CN112403831A

CN112403831A - Apparatus and method for coating solution and laminating method

Info

Publication number: CN112403831A
Application number: CN202010838164.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 成元珉; 金性秀; 金振亿; 牟承焕; 崔汀亨
Original assignee: AP Systems Inc
Current assignee: AP Systems Inc
Priority date: 2019-08-22
Filing date: 2020-08-19
Publication date: 2021-02-26
Also published as: TW202128287A; KR20210023275A; KR102354878B1

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for coating a solution and a laminating method, and more particularly, to an apparatus for coating a solution, a method for coating a solution and a laminating method using the same. The apparatus for coating a solution includes a support table, a solution discharge unit, and a semi-hardening unit. The solution discharge unit includes: a nozzle member having an accommodating space communicating with the discharge hole; a movable body having at least a portion disposed in the receiving space of the nozzle member to linearly move toward the discharge hole, thereby opening and closing the discharge hole; and a solution supply part supplying the solution to the accommodation space of the nozzle part.

Description

Apparatus and method for coating solution and laminating method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for coating a solution, a method for coating a solution, and a laminating method using the same, and more particularly, to an apparatus for semi-hardening a discharged solution for a coating solution, a method for coating a solution, and a laminating method using the same.

Background

In recent years, flat panel displays, such as Plasma Display Panels (PDPs), Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs), electrophoretic displays (EPDs), and Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), have been developed and used.

In manufacturing a flat display, a process of laminating a substrate including a transistor array and a substrate including a color filter array is performed, and to achieve this, a process of coating an adhesive solution on the substrate including the transistor array is performed.

Generally, an adhesive solution having a high viscosity supplied from a syringe by using pneumatic pressure is coated in a line form on a substrate including a transistor array through a nozzle. In this case, the lines of the adhesive solution have uneven coating thicknesses, and even in one line, each of the start portion and the end portion has a thickness greater than the other portion.

Further, in general, when an adhesive solution having a lower viscosity is used, since the adhesive solution discharged on the substrate may not maintain a height and be diffused to one side due to the low viscosity, a coating area of the adhesive solution on the substrate is larger than an area immediately after the discharge, and the height of the discharged adhesive solution is gradually reduced as time elapses.

[ related art documents ]

[ patent document ]

Korean patent No. 10-1914166

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for coating a solution, which semi-hardens a solution discharged on an object to be treated before the solution is spread, a method for coating a solution, and a laminating method using the same.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for coating a solution includes: a support table configured to support an object to be processed; a solution discharge unit configured to discharge the solution through the discharge hole onto the object supported by the support table; and a semi-hardening unit provided corresponding to the solution discharge unit to semi-harden the solution discharged from the solution discharge unit. Here, the solution discharge unit includes: a nozzle member having an accommodation space communicating with the discharge hole; a movable body having at least one portion disposed in the receiving space of the nozzle part to linearly move toward the discharge hole to open and close the discharge hole; and a solution supply part configured to supply the solution to the accommodation space of the nozzle part.

The solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit may be movable relative to the support stage, and the semi-hardening unit may be disposed behind the discharge hole in a direction of the relative movement.

The solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit may be spaced apart from each other.

The semi-hardening unit may include an energy source configured to emit hardening energy, and the energy source may be spaced apart from the exhaust hole by 60 mm to 300 mm.

The solution may have a viscosity of 20 centipoise to 7000 centipoise.

The movable body may discontinuously drain the solution at least one droplet at a time by repeatedly opening and closing the drain hole.

The discharge hole may be disposed perpendicular to the coating surface of the object, and the semi-hardening unit may emit hardening energy in a main emission direction perpendicular to the coating surface of the object.

The projected area of the hardening energy reaching the coated surface of the article may be greater than the cross-sectional area of the droplet of solution.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a method for coating a solution includes: discharging the solution onto an object to be treated, which is supported by a support table, through a solution discharge unit; and semi-hardening the solution discharged on the object by using the semi-hardening unit. Here, the discharging of the solution and the semi-hardening of the solution are repeated while the solution discharging unit and the semi-hardening unit are moved relative to the support stage.

The solution may have a viscosity of 20 centipoise to 7000 centipoise.

The discharge of the solution may be discontinuous to discharge at least one droplet of the solution at a time by repeatedly opening and closing the discharge hole of the solution discharge unit.

The semi-hardening unit may be disposed behind the discharge hole of the solution discharge unit in the direction of the relative movement.

The solution discharge unit may discharge the droplets of the solution perpendicularly to the coating surface of the object, and the semi-hardening unit may emit hardening energy in a main emission direction perpendicular to the coating surface of the object.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a laminating method includes: forming a pattern of the semi-hardened solution on the object by repeating the discharging of the solution and the semi-hardening of the solution according to the method for coating a solution according to any one of claims 9 to 14; contacting the laminate with a pattern of the solution; and fully hardening the pattern of the solution.

The full hardening of the pattern of solution may be performed at a total amount of hardening energy provided for each region that is greater than the energy in the semi-hardening of the solution.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments may be understood in more detail from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which

In the figure:

fig. 1 is a view illustrating an apparatus for coating a solution according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a view for explaining a point-shaped solution discharge according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining maintenance of the shape of discharged solution according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for coating a solution according to another exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a lamination method according to another exemplary embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. Also, in the drawings, the sizes of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity of illustration.

Referring to fig. 1, an apparatus 100 for coating a solution according to an exemplary embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as a solution coating apparatus 100) may include: a support table 110 supporting an object 10 to be processed (hereinafter referred to as a processing object 10); a solution discharge unit 120 discharging the solution 20 through a discharge hole 121a onto the processing object 10 supported by the support stand 110; and a semi-hardening unit 130 provided corresponding to the solution discharge unit 120 to semi-harden the solution 20 discharged from the solution discharge unit 120.

The support table 110 may support the processing object 10, and the processing object 10 such as a substrate (e.g., a thin film substrate or a substrate including a transistor array) may be horizontally seated on the support table 110. For example, a plurality of vacuum adsorption holes may be defined in the support table 110, and the processing object 10 may be maintained at a predetermined horizontal position while the solution 20 is coated on the processing object 10. The support table 110 may be horizontally moved by a driving unit (not shown) so as to be moved with respect to the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130.

The solution discharge unit 120 may discharge the solution 20 through the discharge hole 121a on the processing object 10 supported by the support table 110, and is disposed above the processing object 10 (or above the support table on which the processing object is seated) to discharge the solution 20 on the processing object 10. Here, the nozzle part 121 of the solution discharge unit 120 may be disposed above the treatment object 10, and the discharge hole 121a is defined in the nozzle part 121. Here, the solution 20 may be an adhesive solution for laminating a laminate article (not shown) such as a substrate (e.g., a thin film substrate or a substrate including a color filter array) to the treatment article 10 and includes a photo-setting material and/or a thermo-setting material.

The semi-hardening unit 130 may be provided corresponding to the solution discharge unit 120 and semi-hardens the solution 20 discharged from the solution discharge unit 120 by providing hardening energy to the discharged solution 20. That is, the semi-hardening unit 130 may be paired with the solution discharge unit 120 to sequentially (or continuously) discharge the solution 20 with the solution discharge unit 120, and semi-harden the discharged solution 20. Here, the half hardening has a concept different from the full hardening, which performs the full hardening in a hard (or hard) manner. That is, semi-hardening means semi-curing in a soft manner like a jelly. Thus, semi-hardening may allow the solution discharged on the treatment object 10 to maintain a shape rather than spreading to the side (or all directions). By this, the solution discharged on the treatment object 10 can be semi-hardened before being diffused to the side (e.g., while being discharged).

In addition, the semi-hardening solution 22 may have elasticity greater than that of the full-hardening solution and be deformed by an external force (or external pressure) due to incomplete hardening. Therefore, since the semi-hardening solution 22 is uniformly diffused in the space between the treatment article 10 and the laminate article laminated on the treatment article 10, the adhesive solution 20 can be uniformly disposed between the treatment article 10 and the laminate article. Further, since planarization having a uniform thickness is obtained due to the solution 20 having a uniform height, the treatment article 10 and the laminated article can be laminated to each other.

Here, the semi-hardening unit 130 may provide hardening energy such as light energy and/or heat energy to the solution 20 and include various heating units such as a light emitting device (e.g., LED), a unit for generating light such as a laser, a high temperature gas spraying device, a heating wire, and a laser generator. For example, the semi-hardening unit 130 may semi-harden the discharged solution 20 by irradiating the discharged solution with Ultraviolet (UV) light using a light emitting device and a light source of UV light, such as a laser. Here, the solution 20 may include an ultraviolet hardening material.

Fig. 2 is a view for explaining a point-shaped solution discharge according to an exemplary embodiment. Here, fig. 2 (a) is a view illustrating opening of the discharge hole caused by ascent of the movable body, fig. 2 (b) is a view illustrating closing of the discharge hole caused by descent of the movable body, and fig. 2 (c) is a view illustrating dot-shaped solution discharge obtained by dividing the solution into droplets.

Referring to fig. 2, the solution discharge unit 120 may include: a nozzle member 121 having an accommodating space communicating with the discharge hole 121 a; a movable body 122 having at least a portion disposed in the receiving space of the nozzle member 121 to linearly move toward the discharge hole 121a, thereby opening and closing the discharge hole 121 a; and a solution supply part 123 supplying the solution 20 to the accommodation space of the nozzle part 121. The nozzle member 121 may have a receiving space communicating with the discharge hole 121a and contain a nozzle head in which the discharge hole 121a is defined. Here, the nozzle head of the nozzle part 121 may be disposed above the processing object 10 to face the processing object 10.

The movable body 122 may be disposed in the receiving space of the nozzle member 121 to linearly move toward the discharge hole 121a, thereby opening and closing the discharge hole 121 a. Here, the movable body 122 may open the discharge hole 121a such that the solution 20 is supplied in the discharge hole 121 a. Thereafter, the movable body 122 may close the opened discharge hole 121a in which the solution 20 is supplied (or block a portion between the receiving space of the nozzle member and the discharge hole) to cut and separate the solution 20 supplied in the discharge hole 121a from the solution 20 in the receiving space of the nozzle member 121. By this, the solution 20 is broken (or cut) into droplets 21 (or droplets) and discharged from the solution discharge unit 120 by gravity (or self-weight).

The solution supply part 123 may supply the solution 20 to the receiving space of the nozzle part 121 by a predetermined pressure in a continuous and continuous manner. For example, the solution supply part 123 may include a storage container in which the solution 20 is stored and a pressure source means that provides pressure to the storage container to increase the internal pressure of the storage container. Therefore, the solution stored in the storage container can be supplied to the accommodation space of the nozzle part 121 by increasing the internal pressure of the storage container with the pressure source means. Here, the solution supply part 123 may include a syringe, and the solution 20 stored in the storage container may be supplied to the receiving space of the nozzle part 121 by applying pneumatic pressure to the storage container of the syringe with a pressure source means (e.g., a piston). Here, the predetermined pressure may be a pressure of 0.1 mpa to 0.6 mpa, and the pressure source component may supply the pressure of 0.1 mpa to 0.6 mpa to the storage container.

Further, the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-curing unit 130 may be movable with respect to the support stage 110, and the semi-curing unit 130 may be disposed behind the discharge hole 121a in the relative movement direction. The solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130 may move relative to the support table 110 (i.e., the processing object) to apply the solution 20 to at least one unit area 11 or target area by scanning the processing object 10. Here, the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130 may be horizontally moved parallel to the coated surface of the treatment object 10 or the support table 110 may be horizontally moved while facing the discharge holes 121 a. Here, the unit region 11 may represent a light emitting layer (or liquid crystal) forming one screen (or array), and the solution 20 may be coated on the unit region 11. That is, the solution coating apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may further include a driving unit (not shown) that horizontally moves the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130 and/or the support table 110. The driving unit (not shown) may allow the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130 and/or the support table 110 to horizontally move at a predetermined speed (e.g., 100 mm/sec to 500 mm/sec or about 300 mm/sec). Here, the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130 may be connected by the connection member 125 to move in an integrated manner or move separately in an independent manner.

Here, the semi-hardening unit 130 may be disposed behind the discharge hole 121a in the relative movement direction. By this, the solution 20 discharged on the treatment object 10 can be semi-hardened immediately after the discharge, and the semi-hardening can be performed by supplying hardening energy only to the solution 20 discharged and supplied on the surface (or coated surface) of the treatment object 10. That is, the solution discharge unit 120 may discharge the droplets 21 of the solution 20 on the treatment object while moving (or scanning) the treatment object 10 with respect to the treatment object, and the semi-hardening unit 130 may semi-harden the solution 20 discharged on the treatment object 10 by scanning (or passing) a region of the treatment object 10, on which the solution 20 is discharged, while relatively and continuously moving. Here, since the hardening energy is provided only in a very short time (e.g., 1 msec to 100 msec) by the scanning (or the relative movement) of the semi-hardening unit 130, the solution 20 discharged on the treatment object 10 may be semi-hardened instead of fully hardened.

Since the solution 20 is semi-hardened immediately after being discharged on the treatment object 10, the solution 20 discharged on the treatment object 10 may be semi-hardened before the applied solution 20 is diffused to the side and changed in height (or shape). Therefore, the solution 20 discharged on the treatment object 10 can maintain its shape. By this, the solution 20 can be quantitatively discharged onto the treatment object 10 to constantly maintain the height of the coated solution 20, and the coated area 15 of the solution 20 can be maintained to be equal to the discharged area of the solution 20. Therefore, the discharge area (or target region) can be easily set.

Further, the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130 may be spaced apart from each other. Since the semi-hardening unit 130 is spaced apart from the discharge hole 121a of the solution discharge unit 120 by a predetermined distance, the discharge hole 121a may be prevented from being clogged due to semi-hardening of the droplets 21 of the solution 20 in the discharge hole 121 a. When the semi-hardening unit 130 is disposed adjacent to the discharge hole 121a of the solution discharge unit 120, the hardening energy supplied to the semi-hardening unit 130 may be transmitted even to the discharge hole 121a of the solution discharge unit 120, and the droplets 21 of the solution 20 may be semi-hardened before being ejected (or discharged) from the discharge hole 121 a. Therefore, the discharge hole 121a may be blocked. In particular, when the hardening energy is thermal energy, the thermal energy may be easily transmitted from the semi-hardening unit 130 to the discharge hole 121a of the solution discharge unit 120 to cause further serious restriction. That is, when the hardening energy is light energy, the irradiation angle of the radiation (or light) may be limited in such a manner that the adhesion force between the treatment object 10 and the semi-hardened solution 22 does not occur or is weaker than when semi-hardened on the coated surface of the treatment object 10 because the droplets 21 of the solution 20 are semi-hardened before reaching the coated surface of the treatment object 10 (or during dropping onto the coated surface of the treatment object).

However, when the solution discharge unit 120 and the semi-hardening unit 130 are spaced apart from each other, the hardening energy may be prevented or limited from being transmitted to the discharge holes 121a of the solution discharge unit 120. Therefore, clogging of the discharge holes 121a due to semi-hardening of the liquid droplets 21 of the solution 20 in the discharge holes 121a can be prevented (or restricted). Furthermore, the droplets 21 of the solution 20 may prevent or limit semi-hardening by receiving (or absorbing) hardening energy before reaching the coated surface of the treatment article 10.

Here, the semi-hardening unit 130 may include an energy source emitting hardening energy, and the energy source may be spaced apart from the discharge hole 121a by 60 mm to 300 mm. The semi-hardening unit 130 may include an energy source that emits hardening energy in order to provide the hardening energy to the discharged solution 20 (or toward the treatment object). For example, when the hardening energy is light energy, the energy source may be a light source, and when the hardening energy is heat energy, the energy source may be a heat source. Here, the surface of the semi-hardening unit 130 to which the energy source is provided may be an energy emitting surface, and the energy emitting surface may face the coating surface of the treatment object 10. Here, the surface may be a light emitting surface when the hardening energy is light energy, or a heat generating surface when the hardening energy is heat energy.

Further, the energy source may be spaced apart from the discharge hole 121a by 60 mm to 300 mm in the relative movement direction. When the distance between the energy source and the discharge hole 121a is less than 60 mm, the hardening energy emitted from the energy source may be transmitted to the discharge hole 121a, or the droplets 21 of the solution 20 may be semi-hardened before being discharged from the discharge hole 121a and reaching the coated surface of the treatment object 10. On the other hand, when the distance between the energy source and the discharge hole 121a is greater than 300 mm, the solution 20 on the treatment object 10 may not be semi-hardened immediately (directly) after the droplets 21 of the solution 20 reach the coated surface of the treatment object 10, and thus the solution 20 may be diffused to the side. Due to this, the height of the applied (or discharged) solution 20 may be changed, and the shape of the solution discharged on the treatment object 10 may not be maintained as it is. To prevent this, the energy source may be spaced apart from the discharge hole 121a by 60 mm to 300 mm.

Fig. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining shape maintenance of discharged solution according to an exemplary embodiment. Here, fig. 3 (a) is a view illustrating diffusion of the solution as time passes, fig. 3 (b) is a view illustrating diffusion of the solution according to relative movement of the solution discharge unit, and fig. 3 (c) is a view illustrating shape maintenance of the solution by semi-hardening.

Referring to fig. 3, the solution 20 may have a viscosity of 20 centipoise (cP) to 7000 cP. That is, the solution 20 may have a low viscosity. When the solution has a low viscosity, the height of the solution 20 discharged on the unit area 11 of the treatment object 10 may be diffused to the side over time, and thus the coating area or coating area 15 of the solution 20 on the treatment object 10 may be larger than the discharge area 15a immediately after the discharge as in (a) of fig. 3. Therefore, the height of the discharged solution 20 may decrease as time passes. Further, in the case where the solution has a low viscosity, when the solution discharge unit 120 relatively moves, the solution 20 discharged on the unit area 11 of the treatment object 10 may cause a phenomenon of being biased (or deflected) in a direction opposite to the relative movement direction instead of maintaining the shape, and thus the coating region or coating area 15 of the solution 20 on the treatment object 10 may extend farther in the direction opposite to the relative movement direction than the discharge area 15a immediately after the discharge as in (b) of fig. 3. Therefore, the height of the applied solution 20 may be gradually decreased in a direction opposite to the relative movement direction.

However, in the case where the solution has a low viscosity, the solution 20 may be discharged in the form of each droplet 21, and the droplets 21 of the solution 20 may be discharged at a fixed distance on the treatment object 10 to improve overall discharge uniformity. Further, according to the exemplary embodiment, since the droplets 21 discharged on the treatment object 10 are half-hardened by the half hardening unit 130 to maintain the shape of the droplets uniformly discharged on the treatment object 10, the droplets 21 may be prevented from spreading wider than the discharge area 15a as in fig. 3 (a) or 3 (b). That is, the coating area or coating area 15 of the solution 20 may be equal to the discharge area 15a by maintaining the shape of the droplet 21 as in (c) of fig. 3.

On the other hand, when the solution 20 has a viscosity greater than 7000 centipoise, the solution 20 may not be easily divided into fixed and/or fixed volumes (i.e., constant volumes or outer areas) due to the high viscosity of the solution 20. Therefore, the solution may not be discharged continuously in a fixed amount and may not be discharged in the form of each droplet 21. Further, when the solution 20 has a viscosity of less than 20 centipoise, the droplet 21 having a predetermined size may not be formed due to an extremely low viscosity, and thus the droplet 21 having an extremely small size may be generated or the solution 20 may fall in the form of a liquid stream (or a solution stream). Therefore, the solution 20 may not be discharged in a fixed amount and may be discharged on the discharge area 15a inaccurately.

In addition, the solution having a lower viscosity may be Quantum Dot (QD) silicon or transparent silicon coated between a Quantum Dot (QD) color converter layer and an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) stack layer (or OLED emission layer) to laminate the QD color converter layer and the OLED stack layer. For example, solutions with lower viscosities may be used in QD-OLED devices to laminate red/green QD Color Filter (CF) layers with blue organic OLED layers. Here, the solution 20 may be applied to the entire blue OLED layer (or the entire surface of the blue OLED layer). Here, since the solution 20 is applied to the entire blue OLED layer, the hardening solution may be transparent such that blue light emitted from the blue OLED layer is transmitted to the red/green QD-CF layer, and the semi-hardening solution 22 may also be transparent.

On the other hand, an adhesive (or adhesive solution) having a high viscosity such as a sealant is used to laminate edges of an upper substrate on which a common electrode and a color filter are formed and a lower substrate on which an array pattern is formed in a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) so as to fill liquid crystal in a space between the upper substrate and the lower substrate. In addition, a high-viscosity adhesive (e.g., sealant) disposed outside the cell of the LCD is hardened in an opaque manner.

Further, the movable body 122 may discontinuously discharge at least one droplet 21 of the solution 20 at a time by repeatedly opening and closing the discharge hole 121 a. That is, the movable body 122 may discharge the solution 20 (or the droplet 21 of the solution 20) in a discontinuous manner (e.g., a preset period of time or a predetermined period of time). When the discharge hole 121a is repeatedly opened and closed by the movable body 122, the solution 20 is discontinuously discharged in the form of each droplet 21 rather than continuously discharged in the form of a line (or stream). Here, since the movable body 122 linearly moving in the accommodation space of the nozzle member 121 opens and closes the discharge hole 121a at a preset time period, the solution 20 can be quantitatively discharged at each time period. In addition, the solution 20 may be coated at a fixed distance according to the relative movement of the solution discharge unit 120 that relatively moves at a constant speed. Here, the nozzle part 121 may break (or segment) the solution into droplets to discharge the solution 20 in the form of droplets 21 and discharge (or coat) the solution 20 on the treatment object 10 in the form of dots.

Therefore, since the solution 20 having a dotted shape (i.e., droplets of the solution) is discharged (or coated) on the treatment object 10 at fixed distances, overall coating uniformity on the treatment object 10 may be improved, and thus coating uniformity over the entire surface may also be improved when the treatment object 10 is laminated. Here, since the semi-hardening solution 22 has elasticity to uniformly diffuse in the space between the treatment article 10 and the laminate article, the solution 20 may be discharged in the form of dots, and the discharge in the form of dots may effectively laminate the treatment article 10 and the laminate article at a uniform lamination thickness. That is, when the solutions 20 having the dot shapes are discharged at a constant distance, the semi-hardening solutions 22 each having the dot shape are diffused in all directions when laminating the laminate. Therefore, empty spaces (or spaces) between the solutions 22 may be filled, and the semi-hardening solution 22 may be uniformly disposed in the spaces between the treatment object 10 and the laminated object to prevent or limit a non-uniformity (mura) phenomenon.

On the other hand, when the solution 20 is applied in the form of lines, although empty areas (or spaces) between the lines may be uniformly filled, the solution 20 may be concentrated or overflowed at both ends in the extending direction of the lines to generate a non-uniform phenomenon because the solution 20 is diffused only to both ends in the extending direction of the connected lines. Further, when the treatment article 10 and the laminate article are laminated to each other, the laminated thickness of both ends may be different from the thickness of the central portion.

Further, when the solution has a low viscosity, the solution 20 in the discharge hole 121a may be formed at the end of the discharge hole 121a or overflow by gravity and/or a difference between the atmosphere and the internal pressure (or atmospheric pressure) of the discharge hole 121 a. However, in the structure of opening and closing the discharge holes 121a by disposing the movable body 122 in the accommodation space of the nozzle member 121 according to the exemplary embodiment, a feature in which a portion of the solution 20 is concentrated at the discharge holes 121a or overflows through the discharge holes 121a may be prevented by cutting and discharging the solution 20 in the form of each droplet 21.

In addition, the discharge holes 121a may be disposed perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment object 10, and the semi-hardening unit 130 may emit hardening energy in a main emission direction perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment object 10. The discharge holes 121a may be disposed perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment object 10. Since the droplets 21 of the solution 20 are vertically discharged from the discharge holes 121a to the coating surface of the treatment object 10, the droplets 21 of the solution 20 discharged to the coating surface of the treatment object 10 may have a thickness (or height) distributed symmetrically (point-symmetrically) with respect to the center of the droplets 21 and improved coating uniformity on the treatment object 10. Therefore, when the laminate is vertically contacted with the semi-hardening solution 22 (or disposed perpendicular to the semi-hardening solution 22), lamination uniformity over the entire surface may be improved, and the overall lamination thickness (i.e., the thickness of the laminate body of the treatment article and the laminate article) may be uniform.

Further, the semi-hardening unit 130 may emit hardening energy in a main emission direction perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment object 10. For example, the semi-hardening unit 130 may emit hardening energy from an energy source disposed parallel to the discharge holes 121a while facing the coated surface of the treatment object 10. Here, a main emission direction of the hardening energy emitted from the energy source (e.g., a main irradiation direction when the energy source is a light source) may be a direction perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment object 10. Thus, the droplets 21 of the solution 20 can be prevented or limited from semi-hardening before reaching the coated surface of the treatment object 10. That is, the hardening energy may be (only) provided to the droplets 21 on the coated surface of the treatment object 10 after the droplets 21 of the solution 20 reach the coated surface of the treatment object 10, and the droplets 21 may be semi-hardened on the coated surface of the treatment object 10. By this, since the droplets 21 are (only) semi-hardened on the coated surface of the treatment object 10, it is possible to prevent the decrease in the adhesive force between the treatment object 10 and the semi-hardened solution 22 due to semi-hardening of the droplets 21 of the solution 20 before reaching the coated surface of the treatment object 10.

In particular, when the main emission direction of the hardening energy is a direction perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment article 10, the hardening energy may be symmetrical to a main axis (point) extending from the energy source to the coated surface of the treatment article 10, and the energy (intensity) distribution may be symmetrical to a main axis (or central axis) from the coated surface of the treatment article 10 (or the arrival surface of the hardening energy). Thus, a uniform hardening energy over the entire area of the droplet 21 can be provided at each position. Thus, the hardening energy may be uniformly provided over the entire pattern of the solution 20, which is formed by the droplets 22 or the semi-hardening solution, and a pattern of the solution 20 having an overall uniform semi-hardening degree (or semi-hardening degree) may be formed.

Further, the projected area (or cross-sectional area) of the hardening energy reaching the coated surface of the treatment object 10 may be larger than the cross-sectional area (or width) of the droplet 21 of the solution 20. That is, when the hardening energy reaches the coated surface of the treatment article 10, the projected area (or width) of the hardening energy on the coated surface of the treatment article 10 may be larger than the cross-sectional area of the droplet 21 of the solution 20. In other words, the width (or area) of the region of the coating surface of the treatment object 10 where the hardening energy reaches at each position of the semi-hardening unit 130 may be greater than the width (or cross-sectional area) of the droplet 21, and the hardening energy of the region having a width greater than the width of the droplet 21 of the solution 20 at each position may be emitted. For example, when the energy source is a light source, the irradiation area of the coated surface of the treatment object 10 may be larger than the cross section of the droplet 21. The semi-hardening unit 130 may emit hardening energy to the dot-shaped region (or in a dot-shaped manner) according to the shape of the dot-shaped liquid droplet 21, and the hardening energy may have a size (or width) larger than that of the liquid droplet 21 at the coated surface of the treatment object 10. For example, the semi-hardening unit 130 may irradiate the droplet 21 on the treatment object 10 with dot-shaped Ultraviolet (UV) light according to the shape of the dot-shaped droplet 21. Here, UV light having an area (or width) larger than that of the droplet 21 of the solution 20 at the coated surface of the treatment object 10 may be irradiated from each position at which the UV light is irradiated. When the droplet 21 is half-hardened by irradiating UV light having an area smaller than that of the droplet 21 of the solution 20 at the coated surface of the treatment object 10, the edge of the droplet 21 may not be half-hardened. Further, since the energy at the edge of the UV light is relatively low even when the UV light having the same area as the liquid droplet 21 is irradiated, the edge of the liquid droplet 21 may not be sufficiently semi-hardened. Further, when the overall intensity of the UV light is enhanced for the semi-hardening at the edge of the droplet 21, the central portion of the droplet 21 may be fully hardened (or main hardened), but the edge of the droplet 21 is semi-hardened.

Here, the irradiation width (or area) of the UV light (or the width of the region emitting hardening energy) may be 0% to 200% wider (or larger) than the droplet 21 of the solution 20. When the difference between the irradiation width of the UV light and the width of the droplet 21 exceeds 200%, the UV light at each position may affect the droplet 21 discharged to the next position to semi-harden the droplet 21 before reaching the coated surface of the treatment object 10, or may perform full hardening because the hardening time of the droplet 21 discharged on the coated surface of the treatment object 10 is extended.

Referring to fig. 4, a method for coating a solution (hereinafter, referred to as a solution coating method) according to another exemplary embodiment will be described in detail. Overlapping features described previously in relation to the solution coating apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment will be omitted.

A solution coating method according to another exemplary embodiment may include: a process S10 of discharging the solution onto an object to be processed (hereinafter referred to as a processing object) supported by the support table by the solution discharge unit; and a process S20 of semi-hardening the solution discharged on the processing object by using the semi-hardening unit.

First, a solution is discharged onto the processing object supported by the support table in process S10. Here, the processing object may be a substrate including a transistor array, and the solution discharge unit may be movable relative to a support table supporting the processing object. By this, the solution for adhesion can be discharged over the entire processing object when the processing object is scanned. Here, the solution may be an adhesive solution for laminating the treatment object and the laminated object and may have a low viscosity.

Thereafter, the solution discharged on the processing object is semi-hardened by using the semi-hardening unit in process S20. When the solution has a low viscosity, the height of the discharged solution of the unit area of the treatment object is not maintained as time passes, and the solution is diffused to the side. Therefore, the coating area or coating area of the solution on the treatment object is higher than the discharge area of the solution immediately after the discharge. Therefore, the height of the discharged solution 20 may decrease as time passes. Further, in the case where the solution has a low viscosity, when the solution discharge unit relatively moves, the solution discharged on the unit area of the processing object may cause a phenomenon of being biased (or deflected) in a direction opposite to the relative movement direction, rather than maintaining the shape, and thus a coating area or coating area of the solution on the processing object may extend farther in the direction opposite to the relative movement direction than a discharge area immediately after the discharge. Therefore, the height of the applied solution may be gradually decreased in a direction opposite to the relative movement direction.

Therefore, the solution discharged on the treatment object may be semi-hardened immediately after the solution is discharged on the treatment object, and by this, the solution discharged on the treatment object may be semi-hardened before the solution is widely diffused and changes in height (or shape) of the applied solution. Therefore, the solution discharged on the treatment object can maintain the shape as it is. Therefore, the height of the applied solution can be uniformly maintained by quantitatively discharging the solution on the treatment object, and the application area of the solution can be maintained to be the same as the discharge area to easily set the discharge area (or target region).

Furthermore, the adhesion force (or lamination force) between the treatment object and the discharged solution can be improved by semi-hardening of the solution discharged on the treatment object.

Here, the half hardening has a concept different from the full hardening, which performs the full hardening in a hard (or hard) manner. That is, semi-hardening means semi-curing in a soft manner like a jelly. That is, the solution discharged on the treatment object may be semi-hardened to maintain the shape rather than being diffused.

Further, the process S10 of discharging the solution and the process S20 of semi-hardening the solution may be repeated while allowing the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit to move relative to the support stage. The process of semi-hardening the solution S20 may be performed immediately after the solution is discharged on a portion of the coated area of the treatment object in the process of discharging the solution S10 to semi-harden the solution discharged on the treatment object immediately after the solution is discharged on the treatment object instead of being performed after the solution is discharged on the entire coated area of the treatment object in the process of discharging the solution S10. Therefore, the shape of the solution discharged on the treatment object can be maintained as it is by semi-hardening the solution discharged on the treatment object before the solution is widely diffused to change in the height (or shape) of the applied solution.

The process of discharging the solution S10 and the process of semi-hardening the solution S20 may be continuously performed while allowing the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit to move relative to the support stage. All the coated areas (or the entire coated areas) of the treatment object may be scanned by continuously performing the process of discharging the solution S10 and the process of semi-hardening the solution S20 while allowing the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit to move relative to the support table (i.e., the treatment object). By this, the semi-hardening solution can be coated (or provided) to the entire coating area of the treatment object.

That is, after the semi-hardening solution is coated (or provided) to the entire (or all) coated area of the treatment article, the laminate article must be laminated to the treatment article. Accordingly, while allowing the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit to move relative to the support stage, the entire coating surface of the treatment object may be scanned to supply the semi-hardening solution to the entire coating area of the treatment object by repeating the process of discharging the solution S10 and the process of semi-hardening solution S20.

Here, the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit may be moved relative to the support table (i.e., the processing object) by scanning the processing object so as to apply the solution to at least one target area or unit area. Here, the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit may be horizontally moved in parallel to the coating surface of the treatment object or the support table may be horizontally moved while facing the discharge hole. For example, the driving unit may allow the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit and/or the support stage to horizontally move at a predetermined speed (e.g., 100 mm/sec to 500 mm/sec or approximately 300 mm/sec). Here, the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit may be connected by a connection member to be integrally moved or separately moved in an independent manner.

The solution may have a viscosity of 20 centipoise to 7000 centipoise. When the solution has a viscosity greater than 7000 centipoise, the solution may not be easily divided into fixed and/or fixed volumes (i.e., constant volumes or external areas) due to the high viscosity of the solution. Thus, the solution may not be continuously discharged in fixed amounts and may not be discharged as droplets by each droplet. When the solution has a viscosity of less than 20 centipoise, droplets having a predetermined size may not be formed due to an extremely low viscosity, and thus droplets having an extremely small size may be generated or the solution may fall in the form of a liquid stream (or a solution stream). Therefore, the solution may not be discharged in a fixed amount and may be discharged on the discharge area inaccurately.

In the discharging of the solution process S10, the solution may be discontinuously discharged at least one droplet at a time by repeatedly opening and closing the discharge holes of the solution discharge unit. For example, droplets of the solution may be periodically discharged by opening and closing the discharge hole. Here, the solution discharge unit may include: a nozzle member including a discharge hole and an accommodation space communicating with the discharge hole; a movable body having at least a portion disposed in the receiving space of the nozzle member to linearly move toward the discharge hole, thereby opening and closing the discharge hole; and a solution supply part for supplying the solution to the accommodation space of the nozzle part. Here, the movable body may open the discharge hole to supply the solution in the discharge hole. Further, the movable body may close the discharge hole to which the solution is supplied (or block a portion between the discharge hole and the receiving space of the nozzle member) to divide and separate the solution supplied in the discharge hole from the solution in the receiving space of the nozzle member. By this, the solution can be broken (cut) and one droplet (or a small droplet) is discharged from the solution discharge unit.

The liquid droplets of the solution can be quantitatively discharged in each period by opening and closing the discharge hole continuously periodically (or for a preset period) by the movable body linearly moving in the accommodation space of the nozzle member. By this, the solution can be coated at a fixed distance according to the relative movement of the solution discharge unit linearly moving at a constant speed. Therefore, the overall discharge uniformity on the treatment object can be improved by discharging dot-shaped droplets of the solution on the treatment object at fixed distances. Further, the coating uniformity of the entire surface and/or the lamination thickness uniformity when the treatment article and the laminate article are laminated to each other can be improved by semi-hardening the solution immediately after the solution is discharged on the treatment article.

Further, the semi-hardening unit may be disposed behind the discharge hole of the solution discharge unit in the relative movement direction. By this, the solution discharged on the treatment object can be semi-hardened by supplying hardening energy to the solution supplied on the surface (or the coated surface) of the treatment object immediately after the solution is discharged on the treatment object. That is, the solution discharge unit may discharge droplets of the solution on the processing object while moving (or scanning) the processing object with respect to the processing object. Further, the semi-hardening unit scans (or passes) the discharge area of the solution on the processing object relatively moving in a continuous manner to semi-harden the solution discharged on the processing object. Here, since the hardening energy is provided only in a very short time (e.g., 1 msec to 100 msec) by the scanning (or the relative movement) of the semi-hardening unit, the solution discharged on the treatment object may be semi-hardened instead of full hardened.

As described above, since the solution is semi-hardened immediately after the solution is discharged on the treatment object, the solution discharged on the treatment object may be semi-hardened and applied before the height (or shape) of the solution diffused to the side. Therefore, the solution discharged on the treatment object can maintain the shape as it is. By this, the height of the applied solution can be constantly maintained by discharging the solution quantitatively onto the treatment object. Further, the coating area of the solution can be maintained to be the same as the discharge area of the solution to easily set the discharge area.

The solution discharge unit may discharge the droplets of the solution perpendicularly to the coating surface of the treatment object, and the semi-hardening unit may emit hardening energy in a main emission direction perpendicular to the coating surface of the treatment object. Since the discharge holes of the solution discharge unit are vertically provided to the coating surface of the treatment object, the droplets of the solution can be vertically discharged to the coating surface of the treatment object. Since the droplets of the solution are vertically discharged to the coating surface of the treatment object, the droplets of the solution discharged on the coating surface of the treatment object may have a thickness (or height) distribution that is symmetrical (or point-symmetrical) to the center of the droplets. By this, the overall coating uniformity on the treated article can be improved. Therefore, when the laminate article is vertically contacted with (or disposed perpendicular to) the semi-hardening solution, lamination uniformity over the entire surface may be improved, and the overall lamination thickness (i.e., the thickness of the treatment article and the laminated body of the laminate article) may be uniform.

Further, the semi-hardening unit may emit hardening energy in a main emission direction perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment object. For example, the semi-hardening unit may emit hardening energy from an energy source disposed parallel to the discharge hole while facing the coated surface of the treatment object. Here, a main emission direction of the hardening energy emitted from the energy source (for example, a main irradiation direction when the energy source is a light source) may be a direction perpendicular to the coated surface of the treatment object. Thus, the droplets of the solution can be prevented or limited from semi-hardening before reaching the coated surface of the treatment object. That is, the hardening energy may be supplied to the droplets on the coating surface of the treatment article (only) after the droplets of the solution reach the coating surface of the treatment article, and the droplets on the coating surface of the treatment article may be semi-hardened. By this, since the droplets on the coated surface of the treatment article are (only) semi-hardened, it is possible to prevent the decrease in the adhesive force between the treatment article and the semi-hardened solution due to the semi-hardening of the droplets before reaching the coated surface of the treatment article.

Further, the projected area (or cross-sectional area) of the hardening energy reaching the coated surface of the treatment article may be larger than the cross-sectional area of the droplet of solution. That is, when the hardening energy reaches the coated surface of the treatment article, the projected area of the hardening energy on the coated surface of the treatment article may be larger than the cross-sectional area of the droplet of the solution. Further, the width of the region of the coating surface of the treatment object (where the hardening energy reaches) at each position of the semi-hardening unit may be larger than the width of the droplet, and the hardening energy of the region having a larger width than the width of the droplet of the solution at each position may be emitted. For example, when the energy source is a light source, the irradiation area of the coated surface of the treatment object may be larger than the cross section of the droplet. The semi-hardening unit may emit hardening energy to the spot-shaped region (or in a spot-shaped manner) according to the shape of the spot-shaped liquid droplet, and the hardening energy may have a size (or width) larger than that of the liquid droplet at the coated surface of the treatment object.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart representing a lamination method according to yet another exemplary embodiment.

Hereinafter, the lamination method according to still another exemplary embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 5, and features overlapping those in the solution coating method according to another exemplary embodiment will be omitted.

A lamination method according to yet another exemplary embodiment may include: a process S100 of forming a pattern of the semi-hardened solution on the treatment object by repeating the process S10 of discharging the solution and the process S20 of semi-hardening the solution according to the solution coating method according to another exemplary embodiment; a process S200 of contacting the laminate with the pattern of the solution; and a process S300 of completely hardening the solution.

Here, the lamination method according to yet another exemplary embodiment may be performed by using the solution coating apparatus method according to an exemplary embodiment, and may be a method (or process) of laminating a substrate including a transistor array and a substrate including a color filter array.

First, a pattern of a semi-hardened solution is formed on the treatment object in process S100 by repeating process S10 of discharging the solution and process S20 of semi-hardening the solution according to a solution coating method according to another exemplary embodiment. Accordingly, while allowing the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit to move relative to the support stage, the semi-hardened solution may be supplied to the entire coating area of the treatment object by repeating the process of discharging the solution S10 and the process of semi-hardening the solution S20. By this, a pattern of the semi-hardened solution can be formed on the treatment object.

Thereafter, the laminate is contacted with the pattern of the solution in process S200. The laminate article may be disposed on the treatment article to laminate the laminate article and the treatment article and may contact the pattern of semi-hardening solution coated on the treatment article. Here, the laminate article may contact the pattern of the solution perpendicularly to the lamination surface (or contact surface) of the treatment article, and the pattern of the solution may be pressed when the laminate article contacts the pattern of the solution. Therefore, the pattern of the solution can be deformed by pressing to be uniformly (uniformly) diffused in the space between the treatment article and the laminate article. Here, the laminate article may be a substrate including a color filter array. Further, the process S200 of contacting the pattern of the solution may be performed after forming the pattern of the semi-hardening solution by supplying the semi-hardening solution to the entire coated surface of the treatment object. The laminate article is laminated (or contacted) after the solution is applied to the entire coated surface of the treatment article to laminate the laminate article with the treatment article. Due to this, the process S200 of contacting the pattern of the solution may be performed after forming the pattern of the solution to contact the laminate with the pattern of the solution, thereby laminating the laminate with the treatment object.

Thereafter, the pattern of the solution is fully hardened in process S300. Since the pattern of the semi-hardened solution is fully hardened after the laminate article contacts the pattern, the adhesion between the solution coated on the treatment article and the laminate article can be improved. Thus, the treatment article and the laminate article may be laminated (or attached) by the through-hardening solution disposed between the treatment article and the laminate article as a result of the laminate article contacting the applied solution.

Here, the full hardening has a concept different from the half hardening which performs the half hardening in a jelly-like soft manner. That is, the through hardening means the characteristic of the through hardening semi-hardening solution in a hard manner. When the adhesive force is generated between the processed article and the discharged semi-hardened solution in a semi-hardened state, the adhesive force is generated between the laminated article and the solution fully hardened in the semi-hardened state.

The process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution may be performed under the condition that a certain total amount of hardening energy for each region is provided, which is greater than the energy in the process S20 of semi-hardening the solution. That is, the total amount of hardening energy provided at each position of the processing object in the process of fully hardening the pattern of the solution S300 may be greater than the total amount of hardening energy provided at each position of the processing object in the process of semi-hardening the solution S20.

For example, the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution may be performed under at least one condition of a longer hardening time and a higher hardening energy intensity than those in the process S20 of semi-hardening the solution. Since the solution is firmly through-hardened in the through-hardening, the total amount (or magnitude) of hardening energy accumulated (or accumulated) in the through-hardening is necessarily larger than that in the semi-hardening. For this purpose, the hardening time may be extended, or the intensity of the hardening energy may be increased in the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution. In addition, both the intensity of the hardening energy and the hardening time may be increased (or lengthened) in the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution to effectively increase the total amount of the accumulated hardening energy. In the process of fully hardening the pattern of the solution S300, the hardening time may be greater than that in the process of semi-hardening the solution S20, or the intensity of the hardening energy may be greater than that in the process of semi-hardening the solution S20. In addition, both the hardening time and the intensity of the hardening energy may be greater than those in the process of semi-hardening solution S20.

For example, the full hardening may be performed by providing the hardening energy to the entire laminated surface of the treatment object (or the coated surface of the solution) (or the laminated object contacting the semi-hardening solution) and providing the hardening energy in a longer time than that in the process of the semi-hardening solution S20. Here, the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution may be performed in the same apparatus (or chamber) as that of the process S20 of performing the half hardening solution or by an apparatus different from that of the process S20 of performing the half hardening solution. Here, the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution may be performed by supplying the hardening energy in three to five seconds with a fully hardening unit (or a fully hardening apparatus) capable of emitting (or irradiating) the hardening energy to the entire coated surface of the treatment object. Here, the process S300 may be performed in a state in which the lamination body (or the support stage) of the lamination object and the processing object and the full hardening unit are stopped and by providing hardening energy higher than that in the process S20 of half hardening the solution. When the UV light source is used to provide the hardening energy, the UV light irradiated in the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution and the process S20 of semi-hardening the solution may have the same wavelength as each other.

Further, the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution may be performed by emitting (or providing) hardening energy to a wider region (or area) than that in the process S20 of semi-hardening the solution. Since the process S300 of fully hardening the pattern of the solution is performed after the semi-hardening solution is supplied to the entire coated surface of the treatment article, the process S300 may emit the hardening energy to an area wider than that in the process S20 of semi-hardening the solution and supply the hardening energy to the entire laminated surface of the treatment article (or the entire surface of the laminated body of the treatment article and the laminated article) at once. Therefore, the whole semi-hardening solution discharged on the treatment object can be subjected to the one-time through hardening.

As described above, according to the exemplary embodiments, since the solution discharged from the solution discharge unit is half-hardened by the half-hardening unit provided corresponding to the solution discharge unit, the shape of the solution discharged on the treatment object may be maintained. By this, the height of the solution coated on the treatment object by quantitatively discharging the solution can be uniformly maintained, and the coating area of the solution can be maintained to be the same as the discharging area of the solution to easily set the discharging area. Further, the solution can be discharged quantitatively and in a dot shape on the treatment object by the movable body linearly moving in the accommodation space of the nozzle member, and the overall coating uniformity can be improved by separating droplets of the coating solution by a fixed distance. Therefore, coating uniformity of the entire surface when the article is processed by lamination can be improved. Further, since the solution is divided into each droplet and discharged by a structure of opening and closing the discharge hole by disposing the movable body in the accommodation space of the nozzle member, it is possible to prevent the droplet of the solution from being formed at the discharge hole or overflowing through the discharge hole. Further, since the semi-hardening unit is spaced apart from the discharge hole of the solution discharge unit by a predetermined distance, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from being clogged due to the semi-hardening of the liquid droplets of the solution in the discharge hole.

The apparatus for coating a solution according to an exemplary embodiment may maintain the shape of the solution discharged on the treatment object by semi-hardening the solution discharged from the solution discharge unit with a semi-hardening unit provided corresponding to the solution discharge unit. By this, the height of the solution coated on the treatment object by quantitatively discharging the solution can be uniformly maintained, and the coating area of the solution can be maintained to be the same as the discharging area of the solution to easily set the discharging area.

Further, the solution can be discharged on the treatment object quantitatively and in a dot shape by the movable body linearly moving in the accommodation space of the nozzle member, and the overall coating uniformity can be improved by the droplets (or droplets) of the coating solution spaced a fixed distance apart. Therefore, coating uniformity of the entire surface when the article is processed by lamination can be improved.

Further, since the solution is divided into each droplet and discharged by a structure of opening and closing the discharge hole by disposing the movable body in the accommodation space of the nozzle member, it is possible to prevent the droplet of the solution from being formed at the discharge hole or overflowing through the discharge hole.

Further, since the semi-hardening unit is spaced apart from the discharge hole of the solution discharge unit by a predetermined distance, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from being clogged due to the semi-hardening of the liquid droplets of the solution in the discharge hole.

Spatially relative terms, such as "below …", "lower", "above …", "upper", and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe a relationship of an element and/or feature to another element(s) and/or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to be understood that the present invention should not be limited to these exemplary embodiments but various changes and modifications can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art within the spirit and scope of the present invention as hereinafter claimed. Therefore, the actual protective scope of the present invention will be determined by the technical scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for coating a solution, comprising:

a support table configured to support an object to be processed;

a solution discharge unit configured to discharge a solution through a discharge hole onto the object supported by the support table; and

a semi-hardening unit provided corresponding to the solution discharge unit to semi-harden the solution discharged from the solution discharge unit,

wherein the solution discharge unit includes:

a nozzle member having an accommodation space communicating with the discharge hole;

a movable body having at least a portion disposed in the receiving space of the nozzle member to linearly move toward the discharge hole, thereby opening and closing the discharge hole; and

a solution supply part configured to supply the solution to the accommodation space of the nozzle part.

2. The apparatus for coating a solution according to claim 1, wherein the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit are configured to move relative to the support table, and

the semi-hardening unit is provided behind the discharge hole in a direction of the movement relative to the support table.

3. The apparatus for coating solution according to claim 1, wherein the solution discharge unit and the semi-hardening unit are spaced apart from each other.

4. The apparatus for coating a solution of claim 3, wherein the semi-hardening unit includes an energy source configured to emit hardening energy, and

the energy source is spaced from the exhaust aperture by 60 mm to 300 mm.

5. The apparatus for coating a solution of claim 1, wherein the solution has a viscosity of 20 centipoise to 7000 centipoise.

6. The apparatus for coating a solution according to claim 1, wherein the movable body discontinuously discharges the solution at least one droplet at a time by repeatedly opening and closing the discharge hole.

7. The apparatus for coating solution according to claim 6, wherein the discharge hole is provided perpendicularly to a coating surface of the object, and

the semi-hardening unit emits hardening energy in a main emission direction perpendicular to the coated surface of the object.

8. The apparatus for coating solution of claim 7, wherein a projected area of the hardening energy to the coating surface of the article is greater than a cross-sectional area of the droplet of the solution.

9. A method for coating a solution, comprising:

discharging the solution onto an object to be treated, which is supported by a support table, through a solution discharge unit; and

semi-hardening the solution discharged on the object by using a semi-hardening unit,

wherein the discharging of the solution and the semi-hardening of the solution are repeated while the solution discharging unit and the semi-hardening unit are moved relative to the support stage.

10. The method for coating a solution of claim 9, wherein the solution has a viscosity of 20 centipoise to 7000 centipoise.

11. The method for coating a solution according to claim 9, wherein the discharging of the solution does not continuously discharge the solution at least one droplet at a time by repeatedly opening and closing a discharge hole of the solution discharge unit.

12. The method for coating a solution according to claim 9, wherein the semi-hardening unit is disposed behind a discharge hole of the solution discharge unit in a direction of the movement with respect to the support stage.

13. The method for coating a solution according to claim 11, wherein the solution discharge unit discharges the droplets of the solution perpendicularly to a coating surface of the object, and

14. The method for coating a solution of claim 13, wherein a projected area of the hardening energy to the coating surface of the article is greater than a cross-sectional area of the droplet of the solution.

15. A method of laminating comprising:

forming a pattern of semi-hardened solution on an object by repeating the discharging of the solution and the semi-hardening of the solution according to the method for coating a solution of any one of claims 9 to 14;

contacting a laminate article with the pattern of the solution; and

allowing the pattern of the solution to fully harden.

16. The lamination process according to claim 15, wherein the full hardening of the pattern of the solution is performed at a total amount of hardening energy provided for each area, the hardening energy being greater than the energy in the semi-hardening of the solution.