JP2000102759A - Coating method and coating device as well as production of plasma display and member for display and apparatus for production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form coating film ends to a prescribed coating film thickness profile within a predetermined short range by executing coating film formation several times to form the prescribed coating film thickness profile when forming the coating films on a member to be coated by relatively moving at least either of a coating applicator and the member to be coated. SOLUTION: A table 6 on which the member A to be coated is placed is moved to locate the coating start part of the member A to be coated to the discharge port of a die. On the other hand, the coating liquids sucked from respective tanks 50A, 50B are fed into the die by respective syringe pumps 44A, 44B. A start signal is outputted from a computer 54 to a sequencer 56 after lapse of the prescribed time and the coating is started by moving the table 6 at a prescribed speed. The coating is ended when the coating end part of the member A to be coated exists at the discharge port of the die. At this time, the respective coating start positions and end position, respective coating weights and characteristics of the respective coating liquids 76A, 76B are merely necessitated to be optimized in order to control the film thickness profile.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used in the field of manufacturing plasma displays, color filters for color liquid crystal displays, optical filters, printed boards, integrated circuits, semiconductors, and the like. The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method for forming a coating film while discharging a coating liquid on a surface of a member to be coated, and to an improvement of a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of a plasma display and a display member using the apparatus and the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, displays have been gradually diversified in their system, but one of the things that are currently attracting attention is a plasma display which is larger and thinner and lighter than a conventional cathode ray tube. In this method, a partition having grooves extending in one direction in a stripe pattern at a constant pitch is formed on a glass substrate, and R, G, and B phosphors are filled into the grooves of the partition, and an arbitrary portion emits light by ultraviolet rays. Let
This is to project a predetermined color pattern. Usually, the side with the partition is called the back plate, and the side with the electrode that determines the part to be emitted is called the front plate.

An important method of forming a partition pattern on a back plate is to apply a partition paste uniformly on a dielectric layer, dry the paste to form a film having a uniform thickness, and then form a stripe having a predetermined pitch. It is the mainstream to engrave and bake a groove having a shape by post-processing such as sandblasting or photolithography. The thickness of the coating on the partition walls is 10 even after firing.
As a means for uniformly applying the partition wall paste to a thickness of 0 to 200 μm and this thickness, a method of applying the paste many times by a screen printing method according to the paste viscosity of thousands to tens of thousands of cps is generally used. ing. However, in this method, since the number of times of application is as many as 10 to 20 times, the introduction of a roll method, a die coating method, or the like, which can complete the application in one time, has been actively started in recent years in order to reduce costs and improve quality. .

[0004] Among them, the die coating method using a die can perform coating only once, and (1) since the die as an applicator is not in contact with the glass substrate, screen unevenness remains on the coating surface. Quality can be improved (2)
Since there is no consumable such as a screen, there is an advantage that the cost can be completely eliminated.

[0005] Further, a light absorbing layer of black or the like is provided on the top of the partition wall to give a contrast with the phosphor emission in the groove, thereby improving the performance as a display. The light absorbing layer is usually provided by applying a partition after forming the partition by baking.

[0006]

Even if the paste for forming the partition of the plasma display is applied by a single die coating, there is no problem in the accuracy of the film thickness in the center portion which is the product screen portion. Nevertheless, the reason why the die coating method is difficult to apply to the formation of the partition walls is that the thickness of the end portion irrespective of the product screen portion cannot be formed to a desired one.

First, a defective film thickness portion where the film thickness accuracy does not fall within an allowable value always occurs at the end. In particular, the end of the die in the width direction usually rises, for example, an average film thickness of 100 μm.
With respect to m, the amount of swelling at the end extends to 10 μm or more. The shorter the area of such a defective film thickness portion, the better.
The following are required:

Next, even if there is no defective film thickness portion and even the end can be formed by coating to a uniform film thickness, if the groove is carved in a stripe shape and then baked, the end of the groove in the stripe direction is obtained. Rises in the thickness direction, and the top of the groove becomes thicker. This is a phenomenon that occurs because the amount of shrinkage due to baking of the partition walls becomes 50% or more. However, if the top of the groove at the end becomes thick, the rear plate with the partition walls and the front plate with the electrodes are completely removed. Since it cannot be uniformly adhered over the region, it cannot be normally operated as a display.

[0009] Therefore, it is an essential condition that no bulge occurs at the end. There is also a method of polishing the raised part later, but an extra step is added to increase the cost, and the dust generated at the time of processing degrades the product quality, so the profile where the edge does not rise after firing The shape is best formed by application. Further, the formation of the film thickness profile at the end of the coating film must be realized within the region of the allowed defective film thickness portion.

[0010] As described above, in order to apply the die coating method to the formation of the partition wall of the plasma display, it is indispensable to realize a means for forming the end shape of the coating film into a film thickness profile shape which does not rise after firing within an allowable range. Becomes

Next, with respect to the technique of applying a light absorbing layer or the like on the partition, it is wasteful to apply the partition after baking because of the steps and costs. Are preferably formed at the same time. In this case,
As shown in -339658, etc., there is a method of coating each layer with a plurality of independent dies, but when the number of stacked layers increases, the number of dies increases, making it difficult to handle and handle. However, there is a disadvantage that a die having a very small thickness cannot be applied by a single die.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to form a coating film end portion into a predetermined film thickness profile within a first predetermined short range. Second, a coating method and a coating apparatus capable of easily forming a plurality of thickness direction laminated coating films irrespective of the coating thickness of each layer, and using these coating methods and apparatuses. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a plasma display, and a display member such as a back panel, a front panel, and a color filter of the plasma display.

[0013]

The object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a coating film is formed on the member to be coated by relatively moving at least one of the coating device and the member to be coated while discharging the coating liquid from the coating device. The coating method is performed a plurality of times to form a predetermined coating film thickness profile.

Here, the coating film thickness profile to be formed is preferably the one at the edge of the coating film, and the coating film thickness profile is formed every time one coating film is formed. It is preferable to change the area and the thickness of the coating film, to use a different coating liquid, and to set a gap between the discharge port surface of the coating device and the landing surface of the coating liquid. Furthermore, a plurality of dies or a single die that discharges a coating liquid from a plurality of discharge ports may be used as the applicator.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the coating method, at least one of the coating device and the sheet-shaped member to be coated is relatively moved while discharging the coating liquid from the coating device to coat the coating member on the member to be coated. In a coating method for forming a film, a plurality of layered coating films in the thickness direction are formed by one coating device.

In this case, the applicator has a plurality of discharge ports, a die having a different distance between each discharge port surface and the member to be coated, or a plurality of coating liquids joined in the thickness direction to form one coating. The composite die discharged from the discharge port, and the plurality of discharge ports arranged at intervals of 0.05 to 5 mm so that the outflow directions of the plurality of adjacent coating liquids are each relatively 60 ° or less. It is preferable to use a composite die which discharges the application liquid of the above and joins them at the outlet of the discharge port.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a plasma display using the coating method according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a display member using the coating method according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects.

A coating apparatus according to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention provides a coating liquid supply means for supplying a coating liquid, a coating apparatus having a discharge port extending in one direction for discharging the coating liquid supplied from the supply means, And a moving means for relatively moving at least one of the container and the coating member to form a coating film on the coating member. The apparatus further includes a coating film thickness profile control means for forming a coating film thickness profile.

Here, the coating film thickness profile control means moves with an application device having a different discharge width or a coating liquid supply means for defining a coating film start position and an end position each time a coating film is formed. In addition to the timing operation control means of the means, it is desirable to be a coating liquid supply control means for changing the thickness of the coating film or a plurality of coating liquid supply control means for supplying different coating liquids. Further, the applicator is more preferably a plurality of dies or a single die having a plurality of discharge ports.

A coating apparatus according to a twenty-fourth aspect of the invention provides a coating liquid supply means for supplying a coating liquid, a coating apparatus having a discharge port extending in one direction for discharging the coating liquid supplied from the supply means, And a moving means for relatively moving at least one of the container and the member to be coated to form a coating film on the member to be coated. This is a high-functional die having a structure capable of forming a directionally laminated coating film.

Here, the high-performance die has a plurality of discharge ports, and dies having different discharge port surfaces, and a plurality of coating liquids are merged in the thickness direction and discharged from one discharge port. The composite die further has a plurality of discharge ports arranged at an interval of 0.05 to 5 mm, and is arranged at an intersection angle of 60 ° or less between adjacent flow paths of the coating liquid reaching each discharge port. It is desirable to be a composite die.

According to a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma display manufacturing apparatus comprising the coating device according to any one of the sixteenth to twenty-eighth aspects.

According to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a display member, comprising the coating apparatus according to any one of the sixteenth to twenty-eighth aspects.

According to the coating method and apparatus of the present invention, the coating film forming under different coating conditions is executed a plurality of times,
Since the defective portion of the coating film thickness profile shape in each coating film formation can be corrected, it is possible to form the end portion of the coating film into a predetermined thickness profile shape within a predetermined short range.

Further, according to the coating method and apparatus of the ninth and twenty-fourth aspects, since a plurality of layered coatings in the thickness direction are formed by one coating device, the coating thickness of each layer can be easily adjusted. Irrelevant coating film formation becomes possible.

According to the method and apparatus for manufacturing a plasma display and a member for a display according to claims 15, 16, 29, and 30, the laminated film layers having a predetermined film thickness profile shape and a plurality of different functions are provided. High quality plasma displays and display members can be manufactured.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a coating apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view around the stage 6 and the die 40 in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a coating apparatus by a die coating method applied to manufacture a partition of a plasma display according to the present invention, that is, a so-called die coater. The die coater includes a base 2, on which a pair of guide groove rails 4 is provided. A table 6 as a holding body is disposed on the guide groove rails 4, and the upper surface of the table 6 is configured as a suction surface 90 having a suction hole to which the member A to be coated can be fixed by vacuum suction.
The table 6 freely reciprocates in the horizontal direction on the guide groove rail 4 via the pair of slide legs 8. Table 6
The sensors 202A and 202B for detecting the position of the lower end surface of the die 40 are attached to the head of the die 40. The guide groove rail is covered by the side cover 4a and the top cover 10.

A casing 12 containing feed screw mechanisms 14, 16, 18 shown in FIG. 2 is disposed between the pair of guide groove rails 4, and the casing 12 extends in the horizontal direction along the guide groove rail 4. ing. Feed screw mechanism 1
Each of the feed screws 4, 16, and 18 has a feed screw 14 formed of a ball screw as shown in FIG. 2. The feed screw 14 is screwed into a nut-shaped connector 16 fixed to the lower surface of the stage 6. , This connector 1
6 extend through. Both ends of the feed screw 14 are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown), and an AC servo motor 18 is connected to one end thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1, a die column 24 is disposed substantially at the center of the upper surface of the base 2, and the die column 24 has an inverted L-shape. The tip of the die post 24 is positioned above the reciprocating path of the table 6, and the lifting mechanism 26 is attached to the tip.
The lifting mechanism 26 includes a lifting bracket (not shown) that can be raised and lowered.
8 is attached to a pair of guide rods so as to be able to move up and down. In the casing, a feed screw (not shown) formed of a ball screw is also rotatably disposed between the guide rods, and a lifting bracket is connected to the feed screw via a nut-type connector. Are linked. An AC servomotor 30 is connected to the upper end of the feed screw.
The C servo motor 30 is mounted on the upper surface of the casing 28.

A support shaft (not shown) is mounted on the lifting bracket.
A die holder 32 is attached via a groove, and the die holder 32 has a U-shape and extends horizontally above a pair of guide groove rails 4 between the rails 4. The support shaft of the die holder 32 is rotatably supported in the elevating bracket.
Can rotate with the support shaft in a vertical plane.

A horizontal bar 36 is also fixed to the lifting bracket, and the horizontal bar 36 is located above the die holder 32 and extends along the die holder 32. At both ends of the horizontal bar 36, electromagnetically operated linear actuators 38 having telescopic rods protruding from the lower surface thereof are respectively attached. These telescopic rods are arranged such that the lower ends abut against both ends of the die holder 32, respectively.

The die holder 32 has a die 4 as an applicator.
0 is held. As is clear from FIG. 1, the slit die 40 has a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction of the stage 6,
That is, the die holder 32 extends horizontally in the longitudinal direction, and both ends are supported by the die holder 32.

In addition, a sensor column 20 is disposed on the upper surface of the base 2 on the front side of the die column 24. The sensor support 20 also has an inverted L-shape, similarly to the die support 24 described above. At the tip of the sensor support 20, a table 6
A thickness sensor 22 is mounted via a bracket 21 so as to be above the reciprocating path of the sensor. The thickness sensor 22 is arranged at a position where the central portion of the member to be measured can be measured when the application start portion of the member to be coated A stops immediately below the discharge port of the die 40.

As the die 40, one having a plurality of discharge ports or a type in which plural kinds of coating liquids are merged in the thickness direction in the die and discharged from one discharge port can be preferably used.

The advantage of using these dies, which can form a multilayer coating film from a plurality of types of coating liquids by one unit, is that not only simplification of the process but also that the thickness of the discharged coating liquid of each layer is a single layer. Even if the coating liquid is too small to be applied, the coating liquid can be applied to the member to be coated if the thickness of the coating liquid in the laminated state is large. As a result, if a plurality of independent dies were used, the coating thickness was too small to be applied because of the film breakage. However, these dies can be easily applied.
Among these, in particular, those having a plurality of discharge ports are capable of stably discharging a plurality of types of coating liquids when applying a single wafer, and are also suitable for laminating low-viscosity coating liquids. I have.

As one mode of a die having a plurality of discharge ports, as shown schematically in FIG. 2, a long block-shaped rear lip 60, an intermediate plate 66 and a front lip 59 are provided on a table. 6 are integrally connected to each other by a plurality of connecting bolts (not shown) in the reciprocating direction. The lowermost surfaces of the rear lip 60, the intermediate plate 66, and the front lip 59 are discharge port surfaces 74A and 74B for holding the coating films C and D. The discharge port surface 74A to the member to be coated A and the discharge port surface 74B to the coating film. In order to set each of the clearances up to the clearance D to an optimum value, it is also preferable that the positions of the discharge port surfaces 74A and 74B in the height direction be different. In particular, in order to reduce the thickness of the coating liquid of each layer, it is important to arrange the height positions of the discharge port surfaces 74A and 74B at appropriate positions.

Also, inside the die 40, the rear lip 60,
And a slit 64A between the front lip 59 and the intermediate plate 66, which serves as a flow path of a coating solution for forming the coating films C and D,
64B are respectively formed, and become discharge ports 72A and 72B which are outlets of the coating liquid on the lower surface of the die 40. This slit 64
The gap between A and 64B is secured by a shim (not shown) sandwiched between the rear lip 60, the intermediate plate 66, and the front lip 59, and can be set to an arbitrary size. On the upstream side of the slits 64A and 64B, there are formed manifolds 62A and 62B communicating with the slits and extending horizontally in the width direction of the die 40. Further, the manifolds 62A and 62B are connected to supply hoses 42A and 42B, electromagnetic switching valves 46A and 46B, syringe pumps 44A and 44B, suction hoses 48A and 48B, and tanks 50A and 50B via internal passages (not shown) of the die 40. Connected to the coating liquid 76 in the tanks 50A and 50B.
A and 76B can be supplied. It is preferable that the tanks 50A and 50B be pressurized in a closed container with a constant pressure of air or an inert gas such as N2. The pressure is preferably 0.02 to 1 MPa, more preferably 0.1 to 1 MPa.
1 to 0.5 MPa.

For a die having a plurality of discharge ports, in order to more easily reduce the coating thickness of each layer, the flow path to the discharge port of each coating liquid is further crossed at 60 ° between adjacent ones. Hereinafter, it is more preferable that the coating liquid is arranged at an angle of 30 ° or less so that the coating liquids join before coating. The composite die 23 which is an embodiment of the two-layer coating
0 is shown in FIG. In the composite die 230, the discharge port 236
A, a slit 23 which is a flow path of the coating liquid reaching 236B
Since 2A and 232B are arranged so that the intersection angle between them becomes Θ, the application liquid is discharged from the discharge ports 236A and 236B in a direction forming a relatively 角度 angle. By setting the crossing angle ６０ to 60 ° or less, the collision of the discharged coating liquids can be suppressed, and a smooth merge can be achieved. The discharge ports 236A and 236B are located on the discharge port surface 238 and are separated by a distance e. The interval e is 0.05 to
5 mm is preferred. When the thickness is 0.05 mm or more, the production of the die becomes easy, and furthermore, the stable ejection becomes possible by obtaining the durability. The coating liquid 76 discharged from the discharge ports 236A and 236B is set to 5 mm or less.
A and 76B can easily join.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a die of the type in which plural kinds of coating liquids are merged and discharged from one discharge port. The composite die 130 has a discharge port 136, a slit 13
2 is one, but two manifolds 134A, 13
4B and communication paths 138A and 138B. When the composite die 130 is used instead of the die 40 of FIGS. 1 and 2, the manifolds 134A and 134B
Since it is in fluid communication with 2A and 42B, the coating liquids 76A and 76B are supplied to the manifolds 134A and 134B. The supplied coating liquids 76A and 76
B is joined at the upper part of the slit 132 via the communication paths 138A and 138B, stacked in the thickness direction, discharged from the discharge port 136 in the stacked state, and applied to the member to be coated. Since both of the composite dies 230 and 130 are configured so that the coating liquids join before coating, the coating thickness of each layer can be more easily reduced by the effect of the combining.

The actual supply of the coating liquid to the die 40 is performed by syringe pumps 44A and 44B and electromagnetic switching valves 46A and 46A.
It can be performed arbitrarily by the cooperative operation with B. That is, first, the electromagnetic switching valves 46A and 46B are connected to the suction hose 4
After switching so that only the syringes 80A, 80B of the syringe pumps 44A, 44B communicate with 8A, 48B,
The pistons 52A, 52B engaged with the inner surfaces of the syringes 80A, 80B via a sealing material are moved downward by a fixed amount, and the coating liquids 76A, 76B in the tanks 50A, 50B are moved.
Is filled in each of the syringes 80A and 80B. Subsequently, the electromagnetic switching valves 46A, 46B are connected to the supply hoses 42A, 42B.
And syringes 80A, 8 of syringe pumps 44A, 44B
0B, the piston 52
A and 52B are moved upward by a predetermined amount at a predetermined speed, and the supply of the die 40 to the manifolds 62A and 62B is realized.

The switching conditions of the electromagnetic switching valves 46A and 46B, the operation timing of the syringe pumps 44A and 44B, the discharge amount of the coating liquid, the discharge speed and the like are determined by the computer 54 to which each device is electrically connected. Is controlled independently for each device. Further, in order to control the operation of the syringe pumps 44A and 44B in conjunction with the table 6 and the like, a sequencer 56 is also electrically connected to the computer 54 in addition to the thickness sensor 22. The sequencer 56 includes an AC servomotor 18 for the feed screw 14 on the table 6 side,
Side AC servomotor 30 and linear actuator 38
Of the AC servo motors 18 and 30, a signal from a position sensor 58 for detecting the moving position of the table 6, and a A signal from a sensor (not shown) for detecting the operation state of the device 40 is input, and a signal indicating a sequence operation is output from the sequencer 56 to the computer 54. Note that instead of using the position sensor 58,
It is also possible to incorporate an encoder into the AC servomotor 18 and detect the movement position of the stage 6 by the sequencer 56 based on a pulse signal output from the encoder. The sequencer 56 itself has a computer 54.
Can be incorporated.

Next, a coating method using this coating apparatus will be described.

First, when the origin of each operating section in the coating apparatus is returned, the table 6 and the die 40 move to the standby position. At this time, the coating liquid has already been filled from the coating liquid tanks 50A and 50B to the die 40, and the so-called air bleeding operation of discharging the coating liquid with the die 40 facing upward and discharging the residual air inside the die has already been performed. Finished.

Next, the sensor 2 at the tip of the table 6
02A and 202B are connected to the discharge port surface 74A on the upstream side of the die 40.
After the die 40 is slowly lowered and stopped at a predetermined position, the height distribution in the width direction of the discharge port surface 74A of the die 40 with respect to the suction surface 90 of the table 6 is measured. The amount of expansion and contraction of the linear actuator 38 is adjusted so that the surface 74A is parallel to the suction surface 90 of the table 6. At this time, the discharge port surface 74 with the suction surface 90 of the table 6 as a reference point and the vertical coordinate axes (Z
The relationship with the (axis) value, that is, the origin setting of the discharge port surface 74 is also executed and completed at the same time. Thus, by controlling the vertical coordinate axis values, the discharge port surface 74 can be moved from the suction surface 90 to an arbitrary height position. When these operations are completed, the table 6 and the die 40 are returned to the origin.

After the preparation operation is completed, the lift pins are raised on the surface of the table 6 and the member A to be coated is placed from above by a loader (not shown). Then, the lift pins are lowered to place the member A on the table upper surface. Place and adsorb.

Next, the table 6 is moved, and
When the application start portion of the die comes just below the discharge port of the die 40, the operation is stopped. In this stop state, the thickness sensor 22 measures the substrate thickness of the member A to be applied, calculates a value to which the die 40 is to be lowered from the thickness and a predetermined clearance, and moves to the next position.

On the other hand, the syringe pumps 44A and 44B are sucking a predetermined amount of the coating liquid from the tanks 50A and 50B during this time. After confirming the clearance setting, the coating liquid is sent from the syringe pumps 44A and 44B to the die 40. After the syringe pumps 44A and 44B start the application liquid feeding operation, a timer in the computer 54 starts, and after a predetermined time, the sequencer 56
, A start signal is issued, the table 6 starts moving at the coating speed, and the coating is started.

When the coating end portion of the member to be coated A comes to a position immediately below the discharge port of the die 40, a signal is issued from the computer 54 to stop the syringe pumps 44A and 44B and to stop the die 4
Then, the coating liquid is completely discharged from the member A to be coated.

The operation start / end timing of each of the above-described syringe pumps 44A and 44B needs to be appropriately optimized according to a target film thickness profile.

On the other hand, the table 6 continues to move, and stops when the member A reaches the end point where the member A is transferred by the unloader, releases the suction of the member A, raises the lift pins, and lifts the member A.

At this time, the lower surface of the member A is held by an unloader (not shown), and the member A
Is transported. When the delivery to the unloader is completed, the table 6 lowers the lift pins and returns to the home position.

During this time, the syringe pumps 44A, 44B
Performs a suction operation to newly fill the tanks 50A and 50B with liquid. Then, it waits for the next member to be applied, and repeats the same operation.

To control the film thickness profile at the coating start end and end end in the above steps, (1) the coating liquid 76
A, 76B, the application start position and end position, (2) the application amount of each of the application liquids 76A, 76B, (3) the application liquid 76
The properties of A and 76B may be optimized. (1)-
(3) may be performed independently or may be combined.

To change the coating start position and the coating end position of each of the coating liquids 76A and 76B, the syringe pumps 44A and
The operation timing of 4B may be changed. Although the timing, that is, the time shift is the position shift, it also depends on the moving speed of the table 6, so that the time shift amount must be determined in consideration of these. The displacement is preferably 0.5 to 10 mm, more preferably 1 to 4 mm. As a result, the application areas of the application liquids 76A and 76B are different. In this case, the upper layer coating solution 7
Even if 6B protrudes from the lower coating solution 76A and the coating area becomes relatively large, conversely, the lower coating solution 76A
Even if the coating area becomes relatively small on A, either may be selected as long as a desired edge film thickness profile can be obtained.

In order to change the amount of each of the coating liquids 76A and 76B, the syringe 8 of the syringe pumps 44A and 44B is changed.
The inner diameters of 0A and 80B and the moving speeds of the pistons 52A and 52B may be changed respectively. Finer control is possible by changing the moving speed of the piston. The ratio of the discharge amount is preferably 0.1 to 1, more preferably 0.1 to 0.5.

The properties of the coating solutions 76A and 76B can be changed by changing the viscosity, fluidity, solvent, surface tension and the like of the same components, or by using completely different types of coating solutions. It is preferable to select what is to be changed in view of the film thickness profile actually obtained by coating, and in some cases, the same coating liquid may provide better results.

If a coating liquid having different functions such as a partition paste is used as the coating liquid 76A and a black paste for absorbing light is used as the coating liquid 76B, a plurality of laminated coating films in the thickness direction can be easily formed. A thickness profile having a desired shape can be obtained.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment, and is a schematic view showing a situation in which coating is performed using two bases. FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view showing the die of FIG. It is.

In FIG. 4, two dies 100A, 100B and supply devices 110A, 100A are used instead of the supply device using the die 40 of FIG. 1 and the syringe pumps 44A, 44B of FIG.
B is provided.

The supply devices 110 A and 110 B
A, hoses 101A each in fluid communication with 110B,
101B, electromagnetic two-way valves 102A, 102B, tank 10
4A, 104B, pressure regulators 108A, 10 in the tank
8B, and the tanks 104A and 104B are filled with coating liquids 106A and 106B, respectively. Since air is supplied from the air source 112 to the pressure regulators 108A and 108B, the pressure regulators 108A and 108B
By the operation described above, the pressure in the tanks 104A and 104B can be set arbitrarily. Inside the dies 100A and 100B, manifolds 120A and 120B and slits 12 are provided.
2A and 122B, and slits 122A and 12B.
The discharge port side of 2B is discharge ports 123A and 123B. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the slits 122A, 122
The width of B is different, and the width of slit 122A is longer. Due to the dimensional relationship between the widths of the slits 122A and 122B, the application positions of the application liquids 106A and 106B in the width direction are shifted and the application areas are different, and as a result, a film thickness profile in the width direction can be formed.

In the actual coating process, after the substrate A, which is the member to be coated, is adsorbed on the table 6, the application start portion of the substrate A is moved directly below the die 100, and the die 100 A,
The clearance between each discharge port surface of 100B and the substrate A is set to a predetermined value. Next, a predetermined pressure is applied to the tank 10.
4A and 104B, the electromagnetic two-way valve 102A
Is changed from closed to open, the coating liquid 106A is supplied to the die 100A, and the coating liquid 106A is discharged from the discharge port. Next, the table 6 is started to move at an appropriate timing, and the coating liquid 106A is applied to the substrate A. When the predetermined position of the substrate A is right below the die 100B, the electromagnetic two-way valve 102B is opened from the closed state, and the coating liquid 106B is discharged from the discharge port of the die 100B, and is applied onto the coating liquid 106A.

Eventually, each coating end point is
A, just below the 100B, the two-way solenoid valves 102A,
02B is changed from open to closed, and the dies 100A and 100B are pulled up at that timing, and the coating liquids 106A and 106B are cut off from the dies 100A and 100B to complete the coating.

The present embodiment is intended to control the formation of the edge film thickness profile in the substrate width direction, and the actual control factors are (1) the coating width of the coating solutions 106A and 106B,
(2) the amount of each of the coating liquids 106A and 106B,
(3) There are properties of the coating liquids 106A and 106B. These controls may be performed independently, or may be performed in combination.

To change the coating width of the coating liquids 106A and 106B, the slits 122A of the dies 100A and 100B
What is necessary is just to change the width of 122B. The deviation amount of the coating width is preferably 0.5 to 10 mm, more preferably 1 to 10 mm.
4 mm. As a result, the coating liquids 106A,
The application area of 6B will be different. In this case, even if the upper coating liquid 106B protrudes from the lower coating liquid 106A and the coating area is relatively large, the coating area is relatively small on the coating liquid 106A. In any case, any one may be selected as long as a desired edge film thickness profile can be obtained.

To change the amount of each of the coating liquids 106A and 106B, the set pressure by the pressure regulators 108A and 108B may be changed. Set pressure value is 0.01 ~
1 MPa is preferable, and the ratio of the ejection amount is preferably 0.1 to 1, more preferably 0.1 to 0.5.

As described above, the properties of the coating solutions 106A and 106B can be changed by changing the viscosity, fluidity, solvent, surface tension, etc., or by using completely different types of coating solutions, even if the components are the same. Good. In controlling the edge thickness profile in the width direction, which property of the coating liquid is changed is determined by checking the thickness profile actually obtained by coating.
It is preferable to select an optimum one, and in some cases, the same coating liquid is used.

Further, the control of the film thickness profile at the end in the width direction according to the present embodiment may be combined with the control of the film thickness profile at the start and end of the coating. As a result, it is possible to obtain a desired thickness profile at all the ends.

When coating is performed using a plurality of dies, it is more stable to set a clearance between the dies and the landing surface of the coating solution. A clearance is set between the surface and the die outlet surface. For this reason, the clearance from the substrate generally increases with the die located downstream.

The scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in order to form an edge film thickness profile in the width direction, a single die having two discharge ports is used to hold the paper. The width of the two slits may be made different by changing the shape of each shim to be inserted.

The number of times of application is not limited to two, but may be any number of times as long as a predetermined film thickness profile can be obtained. If the coating is repeated a plurality of times, the coating may be repeated a predetermined number of times by a die coater provided with one die having one coating liquid and one die, or a die coater provided with one die having one coating liquid and one discharging port. May be applied successively by connecting several of them.

The present invention may be applied to reduce the unevenness in film thickness not only at the end but also at the center of the product. In this case, it is more effective to measure the film thickness distribution after applying once and control the ejection amount so as to correct the film thickness, and apply the second layer.

Further, when coating liquids having different functions are laminated in the thickness direction, the number of layers and the coating film thickness are not particularly limited.

Further, the composite die may be used for laminating three or more coating liquids by, for example, setting the number of discharge ports to three or more. Preferable applications of the composite die include simultaneous lamination of a light absorbing layer on a partition, simultaneous lamination of a partition layer on a dielectric layer of a back plate, and the like.

The coating liquid to which the present invention can be applied is not particularly limited, but preferably has a viscosity of 1 to 50,000 cps, more preferably 1,000 to 30,000 cps. For this reason, the gap between the slits of the die is preferably set to 100 to 2000 μm.

[0079]

(Example 1) Using the coating apparatus shown in FIG. 4, coating was performed on the end in the width direction with the target of the film thickness profile shown by the solid line 140 in FIG. 2.1mm thickness on glass substrate
400 × 500, 60% glass powder in coating liquid
The one used for plasma display partition walls having a viscosity of 30,000 cps was used. Two dies are used. The die A for coating the lower layer has a slit gap of 400 μm and a slit width of 350 mm. The die B for coating the upper layer has a slit gap of 200 μm and a slit width of 346 mm. The slit width was arranged so as to be symmetric.

The same coating liquid is used for the dies A and B, and the required coating amount on the substrate is 230 μm in total.
m (wet state).
m, and the die B was applied at 30 μm. For that purpose, the additional pressure of the tank was set to 0.2 MPa for the die A and 0.24 MPa for the die B.

In the running direction of the substrate, it is not required to form an end portion film thickness profile, and it is specified that the coating be performed only on the central 450 mm portion. Therefore, the coating is started from a portion 25 mm from the top of the substrate, and the coating is completed at 475 mm. When the position 20 mm from the top of the substrate is directly below the dies A and B, the respective electromagnetic two-way valves are opened to start coating, and the position 475 mm from the top of the substrate is directly below the dies A and B. When it comes to, close each electromagnetic two-way valve,
The die was raised to finish the application. The clearance at this time was set to 250 μm between the die A and the substrate, and 100 μm (300 μm from the substrate) between the die B and the application surface, and the application speed was 0.5 m / min.

The film thickness profile in the width direction at the center in the running direction of the coated material was measured with a laser displacement meter, and it was confirmed that the end in the width direction was almost the solid line in FIG. Further, this was dried at 100 ° C. using a drying device using infrared rays, and the width-direction film thickness profile was measured again with a laser displacement meter. As a result, it was confirmed that the film had a target film thickness shape in a dry state. Then, after forming grooves having a pitch of 0.23 mm so as to form stripes in the width direction of the substrate by sandblasting, and baking at 600 ° C., no bulge was generated at the ends of the groove tops in the width direction. Comparative Example The coating was performed under the same conditions as in the above example except that only the die A was used in the above example and the coating amount on the die A was 230 μm. Similarly, when the film thickness profile in the width direction at the center in the running direction was measured by a laser displacement meter, the profile was as shown by a broken line 142 in FIG.
over m, a difference of up to 20 μm occurred, and a predetermined film thickness profile could not be formed.

(Embodiment 2) Width 340 mm × 440 mm ×
A photosensitive silver paste is applied to the entire surface of a soda glass substrate having a thickness of 2.8 mm by a screen printing machine to a width of 430 mm and 1 m.
/ Min. Then, exposure using a photomask,
Through the steps of development and baking, 1920 silver electrodes in a stripe shape were formed at a pitch of 220 μm. A glass paste composed of glass and a binder was screen-printed on the electrode, and then fired to form a dielectric layer. Next, a glass powder and a photosensitive organic component having a viscosity of 2000
0 cps of a photosensitive white glass paste and a black glass paste, and 30 μm /
It was applied to a thickness of 300 μm with the composite die shown in FIG. 7 at a clearance of 350 μm from the substrate at an application width of 430 mm and an application speed of 1 m / min. The lip gap at this time was 100 μm on the black glass paste side and 400 μm on the white glass paste side, the interval e between the discharge ports was 0.1 mm, and the intersection angle Θ was 30 °. The substrate coated with the two layers is taken out by a transfer machine and put into a drying furnace using a radiant heater.
After drying at 0 ° C. for 20 minutes, a partition wall layer having a black upper surface was formed. Was. When the coating thickness distribution after drying was measured over the entire surface of the substrate, it was within the range of 190 μm ± 8 μm.
Next, exposure was performed using a photomask designed to form a partition between adjacent electrodes, and development and baking were performed to form a partition. The shape of the partition walls was 220 μm in pitch, 30 μm in line width, and 130 μm in height, and the number of partition walls in each region was 1921. Thereafter, R, G, and B phosphor pastes are sequentially applied by screen printing,
After drying for 15 minutes, finally baking was performed at 460 ° C. for 15 minutes to produce a back plate of the plasma display. The surface quality of the obtained plasma display back plate was satisfactory because the surface was black and the plasma emission portion was white, so that the contrast was high. Next, the back plate and the front plate of the plasma display are combined, and after sealing, Xe5
%, And a mixed gas of 95% Ne, and a driving circuit was connected to obtain a plasma display.

[0084]

As described above, the coating method and the apparatus according to the first and the second aspects of the present invention are capable of forming a plurality of coating films having different coating conditions such as a coating area, a coating amount, and a type of a coating solution for each coating. Is performed twice, so that the defective portion of the coating film thickness profile in one coating film formation can be corrected, and not only the center portion to be a product but also the coating film edge within a predetermined short range within a predetermined short range. It can be formed in a film thickness profile shape.

Further, according to the coating method and apparatus of the ninth and twenty-fourth aspects, it is possible to easily form a plurality of coating films in the thickness direction with one coating device. Even if there is a thin coating layer that cannot form a coating film, each layer is laminated inside the applicator before coating so that the coating film can be formed, so the coating film is formed regardless of the coating film thickness It becomes possible.

In the method and apparatus for manufacturing a plasma display and a member for a display according to claims 15, 16, 29, and 30, the plasma display and the member for a display are manufactured using the above-described coating apparatus and method. It is possible to form a plasma display or a partition for a plasma display having a predetermined coating film thickness profile shape. As a result, there is no swelling of the partition end even after firing, and there is a back plate that is easy to adhere to the front plate. High quality plasma displays and display members can be manufactured with high productivity. Furthermore, it is also possible to easily provide a value-added function such as a light absorption layer by multi-layer lamination.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a die coater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the die coater of FIG. 1 including a coating liquid supply system.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a composite die applied to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing a die and a table according to another embodiment applied to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view of the die of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a target film thickness profile in the width direction and a film thickness profile according to a conventional method.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side sectional view showing a coating state in a composite die applied to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2: Base 6: Table 14: Ford screw 18: AC servo motor 22: Thickness sensor 26: Elevating mechanism 40A, 40B: Die (applicator) 44A, 44B: Syringe pump 46A, 46B: Electromagnetic switching valve 50A, 50B: Tanks 52A, 52B: Piston 54: Computer 59: Front lip 60: Rear lip 62A, 62B: Manifold 64A, 64B: Slit 66: Intermediate plate 76A, 76B: Coating liquid 80A, 80B: Syringe 90: Adsorption surface 100A, 100B: Die 102A, 102B: electromagnetic two-way valve 104A, 104B: tank 106A, 106B: coating liquid 108A, 108B: pressure regulator 110A, 110B: supply device 120A, 120B: manifold 122A, 122B: slit 130: composite die 136: Discharge port 230: Composite die A: Glass substrate (member to be coated) C: Coating film D: Coating film

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01J 9/02 H01J 9/02 F 11/02 11/02 B

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. A coating method for forming a coating film on a member to be coated by relatively moving at least one of the coating device and a member to be coated while discharging a coating liquid from the coating device. A coating method comprising forming the coating film a plurality of times to form a predetermined coating film thickness profile. 2. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein the thickness profile of the coating film to be formed is that at the edge of the coating film. 3. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein a coating film thickness profile is formed by changing a coating film area on a member to be coated each time a coating film is formed. 4. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein a coating film thickness profile is formed by changing a coating film thickness each time a coating film is formed. 5. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein a coating film thickness profile is formed by using a different coating solution each time a coating film is formed. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a gap is set between the discharge port surface of the applicator and the landing surface of the coating liquid every time a coating film is formed. The coating method described. 7. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of dies are used for the coating device. 8. The coating device according to claim 1, wherein one die for discharging the coating liquid from a plurality of discharge ports is used.
The coating method according to any one of the above. 9. A coating method in which at least one of the applicator and a sheet-like member to be coated is relatively moved while discharging a coating liquid from the coating device to form a coating film on the member to be coated. A coating method, wherein a plurality of thickness direction laminated coating films are formed by one coating device. 10. The coating method according to claim 9, wherein at least the uppermost layer of the plurality of thickness direction laminated coating films is a light absorbing layer. 11. The coating method according to claim 9, wherein a die having a plurality of discharge ports is used for the coating device. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the direction of outflow of the coating liquid discharged from the plurality of discharge ports is relatively less than 60 °.
The coating method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of application liquids are discharged from a plurality of discharge ports arranged at an interval of about 5 mm. 13. The coating method according to claim 11, wherein the distance between the surface of each of the plurality of discharge ports and the member to be coated is different. 14. The coating method according to claim 9, wherein a composite die is used in which a plurality of coating liquids are merged in a coating device in a thickness direction and discharged from one discharge port. 15. A method for manufacturing a plasma display, comprising using the coating method according to claim 1. Description: 16. A method for manufacturing a display member, comprising using the coating method according to claim 1. Description: 17. A coating liquid supply means for supplying a coating liquid, a coating apparatus having a discharge port extending in one direction for discharging the coating liquid supplied from said supply means, A moving means for relatively moving at least one of the members to form a coating film on the member to be coated, the coating device comprising: A coating apparatus, further comprising a coating film thickness profile control means for forming a profile. 18. The coating apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the coating film thickness profile control means is an applicator having a different discharge width every time a coating film is formed. 19. The coating film thickness profile control means is a timing operation control means for a coating liquid supply means and a movement means for defining a coating film formation start position and an end position for each coating film formation. The coating device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein 20. The coating liquid supply control means according to claim 17, wherein said coating film thickness profile control means is a coating liquid supply control means for changing the coating film thickness each time a coating film is formed. Coating equipment. 21. A method according to claim 17, wherein said coating film thickness profile control means is a plurality of coating liquid supply control means for supplying a different coating liquid every time one coating film is formed. The coating device according to the above. 22. The coating device according to claim 17, wherein the coating device comprises a plurality of dies. 23. The coating device according to claim 17, wherein the coating device is a single die having a plurality of discharge ports. 24. A coating liquid supply means for supplying a coating liquid, a coating apparatus having a discharge port extending in one direction for discharging the coating liquid supplied from said supply means, and said coating apparatus and said coating member. A moving means for relatively moving at least one of the above to form a coating film on the coating member, wherein a single coating device is used to form a plurality of thickness direction laminated coating films. A coating device characterized by being a die having a possible structure. 25. The coating apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the die has a plurality of discharge ports. 26. An interval between a plurality of discharge ports is 0.05 to 5 mm.
26. The coating apparatus according to claim 25, wherein a flow path leading to a discharge port of each coating liquid is arranged at an intersection angle of 60 ° or less between adjacent ones. 27. The coating apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the positions of the plurality of discharge ports in the height direction of the discharge port surfaces are different. 28. The coating apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the die is a composite die that joins a plurality of coating liquids in the thickness direction and discharges them from one discharge port. 29. An apparatus for manufacturing a plasma display, comprising the coating apparatus according to claim 16. 30. An apparatus for manufacturing a display member, comprising the coating apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 28.