JP3684878B2 - Coating apparatus, coating member manufacturing method, and color filter manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

【０１１９】
【実施例】
ダイコータにおいて、非常に低粘度の塗布液、例えば、１０ｍＰａ・ｓ以下の塗布液を塗布するためには、フロントおよびリアリップエッジ面の長さを前述した寸法の範囲に規定して、塗布開始時のビード安定性を高め、塗布中におけるビードの濡れ拡がりを防止することが重要である。
【０１２０】
上述したフロントおよびリアリップエッジ面７０、７４の長さＬｆ、長さＬｒとステージ６の移動速度を、種々に変更して、厚み１．１ｍｍで、被塗布面に、Ｃｒメッキを施したガラス基板Ａ（サイズ：縦横５５０ｍｍ×６５０ｍｍ）に、塗膜Ｄを形成したときの、塗布開始部の膜厚均一性と横むら欠陥の発生有無、および、塗布中における縦すじ欠陥の発生有無について実験した結果を、表１に示す。
【０１２１】
なお、この実験では、リップ間隙６４の隙間Ｌｇが０．１ｍｍ、クリアランスＨが０．１ｍｍ、形成すべき塗膜Ｄの塗布厚みｔが６μｍに設定された。また、塗布液としては、日本合成ゴム（株）製のエポキシ系２液混合タイプのオーバーコート液「商品名：オプトマー」が、その粘度が３ｍＰａ・ｓになるように、その主溶媒であるジエチレングリコールモノエチルエーテルアセテートとメトキシプロピルアセテートの混合液で希釈され、用いられた。
【０１２２】
【表１】

表１から明らかなように、フロントリップエッジ面７０の長さＬｆが、０．６ｍｍ以上の場合は、塗膜Ｄが良好に形成されないことが判る。また、リアリップエッジ面７４の長さＬｒが、１．０ｍｍ以上の場合は、塗布速度が３ｍ／分より速くなるほど、上述した塗布液の塗れ拡がりに要するビードの遷移時間が長くなったり、濡れ拡がる遷移時間の間に塗膜が形成される範囲が相対的に広くなるため、塗膜Ｄの塗布開始部で横むらが顕著に発生し、更に膜厚均一性も悪化することが分かる。
【０１２３】
一方、エッジ面７４の長さＬｒが、０．１ｍｍよりも短くなると、縦すじが発生するため、塗布速度が速くできない。更に、エッジ面７０の長さＬｆが、エッジ面７４の長さＬｒよりも長いと、塗布開始部の膜厚均一性が悪くなる。
【０１２４】
表１より、非常に粘度の低い塗布液によって高速塗布しても、良好な塗膜Ｄを得るには、エッジ面７４の長さＬｒが、０．１ｍｍ以上、１．０ｍｍ未満の範囲に規定され、且つ、エッジ面７０の長さＬｆが、エッジ面７４の長さＬｒよりも短く、好ましくは、０．５ｍｍ以下であることが必要であることが分かる。
【０１２６】
【発明の効果】
以上説明したように、本発明の塗布装置および塗布部材の製造方法、ならびに、カラーフィルタの製造装置および製造方法によれば、その塗布器のリアリップエッジ面の長さＬｒが適切な範囲に規定され、フロントリップエッジ面の長さＬｆが前記長さＬｒより短くされているので、高速で薄膜塗布を行うために望まれる、非常に低粘度の塗布液を塗布する場合において、ビードの後方側への濡れ拡がりが防止され、塗布開始部からの膜厚均一化が図られ、かつ、濡れ拡がりによる横むら発生が防止される。この結果、枚葉部材が、カラーフィルタ用のガラス基板である場合には、高品質なカラーフィルタを、短いタクトタイムで製造することができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明の一実施例であるダイコータの概略斜視図である。
【図２】図１に示されたダイコータの塗布液の供給系および各作動部材の制御系をも含めて示す概略側面図である。
【図３】図１に示されたダイコータに使用されているスリットダイの初期ビードＢ１の形成状態を示す横断面図である。
【図４】図３と同じスリットダイの塗布ビードＢ２の形成状態を示す横断面図である。
【図５】従来のスリットダイの初期ビードＢ１の形成状態を示す横断面図である。
【図６】図５と同じ従来のスリットダイの塗布ビードＢ２の形成状態を示す横断面図である。
【図７】従来のスリットダイを用いた場合において、塗布液の濡れ拡がりによって発生した塗布開始部の横むらが発生している塗布部材の概略斜視図である。
【符号の説明】
２：基台
４：ガイド溝レール
６：ステージ
８：スライド脚
１２：ケーシング
１４：フィードスクリュー
１６：コネクタ
１８：ＡＣサーボモータ
２０：センサ支柱
２１：昇降アクチュエータ
２２：厚みセンサ
２４：ダイ支柱
２６：昇降機構
２８：ケーシング
３０：ＡＣサーボモータ
３２：ダイホルダ
３６：水平バー
３８：調整アクチュエータ
４０：スリットダイ（塗布器）
４２：供給ホース
４４：シリンジポンプ（供給手段）
４６：電磁切り換え弁
４８：吸引ホース
５０：タンク
５２：ポンプ本体
５４：コンピュータ
５６：シーケンサ
５８：位置センサ
５９：フロントリップ
６０：リアリップ
６２：マニホールド
６４：リップ間隙
６６：吐出口
６８：フロント傾斜面
７０：フロントリップエッジ面
７２：リア傾斜面
７４：リアリップエッジ面
８０：横むら
Ａ：ガラス基板（被塗布部材）
Ｂ１：初期ビード
Ｂ２：塗布ビード
Ｃ：ステージ６の移動方向
Ｄ：塗膜[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a coating liquid coating apparatus and a coating member manufacturing method, and in particular, a hard and flat sheet such as a glass substrate or a metal substrate.LeafOn the surface of the material,Low viscosityA coating apparatus that discharges a coating liquid from a discharge port to form a coating film of a coating liquid having a uniform thickness, and the coating apparatusSingle waferThe present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a coated member formed by forming a coating film on a member, and a color filter manufacturing apparatus and method using these apparatuses and methods.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A color filter for a color liquid crystal display has a fine lattice pattern of three primary colors on a glass substrate, and the lattice pattern is formed on the glass substrate after a black coating film is formed on the glass substrate. The substrate is further formed by coating with three primary colors of red, blue, and green.
[0003]
If necessary, a coating solution containing no colorant (hereinafter referred to as an overcoat solution) is applied in a thin film on the lattice pattern of the three primary colors for the purpose of enhancing protection and surface smoothness. In some cases, a protective film is formed.
[0004]
Therefore, in the manufacture of color filters, black, red, blue, and green coating liquids are sequentially applied in a thin film form on a glass substrate. The step of applying a liquid to form a thin protective film is essential.
[0005]
In this type of thin film coating process, a spinner, bar coater or roll coater has conventionally been used as a single-wafer coating apparatus, but the consumption of the coating liquid can be reduced, improving the physical properties of the coating film and increasing the size of the substrate. In recent years, the use of a die coater has been studied because of the advantage that it can be made relatively easy to cope with, and further, an increase in the coating speed using this is being studied.
[0006]
With a die coater, in particular, when a thin film is applied to a flat sheet member, it is possible to form a high-quality thin coating film with uniform thickness from the coating start part and without horizontal unevenness or vertical stripes. However, there is a need for improved product quality and productivity.
[0007]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, a gap H (hereinafter referred to as clearance) between the front and rear lip edge surfaces (lower end surfaces) 70 and 74 of the so-called slit die 40 and the surface of the member A to be applied, as shown in FIG. It is desired that the liquid pool of the coating liquid called bead formed at the same time be stably held at substantially the same size at the start of coating and during coating.
[0008]
As a slit die suitable for single-wafer coating requiring high film thickness uniformity and quality at this coating start portion, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-131559 discloses the length of the front lip edge surface as viewed in the coating progress direction. However, it has been proposed that the length of the rear lip edge surface is shorter than the length seen in the coating progress direction, and that the length of the rear lip edge surface is set to 1 mm or more and 4 mm or less.
[0009]
However, in the slit die proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-131559, when the coating speed is increased or the coating thickness is reduced, the viscosity of the coating solution is decreased in order to improve the stability of the bead. There is a problem that the stability of the film thickness at the coating start portion is deteriorated and a horizontal unevenness defect occurs.
[0010]
That is, in a die coater for performing single-wafer coating, in order to improve the stability of the bead, a method of providing a pressure difference before and after the bead used for continuous coating on a web or the like, specifically, the rear of the bead The method of providing a decompression chamber and pulling the bead backward is difficult to apply since the decompression adjustment at the start of coating is difficult and the film thickness uniformity at the coating start part deteriorates.
[0011]
Therefore, measures such as increasing the bead stability by lowering the viscosity of the coating solution in order to increase the film coating speed or reduce the coating film thickness without losing the film thickness uniformity at the coating start part. Is required.
[0012]
However, when a very low viscosity coating solution, for example, a coating solution having a low surface tension containing an organic solvent of 10 mPa · s or less is applied by the proposed slit die, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the initial bead B1 spreads wet behind the rear lip edge surface 74 during application, and variation in the applied film thickness at the application start portion is recognized. The occurrence of coating defects such as
[0013]
5, 6, and 7 are the same as those in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, which will be described later, and a detailed description thereof is omitted here.
[0014]
Furthermore, it has been found that fluctuations in the coating film thickness and unevenness due to spreading of the coating solution occur more significantly as the coating speed increases, and become a serious problem in quality.
[0015]
This is because, as the coating speed increases, the shearing force exerted on the bead of the relatively moving member to be coated increases, so that the transition time for the coating liquid to spread out increases against this shearing force. And it is guessed that the range in which the coating film is formed on the surface of the member to be coated is relatively wide during the transition time during which wetting spreads.
[0016]
As a measure for preventing the problem that the bead of the coating solution wets and spreads behind the rear lip edge surface during the coating, Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-57629 discloses a repellency of fluororesin or the like on the lip edge surface of the slit die. It has been proposed to apply an aqueous resin. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-261330 proposes to apply a composite plating film in which a fluorine-containing resin is dispersed and co-deposited on the lip edge surface and / or the inclined surface portion subsequent thereto, and the plating film is formed by electroless nickel plating. After the formation, it is said that heat treatment at 300 ° C. or higher is preferably performed to improve water repellency.
[0017]
However, in the slit die proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-57629, for example, even if the surface of the resin is polished, there is a problem of the strength of the resin, and it is difficult to obtain sufficient accuracy and strength. It is difficult to obtain uniform film thickness accuracy using a die.
[0018]
The method proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-261330 can be applied to a slit die having a coating width of 300 mm and a relatively small size. However, the wider the coating width and the larger the die, the later As the polishing correction becomes impossible, the lip is distorted by the heat treatment, and it is difficult to obtain uniform film thickness accuracy in the coating width direction. Further, as a countermeasure against this distortion, if the rigidity in the height direction of the slit die is improved, there is a problem that the weight of the die is increased, the workability is deteriorated, and the manufacturing cost is remarkably increased.
[0019]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  The present invention solves the problems that cannot be solved by the above-described conventional technology. The object of the present invention is to apply a coating solution having a low surface tension or viscosity in order to perform thin film coating at high speed.Single waferWhen applying to partsInTo provide a coating apparatus and a coating member manufacturing method that can achieve high coating speed at a low cost without causing coating defects such as unevenness in the thickness at the coating start portion, and without causing coating defects such as horizontal unevenness. It is in.
[0020]
Furthermore, it is providing the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of a color filter which can shorten manufacturing tact time using the manufacturing method of these coating devices and application members.
[0021]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have defined the length Lr of the rear lip edge surface as viewed in the coating progress direction within the optimum range in order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, At the beginning of application, the bead is prevented from spreading at the ridgeline where the inclined surface that is inclined to the rear intersects, and the length Lf of the front lip edge surface viewed in the direction of application is shorter than the length Lr. The present inventors have obtained knowledge that it is effective to increase the stability of the beads and have completed the present invention.
[0022]
The configuration of the coating apparatus according to the present invention that achieves the above object is as follows.
[0023]
  Two lips are positioned to face each other with a predetermined lip gap, and the gap at the lower ends of both lips faces the applicator formed by forming a discharge port extending in one direction on the lower surface, and the discharge port of the applicator. The supporting means for supporting the single-wafer member by positioning the surface of the single-wafer member with a gap, and the single-wafer member supported by the applicator and the supporting means substantially with respect to the direction of the discharge port. A coating device that forms a coating film by discharging a coating liquid having a viscosity of 10 mPa · s or less from the discharge port onto the surface of the single-wafer member. Of the two lips, the lip located on the traveling direction side in the relative traveling direction of the single-wafer member is the front lip, and the lip located on the opposite side is the rear lip. Of the outlet The surface facing the contiguous said single-wafer member, when each front lip edge surface and the rear lip edge face,
a) The length Lf along the traveling direction of the front lip edge surface is 0.1 mm or less,
  b) The length Lr along the traveling direction of the rear lip edge surface is 0.1 mm or more and less than 1.0 mm,
  c) A coating apparatus, wherein a length Lf of the front lip edge surface along the traveling direction is shorter than the length Lr.
[0024]
According to this coating apparatus according to the present invention, the film thickness uniformity at the coating start portion is good. In particular, even when a low-viscosity coating solution is applied, the bead on the rear lip edge surface wets and spreads backward during coating. The bead being applied is formed to be approximately the same size as the bead at the start of coating, and an appropriate coating film thickness can be obtained from the start of coating to the end of coating. No coating defects such as these occur.
[0026]
According to this coating apparatus, the stability of the bead at the start of coating is further increased, and even if the coating speed is increased, a good coating film can be obtained without generating vertical stripes.
[0027]
In the coating apparatus, it is preferable that the front and rear lip edge surfaces are in the same plane.
[0028]
In this case, since a desired clearance can be set easily and accurately in the coating width direction, the uniformity of the bead shape in the coating width direction is enhanced, and a coating film with high film thickness accuracy is easily formed.
[0029]
Furthermore, in this coating apparatus, the front surface of the front lip has a front inclined surface that is continuous with the front lip edge surface and is inclined toward the discharge port with an angle θf with respect to the edge surface, and the rear surface of the rear lip is And a rear inclined surface that is continuous with the rear lip edge surface and is inclined toward the discharge port with an angle θr with respect to the edge surface, and the angle θf and the angle θr are 30 ° or more and 60 ° or less, respectively. Is preferred.
[0030]
In this case, even if wetting and spreading of the bead are restricted, the bead does not go around to the inclined surface on the rear lip side, and the boundary line of the bead is stably held on the rear lip edge surface. Therefore, since the uniformity of the beads can be maintained over the coating width direction, a highly accurate coating film can be easily formed.
[0031]
Furthermore, in this coating apparatus, when the lip gap is defined as a gap Lg, the gap Lg is preferably 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less.
[0032]
In this case, the flow path resistance of the lip gap is maintained within a desired range, and the coating liquid is uniformly discharged along the longitudinal direction from the discharge port of the applicator.
[0033]
Further, in this coating apparatus, the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of the front lip edge surface, the rear lip edge surface, the front inclined surface, and the rear inclined surface is 0.001 μm or more and 0.5 μm. The following is preferable.
[0034]
In this case, the tip of the lip is not substantially soiled by the coating liquid, and even if the soiling occurs, the coating defects caused by the soiling can be prevented for a long time. Furthermore, since the tip of the lip can be easily cleaned, workability is greatly improved, and it is particularly suitable for a coating apparatus that requires the formation of a precise coating film.
[0035]
  In this coating apparatus,Single waferThe member isGlass substrateIt is preferable that
[0036]
In this case, a high-quality coating film having a uniform thickness and no coating unevenness is formed in a wide area on the upper surface of the sheet member.
[0037]
The configuration of the color filter manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is as follows.
[0038]
  In any of the coating apparatuses according to the present invention.Single waferThe material is for color filter manufacturingGlass substrateAn apparatus for producing a color filter, comprising:
[0039]
According to this color filter manufacturing apparatus, a high-quality color filter can be manufactured in a short tact time.
[0040]
The structure of the manufacturing method of the application member which concerns on this invention is as follows.
[0041]
  In manufacturing the coating member using the coating apparatus according to the present invention,
(A) The applicator and the position of the applicatorSingle waferAdjust the clearance between the surface of the member to a predetermined value,
(B) After starting the discharge of the coating liquid from the discharge port,
(C) The applicator and theSingle waferMove relative to the member,
(D) a ridge line intersecting the rear lip edge surface and the rear rear inclined surface connected to the rear lip edge surface; and the discharge port, the rear lip edge surface, and theSingle waferWhile maintaining the boundary line of the bead of the coating liquid formed in the gap with the surface of the member,
SaidSingle waferA coating member is formed on the surface of a member, The manufacturing method of the application member characterized by the above-mentioned.
[0042]
According to the manufacturing method of the coating member according to the present invention, the same operation as that of the coating apparatus according to the present invention, that is, there is no occurrence of horizontal unevenness in the coating start portion and the subsequent coating portion, and the coating with a uniform thickness is achieved. An application member having a film can be manufactured.
[0043]
In the manufacturing method of the application member of this invention, it is preferable to set the clearance value to 0.05 mm or more and 0.2 mm or less.
[0044]
In this case, the bead formed at the start of application and the size of the bead during application can be easily adjusted to be substantially the same, and the operability of application is improved.
[0045]
  Moreover, in the manufacturing method of this application member,The moving speed of the applicator and the sheet member is relatively higher than 3 m / min.It is preferable that
[0046]
  The viscosity of the coating solution is 10 mPa · s or lessEven though the viscosity of the coating solution is considerably low, there is no occurrence of unevenness in the coating start portion and the subsequent coating portion, and a coating film having a uniform thickness can be formed.
[0047]
The configuration of the color filter manufacturing method according to the present invention is as follows.
[0048]
  In any one of the manufacturing methods of the application member concerning the above-mentioned present invention.Single waferThe material is for color filter manufacturingGlass substrateA method for producing a color filter, comprising:
[0049]
According to this method for producing a color filter, a predetermined coating film can be sequentially formed on a transparent substrate such as a glass substrate in a short time, so that the color filter can be produced efficiently.
[0050]
In this method for producing a color filter, it is preferable that the coating solution is a coating solution for forming an overcoat having functions of protecting the color filter surface layer and imparting smoothness.
[0051]
In this case, even when a transparent coating film containing no colorant is formed, a good coating film in which uneven reflection observed as lateral unevenness is not noticeable in the coating start portion and the subsequent coating portion is shortened. Since it can be formed in time, the color filter can be manufactured efficiently.
[0052]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following, the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings using examples thereof.
[0053]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a die coater which is an embodiment of the coating apparatus of the present invention.
[0054]
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the die coater shown in FIG. 1 including a coating liquid supply system and a control system for each operating member.
[0055]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a slit die used in the die coater shown in FIG. FIG. 3 schematically shows an appropriate state of the initial bead B1 formed at the start of application in order to make the film thickness of the application start part uniform.
[0056]
FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the same slit die as in FIG. 3, and schematically shows the state of the coating bead B2 formed during coating.
[0057]
The die coater (coating apparatus) shown in FIG. 1 is used for manufacturing a color filter. This die coater includes a base 2. A pair of guide groove rails 4 is provided on the base 2, and a stage 6 is disposed on the guide groove rails 4, and the upper surface of the stage 6 is a suction surface. The stage 6 is supported via a pair of slide legs 8 so as to be reciprocally movable in the horizontal direction on the guide groove rail 4.
[0058]
A casing 12 extending along the guide groove rail 4 is disposed between the pair of guide groove rails 4, and a feeding mechanism is built in the casing 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the feed mechanism has a feed screw 14 formed of a ball screw, and the feed screw 14 is screwed into a nut-like connector 16 fixed to the lower surface of the stage 6. It extends through. Both ends of the feed screw 14 are rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown), and an AC servo motor 18 is connected to one end of the feed screw 14. In addition, although the opening which accept | permits the movement of the connector 16 is formed in the upper surface or side surface of the casing 12, illustration of the opening is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.
[0059]
Here, the stage 6 is configured to reciprocate. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a slit die 40 described later may be configured to reciprocate with respect to the stage 6. In short, it is sufficient that at least one of the stage 6 and the slit die 40 reciprocates, that is, reciprocates relatively with respect to the other.
[0060]
On the upper surface of the base 2, an inverted L-shaped sensor column 20 is disposed on one end side thereof. The sensor column 20 has a tip extending to the upper side of the one guide groove rail 4, and an electric lift actuator 21 is attached to the tip.
[0061]
A thickness sensor 22 is attached to the lift actuator 21 so as to face downward. As the thickness sensor 22, a laser displacement meter, an electronic micro displacement meter, an ultrasonic thickness meter, or the like is used.
[0062]
Further, on the upper surface of the base 2, a die support 24 having an inverted L shape is disposed on the center side of the base 2 with respect to the sensor support 20. The tip of the die support 24 is located above the pair of guide groove rails 4, that is, above the reciprocating path of the stage 6, and an elevating mechanism 26 is attached to the tip.
[0063]
Although not shown in detail in FIG. 1, the elevating mechanism 26 is provided with an elevating bracket, and this elevating bracket is attached to a pair of guide rods so as to be movable up and down. A feed screw composed of a ball screw is disposed between the guide rods. The feed screw is screwed into the nut portion of the lifting bracket and extends through the nut portion.
[0064]
An AC servomotor 30 is connected to the upper end portion of the feed screw, and this AC servomotor 30 is attached to the upper surface of the casing 28. The guide rod and the feed screw described above are accommodated in the casing 28 and are rotatably supported via a shaft.
[0065]
A U-shaped die holder 32 is attached to the elevating bracket via a support shaft (not shown) so as to be rotatable in a vertical plane. The die holder 32 is disposed above the pair of guide groove rails 4. These guide groove rails 4 extend horizontally. Further, a horizontal bar 36 is fixed to the lifting bracket above the die holder 32, and the horizontal bar 36 extends along the die holder 32.
[0066]
Pneumatic adjustment actuators 38 are attached to both ends of the horizontal bar 36, respectively. The adjustment actuator 38 has a telescopic rod protruding from the lower surface of the horizontal bar 36, and the lower ends of the telescopic rods are in contact with both ends of the die holder 32.
[0067]
In the die holder 32, a slit die 40 as an applicator is attached. As shown in FIG. 2, a coating solution supply hose 42 extends from the slit die 40, and the tip of the supply hose 42 is connected to the supply port of the electromagnetic switching valve 46 in the syringe pump 44. Yes. A suction hose 48 extends from the suction port of the electromagnetic switching valve 46, and the tip of the suction hose 48 is inserted into a tank 50 that stores the coating liquid.
[0068]
The pump body 52 of the syringe pump 44 can be selectively connected to one of the supply hose 42 and the suction hose 48 by the switching operation of the electromagnetic switching valve 46.
[0069]
The electromagnetic switching valve 46 and the pump main body 52 are electrically connected to a computer 54, and their operation is controlled in response to a control signal from the computer 54. The computer 54 is also electrically connected to the lift actuator 21 and the thickness sensor 22 described above.
[0070]
Further, a sequencer 56 is electrically connected to the computer 54 in order to control the operation of the syringe pump 44. The sequencer 56 performs sequence control of the operation of the AC servomotor 30 of the feed screw 14 on the stage 6 side.
[0071]
For the sequence control, the sequencer 56 includes a signal indicating the operating state of the AC servomotors 18 and 30, a signal from the position sensor 58 that detects the moving position of the stage 6, and a sensor that detects the operating state of the slit die 40. From the sequencer 56, a signal indicating a sequence operation is output to the computer 54.
[0072]
Instead of using the position sensor 58, it is also possible to incorporate an encoder in the AC servomotor 18 and detect the position of the stage 6 by the sequencer 56 based on the pulse signal output from the encoder. Further, the sequencer 56 can incorporate control by the computer 54.
[0073]
Although not shown, the die coater includes a loader for supplying a single-wafer member as a member to be coated on the stage 6, for example, a glass substrate A for a color filter, and an unloader for removing the glass substrate A from the stage 6. These loaders and unloaders use, for example, cylindrical coordinate system industrial robots as their main components.
[0074]
As apparent from FIG. 1, the slit die 40 described above extends horizontally in the direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the stage 6, that is, in the width direction of the stage 6, and both ends thereof are supported by the die holder 32. Yes. Here, the horizontal adjustment of the slit die 40 is performed by extending / contracting the expansion / contraction rods of the adjustment actuators 38 provided at both ends of the horizontal bar 36 and rotating the die holder 32 around its support shaft.
[0075]
A slit die 40 used in the coating apparatus of the present invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a front lip 59 and a rear lip 60 which are long blocks. The front lip 59 and the rear lip 60 are reciprocated with the stage 6. They are located back and forth in the direction of movement and are integrally connected to each other.
[0076]
A widening path for expanding the coating liquid in the coating width direction, that is, a manifold 62 is formed at the center portion in the slit die 40, and this manifold 62 is in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocating direction of the stage 6. It extends. The manifold 62 is connected to the supply hose 42 for the coating liquid.
[0077]
A lip gap 64 extends vertically downward from the manifold 62 and opens on the lower surface of the slit die 40. The lower end opening of the lip gap 64, that is, the discharge port 66 extends in a direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction of the stage 6 similarly to the manifold 62. Specifically, a shim (not shown) is interposed between the front lip 59 and the rear lip 60. Depending on the thickness of the shim, the gap Lg between the lip gap 64 and the discharge port 66, that is, the length along the reciprocating direction of the stage 6, is set to, for example, 0.05 mm or more and 0.3 mm or less.
[0078]
When the stage 6 moves forward from the state shown in FIG. 1 toward the slit die 40, the front lip 59 located on the front side in the forward movement direction (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 4) A front inclined surface 68 inclined toward the discharge port 66 is formed, and a front lip edge surface 70 is defined between the lower end edge of the front inclined surface 68 and the discharge port 66.
[0079]
On the other hand, with respect to the rear lip 60, a rear inclined surface 72 whose rear end is inclined toward the discharge port 66 is formed, and between the lower end edge of the rear inclined surface 72 and the discharge port 66, A rear lip edge surface 74 is defined. The length Lr of the edge surface 74 is set to 0.1 mm or more and less than 1.0 mm.
[0080]
As is apparent from FIG. 4 when viewed in the reciprocating direction of the stage 6, the length Lf of the front lip edge surface 70 is shorter than the length Lr of the rear lip edge surface 74, and these edge surfaces 70, 74 are , Located in the same horizontal plane.
[0081]
Furthermore, the angle θf and the angle θr formed by the front inclined surface 68 and the rear inclined surface 72 and the horizontal plane are set to 30 ° or more and 60 ° or less, respectively.
[0082]
Further, in this coating apparatus, the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of the front lip edge surface and the rear lip edge surface, and the front inclined surface and the rear inclined surface is 0.001 μm or more and 0.5 μm. It is set as follows.
[0083]
In the above, the applicator in the coating apparatus of the present invention, that is, the embodiment of the slit die has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration of the coating apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The design can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0084]
Next, the manufacturing method of the application member (color filter) performed using the die coater mentioned above is demonstrated.
[0085]
First, when the origin return of each operating part in the die coater is performed, the stage 6 is positioned below the thickness sensor 22, and the coating liquid is supplied from the tank 50, through the suction hose 48 and the supply hose 42, The manifold 62 and the lip gap 64 in the slit die 40 are filled with the coating liquid.
[0086]
In this state, the glass substrate A is supplied onto the stage 6 from a loader (not shown), and this glass substrate A is held on the stage 6 under the suction pressure. When the loading of the glass substrate A is completed in this way, the thickness sensor 22 is lowered to a predetermined position, and the thickness of the glass substrate A is measured by the thickness sensor 22. After the measurement, the thickness sensor 22 is raised to the original position.
[0087]
Simultaneously with the start of the loading of the glass substrate A described above, the electromagnetic switching valve 46 of the syringe pump 44 is switched to connect the suction hose 48 to the pump main body 52, whereby the pump main body 52 causes the inside of the tank 50 to be switched. The coating liquid is sucked through the suction hose 48. When a predetermined amount of application liquid is sucked into the syringe pump 44, the electromagnetic switching valve 46 is switched to connect the pump body 52 and the supply hose 42.
[0088]
Then, the stage 6 moves forward toward the slit die 40 and is stopped immediately before the slit die 40. Thereafter, the slit die 40 descends, and a predetermined clearance, that is, the thickness of the coating film to be formed, that is, between the front and rear lip edge surfaces 70 and 74 of the slit die 40 and the upper surface of the glass substrate A, A clearance H several times as large as the coating film thickness t is secured.
[0089]
The clearance H is preferably in the range of 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm, more preferably in the range of 0.1 mm to 0.15 mm. When the thickness is less than 0.05 mm, due to the uneven thickness of the glass substrate A, the uniformity of the film thickness at the coating start portion is poor and the production efficiency is lowered. On the other hand, when it is larger than 0.2 mm, application defects such as vertical stripes tend to occur at the application start part.
[0090]
The clearance H is based on an output signal from a distance sensor (not shown) that measures the distance between the stage 6 and the slit die 40 in consideration of the thickness of the glass substrate A measured by the thickness sensor 22. By controlling the lowering position of the slit die 40, it is set accurately.
[0091]
Next, the stage 6 is further moved forward, the start line where the formation of the coating film on the upper surface of the glass substrate A is to be started is positioned immediately below the discharge port 66 of the slit die 40, and the stage 6 is temporarily stopped. .
[0092]
Substantially simultaneously with the temporary stop of the stage 6, the syringe pump 44 starts the discharge operation of the coating liquid, and the coating liquid is supplied toward the slit die 40. As a result, the coating liquid L is discharged onto the glass substrate A from the discharge port 66 of the slit die 40. Here, since the gap of the discharge port 66 is constant along the longitudinal direction of the slit die 40, the coating liquid L is discharged uniformly from the discharge port 66 along the start line of the glass substrate A, As a result, between the slit die 40 and the glass substrate A, an initial bead B1 (FIG. 3) that is a liquid pool of the coating liquid is formed along the start line.
[0093]
Simultaneously with the formation of the initial bead B1, while the discharge of the coating liquid L from the discharge port 66 is continued, when the stage 6 advances in the forward movement direction at a constant speed, a shearing force acts on the initial bead B1, and a certain transition time is reached. 4, a coating bead B2 as shown in FIG. 4 is formed between the glass substrate A and the slit die 40, and a coating film D of the coating liquid L is formed on the upper surface of the glass substrate A through the coating bead B2. It is formed continuously.
[0094]
Therefore, in order to make the film thickness of the coating start portion uniform, the length of time for temporarily stopping the stage 6 (hereinafter referred to as stop time) is adjusted on the side of the rear lip edge surface 74, and the coating bead B2 and An initial bead B1 that is substantially identical must be formed.
[0095]
As the stage 6 progresses, when the finish line that should finish the formation of the coating film D on the glass substrate A reaches the position immediately before the discharge port 66 of the slit die 40, the discharge operation of the syringe pump 44 is performed at this point. Is stopped, the coating film D is continuously formed up to the finish line while consuming the coating liquid of the bead B2, which is a liquid pool on the glass substrate A.
[0096]
The discharge operation of the syringe pump 44 may be stopped when the finish line on the glass substrate A passes through the discharge port 66 of the slit die 40.
[0097]
When the finish line on the glass substrate A passes or passes through the discharge port 66, the suction operation of the syringe pump 44 is slightly performed, whereby the coating liquid L in the lip gap 64 of the slit die 40 is discharged. , Suction to the manifold 62 side. At the same time, the slit die 40 is raised to the original position, and the discharge process of the coating liquid L from the slit die 40 ends.
[0098]
Next, after the syringe pump 44 is given a discharge operation by the same amount as the suction operation so that no air remains in the lip gap 64 of the slit die 40, the electromagnetic switching valve 46 is connected to the pump body 52 and the suction hose 48. Is switched so that the coating liquid in the tank 50 is sucked into the pump main body 52 through the suction hose 48.
[0099]
When a predetermined amount of coating liquid is sucked into the syringe pump 44, the electromagnetic switching valve 46 of the syringe pump 44 is switched to connect the pump body 52 and the supply hose 42.
[0100]
In addition, the coating liquid L adhering to the front and rear lip edge surfaces 70 and 74 and the front and rear inclined surfaces 68 and 72 is wiped off by a cleaner (not shown) at the rising position of the slit die 40. .
[0101]
On the other hand, the forward movement of the stage 6 continues even after the discharge process of the coating liquid L is completed, and the forward movement is stopped when the stage 6 reaches the end of the guide groove rail 4. In this state, the glass substrate A on which the coating film D is formed is released from the stage 6 by the unloader after the suction by the suction is released.
[0102]
Thereafter, the stage 6 is moved back and returned to the initial position shown in FIG. 1, and a series of coating steps is completed. At the initial position, the stage 6 stands by until a new glass substrate is loaded.
[0103]
Since the die coater for forming the coating film D on the glass substrate A described above includes the slit die 40 described above, a coating solution having a low viscosity is applied to increase the coating speed and reduce the coating film thickness t. Even if it does, the coating film D can be uniformly formed from the application start part, and it will be suitable for manufacture of a color filter.
[0104]
That is, with respect to the slit die 40, the length Lr of the rear lip edge surface 74 is set in a range of 0.1 mm or more and less than 1.0 mm, and more preferably 0.3 mm or more and 0.6 mm or less. Has been.
[0105]
When the length Lr is set in the above range, as shown in FIG. 4, even when a coating liquid having a low viscosity is applied, the spreading of the coating liquid can be suppressed to the minimum. By adjusting the stop time, the initial bead B1 that is substantially the same as the size of the coating bead B2 can be easily formed, the film thickness uniformity at the coating start portion is improved, and the occurrence of horizontal unevenness due to wet spreading is suppressed. can do.
[0106]
If the length Lr is shorter than 0.1 mm, the coating bead B2 cannot be formed sufficiently large on the rear lip edge surface 74 side, and the bead breakage occurs due to air entrainment, resulting in vertical stripes.
[0107]
On the contrary, when the length Lr is 1.0 mm or more, wetting and spreading of the coating liquid occurs, and the initial bead B1 that is substantially the same as the size of the coating bead B2 that extends to the rear lip edge surface 74 side is formed. The stop time becomes long, and the coating liquid accumulated on the front inclined surface 68 of the front lip 59 increases the thickness of the coating start portion, overflows the coating liquid from both ends as viewed in the coating width direction, and stains both ends of the substrate.
[0108]
On the other hand, if the stop time is too short, the initial bead B1 cannot be sufficiently formed between the rear lip edge surface 74 and the glass substrate A, as shown in FIG. Causes horizontal unevenness. And the horizontal unevenness becomes more remarkable as the coating speed is increased. This is because, as the coating speed increases, the shearing force exerted on the bead of the relatively moving member to be coated increases, so that the transition time for the coating liquid to spread out increases against this shearing force. And it is guessed that the range in which the coating film is formed on the surface of the member to be coated is relatively wide during the transition time during which wetting spreads.
[0109]
If the angle θr of the rear inclined surface 72 connected to the rear lip edge surface 74 is 30 ° or more, the wetting and spreading of the coating liquid does not reach the rear inclined surface 72, and the edge surface 74 and the rear inclined surface With the 72 ridgelines, the rear boundary line of the application bead B2 can be reliably maintained. Further, when the angle θr of the inclined surface 72 exceeds 60 °, there is a prisoner that the rigidity of the lower end portion of the rear lip 60 is insufficient.
[0110]
Since the length Lf of the front lip edge surface 70 is shorter than the length Lr of the rear lip edge surface 74 set in the above-described range, the initial bead B1 is formed between the rear lip edge surface 74 and the glass substrate A. At the start of coating, the bead becomes unstable due to air entrainment, and coating defects such as vertical stripes do not occur.
[0111]
  Further, in order to increase the coating speed and reduce the coating thickness t of the coating film D, the coating bead B2 becomes more stable as the length Lf of the front lip edge surface 70 is shortened.1It is preferable to set it to mm or less. The length Lf is 0, that is, the front lip edge surface 70 may have a knife edge shape. In this case, it may be difficult to ensure the rigidity of the edge. Therefore, more preferably, the length Lf is set in the range of 0.03 mm to 0.1 mm.
[0112]
If the angle θf of the front inclined surface 68 connected to the front lip edge surface 70 is also 30 ° or more, the front boundary line of the coating bead B2 exceeds the edge surface 70 due to surface tension and spreads to the front inclined surface 68. Absent. When the angle θf of the inclined surface 68 exceeds 60 °, there is a prisoner that the rigidity of the lower end portion of the front lip 58 is insufficient.
[0113]
When the front lip edge surface 70 and the rear lip edge surface 74 are on the same horizontal plane, the length of the lower end surface of the slit die can be sufficiently secured, so that clearance with the glass substrate A can be easily performed in the coating width direction. The boundary line defining the upper edge of the coating bead B2 is stably maintained, and the shape of the coating bead B2 does not become unstable.
[0114]
Further, when the gap Lg of the lip gap 64 is ensured to be 0.05 mm or more, the flatness of the inner surfaces of the front lip 58 and the rear lip 60 defining the slit 64 can be sufficiently secured in terms of processing accuracy. On the other hand, when the gap Lg exceeds 0.3 mm, the discharge pressure of the coating liquid in the lip gap 64 and the manifold 62 decreases, and the coating liquid cannot be discharged uniformly from the discharge port 66 of the slit die 40.
[0115]
Further, after the discharge process of the coating liquid L is completed, when the coating liquid L adhering to the front and rear lip edge surfaces 70 and 74 and the front and rear inclined surfaces 68 and 72 is wiped with a cleaner, The front lip edge surface 70 and the rear lip edge surface 74, as well as the front inclined surface 68 and the rear inclined surface 72, in order to easily and reliably wipe the coating liquid L and prevent the occurrence of application defects due to unwiping. The arithmetic average roughness (Ra) is preferably 0.001 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less, and more preferably 0.001 μm or more and 0.2 μm or less.
[0116]
When the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) is larger than 1.0 μm, wiping is easily left by a cleaner, and coating defects such as vertical stripes are likely to occur due to the coating liquid remaining in the concave portion of the surface. Conversely, if it is too good, the processing cost will increase, so the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) is preferably 0.001 μm or more.
[0117]
The arithmetic average roughness (Ra) defined in the present invention is a numerical value measured in accordance with JIS B 0601 (1994). That is, the arithmetic average roughness (Ra) is extracted from the roughness curve by the reference length (L) in the direction of the average line, the X-axis in the direction of the average line of the extracted portion, and the Y-axis in the direction of the vertical magnification. When the roughness curve is represented by y = f (X), the value obtained by the following equation is represented in micrometer units (μm).
[0118]
[Expression 1]

[0119]
【Example】
In a die coater, in order to apply a coating solution having a very low viscosity, for example, a coating solution of 10 mPa · s or less, the length of the front and rear lip edge surfaces is defined within the above-mentioned range of dimensions, and the coating is started. It is important to improve the bead stability of the bead and prevent the bead from spreading during application.
[0120]
The above-mentioned front and rear lip edge surfaces 70 and 74 have a length Lf, a length Lr, and a moving speed of the stage 6 which are variously changed to have a thickness of 1.1 mm and a coated surface with Cr plating. Experiments on the uniformity of film thickness at the start of coating, the presence or absence of horizontal unevenness, and the presence or absence of vertical streak defects during coating when the coating film D is formed on the substrate A (size: 550 mm × 650 mm) The results are shown in Table 1.
[0121]
In this experiment, the gap Lg of the lip gap 64 was set to 0.1 mm, the clearance H was set to 0.1 mm, and the coating thickness t of the coating film D to be formed was set to 6 μm. In addition, as the coating solution, an epoxy-based two-component overcoat solution “trade name: Optomer” manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd., diethylene glycol, which is the main solvent so that its viscosity is 3 mPa · s. Diluted with a mixture of monoethyl ether acetate and methoxypropyl acetate and used.
[0122]
[Table 1]

As is apparent from Table 1, it can be seen that when the length Lf of the front lip edge surface 70 is 0.6 mm or more, the coating film D is not satisfactorily formed. When the length Lr of the rear lip edge surface 74 is 1.0 mm or more, the bead transition time required for spreading the coating liquid becomes longer or wet as the coating speed becomes faster than 3 m / min. It can be seen that the range in which the coating film is formed during the spreading transition time is relatively wide, so that horizontal unevenness occurs remarkably at the coating start portion of the coating film D, and the film thickness uniformity also deteriorates.
[0123]
On the other hand, when the length Lr of the edge surface 74 is shorter than 0.1 mm, vertical stripes are generated, so that the coating speed cannot be increased. Furthermore, when the length Lf of the edge surface 70 is longer than the length Lr of the edge surface 74, the film thickness uniformity at the coating start portion is deteriorated.
[0124]
From Table 1, the length Lr of the edge surface 74 is specified in the range of 0.1 mm or more and less than 1.0 mm in order to obtain a good coating film D even when applied at a high speed with a coating solution having a very low viscosity. In addition, it is understood that the length Lf of the edge surface 70 is shorter than the length Lr of the edge surface 74, and preferably 0.5 mm or less.
[0126]
【The invention's effect】
  As described above, according to the coating device and the manufacturing method of the coating member, and the color filter manufacturing device and the manufacturing method of the present invention, the length Lr of the rear lip edge surface of the coating device is defined within an appropriate range. In addition, since the length Lf of the front lip edge surface is shorter than the length Lr, when applying a coating solution having a very low viscosity, which is desired for performing a thin film coating at a high speed.InFurther, wetting and spreading to the rear side of the bead are prevented, the film thickness is uniformized from the application start portion, and occurrence of horizontal unevenness due to wetting and spreading is prevented. As a result,Single waferMaterial, MosquitoIn the case of a glass substrate for a large filter, a high-quality color filter can be manufactured with a short tact time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a die coater according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the coating system for the coating liquid of the die coater shown in FIG. 1 and the control system for each operating member.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a formation state of an initial bead B1 of a slit die used in the die coater shown in FIG.
4 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing a formation state of a coating bead B2 of the same slit die as FIG.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of forming an initial bead B1 of a conventional slit die.
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a coating bead B2 of the same conventional slit die as in FIG. 5 is formed.
FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a coating member in which horizontal unevenness of a coating start portion generated by wet spreading of a coating solution occurs when a conventional slit die is used.
[Explanation of symbols]
2: Base
4: Guide groove rail
6: Stage
8: Slide leg
12: Casing
14: Feed screw
16: Connector
18: AC servo motor
20: Sensor support
21: Lifting actuator
22: Thickness sensor
24: Die prop
26: Lifting mechanism
28: Casing
30: AC servo motor
32: Die holder
36: Horizontal bar
38: Adjustment actuator
40: Slit die (applicator)
42: Supply hose
44: Syringe pump (supply means)
46: Electromagnetic switching valve
48: Suction hose
50: Tank
52: Pump body
54: Computer
56: Sequencer
58: Position sensor
59: Front lip
60: Rear lip
62: Manifold
64: Lip gap
66: Discharge port
68: Front inclined surface
70: Front lip edge surface
72: Rear inclined surface
74: Rear lip edge surface
80: Horizontal unevenness
A: Glass substrate (member to be coated)
B1: Initial bead
B2: Application bead
C: Movement direction of stage 6
D: Coating film

Claims (8)

Two lips are positioned to face each other with a predetermined lip gap, and the gap at the lower ends of both lips faces the applicator formed by forming a discharge port extending in one direction on the lower surface, and the discharge port of the applicator. The supporting means for supporting the single-wafer member by positioning the surface of the single-wafer member with a gap, and the single-wafer member supported by the applicator and the supporting means substantially with respect to the direction of the discharge port. A coating device that forms a coating film by discharging a coating liquid having a viscosity of 10 mPa · s or less from the discharge port onto the surface of the single-wafer member. ,
Of the two lips, in the relative traveling direction of the single-wafer member, the lip located on the traveling direction side is the front lip, the lip located on the opposite side is the rear lip, When the surface that is continuous with the discharge port and faces the sheet member is a front lip edge surface and a rear lip edge surface,
a) The length Lf along the traveling direction of the front lip edge surface is 0.1 mm or less,
b ) The length Lr along the traveling direction of the rear lip edge surface is 0.1 mm or more and less than 1.0 mm,
c ) A length Lf along the traveling direction of the front lip edge surface is shorter than the length Lr.
An applicator characterized by that . The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the front and rear lip edge surfaces are in the same plane. The front surface of the front lip is connected to the front lip edge surface and has a front inclined surface inclined to the discharge port side at an angle θf with respect to the edge surface, and the rear surface of the rear lip is connected to the rear lip edge surface. has a rear inclined surface at an angle θr is inclined to the discharge port side relative to the edge surface, said angle θf and the angle θr, respectively, 30 ° or more, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is 60 ° or less The coating apparatus as described in . Sheet-fed member in any of the coating apparatus of claims 1 to 3, the manufacturing apparatus of a color filter characterized by comprising a glass substrate for a color filter production. In producing a coated member with a coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
(A) adjusting the clearance between the applicator and the surface of the single-wafer member positioned opposite to the applicator to a predetermined value;
(B) After starting the discharge of the coating liquid from the discharge port,
(C) relatively moving the applicator and the sheet member;
(D) A bead of coating liquid formed in a gap between the discharge port and the rear lip edge surface and the surface of the sheet member at a ridge line where the rear lip edge surface and the rear rear inclined surface connected to the rear lip edge surface intersect While maintaining the border of
A method for producing an application member, comprising forming a coating film on a surface of the single-wafer member. 6. The method for manufacturing an application member according to claim 5 , wherein the clearance value is 0.05 mm or more and 0.2 mm or less. The method of manufacturing an applicator member according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein a speed of relatively moving the applicator and the single-wafer member is higher than 3 m / min. A method for producing a color filter, wherein the single-wafer member in the method for producing an application member according to any one of claims 5 to 7 comprises a glass substrate for producing a color filter .

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