JP2007050345A - Apparatus for applying treating liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for applying a treating liquid, in which the treating liquid is prevented from being stuck to the area outside the area to be coated of a substrate while preventing occurrence of a failure owing to foreign matter. <P>SOLUTION: A protection member is arranged for removing the foreign matter toward the moving direction of a slit nozzle in a slit coater. When application of the treating liquid is started, the slit nozzle is moved horizontally from the position of the outside just above the substrate to the start position where the application of the treating liquid is started. When the discharge port of the slit nozzle is moved from the position of the outside just above the substrate to the end of the substrate, the discharge port is kept at the same reference height as that when the treating liquid is applied (step S11-S13). When the discharge port is moved from the end of the substrate to the start position, the discharge port is kept higher than the reference height (step S14-S16). As a result, the treating liquid can be prevented from being stuck to the area outside the area to be coated of the substrate. Since the lower end of the protection member is constituted of two plates, even when the foreign matter which is not brought into contact with the front plate during the time to keep the discharge port higher is present, the foreign matter can be brought into contact with the back plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating processing apparatus that applies a processing liquid to a substrate held substantially horizontally.

  In the manufacturing process of various substrates such as a glass square substrate for liquid crystal, a semiconductor substrate, a flexible substrate for film liquid crystal, a substrate for photomask, a substrate for color filter, etc., a coating processing apparatus for applying a treatment liquid to the surface of the substrate is used. . As such a coating processing apparatus, a slit coater for performing a slit coating to apply the processing liquid to the entire substrate by moving the slit nozzle relative to the substrate while discharging the processing liquid from the slit nozzle, or after the slit coating. A slit / spin coater for rotating a substrate is known.

  When performing the coating process in these coating processing apparatuses, the slit nozzle is moved relative to the substrate in a state where the discharge port serving as the lower end portion of the slit nozzle and the substrate are close to each other. For this reason, if a foreign substance adheres to the surface of the substrate, the foreign substance and the slit nozzle come into contact with each other, and there is a possibility that problems such as damage to the slit nozzle, damage to the substrate, and poor coating may occur.

  Therefore, conventionally, techniques for preventing such troubles caused by foreign substances have been proposed. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, a long protective member 82 is arranged on the front side of the progress of the slit nozzle 81, and before the slit nozzle 81 comes into contact with the foreign matter Fm on the substrate 90, A technique is known in which the foreign matter Fm is brought into contact with the foreign matter Fm, and the foreign matter Fm is detected based on the vibration (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-24571 A

  By the way, in general, when starting the coating process in the coating processing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 17, the slit nozzle 81 is moved from the outside right above the substrate 90 to the start position P1 where the coating process should be started. At the time of this movement, the height of the discharge port of the slit nozzle 81 is made higher than that at the time of performing the coating process, and when the discharge port is transported to the position immediately above the start position P1, the height is the same as that of the coating process. It is lowered to a predetermined height.

  However, in such an operation, as shown in the drawing, the foreign matter Fm is related to the region from the end portion P0 of the substrate 90 to the position Px (the position where the protective member 82 is present when the discharge port is at the start position P1). The protective member 82 cannot be brought into contact with. For this reason, as shown in the figure, if the foreign matter Fm exists in this region, the slit nozzle 81 may be damaged.

  In order to cope with this, as shown in FIG. 18, the slit nozzle 81 is moved horizontally from the outside right above the substrate 90 to the start position P1, while maintaining the height of the discharge port at the same height as in the case of performing the coating process. It is possible to make it. According to this, the protection member 82 can be brought into contact with the foreign matter Fm in any region. However, as shown in the drawing, there is a possibility that the liquid reservoir B of the processing liquid formed at the discharge port may adhere to the region (P0 to P1) of the substrate 90 that is not the target of the processing liquid application. As a result, the substrate 90 may be contaminated, or the uniformity of the liquid reservoir B may be impaired to cause coating unevenness in the coating process.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coating processing apparatus capable of preventing the processing liquid from adhering to a region outside the coating target of the substrate while preventing defects due to foreign matters. And

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is a coating processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a coating target region of a substrate held substantially horizontally, and is formed in a slit shape extending along a substantially horizontal first direction. A nozzle capable of discharging the processing liquid from the discharge port and a substantially horizontal second direction orthogonal to the first direction to the start position at which discharge of the processing liquid should be started from directly above the substrate. Moving the nozzle relative to the substrate, further moving the nozzle relative to the substrate over the entire area to be coated, and causing the nozzle to perform ejection scanning on the area to be coated; A protective member that extends along one direction and is relatively fixed to the front side of the progress of the discharge scanning of the nozzle so that the position of the lower end is equal to or lower than the lower end of the discharge port, and the phase of the discharge port with respect to the substrate Adjusting means for adjusting the height, wherein the adjusting means determines the relative height of the discharge port in the case of the discharge scan when the position of the discharge port is from the position directly above the substrate to the end of the substrate. When the same reference height is used and the position of the discharge port is from the end of the substrate to the start position, the relative height of the discharge port is set higher than the reference height.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the coating processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the protection member is a plurality of portions that extend along the first direction and are arranged in parallel in the second direction. Consists of.

  Further, the invention of claim 3 is the coating processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein among the plurality of parts, the forefront part of the progress of the ejection scan is the first part and the rearmost part is the first part. When there are two parts, the length between the forward positions of the ejection scans of the first and second parts is not less than the length from the end of the substrate to the start position.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the coating treatment apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the maximum length in the second direction defined by the lower end of the protective member is the start position from the end of the substrate. It is more than the length.

  According to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, since the relative height of the discharge port is set to the same reference height as in the case of the discharge scanning, the protective member and the foreign matter are in contact with each other from the outside directly above the substrate to the end of the substrate. The possible area can be expanded. At the same time, since the relative height of the discharge port is increased from the end of the substrate to the start position, the treatment liquid adheres to a region outside the application target of the substrate even if a treatment liquid pool is formed at the discharge port. Can be prevented.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the foreign matter that cannot be contacted at the frontmost part can be brought into contact at the rear part.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 3, a foreign object that cannot be contacted at the front position of the first part can always be brought into contact at the front position of the second part. Thereby, it can be made to contact with a foreign material in the front position of a protection member about all the fields through which a discharge mouth passes.

  In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, the protective member and the foreign matter can be brought into contact with respect to all regions through which the discharge port passes.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. Overview of coating processing equipment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a slit coater 10 which is a coating treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The slit coater 10 is a coating processing apparatus that performs a coating process called slit coating for coating a resist solution, which is a processing liquid, on the surface of the substrate 90, and selectively etches an electrode layer or the like formed on the surface of the substrate 90. Used for processes. The substrate 90 to be coated with the slit coater 10 is typically a rectangular glass substrate for manufacturing a screen panel of a liquid crystal display device, but is a semiconductor substrate, a flexible substrate for a film liquid crystal, a substrate for a photomask, a color Other substrates such as a filter substrate may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the slit coater 10 is roughly divided into a control unit 1 that controls the entire apparatus and a coating processing unit 2 that performs coating processing. The control unit 1 is electrically connected to each part of the coating processing unit 2 and comprehensively controls the operation of each part of the coating processing unit 2. The control unit 1 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. Various control functions by the control unit 1 are realized by the CPU performing arithmetic processing using the RAM according to predetermined programs and data. In addition, the control unit 1 is provided with an operation unit 11 that receives an input operation from an operator and a display unit 12 that displays various data, and these function as a user interface.

  The coating processing unit 2 mainly includes a stage 3 for holding the substrate 90, a discharge mechanism 4 for discharging a resist solution to the substrate 90 held on the stage 3, and a movement for moving the discharge mechanism 4 in a predetermined direction. And a mechanism 5.

  In the following description, the three-dimensional XYZ orthogonal coordinates shown in the figure are used as appropriate when indicating the direction and direction. The XYZ axes are fixed relative to the stage 3. Here, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction (the + Z side is the upper side). For convenience, the X-axis direction is the depth direction (the + X side is the front side and the -X side is the back side), and the Y-axis direction is the left-right direction (when viewed from the front side, the + Y side is the right side and the -Y side is the left side).

  The stage 3 is made of a stone material such as granite having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the upper surface thereof is processed into a substantially horizontal flat surface and functions as the holding surface 30 of the substrate 90. A large number of vacuum suction ports are dispersedly formed on the holding surface 30. By adsorbing the substrate 90 through these vacuum suction ports, the substrate 90 is held in a substantially horizontal state at a predetermined position during the coating process.

  The discharge mechanism 4 mainly includes a slit nozzle 41 that discharges a resist solution and a nozzle holding portion 42 that fixes and holds the slit nozzle 41.

  The slit nozzle 41 discharges a resist solution supplied from a supply mechanism (not shown) to the upper surface of the substrate 90 from a slit-like discharge port formed at the lower end. The slit nozzle 41 is fixedly supported by the nozzle holding portion 42 so that the discharge port extends substantially horizontally along the Y-axis direction.

  The nozzle holding part 42 includes a fixing member 42a that fixes the slit nozzle 41, and two lifting mechanisms 42b that support the fixing member 42a and move it up and down. The fixing member 42a is configured by a rod-shaped member having a rectangular cross section such as a carbon fiber reinforced resin whose longitudinal direction is the Y-axis direction.

  The two elevating mechanisms 42b are connected to the left and right ends of the fixing member 42a, and each includes an AC servo motor and a ball screw. By these elevating mechanisms 42b, the fixing member 42a and the slit nozzle 41 fixed thereto are moved up and down in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and the interval (gap) between the discharge port which is the lower end of the slit nozzle 41 and the substrate 90, that is, The relative height of the discharge port with respect to the substrate 90 (hereinafter referred to as “discharge port height”) is adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle holding portion 42 formed by the fixing member 42 a and the two lifting mechanisms 42 b bridges the left and right ends of the stage 3 along the Y-axis direction and bridges the holding surface 30. It has a structure. The moving mechanism 5 moves the entire discharge mechanism 4 including the nozzle holding portion 42 as the bridging structure and the slit nozzle 41 fixed and held along the X-axis direction.

  As shown in the figure, the moving mechanism 5 has a symmetrical structure (symmetric on the + Y side and −Y side), and a traveling rail 51 that guides the movement of the discharge mechanism 4 in the X-axis direction on each of the left and right sides. And a linear motor 52 that generates a moving force for moving the discharge mechanism 4 and a linear encoder 53 for detecting the position of the discharge port of the slit nozzle 41.

  Each of the two traveling rails 51 extends along the X-axis direction at the end (left and right ends) of the stage 3 in the Y-axis direction. By guiding the lower ends of the two lifting mechanisms 42b along the two traveling rails 51, the movement direction of the discharge mechanism 4 is defined in the X-axis direction.

  Each of the two linear motors 52 is configured as an AC coreless linear motor having a stator 52a and a mover 52b. The stator 52a is provided on the side surface (left and right side surfaces) in the Y-axis direction of the stage 3 along the X-axis direction. On the other hand, the mover 52b is fixed to the outside of the lifting mechanism 42b. The linear motor 52 moves the discharge mechanism 4 by the magnetic force generated between the stator 52a and the mover 52b.

  Each of the two linear encoders 53 includes a scale unit 53a and a detection unit 53b. The scale portion 53 a is provided along the X-axis direction below the stator 52 a of the linear motor 52 fixed to the stage 3. On the other hand, the detection unit 53b is fixed to the outer side of the mover 52b of the linear motor 52 fixed to the elevating mechanism 42b, and is arranged to face the scale unit 53a. The linear encoder 53 detects the position of the discharge port of the slit nozzle 41 in the X-axis direction based on the relative positional relationship between the scale unit 53a and the detection unit 53b.

  With the configuration as described above, the slit nozzle 41 can move relative to the holding surface 30 in the substantially horizontal X-axis direction in the upper space of the holding surface 30 where the substrate 90 is held.

  A region having a predetermined width (for example, 2 to 3 mm) from the end of each side of the substrate 90 is a region (hereinafter, referred to as “non-application region”) 90a that is not a resist solution application target. In the substrate 90, a rectangular area excluding the non-application area 90a is an area (hereinafter referred to as “application target area”) 90b to which the resist solution is to be applied. Therefore, the coating process is performed on the coating target area 90b.

  When performing the coating process, the slit nozzle 41 is horizontally moved in the X-axis direction at a predetermined speed in a state where the resist solution is discharged from the discharge port. As a result, scanning (ejection scanning) by the slit nozzle 41 is performed on the application target region 90 b of the substrate 90. As a result of this coating treatment, the resist solution is uniformly applied over the entire area to be coated 90b of the substrate 90, and a layer of resist liquid having a predetermined thickness is formed on the coating target area 90b. In the slit coater 10 of the present embodiment, the movement direction of the slit nozzle 41 in the coating process (discharge scanning) is the + X direction (front side).

  Further, when the coating process is not performed, the slit nozzle 41 is retracted to the retracting area 31 that is removed from the holding surface 30 of the substrate 90 to the back side (−X side) so that the substrate 90 can be carried in and out. (State shown in FIG. 1). The slit coater 10 is provided with a nozzle adjustment unit 6 for adjusting the state of the discharge port of the slit nozzle 41 before the coating process, below (−Z side) the retreat area 31.

  The nozzle adjustment unit 6 includes a substantially cylindrical roller 61 that is a discharge target of the resist solution from the slit nozzle 41. When a certain resist solution is discharged from the discharge port in a state where the slit nozzle 41 is close to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61, a liquid pool of the resist solution is formed at the discharge port. If the liquid reservoir is uniformly formed at the discharge ports in this way, the subsequent coating process can be performed with high accuracy. This process is called “preliminary coating process (pre-dispensing)” because it is performed before the coating process on the original substrate 90.

<2. Foreign object detection function>
Further, the slit coater 10 has a function of detecting foreign substances that may come into contact with the slit nozzle 41 during the coating process.

  FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the foreign matter Fm that may come into contact with the slit nozzle 41. In the coating process, the elevating mechanism 42b adjusts the discharge port height to be, for example, 50 μm to 200 μm. The slit nozzle 41 is moved in the + X direction while maintaining the discharge port height. Hereinafter, the discharge port height in this coating process is referred to as “reference height”.

  In a region where the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 moves in the coating process, there may be a foreign substance Fm attached to the upper surface of the substrate 90 as shown in FIG. When the application process is performed with such a foreign matter Fm present, the foreign matter Fm and the discharge port 41a may come into contact with each other, and the slit nozzle 41 may be damaged.

  For this reason, in the slit coater 10, before the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 contacts such foreign matter Fm, the protective member 7 that contacts the foreign matter Fm or the like to protect the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the slit nozzle 41 is fixedly attached to the + X side (front side).

  FIG. 3 is a side view mainly from the −Y side (left side) showing the configuration of the protective member 7. As shown in the drawing, the protection member 7 is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and is configured by connecting a first plate 71 and a second plate 72 by a connecting portion 73. Each of the plates 71 and 72 is a long and rectangular plate-shaped member, and is made of a metal such as stainless steel. These two plates 71 and 72 are arranged in parallel so that the respective longitudinal directions are along the Y-axis direction. The two plates 71 and 72 are arranged in parallel in the X-axis direction at a predetermined interval. The first plate 71 is on the front side (+ X side) of the progress in the coating process, and the second plate is on the rear side. (−X side). In the following description, for each of the two plates 71 and 72, the surface on the + X side, which is the forward position of progression in the coating process (discharge scanning), is referred to as the front surface, and the surface on the opposite −X side is referred to as the back surface.

  The heights of the lower end portions of these two plates 71 and 72 (interval formed between the substrates 90) are the same, and the position of each lower end portion is below the discharge port (lower end) 41a of the slit nozzle 41. It is made to become. As a result, both the two plates 71 and 72 always exist on the virtual line extending horizontally in the + X direction from the lower end of the slit nozzle 41.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the foreign matter Fm exists on the substrate 90, the foreign matter Fm comes into contact with the protective member 7 before coming into contact with the slit nozzle 41, thereby generating vibration in the protective member 7. Vibration is transmitted to the slit nozzle 41. The slit coater 10 detects the presence of the foreign matter Fm based on the vibration of the slit nozzle 41.

  The slit nozzle 41 is provided with a vibration sensor 8 for detecting the vibration. The vibration sensor 8 has a piezoelectric element and outputs an electrical signal proportional to the applied acceleration. The vibration sensor 8 is electrically connected to the control unit 1, and the vibration is input to the control unit 1 as an electric signal. Thereby, the control part 1 can grasp | ascertain presence of the foreign material Fm.

<3. Basic operation>
Next, a basic operation flow of the slit coater 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a basic operation flow of the slit coater 10. This operation is performed for each substrate 90 to be coated. At the start of this operation, the slit nozzle 41 is on standby in the save area 31 as shown in FIG.

  First, the substrate 90 is carried into the coating processing unit 2 by the transport mechanism outside the coating processing unit 2 and transferred to the holding surface 30 of the stage 3. The loaded substrate 90 is sucked by the vacuum suction port and is held substantially horizontally at a predetermined position on the holding surface 30 (step S1).

  Next, a preliminary coating process is performed in the nozzle adjustment unit 6, and a resist liquid pool is uniformly formed in the discharge ports 41 a of the slit nozzle 41 (step S <b> 2).

  Next, the slit nozzle 41 is moved by the moving mechanism 5 until the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is positioned at the start position where the discharge of the resist solution should be started (step S3). Here, the start position is an end portion on the back side (−X side) of the application target region 90b, which is a boundary between the non-application region 90a and the application target region 90b of the substrate 90. The movement of the slit nozzle 41 will be further described in detail.

  When the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is moved to the start position, next, the discharge of the resist solution from the discharge port 41a toward the substrate 90 is started (step S4). At the same time, the horizontal movement of the slit nozzle 41 at a predetermined speed is started toward the front side (+ X side) by the moving mechanism 5 (step S15).

  Such horizontal movement of the slit nozzle 41 continues until the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 reaches the end position where the discharge of the resist solution should end, that is, the front side (+ X side) end of the application target region 90b. (Steps S5 and S6).

  When the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is located at the end position, the discharge of the resist solution is stopped (step S7), and the slit nozzle 41 is moved to the retreat area 31 by the moving mechanism 5 (step S8). Then, the substrate 90 on which the coating process is completed is unloaded from the coating processing unit 2 (step S9).

  The basic operation of the slit coater 10 has been described above. When the vibration of the slit nozzle 41 is detected by the vibration sensor 8 during the movement of the slit nozzle 41 in step S3 and step S5, the foreign substance Fm is present on the substrate 90. It will exist. For this reason, in this case, the movement of the slit nozzle 41 is forcibly stopped by the control of the control unit 1. As a result, the occurrence of defects due to the foreign matter Fm such as breakage of the slit nozzle 41 is effectively prevented.

<4. Move to start position>
Next, the operation (step S3) of moving the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 to the start position will be described in more detail. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of the operation in step S3.

  First, the height of the discharge port is adjusted to the same reference height as in the case of the coating process by the elevating mechanism 42b (step S11). Then, with the discharge port height maintained, the slit nozzle 41 is oriented in the + X direction until the discharge port 41a is positioned immediately above the end portion P0 on the back side (-X side) of the substrate 90, as shown in FIG. (Steps S12 and S13). As a result, the slit nozzle 41 is moved to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. The position of the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is detected by the linear encoder 53 (the same applies hereinafter).

  Subsequently, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 7, the slit nozzle 41 is raised by the elevating mechanism 42b. Thereby, the discharge port height is set higher than the reference height (step S14). The rising width at this time may be a slight amount as long as the resist solution reservoir B can be prevented from adhering to the substrate 90.

  The slit nozzle 41 is horizontally moved in the + X direction while maintaining the height of the discharge port until the discharge port 41a is positioned immediately above the start position P1 (steps S15 and S16). As a result, the slit nozzle 41 is moved to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. Subsequently, in order to perform the subsequent coating process, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 8, the slit nozzle 41 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 42b and the discharge port height is adjusted to the reference height (step S17).

  As described above, when the position of the discharge port 41a is from the outside right above the substrate 90 to the end portion P0 of the substrate 90, the discharge port height is set as the reference height (steps S11 to S13), and the position of the discharge port 41a is set to the position of the substrate 90. The discharge port height is set higher than the reference height from the end P0 to the start position P1 (steps S14 to S16).

  That is, the discharge port height is set higher than the reference height only when the discharge port 41a is located immediately above the positions P0 to P1, which are non-application areas, and the discharge port height is set to the reference height otherwise. It will be. Accordingly, the resist solution reservoir B moves so as to avoid the position P0 to P1 which is the non-application region, and the liquid reservoir B is prevented from adhering to the non-application region. Thereby, the contamination of the substrate 90 can be prevented, and the discharge port 41a can be moved to the start position while maintaining the uniformity of the liquid reservoir B.

  In addition, since the slit nozzle 41 is moved horizontally from the outside right above the substrate 90 with the discharge port height as the reference height, as shown in FIG. 6, the protective member 7 has the same height as in the coating process. To enter the upper part of the substrate 90. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the foreign matter Fm extends from the end P0 of the substrate 90 to the position P2 (the position where the front surface of the first plate 71 exists when the discharge port 41a is positioned directly above the end P0). Can be brought into contact with the first plate 71.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the discharge port 41a is located at the start position P1, the front surface of the first plate 71 is located at the position P3. For this reason, in the subsequent coating process, the foreign matter Fm can be brought into contact with the first plate 71 in the region on the front side (+ X side) from the position P3. As described above, in the slit coater 10, an area where the first plate 71 and the foreign matter Fm can be in contact with each other can be widened, and the presence of almost all foreign matter Fm on the substrate 90 can be detected only with the first plate 71. .

  However, since the first plate 71 moves in a raised state between the positions P2 and P3, as shown in FIG. 8, when the foreign matter Fm exists between the positions P2 and P3, the foreign matter Fm Cannot be brought into contact with the first plate 71.

  For this reason, in the slit coater 10, the foreign matter Fm that cannot be brought into contact with the first plate 71 is brought into contact with the second plate 72 behind the foreign matter Fm. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the protection member 7 is designed so that the front surface of the second plate 72 exists at the position P2 when the discharge port 41a is located at the start position P1. Thereby, when the slit nozzle 41 is subsequently moved in the + X direction, the foreign matter Fm between the positions P2 to P3 can be brought into contact with the second plate 72.

<5. Size of protective member>
Here, the size of the protective member 7 necessary for realizing this function will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the length in the X-axis direction from the discharge port 41a to the front surface of the first plate 71 is L1, and the length in the X-axis direction from the discharge port 41a to the front surface of the second plate 72 is L2. To do. Further, when the length in the X-axis direction between the positions P0 to P1 serving as the non-application area (hereinafter referred to as “non-application length”) is H, these must satisfy the relationship of the following expression. .

L1-L2 ≧ H (1)
This expression (1) can also be expressed as the following expression (2), where U is the length between the front surfaces of the two plates 71 and 72.

U ≧ H (2)
That is, the length U between the front surfaces of the two plates 71 and 72 may be equal to or longer than the non-coating length H. This is because the length that the first plate 71 moves in the raised state is the non-coating length H between the positions P0 to P1, and this length is an area where the first plate 71 cannot contact the foreign matter Fm (position P2). It is because it becomes the length of-between P3. That is, if the condition of Expression (2) is satisfied, as shown in the state of FIG. 8, when the discharge port 41a is located at the start position P1, whether the front surface of the second plate 72 is at the position P2 or not. Is also located on the rear side (−X side). For this reason, the foreign matter Fm between the positions P2 to P3 can be brought into contact with the front surface of the second plate 72 without fail.

  Here, the length U between the front surfaces of the plates 71 and 72 has been described in order to bring the foreign substance Fm into contact with the front surface of the plates 71 and 72 in front. This is because in order to detect the vibration of the slit nozzle 41 with the vibration sensor 8, it is preferable that the slit nozzle 41 is brought into contact with the front position of the plates 71 and 72.

  However, in the case where the foreign matter Fm is simply brought into contact with the protective member 7, for example, when the foreign matter Fm is brought into contact with the protective member 7 and destroyed, the X axis defined by the portion constituting the lower end of the protective member 7 is used. If the maximum length in the direction is V, the following equation (3) only needs to be satisfied.

V ≧ H (3)
That is, in the protection member 7 of the present embodiment, the length V between the front surface of the first plate 71 and the back surface of the second plate 72 may be equal to or longer than the non-coating length H (see FIG. 9). .) If the condition of the expression (3) is satisfied, when the discharge port 41a is located at the start position P1, the back surface of the second plate 72 is located at the position P2 or located rearward (−X side). To do. For this reason, the foreign matter Fm between the positions P2 to P3 can be brought into contact with any part of the second plate 72, not the front surface.

  As described above, in the slit coater 10 of the present embodiment, the position of the discharge port 41a is the reference height from the position directly above the substrate 90 to the position P0, and the positions P0 to P1 that are non-application areas. In the meantime, the discharge port height is set higher than the reference height. For this reason, it can prevent effectively that a resist liquid adheres to the non-application area | region (between position P0-P1) of the board | substrate 90. FIG.

  Moreover, the lower end of the protection member 7 is comprised by the two plates 71 and 72, and the length between those front surfaces is made into non-application | coating length or more. For this reason, even if there is a foreign matter Fm that cannot be contacted by the front first plate 71, the foreign matter Fm can always be brought into contact with the front surface of the rear second plate 72. Therefore, the foreign matter Fm can be brought into contact with the plates 71 and 72 before the foreign matter Fm comes into contact with the discharge port 41a in all regions through which the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 passes.

<6. Other embodiments>
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “first embodiment”), and various modifications are possible. Hereinafter, such other embodiments will be described.

<6-1. Second form>
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another form of the protective member 7 as the second form. In the second embodiment, the protective member 7 is configured such that the first plate 71 and the second plate 72 sandwich an elastic material 74 such as resin. According to this, the intensity | strength as the protection member 7 can be improved rather than setting it as U shape like a 1st form.

  Also in this 2nd form, when making the foreign material Fm contact in the front position of the protection member 7, the length U between the front surfaces of the plates 71 and 72 should just be made into the non-application | coating length H or more. Further, in the case where the foreign matter Fm has only to be brought into contact with any part of the protection member 7, the maximum length in the X-axis direction defined by the lower end of the protection member 7, that is, the front surface of the first plate 71 and the second surface. The length V between the back surface of the plate 72 may be equal to or longer than the non-coating length H.

<6-2. Third form>
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another form of the protective member 7 as a third form. In the third embodiment, the protective member 7 is formed of a single metal member, and a first claw 75a and a second claw 75b are formed in parallel at the lower end in the X-axis direction. The 1st and 2nd nail | claw 75a, 75b is extended in parallel along the Y-axis direction, and these function similarly to the 1st and 2nd plates 71 and 72 of a 1st form. That is, the foreign matter Fm that cannot be contacted by the first claw 75a on the front side is brought into contact by the second claw 75b on the rear side.

  Thus, by comprising the protection member 7 with one metal member, the attachment of the protection member 7 becomes easy, and the part (1st and 2nd nail | claw 75a, 75b) which comprises the lower end of the protection member 7 is comprised. The accuracy of arrangement between each other can be increased.

  Also in the third embodiment, when the foreign matter Fm is brought into contact with the front position of the protective member 7, the length U between the front surfaces of the first and second claws 75a and 75b is set to the non-application length H or more. Good. In the case where the foreign matter Fm may be brought into contact with any part of the protection member 7, the maximum length in the X-axis direction defined by the lower end of the protection member 7, that is, the front surface of the first claw 75a and the second length. The length V between the back surface of the claw 75b may be equal to or longer than the non-application length H.

<6-3. Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another form of the protective member 7 as a fourth form. In the fourth embodiment, the protection member 7 is configured by connecting two inclined plates 76a and 76b having an inclined shape whose width in the X-axis direction becomes smaller as it goes downward.

  The protective member 7 needs to have a mass to such an extent that the foreign matter Fm can be destroyed by contact, or the vibration can be effectively generated by being brought into contact with the foreign matter Fm. On the other hand, the lower end surface of the protective member 7 is desired to be a flat surface at a strict level in order to increase the accuracy of contact with the foreign matter Fm. However, such flat processing requires a large manufacturing cost. . For this reason, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, it is desirable to make the width of the lower end surface of the protective member 7 as small as possible.

  That is, regarding the width of the plate of the protection member 7, a request to “make it large” and a request to “make it small” compete. On the other hand, as in the fourth embodiment, it is possible to satisfy both of these requirements by making the shape of the plate an inclined shape, while effectively ensuring the function as the protective member 7 and reducing the manufacturing cost. It can be reduced.

  Also in this fourth embodiment, when the foreign matter Fm is brought into contact with the front position of the protective member 7, the length U between the fronts of the lower ends of the two inclined plates 76a and 76b is set to the non-application length H or more. That's fine. In the case where the foreign matter Fm may be brought into contact with any part of the protective member 7, the maximum length in the X-axis direction defined by the lower end of the protective member 7, that is, the lower end forward position of the inclined plate 76a is inclined. The length V between the lower end rear position of the plate 76b may be equal to or longer than the non-coating length H.

<6-4. Other variations>
In the above embodiment, the lower end of the protective member 7 to be brought into contact with the foreign substance Fm is configured by two parts. However, in the case where the foreign substance Fm has only to be brought into contact with any part of the protective member 7, FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, the lower end of the protective member 7 may be configured by a simple plane. In this case, if the maximum length in the X-axis direction defined by the lower end of the protection member 7, that is, the width V in the X-axis direction of the protection member 7 is equal to or greater than the non-coating length H, the foreign matter Fm in all regions is removed. The protective member 7 can be contacted.

  On the contrary, the lower end of the protective member 7 may be constituted by three or more parts. Even in this case, among these three or more parts, when the foremost part of the progress in the coating process is the first part and the rearmost part is the second part, each of the first and second parts If the length between the front positions is equal to or longer than the non-application length H, the foreign matter Fm can be brought into contact with the front position of the protective member 7.

  In the above embodiment, the protective member 7 is provided on the surface of the slit nozzle 41 on the + X side. However, in order to protect the discharge port 41a, the front side (+ X side) of the discharge scanning of the discharge port 41a is advanced. As long as it is relatively fixed to (), it may be arranged at any position. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the protective member 7 may be provided on the lower surface side of the slit nozzle 41. Even in this case, as the structure of the protection member 7, any structure shown in FIGS.

  Further, the moving mechanism 5 serving as the moving means of the above embodiment is configured to move the slit nozzle 41 with respect to the substrate 90 that is fixedly arranged, but conversely, the slit nozzle 41 that is fixedly arranged. The substrate 90 may be moved relative to the substrate. In either case, the slit nozzle 41 is moved relative to the substrate 90.

  In the above embodiment, the foreign matter Fm existing on the substrate 90 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 15, when the foreign matter Fm is sandwiched between the substrate 90 and the holding surface 30, the substrate 90 is partially Uplift. Needless to say, the slit nozzle 41 can be protected by contacting the raised portion 91 of the substrate 90 with the protective member 7.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a slit coater. It is a side view which shows the example of the foreign material which exists on a board | substrate. It is a side view which shows the structure of a protection member. It is a figure which shows the flow of a basic operation | movement of a slit coater. It is a figure which shows the flow of the operation | movement which moves a discharge outlet to a starting position. It is a figure which shows a part of operation | movement which moves a discharge outlet to a starting position. It is a figure which shows a part of operation | movement which moves a discharge outlet to a starting position. It is a figure which shows a part of operation | movement which moves a discharge outlet to a starting position. It is a side view which shows the structure of a protection member. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a protection member. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a protection member. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a protection member. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a protection member. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a protection member. It is a side view which shows the example of the board | substrate which protruded. It is a figure explaining the subject in a coating treatment apparatus. It is a figure explaining the subject in a coating treatment apparatus. It is a figure explaining the subject in a coating treatment apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Movement mechanism 7 Protection member 41 Slit nozzle 41a Discharge port 42b Lifting mechanism 53 Linear encoder 71 1st plate 72 2nd plate 90 Substrate Fm Foreign object

Claims (4)

A coating processing apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a coating target area of a substrate held substantially horizontally,
A nozzle capable of discharging the treatment liquid from a slit-like discharge port extending along a substantially horizontal first direction;
The nozzle is moved relative to the substrate in a substantially horizontal second direction orthogonal to the first direction from a position directly above the substrate to a start position where the discharge of the processing liquid is to be started, and the application target Moving means for moving the nozzle relative to the substrate over the entire area to cause the nozzle to perform ejection scanning on the application target area;
A protective member that extends along the first direction and is relatively fixed to a front side of the progress of the nozzle in the ejection scan so that the position of the lower end is equal to or lower than the lower end of the ejection port;
Adjusting means for adjusting the relative height of the discharge port with respect to the substrate;
With
The adjusting means includes
When the position of the discharge port is from the outside directly above the substrate to the end of the substrate, the relative height of the discharge port is set to the same reference height as in the case of the discharge scan,
When the position of the discharge port is from the end of the substrate to the start position, the coating processing apparatus is configured to make the relative height of the discharge port higher than the reference height. The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 1,
The coating processing apparatus, wherein the lower end of the protection member is constituted by a plurality of portions each extending along the first direction and arranged in parallel in the second direction. The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 2,
Among the plurality of parts, when the frontmost part of the progress of the discharge scanning is a first part and the rearmost part is a second part,
The length between the front positions of the progress of the ejection scan of each of the first and second portions is equal to or longer than the length from the end of the substrate to the start position. apparatus. The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The maximum length in the second direction defined by the lower end of the protective member is equal to or longer than the length from the end of the substrate to the start position.

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