JP3965312B2 - Single substrate manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus. More specifically, various coatings are applied to the surface of a substrate such as a glass substrate for manufacturing a liquid crystal display or a plasma display, a silicon wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit, or a plastic substrate for manufacturing an optical filter by a die coating method. The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a single substrate by applying a liquid to form a coating film such as a photoresist film, an insulating film, or a conductive film.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when manufacturing liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, semiconductor devices, optical filters, etc., substrates (single wafer substrates) such as glass substrates, silicon wafers, plastic substrates cut into rectangular shapes of a predetermined size are used. A method of forming a coating film by applying various coating liquids on the surface according to the application is employed. As a method for forming the surface coating film of these single wafer substrates, a spin coating method, a blade coating method, a bar coating method, a spray coating method, a roll・ A coating method has been proposed and put into practical use.
[0003]
Among the coating film forming methods described above, the spin coating method is widely used when forming a photoresist film on a glass substrate for manufacturing a liquid crystal display or a silicon wafer for manufacturing a semiconductor device. This spin coating method is a coating method in which a coating solution is dropped on the center of the surface of a rotated substrate, and the coating solution is thinly extended by centrifugal force to form a coating film having a predetermined thickness. According to this, the thickness of the coating film to be formed can be made uniform with relatively high accuracy over almost the entire range of the substrate surface.
[0004]
However, according to the above-mentioned spin coating method, only a few percent of the coating solution dropped on the substrate surface remains on the surface of the substrate and contributes to the formation of the coating film. Since the liquid is scattered outside the substrate by centrifugal force, there is a defect that the consumption of the coating liquid is large and the yield is poor. In addition, according to this spin coating method, the coating liquid may adhere to the peripheral edge and back surface of the substrate, and the product quality of the obtained single-wafer substrate is deteriorated. Since the liquid may adhere to the coating apparatus and gel or solidify, there is also a drawback that the operation of removing the coating liquid is complicated.
[0005]
Therefore, in recent years, only the liquid-saving method or the die-coating method in which the coating liquid is preliminarily applied to the surface of the substrate by the die-coating method and then the coating solution is made uniform by the spin-coating method described above. A method for forming a coating film on a substrate has been proposed. In this die coating method, as described in JP-A-4-346868, the slit die is applied along the surface of the substrate while discharging the slit coating liquid provided downward. In this method, the coating film is formed on the surface of the substrate by running. According to this die-coating method, the supply amount to the slit die by the coating solution supply mechanism is the same as the discharge amount of the coating solution supplied from the slit die, thereby eliminating the waste of the coating solution and continuously Thus, a coating film can be formed.
[0006]
However, since the slit die described in JP-A-4-346868 is only rotatably supported, air is discharged from the coating liquid staying in the slit die after discharging the coating liquid onto the substrate surface. Rotate the slit die for the purpose of pulling out the air, and even if the slit is turned up and the slit is rotated back to the original downward operating position and then returned, the clearance between the slit and the surface of the substrate (clearance) is vented. It was difficult to reproduce the previous state, and the clearance often fluctuated. If the clearance is unstable in this way, a coating film having a uniform thickness cannot be formed on the substrate surface, and the quality of the color filter and the product yield cannot be sufficiently maintained.
[0007]
With the recent development of the LCD monitor and LCD television market, the size of the substrate has become larger and larger, but the conventional spin coating method also has device limitations such as motors. There is a limit to the enlargement of the glass substrate, and the importance of the die coating method is increasing. In the die-coating method, the slit die tends to be widened to 750 mm, 1200 mm, etc. corresponding to the glass substrate to be enlarged, but the widened slit die is supported horizontally with respect to the substrate. Is becoming a problem. Although the slit die body can be prevented from being deformed by increasing the section modulus by increasing the thickness of the slit die, it is also necessary to increase the support member at the same time.
[0008]
In general, the slit die has a block-like appearance and has a certain degree of rigidity, but the support member of the slit die is often made of a plate material, and when the slit die becomes wider, for example, exceeding 750 mm, The deflection due to the weight of the die support member as well as the slit die cannot be ignored. When the slit die is screwed to the bent die support portion with a screw, even if the slit die is supported at the optimum support position of the die support member, the slit die is also bent by the reaction force of the die support member. The deformation of the slit die due to the reaction force of the die support member is very large. If the rigidity of the die holding member is not significantly increased, the deformation amount is not acceptable and is not less than 10 μm. When the rigidity of the die support member is increased, the same problem as when the rigidity of the slit die described above is increased occurs.
[0009]
In a state where the slit die is in steady running, there is no problem as long as the coating liquid is uniformly discharged in the width direction even if there is a slight clearance difference in the width direction on the surface of the slit and the substrate. However, in a region where the meniscus formed (at the interface between the coating solution and air) changes as in the coating start portion and at the end of coating, if the clearance between the slit die and the substrate is partially different, the steady state The thickness of the coating film changes during the transition from one to the next steady state. In order to control the change in the thickness of the coating film within 5 mm from the outer periphery of the coating part to 1% or less, it is necessary to keep the fluctuation of the clearance in the slit die width direction strictly within several μm.
[0010]
In order to support the slit die horizontally with the substrate, it is possible to use a technique described in JP-A-9-131559, JP-A-9-206652, and the like. However, the methods described in these publications cannot correct deformation due to bending of the slit die. In particular, when the slit die is widened to 500 mm or more, it is necessary to enlarge the slit die in order to prevent deformation due to the bending of the slit die by the above-described method. It was necessary to increase the size of the lifting mechanism and traveling mechanism. When these are increased in size, the driving operation tends to be slow, and it becomes difficult to precisely adjust the clearance between the slit die and the substrate.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In view of the above situation, the present inventor is hardly affected by the deformation of the die support member even if the slit die is widened, and the clearance between the slit die and the substrate can be maintained almost uniformly over the entire width of the slit die, and the surface of the substrate can be maintained. After discharging the coating solution, we are diligent to provide a single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus that can easily return the slit die to a certain position even after the operation of bleeding the air from the coating solution in the slit die by rotating the slit die. As a result of the study, the present invention has been completed.
[0012]
The object of the present invention is as follows.
1. To provide a single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus that can suppress an increase in the weight of a wide slit die having a width of 500 mm to 2000 mm and can maintain a uniform clearance between the slit die and the substrate over the entire width of the slit die.
2. To provide a single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus capable of uniformly maintaining a clearance between a slit die and a substrate even when mechanical support of a support member of a wide slit die having a width of 500 mm to 2000 mm exists.
3. Providing a single-wafer substrate manufacturing device that can easily return the slit die to a certain position even after discharging the coating solution onto the substrate surface and then rotating the slit die to remove air from the coating solution in the slit die. To do.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, a mounting table on which a substrate having a rectangular planar shape can be mounted, and a substrate spaced on the surface of the substrate mounted on the mounting table is arranged at a small interval. A slit die having a slit capable of traveling along the surface and capable of discharging the coating liquid on the substrate surface is parallel to the substrate surface and is mounted on the die support member. In a single-wafer substrate coating apparatus that produces a coated substrate by discharging a coating liquid from the slit to the substrate surface while running and supporting the slit substantially at right angles to the direction in which the slit extends, A liquid supply mechanism, a rotation mechanism, an elevating mechanism, a traveling mechanism, and a suck back mechanism are provided, and the fixing bolt that penetrates the die support member is inserted into the slit die from the side opposite to the side where the slit is arranged. By screwed become fixed and supported to the die supporting member Ttodai, when the full width of the slit die is L, the distance from the end faces of the slit die to the die support points to L1, Of the fixing bolt The fixing / supporting point is installed at a position satisfying the relationship of L1 / L = 0.2 to 0.25. The sheet An apparatus for manufacturing a leaf substrate is provided.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
An apparatus for manufacturing a single wafer substrate according to the present invention (see below, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) is provided for a mounting table on which a substrate having a rectangular planar shape can be mounted, and a substrate surface mounted on the mounting table. The slit dies are arranged at a narrow interval (clearance) so that they can travel along the substrate surface. A slit die provided with a slit capable of discharging a coating liquid disposed on a surface of a substrate placed on a placement table is mounted on a die support member in parallel with the substrate surface. A substrate with a coating film can be produced by discharging the coating liquid from the slit to the substrate surface while the slit die is moved substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the slit extends by the die support member.
[0015]
The mounting table only needs to have a structure that can horizontally mount a rectangular substrate. The flat surface (substrate mounting surface) on which the substrate of the mounting table is mounted is preferably a flat surface with high levelness and smoothness so that the coating film is formed with a uniform thickness on the surface of the substrate. . From this viewpoint, a granite surface plate with high smoothness is preferable. The width, length, and the like of the mounting table can be appropriately determined according to the size of the substrate on which the coating liquid is applied, the size of the slit die, and the like. The mounting table is preferably fixed to the gantry.
[0016]
The slit die is a metal block having a width of 500 mm to 2000 mm, a thickness of 40 mm to 150 mm, and a length (direction in which the coating liquid is discharged) of 30 mm to 150 mm, and is usually prepared from a corrosion-resistant metal such as stainless steel. Is preferred. The slit die is equipped with a coating liquid supply mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a traveling mechanism, a rotating mechanism, and a suck back (suction) mechanism.
[0017]
The slit die discharges the coating liquid supplied from the coating liquid supply mechanism onto the substrate surface and fulfills the function of sucking excess coating liquid when the suck back mechanism is operated. This slit die is composed of a front lip and a rear lip. The distance between the front lip and the rear lip (hereinafter referred to as the “slit interval”) can be about 20 μm to 300 μm, and in particular within this range, the distance between the front lip and the rear lip is 20 μm to 50 μm. A large number of closed cells are not formed even when sucked in, so that it is preferable.
[0018]
The length of the front lip and rear lip edge surfaces (surfaces facing the substrate) along the slit die traveling direction is preferably 1 mm or less, particularly preferably about 0.3 mm. If the length of the edge surface of these lips is longer than 1 mm, the position of the meniscus moves from the outside to the inside of the edge surface when shifting to the initial bead described later, so the thickness of the coating film formed at this time This is not preferable because the thickness of the coating liquid may increase and a large amount of coating solution may accumulate at the end of coating, and thus a large amount of coating solution must be sucked back.
[0019]
It is preferable to provide a manifold having the same width as that of the slit die extending in the traveling direction of the slit die or a width slightly wider than the width of the slit die. By providing this manifold, the coating liquid supplied from the coating liquid supply mechanism can be spread over the entire width of the slit, and discharged after adjusting the discharge pressure of the coating liquid uniformly. Further, the slit interval can be adjusted by arranging a shim between the front lip and the rear lip.
[0020]
The coating liquid supply mechanism of the slit die is a mechanism for supplying a predetermined amount of coating liquid to the coating liquid supply port of the slit die. As a typical example of this coating liquid supply machine, there is a mechanism for supplying a coating liquid from a coating liquid tank to a coating liquid supply port via a pipe by a positive displacement pump such as a gear pump, a diaphragm pump, or a syringe pump. Can be mentioned.
[0021]
The above-mentioned positive displacement pump is usually connected to the coating liquid tank and the coating liquid supply port via a three-way switching valve, and the supply timing of the coating liquid is determined by the switching operation of this three-way switching valve and the reciprocating operation of the positive displacement pump. The supply amount can be adjusted. When the positive displacement pump is used, a filter for the purpose of removing foreign substances can be disposed between the coating liquid tank and the positive displacement pump. The coating liquid supplied to the coating liquid supply port is discharged from the slit via the manifold.
[0022]
In the single substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the slit die is fixed and supported by a die support member (see FIG. 3 described later). The die support member has a U-shaped cross-sectional shape cut at right angles to the length direction (a structure similar to full steel), and the slit die is fitted into the U-shaped recess. By making the cross-sectional shape of the die support member a U-shaped structure, sufficient rigidity can be obtained even if the thickness is reduced, so that the die support member can be significantly reduced in weight.
[0023]
The die support member having the above structure is prepared from a corrosion-resistant metal similar to that of the slit die, the length is longer than the width of the slit die, and the slit die back portion is fitted into the U-shaped recess, The left and right end portions are connected to the die support member support block. The thickness of the die support member is preferably in the range of 3 mm to 30 mm depending on the overall size of the slit die. If the thickness of the die support member is smaller than the above range, it is difficult to cause bending due to the weight of the slit die, and if it is thicker than the above range, the die support member itself becomes too heavy. The both side portions forming the U-shaped depressions of the die support member extend to both the front and back sides of the slit die. However, if the length is too long, the weight increases, so it is less than half the slit die length (50 mm to 150 mm). The dimensions are preferred.
[0024]
A die support member between the back side of the slit die (the side opposite to the side where the slit is disposed) and the bottom surface (opposite surface of the die support member) of the die die in the U-shaped recess of the die support member A fixing bolt that penetrates through the slit die is screwed to the back surface of the slit die to be fixed and supported (see FIG. 4 described later). By inserting the slit die into the U-shaped recess, it is possible to easily perform traveling operation, vertical movement operation, rotation operation, etc. with the slit die fixed and supported by the die support member. After the coating liquid is discharged, the slit die can be easily returned to a certain position even after the slit die is rotated and the air is removed from the coating liquid in the slit die.
[0025]
The single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, as described above, fixes and supports the fixing bolt that penetrates the die support member by screwing the fixing bolt to the slit die. When the distance from the both end faces of the die to the die support point is L1, the fixing / support point is installed at a position satisfying the relationship of L1 / L = 0.2 to 0.25. Since the slit die is composed of a front lip and a rear lip, there are four fixing / supporting points that satisfy the above relationship.
[0026]
By doing so, even if the die support member is bent by its own weight, the influence of the bending on the slit die is reduced, and the running operation, moving operation, rotating operation, and returning operation of the slit die, especially the slit die are reduced. When returning to the original position by rotating, it becomes easy to reliably return to a certain position. In the case of a slit die having a width of 750 mm to 1500 mm, the ratio of L1 / L is preferably 0.21 to 0.24, and by setting this range, it depends on the size and material of the slit die, but its own weight It is also possible to make the deflection due to the extremely small 1 μm or less.
[0027]
As described above, the part that fixes and supports the slit die to the die support member faces the back side of the slit die and the bottom surface of the U-shaped recess, and is fixed by screwing a support fixing bolt between them. Although it supports, it is preferable not to contact both directly but to arrange | position several hemispherical protrusions in this clearance gap and the vicinity of the fixing bolt for support. According to the experiment, the fixing bolt is fixed and supported by screwing the supporting fixing bolt between them (see FIG. 4 described later), but by arranging these hemispherical protrusions in the vicinity of the supporting fixing bolt, It was found that the deformation of the support member can be greatly suppressed from reaching the slit die. As the vicinity of the supporting fixing bolts, both the front lip and the rear lip are preferably symmetrical with respect to the thickness direction of the slit die with the supporting fixing bolt as the center (see FIG. 5 below).
[0028]
The supporting fixing bolt is preferably prepared from a metal having sufficient strength to fix and hold the slit die to the die supporting member. When the hemispherical protrusion is screwed by the supporting fixing bolt, the opposing surface between the back surface of the slit die and the die support member (the bottom surface of the U-shaped recess) is not a surface contact, but a point contact is applied to the contact surface. It functions to concentrate stress. The hemispherical protrusion is attached to either the back surface of the slit die or the bottom surface of the U-shaped depression. The radius of the hemispherical projection is preferably selected in the range of 3 mm to 5 mm, depending on the size of the back surface of the slit die or the bottom surface of the U-shaped recess. If the radius of the hemispherical protrusion is smaller than 3 mm, processing is difficult, and if it is larger than 5 mm, the ability to disperse the stress at the time of surface contact becomes insufficient, which is not preferable. It is preferable to arrange a plurality of hemispherical protrusions in the vicinity of the supporting fixing bolt hole. The hemispherical projection is preferably screwed into place as a bolt with a hemisphere attached to the head.
[0029]
Since stainless steel is usually used for the die and the support member, the hemispherical protrusion is preferably made of a material having higher hardness than stainless steel. It is preferable to select a material having a Brinell hardness of 50 or more. By selecting a material with a higher hardness, the hemisphere is hardly deformed, and the other contact member forms a hemispherical depression, which can rotate like a pivot. Can be greatly suppressed.
[0030]
The slit die is fixed and supported by fitting the back side of the slit die into the U-shaped recess of the die support member and screwing a fixing bolt that penetrates the die support member to the back side of the slit die. For the purpose of preventing shaking, it is preferable to fix between the die support member and the front lip and between the die support member and the rear lip with a plurality of fixing bolts penetrating the die support member (described later, (See FIG. 4). By doing in this way, the slit of a wide slit die can always be kept linear.
[0031]
The slit die raising / lowering mechanism is a mechanism for adjusting / controlling the vertical position by attaching to the die support member (see FIG. 2 described later) and raising or lowering the slit die appropriately in the vertical direction. Specifically, when the slit of the slit die is brought close to the application start position of the coating liquid on the substrate, the slit die is moved slightly upward immediately after the start of running of the slit die and formed between the tip of the slit and the substrate surface. When moving the initial bead to the steady bead, the slit die position is adjusted in conjunction with the travel mechanism described later when the slit die is moved from the steady running state of the slit die to the substrate at the end of coating. Functions to control. The lifting mechanism may have any structure as long as it performs the above function.
[0032]
The slit die travel mechanism is attached to the die support member and moves the slit die along the substrate surface mounted on the mounting table, and controls the position of the slit die in conjunction with the lifting mechanism described above. To function. This traveling mechanism may be of any structure as long as it fulfills the above functions, for example, linear motors provided at both ends of the mounting table along the traveling direction of the slit die and provided at both ends of the slit die. It can be constituted by a slider (see below, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). A uniform coating film can be formed over almost the entire surface of the substrate by synchronizing the coating liquid supply speed by the coating liquid supply mechanism with the traveling speed of the slit die by the traveling mechanism.
[0033]
The slit die rotation mechanism is a mechanism for rotating the slit die itself for the purpose of extracting air from the slit die or the manifold. This rotating mechanism supports the slit die from both ends in the width direction along an axis parallel to the extending direction of the slit as a rotating shaft, and a bearing mechanism is installed on both ends of the rotating shaft to hold it rotatably. Then, the rotation axis is rotated 90 degrees or more around the rotation axis, the tip of the slit is positioned slightly above the height of the rotation axis (see FIG. 6, described later), and air is discharged while discharging the coating liquid in this state. It is a mechanism to pull out. Examples of the rotating mechanism include a gear arranged on both ends of the rotating shaft, a combination of this gear with another gear, a combination of this gear with a worm gear, and the like. The rotation mechanism of the bearing mechanism and the slit die is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the die support member support block, the rotation mechanism is a structure that can be rotated manually or by a motor, and in conjunction with the traveling mechanism and the lifting mechanism, It is also possible to control the position of the slit die.
[0034]
The slit die suck-back mechanism sucks back (sucks) surplus coating liquid discharged on the substrate surface when the slit die stops running at the coating end portion. The suck-back mechanism may be of any structure as long as it fulfills the above functions, and may be a mechanism separate from the coating liquid supply mechanism, but is a syringe pump capable of both supplying and suctioning the coating liquid. Can be mentioned.
[0035]
【Example】
Hereinafter, although the manufacturing apparatus of the single substrate concerning this invention is demonstrated in detail based on drawing, this invention is not limited to the following description examples, unless the meaning is exceeded.
[0036]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a main part of a coating apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the main part of the coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a front view, FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a vertical section taken along IV-IV in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an arrangement example of fixing bolts and hemispherical protrusions, and FIG. It is a schematic side view showing an example of an angle when rotated for removing air (bubbles) contained in the coating liquid inside.
[0037]
FIG. 1 shows a main part of a coating apparatus 10 that can be used in the method of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 10 is equipped with a mounting table 11 and a slit die 14. The mounting table 11 is a granite surface plate with high levelness and smoothness, and is mounted on the gantry 12. The slit die 14 is supported by a die support member 15, and both ends of the die support member 15 are mounted on a die support member support block 16 (see FIG. 3). The die support member support block 16 is provided in a cover (cover) 17, and as shown in FIG. 2, an elevator mechanism 18 and a travel mechanism 19 are connected to the die support member support block 16. 19 is constituted by a linear motor 13 and a slider 19 'mounted on the mounting table 11, and can reciprocate on the mounting table 11.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 1, the slit die 14 is equipped with a plurality of sensors-20. With this sensor-20, the clearance between the sensor-20 and the surface of the mounting table 11 and the clearance between the sensor-20 and the surface of the substrate A are measured, and based on these measured values, an arithmetic device (not shown) is used. The position and thickness distribution of the substrate can be calculated. At the time of application, application can be performed with reference to the thickness distribution of the substrate A.
[0039]
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a dispensing roll 21 and a hermetically sealed pot 22 are installed on the traveling end side of the slit die 14 so as to be adjacent to the mounting table 11. The pot 22 functions to prevent the tip of the slit die 14 from drying when the application of the slit die 14 is stopped.
[0040]
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the overall arrangement of the coating apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2, a coating liquid tank 26, a syringe pump 27 capable of supplying the coating liquid, and a three-way switching valve 28 for switching the flow of the coating liquid are illustrated, and these are not illustrated in FIG. The coating liquid supply mechanism 25 is configured. The syringe pump 28 also functions as a suck back mechanism because it can suck the coating liquid. A filter 29 is provided between the coating liquid tank 26 and the three-way switching valve 28 for removing foreign substances in the coating liquid. The linear motor 13, the lifting / lowering device 17, the syringe pump 27, and the dispensing roll 21 provided in the coating device 10 are each driven by a multi-axis controller 23, and the operation of each of these mechanisms is performed by a computer 24. Be controlled.
[0041]
The slit die 14 is supported by a die support member 15, and both ends of the die support member 15 are connected to the die support member support block and disposed on the surface of the mounting table 11. The slit 30 of the slit die 14 is constituted by a front lip 31 and a rear lip 32. The slit interval of the slit 30 is adjusted by a shim 34, and only the both ends of the slit die are left inside the slit die 14. A manifold 33 is formed over the manifold 33. A coating liquid discharge port 35 is connected to the manifold 33, and the coating liquid is supplied from the coating liquid supply mechanism 25 through the conduit 25 'and the manifold 33. Is done. A die support member support block 16, a bearing mechanism, a rotation mechanism, a lifting mechanism for adjusting the height, a traveling mechanism, and the like provided in the slit die 14 are housed in a cover 17 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).
[0042]
3 is a front view of the right end portion of the slit die 14, FIG. 4 is a sectional end view of the IV-IV portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of arrangement of fixing bolts and hemispherical protrusions. It is a top view. As shown in FIG. 4, the slit die 14 is supported and fixed by a die support member 15. The die support member 15 has a U-shaped cross section cut at right angles to the length direction, and a slit die is fitted into the U-shaped recess. The entire back side of the slit die 14 is covered, and the slit die 14 is extended from the back side of the slit die 14 to the front side of the front lip 31 and the rear lip 32 to cover a part thereof.
[0043]
The slit die 14 has a rotating shaft 39 that supports the slit die 14 from both ends in the width direction extending outward along the axis parallel to the direction in which the slit extends, and the rotating shaft 39 is supported by a bearing mechanism. 40 is made rotatable. An example is shown in which a gear 41 is disposed at both ends of the rotating shaft, and this gear 41 is meshed with a worm gear 42 to form a rotating mechanism.
[0044]
In order to fix and support the slit die 14 to the die support member 15, as shown in FIG. 4, the back side of the slit die 14 and the fixing bolt 36 penetrating the die support member 15 are screwed to the slit die 14. It is fixed and supported on the die support member 15. As described above, when the fixing bolt 36 is screwed, the entire width of the slit die is L, and the distance from the both end faces of the slit die to the die support point is L1, and the fixing / support point is L1 / L = The position satisfies the relationship of 0.2 to 0.25.
[0045]
A plurality of hemispherical protrusions 37 are arranged between the rear surface of the slit die 14 and the bottom surface of the U-shaped depression of the die support member 14 and in the vicinity of the fixing bolt 36. In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the apexes of the two hemispherical protrusions 37 are located symmetrically across the fixing bolt 36 along the thickness direction of both the front lip 31 and the rear lip 32. As described above, the U-shaped depression bottom surface is in contact with the hemispherical protrusion, but the apex of the hemispherical protrusion may be in contact with the rear surface of the slit die. As shown in FIG. 6, the front lip 31 and the rear lip 32 that extend to the front surface side and cover a part of the lip so that the back surfaces of both lips do not move in the U-shaped recess. The structure is preferably fixed by the support bolt 38.
[0046]
The apex of the hemispherical protrusion 37 is made harder than the slit die 14 or the die support member 15 so that it is difficult to be deformed or damaged when fastened to the bottom surface side of the U-shaped depression with the fixing bolt 36. It is desirable that the Brinell hardness of the hemispherical protrusion 37 is 50 or more higher than that of the die or the supporting member to be contacted. Even when the contact surface is deformed or depressed when tightened, the apex of the hemispherical protrusion 37 is kept hemispherical, and the bending due to the reaction force of the support member can be released.
[0047]
A die support member 15 made of stainless steel with a thickness of 8 mm and a weight of 5.4 kg, a width of 750 mm, a length of 60 mm, a front lip 31 and a rear lip 32 each having a thickness of 25 mm, and a slit 30 of 50 μm When the slit die 14 made of stainless steel is set to L1 / L = 0.22, and a hemispherical projection having a diameter of 3 mm is attached to the hemispherical projection as shown in FIG. 5, the deflection of the slit die is 1 μm. We were able to:
[0048]
Separately from the above example, the slit die 14 made of stainless steel with a width of 1200 mm, a length of 80 mm, a front lip 31 and a rear lip 32 thickness of 40 mm, and a slit 30 of 50 μm in thickness A slit die 14 having a width of 750 mm, a length of 45 mm, and a front lip 31 and a rear lip 32 each having a thickness of 25 mm is formed on a die support member 15 made of 15 mm stainless steel and having a weight of 27 kg. When the hemispherical protrusion having a diameter of 0.22 and the hemispherical protrusion having a diameter of 4 mm was attached as shown in FIG. 5, the deflection of the slit die could be 1 μm or less.
[0049]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper slit die 14 is rotated 90 degrees or more from the original position (the state where the slit 30 is directed downward) manually or by a motor, and the coating liquid supply port 35 is moved. The slit die 14 was returned to its original position after the air (bubbles) contained in the coating liquid in the slit 30 and the manifold 33 was drawn upward, but in this case, the positional relationship did not shift back and forth, The clearance between the tip of the slit die 14 and the substrate surface did not go out of order.
[0050]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention is as described above in detail, and has the following particularly advantageous effects, and its industrial utility value is extremely large.
1. The apparatus for manufacturing a single wafer substrate according to the present invention can uniformly maintain the clearance between the slit die and the substrate over the entire width of the slit die without excessively increasing the weight of the slit die.
2. The apparatus for producing a single wafer substrate according to the present invention comprises a fixing bolt penetrating the die support member and screwed to the slit die to be fixed and supported by the die support member. When the distance from both end faces to the die support point is L1, the fixing / support point is installed at a position satisfying the relationship of L1 / L = 0.2 to 0.25, so that the deflection of the slit die due to its own weight When the slit die is operated to move, move, rotate, and return, especially when the slit die is rotated and returned to the original position, it is easy to reliably return to a certain position.
3. The single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is lightweight because the die support member has a U-shaped cross-sectional shape cut at right angles to the length direction. Also Regardless of its rigidity, it is difficult to bend due to its own weight, and the slit die mounted in the U-shaped recess is difficult to deform.
4). The single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention can rotate the slit die without causing deviation after discharging the coating liquid onto the substrate surface, and after rotating the air from the coating liquid in the slit die. In addition, the slit die can be easily returned to a certain position.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a main part of a coating apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an arrangement of main parts of the coating apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the right end portion of the slit die.
4 is a schematic view of a vertical cross section taken along IV-IV in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an arrangement example of fixing bolts and hemispherical protrusions.
FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing an example of an angle when rotated for removing air (bubbles) contained in the coating liquid in the slit die.
[Explanation of symbols]
A: Substrate
10: Coating device
11: Mounting table
12: Mount
13: Linear motor
14: Slit die
15: Slit die support member
16: Slit die support member support block
17: Cover
18: Lifting mechanism
19: Traveling mechanism
19 ': Slider
20: Sensor
21: Dispensing roll
22: Pot
23: Controller
24: Computer
25: Coating liquid supply mechanism
25 ': conduit
26: Coating liquid tank
27: Syringe pump
28: Three-way switching valve
29: Filter
30: Slit
31: Front lip
32: Rear lip
33: Manifold
34: Sim
35: Coating liquid discharge port
36: Fixing bolt
37: Hemispherical protrusion
38: Support bolt
39: Rotating shaft
40: Bearing mechanism
41: Gear
42: Worm gear

Claims (5)

A mounting table on which a substrate having a rectangular planar shape can be mounted, and the substrate surface placed on the mounting table is arranged at a small interval so as to be able to travel along the substrate surface. A slit die having a slit capable of discharging the coating liquid is mounted on the die support member so as to be parallel to the substrate surface. The slit die is supported by the die support member, and is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the slit extends. In a single-wafer substrate coating apparatus for manufacturing a substrate with a coating film by discharging a coating liquid from the slit to the substrate surface while traveling, the slit die includes a coating liquid supply mechanism, a rotation mechanism, a lifting mechanism, and a traveling mechanism. Each sack back mechanism is equipped, and this slit die is fixed to the die support member by screwing a fixing bolt penetrating the die support member into the slit die from the side opposite to the side where the slit is arranged. · Supported will be the full width of the slit die is L, and the distance from the end faces of the slit die to the die supporting point to L1, the fixed-support point of said fixed bolt, L1 / L = 0.2 to it characterized by comprising installed in a position that satisfies the 0.25 the relationship, sheet substrate manufacturing apparatus. The single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the width of the slit die is in the range of 500 mm to 2000 mm. The single wafer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the die support member has a U-shaped cross section cut at right angles to the length direction, and a slit die is provided in the U-shaped recess. Board manufacturing equipment. The structure of the portion that fixes and supports the slit die to the die support member supports the space between the back side of the slit die and the bottom of the U-shaped recess by the fixing bolt for support from the outer surface side of the U-shaped recess, and The single-wafer substrate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of hemispherical protrusions are disposed in the vicinity of the supporting fixing bolt. The manufacturing apparatus of the single wafer substrate of Claim 4 with which the said hemispherical processus | protrusion is prepared with the material which has the hardness of 50 or more by Brinell hardness from a slit die or a die support member.

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