# US 8,464,652 B2 · Film forming apparatus and method of forming film

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- Number: US 8,464,652 B2
- Document ID: US8464652B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/757,633
- Filed: 2010-04-09
- Published: 2010-10-21
- Granted: 2013-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2009-04-20
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Osamu Kasuga
- Inventors: Osamu Kasuga
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8464652B2

## CPC

- B41J 11/0015: {for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing (selective coating B41J2/2114)}
- B41J 3/28: for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes {, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers}
- B41J 3/407: for marking on special material
- G02F 1/1303: {Apparatus specially adapted to the manufacture of LCDs}
- G02B 5/201: {in the form of arrays}
- G02F 1/133516: {Methods for their manufacture, e.g. printing, electro-deposition or photolithography}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising
a partition shutter openably/closeably disposed between the drawing area and the maintenance area.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
the temperature adjustment unit includes an air-conditioning device provided to the chamber.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the temperature adjustment unit includes a control device arranged in the maintenance area and configured and arranged to control driving of the discharge head.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the temperature adjustment unit includes a drive source of the transport device arranged in the maintenance area.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the maintenance device includes a capping unit configured and arranged to mount a cap on the nozzle surface of the discharge head.

### Claim 7

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.

### Claim 8

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.