CN117619638A

CN117619638A - Coating member and coating device

Info

Publication number: CN117619638A
Application number: CN202311103765.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 三宅透
Original assignee: NTN Corp
Current assignee: NTN Corp
Priority date: 2022-09-01
Filing date: 2023-08-30
Publication date: 2024-03-01
Also published as: JP2024034939A

Abstract

The invention provides a coating component and a coating device capable of improving the operation efficiency, improving the reliability of loading and unloading a coating needle and reducing the cost. The coating mechanism as the coating member includes: an application needle (24), the application needle (24) transferring the coating material onto the surface of the target material; an application needle fixing member (25), wherein the application needle fixing member (25) supports a base end portion (24 b) of the application needle (24); and a magnet (26), wherein the magnet (26) is arranged on the coating needle fixing component (25). The base end (24 b) of the applicator needle (24) is detachably fixed to the applicator needle fixing member (25) by the attractive force of a magnet (26). The coating needle fixing member (25) is provided with an opening (25 b) into which the base end (24 b) of the coating needle (24) is inserted, and the bottom surface of the opening (25 b) is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the magnet (26).

Description

Coating member and coating device

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The priority of JP patent application 2022-139522 filed at month 9 of 2022 is claimed in this application and incorporated by reference in its entirety as part of this application.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a coating member and a coating apparatus, and more particularly, to a technique capable of suppressing contamination during a coating operation.

Background

In recent years, miniaturization of electronic devices such as crystal oscillators and miniaturization of electrode sizes have been advanced due to multifunction, miniaturization and high-functionality of electronic devices. Therefore, when mounting an electronic device such as a crystal oscillator, it is required to apply a conductive liquid material finely and thickly. As a method of forming the fine pattern, a printing method, an inkjet method, or the like is general, and a method using a coating needle is also one of the options. The manner of using the applicator needle enables fine application using a wide range of viscosity materials.

As a conventional technique using a coating needle, a coating apparatus including a coating mechanism supported on an XYZ stage is disclosed (patent document 1). In the coating mechanism, the movable portion and the coating needle reciprocate in the Z direction by the cam. Since the coating needle is immersed in the liquid material contained in the coating material container, the liquid material adheres to the surface of the coating needle. By reciprocating the application needle in the Z direction, the liquid material adhering to the surface of the application needle is applied to the target object.

In the technique of patent document 1, an applicator needle fixing member to which an applicator needle is coupled is supported by a spring so as to be movable in one direction. This can suppress the abnormality of the tip of the applicator needle or the applied target due to the high-speed operation and the pushing of the target.

In order to prevent contamination during a coating operation, there have been proposed some types of coating needle fixing members and coating needles that can be attached and detached (patent document 2).

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: JP patent No. 6381902

Patent document 2: JP-A2020-32389

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In patent document 1, since the coating needle fixing member and the coating needle are integrated, only the coating needle cannot be replaced. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a different kind of liquid material from the liquid material applied before the application needle using the same application needle. In this case, contamination may occur in the applicator needle, in which a liquid material of a different kind from the liquid material to be applied is mixed.

From the viewpoint of suppressing the contamination described above, it is conceivable to wipe the liquid material from the applicator needle with a solvent such as acetone in advance by a manual operation. In addition, it is also conceivable to sterilize the coated needle with ethanol, an autoclave, or the like in advance. However, these methods reduce the work efficiency.

As the countermeasure, a method of discarding the used applicator needle once and using a new applicator needle that is not used may be considered. The applicator needle of patent document 1 can be replaced by attaching and detaching the applicator needle holder, but the portions other than the applicator needle must be discarded, which increases the cost.

In patent document 2, the applicator needle is attached to and detached from the applicator needle fixing member, and the applicator needle is replaced every time it is used, thereby preventing contamination. However, the attachment and detachment method for replacing the applicator needle proposed in patent document 2 cannot be carried out in a short time.

In the press-fit method in which the applicator needle insertion member and the fixing member are joined by the press-fit portion, press-fit and detachment cannot be easily performed without a jig.

In the method in which the applicator needle insertion member and the fixing member are engaged with each other by a screw portion, a luer portion, or a latch portion, it is necessary to first rotate the used applicator needle several times to detach the applicator needle from the applicator needle fixing member, and then to rotate the unused applicator needle several times to attach the applicator needle. Further, if the applicator needle is not screwed in with certainty, the mounting reliability cannot be ensured.

The invention aims to provide a coating component and a coating device, which can improve the operation efficiency, improve the reliability of assembling and disassembling a coating needle and reduce the cost.

Means for solving the problems

(technical solution 1)

The coating member of the present invention comprises:

a coating needle that transfers a coating material onto a surface of a target material;

a coating needle fixing member for supporting a base end portion of the coating needle; and

a magnet (magnet) provided on the coating needle fixing member;

the base end portion of the applicator needle is detachably fixed to the applicator needle fixing member by the attractive force of the magnet.

According to this configuration, when the type of the coating material to be coated is changed, the base end portion of the coating needle is separated from the coating needle fixing member against the attractive force of the magnet provided on the coating needle fixing member. Then, a new applicator needle can be attached to the applicator needle fixing member by the attractive force of the magnet. In this case, compared with the above-described prior art, the applicator needle can be quickly and reliably attached and detached, and the waste loss of the components can be reduced. Therefore, the working efficiency can be improved, the reliability of attaching and detaching the applicator needle can be improved, and the cost can be reduced, as compared with the conventional art described above. In addition, since the applicator needle can be attached and detached when the kind of the coating material to be applied is changed, contamination can be suppressed as compared with the case of using the same applicator needle.

(technical solution 2)

The coating needle may be provided with a coating needle insertion member as a magnetic body at a base end portion thereof, and the coating needle insertion member may be detachably fixed to the coating needle fixing member by an attractive force of the magnet. When the coating needle is not a magnetic body, a coating needle insertion member as a magnetic body is provided at the base end of the coating needle. Therefore, the coating needle insertion member is detachably fixed to the coating needle fixing member by the attractive force of the magnet, so that the coating needle can be fixed to the coating needle fixing member regardless of the material of the coating needle. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the coating needle is improved.

(technical solution 3)

The coating needle fixing member may be provided with an opening into which the base end portion of the coating needle or the coating needle insertion member is inserted, and a bottom surface of the opening may be provided at a predetermined position with respect to the magnet.

The predetermined position is determined by, for example, determining an appropriate position by either one or both of a test and a simulation, so that the applicator needle is attracted in the magnet direction and is maintained in a state of being attracted in the insertion direction of the opening.

According to this configuration, the position of the applicator needle with respect to the applicator needle fixing member can be held with high accuracy.

(technical solution 4)

The coating needle may further include a rotary drive source for driving the coating needle, and a drive force conversion mechanism for converting a rotary drive force of the rotary drive source into a direction perpendicular to the surface of the target material. In this case, the coating needle can be reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the target material, and the coating material attached to the coating needle can be transferred to the surface of the target material.

(technical solution 5)

The coating device of the present invention includes a coating member including the rotation driving source and the driving force conversion mechanism portion, and a linear movement unit that moves the coating member relative to the target material. In this case, the desired coating pattern can be continuously transferred by the linear movement unit. This can further improve the work efficiency.

Any combination of at least two structures disclosed in the claims and/or the specification and/or the drawings is also encompassed by the present invention. In particular, any combination of two or more of the claims is also encompassed by the present invention.

Drawings

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments and drawings are for illustration and description only and should not be used to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2A is a perspective view of the coating mechanism of the coating device;

fig. 2B is a perspective view of the main body in the coating mechanism;

fig. 3A is a partial enlarged view of the cam of the coating mechanism in a partial enlarged manner;

fig. 3B is an expanded view of a flange portion including a cam surface of the cam, as seen from the side;

fig. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the coating needle and the coating material container of the coating mechanism;

fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the coating needle of the coating mechanism is moved in the Z-axis direction;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the applicator needle holder of the applicator mechanism;

fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the coating needle is mounted on the coating needle fixing member;

fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the coating needle is mounted on the coating needle fixing member;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7;

fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an applicator needle holder of an applicator mechanism in an applicator device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the coating needle of the coating mechanism is mounted on the coating needle fixing member;

fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the coating needle is mounted on the coating needle fixing member;

fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in fig. 11.

Detailed Description

First embodiment

The coating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 8.

< integral Structure of coating device >

As shown in fig. 1, the coating apparatus includes a processing chamber PR, a linear movement unit DU, a coating mechanism 4 as a coating member, an observation optical system 6, a CCD camera 7 connected to the observation optical system 6, and a control unit CU. Inside the processing chamber PR, a substrate 5 as a target material is supported, and a process using the coating mechanism 4 or the like is performed on the substrate 5.

The control unit CU controls the drive source of the coating mechanism 4 and controls the relative position of the coating mechanism 4 with respect to the substrate 5. The control unit CU controls the observation optical system 6. The observation optical system 6 is used to observe the coating position of the substrate 5. The CCD camera 7 converts an image observed by the observation optical system 6 into an electric signal. The substrate 5 is, for example, a thin plate-like material made of a flexible resin.

< Linear movement Unit >

Inside the process chamber PR, a linear motion unit DU is provided. The linear movement unit DU is a so-called XYZ stage that moves the coating mechanism 4 relative to the substrate 5 in the orthogonal 3-axis direction. The linear movement unit DU includes X, Y as an actuator for movement driving and linear movement actuators 11, 12, 13 for the Z axis. The linear movement actuators 11, 12, 13 are controlled by the control unit CU. A linear actuator 12 for the Y axis, which is the depth direction of the apparatus body, is provided at the bottom of the processing chamber PR.

The linear actuator 12 for the Y axis includes a guide portion 12a extending in the Y axis direction at the bottom of the processing chamber PR, a Y axis table 2 sliding along the guide portion 12a, a motor 12b as a driving member, and a conversion mechanism 12c such as a ball screw for converting rotation of the motor 12b into linear reciprocation. A substrate 5 is supported on the upper portion of the Y-axis table 2. By operating the switching mechanism 12c by the motor 12b, the Y-axis table 2 can be moved along the guide 12a in the Y-axis direction.

The linear movement actuator 11 for the X axis includes a guide portion 11a extending in the X axis direction which is the left-right direction of the apparatus main body, the X axis table 1 which slides along the guide portion 11a, a motor 11b which is a driving member, a conversion mechanism 11c such as a ball screw which converts rotation of the motor 11b into linear reciprocation. A gate-shaped structure 14 is provided at the bottom of the processing chamber PR, and the structure 14 is installed so as to span the Y-axis table 2 in the X-axis direction. The guide 11a is provided at the upper portion of the structure 14. By operating the switching mechanism 11c by the motor 11b, the X-axis table 1 can be moved along the guide portion 11a in the X-axis direction.

The linear movement actuator 13 for the Z axis advances and retreats in the Z axis direction (vertical direction in this example) orthogonal to the X axis and Y axis directions, respectively. The linear movement actuator 13 for the Z axis is supported on the X axis table 1. The linear motion actuator 13 for the Z axis includes a guide portion 13a extending in the Z axis direction, the Z axis table 3 sliding along the guide portion 13a, a motor 13b as a driving member, a conversion mechanism (not shown in the figure) such as a ball screw for converting rotation of the motor 13b into linear reciprocation. The guide portion 13a is provided in a vertical plate-like connection portion 15 connected to the X-axis table 1. By operating the switching mechanism by the motor 13b, the Z-axis table 3 as an output section can be moved in the Z-axis direction along the guide section 13a. The coating mechanism 4 and the observation optical system 6 are supported on the Z-axis table 3.

< coating mechanism >

The coating mechanism 4 shown in fig. 2A includes a servo motor 41 as a rotational drive source for driving the coating needle 24 in the Z-axis direction, the coating needle 24, the driving force conversion mechanism section 16, and the stage 17. The servomotor 41 is supported on the Z-axis table 3 of fig. 1 via the mount 17 of fig. 2A. The servomotor 41 is a rotational drive source for driving in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 5 of fig. 1. As shown in fig. 2A, the servomotor 41 has a rotation shaft, not shown in the drawing, extending in the Z-axis direction and rotating about the Z-axis. A servomotor 41, a driving force conversion mechanism 16, and an applicator needle 24 are supported on the stand 17. The coating mechanism 4 is capable of independent commercial transactions on the market.

< mechanism for converting driving force >

The driving force conversion mechanism 16 converts the rotational driving force of the servomotor 41 into a force in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 5 (fig. 1), that is, in the Z-axis direction. The driving force conversion mechanism portion 16 includes a cam 43, a bearing 44, a cam connection plate 45, a movable portion 46, a movable base 35, the applicator needle holder 20, and the coating material container 21. As shown in fig. 2B, the applicator needle holder 20 is detachably held on the movable base 35. A cam 43 is connected to the rotation shaft of the servomotor 41, and the cam 43 is rotatable about the rotation shaft. The cam 43 includes a central portion 43a and a flange portion 43b.

The center 43a is a hollow cylindrical member coaxially connected to the distal end portion of the rotation shaft. A flange portion 43b is provided at the Z-axis direction lower end portion of the center portion 43 a. As shown in fig. 3A, the upper surface of the flange portion 43b is a cam surface 61. The cam surface 61 is formed in an annular shape along the outer periphery of the center portion 43a, and is formed in an inclined shape so that the distance from the bottom surface of the flange portion 43b varies. Specifically, as shown in fig. 3B, the cam surface 61 includes an upper end flat region 62, a lower end flat region 63, and a slope portion Sp.

The upper flat region 62 in the cam surface 61 is a region having the largest distance from the bottom surface of the flange portion 43b (fig. 3A). The lower flat region 63 is provided at a distance from the bottom surface of the flange 43b (fig. 3A) in the circumferential direction, and has the smallest distance. The slope Sp is a slope connecting the upper end flat region 62 and the lower end flat region 63. As shown in fig. 2A, the outer circumferential surface of the outer ring of the bearing 44 is in contact with the cam surface 61 of the cam 43.

The mount 17 is provided with a linear guide 49 extending in the Z-axis direction. The movable portion 46 and the movable base 35 are supported by a linear guide 49 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction. A base end portion of a cam link plate 45 extending in the Z-axis direction is fixed to the movable portion 46. A bearing 44 is rotatably supported at the front end of the cam connecting plate 45 about the rotation axis in the X-axis direction.

As shown in fig. 2B, the movable base 35 is connected to the movable portion 46. As shown in fig. 2A, a coating needle holder 20 described later is provided on the movable base 35. The 1 st fixing pin 52 is provided on the movable portion 46, and the 2 nd fixing pin 51 is provided on the stand 17. A spring 50 composed of a tension coil spring is provided between the 1 st and 2 nd fixing pins 52, 51. The movable portion 46 is in a state of receiving a tensile force downward in the Z-axis direction by the spring 50. The tension of the spring 50 acts on the bearing 44 via the movable portion 46 and the cam link plate 45. Accordingly, the bearing 44 is maintained in a state pressed against the cam surface 61 of the cam 43 by the tensile force of the spring 50.

The coating material container 21 is supported by the Z-axis direction lower end portion of the stand 17. The coating material container 21 is provided at a predetermined interval below the coating needle holder 20 in the Z-axis direction, and the coating needle 24 is held in a state of being inserted into the coating material container 21.

As shown in fig. 4A, the coating material container 21 stores the coating material 70, and the coating needle 24 is immersed in the coating material 70. As shown in fig. 4B, a through hole 21a is provided in the bottom of the coating material container 21, and the tip 24a of the coating needle 24 immersed in the coating material 70 can protrude from the through hole 21 a. The control unit CU (fig. 1) controls the servomotor 41 shown in fig. 2A so that the tip end 24a of the applicator needle 24 protrudes from the through hole 21a of the coating material container 21. The applicator needle 24 is movable in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 5 (fig. 1), i.e., in the Z-axis direction.

< about coating needle holder >

As shown in fig. 5, the applicator needle holder 20 includes a holder base 22, an applicator needle fixing member 25 that supports a base end 24b of the applicator needle 24, a holder cover 23, and a magnet 26. A recess 22a is formed in the holder base 22, and a coating needle fixing member 25 is supported by the recess 22 a. The opening of the holder base 22 is closed by the holder cover 23 and screwed in a state where the coating needle fixing member 25 is supported in the recess 22a of the holder base 22. Thereby, most of the coating needle fixing member 25 is disposed inside the housing including the holder base 22 and the holder cover 23. The longitudinal direction front end portion of the applicator needle fixing member 25 protrudes a predetermined distance from the Z direction lower end portion of the housing.

The magnet 26 is provided on the coating needle fixing member 25. Specifically, in the coating needle fixing member 25, a bottomed circular hole 25a into which the magnet 26 is fitted is formed in a front end portion of one surface facing the holder cover 23. In a state where the magnet 26 is fitted into the hole 25a of the coating needle fixing member 25, a part of the magnet 26 is covered with the holder cover 23. This prevents the magnet 26 from undesirably coming off the hole 25a. The magnet 26 is formed in a cylindrical shape, but is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be, for example, a polygonal shape.

The base end 24b of the applicator needle 24 is detachably fixed to the applicator needle fixing member 25 by the attractive force of the magnet 26. The magnet 26 is selected to generate attractive force (magnetic force) to such an extent that there is no problem in attaching and detaching the coating needle 24. As shown in fig. 6, the coating needle 24 as a magnetic body includes a tip portion 24a facing the substrate 5 (fig. 1) as a target material and a base end portion (also referred to as "root portion") 24b located on the opposite side of the tip portion 24 a. As the magnetic material, for example, iron or the like can be used. As shown in fig. 8, the applicator needle 24 is provided so that a cross section of the applicator needle 24 as seen by cutting the applicator needle 24 in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the applicator needle 24 is circular, but may be, for example, a cross-sectional long hole shape or a cross-sectional polygonal shape.

As shown in fig. 6, the coating needle fixing member 25 is provided with an opening 25b into which the base end 24b of the coating needle 24 is inserted. An opening 25b extending a predetermined distance in the Z-axis direction is provided at the Z-direction lower end of the coating needle fixing member 25. The opening 25b is formed to have a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the base end 24b of the applicator needle 24, so that the applicator needle 24 can be fitted smoothly without loosening. In fig. 7 and 8, the relationship between the diameter of the base end portion 24b of the applicator needle 24 and the aperture of the opening portion 25b is highlighted.

As shown in fig. 6, a bottom surface (end surface) 25ba of the opening 25b is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the magnet 26. The opening 25b is provided such that the bottom surface 25ba of the opening 25b is located between the center portion C1 of the magnet 26 and the Z-direction front end edge portion 26a of the magnet 26.

Therefore, when the base end portion 24b of the coating needle 24 is inserted into the opening portion 25b of the coating needle fixing member 25, as shown in fig. 7, the coating needle 24 is attracted by the magnet 26. The coating needle 24 is fixed when the base end surface 24ba abuts against the bottom surface 25ba of the opening 25b of the coating needle fixing member 25. In fig. 7, fz represents the adsorption force acting on the applicator needle 24 in the insertion direction, and Fy represents the adsorption force acting on the applicator needle 24 in the magnet direction. By using a force equal to or greater than the magnetic force of the magnet 26, the applicator needle 24 can be removed from the applicator needle fixing member 25 by pulling the applicator needle 24 by a human hand or the like.

< relation between the movable base and the applicator needle holder >

In the coating mechanism 4 shown in fig. 2A, the coating needle holder 20 is detachably held on the movable base 35. Specifically, a plurality of (for example, two) magnets, not shown in the figure, are arranged on the surface of the holder base 22 of the applicator needle holder 20 facing the movable base 35. A plurality of (e.g., two) magnets 33 shown in fig. 2B are arranged on the movable base 35 so as to face the plurality of magnets. The magnet of the holder base 22 of fig. 2A and the magnet 33 of the movable base 35 of fig. 2B are attracted to each other. As a result, as shown in fig. 2A, the applicator needle holder 20 is detachably held on the movable base 35.

By adjusting the positions of the magnet of the holder base 22 and the magnet 33 (fig. 2B) of the movable base 35, the applicator needle holder 20 can be accurately positioned when the applicator needle holder 20 is attracted to the movable base 35. For example, as shown in fig. 2B, a reference surface 34 parallel to the XY plane is provided at the Z-direction end of the movable base 35. A reference plate 18 including a reference surface 36 parallel to the YZ plane is provided at one end of the movable base 35 in the X direction.

The reference surface in the Z direction of the applicator needle holder 20 (fig. 2A) is pressed against the reference surface 34 of the movable base 35. At the same time, the reference surface in the X direction of the applicator needle holder 20 (fig. 2A) may be pressed against the reference surface 36 of the movable base 35. That is, when the applicator needle holder 20 shown in fig. 2A is mounted on the movable base 35, the relative positions of the magnet of the applicator needle holder 20 and the magnet 33 of the movable base 35 shown in fig. 2B are adjusted so as to face each other. Specifically, the positions of the magnets 33 of the movable base 35 shown in fig. 2B are arranged close to the reference surface 34 and the reference surface 36 with respect to the positions of the magnets of the applicator needle holder 20 shown in fig. 2A.

In this case, by the magnetic force acting between the magnet on the applicator needle holder 20 shown in fig. 2A and the magnet 33 of the movable base 35 shown in fig. 2B, the attractive force F1 toward the reference surface 34 and the reference surface 36 as shown in fig. 2B can be applied to the applicator needle holder 20 shown in fig. 2A. Thus, the applicator needle holder 20 shown in fig. 2A can be fixed to the movable base 35 with high positional accuracy and good reproducibility.

Even in the case of replacing only the applicator needle 24 shown in fig. 2A, the applicator needle 24 is attached and detached as described above in a state in which the applicator needle holder 20 is temporarily removed from the movable base 35. Then, by the magnets and the reference surfaces 34 and 36 facing each other, the applicator needle holder 20 can be accurately positioned on the movable base 35.

< action of coating device >

In the coating mechanism 4, the servo motor 41 is driven to rotate the rotation shaft, thereby rotating the cam 43. The position of the bearing 44 in contact with the cam surface 61 in the Z-axis direction changes according to the rotation of the servomotor 41. The movable portion 46 and the applicator needle holder 20 move in the Z-axis direction according to the positional change of the bearing 44 in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the applicator needle 24 provided on the applicator needle holder 20 can be changed in the Z-axis direction.

In the case where the bearing 44 of fig. 2A is in contact with the upper end flat region 62 of the cam surface 61 shown in fig. 3B, the applicator needle 24 is disposed at the upper end position as shown in fig. 4A. At this time, the tip end 24a of the coating needle 24 is immersed in the coating material 70 held in the coating material container 21. Next, the servomotor 41 of fig. 2A rotates the rotation shaft, whereby the cam 43 rotates. When the lower end flat region 63 of the cam surface 61 shown in fig. 3B reaches a position where it contacts the bearing 44 shown in fig. 2A, as shown in fig. 4B, the tip end 24a of the applicator needle 24 is brought into a state of protruding downward in the Z-axis direction from the bottom surface of the applicator material container 21 through the through hole 21a formed in the bottom of the applicator material container 21. A portion of the coating material 70 adheres to the surface of the coating needle 24 protruding at this time.

Then, the Z-axis table 3 of fig. 1 moves the coating mechanism 4 toward the substrate 5 side. Thereby, the tip end portion 24a of the coating needle 24 shown in fig. 4B is in contact with the surface of the substrate 5, so that the coating material 70 can be transferred to the surface of the substrate 5. The servo motor 41 of fig. 2A may be driven after the Z-axis table 3 of fig. 1 is moved, or the operations of the Z-axis table 3 of fig. 1 and the servo motor 41 of fig. 2A may be performed substantially simultaneously.

As described above, in the coating mechanism 4, the rotational movement of the servomotor 41 can be converted into the movement (up-down movement) of the coating needle 24 in the Z-axis direction. By adopting such a configuration, the applicator needle 24 can be quickly and accurately moved in the Z-axis direction.

< control part >

The control unit CU of fig. 1 includes a control computer 10, an operation panel 8, and a monitor 9. The control computer 10 controls the linear movement unit DU, the observation optical system 6, and the coating mechanism 4. The control computer 10, the operation panel 8, and the monitor 9 are provided outside the process chamber PR. The operation panel 8 is used to input instructions to the control computer 10. The monitor 9 displays the image data converted by the CCD camera 7 and the output data from the control computer 10.

< Effect >

According to the coating mechanism 4, when the type of coating material to be coated is changed, as shown in fig. 5, the base end portion 24b of the coating needle 24 is separated from the coating needle fixing member 25 against the attractive force of the magnet 26 provided in the coating needle fixing member 25. Then, a new applicator needle 24 can be attached to the applicator needle fixing member 25 by the attractive force of the magnet 26. In this case, the applicator needle 24 can be quickly and reliably attached and detached, and the waste loss of the components can be reduced, as compared with the above-described conventional technique. Therefore, the operation efficiency can be improved, the reliability of attaching and detaching the applicator needle 24 can be improved, and the cost can be reduced, as compared with the conventional art described above. Further, since the applicator needle 24 can be attached and detached when the kind of the coating material to be applied is changed, contamination can be suppressed as compared with the case of using the same applicator needle.

As shown in fig. 7, the coating needle fixing member 25 is provided with an opening 25b into which the base end 24b of the coating needle 24 is inserted, and the bottom surface 25ba of the opening 25b is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the magnet 26. As shown in fig. 6, the opening 25b is provided so that the bottom surface 25ba of the opening 25b is located between the center portion C1 of the magnet 26 and the front end edge portion 26a of the magnet 26 in the Z direction. Therefore, when the base end portion 24b of the coating needle 24 is inserted into the opening portion 25b of the coating needle fixing member 25, as shown in fig. 7, the coating needle 24 is attracted by the magnet 26. The coating needle 24 is fixed when the base end surface 24ba abuts against the bottom surface 25ba of the opening 25b of the coating needle fixing member 25. Therefore, the position of the applicator needle 24 with respect to the applicator needle fixing member 25 can be held with high accuracy.

The coating mechanism 4 of fig. 2A includes a servomotor 41 and a driving force conversion mechanism portion 16, the servomotor 41 being a rotational driving source for driving the coating needle 24, the driving force conversion mechanism portion 16 converting the rotational driving force of the servomotor 41 into a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 5 (fig. 1). In this case, the coating needle 24 can be reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 5 (fig. 1), so that the coating material attached to the coating needle 24 is transferred onto the surface of the substrate 5 of fig. 1.

The coating apparatus includes a coating mechanism 4 and a linear movement unit DU, the coating mechanism 4 including a servo motor 41 and a driving force conversion mechanism section 16 shown in fig. 2A, and the linear movement unit DU relatively moving the coating mechanism 4 with respect to the substrate 5 shown in fig. 1. In this case, the desired coating pattern may be continuously transferred by the linear moving unit DU. This can further improve the work efficiency.

< concerning other embodiments >

In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the portions corresponding to the items described in the previous embodiments, and the duplicate description is omitted. In the case where only a part of the structure is described, the other parts of the structure are the same as those of the previously described embodiment unless otherwise specified. The same structure plays the same role. The embodiments may be partially combined with each other, not only in the combination of the portions specifically described in the embodiments, but also as long as the combination is not impaired.

Second embodiment: FIGS. 9 to 12]

As shown in fig. 9, a magnetic coating needle insertion member 241 may be provided at the base end 24b of the coating needle 24, and the coating needle insertion member 241 may be detachably fixed to the coating needle fixing member 25 by the attractive force of the magnet 26. In the second embodiment, the coating needle 24 is made of a non-magnetic material such as stainless steel or ceramic. In this case, the applicator needle 24 alone cannot be maintained in an engaged state with the applicator needle fixing member 25. Therefore, as shown in fig. 10, the base end portion 24b of the applicator needle 24 can be detachably fixed to the applicator needle fixing member 25 via the applicator needle inserting member 241, which is a magnetic material such as iron. The coating needle member 27 is constituted by the coating needle 24 and the coating needle insertion member 241.

The coating needle insertion member 241 is a hollow cylindrical member covering the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 24b of the coating needle 24. When the coating needle insertion member 241 is detachably joined to the coating needle 24, the coating needle insertion member 241 is preferably fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 24b of the coating needle 24 by press-fitting, for example. When the coating needle insertion member 241 is not detachably fixed to the coating needle 24, the coating needle insertion member 241 is preferably fixed to the base end portion 24b of the coating needle 24 using, for example, an adhesive or the like.

As shown in fig. 11, the coating needle fixing member 25 is provided with an opening 25b into which the coating needle inserting member 241 is inserted. The opening 25b is formed to have a diameter slightly larger than that of the coating needle insertion member 241 so that the coating needle insertion member 241 can be fitted smoothly without loosening. The entire longitudinal direction of the coating needle inserting member 241 is inserted into the opening 25b of the coating needle fixing member 25. However, a part of the coating needle inserting member 241 in the longitudinal direction may be inserted into the opening portion 25b of the coating needle fixing member 25.

In fig. 11 and 12, the relationship between the outer diameter of the applicator needle insertion member 241 and the aperture of the opening 25b is highlighted. As shown in fig. 12, the cross-sectional area of the applicator needle insertion member 241 is preferably sufficiently larger than the cross-sectional area of the applicator needle 24 when the applicator needle insertion member 241 is viewed by cutting the applicator needle insertion member 241 in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the applicator needle insertion member 241. The applicator needle insertion member 241 may also be hollow polygonal in shape.

According to this coating mechanism, as shown in fig. 9, the coating needle insertion member 241 is detachably fixed to the coating needle fixing member 25 by the attractive force of the magnet 26. Therefore, the coating needle 24 can be fixed to the coating needle fixing member 25 regardless of the material of the coating needle 24. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design of the applicator needle 24 is improved. The same operation and effects as those of the above embodiment are achieved.

Even when the magnetic material does not reach the desired attractive force in the coating needle 24, a coating needle insertion member 241 capable of obtaining the desired attractive force on the magnet 26 may be provided at the base end portion 24b of the coating needle 24.

Depending on the application, an application device that does not include an observation optical system and a CCD camera may be employed, for example, to observe the application position of the target material by visual observation.

The applicator needle 24 may be attached to or detached from the applicator needle fixing member 25 by using a robot or the like.

The target material may be a flexible material such as rubber, paper, or a porous material, or may be a hard material such as glass or a wafer.

As described above, the preferred embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, but various additions, modifications and deletions may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Accordingly, such a solution is also included in the scope of the present invention.

Description of the reference numerals:

reference numeral 4 denotes a coating mechanism (coating means);

reference numeral 5 denotes a substrate (target material);

reference numeral 16 denotes a driving force conversion mechanism section;

reference numeral 24 denotes a coating needle;

reference numeral 24b denotes a base end portion;

reference numeral 25 denotes an applicator needle fixing member;

reference numeral 25b denotes an opening portion;

reference numeral 25ba denotes a bottom surface;

reference numeral 26 denotes a magnet;

reference numeral 41 denotes a servo motor (rotation drive source);

reference numeral 70 denotes a coating material;

reference numeral 241 denotes a coating needle insertion member;

the coincidence DU indicates a linear mobile unit.

Claims

1. A coating member, the coating member comprising:

a magnet provided on the coating needle fixing member;

2. The coating member according to claim 1, wherein a coating needle insertion member as a magnetic body is provided at a base end portion of the coating needle, and the coating needle insertion member is detachably fixed to the coating needle fixing member by an attractive force of the magnet.

3. The coating member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coating needle fixing member is provided with an opening into which the base end portion of the coating needle or the coating needle insertion member is inserted, and a bottom surface of the opening is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the magnet.

4. The coating part according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a rotary drive source for driving the coating needle, and a drive force conversion mechanism section for converting a rotary drive force of the rotary drive source into a direction perpendicular to a surface of the target material.

5. A coating apparatus comprising the coating member according to claim 4, and a linear movement unit that moves the coating member relative to the target material.