JP4737685B2 - Coating device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating apparatus that applies a flowable material to a substrate.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an organic EL display device using an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) material has been developed. For example, in the production of an active matrix drive type organic EL display device using a polymer organic EL material, a glass substrate is used. (Hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”), formation of TFT (Thin Film Transistor) circuits, formation of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) electrodes as anodes, formation of barrier ribs, fluid materials including hole transport materials (Hereinafter referred to as “hole transport liquid”), formation of a hole transport layer by heat treatment, flowable material containing an organic EL material (hereinafter referred to as “organic EL liquid”), heat treatment The organic EL layer, the cathode, and the insulating film are sequentially sealed.

  In the manufacture of an organic EL display device, as one of devices for applying a hole transport liquid or an organic EL liquid to a substrate, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a plurality of fluid materials are continuously discharged. 2. Description of the Related Art An apparatus is known that applies a flowable material in a stripe shape to an application region on a substrate by moving a nozzle relative to the substrate in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction.

In the devices of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, three types of organic EL liquids each including three types of organic EL materials having different colors from red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are provided with three nozzles. And is applied to three grooves between partition walls previously formed in a coating region on the substrate. In this apparatus, three nozzles are integrally held by a holding member, and the holding member is rotated around a support axis perpendicular to the substrate to reduce the pitch of the three nozzles in the sub-scanning direction. As a result, the coating pitch of the organic EL liquid can be narrowed.
JP 2002-75640 A JP 2003-10755 A

  By the way, in such an apparatus, the pitch adjustment of the nozzle is usually performed manually by an operator, and the adjustment result is also confirmed by directly observing the application result by the operator, but it is difficult to adjust the pitch with high accuracy. Therefore, the work time and labor required for the adjustment are also great. In addition, when the nozzle pitch is not uniform due to a nozzle mounting error or a nozzle manufacturing error with respect to the holding member, it is necessary to adjust the pitch to be uniform. An adjustment mechanism for making the pitch uniform is not disclosed.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and makes it the main objective to adjust the pitch of the several nozzle of a coating device with high precision.

The invention described in claim 1 is a coating apparatus that applies a fluid material to a substrate, and includes a substrate holding unit that retains the substrate, and a plurality of nozzles that continuously eject the fluid material toward the substrate. A nozzle mounting portion to which the plurality of nozzles are mounted; and a main scanning mechanism that moves the plurality of nozzles relative to the substrate together with the nozzle mounting portion in a main scanning direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate; A sub-scanning mechanism for moving the plurality of nozzles and the nozzle mounting portion relative to the substrate in a sub-scanning direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate and perpendicular to the main scanning direction; A pitch adjuster that adjusts each distance between two nozzles adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction by individually moving a plurality of movable nozzles that are all or all but one of the nozzles in the sub-scanning direction The pitch adjusting mechanism includes a nozzle abutting portion that abuts each movable nozzle from one side in the sub-scanning direction, and the each movable nozzle from the other side in the sub-scanning direction to the nozzle abutting portion. A urging nozzle urging mechanism; and an abutting portion moving mechanism for adjusting a position in the sub-scanning direction of the nozzle abutting portion with which each of the movable nozzles urged by the nozzle urging mechanism abuts. , by the main scanning mechanism and the scanning mechanism, the plurality of nozzles and the nozzle mounting portion move independently of the pitch adjustment mechanism.

  Invention of Claim 2 is a coating device of Claim 1, Comprising: The urging | biasing force applied to each said movable nozzle by the said nozzle urging mechanism is in the position of each said movable nozzle in the said subscanning direction. Regardless, it is constant.

A third aspect of the present invention is the coating apparatus according to the first or second aspect , wherein the pitch adjusting mechanism further includes a mounting portion fixing mechanism that fixes the nozzle mounting portion.

Invention of Claim 4 is a coating device of Claim 3 , Comprising: The said fixing | fixed part fixing mechanism is the 1st fixing | fixed part which contact | abuts to the said nozzle mounting part from the said one side of the said subscanning direction, A first support portion to which the first fixing portion, the nozzle contact portion, and the contact portion moving mechanism are attached; a second fixing portion that contacts the nozzle attachment portion from the other side in the sub-scanning direction; A second support part to which a second fixing part and the nozzle urging mechanism are attached, a first moving mechanism for moving the first support part in the sub-scanning direction, and a movement of the second support part in the sub-scanning direction And a second moving mechanism.

Invention of Claim 5 is an application apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4 , Comprising: Each said movable nozzle is attached to the nozzle main body from which a fluid material is discharged from the front-end | tip, and the said nozzle main body And a slider that is held in a guide groove formed in the nozzle mounting portion and extends in the sub-scanning direction and is movable along the guide groove.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the coating apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein a nozzle lock portion that locks a position of the slider with respect to the nozzle mounting portion, and the slider is operated by operating the nozzle lock portion. And a lock unit operating mechanism for locking the position and releasing the lock.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the coating apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, wherein the nozzle lock portion contacts the slider when the position of the slider is locked, and the fixing member is attached to the slider. A pressing portion that urges the slider toward the nozzle mounting portion by pressing toward the nozzle mounting portion, and the fixing member contacts the nozzle mounting portion when the position of the slider is unlocked. It is tilted away from the slider with the fulcrum as the center.

The invention according to claim 8 is the coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the plurality of movable nozzles, the pattern of the fluid material discharged from the plurality of nozzles and applied to the substrate. Or an optical system used for observing a plurality of liquid columns of the fluid material discharged from the plurality of nozzles.

The invention according to claim 9 is the coating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the plurality of movable nozzles, the pattern of the flowable material, or the plurality of the flowable material via the optical system. An image pickup unit that acquires an image of the liquid column, and a pitch detection unit that detects each distance between two nozzles adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction from the image.

An invention according to claim 10 is the coating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein an adjustment mechanism control unit that controls the contact portion moving mechanism of the pitch adjustment mechanism based on a detection result of the pitch detection unit. Is further provided.

An eleventh aspect of the invention is the coating apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the fluid material includes a pixel forming material for a flat display device.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the coating apparatus according to the eleventh aspect , wherein the pixel forming material is an organic EL material or a hole transport material for an organic EL display device.

In the present invention, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles can be adjusted with high accuracy. Further, the moving part can be reduced in size by the main scanning mechanism and the sub-scanning mechanism. In the second and third aspects of the invention, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles can be adjusted with higher accuracy .

In the inventions of claims 4 and 5 , the pitch of the plurality of nozzles can be easily adjusted. According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, it is possible to quickly unlock and lock the position of the movable nozzle at the time of pitch adjustment.

In the invention of claim 8 , the pitch of the plurality of nozzles can be detected with high accuracy. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the time required to detect the pitch of the plurality of nozzles can be shortened. In the invention of claim 10 , the pitch of the plurality of nozzles can be automatically adjusted.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a coating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating apparatus 1. The coating apparatus 1 is an apparatus that applies a fluid material containing a pixel forming material to a glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate”) 9 for a flat display device. In the present embodiment, in the coating apparatus 1, a flowable material including an organic EL material that is a pixel forming material and a solvent (for example, mesitylene) on a substrate 9 for an active matrix driving organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device. (Hereinafter referred to as “organic EL liquid”) is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the coating apparatus 1 includes a substrate holding unit 11 that holds a substrate 9, and the substrate holding unit 11 includes a heating mechanism (not shown) using a heater. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating apparatus 1 moves the substrate holding part 11 in a predetermined direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate 9 (that is, the Y direction in FIG. Imaging the alignment mark (not shown) formed on the substrate moving mechanism 12 and the substrate 9 that horizontally moves in the sub-scanning direction) and rotates around an axis oriented in the vertical direction (that is, the Z direction). The coating head 14 and the coating head 14 which are ejection mechanisms for continuously ejecting the organic EL liquid from the four nozzles 17 toward the substrate 9 on the alignment mark detection unit 13 and the substrate holding unit 11 are detected. A head moving mechanism 15 that horizontally moves in the direction parallel to the surface and perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction (that is, the X direction perpendicular to the Y direction in FIG. 1 and hereinafter referred to as “main scanning direction”); , The main scanning direction It comprises two liquid receiving part 16 which together are provided on both sides of the substrate holder 11 receiving the organic EL liquid from the coating head 14 Te. The coating apparatus 1 further includes a fluid material supply unit that supplies the same type of organic EL liquid to the four nozzles 17 of the coating head 14 and a control unit that controls these configurations.

  As with a normal computer, the control unit includes a CPU that performs various arithmetic processes, a RAM that stores programs to be executed and a work area for arithmetic processes, a ROM that stores basic programs, a fixed disk that stores various information, A display for displaying various information to the worker and an input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse are connected. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a function realized by the CPU 2 of the control unit 2 performing arithmetic processing according to a program together with other configurations. The pitch detection unit 21 and the adjustment mechanism control unit 22 in FIG. This corresponds to a function realized by a CPU or the like. Note that these functions may be realized by a plurality of computers.

  In the coating head 14 shown in FIG. 1, the four nozzles 17 are arranged substantially linearly with respect to the X direction in FIG. 1 (that is, the main scanning direction) and at the same time in the Y direction in FIG. In the scanning direction). In the present embodiment, the distance between the adjacent two nozzles 17 in the sub-scanning direction is formed in advance on the application region 91 (shown by being surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 1) of the substrate 9. The pitch is adjusted to be equal to three times the pitch between the partition walls extending in the direction (hereinafter referred to as “partition wall pitch”). A method for adjusting the distance between the nozzles 17 will be described later.

  4 and 5 are a front view and a plan view showing the coating head 14, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the coating head 14 is described by distinguishing four nozzles (hereinafter, four nozzles) that continuously discharge the organic EL liquid toward the substrate 9 (see FIG. 1). In this case, “the first nozzle 17a”, “the second nozzle 17b”, “the third nozzle 17c”, and “the fourth nozzle 17d”) are sequentially attached from the (−X) side, and the four nozzles are attached. A nozzle mounting portion 141 is provided. The nozzle mounting portion 141 includes a back plate portion 1411 substantially perpendicular to the Y direction, and a horizontal portion substantially perpendicular to the Z direction fixed to the lower end portion of the back plate portion 1411 (that is, the (−Z) side end portion). 1412.

  In the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141, three guide grooves 142 extending from the (−Y) side edge in the (+ Y) direction (that is, the sub-scanning direction) are formed. The first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d are respectively attached. Each of the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d includes a substantially columnar nozzle body 171 from which the organic EL liquid is discharged from the tip, and a plate-like slider 172 attached perpendicularly to the nozzle body 171. The slider 172 is held on a slider holding portion 143 provided in the guide groove 142 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 and is movable along the guide groove 142. Thus, in the coating head 14, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d are movable nozzles that are individually movable in the sub-scanning direction.

  On the (−X) side of the first nozzle 17a, a nozzle lock portion 173a for locking the position of the slider 172 with respect to the nozzle mounting portion 141 of the first nozzle 17a is provided, and on the (−X) side of the first nozzle 17a. A guide plate 144 that prevents the slider 172 of the first nozzle 17a from floating from the guide groove 142 is provided. The nozzle locking portion 173a is configured to press the fixing member 1731 toward the slider 172, and the fixing member 1731 that contacts the upper surface of the slider 172 (that is, the (+ Z) side main surface) when the position of the slider 172 is locked. In addition, a pressing portion 1732 that biases the slider 172 toward the slider holding portion 143 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 is provided.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged left side view showing the vicinity of the nozzle lock portion 173a. In FIG. 6, in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, the first nozzle 17a located on the back side of the nozzle lock portion 173a is not shown. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plunger 1413 protruding in the (−Y) direction from the back plate portion 1411 is fixed to the back plate portion 1411 of the nozzle mounting portion 141. ) Side tip is in contact with the fixing member 1731.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the fixing member 1731 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped fixing member main body 1733 in which the plunger 1413 abuts on the (+ Y) side surface, and the (−Y) side side surface of the fixing member main body 1733 (− Y) A plate-shaped flange portion 1734 protruding toward the side is provided. In addition, the fixing member 1731 is located near the plunger 1413 and on a portion away from the plunger 1413 (that is, (+ Y) side and (−Y) side) on the lower surface (that is, (−Z) side surface) of the fixing member main body 1733. A first protrusion 1735 and a second protrusion 1736 are provided respectively. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the second protrusion 1736 is a linear protrusion that extends substantially parallel to the guide groove 142 (see FIG. 5) above the slider 172 (see FIG. 4) of the first nozzle 17a. The first protrusion 1735 is a dot-like protrusion provided at a corner of the lower surface of the fixing member main body 1733 away from the first nozzle 17a in the X direction (that is, the (−X) side). is there. The lower end of the first protrusion 1735 is slightly separated from the upper surface of the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141.

  The pressing portion 1732 passes through the fixing member main body 1733 of the fixing member 1731 in the Z direction and is fixed to the heads of the two bolts 1737 and the two bolts 1737 that are fixed to the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141. Two elastic members 1738 (in this embodiment, coil springs) provided between the upper surface of the member main body 1733 are provided. The bolt 1737 is inserted into a through hole formed in the fixing member main body 1733, and the outer surface of the bolt 1737 is separated from the inner surface of the through hole.

  In the nozzle lock portion 173a, the fixed member 1731 is pressed toward the slider 172 (see FIG. 4) of the first nozzle 17a by the compressed elastic member 1738. As a result, the second protrusion 1736 of the fixing member 1731 contacts the upper surface of the slider 172 located at the same position as the upper surface of the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 in the Z direction, and the slider 172 is moved to the slider holding portion 143 ( By urging the slider 172 toward the nozzle mounting portion 141, the position of the slider 172 relative to the nozzle mounting portion 141 is locked (that is, the first nozzle 17a is fixed to the nozzle mounting portion 141).

  In the nozzle lock portion 173a, when the flange portion 1734 of the fixing member 1731 is lifted in the (+ Z) direction, the fixing member 1731 comes into contact with the distal end portion of the plunger 1413 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The elastic member 1738 of the pressing portion 1732 is slightly tilted with the portion as a fulcrum. As described above, the second protrusion 1736 of the fixing member 1731 is separated from the slider 172 by tilting the fixing member 1731 away from the slider 172 with the fulcrum in contact with the nozzle mounting portion 141 (the plunger 1413) as the center. Then, the position of the slider 172 is unlocked. In the nozzle lock portion 173a, the fixing member 1731 may be slightly inclined to the (−X) side in a state where the fixing member 1731 is separated from the slider 172. However, the first protrusion 1735 contacts the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141. This prevents the fixing member 1731 from being excessively inclined.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the coating head 14, nozzle lock portions 173b and 173d having the same structure as the nozzle lock portion 173a are provided on the (−X) side of the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d. The guide plates 144 are provided on the (+ X) side of the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d, respectively. In the application head 14, the sliders 172 of the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d are unlocked by the nozzle lock portions 173a, 173b, and 173d, so that the auxiliary nozzles of these three movable nozzles are released. Each movement in the scanning direction is enabled.

  On the other hand, the third nozzle 17 c is fixed to the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 so as not to move. In other words, in the coating head 14, the movable nozzles (that is, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d) that are all other nozzles except for one of the four nozzles are attached to the nozzle. It is attached to the portion 141 so as to be individually movable in the sub-scanning direction. In the coating apparatus 1, the positions of the other three movable nozzles are adjusted with reference to the position of the third nozzle 17c when adjusting the nozzle position, which will be described later.

  In the coating apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the coating head 14 continuously applies the organic EL liquid by the head moving mechanism 15 in a state where the four nozzles 17 are fixed to the nozzle mounting portion 141 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The substrate 9 is moved stepwise in the sub-scanning direction by the substrate moving mechanism 12 each time the coating head 14 is moved once in the main scanning direction. Then, the relative movement of the nozzle 17 relative to the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction is repeated, so that the organic EL liquid is applied to the substrate 9 in a stripe shape. In the coating apparatus 1, the head moving mechanism 15 and the substrate moving mechanism 12 respectively have a main scanning mechanism that moves the four nozzles 17 relative to the substrate 9 together with the nozzle mounting portion 141 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction. It becomes a sub-scanning mechanism.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating apparatus 1 performs sub-scanning by individually moving a plurality of movable nozzles (that is, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d) in the sub-scanning direction. A pitch adjusting mechanism 3 that adjusts each distance between two nozzles adjacent to each other in terms of direction (hereinafter referred to as “inter-nozzle distance”), a nozzle position detector 4 that detects a position of the nozzle 17 in the sub-scanning direction, and A lock unit operating mechanism 5 that locks and unlocks the position of the slider 172 of the movable nozzle by operating the nozzle lock units 173a, 173b, and 173d is further provided. These components are also controlled by the control unit 2 shown in FIG. Is done.

  In the coating apparatus 1, the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the nozzle position detection unit 4, and the lock unit operation mechanism 5 are provided separately from the coating head 14 on the (+ X) side of the coating head 14, and the four nozzles 17 and The nozzle mounting portion 141 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is moved independently of the pitch adjusting mechanism 3, the nozzle position detecting portion 4 and the lock portion operating mechanism 5 by the head moving mechanism 15 and the substrate moving mechanism 12. In other words, the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the nozzle position detection unit 4, and the lock unit operation mechanism 5 are disposed independently from the relative movement of the coating head 14 relative to the substrate 9 by the head movement mechanism 15 and the substrate movement mechanism 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle position detection unit 4 is disposed on the (+ Z) side of the plurality of nozzles 17 and used for observation of the plurality of nozzles 17, and the optical system 41 The image pickup unit 42 (in this embodiment, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera) that sequentially acquires images of the plurality of nozzles 17 is provided. In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the slider 172 of one movable nozzle (that is, one of the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d) and the horizontal of the nozzle mounting portion 141 are captured by the imaging unit 42. A region near the slider 172 on the upper surface of the portion 1412 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is imaged.

  Then, from the images of the three movable nozzles acquired by the imaging unit 42 by the pitch detection unit 21 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 2, the positional relationship between the marks provided on both the slider 172 and the horizontal unit 1412 is determined. Based on this, the relative positions of the three movable nozzles with respect to the nozzle mounting portion 141 are obtained, and the distance between the nozzles is detected. In the coating apparatus 1, the slider 172 and the horizontal portion 1412 are not necessarily provided with marks, and the positional relationship between the characteristic portions of the outline of the slider 172, the outline of the guide groove 142 of the horizontal portion 1412, and the like. Based on this, the position of the movable nozzle may be detected.

  FIG. 7 is a left side view showing the lock unit operating mechanism 5. In FIG. 7, a part of the nozzle mounting portion 141 of the coating head 14 and the nozzle lock portion 173a are also drawn. As shown in FIG. 7, the lock unit operating mechanism 5 includes a cylinder 52 that moves the rod 51 forward and backward in approximately the Y direction in FIG. 7, and a crank that has one end attached to the (+ Y) side tip of the rod 51. Arm 53 is provided. The end of the crank arm 53 opposite to the rod 51 is rotatably attached to the column 54 around a rotation shaft 55 provided on the column 54.

  In the lock portion operation mechanism 5, when the rod 51 of the cylinder 52 moves to the (+ Y) side, the crank arm 53 rotates about the rotation shaft 55 by a predetermined angle clockwise in FIG. Move to the position indicated by the chain line. As a result, the release portion 56 provided at the end of the crank arm 53 on the column 54 side comes into contact with the flange portion 1734 of the fixing member 1731 of the nozzle lock portion 173a from the (−Z) side, and the flange portion 1734 is moved to (+ Z ) Press in the direction. As a result, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the fixing member 1731 is tilted with the contact portion with the tip of the plunger 1413 as a fulcrum, and the fixing member 1731 is the slider 172 of the first nozzle 17a (see FIGS. 4 and 4). The slider 172 is unlocked at a distance from (see FIG. 5).

  Further, in the lock part operation mechanism 5, when the rod 51 of the cylinder 52 moves to the (−Y) side, the crank arm 53 moves away from the fixing member 1731 of the nozzle lock part 173a and returns to the original position. As a result, the fixing member 1731 is pressed in the (−Z) direction by the pressing portion 1732, and the slider 172 is biased toward the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141. As a result, the position of the first nozzle 17a with respect to the nozzle mounting portion 141 of the slider 172 is locked again.

  In the coating apparatus 1, when the coating head 14 is moved in the main scanning direction by the head moving mechanism 15 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, one movable nozzle (that is, the first nozzle 17a illustrated in FIGS. One of the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d) is located on the (+ Y) side of the release portion 56 (see FIG. 7) of the lock portion operation mechanism 5, and in this state, the lock portion operation mechanism 5 is as described above. When driven, the single movable nozzle is unlocked and locked.

  FIGS. 8 and 9 are a plan view and a left side view, respectively, showing the pitch adjusting mechanism 3 together with the coating head 14. In FIG. 8, only a part of the coating head 14 is illustrated, and the nozzle lock portion 173 a and the guide plate 144 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 are not illustrated for easy understanding of the drawings. . In FIG. 9, in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, a part of the nozzle mounting portion 141 and the first nozzle 17a is shown in a cross section including the central axis of the first nozzle 17a, and the first shown in FIG. The illustration of the first contact portion 3111 on the (−X) side of the fixing portion 311 is omitted in FIG. 9.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the pitch adjusting mechanism 3 is in contact with the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 from the (+ Y) side and the (−Y) side (that is, both sides in the sub-scanning direction) to mount the nozzle. The attachment portion fixing mechanism 31 that fixes the portion 141, the nozzle contact portion 32 that contacts the first nozzle 17a from the (−Y) side (that is, one side in the sub-scanning direction), and the opposite side of the nozzle contact portion 32 ( That is, the nozzle urging mechanism 33 that urges the first nozzle 17a toward the nozzle contact portion 32 from the (+ Y) side of the first nozzle 17a and the other side in the sub-scanning direction) A contact portion moving mechanism 34 for adjusting the position in the sub-scanning direction of the nozzle contact portion 32 with which the first nozzle 17a biased by the bias mechanism 33 contacts is provided.

  The mounting portion fixing mechanism 31 includes a first fixing portion 311 and a first fixing portion 311 that are in contact with the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 from the (−Y) side on the (−Y) side of the coating head 14. 1 support part 312 and the 1st moving mechanism 313 which moves the 1st support part 312 to a subscanning direction are provided. The first fixing portion 311 includes two first contact portions 3111 arranged in the main scanning direction, and the nozzle contact portion 32 and the contact between the two first contact portions 3111 in the main scanning direction. The part moving mechanism 34 is attached to the first support part 312.

  The attachment portion fixing mechanism 31 also has a second attachment portion 314 and a second attachment portion 314 attached to the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle attachment portion 141 from the (+ Y) side on the (+ Y) side of the application head 14. 2 support part 315 and the 2nd moving mechanism 316 which moves the 2nd support part 315 to a subscanning direction are provided. The second fixing portion 314 includes two second abutting portions 3141 arranged in the main scanning direction, and between the two second abutting portions 3141 in the main scanning direction, a later-described nozzle urging mechanism 33 is arranged. A rod 331 and an air cylinder 332 are attached to the second support portion 315.

  The contact portion moving mechanism 34 is connected to a micrometer 341 connected to the nozzle contact portion 32 that contacts the side surface on the (−Y) side of the slider 172 of the first nozzle 17 a, and the micrometer 341 and the coupling 342. A stepping motor 343 connected thereto. The nozzle urging mechanism 33 includes a rod 331 and a rod 331 that are in contact with the side surface on the (+ Y) side of the slider 172 of the first nozzle 17a through a through hole formed in the back plate portion 1411 of the nozzle mounting portion 141. An air cylinder 332 that presses the air cylinder 332 and a regulator 333 that is connected to the air cylinder 332 and controls the pressure in the air cylinder 332.

  In the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the first support mechanism 312 is driven by the first movement mechanism 313 and the second movement mechanism 316 of the attachment portion fixing mechanism 31 being driven by the adjustment mechanism control unit 22 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 2. Moves in the (+ Y) direction, and the second support portion 315 moves in the (−Y) direction. As a result, the first fixing portion 311 and the second fixing portion 314 come into contact with the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 from the (−Y) side and the (+ Y) side, respectively, and the nozzle mounting portion 141 is in contact with the first fixing portion 311. And it is fixed by being sandwiched between the second fixing portions 314.

  In the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the stepping motor 343 of the contact portion moving mechanism 34 and the air cylinder 332 of the nozzle urging mechanism 33 are driven by the adjustment mechanism control unit 22 while the nozzle mounting portion 141 is fixed. The contact portion 32 and the rod 331 of the nozzle urging mechanism 33 contact the first nozzle 17a from the (−Y) side and the (+ Y) side, respectively. Then, when the nozzle contact portion 32 is moved in the (+ Y) direction by the contact portion moving mechanism 34, the first nozzle 17 a is biased to the nozzle contact portion 32 by the nozzle biasing mechanism 33. Move in the (+ Y) direction.

  At this time, in the nozzle urging mechanism 33, the pressure in the air cylinder 332 is maintained constant by the regulator 333 regardless of the relative position of the rod 331 with respect to the air cylinder 332. The urging force applied to is constant regardless of the position of the first nozzle 17a in the sub-scanning direction. In addition, when moving the 1st nozzle 17a, the lock | rock by the 1st nozzle lock part 173a (refer FIG. 4 thru | or FIG. 6) is cancelled | released previously.

  In the coating apparatus 1, the position of the first nozzle 17a is adjusted while the nozzle contact portion 32 moves only in one direction from the predetermined movement start position to the (+ Y) direction. If the first nozzle 17a has moved to the (+ Y) side from the desired position, the nozzle contact portion 32 is temporarily returned to the movement start position and moved again in the (+ Y) direction. However, the position of the first nozzle 17a is adjusted. Even when the nozzle contact portion 32 is returned to the movement start position, the first nozzle 17a is biased to the nozzle contact portion 32 by the nozzle biasing mechanism 33, and together with the nozzle contact portion 32, the (−Y) direction. Move to. In this way, by adjusting the position while moving the first nozzle 17a only in one direction, it is possible to prevent an adjustment error due to backlash of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 or the like.

  In the coating apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the coating head 14 is moved in the main scanning direction by the head moving mechanism 15, one movable nozzle (that is, the first nozzles 17a and 17a shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). Either one of the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d) is located between the nozzle contact portion 32 and the nozzle urging mechanism 33, and in this state, as described above, the mounting portion fixing mechanism 31 and the nozzle urging mechanism 33. In addition, the position of the single movable nozzle in the sub-scanning direction is adjusted by driving the contact portion moving mechanism 34.

  The position adjustment of the three movable nozzles (that is, the adjustment of the distance between the nozzles) is performed between the nozzles detected by the pitch detection unit 21 of the control unit 2 from the image acquired by the imaging unit 42 of the nozzle position detection unit 4. Based on the distance (that is, based on the detection result of the pitch detection unit 21), the contact portion moving mechanism 34 of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is sequentially controlled by the adjustment mechanism control unit 22.

  Next, the flow of adjusting the pitch (hereinafter referred to as “nozzle pitch”) of the plurality of nozzles in the coating apparatus 1 in the sub-scanning direction will be described, and then the flow of applying the organic EL liquid by the coating apparatus 1 will be described. . When the nozzle pitch is adjusted, first, the coating head 14 is moved by the head moving mechanism 15 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line on the (+ X) side in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the first nozzle 17a. 4 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is located below the nozzle position detection unit 4 and at a position between the nozzle contact part 32 and the nozzle urging mechanism 33 (hereinafter referred to as “adjustment position”). At this time, the three movable nozzles (that is, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d) are connected to the nozzle mounting portion 141 by the nozzle lock portions 173a, 173b, and 173d (see FIGS. 4 and 5). It is fixed against.

  Subsequently, the control unit 2 controls the imaging unit 42 of the nozzle position detection unit 4 to image the horizontal part 1412 of the first nozzle 17 a and the nozzle mounting unit 141, and the acquired image is the pitch detection unit 21 of the control unit 2. (See FIG. 3). In the coating apparatus 1, the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d are sequentially moved to the adjustment position by the head moving mechanism 15, and each nozzle 17 is sequentially imaged to obtain an image. The acquired image is sent to the pitch detector 21.

  The pitch detector 21 detects the relative positions of the movable nozzles to the nozzle mounting portion 141 based on the images of the three movable nozzles, and the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle based on the relative positions. Respective distances in the sub-scanning direction between 17d and the third nozzle 17c (see FIGS. 4 and 5) are obtained. In the control unit 2, the nozzle position is determined based on a predetermined nozzle pitch (as described above, the distance is equal to three times the partition wall pitch in the present embodiment, and hereinafter referred to as “target nozzle pitch”). It is checked whether adjustment is necessary.

  The distance between the first nozzle 17a and the third nozzle 17c is equal to twice the target nozzle pitch, and the distance between the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d and the third nozzle 17c is the target nozzle pitch. If they are equal, it is determined that the adjustment of the nozzle position is unnecessary, and the nozzle pitch adjustment operation ends.

  Conversely, when it is determined that the nozzle position needs to be adjusted, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the second nozzle 17c are set based on the third nozzle 17c based on the distance between the nozzles obtained as described above. The pitch detection unit 21 determines the amount of movement of the four nozzles 17d in the sub-scanning direction (hereinafter simply referred to as “movement amount”). Specifically, the amount of movement of the first nozzle 17a is determined so that the distance between the first nozzle 17a and the third nozzle 17c is equal to twice the target nozzle pitch, and the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17a. The amount of movement of the nozzle 17d is determined so that the distances between the second nozzle 17b and the fourth nozzle 17d and the third nozzle 17c are equal to the target nozzle pitch. In the following description, it is assumed that all three movable nozzles (that is, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d) are determined to require adjustment of nozzle positions.

  When the amount of movement of the three movable nozzles is obtained, the first nozzle 17a is moved to the adjustment position by the head moving mechanism 15. Subsequently, the adjusting mechanism control unit 22 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 2 causes the first moving mechanism 313 and the second moving mechanism 316 to move in the mounting portion fixing mechanism 31 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the pitch adjusting mechanism 3. The nozzle mounting portion 141 is fixed by the first fixing portion 311 and the second fixing portion 314 coming into contact with the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141 from the (−Y) side and the (+ Y) side.

  Next, the lock unit operating mechanism 5 (see FIG. 7) is driven by the control unit 2, the first nozzle 17a is unlocked by the nozzle lock unit 173a, and the first nozzle 17a can be moved in the sub-scanning direction. . Then, the adjustment mechanism control unit 22 controls the stepping motor 343 of the contact portion moving mechanism 34, and the pitch detection unit 21 is in a state where the first nozzle 17 a is biased to the nozzle contact portion 32 by the nozzle biasing mechanism 33. Is moved in the (+ Y) direction according to the movement amount obtained by the above. When the movement of the first nozzle 17a in the sub-scanning direction is completed, the lock unit operating mechanism 5 is driven again, and the position of the first nozzle 17a is locked by the nozzle lock unit 173a.

  Thereafter, the adjustment mechanism control unit 22 controls the first moving mechanism 313 and the second moving mechanism 316 of the mounting portion fixing mechanism 31 again, and the first fixing portion 311 and the second fixing portion 314 are the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle mounting portion 141. The nozzle mounting portion 141 is released from being separated from the position.

   When the position adjustment of the first nozzle 17a is completed, the second nozzle 17b is moved to the adjustment position, and the nozzle mounting portion 141 is fixed again by the mounting portion fixing mechanism 31, as in the case of adjusting the first nozzle 17a. Subsequently, the lock of the second nozzle 17b by the nozzle lock portion 173b is released by the lock portion operation mechanism 5, and the second nozzle 17b is pitched by the nozzle contact portion 32, the nozzle urging mechanism 33 and the contact portion moving mechanism 34. After moving in the (+ Y) direction according to the movement amount obtained by the detection unit 21, the lock unit operating mechanism 5 is driven again, and the position of the second nozzle 17b is locked by the nozzle lock unit 173b. Further, in the attachment portion fixing mechanism 31, the nozzle attachment portion 141 is released from being fixed.

   When the position adjustment of the second nozzle 17b is completed, as in the adjustment of the first nozzle 17a and the second nozzle 17b, the fourth nozzle 17d is moved to the adjustment position, the nozzle mounting portion 141 is fixed, and the fourth nozzle 17d is fixed. Unlocking, movement of the fourth nozzle 17d in the (+ Y) direction, locking of the fourth nozzle 17d, and unlocking of the nozzle mounting portion 141 are performed.

  As described above, in the coating apparatus 1, all the nozzles (that is, all the movable nozzles) except the third nozzle 17c are individually moved sequentially in the sub-scanning direction according to the movement amount obtained by the pitch detection unit 21. The nozzle pitch is adjusted. In the present embodiment, the nozzle pitch is adjusted in the range of 120 μm to 700 μm. In the coating head 14, since the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the fourth nozzle 17d are individually movable, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, the fourth nozzle 17d, the third nozzle 17c, Each distance between can be adjusted arbitrarily. In the coating apparatus 1, the movement of the three movable nozzles in the sub-scanning direction may be started from any movable nozzle. Further, the movable nozzles that do not require adjustment of the nozzle pitch are not moved in the sub-scanning direction.

  When the movement of the three movable nozzles in the sub-scanning direction is completed, the three fixed nozzles are sequentially imaged by the imaging unit 42, the distance between the nozzles is obtained by the pitch detection unit 21, and the nozzle position needs to be readjusted. It is confirmed whether or not. If it is determined that the nozzle position does not need to be readjusted, the nozzle pitch adjustment operation is completed. If it is determined that the nozzle position needs to be readjusted, the above-described nozzle pitch adjustment operation is repeated until it is determined that adjustment of the nozzle position is unnecessary.

  When the nozzle pitch adjustment operation is completed, the substrate 9 is placed and held on the substrate holding unit 11, and the alignment mark detection unit 13 images the alignment mark. Then, the substrate moving mechanism 12 is driven based on the output from the alignment mark detection unit 13, and the substrate 9 is positioned at the application start position indicated by the solid line in FIG. The coating head 14 is moved in the (−X) direction from the adjustment position by the head moving mechanism 15, and above the liquid receiving part 16 on the (+ X) side of the substrate 9 (that is, a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1). ).

  Subsequently, the flowable material supply unit is controlled to start discharging the organic EL liquid from the nozzle 17, and the head moving mechanism 15 is driven to start the movement of the coating head 14. In the present embodiment, the moving speed of the coating head 14 is about 1 m / sec. In the coating apparatus 1, the same type of organic EL liquid is continuously discharged from the four nozzles 17 toward the substrate 9, and the nozzle 17 is moved in the (−X) direction from the (+ X) side in FIG. (In the main scanning direction), the organic EL liquid is applied to the four grooves between the partition walls formed in advance on the application region 91 of the substrate 9. In the coating apparatus 1, the stripe-shaped organic EL liquids applied to the four grooves are arranged at a pitch equal to three times the partition wall pitch in the sub-scanning direction. In other words, two grooves to which other types of organic EL liquids are to be applied (or applied) are sandwiched between two adjacent grooves to which the organic EL liquid is applied.

  When the coating head 14 moves above the liquid receiving part 16 on the (−X) side of the substrate 9 (indicated by a two-dot chain line on the (−X) side in FIGS. 1 and 2), the substrate moving mechanism 12 is moved. When driven, the substrate 9 moves together with the substrate holding part 11 in the (+ Y) direction in FIG. At this time, in the coating head 14, the organic EL liquid is continuously discharged from the nozzle 17 toward the liquid receiving unit 16. When the movement of the substrate 9 in the sub-scanning direction is completed, the coating head 14 moves from the (−X) side of the substrate 9 to the (+ X) side while discharging the organic EL liquid from the nozzle 17.

  In the coating apparatus 1, the organic EL liquid is applied on the substrate 9 in a stripe pattern by repeating the main scanning and the sub-scanning of the four nozzles 17 with respect to the substrate 9 at high speed. When the substrate 9 moves to the application end position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the discharge of the organic EL liquid from the nozzle 17 is stopped and the application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9 is completed.

  As described above, in the coating apparatus 1, three of the four nozzles 17 attached to the nozzle attachment portion 141 are movable nozzles that can move relative to the nozzle attachment portion 141, and the pitch Each movable nozzle is sequentially moved in the sub-scanning direction by the adjusting mechanism 3 to adjust the pitch (that is, the nozzle pitch) of the four nozzles 17 in the sub-scanning direction. During the movement of each movable nozzle, in the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the nozzle abutting portion 32 abuts on each movable nozzle from one side in the sub-scanning direction (that is, the (−Y) side), and the nozzle urging mechanism 33 causes Each movable nozzle is urged toward the nozzle contact portion 32 from the other side in the scanning direction (that is, the (+ Y) side). In this state, the nozzle abutting portion 32 is moved in the (+ Y) direction by the abutting portion moving mechanism 34, whereby each movable nozzle is moved in the sub-scanning direction.

  In the coating apparatus 1, as described above, the movable nozzles are sandwiched from both sides in the movement direction (that is, the sub-scanning direction) by the nozzle contact portion 32 and the rod 331 of the nozzle urging mechanism 33, and the nozzle contact portion 32. By moving in an energized state, the amount of movement of each movable nozzle can be accurately controlled. As a result, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with high accuracy.

  By the way, in the organic EL display device, since the pitch between the partition walls formed on the substrate is very small, when the organic EL liquid is applied to the plurality of grooves between the partition walls, the organic EL liquid ejected from the plurality of nozzles. High application accuracy is required for the application position. As described above, the coating apparatus 1 can adjust the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 with high accuracy, and thus can be said to be particularly suitable for coating an organic EL liquid on a substrate for an organic EL display device.

  In the pitch adjusting mechanism 3 of the coating apparatus 1, the pressure in the air cylinder 332 of the nozzle urging mechanism 33 is kept constant by the regulator 333 regardless of the relative position of the rod 331 with respect to the air cylinder 332. Thereby, the urging force applied to each movable nozzle by the nozzle urging mechanism 33 is constant regardless of the position of each movable nozzle in the sub-scanning direction, and the movement of the nozzle abutting portion 32 that abuts on each movable nozzle is performed. The force required for is constant. As a result, the driving of the stepping motor 343 of the abutting portion moving mechanism 34 is stabilized, and the moving amount of each movable nozzle can be controlled with higher accuracy, so that the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with higher accuracy. Can do.

  Further, when the position of each movable nozzle in the sub-scanning direction is adjusted, the nozzle mounting portion 141 is fixed by the mounting portion fixing mechanism 31, so that the movable nozzle is transmitted to the nozzle mounting portion 141 via the movable nozzle when moving. The nozzle mounting portion 141 is prevented from being distorted by an external force such as a force from the contact portion moving mechanism 34 or a force applied to the nozzle mounting portion 141 when the movable nozzle is unlocked and locked by the lock portion operating mechanism 5. Can do. As a result, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with higher accuracy. In particular, the first fixing portion 311 and the second fixing portion 314 of the attachment portion fixing mechanism 31 fix the nozzle attachment portion 141 by sandwiching it from both sides in the moving direction of the movable nozzle (that is, the sub-scanning direction). It is possible to more reliably prevent the nozzle mounting portion 141 from being distorted due to the force in the sub-scanning direction mainly applied to the nozzle mounting portion 141 when the nozzle is moved. As a result, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

  In the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the nozzle contact portion 32 and the contact portion moving mechanism 34 are moved in the sub-scanning direction together with the first fixing portion 311 of the attachment portion fixing mechanism 31, and the nozzle urging mechanism 33 is moved to the second fixing portion 314. At the same time, it is moved in the sub-scanning direction. Thereby, when the nozzle mounting part 141 is fixed by the mounting part fixing mechanism 31, the nozzle contact part 32 and the nozzle urging mechanism 33 can be automatically positioned at a predetermined relative position with respect to each movable nozzle. For this reason, the positioning process of the nozzle contact portion 32 and the nozzle urging mechanism 33 with respect to the movable nozzle to be adjusted can be omitted, and the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be easily adjusted. In addition, the number of various moving mechanisms in the coating apparatus 1 can be reduced, and the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

  In the coating head 14, each movable nozzle can be easily and accurately moved in the sub-scanning direction by moving the slider 172 of each movable nozzle along the guide groove 142 of the nozzle mounting portion 141. As a result, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted easily and with high accuracy. Each movable nozzle includes a nozzle body 171 from which the organic EL liquid is discharged from the tip and a slider 172 to which the nozzle body 171 is detachably attached. Only the main body 171 can be removed from the nozzle mounting portion 141 and easily cleaned.

  In the coating apparatus 1, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with higher accuracy based on the highly accurate observation result of the positions of the plurality of nozzles 17 by the optical system 41 of the nozzle position detection unit 4. Further, the pitch detection unit 21 of the control unit 2 detects each distance between two nozzles adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction based on the images of the plurality of nozzles 17 acquired by the imaging unit 42. In the nozzle pitch adjustment operation, the time required to detect the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be shortened. Further, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 is automatically adjusted by controlling the contact portion moving mechanism 34 of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 by the adjustment mechanism control unit 22 based on the detection result of the pitch detection unit 21. be able to.

  In the coating apparatus 1, by operating the nozzle lock portions 173a, 173b, and 173d by the lock portion operation mechanism 5, the position of the movable nozzle can be unlocked and locked quickly and easily when the nozzle pitch is adjusted. Further, in each nozzle lock portion, the fixed member 1731 is biased by the slider 172 of each movable nozzle by the pressing portion 1732 to lock the movable nozzle, and the fixed member 1731 is slightly tilted with the plunger 1413 as a fulcrum. The movable nozzle is unlocked. Thus, by making each nozzle lock part have a simple structure, the unlocking and locking of the position of the movable nozzle at the time of adjusting the nozzle pitch can be performed more quickly and easily.

  As described above, the coating head 14 and the substrate holding unit 11 are movable independently from the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the nozzle position detection unit 4, and the lock unit operation mechanism 5. For this reason, in the application of the organic EL liquid, it is not necessary to move the pitch adjusting mechanism 3, the nozzle position detecting unit 4 and the lock unit operating mechanism 5 at the time of main scanning and sub scanning with respect to the substrate 9 of the coating head 14. As described above, in the coating apparatus 1, the portion moved by the main scanning mechanism and the sub-scanning mechanism (that is, the coating head 14 and the substrate holding unit 11 moved by the head moving mechanism 15 and the substrate moving mechanism 12) is reduced in size and weight. As a result, downsizing of the coating apparatus 1 can be realized. In the coating apparatus 1, since the main scanning of the coating head 14 is performed at a high speed, it is particularly preferable to reduce the size of the coating head 14.

  Next, a coating apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a front view showing the configuration of the coating apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, in the coating apparatus 1 a, the nozzle position detection unit 4 is disposed above the substrate holding unit 11. Other configurations are the same as those of the coating apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the same reference numerals are given in the following description. The adjustment method of the nozzle pitch in the coating apparatus 1a is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment except that the detection method of the nozzle pitch is different.

  In the coating apparatus 1a, when adjusting the nozzle pitch, the organic EL liquid is experimentally applied onto the test coating substrate 9a held by the substrate holding unit 11. The application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9a is performed by using the application head 14 while discharging the organic EL liquid from the four nozzles 17 in the same manner as the application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). This is done by moving in the scanning direction. Note that the partition walls mentioned in the first embodiment are not formed on the substrate 9a.

  Subsequently, the pattern of the organic EL liquid ejected from the four nozzles 17 and applied onto the substrate 9a (that is, four organic EL liquid lines arranged in a stripe shape) is displayed on the nozzle position detection unit 4. The image is observed using the optical system 41, and an image of the pattern of the organic EL liquid is acquired by the imaging unit 42. Next, the pitch detection unit 21 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 2 causes the distances between the center lines of the two adjacent organic EL liquid lines from the image to be adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction. It is detected as each distance between two nozzles (ie, the distance between each nozzle). As in the first embodiment, the pitch adjusting mechanism 3 causes the three movable nozzles (that is, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the second nozzle 17b shown in FIGS. The nozzle pitch is adjusted by moving the fourth nozzle 17d) in the sub-scanning direction.

  In addition, since the partition is not provided in the board | substrate 9a, the line of the applied organic electroluminescent liquid spreads irregularly in a subscanning direction as time passes. For this reason, it is preferable that imaging of the pattern of the organic EL liquid by the imaging unit 42 is performed immediately after the application of the organic EL liquid (for example, within several tens of milliseconds from the application).

  In the coating apparatus 1a, as in the first embodiment, when each movable nozzle is moved, the nozzle abutting portion 32 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) is moved to one side in the sub-scanning direction (that is, in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9). , (−Y) side), and the movable nozzles are brought into contact with each movable nozzle from the other side (ie, (+ Y) side) in the sub-scanning direction by the nozzle urging mechanism 33 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The nozzle contact portion 32 is biased. In this state, the nozzle contact portion 32 is moved in the (+ Y) direction by the contact portion moving mechanism 34 (see FIGS. 8 and 9), whereby each movable nozzle is moved in the sub-scanning direction. . As a result, the movement amount of each movable nozzle can be controlled with high accuracy, and the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with high accuracy.

  Further, in the coating apparatus 1 a, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with higher accuracy based on the highly accurate observation result of the organic EL liquid pattern by the optical system 41 of the nozzle position detection unit 4. Furthermore, the pitch detection unit 21 of the control unit 2 detects each distance between two adjacent nozzles in the sub-scanning direction based on the pattern image of the organic EL liquid acquired by the imaging unit 42. Thus, it is possible to reduce the time required for detecting the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 in the adjustment operation of the nozzle pitch.

  Next, a coating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a configuration of a coating apparatus 1b according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, in the coating apparatus 1 b, the nozzle position detection unit 4 is located below the lower end of the nozzle 17 between the (+ X) side liquid receiving unit 16 and the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 in FIG. 11. Therefore, it is arranged at a position that does not interfere with the movement of the coating head 14. Other configurations are the same as those of the coating apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the same reference numerals are given in the following description. The adjustment method of the nozzle pitch in the coating apparatus 1b is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment except that the detection method of the nozzle pitch is different.

  In the coating apparatus 1b, when the nozzle pitch is adjusted, the coating head 14 is moved above the liquid receiving part 16 on the (+ X) side. Subsequently, the four liquid columns of the organic EL liquid ejected from the four nozzles 17 are observed using the optical system 41 of the nozzle position detection unit 4, and the four organic EL liquids are captured by the imaging unit 42. An image of the liquid column is acquired. Note that the correspondence between each liquid column and the nozzle 17 is acquired by detecting the position of the coating head 14 in which each liquid column is in focus. Next, the pitch detection unit 21 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 2 causes the distances between the center lines of the two adjacent organic EL liquid columns to be adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction. It is detected as each distance between two nozzles (that is, each nozzle distance). As in the first embodiment, the pitch adjusting mechanism 3 causes the three movable nozzles (that is, the first nozzle 17a, the second nozzle 17b, and the second nozzle 17b shown in FIGS. The nozzle pitch is adjusted by moving the fourth nozzle 17d) in the sub-scanning direction.

  In the coating apparatus 1b, as in the first and second embodiments, each movable nozzle is moved into the nozzle contact portion 32 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) by the nozzle urging mechanism 33 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The amount of movement of each movable nozzle can be controlled with high accuracy and the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with high accuracy.

  Further, in the coating apparatus 1b, the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be adjusted with higher accuracy based on the highly accurate observation result of the liquid column of the organic EL liquid by the optical system 41 of the nozzle position detection unit 4. Furthermore, the pitch detection unit 21 of the control unit 2 detects the inter-nozzle distance based on the image of the liquid crystal column of the organic EL liquid acquired by the imaging unit 42, thereby adjusting the nozzle pitch. The time required for detecting the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 can be shortened.

  In the coating apparatus 1b, the nozzle pitch can be adjusted without actually applying the organic EL liquid to the substrate by adjusting the nozzle pitch based on the liquid column image discharged from the nozzle 17 in particular. it can. Thereby, the work time and labor concerning carrying in / out of the board | substrate for nozzle pitch adjustment etc. can be reduced. When observing the liquid column, by observing the liquid column at a position corresponding to the main surface of the substrate 9 at the time of actual application, based on a distance equal to the pitch of the organic EL liquid actually applied on the substrate. The nozzle pitch can be adjusted.

  On the other hand, in the coating apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the nozzle pitch is adjusted based on the pattern of the actually applied organic EL liquid so that it is applied onto the substrate used for the product. The pitch of the organic EL liquid pattern can be directly controlled.

  In the coating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the organic EL liquid is actually applied to the substrate by adjusting the nozzle pitch based on the image of the nozzle 17. The nozzle pitch can be adjusted. In addition, an image for detecting the inter-nozzle distance can be easily acquired as compared to the case of acquiring an image of the liquid column discharged from the nozzle 17.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible.

  For example, in the coating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the top of the four nozzles 17 on the (+ Z) side is imaged sequentially or simultaneously by the imaging unit 42 of the nozzle position detection unit 4 and between each nozzle. A distance may be determined. Further, the position of the nozzle 17 in the sub-scanning direction may be obtained by a measuring instrument such as a laser holo gauge or a non-contact laser length measuring device arranged toward the side surface of the nozzle 17. In this case, the position of the movable nozzle may be continuously measured even during the movement of the movable nozzle in the sub-scanning direction, and the movement of the movable nozzle may be controlled based on the measurement result.

  In the coating apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment, the substrate on which the pattern of the organic EL liquid for detecting the inter-nozzle distance is not necessarily limited to the test coating substrate 9a. For example, in a substrate used for a product, a pattern of an organic EL liquid applied on a trial basis in a non-application area where a partition wall is not formed may be imaged to obtain a distance between nozzles.

  In the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the attachment portion fixing mechanism 31 may be a mechanism independent of the nozzle contact portion 32, the nozzle urging mechanism 33, and the contact portion moving mechanism 34. In this case, the first fixing portion 311 and the second fixing portion 314 of the mounting portion fixing mechanism 31 are in contact with each other over the entire width of the nozzle mounting portion 141 in the main scanning direction. A mechanism for moving the urging mechanism 33 and the abutting portion moving mechanism 34 in the main scanning direction is provided, and the nozzle abutting portion 32 and the nozzle attached portion are attached in a state where the nozzle attaching portion 141 is continuously fixed by the attaching portion fixing mechanism 31. The position adjustment of the three movable nozzles may be sequentially performed while moving the biasing mechanism 33 and the contact portion moving mechanism 34 to positions corresponding to the respective movable nozzles.

  In addition, in the coating apparatus 1, three sets of the attachment portion fixing mechanism 31, the nozzle contact portion 32, the nozzle urging mechanism 33, the contact portion moving mechanism 34, and the lock portion operation mechanism 5 are provided. By arranging them side by side in the scanning direction, it may be possible to adjust the positions of the three movable nozzles in parallel. In this case, instead of the three sets of attachment portion fixing mechanisms 31, one attachment portion fixing mechanism that abuts the nozzle attachment portion 141 over the entire width in the main scanning direction may be provided.

Viewpoint et of weight of the coated fabric head 14, biasing mechanism with the nozzle, Ru individually provided independently of the coating head 14. In addition, since the nozzle urging mechanism is provided separately from the coating head 14, no pressing force is applied to the movable nozzle other than during adjustment of the nozzle pitch, thereby improving the reliability of locking the movable nozzle. Can do.

  In the nozzle lock portion, instead of the coil spring of the pressing portion 1732, the fixed member 1731 may be pressed toward the slider 172 of the movable nozzle by another spring member such as a disc spring or an elastic member such as rubber. Further, the movable nozzle and nozzle mounting portion 141 may be provided with magnets, and the fixing member 1731 may be pressed toward the slider 172 by the magnetic force of these magnets.

  In the coating head 14, any one of the nozzles other than the third nozzle 17 c may be fixed to the nozzle mounting portion 141 and used as a reference for adjusting the nozzle pitch. Further, all of the four nozzles 17 may be attached so as to be individually movable in the sub-scanning direction. In this case, the nozzle pitch is adjusted with high accuracy by moving any three nozzles or all four nozzles in the sub-scanning direction.

  In the coating apparatus according to the above embodiment, the number of nozzles provided in the coating head 14 is not limited to four and may be three or five or more. For example, three kinds of organic EL liquids each containing three kinds of organic EL materials having different colors from red (R), green (G), and blue (B) from three nozzles provided in the coating head 14 are provided. It may be discharged simultaneously and applied to the substrate 9. In this case, the distance between the adjacent two nozzles in the sub-scanning direction is adjusted to be equal to the partition wall pitch.

  In the coating apparatus, a fluid material (hereinafter referred to as “hole transport liquid”) containing a hole transport material that is a pixel forming material may be applied to the substrate 9. Here, the “hole transport material” is a material that forms a hole transport layer of an organic EL display device, and the “hole transport layer” is a positive electrode that is formed into an organic EL layer formed of an organic EL material. It means not only a narrowly defined hole transport layer that transports holes, but also includes a hole injection layer that injects holes.

  The coating device is not necessarily used only for coating an organic EL liquid or a hole transport liquid for an organic EL display device. For example, for a substrate for a flat display device such as a liquid crystal display device or a plasma display device. In addition, it may be used when a fluid material including other types of pixel forming materials such as a coloring material and a fluorescent material is applied.

  In such application of the hole transport liquid to the substrate for the organic EL display device and the application of the fluid material including the pixel forming material to the substrate for the other flat display device, the position accuracy of the application position of the fluid material is high. Is required. As described above, since the coating apparatus can adjust the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 with high accuracy, the application of the hole transport liquid to the substrate for the organic EL display device and the substrate for other flat display devices It is also particularly suitable for application of flowable materials including pixel forming materials.

  In addition to the substrate for flat display devices, the above coating device is used for coating various types of flowable materials on various substrates such as glass substrates and ceramic substrates for magnetic disks and optical disks, and semiconductor substrates. May be.

It is a top view of the coating device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a front view of a coating device. It is a block diagram which shows the function of a control part. It is a front view of an application head. It is a top view of a coating head. It is a left view which expands and shows the nozzle lock part vicinity. It is a left view which shows a lock part operation mechanism. It is a top view of a pitch adjustment mechanism and a coating head. It is a left view of a pitch adjustment mechanism and a coating head. It is a front view of the coating device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view of the coating device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a, 1b Coating device 3 Pitch adjustment mechanism 5 Lock part operation mechanism 9, 9a Substrate 11 Substrate holding part 12 Substrate movement mechanism 15 Head movement mechanism 17, 17a-17d Nozzle 21 Pitch detection part 22 Adjustment mechanism control part 31 Attachment part Fixing mechanism 32 Nozzle contact portion 33 Nozzle urging mechanism 34 Contact portion moving mechanism 41 Optical system 42 Imaging portion 141 Nozzle mounting portion 142 Guide groove 171 Nozzle body 172 Sliders 173a, 173b, 173d Nozzle lock portion 311 First fixing portion 312 First support portion 313 First moving mechanism 314 Second fixing portion 315 Second supporting portion 316 Second moving mechanism 1731 fixing member 1732 pressing portion

Claims (12)

An application device for applying a flowable material to a substrate,
A substrate holder for holding the substrate;
A plurality of nozzles that continuously discharge a flowable material toward the substrate;
A nozzle mounting portion to which the plurality of nozzles are mounted;
A main scanning mechanism for moving the plurality of nozzles relative to the substrate together with the nozzle mounting portion in a main scanning direction parallel to a main surface of the substrate;
A sub-scanning mechanism that moves the plurality of nozzles and the nozzle mounting portion relative to the substrate in a sub-scanning direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate and perpendicular to the main scanning direction;
Adjusting each distance between two adjacent nozzles in the sub-scanning direction by individually moving a plurality of movable nozzles that are all of the plurality of nozzles or all other than the one in the sub-scanning direction. A pitch adjustment mechanism;
With
The pitch adjusting mechanism is
A nozzle contact portion that contacts each movable nozzle from one side in the sub-scanning direction;
A nozzle urging mechanism for urging each movable nozzle to the nozzle contact portion from the other side in the sub-scanning direction;
An abutting portion moving mechanism for adjusting a position in the sub-scanning direction of the nozzle abutting portion with which the movable nozzles urged by the nozzle urging mechanism abut;
Equipped with a,
The main by the scanning mechanism and the scanning mechanism, the coating apparatus wherein a plurality of nozzles and the nozzle mounting portion is characterized that you move independently from the pitch adjustment mechanism. The coating apparatus according to claim 1,
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an urging force applied to each movable nozzle by the nozzle urging mechanism is constant regardless of a position of each movable nozzle in the sub-scanning direction. The coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pitch adjusting mechanism further includes an attaching portion fixing mechanism for fixing the nozzle attaching portion. The coating apparatus according to claim 3 ,
The mounting portion fixing mechanism is
A first fixing portion that contacts the nozzle mounting portion from the one side in the sub-scanning direction;
A first support part to which the first fixing part, the nozzle contact part and the contact part moving mechanism are attached;
A second fixing portion that contacts the nozzle mounting portion from the other side in the sub-scanning direction;
A second support part to which the second fixing part and the nozzle urging mechanism are attached;
A first moving mechanism for moving the first support portion in the sub-scanning direction;
A second moving mechanism for moving the second support portion in the sub-scanning direction;
A coating apparatus comprising: The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
Each movable nozzle is
A nozzle body from which a fluid material is discharged from the tip;
A slider to which the nozzle body is attached and held in a guide groove formed in the nozzle attachment portion and extending in the sub-scanning direction and movable along the guide groove;
A coating apparatus comprising: The coating apparatus according to claim 5 ,
A nozzle lock portion for locking the position of the slider with respect to the nozzle mounting portion;
A lock unit operating mechanism for locking the position of the slider and releasing the lock by operating the nozzle lock unit;
A coating apparatus further comprising: The coating apparatus according to claim 6 ,
The nozzle lock part is
A fixing member that contacts the slider when the position of the slider is locked;
A pressing portion that urges the slider toward the nozzle mounting portion by pressing the fixing member toward the slider;
With
When the position of the slider is unlocked, the fixing member is tilted in a direction away from the slider about a fulcrum that contacts the nozzle mounting portion. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
Optics used for observing the plurality of movable nozzles, the pattern of the flowable material discharged from the plurality of nozzles and applied to the substrate, or the plurality of liquid columns of the flowable material discharged from the plurality of nozzles. An applicator further comprising a system. The coating apparatus according to claim 8 ,
An imaging unit that acquires images of the plurality of movable nozzles, the pattern of the fluid material, or the liquid columns of the fluid material via the optical system;
A pitch detector that detects each distance between two nozzles adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction from the image;
A coating apparatus further comprising: The coating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an adjustment mechanism control unit that controls the contact portion moving mechanism of the pitch adjustment mechanism based on a detection result of the pitch detection unit. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
The coating apparatus, wherein the fluid material includes a pixel forming material for a flat display device. It is a coating device of Claim 11 , Comprising:
The coating device, wherein the pixel forming material is an organic EL material or a hole transport material for an organic EL display device.

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