Method for forming deposit, droplet ejection apparatus, electro-optic device, and liquid crystal display

Abstract

A deposit forming method including ejecting droplets of a deposit forming material onto a substrate, thereby forming a deposit by the droplets on the substrate, is provided. The droplets are ejected along a direction inclined at a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction with respect to a normal line of the substrate and at a predetermined pitch in the predetermined direction. The predetermined angle is set in correspondence with the diameter of each of the droplets and the predetermined pitch in such a manner that the dimension of a dot formed by each droplet on the substrate in the predetermined direction becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined pitch.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description of the presently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a liquid crystal display according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the liquid crystal display of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a droplet ejection apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a droplet ejection head of the droplet ejection apparatus of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are side views illustrating the droplet ejection head;

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining droplet ejection by the droplet ejection apparatus of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram representing the electric configuration of the droplet ejection apparatus of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing a droplet ejection apparatus of a comparative example of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deposit forming method comprising ejecting droplets of a deposit forming material onto a substrate, thereby forming a deposit by the droplets on the substrate, wherein the droplets are ejected along a direction inclined at a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction with respect to a normal line of the substrate and at a predetermined pitch in the predetermined direction, andwherein the predetermined angle is set in correspondence with the diameter of each of the droplets and the predetermined pitch in such a manner that the dimension of a dot formed by each droplet on the substrate in the predetermined direction becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined pitch.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is set in such a manner as to satisfy the formula: arccos (R/W)≦θ<90) in which R, W, and θ represent the diameter of each droplet, the predetermined pitch, and the predetermined angle, respectively.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the droplets are ejected from a plurality of ejection ports formed in an ejection port forming surface, and wherein the setting of the predetermined angle is carried out by inclining the ejection port forming surface with respect to the normal line of the substrate.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the substrate is moved relatively to the ejection port forming surface in the predetermined direction when the droplets are ejected onto the substrate.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deposit formed on the substrate is an alignment film.

6. A droplet ejection apparatus that ejects droplets of a deposit forming material onto a substrate for forming a deposit by the droplets on the substrate, wherein the droplets are ejected along a direction inclined at a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction with respect to a normal line of the substrate and at a predetermined pitch in the predetermined direction, the apparatus comprising: an ejection port forming surface opposed to the substrate, wherein a plurality of linearly arranged ejection ports through which the droplets are ejected are formed in the ejection port forming surface;a tilt mechanism that tilts the ejection port forming surface about a tilt axis extending parallel with the direction in which the ejection ports are arranged; andan angle setting section that sets the predetermined angle by controlling operation of the tilt mechanism in correspondence with the diameter of each of the droplets and the predetermined pitch in such a manner that the dimension of a dot formed by each of the droplets on the substrate in the predetermined direction becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined pitch.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the angle setting section includes: a tilt information generating section that generates, in correspondence with the diameter of each droplet and the predetermined pitch, tilt information in accordance with which operation of the tilt mechanism is controlled in correspondence with the diameter of each droplet and the predetermined pitch, in such a manner that the dimension of the outline of each dot in the predetermined direction becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined pitch; anda control section that controls the operation of the tilt mechanism based on the tilt information generated by the tilt information generating section.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the tilt information generating section generates the tilt information in such a manner as to satisfy the formula: arccos (R/W)≦θ<90) in which R, W, and θ represent the diameter of each droplet, the predetermined pitch, and the predetermined angle, respectively.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, comprising: a movement mechanism that moves the substrate and the ejection port forming surface relative to each other when the droplets are ejected onto the substrate,wherein the angle setting section controls the operation of the tilt mechanism in such a manner that the predetermined direction becomes the same as the movement direction of the substrate relative to the ejection port forming surface.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the movement mechanism is a stage on which the substrate can be mounted, the stage transporting the substrate mounted on the stage in the movement direction.

11. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the deposit formed on the substrate is an alignment film.

12. An electro-optic device including a substrate on which a deposit has been formed using the apparatus according to claim 6.

13. A liquid crystal display including a substrate on which an alignment film has been formed using the device according to claim 11.