JP2012200614A - Coating apparatus and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such the problems that though wiping of a discharge port with a plurality of cleaning members right before coating by a die coater is effective method to obtain a stable coating film, it takes a long time to replace the cleaning member and to adjust the cleaning member to fit to each discharge port every time the nozzle is replaced.SOLUTION: A coating apparatus has: a cleaning unit comprising the cleaning member supported on a support member; a θ-stage capable of placing a plurality of the cleaning units in the wiping direction and having a rotary shaft vertical to the upper surface; and the wiping unit including a pedestal supporting the θ-stage. The coating apparatus has a cleaning unit in which a height adjusting surface to hold a height adjusting member is formed in the supporting member and the θ-stage of the cleaning unit.

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method that are suitably used for manufacturing a color filter for a color liquid crystal display, and in particular, when forming a coating film while discharging a coating liquid toward a coated member such as a glass substrate. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method having a cleaning means for cleaning the tip of a nozzle.

  A color filter for a color liquid crystal display has a fine lattice pattern of three primary colors on a glass substrate. Such a lattice pattern is obtained by first forming a black coating film on a glass substrate and then separately coating with red, blue and green coating films. That is, for the production of a color filter, a coating process in which black, red, blue, and green coating liquids are coated on a glass substrate and these coating films are sequentially formed is indispensable. In this type of coating process, a spinner, a bar coater, a low coater or the like has been conventionally used as a coating apparatus. However, in recent years, a die coater has been used for the purpose of reducing the consumption of the coating liquid and improving the physical properties of the coating film.

  An example of a die coater used for such a purpose is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. In Patent Document 1, the die coater has a slit die as an applicator, and forms a coating film on a member to be coated such as a film traveling in one direction while discharging a coating liquid from a discharge port of the slit die.

  By the way, the die coater is suitable for mass production of a uniform coating film, but since the coating liquid discharge port has a slit shape, it is not easy to form a uniform coating liquid discharge state over the entire length of the slit. In particular, when application is completed once and then applied onto a new member to be applied, if there is a residue such as an application liquid around the discharge port, the application state changes accordingly. More specifically, in the vicinity where the residue remains, the coating film thickness becomes thicker or thinner, causing problems such as streaking on the coating film.

  In order to solve such a problem, the die coater of Patent Document 1 is provided with a cleaning head. The cleaning head moves in the longitudinal direction of the discharge port while being in contact with the periphery of the discharge port of the slit die, and with this movement, the coating liquid adhering to the discharge port periphery is wiped off.

  The method of wiping the entire length of the discharge port before coating is an effective method for making the coating film uniform in a die coater, and an improved invention has been disclosed. This wiping of the discharge port before application is called initialization of the applicator.

  In Patent Document 2, there is a stabilizing means for stabilizing the sliding operation of the cleaning member with the applicator so that the applicator (die nozzle) having inclined portions at both ends can sufficiently wipe off the residual coating liquid. A coating apparatus having the same is disclosed. Here, the cleaning member is a member made of a polymer resin in which a substantially V-shaped groove is formed on the upper surface, and the V-shaped groove is formed to fit the shape of the discharge port to be wiped. Yes.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, two cleaning members are prepared, the front side cleaning member scrapes off the coating liquid, and then the cleaning liquid is sprayed to the discharge port, and the rear side manufacturing member wipes the cleaning liquid. An applicator device is disclosed.

  Patent Document 4 discloses a coating apparatus having means for cleaning the cleaning member itself in order to avoid that the coating liquid adheres to the cleaned cleaning member itself and the wiping ability is reduced.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-208154 JP 09-192666 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-216598 JP-A-11-300261

  In coating with a die coater, wiping (initializing) the discharge port immediately before coating is an effective method for obtaining a stable coating film. However, applicators (die nozzles) have various types of shapes and materials for each coating liquid to be applied and each coating film on a member to be coated. And they cannot fully initialize all the applicators only by the uniform wiping method. That is, every time the applicator is replaced, the cleaning member to be wiped must also be replaced.

  However, each time the applicator is replaced, it takes time to replace the cleaning member and adjust it so that it fits exactly to the discharge port, resulting in a prolonged tact time. In particular, when arranging a plurality of cleaning members, each height adjustment is not easy and takes time.

  The present invention has been conceived in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and a coating method having a cleaning unit that can easily adjust the height of a plurality of cleaning members.

More specifically, the coating apparatus of the present invention is:
A coating liquid supply means for supplying the coating liquid;
An applicator having a slit-like outlet for communicating with the application liquid supply means and for discharging the application liquid;
Moving means for relatively moving the applicator and the member to be coated;
In the coating apparatus having a cleaning means that moves in the wiping direction along the slit direction of the discharge port and removes the adhering material while sliding on the discharge port peripheral portion of the applicator,
The cleaning means includes
A cleaning unit by a cleaning member supported on the support member;
A θ stage capable of mounting a plurality of the cleaning units in the wiping direction;
A wiping unit including a pedestal for supporting the θ stage;
A height adjusting surface for holding a height adjusting member is formed on the support member and the θ stage of the cleaning unit.

Moreover, the coating apparatus of the present invention comprises:
A vertical urging means for urging the θ stage in a direction perpendicular to the pedestal is arranged.

  The coating apparatus of the present invention has a wiping unit having a θ stage having a rotation axis perpendicular to the upper surface, and can be equipped with a plurality of support members that support the cleaning member as cleaning means. Since there is a height adjustment surface that can hold the shim for height adjustment between the two, the shim of the desired height is sandwiched between the support member and the θ stage when attaching multiple cleaning members By doing, it has the effect that the height adjustment of a cleaning member can be performed simply.

  Also, since the θ stage supported on the pedestal is supported by vertical urging means that urges the pedestal in the vertical direction, the height between the cleaning members provided on the θ stage is determined by the wiping unit. Even if it is pressed against the applicator, it is held as it is. By pressing the wiping unit against the applicator, it is possible to avoid the cleaning members having different heights from coming into contact with the discharge port. That is, it is possible to make a setting such that any one of the plurality of cleaning members is brought into contact with the discharge port and the other cleaning members are not in contact with the discharge port.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the coating device of this invention. It is a perspective view of a slit nozzle. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wiping unit of this invention. It is an enlarged view of a cleaning member. It is a figure explaining a vertical direction biasing means. It is a figure explaining an automatic alignment function. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a wiping unit. It is a figure explaining how to wipe off using a wiping unit.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description exemplifies one aspect of the embodiment, and the embodiment can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the structure of the coating device 1 of this invention is shown. A pair of guide rails 4 is provided on the base 2 of the coating apparatus 1. On the guide rail 4, a stage 6 that is a mounting table for the substrate A that is a member to be coated is disposed. The stage 6 is driven by a linear motor (not shown) and reciprocates freely in the X direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. The upper surface of the stage 6 is a vacuum suction surface made of suction holes, and can hold the substrate A by suction.

  A gate-shaped support column 10 is disposed on the base 2. The support column 10 is provided with an up / down lifting unit 70. An applicator (hereinafter also referred to as “slit nozzle”) 20 for applying the coating is attached to the vertical elevating unit 70. Therefore, the stage 6 on which the member to be coated is mounted can move relative to the slit nozzle 20 and is called a moving means.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the slit nozzle 20. The slit nozzle 20 includes a front lip 22 and a rear lip 24 that extend in the Y direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the X direction (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The connecting bolts are integrally connected. A manifold 26 is formed at the center of the slit nozzle 20, and the manifold 26 also extends in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the slit nozzle 20.

  A slit 28 communicating with the manifold 26 is formed below the manifold 26. The slit 28 also extends in the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 20, and the lower end thereof opens at the discharge port surface 36 that is the lowermost end surface of the slit nozzle 20, thereby forming the discharge port 30. That is, the slit nozzle 20 has a discharge port 30 extending in the longitudinal direction at the lowermost end. The discharge port 30 exists on the discharge port surface 36.

  Further, as both adjacent surfaces adjacent to both sides of the discharge port surface 36, there are lip inclined surfaces 34A and 34B. Since the slit 28 is formed by the shim 32, the gap (measured in the X direction) of the slit 28 is equal to the thickness of the shim 32.

  Referring to FIG. 1 again, in the up-and-down lift unit 70 that lifts and lowers the slit nozzle 20, a suspension holding base 80 that holds the slit nozzle 20 with the discharge port 30 on the lower side and one end of the suspension holding base 80 are fastened. And a guide 74 that guides the elevator 78 in the vertical direction, and a ball screw 76 that converts the rotational motion of the motor 72 into the linear motion of the elevator 78.

  The vertical lift unit 70 has a pair of left and right so as to support both ends of the slit nozzle 20 in the longitudinal direction, and each can be lifted and lowered independently, so that the inclination angle of the slit nozzle 20 in the longitudinal direction with respect to the horizontal can be arbitrarily set. it can. Thereby, the discharge port surface 36 of the slit nozzle 20 and the substrate A can be made substantially parallel over the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 20. Further, the vertical lift unit 70 can set the clearance between the substrate A on the stage 6 and the discharge port surface 36 of the slit nozzle 20, that is, the clearance to an arbitrary size.

  Further, the upstream side of the manifold 26 of the slit nozzle 20 is always connected to a supply hose 60 communicating with the coating liquid supply device 40 via an internal passage (not shown). Thereby, the coating liquid 66 can be supplied from the coating liquid supply apparatus 40 to the manifold 26. The coating liquid supply means includes a supply hose 60 from the coating liquid supply apparatus 40. The coating liquid that has entered the manifold 26 is uniformly widened in the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 20 and is discharged from the discharge port 30 through the slit 28.

  The coating liquid supply device 40 includes a filter 46, a supply valve 42, a syringe pump 50, a suction valve 44, a suction hose 62, and a tank 64 on the upstream side of the supply hose 60. A coating liquid 66 is stored in the tank 64, and a back pressure of an arbitrary magnitude can be applied to the coating liquid 66 by being connected to a pressure air source 68. The coating liquid 66 in the tank 64 is supplied to the syringe pump 50 through the suction hose 62.

  In the syringe pump 50, a syringe 52 and a piston 54 are attached to the main body 56. Here, the piston 54 can reciprocate freely in the vertical direction by a drive source (not shown). The syringe pump 50 is a constant-capacity pump that fills a syringe 52 having a constant inner diameter with a coating liquid 66, pushes it out by a piston 54, and supplies the slit nozzle 20 with a single substrate A. is there. When filling the syringe 52 with the coating liquid 66, the suction valve 44 is opened, the supply valve 42 is closed, and the piston 54 is moved downward.

  When supplying the coating liquid 66 filled in the syringe 52 toward the slit nozzle 20, the suction valve 44 is closed, the supply valve 42 is opened, and the piston 54 is moved upward so that the piston 54 moves the syringe. The coating liquid 66 inside 52 is pushed up and discharged. The supply speed of the coating liquid 66, that is, the pump supply speed is obtained by multiplying the moving speed of the piston 54 by the syringe cross-sectional area.

  On the left side of the base 2, a thickness sensor 90 that measures the thickness of the substrate A is attached to a support base 92. The thickness sensor 90 preferably uses a laser. By measuring the thickness of the substrate A by the thickness sensor 90, the clearance, which is the gap between the discharge port surface 36 of the slit nozzle 20 and the substrate A, is always applied to the substrate A of any thickness. Can be constant.

  A cleaning means 100 including a wiping unit 120 having a cleaning member 200 fixed to the tip is attached to the right end portion of the base 2 so as to be movable in the X direction on the guide rail 4. The cleaning unit 100 includes a carriage 102, a bracket 104, a slider 106, a drive unit 108, a tray 110, a drive unit 108, a wiping unit 120, and a cleaning unit 140. The wiping unit 120 is fixed to the bracket 104.

  The drive unit 108 and the tray 110 that move the wiping unit 120 via the slider 106 are fixed on the carriage 102. The tray 110 is for recovering the coating liquid removed by the wiping unit 120. Therefore, it is connected to a discharge line (not shown), and the liquid such as the coating liquid accumulated inside can be discharged and collected to the outside. The tray 110 can also be used for collecting the coating liquid discharged from the slit nozzle 20 by air bleeding or the like.

  The carriage 102 is on the guide rail 4 and is guided by the guide rail 4 and can freely reciprocate in the X direction by a linear motor (not shown). Therefore, the entire wiping unit 120 can reciprocate in the X direction. Further, the cleaning unit 140 that injects the solvent onto the cleaning member 200 for cleaning is not shown in the X direction at the right end of the base 2 and in the Y direction at a position that does not interfere with the longitudinal end of the slit nozzle 20. It is fixed by a bracket.

  The cleaning unit 140 includes a solvent nozzle 142 for injecting a solvent as a cleaning liquid, and a pipe 144 for supplying the solvent from a solvent supply source (not shown) to the solvent nozzle 142. The solvent nozzle 142 can be applied in any form as long as it can inject a solvent, such as a columnar shape, or a solvent shape such as a shower shape or a fan shape.

  In addition to the wiping unit 120, the linear motor, the motor 72, the coating liquid supply device 40, the cleaning unit 140, and the like that are operated by a control signal are all electrically connected to the control device 94. Then, a control command signal is transmitted to each device in accordance with an automatic operation program incorporated in the control device 94 to perform a predetermined operation. When changing the conditions, if a change parameter is appropriately input to the operation panel 96, it is transmitted to the control device 94, and the change of the driving operation can be realized.

  For the wiping unit 120, the given cleaning operation can be realized by arbitrarily controlling the longitudinal movement speed of the slit nozzle 20 of the cleaning member 200, the cleaning start / end position, and the like. The cleaning unit 140 can perform a predetermined cleaning operation of the cleaning member 200 by arbitrarily controlling the spraying speed and spraying time of the solvent from the solvent nozzle 142.

  FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration of the wiping unit 120. The wiping unit 120 includes a pedestal 122, an adjustment unit 124, a θ stage 126, and a support member 128 to which the cleaning member 200 is fixed. The support member 128 and the cleaning member 200 are collectively referred to as a cleaning unit 250. The pedestal 122 is directly fixed to the bracket 104. For the sake of unification, the direction in which the cleaning member 200 is disposed from the pedestal is defined as the θ axis, the direction in which the bracket 104 extends to the slider 106 is defined as the X axis, and the direction in which the slider 106 travels is defined as the Y axis. The X axis and the Y axis coincide with the axial direction in the coating apparatus of FIG.

  An adjustment unit 124 is placed above the pedestal 122 fixed to the bracket 104. Although details of the adjusting unit 124 will be described later, a tilt angle adjusting unit 130 that rotates in the X-θ plane, a vertical direction biasing unit 132 that biases in the vertical direction, and a position adjusting unit 136 that can be displaced in the X direction include: They are stacked in this order.

  A θ stage 126 is disposed above the adjustment unit 124. The cleaning member 200 fixed to the support member 128 is disposed on the θ stage 126.

  The cleaning member 200 is a plate-like member having a substantially V shape that fits the lip slopes 34 </ b> A and 34 </ b> B of the slit nozzle 20. Further, since it is necessary to perform precise positioning in order to fit the lip slopes 34A and 34B of the slit nozzle 20, the attachment surface to the support member 128 is formed with high accuracy. Other shapes are not particularly limited.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the shape of the cleaning member 200. Referring to FIG. 4A, the cleaning member 200a has a substantially V-shaped groove 204 formed on the upper side of the plate shape. The shape of the V-shaped opening and the bottom width of the groove is formed to fit the tip shape of the slit nozzle 20.

  FIG. 4B shows an example of another cleaning member. In the cleaning member 200b, a notch 208 is formed in the groove bottom 206 of the substantially V-shaped groove 204. This notch 208 is a liquid dropping groove for efficiently discharging the adhered matter such as the wiped coating liquid and the cleaning liquid. The size of the notch is not particularly limited, and may be a notch large enough to cover the entire groove width 204w. In the present invention, these plural cleaning members may be used in combination, or only one type of cleaning member may be used. The type shown in FIG. 4A is called a cleaning member 200a without notch, and the type shown in FIG. 4B is called a cleaning member 200b with notch.

  In the cleaning member 200, at least the surface of the substantially V-shaped groove 204 is made of a polymer resin. More specifically, one or two of Teflon (registered trademark) resin, urethane resin, acrylic resin, polyester resin, polypropylene resin, fluororesin, polybutadiene resin, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer, etc. What mixed the above can be used. In addition, ethylene propylene rubber, silicon rubber, butyl rubber, perfluoro rubber (trade name “Kalrez”, etc.) and the like are also preferable. Among these, adhesion to the slit nozzle 20 and a solvent (N -Methyl-2-pyrrolidone and the like) and those having excellent durability are preferred. In view of these points, silicone rubber is most preferred.

  The portions other than the surface of the substantially V-shaped groove 204 of the cleaning member 200 may be the same polymer resin as the surface, or may be a completely different material. Moreover, in order to ensure sufficient adhesiveness with the slit nozzle 20, the thickness of the cleaning member 200 is set to 2 mm or more, and predetermined rigidity is ensured. This is because the mounting accuracy to the support member 128 is ensured. More specifically, the rubber hardness representing the degree of elasticity is measured using a C-type spring hardness tester, and is preferably 50 to 90 °, more preferably 60 to 80 °.

  Moreover, in order to remove static electricity generated on the surface of the cleaning member 200 and prevent adhesion of dust, conductive powder may be mixed in the polymer resin used on the surface. The conductive powder is preferably one or a mixture of two or more of conductive carbon, platinum, gold, nickel, silver, copper, cobalt, tin, aluminum and palladium. About 40% to 100% by weight.

  FIG. 4C shows a side view of the cleaning unit 250. The cleaning unit 250 includes a cleaning member 200 and a support member 128. The cleaning member 200 is fixed to the mounting surface 128a of the support member 128 by a pressing plate 129 that can be fastened with screws. The attachment surface 128a of the support member 128 is also formed with sufficiently high accuracy, like the attachment surface 201 of the cleaning member 200.

  3 and 4C, the support member 128 is a member that supports the cleaning member 200 and further has a flat surface 128c on the bottom surface 128b that can be fixedly disposed on the top surface of the θ stage 126. The side shape viewed from the X-axis direction is substantially pentagonal, and has an attachment surface 128a of the cleaning member 200 at the top. It continues from the uppermost side 128t downward to the guide surface 128i and the front slope 128f.

  The bottom surface 128b has a flat surface 128c, but may have a step or the like for fitting to connect with the θ stage 126 with high accuracy. The attachment surface 128a for attaching the cleaning member 200 is inclined by about 10 to 15 degrees with respect to the bottom surface 128b. This is because the V-shaped groove 204 of the cleaning member 200 is brought into line contact with the slit nozzle 20. The support member 128 is individually prepared for one cleaning member 200. Accordingly, different types of cleaning members 200 can be replaced for each support member.

  Referring to FIG. 3 again, the θ stage 126 is a stage on which the cleaning unit 250 is mounted. At the center, there is one rotation axis 126θ that is perpendicular to the upper surface of the θ stage 126. Accordingly, the θ stage 126 rotates along the rotation axis 126θ. This is because the posture of the cleaning member 200 can be adjusted in the direction of the rotation axis 126θ. The θ stage can rotate freely within a predetermined range of angles. This is to realize an automatic alignment function to be described later. The rotation width of the θ stage 126 is performed by a fine adjustment screw (not shown).

  Further, the θ stage 126 has a flat surface 126 c similar to the flat surface 128 c of the bottom surface 128 b of the support member 128. That is, when a shim or the like having both sides parallel is sandwiched between the plane 128c of the support member 128 and the plane 126c on the θ stage 126, the height from the upper surface 126a of the θ stage 126 to the support member 128 can be adjusted. A member such as a shim whose both surfaces are parallel is referred to as a height adjusting member, and the planes (126c and 128c) on the support member 128 and the θ stage 126 are both referred to as a height adjusting surface.

  The θ stage 126 is wide enough to mount a plurality of cleaning units 250. The method of mounting is mounted in columns in the wiping direction (Y-axis direction) of the wiping unit 120. This is to enable multiple wiping. The number of cleaning units 250 to be mounted is not limited. Practically, wiping with 2 to 3 cleaning members 200 is sufficient, so it is only necessary that 2 to 3 cleaning units 250 can be mounted on the θ stage 126 as well.

  For wiping, it is important to determine the attachment positions of the cleaning member 200 to be wiped last and the cleaning member 200 immediately before that. Therefore, in the wiping unit 120 according to the present invention, positioning means is provided so that two positions are possible with respect to the cleaning unit 250 in relation to the rotation shaft 126θ of the θ stage 126. The positioning means is not particularly limited. The simplest method is to form a convex boss on one of the θ stage 126 or the support member 128 and a boss hole for receiving the boss on the other. The first position is a first support member mounting position at which the rearmost support member 128 (cleaning member) is disposed immediately below the rotation shaft 126 θ of the θ stage 126. The second position is a second support member mounting position at which the rotation shaft 126θ is disposed between the rearmost support member and the support member immediately before it.

  The first support member mounting position is a mounting method mainly for positioning the cleaning member 200 fixed to the rearmost cleaning unit 250. The second support member mounting position is a mounting method in which the cleaning member 200 mounted on the cleaning unit 250 just before the tail and the tail is positioned equally. As will be described later, in the present invention, a plurality of wiping methods are made possible by properly using these support member mounting positions and the height of the support member 128 from the θ stage 126.

  Under the θ stage 126, position adjusting means 136 in the X direction (direction perpendicular to the wiping direction) is arranged. Although a specific configuration is not particularly limited, any configuration capable of linear feeding as used in the XY stage may be used. The position adjusting means 136 can also move freely within a predetermined range. This is because of the automatic alignment function described later. The free movable range of the position adjusting means 136 in the X direction can also be adjusted by an adjusting screw (not shown).

  Below the position adjustment means 136 in the X direction, vertical biasing means 132 is arranged. The vertical urging means 132 urges the substrate 132b included in the vertical urging unit 132 in the vertical direction. As a specific configuration, a configuration in which an elastic body 132e such as a spring is disposed between the substrate 132b and the pressing surface 132u can be given as an example.

  When the cleaning member 200 is pressed against the slit nozzle 20, the vertical direction biasing means 132 needs not to change the angle before and after the wiping direction (Y direction). This is because the present invention is characterized in that the height of the plurality of cleaning members 200 can be adjusted. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the wiping unit 120 viewed from the X-axis direction. Referring to FIG. 5A, two cleaning units 251 and 252 are now mounted on the θ stage 126. The rear cleaning unit 252 in the wiping direction (Y direction) has the shim 300 sandwiched under the support member 128, and the height from the upper surface 126 a of the θ stage 126 is higher than the front cleaning unit 251. In this state, it is pressed against the tip of the slit nozzle 20. If the vertical urging means 132 can rotate in the Y-θ plane, the two cleaning units 251 and 252 are both in close contact with the slit nozzle 20 (FIG. 5B).

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the vertical urging means 132 of the present invention is restricted in rotation in the Y-θ plane, and only in the vertical direction with respect to the substrate 132b (ie, the pedestal 122). Be energized. As a specific configuration, there is a configuration in which a guide pin 132g moving back and forth in the Y direction is raised, and a horizontal pressing surface 132u is urged by an elastic body 132e or the like with respect to the guide pin 132g. The vertical biasing means 132 does not need to be provided with an adjustment screw. However, it is preferable that a lock mechanism is provided so as not to move up and down when adjusting the position adjusting means 136 in the X direction.

  Referring again to FIG. 3, a tilt angle adjusting means 130 for adjusting the angle of the X-θ plane is disposed below the vertical direction urging means 132. A specific configuration is not particularly limited. The easiest implementation method is to support the upper and lower brackets 130u, 130d with support pins 130p parallel to the Y axis. A swivel stage may be used.

  The tilt angle adjusting means 130 can freely rotate by a predetermined angle from the vertical direction (θ direction) to the left and right direction (X direction). This tilt angle is free and the X-direction position adjusting means 136 (also added with a θ stage 126 as will be described later) cooperates with the slit nozzle 20 in the X-direction. Even if there is a slight deviation, the cleaning member 200 can fit and abut the discharge port surface 36 of the slit nozzle 20 and the lip inclined surfaces 34A and 34B. This is called an automatic alignment function of the wiping unit 120.

  The automatic alignment function will be described in further detail. FIG. 6 shows the slit nozzle 20 and the wiping unit 120 viewed from the Y direction. The wiping unit 120 shows only the tilt angle adjusting means 130 and the position adjusting means 136 in the X direction. That is, the θ stage 126 and the vertical biasing means 132 are omitted. It is assumed that the position adjusting means 136 is a member of a type that is movably engaged between a lower plate 136d fixed to the lower side and an upper plate 136u fixed to the upper side.

  With reference to FIG. 6A, the tilt angle adjusting means 130 and the position adjusting means 136 are free within a predetermined range. That is, before the wiping unit 120 is fitted to the slit nozzle 20, the wiping unit 120 is inclined to some extent in the X direction, and the position adjusting unit 136 is also moved in the inclined direction.

  Next, referring to FIG. 6B, when the slit nozzle 20 descends downward (−θ direction), it comes into contact with the cleaning member 200 of the wiping unit 120, and the wiping unit 120 rises. More specifically, the position adjusting unit 136 starts to move in the direction of the arrow 280, and the tilt angle adjusting unit 130 starts to rotate in the direction of the arrow 281.

  Finally, referring to FIG. 6C, when the slit nozzle 20 is lowered to a predetermined position, the V-shaped groove of the cleaning member 200 is positioned at a position where it fits into the lip slopes 34 </ b> A and 34 </ b> B of the slit nozzle 20. The adjusting means 136 stops and the tilt angle adjusting means 130 also stops rotating. Further, in practice, since the θ stage 126 can also rotate at a predetermined angle, even a deviation in the Y direction can be absorbed within a predetermined range.

  As described above, the wiping unit 120 has an automatic alignment function in which the tilt angle adjusting unit 130, the position adjusting unit 136, and the θ stage 126 are hooked freely within a predetermined range. Even if the positional relationship of the wiping unit 120 is slightly deviated, the cleaning member 200 of the wiping unit 120 can be reliably fitted to the slit nozzle 20. The wiping unit 120 is constituted by the above elements.

  Next, a cleaning method using the cleaning means 100 including the wiping unit 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7. FIG. 7 is a side view from the X direction showing a situation in which the slit nozzle 20 is cleaned by the wiping unit 120. The cleaning units 251 and 252 mounted on the wiping unit 120 are disposed at the first support member setting position where the rear cleaning unit 252 is disposed on the θ axis. Further, a shim 32 is sandwiched between the cleaning unit 252 and the θ stage 126. This is because, in the case of such a cleaning unit arrangement, it is desired to improve the contact state between the rear cleaning unit 252 and the slit nozzle 20 by the automatic alignment function.

  First, the cleaning means 100 is disposed at the initial position (the right end of the base 2 in FIG. 1) in the X direction. At this time, the wiping unit 120 is at the cleaning start position (FIG. 7A) in the Y direction. When cleaning is started, the entire cleaning means 100 is moved in the X direction so as to be directly below the position where it engages with the discharge port surface 36 of the slit nozzle 20 and the lip inclined surfaces 34A, 34B (FIG. 7A).

  When the cleaning member 200 comes to a cleaning start position just below the tip of the slit nozzle 20 and slightly away from the discharge port 30 in the Y direction, an excessive amount of coating liquid is discharged from the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20. The discharged coating liquid adheres to the discharge port surface 36 of the slit nozzle 20 and the lip slopes 34A and 34B, and becomes the deposited coating liquid 150 (FIG. 7B).

  Next, the slit nozzle 20 is lowered and fitted to the cleaning member 200, that is, brought into contact with the cleaning member 200 (FIG. 7C). At this time, the slit nozzle 20 always fits the cleaning member 200 by the automatic alignment function as described above. At this time, the slit nozzle 20 is lowered to a position where the vertical direction biasing means 132 is preferably reduced by 0.5 to 5 mm, more preferably 1 to 3 mm. When the vertical urging means 132 is contracted within this range, the cleaning member 200 can easily follow the vertical position fluctuation of the tip of the slit nozzle 20.

  Then, the drive unit 108 is driven and moved in the arrow direction (Y direction) while the cleaning member 200 is in contact with the discharge port surface 36 and the lip inclined surfaces 34A and 34B of the slit nozzle 20, and the discharge of the slit nozzle 20 is performed. The coating liquid 150 and other adhering substances adhering to the exit surface 36 and the lip inclined surfaces 34A and 34B are removed and cleaned (FIG. 7D).

  Here, the arrow direction is a sliding direction in which the cleaning member 200 moves, that is, slides while contacting the slit nozzle 20, and coincides with the Y direction and the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 20. The removed coating liquid and others become the coating liquid 152 that flows out along the guide surface 128i and the front slope 128f of the cleaning member 200 and the support member 128, and further drops to the tray 110 and is collected.

  The cleaning member 200 continues to move in the Y direction, and stops at a position where it passes through the longitudinal end of the slit nozzle 20, that is, a position where it does not interfere with the longitudinal end of the slit nozzle 20. Subsequently, when the entire wiping unit 120 moves to the initial position in the X direction, the cleaning member 200 stops immediately below the cleaning unit 140. In this state, the solvent supplied via the pipe 144 is sprayed from the solvent nozzle 142 to clean the cleaning member 200 (FIG. 7E). When the cleaning is completed, the cleaning member 200 is returned to the cleaning start position in the Y direction, and the same cleaning method is repeated for each application thereafter.

  The above is the outline of the cleaning method. With reference to FIG. 8, the cleaning method in the present invention will be described in more detail. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the contact state between the slit nozzle 20 and the cleaning member 200 of the wiping unit 120 of the present invention as seen from the X direction. A case where two cleaning units 251 and 252 are used will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, both the front cleaning unit 251 and the rear cleaning unit 252 in the wiping direction (Y direction) are mounted with the notch-less cleaning member 200a shown in FIG. The rear cleaning unit 252 holds a shim 300 having a predetermined thickness between the θ stage 126 and the rear cleaning unit 252. Further, the rear cleaning unit 252 is disposed on the rotation shaft 126 θ of the θ stage 126. That is, the first support member arrangement setting position is used.

  In this state, when the slit nozzle 20 and the wiping unit 120 are brought into contact with each other and further pressed, the rear cleaning unit 252 comes into contact with the slit nozzle 20. However, since the front cleaning unit 251 is lowered in height by the shim 300, it does not contact the slit nozzle 20. Referring to FIG. 8 (a-1), a gap 302 exists between the slit nozzle 20 and the cleaning member 200b. On the other hand, with reference to FIG. 8 (a-2), there is no gap between the slit nozzle 20 and the cleaning member 200a, and it can be wiped off reliably.

  That is, this is a cleaning method in which deposits adhering to the slit nozzle 20 are scraped in advance with the non-notch-less cleaning member 200a that is brought into non-contact, and then wiped off with the rear cleaning member 200a. Such a cleaning method is an effective wiping method when an uncleaned streak is likely to occur with a SUS base.

  At this time, if the notched cleaning member 200b is used, the scraped or wiped deposit can be prevented from accumulating on the V-shaped groove bottom (206 in FIG. 4B). Reattaching to the nozzle 20 can be avoided. In particular, when many deposits remain in the discharge port 30 (see FIG. 2) of the slit nozzle 20 due to the properties of the coating liquid to be used, it is preferable to use the notched cleaning member 200b.

  Thus, when changing the height of the some cleaning unit 250, and performing wiping, the coating device 1 which has the wiping unit 120 of this invention can perform adjustment comparatively easily. If the height of the two cleaning units 250 independent of the slider 106 is to be adjusted, one must always maintain a height difference from the other. However, it can be said that it is difficult to maintain this relationship while maintaining the vertical followability of the entire cleaning member. The coating apparatus 1 having the wiping unit 120 of the present invention is very effective in this respect.

  Reference is now made to FIG. Also in this case, two cleaning units 251 and 252 are used. Both are cleaning members 200a without notches as in FIG. 7 (a). The arrangement method of the cleaning units 251 and 252 is the second support member setting position where the rotation shaft 126 θ of the θ stage 126 is located between the front cleaning unit 251 and the rear cleaning unit 252. Also, no shim is placed in either cleaning unit. That is, the front cleaning member and the rear cleaning member are positioned at the same height from the θ stage 126.

  In this state, when it is brought into contact with the tip of the slit nozzle 20 and pushed in, the front and rear cleaning members respectively come into contact with the tip of the slit nozzle 20 (see FIGS. 8B-1 and 8B-2). When the wiping unit 120 is run in this state, the cleaning member can be wiped twice. This is an effective method in the case of a cemented carbide base.

  Even when the plurality of cleaning members 200 are evenly used, the coating apparatus 1 having the wiping unit 120 of the present invention can bring the cleaning member into contact with the slit nozzle 20 relatively easily.

  Reference is now made to FIG. In this case, one cleaning unit 250 is mounted on the θ stage 126, and the conventional method is the same. In this case, by disposing the cleaning unit 250 directly above the rotation shaft 126θ of the θ stage 126, the cleaning unit 250 comes into contact with the slit nozzle 20 as in the case of FIG.

  Next, the coating method using the cleaning member and the cleaning method according to the present invention by the coating apparatus 1 will be described in detail. First, when the origin of each operation unit of the coating apparatus 1 is returned, each operation unit moves to the standby position. That is, the stage 6 is at the left end in FIG. 1 (the position indicated by the broken line), the slit nozzle 20 is moved to the uppermost origin position, and the wiping unit 120 is moved from the initial position (the right end at the base 2) The tray 110 moves so as to come to the lower position of the slit nozzle 20. At this time, the cleaning member 200 is located immediately below the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20 in the X direction, but in the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 20, from the discharge port 30 as shown in FIG. It is in the cleaning start position that is a little away.

  Here, the coating liquid 66 is already filled from the tank 64 to the slit nozzle 20, and the operation of discharging the residual air inside the slit nozzle 20 has already been completed. At this time, the coating liquid supply device 40 is in a state where the syringe 52 is filled with the coating liquid 66, the suction valve 44 is closed, the supply valve 42 is opened, and the piston 54 is at the lowermost position. The nozzle 20 can be supplied.

  First, lift pins (not shown) are raised on the surface of the stage 6, and the substrate A is placed on the lift pins from a loader (not shown). Next, the lift pins are lowered to place the substrate A on the upper surface of the stage 6 and simultaneously hold it by suction. In parallel with this, the coating liquid supply device 40 is operated to supply a predetermined (excess) amount of the coating liquid 66 from the syringe pump 50 to the slit nozzle 20, and the coating liquid 66 is transferred from the slit nozzle 20 to the tray 110. It discharges toward.

  At this time, since the cleaning member 200 is not in a position immediately below the discharge port 30 in the Y direction, the coating liquid 66 discharged from the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20 does not fall. After the supply of the coating liquid 66 is stopped, the slit nozzle 20 is lowered to bring the cleaning member 200 into contact with the discharge port surface 36 and the lip slope surfaces 34A and 34B of the slit nozzle 20, and then the cleaning member 200 is slid in the Y direction to the end position. The discharge port surface 36 and the lip inclined surfaces 34A and 34B near the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20 are cleaned over the Y direction.

  By this cleaning, the initialization that completely fills the internal passage of the slit nozzle 20 up to the discharge port 30 with the coating liquid 66 is also completed. After the cleaning is completed, the slit nozzle 20 is raised to the origin position, and the wiping unit 120 is moved in the X direction to return to the initial position (the right end of the base 2). At this time, after cleaning the solvent 200 by injecting the solvent from the solvent nozzle 142 to the cleaning member 200 stopped just below the cleaning unit 140, the cleaning member 200 is moved in the direction opposite to the sliding direction, and the cleaning member 200 is moved. Return to the cleaning start position in the Y direction.

  When it is confirmed that the wiping unit 120 has moved to the initial position, the movement of the stage 6 on which the substrate A is placed is started. At this time, the slit nozzle 20 is at the origin position above the position where application is performed in the vertical direction, while the syringe pump 50 stops and stands by. Then, the substrate thickness is measured when the substrate A passes under the thickness sensor 90, and the stage 6 is stopped when the coating start portion of the substrate A reaches just below the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20.

  At this time, by using the measured thickness data of the substrate A, the vertical lift unit 70 is driven so that the clearance between the discharge port surface 36 of the slit nozzle 20 and the substrate A, that is, the clearance becomes a predetermined value. Lower 20 to stop. With the slit nozzle 20 and the stage 6 completely stopped, the piston 54 of the syringe pump 50 is raised at a predetermined speed, and the coating liquid 66 is discharged from the slit nozzle 20. After forming the bead B between the slit nozzle 20 and the substrate A, the stage 6 starts to move in the X direction at a predetermined speed, and the coating liquid 66 is applied to the substrate A to form the coating film C.

  When the position just before the application end position of the substrate A comes directly below the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20, the piston 54 is stopped and the supply of the application liquid 66 is stopped. Next, when the application end position of the substrate A comes directly below the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20, the vertical lift unit 70 is driven to raise the slit nozzle 20. As a result, the bead B formed between the substrate A and the slit nozzle 20 is cut off, and the application is completed.

  In the meantime, the stage 6 continues to operate, stops when it reaches the end point position, releases the suction of the substrate A, raises the lift pins, and lifts the substrate A. At this time, the lower surface of the substrate A is held by an unloader (not shown), and the substrate A is transported to the next step. When the substrate A is delivered to the unloader, the stage 6 lowers the lift pins and returns to the origin position. After returning to the origin position of the stage 6, the wiping unit 120 is moved so that the tray 110 is positioned below the discharge port 30 of the slit nozzle 20.

  After the movement is completed, the suction valve 44 is opened, the supply valve 42 is closed, the piston 54 is lowered, and the application liquid 66 is filled into the syringe 52. After the filling is completed, the piston 54 is stopped, the suction valve 44 is closed, the supply valve 42 is opened, the next substrate A is waited for, and the same operation is repeated.

  In addition, as a coating liquid which can apply this invention, a viscosity is 1-100 mPas, More desirably, it is 1-50 mPas, and it is preferable from a coating property that it is Newtonian, However, It is applicable also to the coating liquid which has thixotropy. In particular, it is effective when a coating solution using a solvent having high volatility such as PGMEA, butyl acetate, ethyl lactate or the like is applied.

  Specific examples of the coating solution that can be applied include a resist solution, an overcoat material, a column forming material, and the like, in addition to the above-described black matrix for color filter and coating solution for forming RGB color pixels. As a member to be coated which is a substrate, a metal plate such as aluminum, a ceramic plate, a silicon wafer or the like may be used in addition to glass.

  Furthermore, as the application conditions such as the application speed, the application speed is 10 mm / s to 600 mm / s, more preferably 100 mm / s to 300 mm / s, and the sliding speed of the cleaning member 200 is preferably 100 to 1000 mm / s, More preferably, it is 200 to 600 mm / s, the lip gap of the slit nozzle is 50 to 1000 μm, more preferably 80 to 200 μm, and the coating thickness is 1 to 50 μm in a wet state, more preferably 2 to 20 μm.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be suitably used for a coating apparatus used when manufacturing a color filter or the like, and for various displays that form a uniform and high-quality coating film on a substrate such as an array substrate, a plasma display panel, or an optical filter It can be used for manufacturing members.

1 coating device 2 base 4 guide rail 6 stage 10 support 20 slit nozzle (applicator)
22 Front lip 24 Rear lip 26 Manifold 28 Slit 30 Discharge port 32 Shim 34A, 34B Lip slope
36 Discharge port surface 40 Coating liquid supply device 42 Supply valve 44 Suction valve 46 Filter 50 Syringe pump 52 Syringe 54 Piston 56 Main body
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 60 Supply hose 62 Suction hose 64 Tank 66 Coating liquid 68 Air pressure source 70 Vertical lift unit 72 Motor 74 Guide 76 Ball screw 78 Lift stand 80 Suspension holding stand 90 Thickness sensor 92 Support stand
94 Control Device 96 Control Panel 100 Cleaning Means 102 Carriage 104 Bracket 106 Slider 108 Drive Unit 110 Tray 112 Holder 114 Pressing Plate 116 Guide 118 Spring 120 Wiping Unit 122 Pedestal 124 Adjusting Unit 126 θ Stage 130 Swivel Angle Adjusting Means 132 With Vertical Direction Cleaning means 142 Position adjusting means 140 Cleaning unit 142 Solvent nozzle 144 Pipe 150 Adhering coating liquid 152 Outflowing coating liquid 200 Cleaning member 204 V-shaped groove 206 Groove bottom 208 Notch 250, 251, 252 Cleaning unit 300 Shim 302 Clearance

Claims (6)

A coating liquid supply means for supplying the coating liquid;
An applicator having a slit-like outlet for communicating with the application liquid supply means and for discharging the application liquid;
Moving means for relatively moving the applicator and the member to be coated;
In the coating apparatus having a cleaning means that moves in the wiping direction along the slit direction of the discharge port and removes the adhering material while sliding on the discharge port peripheral portion of the applicator,
The cleaning means includes
A cleaning unit by a cleaning member supported on the support member;
A θ stage capable of mounting a plurality of the cleaning units in the wiping direction;
A wiping unit including a pedestal for supporting the θ stage;
A height adjusting surface for sandwiching a height adjusting member is formed on the support member and the θ stage of the cleaning unit.   The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a vertical urging unit that urges the θ stage in a direction perpendicular to the pedestal is disposed. The θ stage has a rotation axis perpendicular to the upper surface,
A position adjusting means for a direction perpendicular to the wiping direction of the θ stage;
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tilt angle adjusting unit that adjusts a tilt angle with respect to the wiping direction. The θ stage is
A first support member setting position in which the rotating shaft is disposed immediately below the last cleaning unit in the wiping direction;
The said rotating shaft has a 2nd support member setting position arrange | positioned between the last cleaning unit of the wiping direction, and the cleaning unit immediately before the last cleaning unit. 3. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 3. Two cleaning units are mounted on the θ stage at the first support member setting position,
A height adjustment member is sandwiched between the height adjustment surface of the support member and the height adjustment surface of the θ stage behind the wiping direction,
The height of the support member at the rear is higher than the upper surface of the θ stage than the support member at the front in the wiping direction, and the cleaning member supported by the support member at the front in the wiping direction is The coating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the coating apparatus does not contact the discharge port. A method of applying a coating liquid on a member to be coated with an applicator having a discharge port on a slit,
Sending the excess coating liquid into the applicator and letting the air in the applicator escape;
Removing deposits around the discharge port;
A step of applying a coating liquid on the member to be coated from the applicator;
The step of removing the deposit is
Scraping a part of the deposit with a scraping member that does not contact the discharge port;
And a step of wiping the deposit with a wiping member in contact with the discharge port.