Liquid discharge apparatus, substrate processing apparatus and article manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12502894-B2
Application number	US-202318468010-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2023
Priority date	Sep 27, 2022
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A liquid discharge apparatus including a head configured to discharge a liquid, a chamber configured to contain the head, a circulation system configured to circulate a gas inside the chamber, an exhaust system configured to operate to exhaust the gas to an outside of the chamber, a filter provided in the circulation system and configured to remove a removal target contained in the gas, a detection unit configured to indirectly detect the removal target by detecting a detection target that is contained in the gas and different from the removal target, and a controller configured to operate the exhaust system when a concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit is not lower than a threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a head configured to discharge a liquid; a chamber configured to contain the head; a circulation system configured to circulate a gas inside the chamber; an exhaust system configured to operate to exhaust the gas to an outside of the chamber; a filter provided in the circulation system and configured to remove a removal target contained in the gas; a detection unit configured to indirectly detect the removal target by detecting a detection target that is contained in the gas and different from the removal target; and a controller configured to operate the exhaust system when a concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit is not lower than a threshold.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the liquid is discharged from the head, the removal target and the detection target scatter from the liquid inside the chamber.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an air supply system configured to operate to suck a gas outside the chamber to an inside of the chamber via an air supply port,
wherein the exhaust system operates to exhaust the gas inside the chamber to the outside of the chamber via an exhaust port, and the air supply system forms, by the gas sucked into the chamber via the air supply port, an airflow that sweeps away the gas inside the chamber toward the exhaust port.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller operates the exhaust system and the air supply system to equalize a flow rate of the gas exhausted to the outside of the chamber by the exhaust system and a flow rate of the gas sucked into the chamber by the air supply system.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the air supply system includes a plurality of nozzles configured to blow out, to the inside of the chamber, the gas sucked via the air supply port, and
each of the plurality of nozzles forms an airflow that sweeps away the gas inside the chamber toward the exhaust port by the gas blown out to the inside of the chamber.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes an interface configured to operate the exhaust system regardless of the concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a stage configured to hold a substrate on which the liquid discharged from the head is arranged; an interferometer configured to measure a position of the stage; and a correction unit configured to correct the position of the stage measured by the interferometer based on the concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the correction unit estimates a change amount of the position of the stage measured by the interferometer that corresponds to the concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit, and corrects the position of the stage measured by the interferometer using the change amount.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the circulation system to increase a flow rate of the gas circulated by the circulation system as the concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit increases.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter is provided on a preceding stage of the detection unit on a flow path of the gas circulated by the circulation system.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit includes a first detector configured to detect the detection target at a first portion inside the chamber, and a second detector configured to detect the detection target at the first portion, and
the detection unit monitors, by using the first detector and the second detector, whether the concentration of the detection target is correctly detected.

12 . The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein when a concentration of the detection target detected by the first detector and a concentration of the detection target detected by the second detector are different from each other, the controller operates the exhaust system.

13 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller operates the exhaust system to adjust a flow velocity of the gas exhausted to the outside of the chamber by the exhaust system to be not higher than 1 m/sec.

14 . The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the controller controls the circulation system to adjust a flow velocity of the gas circulated by the circulation system to be not higher than 1 m/sec.

15 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit becomes not lower than a predetermined concentration, the controller stops an operation of the liquid discharge apparatus excluding the circulation system and the exhaust system.

16 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detection target includes an organic component contained in the liquid, and
the removal target includes a quantum dot material contained in the liquid.

17 . The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the quantum dot material includes a heavy metal substance.

18 . The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the quantum dot material includes one of cadmium, indium, and lead.

19 . A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a head configured to discharge a liquid; a chamber configured to contain the head; a circulation system configured to circulate a gas inside the chamber; a filter provided in the circulation system and configured to remove a removal target contained in the gas; and a detection unit configured to indirectly detect the removal target by detecting a detection target that is contained in the gas and different from the removal target.

20 . The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the detection target includes an organic component contained in the liquid, and
the removal target includes a quantum dot material contained in the liquid.

21 . A substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, comprising:
a stage configured to hold the substrate; and a liquid discharge apparatus configured to discharge a liquid to the substrate held by the stage, wherein the liquid discharge apparatus includes a head configured to discharge the liquid; a chamber configured to contain the head; a circulation system configured to circulate a gas inside the chamber; an exhaust system configured to operate to exhaust the gas to an outside of the chamber; a filter provided in the circulation system and configured to remove a removal target contained in the gas; a detection unit configured to indirectly detect the removal target by detecting a detection target that is contained in the gas and different from the removal target; and a controller configured to operate the exhaust system when a concentration of the detection target detected by the detection unit is not lower than a threshold.

22 . A substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, comprising:
a stage configured to hold the substrate; and a liquid discharge apparatus configured to discharge a liquid to the substrate held by the stage, wherein the liquid discharge apparatus includes a head configured to discharge the liquid; a chamber configured to contain the head; a circulation system configured to circulate a gas inside the chamber; a f

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Nakayama Shugo
• Nishikawara Tomofumi
• Iimura Akiko
• Kuri Masahiro
• Yamamoto Tetsuya

Classifications

• B41J2/145

  Arrangement thereof · CPC title

• B41J2/04505

  aiming at correcting alignment · CPC title

• B41J2002/14403

  including a filter · CPC title

• H10K71/811

  Controlling the atmosphere during processing (H10K71/40 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10K71/135

  using ink-jet printing · CPC title