Methods and apparatus for inkjet printing

• US 20060092218A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Kurita, Shinichi, Shang, Quanyuan, White, John M., Ji, Hongbin, Jozwiak, Janusz, Sze, Fan Cheung, Beer, Emanual, Huang, Inchen
• Application Number:
  US11/019,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20060092218A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/40
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/003 for changing the angle between a print element array axis and the printing line, e.g. for dot density changes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/543 with multiple inkjet print heads B41J2/17503, B41J2/2103 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1303 Apparatus specially adapted to the manufacture of LCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133516 Methods for their manufacture, e.g. printing, electro-deposition or photolithography

Abstract

In a first aspect, a system is provided for inkjet printing. The system includes (1) at least one apparatus for inkjet printing having (a) a first inkjet print head including a first plurality of nozzles adapted to selectively dispense a first ink; (b) a second inkjet print head including a second plurality of nozzles adapted to selectively dispense a second ink; and (c) a set including the first and second print heads arranged such that the set is adapted to dispense the first and second inks into respective adjacent color wells of a display pixel on a substrate during a printing pass; and (2) a stage adapted to support the substrate and transport the substrate below the at least one apparatus for inkjet printing during the printing pass. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. A system for inkjet printing, comprising:

at least one apparatus for inkjet printing having;

a first inkjet print head including a first plurality of nozzles adapted to selectively dispense a first ink;

a second inkjet print head including a second plurality of nozzles adapted to selectively dispense a second ink; and

a set including the first and second print heads arranged such that the set is adapted to dispense the first and second inks into respective adjacent color wells of a display pixel on a substrate during a printing pass; and

a stage adapted to support the substrate and transport the substrate below the at least one apparatus for inkjet printing during the printing pass.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the set is further adapted to rotate about a central axis such that a center-to-center distance between adjacent nozzles of the first print head within the set in a direction perpendicular to a print direction is substantially equal to a width of the display pixel.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the set is further adapted to offset the first print head relative to the second print head in a direction perpendicular to a print direction by an amount such that a center-to-center distance in the direction perpendicular to the print direction between corresponding nozzles of the first and second print heads is approximately equal to a center-to-center distance of adjacent color wells of the display pixel in a display object on the substrate into which ink will be dispensed.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first print head is adapted to rotate about a central axis such that a center-to-center distance between adjacent nozzles of the first print head in a direction perpendicular to a print direction is substantially equal to a width of the display pixel.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the set is further adapted to reduce a number of printing passes required to dispense the first and second inks into respective adjacent color wells of display pixels on the substrate during inkjet printing.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second inks are different colored inks.

23. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least a second set of inkjet print heads adapted to dispense the first and second inks into respective adjacent color wells of an adjacent display pixel on the substrate during a printing pass.

7. An apparatus for inkjet printing, comprising:

a first inkjet print head including a first plurality of nozzles adapted to selectively dispense a first ink;

a second inkjet print head including a second plurality of nozzles adapted to selectively dispense a second ink; and

a set including the first and second print heads arranged such that the set is adapted to dispense the first and second inks into respective adjacent color wells of a display pixel on a substrate during a printing pass.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the set is further adapted to rotate about a central axis such that a center-to-center distance between adjacent nozzles of the first print head within the set in a direction perpendicular to a print direction is substantially equal to a width of the display pixel.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the set is further adapted to offset the first print head relative to the second print head in a direction perpendicular to a print direction by an amount such that a center-to-center distance in the direction perpendicular to the print direction between corresponding nozzles of the first and second print heads is approximately equal to a center-to-center distance of adjacent color wells of the display pixel in a display object on the substrate into which ink will be dispensed.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first print head is adapted to rotate about a central axis such that a center-to-center distance between adjacent nozzles of the first print head in a direction perpendicular to a print direction is substantially equal to a width of the display pixel.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the set is adapted to reduce a number of printing passes required to dispense the first and second inks into respective adjacent color wells of display pixels on the substrate during inkjet printing.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the first and second inks are different colored inks.

24. The system of claim 7 further comprising at least a second set of inkjet print heads adapted to dispense the first and second inks into respective adjacent color wells of an adjacent display pixel on the substrate during a printing pass.

13. A method of inkjet printing, comprising:

grouping a plurality of inkjet print heads into a set;

arranging the plurality of inkjet print heads in the set such that the set is operable to dispense different inks into respective adjacent color wells of a display pixel on a substrate during a printing pass; and

employing the set to dispense the different inks into respective adjacent color wells of the display pixel on the substrate during the printing pass.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein arranging the plurality of print heads in the set such that the set is operable to dispense different inks into respective adjacent color wells of the display pixel on the substrate during the printing pass includes rotating the set about a central axis such that a center-to-center distance between adjacent nozzles of a print head within the set in a direction perpendicular to a print direction is substantially equal to a width of the display pixel.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein arranging the plurality of print heads in the set such that the set is operable to dispense different inks into respective adjacent color wells of the display pixel on the substrate during the printing pass includes offsetting a first print head relative to a second print head in a direction perpendicular to a print direction by an amount such that a center-to-center distance in the direction perpendicular to the print direction between corresponding nozzles of the first and second print heads is approximately equal to a center-to-center distance of adjacent color wells of a display pixel in a display object into which ink will be dispensed.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein arranging the plurality of print heads in the set such that the set is operable to dispense different inks into respective adjacent color wells of the display pixel on the substrate during the printing pass includes rotating a print head about a central axis such that a center-to-center distance between adjacent nozzles of the print head in a direction perpendicular to a print direction is substantially equal to a width of the display pixel.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising reducing a number of printing passes required to dispense the different inks into respective adjacent color wells of display pixels on the substrate during inkjet printing.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the different inks include different colored inks.

19. A method of inkjet printing, comprising:

at least one of;

offsetting a first inkjet print head within a set including first and second inkjet print heads relative to the second print head in a direction perpendicular to a print direction by an offset amount; and

rotating the set about a central axis;

positioning the set to a home position; and

starting inkjet printing using the set such that inks from the first and second print heads are dispensed into respective adjacent color wells of a display pixel during an inkjet printing pass.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

offsetting the first inkjet print head within the set relative to the second print head in a direction perpendicular to the print direction by an offset amount includes offsetting the first inkjet print head relative to the second print head in the direction perpendicular to the print direction by an amount such that a center-to-center distance in the direction perpendicular to the print direction between corresponding nozzles of the first and second print heads is approximately equal to a center-to-center distance of adjacent color wells of the display pixel; and

rotating the set about a central axis includes rotating the set such that a center-to-center distance between adjacent nozzles of the first print head within the set in the direction perpendicular to the print direction is substantially equal to a width of the display pixel.

21. A method of inkjet printing, comprising:

grouping a plurality of inkjet print heads into a set; and

arranging the plurality of inkjet print heads in the set such that the set is operable to dispense different inks into respective adjacent color wells of a display pixel on a substrate during a printing pass.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising grouping a plurality of sets of inkjet print heads into an inkjet printing system.