CN112007826A - Coating device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a coating device (10), comprising: a placing part (11) for placing a plate-shaped object to be coated (30); a film material coating part (12) for placing the film material (31) ) is applied along the coating direction on the plate surface (30A) of the object to be coated (30) placed on the placing portion (11); the cleaning portion (21), which is opposite to the film material The coating part (12) is arranged on the upstream side of the coating direction, and moves relative to the mounting part (11) together with the film material coating part (12) to remove the to-be-coated object (30) foreign matter on the plate surface (30A); the film material coating part (12) and the cleaning part (21) are integrally provided, and a moving driving part (17) is opposite to the placing part (11) Moving in the coating direction.

Description

Coating device

technical area

The present invention relates to a coating device for coating a film material on a plate-shaped object to be coated.

Background technique

For example, in a liquid crystal panel, one in which various types of layers are laminated on a transparent substrate including glass or the like is used. These layers are formed in a pattern by a so-called photolithography method in which a resist is applied on a substrate and exposed to light. That is, thin films constituting various layers are sequentially stacked in a predetermined pattern on the transparent substrate while the transparent substrate is conveyed between apparatuses such as a film forming apparatus, a resist coating apparatus, and an exposure apparatus.

Among them, the coating device for coating the resist liquid (hereinafter referred to as the coating liquid) has a stage, which adsorbs and holds the substrate, which is the object to be coated, and a coating section which discharges the coating liquid to the substrate, The part moves the substrate while discharging the coating liquid, thereby forming a coating film of a predetermined thickness on the substrate (coating step). Before such a coating step, a step of removing foreign matter on the substrate (foreign matter removing step) is performed.

prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-131026

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in the formation of a pattern in the above-mentioned substrate for liquid crystal, etc., there is a problem that a pattern defect in which a part of the film remains in a portion where the pattern is not required occurs. The cause of such a pattern failure is thought to be caused by the inclusion of foreign matter (dust) on the substrate during application of the resist solution. That is, although the foreign matter on the substrate is temporarily removed by the foreign matter removing step performed before the coating step, it is conceivable that the new foreign matter is then reattached to the substrate before the coating step is performed.

Such foreign matter is often generated by the drive unit or the like accompanying the dynamic operation. For example, it is conceivable that a drive unit for moving a cleaning device for removing foreign matter on the substrate on the substrate is a source of new foreign matter. In addition, when the foreign material removal step and the coating step are performed separately, in the middle of the foreign material removal step, that is, in the middle of driving the cleaning device, since the coating step cannot be performed, there is a problem of poor productivity.

The present invention has been made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus with high production efficiency, which is difficult for foreign matter to be drawn in.

means of solving problems

(1) One embodiment of the present invention is a coating apparatus including: a placing portion for placing a plate-shaped object to be coated; and a film material coating portion for applying a film material in a coating direction On the plate surface of the object to be coated placed on the placement portion; the cleaning portion is arranged on the upstream side of the coating direction relative to the film material coating portion, The film material coating part moves relative to the placing part together to remove foreign matter on the board surface of the object to be coated; wherein the film material coating part and the cleaning part are integrally arranged, by a The moving drive unit moves in the application direction with respect to the placement unit.

(2) In addition, another embodiment of the present invention is a coating apparatus, in which, in addition to the configuration of (1) above, the cleaning unit includes: a gas injection unit that injects gas to the object to be coated; The gas suction part is provided on the downstream side in the coating direction rather than the gas injection part to suction the gas.

Invention effect

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a coating apparatus in which foreign matter is difficult to be drawn in and has high production efficiency.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a resist coating apparatus according to an embodiment.

Detailed ways

An embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . The coating apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is used, for example, to manufacture the substrate 30 constituting a liquid crystal panel, and coats the resist 31 while cleaning the substrate 30 in which foreign matter such as fine dust and chips have adhered to the surface.

In addition, in the following description, let the right side of FIG. 1 be the upstream side of the coating direction, and let the left side of FIG. 1 be the downstream side of the coating direction. In this coating apparatus 10 , the substrate 30 is held by suction on the mounting table 11 and fixed in a horizontal state with the coating surface 30A facing the upper side. The board|substrate 30 has a rectangular plate shape, and its long-side direction corresponds to the application direction (referred to as X direction), and its short-side direction corresponds to a direction orthogonal to the application direction (hereinafter referred to as width direction, Y direction). In addition, let the thickness direction of a board|substrate be a Z direction.

First, the substrate 30 will be briefly described. The substrate 30 (an example of the object to be coated) constitutes a liquid crystal panel, and a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules, which are substances whose optical characteristics change with application of an electric field, can be sandwiched between a pair of substrates 30, whereby a well-known constituted of the LCD panel. One of the pair of substrates 30 is a CF substrate, and the other is an array substrate. The CF substrate and the array substrate are each formed by laminating various films on the inner surface side of the glass substrate.

Switching elements, that is, a plurality of TFTs (Thin Film Transistors, thin film transistors) and pixel electrodes are arranged in a matrix on the display substrate, and around these TFTs and pixel electrodes, grid-shaped gate wirings and source wirings are formed. surrounded by layout. In addition, a common electrode is provided on the lower layer of the pixel electrode via an insulating layer.

On the other hand, on the CF substrate, a color filter in which colored portions of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are repeatedly arranged in a matrix is provided. The coloring portions (pixels) of the color filter are separated by a light shielding portion (black matrix), and this light shielding portion prevents color mixing in which the light of each color transmitted through the coloring portions is mixed with each other. In addition, on the CF substrate, columnar PSs (photo spacers) for sandwiching liquid crystals are arranged at a predetermined density in the light shielding portion while maintaining a gap between the array substrates at predetermined intervals.

The above-mentioned CF layer and TFT layer are formed by a known photolithography method. That is, while conveying the glass substrate between each apparatus such as a film forming apparatus used in a photolithography method, a resist coating apparatus, an exposure apparatus, etc., the CFs are sequentially stacked on the glass substrate in a predetermined order to form CFs. layer and each thin film of the TFT layer.

The coating apparatus 10 of this embodiment shows an example of the resist coating apparatus 10 for coating the resist liquid 31 among the various apparatuses mentioned above. As shown in FIG. 1 , the resist coating apparatus 10 includes: a mounting table 11 (an example of a mounting portion) that adsorbs and holds a substrate 30; and a coating unit 12 (an example of a film material coating portion) that is arranged on the mounting Above the stage 11 and apply a resist 31 (an example of a film material) on the surface (coating surface 30A) of the substrate 30 placed on the stage 11; a cleaning head 21 (an example of a cleaning section), It is arranged above the mounting table 11 in the same manner, and foreign matter on the surface of the substrate 30 is removed.

Among them, the coating unit 12 includes a coating nozzle 13 and discharges the resist liquid 31 to the coating surface 30A of the substrate 30 . The coating nozzle 13 includes a slit-shaped discharge portion 14 , and this discharge portion 14 extends in the width direction of the substrate 30 and has substantially the same size as the width of the substrate 30 . In addition, on the upstream side (right side in FIG. 1 ) of the coating nozzle 13 , a plate-shaped protection rod 15 extending in the width direction of the substrate 30 is provided to avoid the collision between the coating nozzle 13 and the foreign matter on the substrate 30 . . The protection rod 15 is provided so that its front end is slightly closer to the substrate 30 than the front end (discharge portion 14 ) of the coating nozzle 13 .

In the coating unit 12 , a substrate thickness measuring device 16 for measuring the thickness of the substrate 30 with a sensor is provided on the upstream side of the guard rod 15 . With this substrate thickness measuring device 16, the thickness of the substrate 30 before the resist liquid 31 is applied is measured, and based on the measured value, the discharge amount of the resist liquid 31 in the coating nozzle 13 can be adjusted.

This coating unit 12 is connected to a movement drive unit 17 for moving the coating unit 12 in the coating direction (rightward direction in FIG. 1 ) with respect to the mounting table 11 . That is, the coating of the resist liquid 31 is performed by moving the coating unit 12 in the horizontal direction (coating direction, X direction) while discharging the resist liquid 31 on the substrate 30 . In the present embodiment, the process of forming the coating film of the resist liquid 31 is performed by applying the coating once from the side to the side of the substrate 30 .

In the resist coating apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the above-described cleaning head 21 is provided on the upstream side (right side in FIG. 1 ) of the coating unit 12 . The cleaning head 21 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a pair of air vents extending in the width direction of the substrate 30 and aligned in the coating direction (X-axis direction) are formed on the surface facing the substrate 30 . The air vent on the upstream side in the coating direction is an air jet port (an example of a gas jetting portion) 23 for jetting high-pressure air sent from an air compressed blower to the substrate 30 , on the downstream side in the coating direction The ventilation port is an air suction port 24 (an example of a gas suction part) through which air is sucked by a suction blower. The distance between the cleaning head 21 and the surface (coating surface 30A) of the substrate 30 was set to approximately 3 mm, and hoods 23A and 24A widening toward the substrate 30 were attached to the respective vents. The foreign matter adhering to the surface of the substrate 30 is drawn in by the air jetted from the air jetting port 23 , and then sucked and removed by the air suction port 24 .

The cleaning head 21 is provided integrally with the coating unit 12 . That is, the cleaning head 21 moves with respect to the stage 11 (substrate 30 ) in a state of being integrated with the coating unit 12 by the movement driving unit 17 connected to the coating unit 12 , and is moved by the coating nozzle 13 . Before the resist liquid 31 is applied, the entire surface of the substrate 30 (the application surface 30A) is cleaned to remove foreign matter on the substrate 30 . In other words, the resist liquid 31 is applied on the substrate 30 immediately after the foreign matter is removed.

The resist coating apparatus 10 of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the operation and effects will be described next. The resist coating apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is configured to include: a mounting table 11 on which a plate-shaped substrate 30 is mounted; and a coating unit 12 for coating a resist liquid 31 on a substrate in a coating direction (direction X). The coating surface 30A of the substrate 30 placed on the stage 11; the cleaning head 21, which is arranged on the upstream side of the coating direction with respect to the coating unit 12, can be set relative to the stage 11 together with the coating unit 12. Move and remove foreign matter on the coating surface 30A of the substrate 30 ; wherein the coating unit 12 and the cleaning head 21 are integrally provided, and move relative to the mounting table 11 along the coating direction by a moving part 17 .

According to the above configuration, since the substrate 30 is cleaned before the resist liquid 31 is applied, the possibility of foreign matter remaining on the substrate 30 during the application of the resist liquid 31 is low, and it is possible to suppress the pattern caused by the entrapment of foreign matter. bad. Therefore, the yield will be improved. In addition, a previously installed cleaning device or the like for removing foreign matter is not required, and space can be saved. According to the resist coating apparatus 10 of the cleaning head-integrated type as in the present embodiment, since only the cleaning head 21 is enlarged in the original resist coating apparatus, it is not necessary to provide a new space.

In addition, since the coating unit 12 and the cleaning head 21 are configured to move with respect to the mounting table 11 by one moving drive unit 17, dust generation can be suppressed and the device can be for a simple configuration.

Furthermore, if the cleaning by the cleaning device alone is performed before the application of the resist liquid 31, the application of the resist liquid 31 cannot be performed during the cleaning process, and a loss occurs during the processing time. In addition, there is a possibility that new foreign matter may be generated during cleaning by the moving drive unit provided in the cleaning device. According to the integrated device of the present embodiment, the cleaning head 21 and the coating unit 12 can be moved simultaneously by one movement driving unit 17, and the resist solution 31 can be applied while removing foreign matter, so that the processing time is not lost. . Therefore, the production efficiency is good.

In addition, in the resist coating apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the cleaning head 21 includes: an air jet port 23 for jetting gas to the substrate 30 ; and an air suction port 24 provided in the coating direction rather than the air jet port 23 on the downstream side, attracting air. According to such a structure, the foreign matter entangled in the air injection port 23 on the upstream side can be removed by the air suction port 24 on the downstream side. Therefore, foreign matter on the substrate 30 can be effectively removed.

In view of this, according to the present embodiment, the resist coating apparatus 10 in which foreign matter is unlikely to be entangled and the productivity is good can be obtained.

<Other Embodiments>

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings, and, for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) The form of the cleaning portion is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and any form can be used as long as it does not affect the surface of the object to be coated, such as a roller, a brush, or the like.

(2) In addition, the cleaning head 21 may be configured such that, for example, only air suction ports are provided to remove foreign matter only by suction, but it is preferable to use air jet in combination to effectively remove minute foreign matter.

(3) In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the ejection port 23 is provided on the upstream side of the cleaning head 21 and the suction port 24 is provided on the downstream side, but the air suction port may be provided on the upstream side of the cleaning head, and the suction port 24 is provided on the upstream side of the cleaning head. The reverse configuration of the air injection port is provided on the downstream side.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the movement driving unit 17 is provided on the coating unit 12 side, but the movement driving unit 17 may be provided on the cleaning head 21 side. In short, it is sufficient that the coating unit 12 and the cleaning head 21 are simultaneously moved by one movement driving part 17 .

(5) The foreign matter to be removed is not limited to originating from the drive unit, and the technique of the present invention can be applied to all foreign matter adhering to the object to be coated.

(6) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the example in which the resist liquid 31 is applied to the liquid crystal substrate 30 is shown. The material to be applied and the film material are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the technology of the present invention can be applied to semiconductor substrates, plasma Display substrates for displays, glass substrates for photomasks, etc., various types of coating materials and objects to be coated.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, the coating unit 12 and the cleaning head 21 are configured to move simultaneously, but the coating unit 12 and the cleaning head 21 may be fixed to move the stage 11 (substrate 30 ).

Description of reference numerals

10: resist coating device (coating device), 11: mounting table (mounting portion), 12: coating unit (film material coating portion), 13: coating nozzle (film material coating portion), 17: moving drive part, 21: cleaning head (cleaning part), 23: air injection port (gas injection part), 24: air suction port (gas suction part), 30: substrate (object to be coated), 30A: coating Cloth surface, 31: resist liquid (film material), X: coating direction

Claims (2)

1. A coating apparatus, comprising:

a placement unit for placing a plate-like object to be coated;

a film material coating section for coating a film material on a plate surface of the object to be coated placed on the placement section in a coating direction;

a cleaning unit that is disposed upstream in the coating direction with respect to the film material coating unit and that removes foreign matter on the plate surface of the object to be coated by moving together with the film material coating unit with respect to the placement unit; wherein

The film material coating portion and the cleaning portion are integrally provided, and are moved in the coating direction relative to the mounting portion by a movement driving portion.

2. Coating device according to claim 1,

the cleaning portion includes: a gas injection unit that injects a gas toward the object to be coated; and a gas suction unit provided downstream of the gas ejection unit in the coating direction to suck the gas.

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