Seiko Epson Corporation

Tomomi Kawase

Satoru Katagami

Hisashi Aruga

Tatsuya Ito

Hiroshi Kiguchi

Masaharu Shimizu

Naoyuki Toyoda

Kazuaki Sakurada

Kei Hiruma

A droplet ejection apparatus includes first to fourth droplet ejection heads for ejecting a first liquid material and fifth and sixth droplet ejection heads for ejecting a second liquid material. The first and second droplet ejection heads, the third and fourth droplet ejection heads, and the fifth and sixth droplet ejection heads are arranged along a first direction so that nozzles of the first and second droplet ejection heads, the third and fourth droplet ejection heads, and the fifth and sixth droplet ejection heads are consecutive with a predetermined pitch via a first seam, a second seam and a third seam, respectively, when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The third seam is arranged between the first seam and the second seam when viewed from the second direction.

Head unit, droplet ejection apparatus, method of manufacturing panel from base, image display apparatus and electronic apparatus

A method of manufacturing a panel from a base using a droplet ejection apparatus including two groups of heads with each group including first to fourth heads. In each group, the nozzle arrays of the first and third heads overlap throughout a first sub-area, the nozzle arrays of the first and fourth heads overlap throughout a second sub-area, and the nozzle arrays of the second and fourth heads overlap throughout a third sub-area when viewed from a second direction. The second sub-areas of the two groups partially overlap each other when viewed from the second direction. The method includes preparing the base, and supplying the liquid materials of the predetermined colors onto the base in the form of the droplets by ejecting the droplets by the droplet ejection apparatus while mutually moving the base and the head unit in the second direction.

Droplet ejection apparatus, method of manufacturing panel from base, image display apparatus and electronic apparatus

The present invention provides a color filter substrate that can include color filters, which are formed in at least a display region and each of which are composed of colored portions, and a light shielding layer on a substrate main body. The light shielding layer can be formed on the approximately entire surface of a color filter non-forming region, in addition to the display region. Further, the colored portions can be formed by an inkjet method, and the color filter substrate can further include a resin member for partitioning pixels for forming the respective colored portions, and the resin member can be formed on the approximately entire surface of the color filter non-forming region, in addition to along the peripheries of the respective colored portions.

Electrooptical device and electronic equipment having resin film in light emitting region and sealing region

A droplet ejection apparatus includes a plurality of droplet ejection heads divided into three groups with each group including first to fourth heads with a second head being disposed between the third and fourth heads, and the third head being disposed between the first and second heads when viewed in a direction parallel to nozzle arrays. In each group, the nozzle array of the first head overlaps the nozzle array of the third head throughout a first sub-area, the nozzle array of the first head overlaps the nozzle array of the fourth head throughout a second sub-area, and the nozzle array of the second head overlaps the nozzle array of the fourth head throughout a third sub-area when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the nozzle arrays. The second sub-areas of the three groups partially overlap each other when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the nozzle arrays.

Droplet ejection apparatus, a method of manufacturing a panel from a base, an image display apparatus and an electronic apparatus

A head unit for use in a droplet ejection apparatus is provided with a plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting liquid material of a predetermined color onto a base as droplets. In each of the droplet ejection heads, first and second nozzle arrays are arranged in a side by side relation in a second direction and nozzles of the first nozzle array are shifted with a half pitch in a first direction perpendicular to the second direction with respect to the nozzles of the second nozzle array when viewed from the second direction. The nozzles of the first and second nozzle arrays of the first and second droplet ejection heads of the first set are arranged so as not to overlap with the nozzles of the first and second nozzle arrays of the third and fourth droplet ejection heads of the second set when viewed from the second direction.

A head unitfor use in a droplet ejection apparatus is provided with a plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting some kinds of liquid materials each having a predetermined color onto a base in the form of droplets. Each of the droplet ejection heads includes at least one nozzle array constituted from a plurality of nozzles linearly aligned. The some kinds of liquid materials are adapted to be ejected through the plurality of nozzles of the plurality of droplet ejection heads in the form of droplets. The plurality of droplet ejection heads include at least two sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads which are arranged in a consecutive manner in a first direction parallel to each of the nozzle arrays. The two adjacent nozzle arrays of each of the at least two sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads are arranged so that the nozzles thereof are consecutive via a seam between the two adjacent nozzle arrays of the two adjacent droplet ejection heads when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. All the sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads for ejecting the droplets of the some kinds of liquid materials are arranged so that all the seams thereof are shifted with respect to each other in the first direction when viewed from the second direction.

Head unit, a droplet ejection apparatus, a method of manufacturing a panel from a base, an image display apparatus and an electronic apparatus

The present invention provides a system which shortens the scanning time with an ink jet head for forming a pattern of filter elements of a color filter, picture element pixels of an electroluminescence (EL) device, or the like. An apparatus for producing a color filter can include a plurality of filter elements arranged on a substrate. The apparatus can further include a plurality of heads each having a nozzle row having a plurality of nozzles arranged, an ink supply device for supplying a filter element material to the heads, a carriage supporting the heads arranged thereon, a main scanning driving device for moving the carriage by main scanning in the X direction, and a sub-scanning driving device for moving the carriage by sub-scanning in the Y direction. The carriage supports the plurality of heads each of which is inclined at an in-plane inclination angle &#x3b8;.

Apparatus and method for producing color filters by discharging material

A droplet discharge apparatus includes: a tank for storing a function liquid; a first supply tube for supplying the function liquid; a plurality of pressure control valves for controlling a pressure of the function liquid supplied from the tank via the first supply tube, to a predetermined pressure and then letting out the function liquid; a plurality of droplet discharge heads for discharging the function liquid let out from the pressure control valves in the form of droplets; and a plurality of second supply tubes for connecting outlets of the pressure control valves and inlets of the droplet discharge heads so that the function liquid let out from the pressure control valves is supplied to the droplet discharge heads. Distances between the outlets and the corresponding inlets are different from one another, and lengths of the second supply tubes are equalized so that resistances of flow paths between the outlets and the corresponding inlets are equalized.

Droplet discharge apparatus

A droplet discharge method for discharging a liquid material from a discharge device and arranging the liquid material in a specified quantity on a substrate, the discharge device includes a nozzle for discharging the liquid material in droplets, and the droplet discharge method include the steps of cleaning the nozzle using the liquid material, and arranging at least a part of the liquid material used for cleaning on the substrate.

Droplet discharge method, droplet discharge apparatus, manufacturing method for liquid crystal device, liquid crystal device, and electronic apparatus

A head unit includes first to fourth droplet ejection heads. The first and second droplet ejection heads are arranged along a first direction parallel to nozzle arrays so that the nozzles constitute a first consecutive long nozzle array when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Also, the nozzles of the third and fourth droplet ejection heads constitute a second consecutive long nozzle array. In the first to fourth droplet ejection heads the nozzle arrays are arranged side by side in the second direction and the first nozzle array is shifted with a half pitch in the first direction with respect to the second nozzle array when viewed from the second direction. The nozzles of the first and second droplet ejection heads are arranged so as not to overlap with the nozzles of the third and fourth droplet ejection heads when viewed from the second direction.

The invention makes uniform, in a plane, optical properties of optical members, such as the distribution properties of light transmission of a color filter, the color display properties of a liquid crystal device, and the light emission properties of an EL luminescent plane. During main scanning of color filter formation areas of a board in the X direction with an ink jet head having a nozzle row formed of a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row, a filter material is selectively discharged from the plurality of the nozzles to each of filer element areas arranged in a dot matrix to form filter elements, producing a color filter. First, the nozzle row is moved to positions 'a' and 'b' by main scanning in the X direction to enhance wettability of the surface of the areas and then main scanning is executed at each of the positions while successively moving the nozzle row to positions &#x201c;c&#x201d; through &#x201c;k&#x201d; by sub-scanning, thereby repeatedly discharging ink in the same portion of the areas.

Method and apparatus for producing color filter, method and apparatus for manufacturing liquid crystal device, method and apparatus for manufacturing EL device, method of discharging material, apparatus for controlling head and electronic apparatus

The invention provides a method for suppressing insufficient spread of droplets or mixing of the droplets in neighboring regions when a liquid material is disposed in the regions on a substrate by ejecting the droplets composed of the liquid material. In addition, for a display device, the structure in which insufficient spread of droplets or mixing of the droplets in neighboring regions can be suppressed and the manufacturing method therefor are provided. To accomplish the above, substantially square regions can be formed by a partition provided on a substrate. In each region, among internal surfaces and of the partition surrounding this region, the internal surfaces forming the long sides of the region have irregularities. In addition, the distance between parts of the partition opposing each other with one of regions provided therebetween is increased and decreased along the long side of the region. Furthermore, along the long side of the region, the width of the partition will be increased and decreased.

Method for disposing material by droplet ejection, display device, method for manufacturing display device, and electronic apparatus

A head unitfor use in a droplet ejection apparatus is provided with a plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting one or more kind of liquid material of a predetermined color onto a base in the form of droplets. Each of the droplet ejection heads includes at least one nozzle array constituted from a plurality of nozzles linearly aligned. The liquid material is adapted to be ejected through the plurality of nozzles of the plurality of droplet ejection heads in the form of droplets. The plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting the liquid material of the same color are arranged so that the nozzle arrays of the plurality of droplet ejection heads are parallel to each other in a first direction and each of the plurality of droplet ejection heads partially overlaps at least one of the other droplet ejection heads when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. All the plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting the liquid material of the same color which are partially overlapped each other eject the liquid material onto a predetermined region of the base in the form of droplets.

A head unitfor use in a droplet ejection apparatus is provided with a plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting one or more kind of liquid material of a predetermined color onto a base in the form of droplets. Each of the droplet ejection heads includes at least one nozzle array constituted from a plurality of nozzles linearly aligned. The liquid material is adapted to be ejected through the plurality of nozzles of the plurality of droplet ejection heads in the form of droplets. The plurality of droplet ejection heads include at least two sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads which are arranged in a consecutive manner in a first direction parallel to each of the nozzle arrays. The two adjacent nozzle arrays of each of the at least two sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads are arranged so that the nozzles thereof are consecutive via a seam between the two adjacent nozzle arrays of the two adjacent droplet ejection heads when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The at least two sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads for ejecting the droplets of the liquid material of the same color are arranged so that all the seams thereof are shifted with respect to each other in the first direction when viewed from the second direction.

The invention enables color characteristics to always be enhanced in both reflection mode display and transmission mode display in the transreflective type liquid crystal device. The present invention provides a liquid crystal device including a color filter formed on one substrate of a pair of substrates with interposition of a liquid crystal. The color filter includes a dividing materialto divide the surface of the substrate into plural regions, a reflection layer formed in each region, a color pixel and a protective layer formed on the reflection layer. The thickness of the reflection layer is significantly different within the divided region, and a high transmission region having a transmittance of 50% or less is formed in the reflection layer formed to be thinner than the reference thickness. When the color pixel is formed with a thick film corresponding to the high transmission region, a bright display becomes possible in the reflection mode display, and a transreflective type liquid crystal device is obtained with enhanced color characteristics in both transmission mode display and reflection mode display.

Display substrate, liquid crystal device using display substrate, electronic appliances comprising liquid crystal device, and method for manufacturing thereof

Growing community of inventors

Matsumoto, Japan

Tomomi Kawase