JP2996235B1 - Liquid coating method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid application apparatus capable of applying a small amount of liquid stably. SOLUTION: A control unit 6 controls an air pressure control unit 4 to supply a gas to a supply container 1 via an air pipe 3 to make the supply container 1 have a positive pressure, and a supply liquid 11 in the supply container 1 is supplied to a supply needle 2. Supply to the tip. The projected area of the supply liquid 2 at the tip of the supply needle 2 is detected by the sensor 5, the projected area of the supply liquid 11 is calculated and measured by the control unit 6, and it is determined whether or not it is hemispherical. The air pressure control unit 4 is controlled so as to form a hemisphere, and the inside of the supply container 1 is set to a positive pressure or a negative pressure. After supplying the supply liquid 11 to the tip of the supply needle 2 in a hemispherical shape, the Z stage 7 is lowered to bring the supply liquid 11 into contact with the workpiece 10 for a predetermined time. The supply liquid 11 is separated from the work 10 by raising the Z stage 7, and the supply liquid 11 is applied to form a coating liquid 9. Since the hemispherical supply liquid 11 comes into direct contact with the workpiece 10, it can be supplied stably even in a small amount. Since the pressure is adjusted to a positive or negative pressure, a constant supply can be achieved even if the viscosity changes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid applying method for supplying and applying a liquid, and an apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a semiconductor wafer or an LCD (L
As a liquid application method such as a method of applying a liquid such as a resist to a liquid crystal display (substrate) substrate or a method of supplying and printing a liquid such as an ink, a liquid is discharged from the tip of a supply needle by gas pressure. A configuration for applying a liquid to a substrate, paper, or the like is known.

However, in a configuration in which a liquid is discharged by gas pressure, the concentration and viscosity of the liquid fluctuate due to a gas component in the liquid to be discharged, and the application amount of the liquid may not be kept constant, which may cause variations in the application. . Therefore, for example, a configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-144604 is known.

In the liquid coating method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-144604, a gas component contained in the resist is sufficiently removed by degassing at a pressure lower than the saturation pressure of the resist to prevent a change in the concentration of the resist. A configuration in which a resist is stably applied is adopted.

[0005]

However, in the liquid coating method described in JP-A-10-144604, although the gas component contained in the resist is removed to prevent a change in the concentration of the resist, the resist is discharged. For,
There is a problem that it is difficult to apply a very small amount of resist.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid coating method and a liquid coating method capable of applying a small amount of liquid stably.

[0007]

The gist of the present invention resides in that a liquid is supplied in a hemispherical shape to the tip of a supply needle, and the liquid that makes the hemispherically supplied liquid come into contact with an object to be coated is stored. A liquid application method for controlling the pressure in the container to be adjusted to a positive pressure or a negative pressure to supply a liquid in a hemispherical shape to the tip of the supply needle, wherein the projected area of the liquid supplied to the tip of the supply needle is adjusted. liquid
Before discharging the liquid, and the result of this measurement is the specified amount of liquid.
Air pressure controller if the projected area is smaller than
To supply the gas by supplying a positive pressure inside the supply container
The liquid is further supplied to the tip of the supply needle, and the result of the measurement is
Air pressure control unit if the projected area is larger than
To control the pressure in the supply container and supply it with a negative pressure inside the supply container.
A liquid application method characterized by sucking a liquid from a tip of a supply needle . The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that a container for storing the liquid, a supply needle for supplying the liquid to the distal end portion and bringing the supplied liquid into contact with the object to be coated, and a hemisphere for supplying the liquid to the distal end portion of the supply needle. Control means for controlling the pressure of the container to a positive pressure or a negative pressure, the control means, the control means, the supply needle of the supply needle The image sensor that measures the projected area of the liquid supplied to the tip end is used as the result of this measurement.
Air pressure if smaller than hemispherical projected area
Supplying gas by controlling the force control unit to make the inside of the supply container positive pressure
To further supply the supply liquid to the tip of the supply needle,
Air pressure if the result is larger than the hemispherical projected area
Control the force control unit to inhale gas and make the inside of the supply container negative pressure
A liquid supply device for sucking a supply liquid from a tip of a supply needle . The gist of the invention according to claim 1 is that a liquid is supplied in a hemispherical shape to a tip portion of a supply needle, and the pressure in a container for storing the liquid for bringing the liquid supplied in a hemispherical shape into contact with an object to be coated is positive pressure. Alternatively, a liquid application method for supplying a liquid in a hemispherical shape to the tip of the supply needle by controlling the pressure to a negative pressure, wherein the projected area of the liquid supplied to the tip of the supply needle is adjusted by the liquid
Before discharging the liquid, and the result of this measurement is the specified amount of liquid.
Air pressure controller if the projected area is smaller than
To supply the gas by supplying a positive pressure inside the supply container
The liquid is further supplied to the tip of the supply needle, and the result of the measurement is
Air pressure control unit if the projected area is larger than
To control the pressure in the supply container and supply it with a negative pressure inside the supply container.
A liquid application method characterized by sucking a liquid from a tip of a supply needle . The gist of the invention according to claim 2 is that a container for storing a liquid, a supply needle for supplying the liquid to a tip portion and bringing the supplied liquid into contact with an object to be coated, and a liquid for supplying the liquid to a tip portion of the supply needle. Control means for supplying a hemispherical supply, the control means is a liquid coating apparatus having an air pressure control unit for controlling the pressure of the container to a positive pressure or a negative pressure,
The control means controls an image sensor that measures the projected area of the liquid supplied to the tip of the supply needle to a predetermined value.
If the liquid volume is smaller than the hemispherical projected area, air
Controls the pressure control unit to supply gas and positive pressure inside the supply container
And further supply the supply liquid to the tip of the supply needle, and perform the measurement.
If the result is larger than the projected area of the hemisphere,
Negative pressure inside the supply container by sucking gas by controlling the pressure control unit
The liquid application device is characterized in that the supply liquid is sucked from the tip of the supply needle .

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the configuration of a liquid coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The liquid coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a supply container 1 as a container for storing a supply liquid 11 such as a resist or ink which is a liquid. The supply container 1 is provided with a supply needle 2 for supplying the supply liquid 11 from the tip. In addition, a gas such as air is supplied to the supply container 1 through the air pipe 3 to control the inside to a positive pressure, and to suction the inside to control the inside to a negative pressure to supply the supply needle 1 to the distal end of the supply needle 2. An air pressure controller 4 for adjusting the liquid 11 to a hemispherical shape is connected.

On the other hand, the liquid applicator is provided with an image sensor 5 for measuring the projected area of the supply liquid 11 supplied to the tip of the supply needle 2 and formed in a hemispherical shape. The image sensor 5 is connected to a control unit 6 that receives an electric signal of the projected area of the supply liquid 11 as a measurement result and controls the air pressure control unit 4. The air pressure control unit 4, the image sensor 5
And the control unit 6 constitute control means.

Further, the liquid application apparatus is provided with a Z stage 7 for moving the supply container 1 together with the supply needle 2 in the vertical direction.

Next, the operation of the liquid application apparatus of the above embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the control unit 6 controls the air pressure control unit 4 to supply gas to the supply container 1 through the air pipe 3 to make the inside of the supply container 1 a positive pressure, and to supply the supply liquid in the supply container 1. 11 is supplied to the tip of the supply needle 2. Then, the projected area of the supply needle 2 is measured, that is, the projected area of the supply liquid 2 supplied to the tip of the supply needle 2 is detected by the image sensor 5 and output to the control unit 6. The projection area of the supply liquid 11 is calculated and measured based on the electric signal detected by the image sensor 5.

Thereafter, the control section 6 determines whether or not the measured projection area is a predetermined projection area, that is, a hemisphere. If the measurement result is smaller than the hemispherical projection area, the air pressure control unit 4 is controlled to supply gas to make the inside of the supply container 1 positive and supply the supply liquid 11 further to the tip of the supply needle 2. I do. If the measurement result is larger than the hemispherical projection area, the air pressure control unit 4 is controlled to suck the gas to make the inside of the supply container 1 a negative pressure and suck the supply liquid 11 from the tip of the supply needle 2.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 2, the supply liquid 11 is supplied to the tip of the supply needle 2 in a predetermined amount in a hemispherical shape. Thereafter, the Z stage 7 is lowered, and as shown in FIG. 3, the hemispherical supply liquid 11 is brought into contact with the work 10, which is an object to be coated, disposed in advance below the supply needle 2, and the supply needle 2 contacts the work 10. The workpiece 10 is brought into contact with the work 10 in a predetermined area so as not to cause the contact.

Then, the supply liquid 1 contacted with the workpiece 10
After a lapse of a sufficient time for the liquid 1 to be applied to the work 10, the Z stage 7 is raised to separate the supply liquid 11 from the work 10, as shown in FIG.
1 is applied to form a coating liquid 9.

Thereafter, the amount and position of the applied supply liquid 11 are measured, that is, the supply liquid 11
Is supplied, and the projected area of the hemispherical shape of the application liquid 9 formed by application is detected by the image sensor 5 and calculated by the control unit 6.

As described above, the supply liquid 1 is placed on the tip of the supply needle 2.
1 is supplied in a hemispherical shape, and the hemispherical supply liquid 11 is brought into direct contact with the work 10, so that it can be supplied stably even in a small amount as compared with, for example, a conventional pneumatic discharge configuration.

Further, since the inside of the supply container 1 for storing the supply liquid 11 is adjusted to a positive pressure or a negative pressure to supply the supply liquid 11 in a hemispherical shape, for example, even if the viscosity of the supply liquid 11 changes, the supply amount is reduced. Can be constant.

Further, in order to image-process the supply liquid 11 supplied to the supply needle 2 by the image sensor 5 or the application liquid 9 after application, that is, to measure a projection area, for example, the supply needle 2 is applied by the previous application. Even if the supply liquid 11 remains at the tip, the supply amount of the supply liquid 11 is directly measured by processing the projected image, so that a constant amount of the supply liquid 11 can be supplied stably, and a stable constant application Can be. Further, the image processing of the coating liquid 9 also makes it possible to measure the coating position, so that stable coating can be performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the operation of providing the supply needle 2 on the supply container 1 and moving the supply container 1 together with the supply needle 2 in the vertical direction to perform the coating operation has been described.
For example, the supply container 1 and the supply needle 2 may be connected by a flexible pipe or the like, and only the supply needle 2 may be moved in the vertical direction to apply the supply.

In the above description, the supply amount is adjusted by supplying or sucking gas to the inside of the supply container 1 by adjusting the supply pressure to a positive pressure or a negative pressure. For example, a cylinder is provided in the supply container 1 so as to be able to move forward and backward. May be used to adjust the supply amount of the liquid.

[0023]

According to the present invention, the supply liquid is supplied to the tip of the supply needle in a hemispherical form, and the hemispherical supply liquid is brought into direct contact with the object to be coated. Can be supplied, and stable application can be performed.

Further, in order to supply the supply liquid in a hemispherical shape by adjusting the inside of the supply container storing the supply liquid to a positive pressure or a negative pressure,
For example, even if the viscosity of the supply liquid changes, the supply amount can be kept constant.

Further, since the supply liquid supplied to the supply needle is image-processed by the image sensor, a constant supply amount and a coating position can be easily detected, and stable coating can be performed.

In order to measure the projected area of the supply liquid,
A certain amount of supply liquid can be supplied reliably and stably, and stable and constant application can be performed.

[Brief reading of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a liquid supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a supply liquid is supplied to a tip portion of a supply needle showing a coating state of the same.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a state in which a supply liquid is brought into contact with a work showing a coating state according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a coating state of the same immediately after coating.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Supply container 2 Supply needle 3 Air piping 4 Air pressure control part 5 Image sensor 6 Control part 7 Z stage 9 Coating liquid 10 Work 11 Supply liquid

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B05C 5/00 101 B05C 11/00 B05D 1/26 B05D 3/00 H01L 21/027

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A liquid is supplied in a hemispherical shape to a tip of a supply needle, and the pressure in a container for storing the liquid for bringing the liquid supplied in a hemispherical shape into contact with an object to be coated is controlled to a positive pressure or a negative pressure. And supplying the liquid in a hemispherical shape to the tip of the supply needle, wherein the projected area of the liquid supplied to the tip of the supply needle is measured by discharging the liquid.
The hemispherical projected area measured before delivery and the result of this measurement is the predetermined amount of liquid
If smaller, the air pressure controller is controlled to supply gas.
Supply and make the inside of the supply container positive pressure, and supply liquid to the tip of the supply needle.
Further supply, if the result of the measurement is larger than the projected area of the hemisphere
To control the air pressure control unit to inhale gas and supply
A liquid application method, wherein the supply liquid is sucked from the tip of a supply needle by setting the inside to a negative pressure . 2. A container for storing a liquid, a supply needle for supplying the liquid to a distal end thereof and bringing the supplied liquid into contact with an object to be coated, and a hemispherical supply of the liquid to a distal end of the supply needle. A liquid application apparatus having an air pressure control unit for controlling the pressure of the container to a positive pressure or a negative pressure, wherein the control unit supplies the air to the tip of a supply needle. It has been of the measured image sensor for measuring the projected area of the liquid results in a predetermined
If the liquid volume is smaller than the hemispherical projected area, air
Controls the pressure control unit to supply gas and positive pressure inside the supply container
The supply liquid is further supplied to the tip of the supply needle, and the result of the measurement is larger than the projected area of the hemisphere.
To control the air pressure control unit to inhale gas and supply
A liquid applying apparatus characterized in that the supply liquid is sucked from the distal end of a supply needle by setting the inside to a negative pressure .