JP2014065011A - Application device and application method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve workability of an inspection of a discharge state of a treatment liquid in preliminary application treatment of an application device.SOLUTION: An application device comprises: a holding part for holding a substrate; a nozzle which can discharge a treatment liquid from a linear discharge port; a movement mechanism which relatively moves the nozzle with respect to the substrate and makes the nozzle carry out discharge scanning of the treatment liquid; a protection member which is relatively fixed on a front side of the nozzle in a travelling direction of the nozzle; a cylindrical roller separately arranged on a back side of the substrate in the travelling direction of the nozzle; and a long illumination part arranged so as to be located between the roller and the substrate. The movement mechanism moves the nozzle to above the roller before the discharge scanning. The nozzle, in a moved state above the roller, carries out preliminary application treatment of applying the treatment liquid on the roller by discharging the treatment liquid to the rotating roller. The illumination part irradiates a clearance between the discharge port of the nozzle carrying out the preliminary application treatment and the roller with light.

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating technique for coating a processing liquid on 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, and a substrate for color filter, a coating apparatus for applying a treatment liquid to the surface of the substrate is used. As such a coating apparatus, the slit nozzle is moved relative to the substrate while discharging the treatment liquid from the slit nozzle 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. There are known a slit coater (see, for example, Patent Document 1) for performing a slit coat to apply a treatment liquid to the entire substrate, and a slit / spin coater for rotating the substrate after the slit coat.

  In these coating apparatuses, prior to the coating process on the substrate, the processing liquid is applied from the slit nozzle to the roller in a state where the slit nozzle is brought close to the surface of the cylindrical roller rotating around the axis of symmetry. A pre-coating process (“pre-dispensing”) is performed in which the processing liquid is applied to the roller by discharging the liquid. By the preliminary application process, the discharge state of the processing liquid discharged from the slit nozzle is adjusted. Further, foreign matters such as a resist adhering to the vicinity of the discharge port of the slit nozzle are removed together with the discharged processing liquid. After the preliminary coating process is finished, the coating process is performed on the substrate by slit coating by discharging the processing liquid onto the substrate while the slit nozzle is moved relative to the substrate. Then, a new substrate is set in the coating apparatus instead of the substrate on which the coating process has been completed, and the preliminary coating process and the coating process on the substrate are repeated again.

  In the preliminary coating process, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, if the entire gap (space) between the discharge port at the tip of the slit nozzle 141 and the roller 161 is completely filled with the processing liquid 195, In the coating process on the substrate, a good treatment liquid without application omission is applied. On the other hand, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, if the part of the gap between the discharge port of the slit nozzle 141 and the roller 161 is not filled with the processing liquid 195, the substrate 190 (FIG. 11). In the coating process for the liquid crystal), when the discharge scanning in the direction of the arrow X11 (FIG. 11) of the slit nozzle 141 that discharges the processing liquid 195 is performed, for example, as illustrated in FIG. Application failure such as application leakage (also referred to as “poor coating”) 199 occurs.

  Therefore, on the contrary, in the inspection of the coating state of the substrate that has been subjected to the coating process, when an ejection failure is detected by the operator, or when the apparatus automatically stops upon detection of some abnormality, the slit The nozzle is moved to a predetermined position above the roller to perform a preliminary coating process, and the discharge state of the processing liquid discharged from the slit nozzle to the roller is inspected.

  In the inspection of the gap formed between the surface of the roller as well as the roller in the coating device, as one of the simple inspection methods, irradiate light from one side to the gap with respect to the gap, A method of observing light passing through the gap from the opposite side has been adopted. In the preliminary coating process when an abnormality is detected in the coating apparatus described above, the discharged processing liquid is placed in the gap between the portion of the long discharge port of the slit nozzle where normal discharge is performed and the roller. Filled, no light passes. On the other hand, the processing liquid does not exist in the gap between the clogged portion of the discharge port of the slit nozzle and the roller, and light passes therethrough. For this reason, the above-described inspection method using light has been adopted also in the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid in the preliminary coating process when an abnormality is detected.

  Specifically, the apparatus main body normally operates in a state of being stored in a substantially dark casing. When an abnormality is detected, the inspection door provided on the roller side of the housing is opened and the preliminary coating process is executed. Even when the door is opened, the periphery of the inspection target portion is substantially dark. Then, in the state where the pre-coating process is executed, for example, an inspection regarding the gap between the roller and the slit nozzle is performed by two workers. In the inspection, one of the two workers illuminates the gap while moving the flashlight along the gap between the roller and the slit nozzle, and the other person observes the state of light passing through the gap. The gap is inspected by such means. And the site | part etc. by which the discharge of a process liquid is not normally performed among the linear discharge outlets of a slit nozzle are performed.

  Here, the slit coater or the like is usually provided with a long protective member on the front side in the traveling direction of the slit nozzle as in the coating apparatus of Patent Document 1, for example, and the slit nozzle adheres to the surface of the substrate. Prior to contact with the foreign matter, the protective member and the foreign matter are brought into contact with each other to eliminate the foreign matter. Further, for example, in an apparatus that performs a coating process on a G8 size substrate, the length of the gap between the slit nozzle and the roller reaches about 2500 mm.

  For this reason, in the above-described inspection, the light from the flashlight from the back side of the roller is not blocked by the protective member in a narrow space, and the flashlight is placed between the roller and the slit nozzle. It is necessary to illuminate the gap over the entire surface by moving in the length direction. Thus, the workability of the inspection is not good due to the presence of the protective member and the gap that is the inspection target of the treatment liquid discharge state being very long.

  Patent Document 2 discloses another inspection method for measuring a gap interval between two rollers. In the inspection method, laser light that is narrowed so as to pass through the gap is irradiated from an oblique direction so as not to hinder the observation from the observation side of the gap gap toward the gap between the two rollers. Then, the laser light is diffusely reflected by the diffusion plate provided on the opposite side to the observation side with respect to the gap, and a silhouette image of the two rollers formed by the reflected light is photographed. Then, image processing is performed on the photographed silhouette image, and the gap interval between the two rollers is measured.

JP 2007-50345 A JP-A-5-340723

  However, even if the method of Patent Document 2 is applied to the inspection of the gap between the roller and the slit nozzle in the preliminary coating process of the coating apparatus in which a coating failure has occurred, It is necessary to inspect while moving the laser light source arranged in the step by step along the long gap. For this reason, even if the method of patent document 2 is employ | adopted, there exists a problem that the workability | operativity of a test | inspection is not improved.

  The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and in the preliminary coating process performed when an abnormality such as a coating failure is detected in a coating apparatus that applies a processing liquid to a substrate using a slit nozzle, a slit is provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique capable of improving the workability of the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid in the gap between the nozzle and the roller.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a coating apparatus according to a first aspect is a coating apparatus that coats a processing liquid onto a substrate, a holding unit that holds the substrate substantially horizontally, and a substantially horizontal first direction. A nozzle capable of discharging the processing liquid from a linear discharge port extending along the first direction and a substantially horizontal second direction orthogonal to the first direction to move the nozzle relative to the substrate to the nozzle. A moving mechanism for performing a discharge scan of the processing liquid on the substrate; and the discharge scan with respect to the nozzle so as to extend along the first direction and a lower end position is lower than a lower end of the discharge port. A protective member that is relatively fixed to the front side in the moving direction of the nozzle and protects the nozzle, and is separated from the substrate held by the holding portion on the rear side in the moving direction of the nozzle. Provided, and A cylindrical roller having a symmetric axis along one direction and rotatable about the symmetric axis as a rotation axis, and disposed between the roller and the substrate held by the holding member. And a long illuminating section extending in the first direction, and the moving mechanism moves the nozzle above the roller prior to the discharge scanning, and the nozzle is moved by the moving mechanism. A preliminary coating process is performed in which the processing liquid is applied to the roller by discharging the processing liquid toward the rotating roller while being moved above the roller, and the illumination unit is configured to perform the preliminary coating. Light is irradiated toward a gap between the discharge port of the nozzle performing the processing and the roller.

  A coating apparatus according to a second aspect is the coating apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the illumination unit is based on a horizontal plane passing through a lower end of the protection member when the nozzle performs the preliminary coating process. It is disposed in any one of an upper space having the horizontal plane as a lower limit surface and a lower space having the horizontal plane as an upper limit surface.

  A coating apparatus according to a third aspect is the coating apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the illuminating unit includes the protection member when the nozzle performs the preliminary coating treatment and the holding in the lower space. It arrange | positions between the said board | substrates hold | maintained at the member.

  The coating device which concerns on a 4th aspect is a coating device which concerns on a 2nd aspect, Comprising: In the said upper space, the said illumination part faces the said nozzle among the surfaces of the said protection member, and extends in the said 1st direction. Disposed on the surface.

  A coating apparatus according to a fifth aspect is the coating apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the length of the illumination unit in the first direction is the length of the discharge port of the nozzle. It is not less than the length in the first direction.

  A coating apparatus according to a sixth aspect is the coating apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and the illumination unit is a phosphorescent member that emits light by absorbing light.

  A coating method according to a seventh aspect is a coating method in which a processing liquid is applied to a substrate by a coating device, and the coating device includes a holding portion that holds the substrate substantially horizontally and a substantially horizontal first direction. A nozzle capable of discharging the processing liquid from a linear discharge port extending along the nozzle, and moving the nozzle relative to the substrate in a substantially horizontal second direction orthogonal to the first direction to move the nozzle to the nozzle. A moving mechanism for performing a scanning scan of the processing liquid with respect to the substrate, and the nozzle in the discharge scanning with respect to the nozzle so as to extend along the first direction and a lower end position is lower than a lower end of the discharge port. A protective member that is relatively fixed to the front side in the moving direction of the nozzle and protects the nozzle, and is provided apart from the back side in the moving direction of the nozzle with respect to the substrate held by the holding portion. As well as A cylindrical roller having a symmetric axis along the first direction and rotatable about the symmetric axis as a rotation axis, and between the roller and the substrate held by the holding member And a long illuminating section that extends in the first direction, and the coating method includes a moving step of moving the nozzle above the roller prior to the discharge scanning, and a moving step. A preliminary application step of applying the processing liquid to the roller by discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle moved above the roller toward the rotating roller, and the processing in the preliminary application step An illumination step of irradiating light from the illumination unit toward the gap between the ejection port of the nozzle that is ejecting the liquid and the roller.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a long illuminating portion that is disposed so as to be positioned between the roller and the substrate held by the holding member and extends in a substantially horizontal first direction. Then, light is irradiated from the illumination unit toward the gap between the discharge port of the nozzle that performs the pre-coating process and discharges the processing liquid toward the roller, and the roller. Therefore, since the light passing through the gap is observed from the opposite side of the illumination section with respect to the gap, the discharge state of the processing liquid can be inspected without moving the illumination section along the gap. Workability is improved and inspection man-hours are reduced. In addition, even when the installation space between the roller and the substrate is small, the installation of the illumination unit is facilitated, and the movement of the illumination unit is not required, so that the apparatus configuration is simplified.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of schematic structure of the slit coater which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the nozzle adjustment part of the slit coater of FIG. 1, and its peripheral part. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the process liquid discharged on a roller from a slit nozzle in a preliminary application process. It is a figure which illustrates the positional relationship of the slit nozzle of a slit coater of FIG. 1, and a roller etc. in a preliminary application process. It is a perspective view which shows an example of schematic structure of the slit coater which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the structural example of the nozzle adjustment part of the slit coater of FIG. 5, and its peripheral part. It is a flowchart which illustrates the basic operation | movement of a slit coater. It is a flowchart which illustrates the inspection procedure of the discharge state of a process liquid. It is a figure which shows a reference technique. It is a figure which shows a reference technique. It is a figure which shows a reference technique.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, parts having the same configuration and function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted in the following description. Each drawing is schematically shown. For example, the size and positional relationship of display objects in each drawing are not necessarily shown accurately. In addition, in some drawings, coordinate axes of an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system are attached to explain directions. 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).

<A. Embodiment 1>
<A-1. Outline of coating device>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a slit coater 10A that is a coating apparatus according to the first embodiment. The slit coater 10A is a coating apparatus that performs a coating process called slit coating that coats a surface of the substrate 90 with a processing solution such as a resist solution. The slit coater 10A is a process that selectively etches an electrode layer or the like formed on the surface of the substrate 90. It is used for etc. The substrate 90 to be coated with the slit coater 10A 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 10A is roughly divided into a control unit 1 that controls the entire apparatus and a coating processing unit 2 that performs coating processing. The application processing unit 2 is stored in a housing not shown. The housing is provided with a work door. When the door is closed, the inside of the housing is kept in a substantially dark state. If the door is opened, the slit coater 10A can be accessed from the roller 61 side.

  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 application processing unit 2 mainly includes a stage (“holding unit”) 3 for holding the substrate 90 substantially horizontally, a discharge mechanism 4 that discharges the processing liquid to the substrate 90 held on the stage 3, and a discharge mechanism. And a moving mechanism 5 for moving 4 in a predetermined direction.

  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 (“nozzle”) 41 that can discharge the processing liquid and a nozzle holding portion 42 that fixes and holds the slit nozzle 41.

  The slit nozzle 41 discharges the processing liquid supplied from a supply mechanism (not shown) to the upper surface of the substrate 90 from a linear discharge port 41a (FIG. 2) formed at the lower end. The slit nozzle 41 is fixedly supported by the nozzle holding portion 42 such that the discharge port 41a extends substantially horizontally along the Y-axis direction (first direction). When the substrate to be coated is G8 size, the length of the discharge port 41a is about 2500 mm.

  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 41a which is the lower end portion of the slit nozzle 41 and the substrate 90, That is, the relative height of the discharge port with respect to the substrate 90 is adjusted. The vertical position of the fixing member 42a is, for example, an unillustrated scale portion provided on the side surface of the lifting mechanism 42b and an unillustrated illustration provided on the side surface of the slit nozzle 41 facing the scale portion. It is detected by a linear encoder (not shown) configured to include a detection sensor.

  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 (second direction) with respect to the substrate 90. It will move relative.

  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 be moved relative to the holding surface 30 in the upper space of the holding surface 30 where the substrate 90 is held in the substantially horizontal X-axis direction.

  An area having a predetermined width (for example, 2 to 3 mm) from the end of each side of the substrate 90 is an area that is not a treatment liquid application target (“non-application area”). In the substrate 90, a rectangular area excluding the non-application area is an area to be applied with the treatment liquid ("application target area"). Therefore, the coating process is performed on the coating target area.

  When performing the coating process, the slit nozzle 41 that discharges the processing liquid from the discharge port 41 a is horizontally moved by the moving mechanism 5 at a predetermined speed in the X-axis direction. Thereby, scanning by the slit nozzle 41 (“ejection scanning”) is performed on the application target region of the substrate 90. As a result of this ejection scanning, the processing liquid is uniformly applied over the entire area to be applied of the substrate 90, and a layer of the processing liquid having a predetermined thickness is formed on the application target area. In the slit coater 10A of the present embodiment, the direction of movement of the slit nozzle 41 in the coating process is + X direction (front side, direction of arrow X1 in FIG. 2).

  In the coating process, the height of the discharge port 41a from the surface of the substrate 90 is adjusted to a height according to the film thickness on the substrate 90 in the range of 50 μm to 200 μm, for example, by the elevating mechanism 42b. Then, with this height maintained, the slit nozzle 41 is moved in the + X direction.

  In the region where the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 moves in the coating process, there may be foreign matter adhering to the upper surface of the substrate 90. If the application process is performed with such foreign matter present, the foreign matter 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 10A, before the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 comes into contact with such foreign matter or the like, the protective member 7 that contacts the foreign matter or the like to protect the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the slit nozzle 41 is fixed to the + X side (front side) by a fixing mechanism (not shown) such as a screw.

  The protection member 7 is a plate-like member having a substantially rectangular cross section, and is made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel and extends along the Y-axis direction. The protection member 7 moves in the traveling direction of the slit nozzle 41 in the discharge scanning onto the substrate 90 with respect to the slit nozzle 41 so that the position of the lower end of the protection member 7 is lower (−Z side) than the lower end of the discharge port 41a. Is relatively fixed to the front side (+ X side). Therefore, the slit nozzle 41 and the protection member 7 are moved by the moving mechanism 5 in a state where the relative positional relationship between the slit nozzle 41 and the protection member 7 is fixed. In the process of applying the processing liquid onto the substrate 90, even if foreign matter exists on the substrate 90, the foreign matter comes into contact with the protective member 7 and is removed before coming into contact with the slit nozzle 41. Therefore, the slit nozzle 41 is protected from foreign matter on the substrate 90.

  In addition, 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). In the section between the waiting area 31 and the substrate 90 held on the stage 3, the discharge port 41 a of the slit nozzle 41 is usually higher than the vertical position of the discharge port 41 a in the coating process on the substrate 90. Held in position. Below the evacuation area 31 (−Z side), there is provided a nozzle adjustment unit 6 for preliminary application processing for adjusting the state of the discharge port of the slit nozzle 41 before the application processing.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the nozzle adjustment unit 6 of the slit coater 10A and its peripheral portion. FIG. 2 shows an outline of a cross section in which the slit coater 10A is cut along the XZ plane at a substantially central portion in the Y-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle adjustment unit 6 includes a roller 61 that is a discharge target of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41. The roller 61 is provided apart from the substrate 90 held on the holding surface 30 of the stage 3 on the rear side (−X side) in the traveling direction in the discharge scanning of the slit nozzle 41. The roller 61 has a cylindrical shape having a symmetry axis 67 along the Y-axis direction. The roller 61 can rotate (spin) in the direction of the arrow R <b> 1 without making contact with the slit nozzle 41 about the symmetry axis 67. The roller 61 is normally rotated at all times except for the period of the coating process on the substrate 90 by being driven to rotate by a rotation mechanism (not shown). Further, the roller 61 is installed such that the height of the upper end thereof is lower (−Z side) than the height of the holding surface 30 of the stage 3.

  A tray 62 in which a solvent 65 such as a thinner capable of dissolving the processing liquid applied to the roller 61 is stored below the roller 61. Further, a blade 63 made of silicone or the like is provided so that one end thereof is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a processing liquid discharged from the slit nozzle 41 to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61 in the preliminary coating process. As shown in FIG. 3, when a certain treatment liquid 95 is discharged from the discharge port 41a in a state where the slit nozzle 41 is close to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61, a liquid pool of the process liquid is formed in the discharge port 41a. The If the liquid reservoir is uniformly formed over the entire length of the linear discharge port 41a extending in the Y-axis direction 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. Therefore, in the preliminary coating process, the slit nozzle 41 discharges the processing liquid toward the rotating roller 61 while the slit nozzle 41 is moved and positioned above the roller 61 by the moving mechanism 5. A treatment liquid is applied to the roller 61.

  In the slit coater 10A, a pre-coating process is performed prior to the coating process for applying the processing liquid to the substrate 90, and the coating process is performed on the substrate 90 in a state where the discharge state of the processing liquid is adjusted. Further, as the coating process proceeds, a dirty processing liquid adheres to the peripheral portion of the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41. The attached processing liquid prevents good discharge and causes contamination of the film formed on the substrate 90. If the preliminary coating process is performed, the dirty processing liquid adhering to the periphery of the discharge port 41a is combined with the processing liquid newly discharged from the discharge port 41a and discharged to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61. Removed from surrounding area. On the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61 from which the processing liquid has been discharged, a layer of processing liquid having a film thickness substantially the same as the film thickness of the processing liquid applied on the substrate 90 in the coating process on the substrate 90 is formed. The processing liquid discharged to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61 is immersed in the solvent 65 stored in the tray 62 by the rotation of the roller 61 around the axis of symmetry 67, and is then melted by the blade 63. It is scraped off from the outer peripheral surface. The portion of the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61 from which the processing liquid has been scraped is moved below the discharge port 41a by the rotation of the roller 61, and the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge port 41a again.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship among the slit nozzle 41, the protective member 7, and the roller 61 of the slit coater 10A in the preliminary coating process.

  The distance d2 between the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61 and the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 in the preliminary coating process is set to the same distance as the distance between the substrate 90 and the discharge port 41a when the coating process is performed on the substrate 90. The lower end of the protection member 7 is positioned below the discharge port 41a, and the interval d1 between the discharge port 41a and the lower end of the protection member 7 is set to, for example, about a fraction of the interval d2.

  By the way, the processing liquid such as the resist liquid discharged from the slit nozzle 41 is usually very easy to dry, and the processing liquid in the discharge port 41a is dried by leaving the slit coater 10A in a stopped state for a while. May end up. In this state, when the slit coater 10A performs the coating process again, a discharge failure in which the processing liquid is not discharged occurs from the portion of the discharge port 41a where the processing liquid is dried. As described above, when the slit coater 10A is restarted from a state where it is left for a while, or when a coating failure such as poor coating is detected in the inspection of the result of continuous coating processing, the slit coater 10A is abnormal. In the case where it is detected and stopped, it is necessary to inspect whether or not the processing liquid is normally discharged from the discharge port 41a. Therefore, the slit coater 10A includes a long illumination unit 15A extending in the Y-axis direction for the inspection.

  The illuminating unit 15 </ b> A irradiates the inspection light toward the gap between the discharge port 41 a of the slit nozzle 41 performing the preliminary application process and the roller 61. The illumination unit 15A is configured by a light source such as a cylindrical lamp having a diameter of 5 mm to 10 mm, for example. The length of the illumination unit 15A in the Y-axis direction is equal to or longer than the length of the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, if the substrate 90 is G8 size, the length of the illumination part 15A is 2500 mm or more. From the illumination unit 15A, light having a wavelength that can be observed by an observer or an observation apparatus is irradiated as light for inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid.

  With respect to the position in the left and right (horizontal) direction, the illuminating unit 15A has a roller 90 (a gap between the roller 61 and the discharge port 41a) and the substrate 90 held on the stage 3, as shown in FIGS. In more detail, between the protective member 7 when the slit nozzle 41 is positioned at the position where the preliminary coating process is performed and the substrate 90 held on the stage 3, a holding member (not shown) is provided. It is held and disposed in a positional relationship fixed relative to the nozzle adjustment unit 6.

  Regarding the position in the vertical direction, the illuminating unit 15A sets the horizontal plane 57 with reference to the horizontal plane 57 so as not to cross the horizontal plane 57 (FIG. 2) passing through the lower end of the protective member 7 when the slit nozzle 41 performs the preliminary application process. The upper space 73 (FIG. 2) as the lower limit surface and the lower space 74 (FIG. 2) whose upper surface is the horizontal surface 57 are disposed in any space. More specifically, the illumination unit 15A is disposed in the lower space 74. Specifically, the illumination unit 15A is, for example, more than the surface 58 (FIG. 2) that passes through the gap between the roller 61 and the discharge port 41a and the lower side of the lower end of the protection member 7. It arrange | positions so that an upper end may be located below.

  The space between the roller 61 and the stage 3 that holds the substrate 90 has a small size, and is used for adjustment that keeps the discharge port 41a parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 61. Since the linear gauge is provided in the space, it is narrower. However, since the illuminating unit 15A includes a light source that is long and small in the Y-axis direction, the illuminating unit 15A can be installed at the above-described position without coming into contact with other components of the slit coater 10A.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light L1 irradiated obliquely upward toward the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61 among the light irradiated in each direction from the illumination unit 15A is the protective member 7. It passes through the gap without being blocked by the light and is observed from the side opposite to the illumination unit 15A with respect to the gap. Therefore, the light L1 emitted from the illumination unit 15A can be used for the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid discharged from the discharge port 41a.

  The time required for the inspection is, for example, within 10 minutes even if the lengths of the discharge port 41a and the roller 61 are 2500 mm. The slit coater 10A is housed inside the casing, the periphery of the slit coater 10A is very dark, and the distance between the gap to be inspected and the illumination unit 15A can be set close, so that a light source with a luminous intensity of about 80 cd can be obtained. If adopted, sufficient inspection is possible. Therefore, as the illumination unit 15A, for example, one having a luminous intensity of 80 cd or more is adopted.

  In addition to the cylindrical light source that is long in the Y-axis direction, the illumination unit 15A is a Y-axis long sheet-shaped phosphorescent member that emits light by absorbing light, or an EL sheet that has a Y-axis. What was hold | maintained at the flat base material long in a direction may be employ | adopted. As the phosphorescent member, a member capable of continuously emitting light for a time longer than the time required for inspection is employed. When the phosphorescent member is employed, a light source for irradiating the luminous member with light and absorbing it is provided in the vicinity of the illumination unit 15A prior to the start of the inspection. Further, instead of the light source provided in the apparatus, the operator may irradiate the illumination unit 15A with light before starting the inspection using a light source outside the apparatus.

<A-2. Basic operation of slit coater>
Next, a basic operation flow of the slit coater 10A will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the basic operation of the slit coater 10A. 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 S10).

  Next, a preparatory operation for positioning the slit nozzle 41 at a predetermined position above the roller 61 of the nozzle adjustment unit 6 is performed, and then a preliminary application process is performed in the nozzle adjustment unit 6 (step S20). A treatment liquid pool is uniformly formed over the entire length of the discharge port 41 a at the discharge port 41 a of the slit nozzle 41. Note that the preliminary application process is performed in a state where the roller 61 rotates about the cylindrical symmetry axis. When the preliminary application process is completed, the rotation of the roller 61 is stopped.

  Next, the slit nozzle 41 is moved by the moving mechanism 5 until the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is located at the start position where the discharge of the processing liquid should be started (step S30). In this movement, the slit nozzle 41 rises to a predetermined position in the direction of the arrow Z1 (FIG. 2), and then moves upward from the start position in the direction of the arrow X1 (FIG. 2). Descent in the direction of 2). Note that the start position is an end portion on the back side (−X side) of the application target region, which is a boundary between the non-application region and the application target region of the substrate 90.

  When the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is moved to the start position, discharge of the processing liquid from the discharge port 41a toward the substrate 90 is started (step S40). At the same time, the moving mechanism 5 starts the horizontal movement of the slit nozzle 41 at a predetermined speed toward the front side (+ X side, direction of arrow X1) (step S50).

  Such horizontal movement of the slit nozzle 41 is continued until the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 reaches the end position at which the discharge of the treatment liquid should end, that is, the end on the front side (+ X side) of the application target region. (Steps S50 and S60).

  When the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 is located at the end position, the discharge of the processing liquid is stopped (step S70), and the slit nozzle 41 is moved to the retreat area 31 by the moving mechanism 5 (step S80). In the process of moving to the retreat area 31, the slit nozzle 41 rises to a predetermined position in the direction of the arrow Z1, and then is horizontally moved in the direction of the arrow X2 (FIG. 2). Then, the substrate 90 on which the coating process has been completed is unloaded from the coating processing unit 2 (step S90).

<A-3. Inspection of application state when application failure is detected>
The above-described operation described with reference to FIG. 7 is a basic operation of the slit coater 10A. The vibration of the slit nozzle 41 is performed by a vibration sensor (not shown) during the movement of the slit nozzle 41 in steps S30 and S50. Is detected, the movement of the slit nozzle 41 is forcibly stopped by the control of the control unit 1. Prior to the start of the above-described basic coating processing operation on the substrate 90, the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41 by the preliminary coating processing is performed by an operator's manual operation or automatic control. Is called. Further, when the slit coater 10A is left for a predetermined time or longer without maintenance of the slit nozzle 41, when performing a coating process on the substrate, or in the inspection of the result of the coating process on the substrate, such as poor coating. Even when a coating failure is detected, the ejection state of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41 is inspected prior to the start of the basic coating processing operation on the substrate 90.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for inspecting the discharge state of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41 by performing the preliminary application process. The flowchart in FIG. 8 corresponds to the case where a lamp or an EL sheet that emits light by supplying power is used as the illumination unit 15A.

  With the slit coater 10A activated, an operator operates the inspection button in the discharge state, or the slit coater 10A itself transitions the apparatus state to the inspection start state. The inspection of the discharge state by execution is started. Then, the slit nozzle 41 is moved to a predetermined position above the roller 61 and positioned (step S110).

  Then, according to the control of the control unit 1, the roller 61 starts to rotate (step S120), the illumination unit 15A is supplied with electric power and starts irradiating light for inspection (step S130), and the slit nozzle 41 Starts discharging the processing liquid onto the roller 61, that is, a preliminary coating process (step S140).

  Next, the operator inspects the discharge state of the processing liquid from the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 (step S150). In the inspection, it is checked whether or not the light irradiated by the illumination unit 15A passes through the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61, that is, whether or not the light is observed. If the light irradiated by the illumination unit 15A from the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61 is not observed, the processing liquid is discharged over the entire area of the discharge port 41a and the normal discharge in which the gap is filled with the processing liquid. It is determined that On the contrary, when the light irradiated by the illumination unit 15A is observed at one or more places in the gap, the treatment liquid is not ejected normally at the place where the light is observed among the ejection openings 41a. It is determined that the state is defective.

  When the process proceeds to the next step, such as when the operator finishes the inspection and the operator operates the operation unit 11 or the control unit 1 detects the passage of a preset time, the control unit 1 In response to the control, the slit nozzle 41 finishes discharging the treatment liquid to the roller 61 (preliminary application process) (step S160), and the illumination unit 15A stops the supply of power by stopping the power supply. (Step S170), the roller 61 stops rotating (Step S180), and the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid by the slit nozzle 41 is completed.

  In addition, when a phosphorescent member is employ | adopted as 15 A of illumination parts, it replaces with the process of step S130, and light is irradiated to 15 A of illumination parts according to control of the control part 1 by the start of the process of step S150. Then, the illumination unit 15A is irradiated with light from a light source (not shown) to be accumulated. The irradiation time is set to a time during which the illumination unit 15A can emit light longer than the time required for the inspection. And illumination part 15A starts light emission by the start of step S150. Further, when the energy accumulated in the illumination unit 15A decreases to a predetermined level or less after a lapse of time, the light emission from the illumination unit 15A is stopped, and the control unit 1 does not perform the control related to step S170.

  If it is determined that there is a discharge failure in the inspection of the discharge state in step S150, for example, the slit nozzle 41 is moved to a nozzle cleaner (not shown) that dissolves and removes the processing liquid clogged in the discharge port 41a by the solvent. The Then, cleaning by a nozzle cleaner is performed, and the ejection state is inspected again according to the procedure shown in FIG. If it is determined that the ejection is normal in the ejection state inspection in step S150, the processing state of the control unit 1 is transitioned to a state in which a basic coating treatment operation for the substrate shown in FIG. 7 can be performed. The

  According to the slit coater 10A according to the first embodiment configured as described above, it is located between the roller 61 (the gap between the roller 61 and the discharge port 41a) and the substrate 90 held by the stage 3. A long illuminating portion 15A extending in the substantially horizontal Y-axis direction is provided. Then, light is irradiated from the illumination unit 15 </ b> A toward the gap between the discharge port 41 a of the slit nozzle 41 that discharges the processing liquid toward the roller 61 by performing a preliminary application process and the roller 61. Therefore, since the light passing through the gap is observed from the opposite side of the illumination unit 15A with respect to the gap, the discharge state of the processing liquid can be inspected without moving the illumination unit 15A along the gap. Inspection workability is improved and inspection man-hours are reduced. Further, even when the installation space between the roller 61 and the substrate 90 is small, the illumination unit 15A can be easily installed, and the apparatus configuration is simplified because the moving mechanism of the illumination unit 15A is unnecessary.

  Further, according to the slit coater 10A according to the first embodiment configured as described above, the illumination unit 15A is based on the horizontal plane 57 passing through the lower end of the protective member 7 when the slit nozzle 41 performs the pre-coating process. It is disposed in any one of the upper space 73 having the horizontal plane 57 as the lower limit surface and the lower space 74 having the horizontal plane 57 as the upper limit surface. More specifically, the illumination unit 15 </ b> A is disposed in the lower space 74 between the protective member 7 when the slit nozzle 41 performs the pre-coating process and the substrate 90 held on the stage 3. When the light source is arranged so as to face the front of the gap as in a general gap inspection using conventional light, most of the light emitted toward the gap is blocked by the protective member 7. In addition, efficient inspection is not possible. However, according to the slit coater 10A, the illumination unit 15A is provided at a position obliquely downward with respect to the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61, and the illumination unit 15A irradiates obliquely upward toward the gap. Since the light is observed through the gap without being blocked by the protective member 7, the workability of the inspection is further improved.

<B. Second Embodiment>
<B-1. Outline of coating device>
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a slit coater 10B according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration example of the nozzle adjustment unit 6 of the slit coater 10B and its peripheral portion. FIG. 6 shows an outline of a cross section in which the slit coater 10B is cut along the XZ plane at a substantially central portion in the Y-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the main difference in configuration between the slit coater 10A according to the first embodiment and the slit coater 10B according to the second embodiment is the preliminary coating process. This is a difference with respect to the illuminating unit that irradiates light to the gap between the discharge port 41 a and the roller 61 in the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41 by performing the above.

  Specifically, the slit coater 10A includes the illumination unit 15A, whereas the slit coater 10B faces the slit nozzle 41 on the surface of the protective member 7 and extends in the Y-axis direction, that is, the back surface. On the side (−X side) end surface, an illumination unit 15B is provided so as to face the discharge port 41a. The illumination unit 15B is a long sheet-like member, and is fixed to the protective member 7 by adhesion or the like.

  Similarly to the slit coater 10A, the slit coater 10B performs the basic operation of the coating process on the substrate 90 according to the flowchart of FIG. 7, and the discharge state of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41 by performing the preliminary coating process according to the flowchart of FIG. Inspection is performed. In addition, in the inspection of the discharge state, similarly to the inspection of the discharge state in the slit coater 10A, when the slit coater 10B is restarted from a state where it is left for a while, or in the inspection of the result of continuous coating processing, This is performed when an application failure such as the above is detected, or when the slit coater 10A detects an abnormality and stops.

  Below, the illumination part 15B with which the slit coater 10B is provided is demonstrated, and the description regarding the other component and operation | movement of the slit coater 10B is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the slit coater 10 </ b> B includes a long illuminating unit 15 </ b> B extending in the Y-axis direction in order to inspect the discharge state of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41 by performing the preliminary coating process. Yes. The illumination unit 15 </ b> B irradiates the inspection light toward the gap between the discharge port 41 a of the slit nozzle 41 performing the preliminary application process and the roller 61.

  The illumination unit 15B includes, for example, a light source such as a long EL sheet along the Y-axis direction or a sheet-like phosphorescent member long in the Y-axis direction that emits light by absorbing light. The width in the vertical (Z-axis) direction of the illumination unit 15B is shorter than the length of the portion of the protective member 7 that protrudes downward from the lower end of the slit nozzle 41, and is, for example, 3 mm to 5 mm. The length of the illuminating unit 15B in the Y-axis direction is set in the same manner as the length of the illuminating unit 15A. Similarly to the illuminating unit 15A, the illuminating unit 15B emits light having a wavelength that can be observed by an observer or an observation device. Irradiated as light for inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid.

  Regarding the position in the left-right (horizontal) direction, the illuminating unit 15B is arranged between the roller 61 (the gap between the roller 61 and the discharge port 41a) and the substrate 90 held by the stage 3 in more detail. As described above, the protective member 7 is provided on the back surface (−X side) of the end surface so as to face the discharge port 41a. Accordingly, the illumination unit 15B moves together with the slit nozzle 41 in a state where the relative positional relationship with the slit nozzle 41 is fixed.

  Regarding the position in the vertical direction, the illuminating unit 15B sets the horizontal plane 57 with reference to the horizontal plane 57 so as not to cross the horizontal plane 57 (FIG. 6) passing through the lower end of the protective member 7 when the slit nozzle 41 performs the pre-coating process. The upper space 73 (FIG. 6) serving as the lower limit surface and the lower space 74 (FIG. 6) including the horizontal surface 57 as the upper surface are disposed in any one of the spaces. More specifically, the illumination unit 15B is provided in the upper space 73. Therefore, the illumination unit 15B does not come into contact with the substrate 90 when the coating process is performed on the substrate 90.

  The space in which the illumination unit 15B is provided is limited to a narrow space between the discharge port 41a and the protection member 7, but the illumination unit 15B is long in the Y-axis direction and small in the vertical direction. It can be installed without contacting other components of the coater 10B.

  Then, light is emitted from the illumination unit 15B toward the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61 in a state where the slit nozzle 41 is disposed at the position for the preliminary application treatment. Of the irradiated light, the light L2 irradiated mainly obliquely downward passes through the gap directly or after being reflected by the roller 61, and is observed from the opposite side of the illumination unit 15B with respect to the gap. Therefore, the light L2 can be used for inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid discharged from the discharge port 41a.

  Moreover, since the illumination part 15B is provided in the discharge outlet 41a side with respect to the protection member 7, the light irradiated toward the clearance gap between the discharge opening 41a and the roller 61 from the illumination part 15B is with respect to the said clearance gap. Thus, when observing from the side opposite to the illumination unit 15B, the protective member 7 does not hinder the observation. Therefore, if the illumination unit 15B is employed, the light emitted from the illumination unit 15B and passing through the gap can be observed in a wide angle range. Since the spatial freedom in observation is increased, the workability of the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid discharged from the slit nozzle 41 is further improved.

  The luminous intensity and light emission time of the illumination unit 15B are set in the same manner as the illumination unit 15A. Moreover, when a phosphorescent member is employ | adopted as the illumination part 15B, before the start of a test | inspection, light is irradiated to the illumination part 15B from the light source for irradiating and absorbing a light to a phosphorescent member, and is accumulated. The light accumulation is performed, for example, when the operator irradiates light to the illumination unit 15B with a light source outside the apparatus in a state where the slit nozzle 41 is moved upward from the operation position of the preliminary coating process prior to the inspection. .

  According to the slit coater 10B according to the second embodiment configured as described above, the roller 61 (the gap between the roller 61 and the discharge port 41a) and the substrate 90 held on the stage 3 are located. A long illuminating unit 15B extending in the substantially horizontal Y-axis direction is provided. Then, light is irradiated from the illumination unit 15 </ b> B toward the gap between the discharge port 41 a of the slit nozzle 41 that discharges the processing liquid toward the roller 61 by performing a preliminary application process and the roller 61. Therefore, since the light passing through the gap is observed from the opposite side of the illumination unit 15B with respect to the gap, the discharge state of the processing liquid can be inspected without moving the illumination unit 15A along the gap. Inspection workability is improved and inspection man-hours are reduced. In addition, even when the installation space between the roller 61 and the substrate 90 is small, the illumination unit 15B can be easily installed, and the structure of the apparatus is simplified because a moving mechanism for the illumination unit 15B is unnecessary.

  Moreover, according to the slit coater 10B according to the second embodiment configured as described above, the illumination unit 15B has a horizontal plane with reference to the horizontal plane passing through the lower end of the protective member 7 when the slit nozzle 41 performs the pre-coating process. The upper space 73 having the lower surface 57 as the upper surface 73 and the lower space 74 having the upper surface as the horizontal surface 57 are disposed in any space. More specifically, in the upper space 73, the illumination unit 15B is disposed on the surface of the protective member 7 that faces the slit nozzle 41 and extends in the Y-axis direction. Accordingly, the light irradiated obliquely downward toward the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61 from the illumination unit 15B is observed through the gap without being blocked by the protective member 7. Workability is further improved. In addition, compared with the case where the illumination unit 15B is provided on the + X side with respect to the protection member 7, light irradiated in a wider angle range can pass through the gap, so that the spatial freedom to observe the light that has passed through the gap. The degree becomes higher and the workability of the inspection is further improved.

  Further, in the slit coater according to any of the first and second embodiments configured as described above, the length of the illumination unit in the Y-axis direction is the Y-axis direction of the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41. It is more than the length of. Accordingly, the illumination unit can be moved along the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61, or light can be irradiated from the illumination unit over the entire length of the gap without using a plurality of illumination units, so that the inspection workability is further improved. This can be improved and the number of inspection steps can be reduced, and the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

  Although the invention has been shown and described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. Therefore, the present invention can be freely combined with each other within the scope of the invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted. For example, if the illumination unit is arranged like the illumination unit 15A and the illumination unit 15B, not only the discharge state of the processing liquid discharged from the slit nozzle 41 is confirmed, but also the discharge port 41a of the slit nozzle 41 and the roller 61 It is also useful for adjusting the gap interval between them and the gap interval uniformity (parallelism) across the gap length direction. In this case, the adjustment is performed in a state where the processing liquid is not discharged from the discharge port 41a. Further, in the inspection of the discharge state of the processing liquid from the slit nozzle 41 in the pre-coating process, the light that has passed through the gap between the discharge port 41a and the roller 61 is observed by a measuring device that can detect the light. good.

10A, 10B Slit coater (coating device)
15A, 15B Illumination section 1 Control section 2 Application processing section 3 Stage 30 Holding surface 31 Retreat area 4 Discharge mechanism 41 Slit nozzle 41a Discharge port 5 Moving mechanism 6 Nozzle adjustment section 61 Roller 7 Protection member 90 Substrate 95 Treatment liquid

Claims (7)

A coating apparatus for applying a treatment liquid to a substrate,
A holding portion for holding the substrate substantially horizontally;
A nozzle capable of discharging the processing liquid from a linear discharge port extending along a substantially horizontal first direction;
A moving mechanism that causes the nozzle to move relative to the substrate in a substantially horizontal second direction orthogonal to the first direction to cause the nozzle to perform discharge scanning of the processing liquid on the substrate;
It extends along the first direction, and is fixed relatively to the front side in the moving direction of the nozzle in the discharge scanning with respect to the nozzle so that the lower end position is lower than the lower end of the discharge port. A protective member for protecting the nozzle;
The nozzle is spaced apart from the substrate held by the holding portion on the rear side in the moving direction, has a symmetry axis along the first direction, and rotates about the symmetry axis as a rotation axis. Possible cylindrical rollers,
A long illuminating unit disposed between the roller and the substrate held by the holding member and extending in the first direction;
With
The moving mechanism is
Prior to the ejection scan, the nozzle is moved above the roller,
The nozzle is
In a state of being moved above the roller by the moving mechanism, a pre-coating process is performed in which the processing liquid is applied to the roller by discharging the processing liquid toward the rotating roller.
The illumination unit is
A coating apparatus that irradiates light toward a gap between the discharge port of the nozzle performing the preliminary coating process and the roller. The coating apparatus according to claim 1,
The illumination unit is
Any one of an upper space having the horizontal plane as a lower limit plane and a lower space having the horizontal plane as an upper limit plane with reference to a horizontal plane passing through the lower end of the protection member when the nozzle performs the preliminary application treatment A coating device disposed on the surface. The coating apparatus according to claim 2,
The illumination unit is
A coating apparatus disposed in the lower space between the protection member when the nozzle performs the preliminary coating process and the substrate held by the holding member. The coating apparatus according to claim 2,
The illumination unit is
In the upper space, a coating apparatus disposed on a surface of the surface of the protection member facing the nozzle and extending in the first direction. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The length of the said illumination part of the said 1st direction is a coating device which is more than the length of the said 1st direction of the said discharge outlet of the said nozzle. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The illumination unit is
A coating device that is a phosphorescent member that emits light by absorbing light. A coating method in which a treatment liquid is applied to a substrate by a coating apparatus,
The coating device includes:
A holding portion for holding the substrate substantially horizontally;
A nozzle capable of discharging the processing liquid from a linear discharge port extending along a substantially horizontal first direction;
A moving mechanism that causes the nozzle to move relative to the substrate in a substantially horizontal second direction orthogonal to the first direction to cause the nozzle to perform discharge scanning of the processing liquid on the substrate;
It extends along the first direction, and is fixed relatively to the front side in the moving direction of the nozzle in the discharge scanning with respect to the nozzle so that the lower end position is lower than the lower end of the discharge port. A protective member for protecting the nozzle;
The nozzle is spaced apart from the substrate held by the holding portion on the rear side in the moving direction, has a symmetry axis along the first direction, and rotates about the symmetry axis as a rotation axis. Possible cylindrical rollers,
A long illuminating unit disposed between the roller and the substrate held by the holding member and extending in the first direction;
With
The application method is
Prior to the discharge scanning, a moving step of moving the nozzle above the roller;
A preliminary application step of applying the processing liquid to the roller by discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle moved above the roller by the moving step toward the rotating roller;
An illuminating step of irradiating light from the illuminating unit toward the gap between the discharge port of the nozzle discharging the processing liquid and the roller in the preliminary application step;
A coating method comprising:

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