JP4538769B2 - Coating method and color filter manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is applied to, for example, the manufacturing field of color filters for color liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, optical filters, printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, semiconductors, etc., especially for coated members such as glass substrates of color filters. A coating method for forming a coating film while discharging a coating liquid on the surface, and this Method The Manufacturing method of the used color filter To the law Related.
[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. Such a lattice pattern forms red, blue and green after forming a black coating on the glass substrate. In this way, the coating film is formed in three primary colors on the glass substrate.
[0003]
Therefore, for the production of a color filter, a forming process is required in which black, red, blue, and green coating liquids are sequentially applied onto a glass substrate to form the coating film. Conventionally, spinners, bar coaters or roll coaters as coating devices have been used for this type of forming process. However, in order to reduce coating solution consumption and improve coating film properties, die coaters have been used in recent years. Are beginning to be used.
[0004]
An example of this type of die coater is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-339656. This known die coater is provided with a reciprocable table and an applicator having a downward discharge port, and the upper surface of the table is configured as a suction surface. Therefore, the glass substrate on which the coating film is to be formed can be adsorbed and held on the table. After the glass substrate is sucked and held on the table, the coating liquid is continuously discharged onto the glass substrate by discharging the coating liquid from the discharge port of the coating head as the glass substrate moves together with the table under the coating head. Can be formed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the above-described die coater is applied to an actual production process, it is required not to apply only the same coating liquid but to replace it with a different type of coating liquid according to a predetermined production type. The From replacement of coating solution to resumption of coating, 1) Washing of applicator, 2) Filling with new coating solution and air venting on the way, 3) Coating conditions to make film thickness distribution within allowable value with new coating solution The work must be done sequentially. In particular, for the final application condition setting, it is necessary to repeat the process of applying the test to the substrate, drying it, and measuring it until the conditions are established, but it takes 30 minutes to wait for only one drying time. If it is not determined and it is repeated many times, it will be very time consuming and inefficient. In order to improve the productivity of the die coater, it is essential to minimize the time required for these operations and increase the operating rate of the apparatus.
[0006]
However, there are not many publicly known examples in which the kind switching work time is shortened by paying attention to the so-called “type switching work”. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-108120, an apparatus for shortening the exchange time for a different coating solution corrects the current film thickness distribution from the film thickness distribution data previously measured in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-290744 and applies the coating conditions. Although the means to perform dispensing are presented, it is not possible to expect a significant time reduction when changing the type of coating solution in these cases, and today there is a trend to produce a variety of small-quantity products. It is very difficult to improve productivity and reduce costs.
[0007]
The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-mentioned circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to provide a means for reducing the work time associated with the change of the coating liquid type, thereby enabling the die coater to be manufactured even in a small quantity and a variety of types. Coating method capable of improving productivity and reducing cost, and this Method of manufacturing color filter using method The It is to provide.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above objective is accomplished by the present invention.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating method in which at least one of the applicator and the member to be coated is discharged from the discharge port of the applicator mounted on the coating apparatus while discharging the coating liquid supplied by the coating liquid supply unit to the member to be coated. In the coating method of forming a coating film on the coated member by relatively moving one of the members, In parallel with the coating operation of the coating liquid to the coated member using the coating device and the coating liquid supply means, Separate applicator and coating liquid supply means outside the coating apparatus In Fill with coating solution Remove the air completely Is loaded on the coating device Said It consists of a method characterized by exchanging with an applicator and a coating liquid supply means.
[0009]
Here, after replacement of the applicator and the coating liquid supply means, during or immediately after the formation of the liquid coating film In the traveling direction of the coated member Liquid coating thickness distribution , And based on this, during the subsequent liquid coating formation Application start and end of application direction Correction of liquid coating thickness distribution By changing the timing of discharging / stopping the coating liquid from the applicator and moving / stopping the coated member It is also preferable to do this.
[0012]
The method for producing a color filter according to the present invention comprises a method for producing a color filter using the coating method as described above.
[0018]
Claim 1 How to apply To the law According to the present invention, an applicator filled with the coating liquid to be replaced by another coating liquid supply means is prepared in advance, and is replaced with an applicator held in the coating apparatus main body and the coating liquid supply means at the time of product type switching. Therefore, operations such as cleaning of the applicator, filling of the coating liquid, and air venting are omitted, and the working time can be greatly reduced.
[0020]
Claim 3 To manufacture color filters according to To the law According to the above excellent application method In law Since the color filter is manufactured, high productivity can be realized by greatly shortening the type switching time and improving the operation rate.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic perspective view of a coating apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram around the table 6, the slit die 40, and the coating liquid supply apparatus in FIG. 1.
[0022]
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a coating apparatus so-called die coater 1 applied to the production of a color filter for a color liquid crystal display. The die coater 1 includes a base 2, and a pair of guide groove rails 4 are provided on the base 2. Above these guide groove rails 4, a table 6 is disposed that can reciprocate horizontally on the guide groove rails 4 via a pair of slide legs 8. The table 6 holds the substrate A, and therefore, an upper surface 10 is provided with a suction hole (not shown) so as to act as a suction surface.
[0023]
Between the pair of guide groove rails 4, 14, 16, 18 constituting the feed screw mechanism shown in FIG. 2 and a casing 12 containing the same are arranged. The casing 12 extends along the guide groove rail 4. Yes. The feed screw mechanism shown in FIG. 2 has a feed screw 14 consisting of a ball screw screwed into a nut-like connector 16 fixed to the lower surface of the table 6, and further extends through the connector 16 to extend both ends thereof. The part is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown), and an AC servo motor 18 is connected to one end thereof. An opening is formed on the upper surface of the casing 12 so as not to hinder the movement of the connector 16, but the opening is omitted in FIG. 1.
[0024]
Further, referring to FIG. 1, a die support 24 having an inverted L shape is disposed at substantially the center of the upper surface of the base 2. The tip end of the die support 24 is positioned above the reciprocating path of the table 6, and an elevating mechanism 26 is attached to the tip end. The elevating mechanism 26 includes an elevating bracket (not shown) that can be raised and lowered, and the elevating bracket is attached to a pair of guide rods in the casing 28 so as to be raised and lowered. In addition, a feed screw (not shown) made of a ball screw is also arranged in the casing so as to be rotatable between guide rods. A lifting bracket is attached to the feed screw via a nut-type connector. It is connected. An AC servomotor 30 is connected to the upper end of the feed screw, and this AC servomotor 30 is attached to the upper surface of the casing 28.
[0025]
A die holder 32 is attached to the elevating bracket via a support shaft (not shown). The die holder 32 has a U-shape and extends horizontally between the rails 4 above the pair of guide groove rails 4. ing. The support shaft of the die holder 32 is rotatably supported in the lifting bracket, so that the die holder 32 can rotate in the vertical plane together with the support shaft.
[0026]
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. Electromagnetically operated linear actuators 38 are respectively attached to both ends of the horizontal bar 36. These linear actuators 38 have telescopic rods protruding from the lower surface of the horizontal bar 36, and these telescopic rods are in contact with both ends of the die holder 32.
[0027]
In the die holder 32, a slit die 40 as an applicator is attached. As apparent from FIG. 1, the slit die 40 extends horizontally in the direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction of the table 6, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the die holder 32, and is supported by the die holder 32 at both ends thereof.
[0028]
The slit die 40 has a long block-shaped front lip 59 and rear lip 60, as schematically shown in FIG. The lips 59, 60 are attached to each other in the front-rear direction in the reciprocating direction of the table 6, and are integrally coupled to each other by a plurality of connection bolts (not shown). A discharge port 72 for discharging the coating liquid is formed on the lower surface 74 of the slit die 40 by bonding the lips 59 and 60 together through a shim (not shown).
[0029]
A manifold 62 is formed inside the slit die 40 at a central portion thereof. The manifold 62 extends horizontally in the width direction of the slit die 40, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction of the table 6. The manifold 62 is always connected to the above-described application liquid supply hose 42 via an internal passage (not shown), whereby the manifold 62 can be supplied with the application liquid.
A slit 64 having an upper end communicating with the manifold 62 is formed inside the slit die 40, and a lower end of the slit 64 is opened at the lower surface 74 to form a discharge port 72. As described above, the gap of the slit 64 is secured by sandwiching a shim (not shown) between the front lip 59 and the rear lip 60.
[0030]
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 of the syringe pump 44. . 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 the tank 50. Note that a coating liquid 70 is stored in the tank 50.
[0031]
The pump part of the syringe pump 44 takes the form of a piston-type pump, and is composed of a syringe 80 that stores the coating liquid and a piston 52 that pushes out the stored coating liquid or conversely sucks it in order to store the coating liquid. Is done. By the switching operation of the electromagnetic switching valve 46, the coating liquid in the syringe 80 can be selectively fluidly connected to one of the supply hose 42 and the suction hose 48. The linear switching mechanisms (not shown) of the electromagnetic switching valve 46 and the piston 52 are electrically connected to the computer 54. Upon receiving a control signal from the computer 54, the switching direction of the electromagnetic switching valve 46 and the piston 52 are connected. The moving speed and moving position of the are controlled.
[0032]
The syringe pump 44 that supplies the coating liquid to the slit die 40, a part of the supply hose 42, the suction hose 48, and the tank 50 are arranged on the carriage 204 to constitute the coating liquid supply apparatus 200. . The coating liquid supply apparatus 200 includes a mounting table 210 and a tray 208 on which a slit die 40 can be further mounted on a carriage 204. The mounting table 210 includes a rotating table 214 that supports the end of the slit die 40 and is rotatable about the axis shown in the figure with respect to the fixed table 212. With the above configuration, the slit die 40 is placed on the mounting table 210 to move together with the carriage 204, the coating liquid 70 from the tank 50 is filled into the slit die 40 on the mounting table, and further, the mounting table 210 It is also possible to perform so-called air venting operation in which the rotating base 214 is rotated to supply the coating liquid with the discharge port 72 of the slit die 40 facing upward.
[0033]
Further, a sequencer 56 is also electrically connected to the computer 54 in order to control the operation of the syringe pump 44 described above. The sequencer 56 performs sequence control of the operation of the AC servomotor 18 of the feed screw 14 on the table 6 side, the AC servomotor 30 on the lifting mechanism 26 side, and the linear actuator 38. 56 includes a signal indicating the operating state of the AC servomotors 18 and 30, a signal from the position sensor 58 for detecting the moving position of the table 6, a signal from a sensor (not shown) for detecting the operating state of the slit die 40, and the like. On the other hand, the sequencer 56 outputs a signal indicating a sequence operation to the computer 54.
[0034]
In FIG. 2, only one unit of the coating liquid supply apparatus 200 is shown, but a plurality of coating liquid supply apparatuses can also be used. For this purpose, the computer 54 is electrically connected to the plurality of coating liquid supply apparatuses. Thus, an expanded electrical connection port 76 is provided so that each syringe pump and electromagnetic switching valve can be controlled.
[0035]
Referring to FIG. 1 again, a detaching device 100 for detaching the slit die 40 from / to the die holder 32 is installed above the slit die 40. The detaching device 100 supports a lifting device 102 that lifts and lowers the slit die 40, a moving mechanism 120 that horizontally moves the lifting device 102 in the width direction of the die coater 1, and a moving mechanism 120 that spans the width direction of the die coater 1. The gate post 106 is formed. Here, the elevating device 102 includes an elevating hook 108 that engages with a hook 78 at the top of the slit die 40 and a wire 104 that elevates the elevating hook 108. The wire 104 can be freely moved in the vertical direction by an electric hoisting machine inside the lifting device main body 110.
[0036]
The elevating device 102 is connected to a linear guide (not shown) inside the main body 122 of the moving mechanism 120 through the opening 112 and a linear drive mechanism including a ball screw and a motor. It can be freely reciprocated in the direction perpendicular to the direction.
[0037]
If the coating liquid supply device 200 is moved to the movable range of the lifting device 102, the slit die 40 on the die holder 32 is replaced with the mounting table 210 on the coating liquid supply device, or conversely on the mounting table 210. Thus, the slit die 40 filled with the coating solution can be placed on the die holder 32.
[0038]
Still referring to FIG. 1, a sensor column 20 is disposed on the upper surface of the base 2 in front of the die support 24. The sensor column 20 also has an inverted L-shape similar to the die column 24 described above, and holds the thickness sensor 22 via the bracket 21 so that its tip is positioned above the reciprocating path of the table 6. .
[0039]
When the substrate A is placed on the table 6, the thickness sensor 22 optically detects the thickness and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the thickness to the computer 54.
[0040]
Further, on the other side of the die support 24, the film thickness sensor 130 is attached to the die support 24 via the bracket 132 so as to be positioned above the reciprocating path of the table 6.
[0041]
With this film thickness sensor 130, the thickness of the liquid coating film immediately after coating or the height of the liquid coating film with reference to the upper surface of the table can be measured. As the film thickness sensor 130, any system such as a laser, an ultrasonic wave, and a capacitance may be used, but a laser focus type is particularly preferable.
[0042]
Note that the thickness sensor 22 and the film thickness sensor 130 described above are electrically connected to the computer 54, as will be apparent from FIG. 2, and the computer 54 receives measurement data from each sensor at an arbitrary timing. Once received, the data can be displayed on the display screen or used for other controls.
[0043]
Next, a coating method using this coating apparatus will be described.
First, the slit die 40 is placed on the mounting table 210 of the coating liquid supply apparatus 200, and the coating liquid 70 is filled from the tank 50 to the die 40 using the syringe pump 44. Subsequently, the coating liquid supply apparatus 200 is moved and placed near the die coater 1, and the desorption apparatus 100 is used to replace the slit die 40 from the mounting table 210 of the coating liquid supply apparatus 200 to the die holder 32 of the die coater 1.
[0044]
When the slit die 40 is set in the die coater 1, the origin of each operating unit is returned, and the table 6 and the slit die 40 are moved to the standby position. Then, lift pins (not shown) rise on the surface of the table 6, and when the substrate A is placed from a loader (not shown), the lift pins are lowered to place the substrate A on the upper surface of the table and suck the substrate A. Subsequently, the table 6 is driven, and the table 6 is stopped when the coating start portion of the substrate A comes just below the discharge port 72 of the slit die 40.
[0045]
In this stop state, the thickness sensor 22 measures the substrate thickness of the substrate A, and based on the thickness, the slit die 40 is adjusted so that the clearance between the substrate A and the lower surface 74 of the slit die 40 becomes a predetermined value. While descending, a predetermined amount of coating solution 70 is sucked into the syringe pump 44 from the tank 50. Then, a start command is issued from the computer 54 to the syringe pump 44, and at the same time as the coating liquid is discharged from the slit die 40, a timer in the computer 54 is started. Then, a start signal is issued, the table 6 starts moving at the coating speed, the coating liquid bead C is formed, and coating is started.
[0046]
And when the applied part passes just under the film thickness sensor 130, the thickness of the formed liquid coating film is measured over the substrate running direction. Further, when the application end position of the substrate A is directly below the discharge port 72 of the slit die 40, a stop command is issued from the computer 54 to the syringe pump 44, and the discharge of the coating liquid from the slit die 40 is stopped before the slit. The die 40 is raised to completely reach the coating liquid bead C.
[0047]
During these operations, the table 6 continues to move, stops when the substrate A reaches the end point position, releases the suction of the substrate A, raises the lift pins, and lifts the substrate A. At this time, the substrate A is transferred to the next step by an unloader (not shown). Thereafter, the table 6 lowers the lift pins and returns to the original position. Then, waiting for the next substrate A to come, the same operation is repeated. Here, when the measured thickness distribution of the liquid coating film is observed and the average thickness of the liquid coating film is outside the allowable value, the moving speed of the piston 52 of the syringe pump 44 is corrected by the computer 54. Further, when the film thickness distribution at the start and end of the application is also out of the allowable value, the timing from the start of discharging the application liquid from the slit die 40 to the start of the movement of the table 6 at the application start position is changed. The film thickness distribution is adjusted by changing the timing of stopping the pump 44 from the application end position to the front and rear positions thereof. Thanks to the film thickness sensor 130, such a correction operation can be performed immediately after coating, and it is possible to eliminate the decrease in the operating rate of the coating apparatus by waiting for a long time until drying after coating is completed as in the past. .
[0048]
The ability to correct the film thickness distribution by measuring the film thickness of the liquid coating immediately after application is especially time-consuming when the type of product to be produced is changed and the application liquid is changed and the application conditions are reset and confirmed. Help save money.
[0049]
Next, a method for exchanging the slit die 40 and the coating liquid supply apparatus 200, which is also useful for saving time during product type switching, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a process diagram showing an outline of a method for exchanging the slit die 40 and the coating liquid supply apparatus 200.
[0050]
First, in the die coater 1, the coating liquid A is applied to the substrate A using the slit die A40A and the coating liquid supply apparatus A200A. In parallel with this, the replacement slit die B40B is placed on the replacement coating liquid supply apparatus B200B, and the coating liquid B to be switched is filled from tank B50B to syringe pump B44B to slit die B40B. Go completely. Here, as a matter of course, the coating liquid supply apparatus B200B has the same configuration as the coating liquid supply apparatus A200A (step a in FIG. 3).
[0051]
When the coating operation with the coating liquid A is completed, the slit die A40A is placed on the mounting table A210A of the coating liquid supply apparatus A200A using the desorption device 100 (step b in FIG. 3).
[0052]
Next, the coating liquid supply apparatus A200A on which the slit die A40A is placed is moved to another place, and the slit die B40B filled with the coating liquid B is moved together with the coating liquid supply apparatus B200B on which the coating liquid B is placed, and next to the die coater 1. (Step c in FIG. 3).
[0053]
Subsequently, the slit die B <b> 40 </ b> B placed on the coating liquid supply device B <b> 200 </ b> B is placed on the die holder 32 of the die coater 1 using the desorption device 100. When the replacement is completed, the coating operation of the coating liquid B onto the substrate A is started (step d in FIG. 3).
[0054]
After switching from the coating liquid A to the coating liquid B, as described above, the thickness distribution of the liquid coating film in the running direction is measured using the film thickness sensor 130 immediately after coating. Make corrections.
[0055]
In addition, the slit die A40A removed from the die coater 1 is cleaned with the flow path through which the coating liquid of the coating liquid supply apparatus A200A flows while being placed on the coating liquid supply apparatus A200A, and is prepared for the next switching.
[0056]
When there is switching to the next coating liquid, the switching operation is performed using the slit die and the coating liquid supply device in order according to the procedure described above.
[0057]
As described above, when the coating liquid is switched, operations such as 1) cleaning of the slit die and the coating liquid supply device, and 2) filling of the replacement coating liquid are required. However, the conventional stop loss time can be greatly reduced by the means for exchanging the whole with the slit die and the coating liquid supply device prepared in advance for filling with the coating liquid shown in the present invention.
[0058]
In addition, after this replacement operation, measuring the film thickness of the liquid coating film immediately after coating with the above-described film thickness sensor 130 and correcting the film thickness distribution enables further time reduction when switching the product type. More preferred.
[0059]
The coating liquid to which the present invention can be applied has a viscosity of 1 cps to 100,000 cps, desirably 10 cps to 50,000 cps, and Newtonian is preferable from the viewpoint of coating property, but it can also be applied to a coating liquid having thixotropy. In addition, it does not particularly depend on the drying speed of the coating liquid, in addition to the RGB color coating liquid, in addition to resist and O / C materials, in order to shorten the product switching operation time when applying with a die coater, The present invention can be applied. As a member to be coated which is a substrate, a metal plate such as aluminum, a ceramic plate, a silicon wafer or the like may be used in addition to glass. Further, as a coating state to be used, the clearance is 40 to 500 μm, more preferably 80 to 300 μm, the coating speed is 0.1 m / min to 10 m / min, more preferably 0.5 m / min to 6 m / min, the die lip The gap is 50 to 1000 μm, more preferably 100 to 600 μm, and the coating thickness is 5 to 400 μm, more preferably 20 to 250 μm.
[0060]
Further, the number of slit dies and coating liquid supply devices to be prepared for product type switching may be any number, and it is desirable to determine the number depending on the type switching frequency.
[0061]
【Example】
On a non-alkali glass substrate having a thickness of 360 × 465 mm and a thickness of 0.7 mm, the pitch is 254 μm in the substrate width direction, the pitch is 85 μm in the longitudinal direction of the substrate, the line width is 20 μm, and the number of RGB pixels is 4800 (substrate longitudinal direction). A black matrix film having a lattice shape of × 1200 (substrate width direction) and a diagonal length of 20 inches (305 mm in the substrate width direction and 406 mm in the substrate longitudinal direction) and a thickness of 1 μm was formed. The black matrix film was obtained using titanium oxynitride as a light shielding material and polyamic acid as a binder.
[0062]
Subsequently, after removing particles on the substrate by wet cleaning, polyamic acid as a binder, γ-butyrolactone, a mixture of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and 3-methyl-3-methoxybutanol as a solvent, and Pigment Red 177 as a pigment. An R-color coating solution, which was mixed at a solid content concentration of 10% and further adjusted to a viscosity of 50 cps, was uniformly coated with a die coater at a speed of 3 m / min at a thickness of 20 μm. Here, the slit die of the die coater had a slit gap of 100 μm, a slit width of 305 mm, and a gap between the slit die and the substrate of 100 μm. Immediately after coating, the film thickness distribution in the substrate running direction in the state of the liquid coating was measured using a laser focus displacement meter (LT-8020 manufactured by Keyence) which is a film thickness sensor attached to the die coater. Since the portion outside the allowable thickness variation of 20 ± 1 μm was 15 mm compared to the allowable value of 10 mm, taking into account that the film thickness of the coating start part seems to overshoot, the operation of the table from the start of the syringe pump operation The time until the start was changed from 0.2 seconds to 0.1 seconds, and coating was performed again. Immediately after coating, the film thickness was measured and confirmed, and this time it was within the allowable range, so continuous coating was started. The above R color coating condition application operation was completed in 10 minutes. The conventional method that has been repeatedly applied, dried, measured, and re-applied until now to apply the coating conditions took 1 hour, so that it was possible to significantly reduce the time.
[0063]
After coating, it is dried at 100 ° C. for 20 minutes with a drying apparatus using a hot plate, coated with 10 μm of a resist solution having a solid content concentration of 10% and a viscosity of 8%, and then dried on a 90 ° C. hot plate for 10 minutes and then exposed Development and peeling were performed, leaving a color coating film only on the R pixel portion, and curing was performed by heating on a hot plate at 260 degrees for 30 minutes.
[0064]
Formation of the same color coating film For the G and B colors, each color coating film was formed in the same manner as in the R color using a die coater, the above-described application condition determining means, and other similar processes. Here, the G color coating solution is an R color coating solution in which the pigment is Pigment Green 36 and the viscosity is adjusted to 40 cps at a solid content concentration of 10%. The B color coating solution is an R color coating solution. The pigment was changed to Pigment Blue 15 and the viscosity was adjusted to 50 cps at a solid content concentration of 10%.
[0065]
Finally, ITO was deposited by sputtering to create a color filter. The obtained color filter had no foreign matter such as pigment agglomerates and abrasion powder, and the chromaticity was uniform over the entire surface of the substrate, which was satisfactory in terms of quality.
[0066]
On the other hand, since it was necessary to replace the R coating solution with a pigment red 111 instead of the above, the replacement coating solution was replaced with another slit die and coating solution supply device. Was replaced with the slit die attached to the die coater and the coating liquid supply device associated therewith. It was 15 minutes from the start of the replacement that the above coating conditions were determined and the continuous coating operation could be resumed. In the conventional method where the same slit die, solvent cleaning of the coating liquid supply device, changing of the coating liquid, and application conditions are set, it takes an hour to resume continuous coating, which also greatly reduces the time. The operating rate of the die coater line was improved.
[0067]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, the applicator filled with the coating liquid to be replaced and the coating liquid supply device are prepared in advance, and the applicator is held in the coating apparatus main body when the type of the coating liquid is switched. Since the coating solution supply device and the coating solution supply device are replaced in advance, operations such as cleaning of the coating device and the coating solution supply device, filling of the coating solution, and venting of air are omitted. Work time can be shortened.
[0068]
Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the film thickness distribution is measured in the state of the liquid coating film during and immediately after the coating liquid exchange, and the film thickness distribution of the liquid coating film is adjusted based on this. Therefore, there is no waiting time for drying, and the time for setting the coating conditions until the film thickness distribution falls within the allowable value can be greatly reduced. The time loss can be greatly reduced.
[0069]
According to the above-described means according to the present invention, the work time associated with the product change can be greatly reduced. Therefore, even in the small volume and multi-product production, the operation rate of the die coater is increased, the productivity is improved, and the cost is greatly reduced. Can be achieved.
[0070]
Further, by introducing the above means into the production of the color filter, it is possible to produce a wide variety of color filters at a low cost and with high productivity.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a die coater according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the die coater of FIG. 1 including a coating solution supply system. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a process diagram showing an outline of a method for exchanging a slit die and a coating liquid supply apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Die coater
2 base
6 tables
14 Feed screw
18 AC servo motor
22 Thickness sensor
32 Die holder
40 Slit die (applicator)
44 Syringe pump
50 tanks
54 Computer
62 Manifold
64 slits
72 Discharge port
100 Desorption device
102 Lifting device
106 Gatepost
120 Movement mechanism
130 Film thickness sensor
200 Coating liquid supply device
204 bogie
210 mounting table
A Glass substrate (Coating member)
C Coating liquid bead

Claims (3)

While discharging the coating liquid supplied by the coating liquid supply means from the discharge port of the coating device loaded on the coating device to the coated member, the at least one of the coating device and the coated member is relatively moved to move the coating liquid. In the coating method for forming a coating film on a member to be coated , another coating device and a coating are applied outside the coating device in parallel with the coating operation of the coating liquid on the member to be coated using the coating device and the coating liquid supply means. coating wherein the exchange after performing completely filled air vent the coating liquid to the liquid supply means, and the applicator and the coating liquid supplying means stacked on the coating apparatus. Further, after the replacement of the applicator and the coating liquid supply means, the thickness distribution of the liquid coating in the traveling direction of the coated member is measured during or immediately after the formation of the liquid coating, and the subsequent liquid coating is formed based on this. The correction of the liquid coating thickness distribution at the start and end of the application member running direction at the time is performed by changing the timing of the application liquid discharge / stop from the applicator and the movement / stop of the application member The coating method according to claim 1, wherein the coating method is characterized.   A method for producing a color filter, characterized in that a color filter is produced using the coating method according to claim 1.

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