JP2003164791A - Coating method and coating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coating method and a coating device capable of stably delivering a liquid material from a nozzle and accurately coating the liquid material onto a base board. <P>SOLUTION: The coating device 10 delivers the liquid material from the nozzle 30 of a liquid delivery head 21 to coat the liquid material onto the base board 20. A volatile substance is fed to a space 25 contacted with the nozzle 30 when waiting for coating and when coating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coating method and a coating apparatus, and more particularly to a coating method and a coating apparatus by a liquid discharging method for discharging a liquid material from a nozzle of a liquid discharging head to coat the substrate with the liquid material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a technique for applying a liquid material to a substrate, the use of a liquid discharge type application technique tends to expand. In the coating technique using the liquid discharge method, generally, a liquid material is discharged as droplets from a plurality of nozzles provided in the liquid discharge head while moving the substrate and the liquid discharge head relatively, and the droplets are discharged onto the substrate. The coating film is formed by repeatedly depositing the liquid material on the substrate, and has an advantage over the conventional coating technology such as the spin coating method in that the consumption of the liquid material is less and the discharge control of the liquid material is easier.

[0003]

However, in the coating technique by the liquid discharge method, the tip of the nozzle of the liquid discharge head and its periphery are easily dried while the liquid material is not discharged. If the tip of the nozzle or its periphery is dried, the liquid material may not be stably ejected from the nozzle.

Further, in the coating technique by the liquid discharge method,
Since the liquid material is deposited on the substrate in a droplet state, if the wettability of the substrate surface is low, the liquid material is difficult to spread on the substrate surface, which may lead to a decrease in coating accuracy.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a coating method and a coating method capable of stably ejecting a liquid material from a nozzle and accurately applying the liquid material to a substrate. The purpose is to provide a device.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a coating method of the present invention is a coating method for discharging a liquid material from a nozzle of a liquid discharge head to apply the liquid material to a substrate. It is characterized in that a volatile substance is supplied to a space in contact with the nozzle at the time of application standby or at the time of application.

In the coating method of the present invention, during the coating standby or during the coating, a volatile substance is supplied to the space in contact with the nozzle of the liquid discharge head, and the vaporized substance increases the vapor phase pressure of the space, and the nozzle The evaporation of the liquid material at the tip of or around it is suppressed. That is, while the coating is on standby, by supplying a volatile substance to the space, the nozzle is prevented from being dried, and the liquid material is stably discharged from the nozzle. In addition, by supplying a volatile substance to the space at the time of coating, the functional group on the substrate surface is replaced by the substance, and the wettability of the substrate surface is improved. As described above, in this coating method, the liquid material is stably discharged from the nozzle, and the wettability of the substrate surface is improved, so that the liquid material can be accurately coated on the substrate.

In the above coating method, the volatile substance may be supplied to the space in a liquid state and volatilized in the space. By supplying the volatile substance to the space in a liquid state and evaporating the volatile substance in the space, the volatile state of the substance changes according to the state of the gas phase of the space. For example, when the gas phase pressure is low, a large amount of the substance is volatilized, and when the gas phase pressure is high, the substance is suppressed from volatilizing. Therefore, the volatile substance is consumed without waste.

In the above coating method, the volatile substance may be supplied to the space in a mist state.
By supplying the volatile substance to the space in the mist state, it is possible to promote the volatilization of the substance in the space or to attach the substance in the mist state to the nozzle, so that the nozzle is surely dried. To be prevented. Further, the substitution of the functional group on the substrate surface is promoted by the substance in the mist state, and the wettability of the substrate surface is further improved.

In the above coating method, the volatile substance may be volatilized in a space different from the space and supplied to the space in a gas state. By volatilizing the volatile substance in a space different from the space,
It is possible to surely volatilize the substance regardless of the coating state in a place where there are few restrictions. Further, by making the gas state in advance, the volatile substance can be easily and surely supplied to a desired position in the space.

In the above coating method, it is preferable to control the supply state of the volatile substance according to the discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle. By controlling the supply state of the volatile substance according to the discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from drying and to suppress the consumption amount of the substance. For example, when the discharge amount of liquid material is small and the nozzle easily dries,
By increasing the supply amount of the substance, it is possible to surely prevent the nozzle from drying. On the contrary, when the discharge amount of the liquid material is large and the nozzle is difficult to dry, the consumption amount of the substance can be reduced by reducing the supply amount of the substance.

Further, in the above coating method, it is preferable to control the supply state of the volatile substance according to the relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. By controlling the supply state of the volatile substance according to the relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate, the consumption of the substance can be suppressed while surely improving the wettability of the substrate surface. . For example, when the speed of the relative movement is high,
By increasing the supply amount of the substance, the wettability of the substrate surface can be surely improved. On the contrary, when the speed of the relative movement is low or is not moving, the consumption of the substance can be reduced by reducing the supply amount of the substance. Furthermore, by providing a difference in the supply amount of the substance between the front and the rear in the direction of the relative movement, the wettability of the substrate surface can be more reliably improved.

Further, in the above-mentioned coating method, it is preferable that the excess amount of the volatile substance is exhausted from the space. By exhausting the excess of the volatile substance from the space, it is possible to reliably prevent the volatile substance from leaking to the outside.

Further, in the above coating method, the volatile substance is responsive to at least one of a discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle and a relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. It is preferable to control the exhaust state of. By controlling the exhaust state of the volatile substance in accordance with at least one of the discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle and the relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate, during the coating standby or coating. , It is possible to more reliably prevent leakage of volatile substances to the outside.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the coating apparatus of the present invention is a coating apparatus which discharges a liquid material from a nozzle of a liquid discharge head to coat the substrate with the liquid material. Alternatively, it is characterized in that a supply port for supplying a volatile substance is provided in a space in contact with the nozzle at the time of application.

Since the coating apparatus of the present invention is provided with a supply port for supplying a volatile substance to the space in contact with the nozzle during standby or during coating, the above-described coating method of the present invention can be carried out. That is, in the coating apparatus of the present invention, during the coating standby or during the coating, by supplying the volatile substance to the space in contact with the nozzle of the liquid discharge head, the vaporized substance increases the vapor phase pressure of the space, and Evaporation of the liquid material at the tip and its periphery is suppressed. That is, while the coating is on standby, by supplying a volatile substance to the space, the nozzle is prevented from being dried, and the liquid material is stably discharged from the nozzle. Further, at the time of application, by supplying a volatile substance to the space,
The substance replaces the functional group on the surface of the substrate and improves the wettability of the surface of the substrate. As described above, in this coating apparatus, the liquid material is stably discharged from the nozzle and the wettability of the substrate surface is improved, so that the liquid material can be accurately coated on the substrate.

In the above coating apparatus, it is preferable that the supply port supplies a volatile substance to the space in a liquid state, a mist state, or a gas state. In this case, for example, by supplying the volatile substance to the space in a liquid state and volatilizing the volatile substance in the space, the volatile state of the substance changes according to the state of the gas phase of the space, The sexual substance is consumed without waste.
Further, by supplying the volatile substance to the space in a mist state, it is possible to promote the volatilization of the substance in the space or to attach the mist state substance to the nozzle, thereby drying the nozzle. Is reliably prevented. Further, the substitution of the functional group on the substrate surface is promoted by the substance in the mist state, and the wettability of the substrate surface is further improved. Further, by volatilizing the volatile substance in a space different from the space, it is possible to surely volatilize the substance in places where there are few restrictions, regardless of the coating state. Also,
By making the gas state in advance, the volatile substance can be easily and surely supplied to a desired position in the space.

Further, in the above coating apparatus, the supply port may be arranged adjacent to the nozzle and surrounding the periphery of the nozzle. By disposing the supply port of the volatile substance adjacent to the nozzle and surrounding the nozzle, the volatile substance can be surely supplied to the space. Further, by being supplied around the nozzle, the volatile substance serves as a wall, and the gas phase pressure in the space is likely to increase. Therefore, the evaporation of the liquid material is more reliably suppressed.

Further, in the above coating apparatus, the volatile substance is responsive to at least one of a discharging state of the liquid material from the nozzle and a relative moving state of the nozzle and the substrate. It is preferable to include a control device for controlling the supply state of. When the control device is provided, by controlling the supply state of the volatile substance according to the discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from drying and suppress the consumption amount of the substance.
For example, when the discharge amount of the liquid material is small and the nozzle is easily dried, by increasing the supply amount of the substance,
It is possible to surely prevent the nozzle from drying. On the contrary, if the amount of liquid material discharged is large and the nozzle is difficult to dry,
By reducing the supply amount of the substance, the consumption amount of the substance can be reduced. Further, by controlling the supply state of the volatile substance according to the relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate, the wettability of the substrate surface is surely improved while the consumption amount of the substance is reduced. Can be suppressed. For example,
When the speed of the relative movement is high, the wettability of the substrate surface can be surely improved by increasing the supply amount of the substance. On the contrary, when the speed of the relative movement is low or is not moving, the consumption of the substance can be reduced by reducing the supply amount of the substance. Furthermore, by providing a difference in the supply amount of the substance between the front and the rear in the direction of the relative movement, the wettability of the substrate surface can be more reliably improved.

In addition, it is preferable that the above coating apparatus is provided with an exhaust port for exhausting the excess amount of the volatile substance from the space. By providing the exhaust port,
Excessive excess of the volatile substance can be exhausted from the space to reliably prevent the volatile substance from leaking to the outside.

Further, in the above coating apparatus, the exhaust port may be arranged adjacent to the supply port and surrounding the periphery of the supply port. The exhaust port of the volatile substance,
By being arranged adjacent to the supply port and surrounding the supply port, the surplus of the volatile substance is exhausted from the periphery of the supply port, and the leakage of the volatile substance to the outside is more reliably performed. To be prevented.

Further, in the above coating apparatus, the volatile substance is responsive to at least one of the discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle and the relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. It is preferable to provide a control device for controlling the exhaust state. By providing the control device, the exhaust state of the volatile substance is changed according to at least one of the discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle and the relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. It is possible to more reliably prevent the volatile substance from being leaked to the outside while being controlled and waiting for application or during application.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of an embodiment of a coating apparatus according to the present invention, and the coating apparatus of this example is a liquid discharge type coating apparatus.

In FIG. 1, a coating device 10 includes a liquid ejection head 21 for ejecting a liquid material such as a resist toward a substrate 20, a substrate stage 22 on which the substrate 20 is mounted, and a control device for controlling these components. 23 and the like. Further, in FIG. 1, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system is used, and the XYZ rectangular coordinate system is arranged so that the X axis and the Y axis are parallel to the substrate stage 22 on which the substrate 20 is mounted.
The axis is set, and the Z axis is set in a direction orthogonal to the substrate stage 22.

As the substrate 20, in this embodiment, a wafer made of silicon used for manufacturing a semiconductor element is used. A resist (photoresist) is used as the liquid material applied on the substrate 20. That is, the present embodiment applies the present invention to a resist coating apparatus used in a semiconductor element manufacturing process.
The coating apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited to a semiconductor element manufacturing process, and may be a liquid crystal display element, an EL element,
In addition to devices such as an image sensor (CCD) and a magnetic head, the present invention can be applied to manufacture devices such as color filters and touch panels. Therefore, the substrate used in the present invention is not limited to a silicon substrate, but a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a ceramics substrate, a metal substrate, a plastic substrate,
Substrates made of other materials such as plastic film substrates are also applicable. Further, the liquid material used in the present invention is not limited to a resist, and is SOG (Spin On Glass) which is a liquid material for forming a color ink, a protective film, or a coated silicon oxide film, a low dielectric constant. Other liquid materials such as a Low-k material for forming the interlayer insulating film and other volatile liquid materials are also applicable.

The liquid ejection head 21 ejects a liquid material (resist) from the nozzle 30 by a liquid ejection method. As the liquid ejection method, various known techniques such as a piezo method in which ink is ejected using a piezo element as a piezoelectric element, a bubble method in which liquid material is ejected by bubbles generated by heating a liquid material, are used. Applicable. Among them, the piezo method has an advantage that it does not affect the composition of the material because it does not apply heat to the liquid material. In this embodiment, the piezo method is used among the above.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the principle of discharging a liquid material by the piezo method. In FIG. 2, a piezo element 32 is installed adjacent to a liquid chamber 31 containing a liquid material. The liquid material is supplied to the liquid chamber 31 via a liquid material supply system 34 including a material tank that stores the liquid material. The piezo element 32 is connected to a drive circuit 33, and a voltage is applied to the piezo element 32 via this drive circuit 33 to deform the piezo element 32,
The liquid chamber 31 is deformed, and the liquid material is ejected from the nozzle 30. In this case, the amount of strain of the piezo element 32 is controlled by changing the value of the applied voltage. Further, by changing the frequency of the applied voltage, the piezo element 32
The strain rate of is controlled. In the liquid ejection head 21, the control of the voltage applied to the piezo element 32 controls the ejection of the liquid material from the nozzle 30.

Returning to FIG. 1, the substrate stage 22 is arranged on a base (not shown) and is arranged so as to be freely drivable within a two-dimensional plane (in the XY plane in FIG. 1). Substrate stage 22
Has a drive device 35 including, for example, a linear motor, and performs positioning and movement of the substrate 20 to a predetermined position under the command of the control device 23. At the time of applying the liquid material, the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection head 21 are moved relative to each other via the substrate stage 22 while ejecting the liquid material from the liquid ejection head 21, so that the coating film of the liquid material on the substrate 20. Is formed.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are views showing an example of relative movement between the substrate 20 and the liquid discharge head 21 during coating. In the example of FIG. 3A, the liquid ejection head 21
Is smaller than the width (length in the Y direction in FIG. 3) of the coating region 20a on the substrate 20. In this case, the liquid material is applied to the entire substrate 20 by relatively moving the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection head 21 in the X direction and the Y direction. That is, in FIG. 3A, the liquid ejection head 21 first relatively scans and moves on the substrate 20 in the X direction to move the substrate 2
Of the coating area 20a on 0, a partial area in the Y direction (upper area in FIG. 3) is applied. Subsequently, the liquid ejection head 21 shifts relatively in the Y direction, and thereafter,
Again, the substrate 20 is relatively scanned and moved in the X direction to apply a partial area in the Y direction adjacent to the area previously applied.
Thus, in the example of FIG. 3A, the liquid ejection head 21
In order to coat the entire coating area 20a on the substrate 20, the scanning movement in the X direction and the shift movement in the Y direction are repeated.

Further, in the example of FIG. 3B, the width of the liquid discharge head 21 is formed larger than the width of the coating region 20a on the substrate 20. In this case, the liquid material is applied to the entire substrate 20 by relatively moving the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection head 21 only in the X direction. That is,
In FIG. 3B, the liquid ejection head 21 is connected to the substrate 20.
The entire coating area 20a on the substrate 20 is coated by performing scanning movement on the top once in the X direction. The liquid discharge head 21 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 30 (see FIG. 3) described above arranged side by side in the Y direction, and one of the plurality of nozzles 30 is selected according to the shape of the coating region 20 a on the substrate 20. The liquid material is discharged from the nozzle 30.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the substrate 20 is moved via the substrate stage 22 so that the substrate 20 and the liquid discharge head 21 are relatively moved during coating. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the liquid discharge head 21 may be moved to perform the relative movement, or the substrate 20 and the liquid discharge head 21.
Both may be moved to perform the relative movement. When both the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection head 21 are moved, the scanning movement may be performed by the movement of one (for example, the liquid ejection head 21), and the shift movement may be performed by the movement of the other (for example, the substrate 20). The distance (distance) between the substrate 20 and the liquid ejection head 21 is adjusted via a Z drive device (not shown). Further, the liquid ejection head 21
Alternatively, a means for adjusting the inclination of the substrate 20 with respect to the XY plane or a means for adjusting the rotation angle in the XY plane may be provided.

Returning to FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 10 of this embodiment is
In addition to the nozzle 30 for liquid material, a supply port 50 for supplying a volatile substance to the space in contact with the nozzle 30 and an exhaust port 51 for exhausting the volatile substance are provided.
In this embodiment, the supply port 50 and the exhaust port 51 are provided in the liquid ejection head 21. The supply port 50 is connected to a volatile substance supply system 55, and the exhaust port 51 is connected to an exhaust system 56.

Here, as the substance forming the resist used as the liquid material in the present embodiment, for example,
Commonly used in semiconductor device manufacturing,
A commercially available positive resist in which a diazonaphthoquinone derivative is mixed as a photosensitizer with a cresol novolac resin can be used as it is. The positive type resist is a substance that can be selectively removed by a developing solution in a region exposed to radiation by being exposed to radiation according to a predetermined pattern. Note that the resist is not limited to this, and any resist can be applied depending on the treatment process. As the solvent contained in the resist, for example,
Methyl methoxypropionate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monopropyl ether, methoxymethyl propyneate,
It is possible to use one or more kinds selected from ethoxyethyl propionate, ethyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve acetate, ethyl lactate, ethyl pyruvate, methyl amyl ketone, cyclohexanone, xylene, toluene, butyl acetate and the like.

In this embodiment, for example, a volatile solvent is used as the volatile substance. Examples of the volatile solvent include alcohol solvents such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and 2-propanol, ketone solvents such as dimethyl ketone, methyl ethyl ketone and isobutyl methyl ketone, diethyl ether, methyl ethyl ether and ethylene glycol monoethyl. Ether solvents such as ether, ester solvents such as ethyl acetate and ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, aromatic hydrocarbon solvents such as benzene and toluene, chlorine solvents such as tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethane, CFC-12, CFC-13, etc. CFC solvents, naphthenes, straight chain paraffins, branched paraffins and other aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, aniline, pyridine and other nitrogen compound solvents, diethyl acetal, etc. Known organic solvents such as acetal solvent, heterocyclic compound solvent such as furfural, acetic acid, acid solvent such as propionic acid (methyl methoxypropionate), sulfur derivative solvent such as sulfolane, or these various solvents Mention may be made of mixtures. In particular, a solvent that is similar to the solvent contained in the liquid material discharged from the nozzle 30 or a solvent that has the same or higher evaporation rate than the solvent contained in the liquid material and is easily volatilized is preferable.

FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 show a configuration example of the volatile substance supply system 55, and in this embodiment,
The volatile substance supply system 55 supplies a volatile substance to the space with which the nozzle 30 is in contact in a liquid state, a mist state, or a gas state via the supply port 50.

In the example of FIG. 4, the volatile substance supply system 55
Is a tank 60 containing a volatile substance (solvent), a pump 61 for transportation, a supply pipe 62, and a liquid holding member 63.
And so on. The transport pump 61 may be omitted by utilizing capillarity or gravity. The liquid holding member 63 is a member having a holding force for a liquid volatile substance. In particular,
As the liquid holding member 63, for example, a porous member or a fibrous member is used. In this case, the liquid holding member 63
Due to the surface tension, the capillary phenomenon, etc., the liquid volatile substance is retained, and the liquid volatile substance is exposed (bleeding) on its surface. With such a configuration, in the volatile substance supply system 55 of FIG. 4, the volatile substance is supplied to the space in contact with the nozzle 30 in a liquid state via the supply port 50 and is volatilized in the space. The liquid holding member may be omitted when the supply port 50 itself has a holding force for a liquid volatile substance due to surface tension, a capillary phenomenon, or the like.

Further, in the example of FIG. 5, the volatile substance supply system 55 is a tank 6 for containing a volatile substance (solvent).
5, a pump 66 for transportation, a supply pipe 67, a spray nozzle 68, and the like. Of these, the spray nozzle 68 serves to mist the volatile substance supplied through the supply pipe 67 into the space in contact with the nozzle 30. With such a configuration, in the volatile substance supply system 55 of FIG. 5, the volatile substance is supplied to the space in contact with the nozzle 30 in a mist state via the supply port 50.

Further, in the example of FIG. 6, the volatile substance supply system 55 is a tank 7 for containing a volatile substance (solvent).
0, a volatilization chamber 71 provided with a space for volatilizing a volatile substance, a pump 72 for supplying the volatile substance from the tank 70 to the volatilization chamber 71, a supply pipe 73, a gas containing the substance volatilized in the volatilization chamber 71 It is configured to include a transportation pump 74 for transportation. The volatilization chamber 71 is provided so as to efficiently vaporize the volatile substance supplied from the tank 70. For example, the volatile substance is supplied in mist form from the tank 70 to the volatilization chamber 71. With this configuration,
In the volatile substance supply system 55 of FIG. 6, a volatile substance is supplied in a gas state to the space in contact with the nozzle 30 via the supply port 50. A waste liquid tank containing a used solvent may be used as the tank 70, and the solvent component vaporized from the waste liquid tank may be supplied in a gas state to the space in contact with the nozzle 30.

FIG. 7 shows the ejection surface 21 of the liquid ejection head 21.
It is a top view which shows a. In FIG. 7, the ejection surface 21a of the liquid ejection head 21 is provided with the nozzle 30 for the liquid material, the supply port 50 for the volatile substance, and the exhaust port 51 as described above. Specifically, the liquid ejection head 2
On one discharge surface 21a, a plurality of nozzles 30 are arranged in a line, and a plurality of supply ports 50 are arranged adjacent to the nozzle 30 and surrounding the periphery of the nozzle 30. Further, a plurality of exhaust ports 51 are arranged side by side adjacent to the supply port 50 and surrounding the supply port 50. That is, in the present embodiment, the liquid discharge head 21 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 30 for the liquid material linearly arranged in one row, and the plurality of supply ports 50 for the volatile substance are surrounded by the rows of the nozzles 30. Are arranged in an annular shape, and an exhaust port 51 is arranged in an annular shape so as to surround the annular row of the supply ports 50.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams schematically showing a state of the above-described liquid discharge head 21 in actual operation. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a state of coating standby, and FIG. 8B is a state of coating (liquid material). It is a figure which shows the mode at the time of discharge.

The liquid ejection head 2 is in the standby state for coating shown in FIG. 8A, that is, when the apparatus is started up or the substrate is replaced.
1 is arranged at a position (standby position) different from the position at which the substrate 20 is applied. In the present embodiment, during application standby, a space in which the nozzles 30 of the liquid ejection head 21 come into contact (a space on the ejection surface 21a side, hereinafter, referred to as an ejection side space 25 as needed) is supplied via a supply port 50.
A solvent as a volatile substance (hereinafter referred to as a volatile solvent, if necessary) is supplied. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the volatile substance supply system 55 supplies the solvent through the supply port 50 to any one of a liquid state, a mist state, and a gas state. Is supplied to the discharge side space 25.
By supplying the volatile solvent to the space 25 with which the nozzle 30 is in contact, the vapor phase pressure of the space 25 is increased by the volatilized solvent component, which causes the evaporation of the liquid material (resist) at the tip of the nozzle 30 and its periphery. Is suppressed. That is, although the solvent contained in the liquid material (resist) is volatilized from the nozzle 30, the volatile solvent is separately supplied via the supply port 50 and volatilized in the ejection side space 25. As a result, the volatilization of the liquid material in the nozzle 30 is suppressed accordingly.

In FIG. 1, when the solvent is supplied in a liquid state, a state where the solvent is exposed (a state where the solvent oozes out) is formed at the supply port 50, and the solvent is volatilized in the discharge side space 25 from that state. In this case, the volatilization state of the solvent changes depending on the state of the gas phase in the discharge side space 25. For example, when the gas phase pressure is low, a large amount of the solvent is volatilized, and when the gas phase pressure is high, the solvent volatilization is suppressed. Therefore, the volatile substance is consumed without waste.

When the solvent is supplied in the mist state,
The contact area between the solvent and air is increased as a whole, and the volatilization of the solvent is promoted. Moreover, in this case, the solvent in the mist state tends to adhere to the nozzle 30. Therefore, the nozzle 30 is reliably prevented from drying.

When the solvent is supplied in a gas state, as described above, it is volatilized in a space different from the space 25 in contact with the nozzle 30, and the gas containing the volatilized solvent is supplied. In this case, by volatilizing in a space different from the nozzle 30 space, the solvent can be surely volatilized in places with few restrictions regardless of the coating state. Further, by making the solvent into a gas state in advance, the solvent can be easily and surely supplied to a desired position in the discharge side space 25.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the volatile solvent supply port 50 is arranged adjacent to the nozzle 30 for the liquid material and annularly surrounding the nozzle 30. From the above, the vaporized solvent component is reliably supplied to the space 25 in contact with the nozzle 30. Further, by supplying the solvent component around the nozzle 30, the solvent component serves as a wall, and the vapor phase pressure of the discharge side space 25 tends to increase. Therefore, the evaporation of the liquid material is more reliably suppressed. Also,
Evaporating the liquid material (resist) around the tip of the nozzle 30 and its periphery is more strongly suppressed by supplying a solvent that is the same or more easily evaporated than the solvent contained in the liquid material (resist) from the supply port 50. it can.

Further, in this embodiment, the surplus solvent volatilized in the discharge side space 25 is exhausted from the space through the exhaust port 51. This prevents leakage of volatile substances to the outside. As shown in FIG. 7, the exhaust port 5
1 is adjacent to the supply port 50 for the volatile solvent, and is arranged in a ring shape surrounding the periphery of the supply port 50, so that the excess amount of the volatilized solvent component is exhausted from the periphery of the supply port 50, Leakage to the outside is more reliably prevented.

In the standby state for coating, the ejection surface 2 of the liquid ejection head 21 is indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG.
The member 26 may be arranged in the vicinity of 1a so as to cover the ejection surface 21a. By disposing the member 26, it is possible to further enhance the above-described evaporation suppressing effect. That is, a wall is formed in front of the nozzle 30 by the arrangement of the member 26, so that the volatilized solvent component is less likely to diffuse, and the nozzle 3
Drying of the 0 tip is more reliably suppressed. The member 2
6 may be provided at the standby position or may be provided at the liquid ejection head 21. Further, for example, an opening / closing mechanism that opens during application and closes during application standby may be provided.

At the time of coating shown in FIG. 8B, that is, the nozzle 30.
When the liquid material (resist) is discharged from the substrate to the substrate 20, the volatile solvent is supplied to the discharge side space 25 via the supply port 50 to be volatilized in the same manner as in the coating standby mode. The excess amount of the volatilized solvent is exhausted through the exhaust port 51. At the time of coating, by supplying a volatile solvent to the discharge side space 25, the functional group on the surface of the substrate 20 is replaced by the solvent component, and the substrate 2
0 Surface wettability is improved. Therefore, the liquid material is accurately applied to the entire substrate 20. In particular, in the case of coating by the liquid discharge method as in this example, since the liquid material is deposited on the substrate in a droplet state, it is possible to greatly improve the coating quality by improving the wettability.

As described above, in the present embodiment, during the standby for coating or during coating, the volatile solvent is supplied to the discharge side space 25 through the supply port 50 to volatilize it, thereby preventing the nozzle 30 from drying. Thus, the liquid material is stably discharged from the nozzle 30. Further, the wettability of the surface of the substrate 20 is improved by supplying the volatile solvent at the time of coating. Therefore, in this embodiment, the liquid material can be accurately applied to the substrate 20.

Further, conventionally, for the purpose of preventing the nozzles from drying, a small amount of liquid material is ejected from the nozzles of the liquid ejection head (discard ejection) during the application standby, or a nozzle cleaning operation is performed immediately before the application. May be done. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by supplying a volatile substance (solvent) in addition to the liquid material, the nozzle is prevented from drying, and therefore, the increase in the consumption amount of the liquid material due to the above-mentioned waste discharge is prevented. In addition to this, the cleaning operation can be omitted.

By the way, in this embodiment, the supply state of the volatile solvent from the supply port 50 and the exhaust state from the exhaust port 51 are changed between the standby state and the coating period. Specifically, in the present embodiment, while waiting for coating, the supply amount of the volatile solvent is increased and the exhaust amount is decreased, and conversely,
At the time of coating, the supply amount of the volatile solvent is reduced and the exhaust amount is increased. In this case, the amount of the liquid material (resist) ejected from the nozzle 30 is small during the application standby,
Since the nozzle 30 is easily dried, increasing the supply amount of the volatile solvent can surely prevent the nozzle 30 from being dried. In addition, since the liquid material is ejected from the nozzle 30 at the time of application, the amount of volatile solvent consumed can be reduced by reducing the amount of volatile solvent supplied from the supply port 50 accordingly. Further, at the time of coating, the substrate 20 and the nozzle 30
Since the gas in the ejection side space 25 is likely to move due to the relative movement with the (liquid ejection head 21), the exhaust port 51
By increasing the amount of exhaust from the volatile substance, leakage of volatile substances to the outside can be prevented more reliably. The control of the supply amount and the exhaust amount described above is performed via the volatile substance supply system 55 and the exhaust system 56 under the command of the control device 23 shown in FIG.

By controlling the supply state of the volatile solvent in accordance with at least one of the discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle 30 and the relative movement state of the nozzle 30 and the substrate 20, the nozzle 30 is controlled. The consumption of the volatile solvent can be suppressed while preventing the drying. Similarly, by controlling the exhaust state of the volatile solvent, it is possible to more reliably prevent the volatile substance from leaking to the outside during standby or during coating. The control of the supply state and the exhaust state is not limited to the above example. For example, during application standby and during application, the supply amount and exhaust amount of the volatile solvent are opposite to those described above, that is, the amount of the volatile solvent is increased during application and decreased during standby, and the exhaust amount is decreased during application and increased during standby. May be. Alternatively, the supply amount and the exhaust amount may be increased or decreased at the same time. Further, at the time of application, since the liquid material is being ejected from the nozzle 30, the supply of the volatile solvent from the supply port 50 may be stopped. Further, the supply amount and the exhaust amount of the volatile solvent may be changed according to the speed and direction of relative movement between the substrate and the nozzle 30 (liquid ejection head 21) during coating. further,
The supply position and the exhaust position of the volatile solvent may be changed according to the direction of the relative movement.

9A and 9B show an example in which the supply position and the exhaust position of the volatile solvent are changed according to the direction of relative movement. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, in this example, the supply port located in front of the nozzle 30 in the relative movement direction of the nozzle 30 (liquid ejection head 21) with respect to the substrate 20 during coating. A volatile solvent is supplied from 50, and exhaust is performed from an exhaust port 51 located at the rear. And when the relative movement direction is reversed,
Accordingly, the above-mentioned arrangement relationship is maintained,
The positions of the supply port 50 and the exhaust port 51 are reversed. As a result, the consumption of the volatile solvent can be effectively suppressed while reliably improving the wettability of the surface of the substrate 20 with the volatile solvent. In addition, the change direction of the supply position and the exhaust position,
Although not limited to the above, at the time of application,
When supplying the volatile solvent to the space in contact with the nozzle 30, it is preferable to supply the volatile solvent at least from the front in the relative moving direction of the nozzle 30.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the liquid ejection head 21. FIG. 10A shows the liquid ejection head 21.
In the discharge surface 21a, the supply port 50 and the exhaust port 51 are linearly provided substantially parallel to the row of the nozzles 30 instead of the above-described annular shape. In addition, FIG.
Is an example in which the nozzles 30 are arranged in two rows, as shown in FIG.
(C) is an example in which the supply ports 50 are linearly arranged in a line on one side of the nozzle 30, and the exhaust ports 51 are linearly arranged in a line on the other side. The configuration example of FIG. 10C is preferably applied when the relative movement described above with reference to FIG. 3B is in one direction, for example. In this way, the nozzle 30 and the supply port 5 in the liquid ejection head 21
0, the shape of the exhaust port 51, the number of rows thereof, the arrangement position, and the like can be variously changed according to the discharge condition, the relative movement condition, and the like. The exhaust port 51 may be omitted from the supply port 50 and the exhaust port 51. Alternatively, the exhaust port may have a slit shape. Further, the supply port 50 and the exhaust port 51 may be provided not on the liquid ejection head 21 but on another object.

As described above, by using the coating method and the coating apparatus of the present invention, the liquid material can be accurately coated on the substrate. Therefore, when manufacturing a semiconductor element, a high precision or high quality device is used. Can be manufactured. In the above-described embodiments, the example in which the present invention is applied to the semiconductor element manufacturing process is shown. However, by applying the present invention to other manufacturing processes, a liquid crystal display element, an EL element, an imaging element (CCD), a magnetic element In addition to devices such as heads, it is possible to improve the quality of various devices or devices such as devices such as color filters and touch panels.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this example. The shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are merely examples, and various changes can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0057]

As described above, according to the coating method and the coating apparatus of the present invention, when waiting for coating or during coating,
By supplying a volatile substance to the space in contact with the nozzle of the liquid discharge head, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from drying and to stably discharge the liquid material from the nozzle. Also,
The wettability of the substrate surface can be improved by supplying the volatile substance at the time of coating. Therefore, the liquid material can be accurately applied to the substrate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an embodiment of a coating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a principle of discharging a liquid material by a piezo method.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of relative movement between a substrate and a liquid ejection head during coating.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of a volatile substance supply system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the configuration of the volatile substance supply system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the configuration of the volatile substance supply system.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the form of an ejection surface of a liquid ejection head.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a state during actual operation of the liquid ejection head, FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a state during a coating standby state,
FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a state during application (during liquid material ejection).

FIG. 9 shows an example in which the supply position and the exhaust position of a volatile substance are changed according to the direction of relative movement between the substrate and the liquid ejection head.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another example of the ejection surface of the liquid ejection head.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Coating device 20 ... Substrate 21 ... Liquid ejection head
21a ... Ejection surface 22 ... Substrate stage 23 ... Control device 30 ... Nozzle
34 ... Liquid material supply system 25 ... Discharge side space 50 ... Supply port 51 ... Exhaust port 55
… Volatile substance supply system 56… Exhaust system

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) B05D 3/00 B05D 3/00 B D G03F 7/16 501 G03F 7/16 501 H01L 21/027 H01L 21/30 564D F Terms (reference) 2H025 AA18 AB16 EA04 4D075 AC06 AC94 DA06 DC22 EA05 EA45 EC07 EC30 4F041 AA06 AB01 BA34 BA59 4F042 AA07 AB00 BA04 BA11 CB07 CC03 CC07 DD38 ED05 5F046 JA02 JA08 JA09

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A coating method for coating a liquid material onto a substrate by discharging a liquid material from a nozzle of a liquid discharge head, wherein a volatile substance is supplied to a space in contact with the nozzle during standby or during coating. A coating method characterized by: 2. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein the volatile substance is supplied to the space in a liquid state and volatilized in the space. 3. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein the volatile substance is supplied to the space in a mist state. 4. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein the volatile substance is volatilized in a space different from the space and is supplied to the space in a gas state. 5. The supply state of the volatile substance is controlled according to a discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Application method. 6. The supply state of the volatile substance is controlled according to the relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. The coating method described. 7. The coating method according to claim 1, wherein an excess of the volatile substance is exhausted from the space. 8. The exhaust state of the volatile substance is controlled according to at least one of a discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle and a relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. The coating method according to claim 7, wherein: 9. A coating device for coating a liquid material onto a substrate by discharging a liquid material from a nozzle of a liquid discharge head, wherein a volatile substance is supplied to a space in contact with the nozzle during coating standby or during coating. An application device comprising a supply port for 10. The coating according to claim 9, wherein the supply port supplies a volatile substance to the space in any one of a liquid state, a mist state and a gas state. apparatus. 11. The supply port is adjacent to the nozzle,
The coating device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the coating device is arranged so as to surround the nozzle. 12. A control for controlling a supply state of the volatile substance according to at least one of a discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle and a relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. The coating device according to claim 9, further comprising a device. 13. The coating apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an exhaust port for exhausting the excess amount of the volatile substance from the space. 14. The exhaust port is adjacent to the supply port,
The coating device according to claim 13, wherein the coating device is disposed so as to surround the supply port. 15. A control for controlling an exhaust state of the volatile substance according to at least one of a discharge state of the liquid material from the nozzle and a relative movement state of the nozzle and the substrate. The coating device according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising a device.