Systems for the manufacturing of waveguide cells in accordance with various embodiments can be configured and implemented in many different ways. In many embodiments, various deposition mechanisms are used to deposit layer(s) of optical recording material onto a transparent substrate. A second transparent substrate can be provided, and the three layers can be laminated to form a waveguide cell. Suitable optical recording material can vary widely depending on the given application. In some embodiments, the optical recording material deposited has a similar composition throughout the layer. In a number of embodiments, the optical recording material spatially varies in composition, allowing for the formation of optical elements with varying characteristics. Regardless of the composition of the optical recording material, any method of placing or depositing the optical recording material onto a substrate can be utilized.

An apparatus for preventing blockage of a floating stage includes a moving member moving between a floating stage for lifting a substrate and a nozzle disposed above the floating stage, and a cover installed on the moving member and moving between the floating stage and the nozzle by the moving member to cover the floating stage.

Problem: To provide a technology that enables easy and highly-accurate determination on a pool that has occurred at a bottom end of a nozzle.

Solution: Provided is a nozzle bottom pool detection method in a liquid material discharge device, the method including: a first process of moving a nozzle 103 to a sensing position above a sensing surface; a second process of moving the nozzle 103 downward until an interval between a bottom end of the nozzle 103 and the sensing surface 107a becomes equal to a predetermined sensing distance L and moving the nozzle 103 upward upon the interval reaching the predetermined sensing distance L; and a third process of detecting a pool at the bottom end of the nozzle 103 by a sensing device 104 sensing whether a liquid material adheres to the sensing surface 107a. Also provided is a detection device that executes the same method.