JP2008296075A - Coating apparatus and method for manufacture of color filter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the resist-coating cycle time, eliminate useless movement of the slit nozzle and prevent wasteful dripping of the resist from the slit nozzle in a coating apparatus for manufacture of color filters which coats a resist through an coating operation consisting of moving the slit nozzle from the initial position to one direction, a transferring operation consisting of returning the slit nozzle to the initial position and a carrying operation consisting of renewing the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: In a coating apparatus, a carrying operation of renewing the substrate is added to the coating operation and a coating operation is added to the transferring operation to return the slit nozzle in the initial direction. It has a coating mechanism discharging a resist by moving, in one direction, the slit nozzle on a glass substrate laid on a stage, a carrying mechanism for renewing the substrate to be coated, a coating mechanism discharging a resist by returning the slit nozzle to the initial position on the replaced glass substrate and a carrying mechanism for renewing the substrate to be coated. A coating method for manufacture of a color filter characterized by manufacturing a color filter by means of the coating apparatus having the mechanisms is also provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus and a coating method.

  In a conventional color filter manufacturing process, a resist coating apparatus uses a coating method using a slit nozzle. In the coating apparatus, the resist solution is coated on the glass substrate while relatively moving the slit nozzle and the glass substrate that is the substrate to be coated.

  FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of a conceptual diagram for explaining an operation process of an example of a conventional color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus.

  In the conventional coating apparatus, the slit nozzle is applied in only one direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the slit nozzle 10 reciprocates from the start position 10a to the final position 11a, but when moving from the start position 10a to the final position 11a, a resist solution is discharged and a resist is applied. When moving from the position 11a to the start position 10a, the slit nozzle only moves without discharging the resist solution, and no resist is applied. In this case, the application direction is one direction, which is the moving direction from the start position 10a to the final position 11a.

  2 (a) to 2 (e) are partial plan views of conceptual diagrams illustrating an operation process of an example of a conventional color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus.

  In step 1 of FIG. 2A, after the glass substrate 1 as a substrate to be coated is loaded and placed on the coating stage from the substrate transport direction, resist coating is started.

  In step 2 of FIG. 2B, a resist is applied to the glass substrate on the application stage. The slit nozzle 10 discharges the resist while sliding from the initial position 10a to the final position 11a. In this case, the moving direction of the slit nozzle is a direction orthogonal to the substrate transport direction. The coated substrate 1a is formed.

  In step 3 of FIG. 2C, the slit nozzle 11 slides from the final position 11a to the initial position 10a above the resist-coated glass substrate 1a.

  In step 4 of FIG. 2D, the slit nozzle 11 slides to the initial position 10a and stops at the initial position.

  In step 5 of FIG. 2 (e), the glass substrate 2 that is the substrate to be coated is loaded onto the coating stage from the substrate transport direction, and the glass substrate 1a that has been coated simultaneously is unloaded from the coating stage. Next, returning to step 1, the above operation is repeated to manufacture the resist-coated substrate.

  In the conventional resist coating apparatus, a single coated substrate is produced in steps 1 to 5, but there is a problem because there is a wasteful operation. Steps 3 and 4 are useless operations.

  In the conventional resist coating apparatus, the time of step 3 and step 4 is included, and there is a problem that the cycle time becomes long.

In the conventional resist coating apparatus, for example, the operations of Step 3 and Step 4 are problematic. When the slit nozzle passes above the coated substrate 1a and moves to the initial position, unnecessary resist may be dropped to contaminate the substrate, resulting in a problem of quality defects.

  In the conventional resist coating apparatus, it is important to improve the operations of Step 3 and Step 4, and it is important to shorten the cycle time and to prevent contamination of the coated substrate by dropping unnecessary resist.

The known literature is described below.
JP 2004-354601 A

  An object of the present invention is to improve the resist coating cycle time of a color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus, to eliminate useless operation of the slit nozzle and to prevent useless dripping of the slit nozzle.

In the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention, the resist coating on the glass substrate using the slit nozzle having one direction of coating direction is a coating operation in which the slit nozzle is moved in one direction from the initial position, and the slit nozzle is initially set. In the color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus for applying the resist on the glass substrate by repeating the moving operation for returning to the direction and the carry-in / out operation for updating the substrate in that order,
Immediately before the moving operation to return the slit nozzle to the initial direction in the coating operation, after adding and interrupting the carry-in / out operation to update the substrate, the coating operation is added to the moving operation to return the slit nozzle to the initial direction, The color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus is characterized in that a resist is applied on a glass substrate repeatedly in that order by an operation configuration including the added operation.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is a color filter manufacturing and coating method using the color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus according to claim 1,
A coating means for discharging the resist by sliding the slit nozzle in one direction above the glass substrate placed on the stage;
Carry-in / out means for updating the coated substrate;
Application means for discharging the resist by sliding movement in the direction to return the slit nozzle to the initial direction above the updated glass substrate;
Carry-in / out means for updating the coated substrate;
A method for producing and applying a color filter, characterized in that a coated substrate for producing a color filter is produced by means of means comprising:

  According to the color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus and the coating method of the present invention, since the slit nozzle moves above the substrate only at the time of resist coating, useless operation of the slit nozzle is reduced, and the resist coating cycle time is shortened. As a result, the number of resist-coated glass substrates increases.

  According to the color filter production coating apparatus and the coating method of the present invention, since the slit nozzle moves above the substrate only at the time of resist coating, useless operation of the slit nozzle is reduced, and dripping of the resist from the slit nozzle can be prevented, This has the effect of improving the productivity of the resist-coated glass substrate.

  The color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus and coating method of the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment.

  In the color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus of the present invention, the resist coating on the glass substrate using the slit nozzle whose coating direction is one direction is a coating operation in which the slit nozzle is moved in one direction from the initial position, and the substrate is unloaded. This is a coating apparatus for coating a resist on a glass substrate by repeating an insertion operation, a coating operation for moving the slit nozzle in the initial direction, and a carry-in / out operation for updating the substrate in that order.

  The coating operation is controlled by the apparatus control unit, and the slit nozzle is moved back and forth between the initial position and the final position, the resist solution is supplied to the slit nozzle, the slit nozzle is discharged, and the glass substrate is transferred. It is a coating apparatus equipped with an apparatus control unit that controls the apparatus together with timing adjustment with the mounting apparatus. In the color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus, the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the slit nozzle is the direction in which the glass substrate is carried in and out of the apparatus stage. The glass substrate transfer device supports a loading / unloading operation for updating a substrate in a loading / unloading operation and a glass substrate unloading operation. The operation of the color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus of the present invention includes a loading / unloading operation for updating the substrate with the assistance of the transfer device, a one-side movement and resist coating of the slit nozzle, and a loading / unloading operation for updating the substrate with the assistance of the transfer device The resist nozzle is applied on the glass substrate by repeating the return movement of the slit nozzle and the resist application in that order.

  FIGS. 1A to 1F are partial plan views of conceptual diagrams for explaining an operation process of an embodiment of a color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus according to the present invention.

  In step 1 of FIG. 1A, after the glass substrate 1 as a substrate to be coated is loaded and placed on the coating stage from the substrate transport direction, resist coating is started.

  In step 2 of FIG. 1B, a resist is applied to the glass substrate 1 on the application stage. The slit nozzle 10 discharges the resist while sliding from the initial position 10a to the final position 11a. In this case, the moving direction of the slit nozzle is a direction orthogonal to the substrate transport direction. The coated substrate 1a is formed.

  In step 5 of FIG. 1C, the glass substrate 2 that is the substrate to be coated is loaded onto the coating stage from the substrate transport direction, and the glass substrate 1a that has been coated simultaneously is unloaded from the coating stage.

  In step 3 of FIG. 1D, the resist is discharged while the slit nozzle 11 slides from the final position 11a to the initial position 10a on the updated glass substrate 2. In this case, the moving direction of the slit nozzle is the direction from the final position 11a to the initial position 10a.

  In step 4 of FIG. 1E, the slit nozzle 11 slides to the initial position 10a and discharges the resist and stops at the initial position. The coated substrate 2a is formed.

  In step 5 of FIG. 1 (f), the glass substrate 3 that is the substrate to be coated is carried onto the coating stage from the substrate transport direction, and the glass substrate 2a that has been coated simultaneously is unloaded from the coating stage. Next, returning to step 1, the above operation is repeated to manufacture the resist-coated substrate.

It is a fragmentary top view of the conceptual diagram explaining the operation | movement process of one Example of the color filter manufacturing application apparatus of this invention. It is a fragmentary top view of the conceptual diagram explaining the operation | movement process of the example of the conventional color filter manufacture coating apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Glass substrate 1a ... Coating substrate 2 ... Glass substrate 2a ... Coating substrate 3 ... Glass substrate 10 ... Slit nozzle 10a ... Initial position 11 (slit nozzle) ... Slit nozzle 11a ... Final position 12 (slit nozzle) ... Slit nozzle 20a ... coating application process 20b ... return coating process 30 ... substrate loading / unloading process

Claims (2)

Resist coating on a glass substrate using a slit nozzle with one direction of coating is a coating operation that moves the slit nozzle in one direction from the initial position, a movement operation that returns the slit nozzle to the initial direction, and updates the substrate. In the color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus for applying the resist on the glass substrate by repeating the carry-in / out operation in that order,
Immediately before the moving operation to return the slit nozzle to the initial direction in the coating operation, after adding and interrupting the carry-in / out operation to update the substrate, the coating operation is added to the moving operation to return the slit nozzle to the initial direction, A color filter manufacturing and coating apparatus characterized by applying a resist on a glass substrate repeatedly in that order by an operation configuration including an added operation. A color filter manufacturing / coating method using the color filter manufacturing / coating apparatus according to claim 1,
A coating means for discharging the resist by sliding the slit nozzle in one direction above the glass substrate placed on the stage;
Carry-in / out means for updating the coated substrate;
Application means for discharging the resist by sliding movement in the direction to return the slit nozzle to the initial direction above the updated glass substrate;
Carry-in / out means for updating the coated substrate;
A method for producing and applying a color filter, comprising: producing a coated substrate for producing a color filter by means of a means comprising: