged to adjust the temperature of the maintenance area while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the maintenance area to be equal to or greater than the temperature of the drawing area while die transport device has the discharge head positioned in the drawing area.
4 more elements
A method of forming a film comprising:
- discharging droplets of a functional liquid from nozzles of a nozzle surface of a discharge head onto a substrate to form a film on the substrate in a drawing area inside of a chamber;
- performing maintenance of the discharge head by a maintenance device in a maintenance area inside the chamber;
- moving the discharge head between the drawing area and the maintenance area by a transport device;
- and
- adjusting the temperature of the maintenance area at least in the period when the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the maintenance area to be equal to or greater than the temperature of the drawing area while the transport device has the discharge head positioned in the drawing area.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.