JP4888007B2 - Nozzle, coating apparatus, coating method, and flat panel display manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display member, a color filter (LCM) for a liquid crystal display device, an optical filter, a printed circuit board, a semiconductor, etc. constituting a display panel represented by a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as PDP). It is used in the field of applying high-viscosity coating liquids. For example, in a PDP manufacturing process, a coating liquid is discharged in a non-contact manner on the surface of an object to be coated such as a glass substrate, and a pattern-like coating is performed. The present invention relates to a nozzle, a coating apparatus, a coating method, and a method for manufacturing a plasma display member.

In recent years, displays have become increasingly diversified in their methods. At present, flat panel displays are attracting attention, and one of the typical examples is a plasma display panel that is larger, thinner and lighter than a conventional cathode ray tube. This is because a discharge is generated in a discharge space formed between the front plate and the back plate, and the phosphor in the phosphor layer is excited and emitted by ultraviolet rays centered on a wavelength of 147 nm generated from the xenon gas by this discharge. Display is possible. Full-color display can be supported by causing the drive circuit to emit light by separately emitting discharge cells in which phosphors emitting red (R) , green (G), and blue (B) are separately applied.

  Of these, the alternating current (AC) plasma display, which has been actively developed recently, includes a front glass plate on which display electrodes / dielectric layers / protective layers are formed, and address electrodes / dielectric layers / partition layers / phosphors. The back glass plate in which the layers are formed is bonded, and a He—Xe or Ne—Xe mixed gas is sealed in a discharge space partitioned by striped barrier ribs. Each of the R, G, and B phosphor layers is formed by filling a phosphor paste mainly composed of powdered phosphor particles into recesses formed by striped barrier ribs formed on the back plate. In order to manufacture a product having such a structure with high productivity and high quality, a technique of coating the phosphor paste in a certain pattern is important.

  As a technique for coating the phosphor paste in a certain pattern, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a manifold member that forms a coating liquid reservoir for storing a coating liquid therein and a plate having a plurality of discharge holes There is disclosed a method of applying with a nozzle having a configuration in which a member of a shape is joined.

  In the nozzle, since the member having the manifold member and the plate-like member having the discharge hole are formed as separate members, for example, when the discharge hole is worn due to the discharge of the coating liquid, Even if the plate is damaged, it is only necessary to replace the plate member, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

  In recent years, plasma display panels are required to have higher definition and cost reduction. Therefore, in order to cope with the higher definition, various studies have been made such as reducing the diameter of the discharge hole of the nozzle, increasing the accuracy, and reducing the manufacturing cost.

  Here, the further high definition of the plasma display panel means that the interval between the concave and convex portions formed by the partition walls becomes narrower. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the discharge hole of the nozzle provided corresponding to the uneven portion. In order to discharge the coating liquid from the discharge hole, for example, pressure is applied to the coating liquid by using pressurized air, but the pressure loss in the portion increases due to the decrease in the hole diameter. The pressure needs to be increased accordingly. Thereby, the pressure applied to the inside of the nozzle is increased when the coating liquid is discharged.

  Further, in order to reduce the cost of the plasma display panel, it is necessary to increase the number of production per unit time, that is, to shorten the tact time. Therefore, the coating speed is increased. For this purpose, it is necessary to increase the amount of the coating liquid ejected from the ejection holes per unit time. In this case as well, it is necessary to increase the pressure for ejection accordingly, and this increases the pressure applied to the inside of the nozzle during ejection.

  As described above, when the demand for higher definition and cost reduction is met, the pressure applied to the inside of the nozzle during discharge increases, so the member having the manifold and the plate-like member having the discharge hole are joined. There was a problem in that the bonding force of the surfaces could not be maintained and the nozzles were damaged due to peeling.

It is also conceivable to increase the bonding area by increasing the width of the manifold member and the plate-like body member in order to provide a sufficient bonding force. However, since the nozzle discharge hole and the back plate face each other at the time of application and are applied close to a few hundred microns, the nozzle and the back plate may collide even if the nozzle is slightly tilted. Therefore, it is difficult to simply increase the width of the manifold member and the plate-like member to increase the bonding area.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-309402 (FIG. 5 on page 12).

Accordingly, the present invention provides a nozzle, a coating liquid coating apparatus and a coating method, and a flat panel display manufacturing method , which improve the drawbacks of the conventional technology and have high accuracy and low manufacturing cost, but have higher bonding strength. Is the purpose.

The present invention for solving the above-described problems is characterized by the following (1) to (8).
(1) A nozzle that discharges a coating liquid from a discharge hole and applies it to a substrate, and a manifold member that forms a coating liquid reservoir for storing the coating liquid and a plurality of discharge holes are substantially straight in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle The manifold member and the discharge hole forming member are joined via a joint surface, and the joint surface is a curved surface or a surface constituted by two or more planes. A nozzle characterized by being.
(2) The nozzle according to (1), wherein the joint surface is a part of a cylindrical surface or a part of an elliptic cylinder surface.
(3) The nozzle according to (1), wherein the joint surface is configured by a plurality of planes.
(4) The substantially flat plate-like material in which a plurality of discharge holes are arranged in a substantially straight line as the discharge hole forming member, and joined by being fixed to the joint surface of the manifold member (1) The nozzle in any one of-(3).
(5) The nozzle according to (4), wherein the plate-like material is a plate-like body having a parallelism of 0.1 mm or less.
(6) A table for fixing the base material, a nozzle that is provided facing the concave and convex portions of the base material, and discharges a predetermined amount of coating liquid into the concave portion of the concave and convex base material, and the table and the nozzle are three-dimensionally arranged a coating apparatus provided with a moving means for relatively moving the coating device in which the nozzle is characterized by a nozzle according to any one of the above (1) to (5).
(7) The base material and a nozzle having a plurality of discharge holes provided facing the base material surface are relatively moved, and at the same time, a coating liquid is discharged from the discharge holes to apply the coating onto the base material surface. An application method for applying a liquid, wherein the nozzle is the nozzle described in any one of (1) to (5) above.
(8) A manufacturing method of a flat panel display including a step of applying a paste to a substrate using a nozzle, wherein the nozzle performs application using the nozzle described in any one of (1) to (5) above. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display .

According to the nozzle of the present invention, since the manifold member and the discharge hole forming member have a high bonding force, they are not easily damaged even when the pressure applied to the inside of the nozzle is high, can be applied with high accuracy, and are manufactured at low cost. can do. Furthermore, according to the coating liquid coating apparatus and coating method and the flat panel display manufacturing method according to the present invention, high definition and cost reduction of a flat panel display represented by a plasma display panel and the like can be realized, and excellent quality is achieved. Products can be provided.

  The nozzle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in the nozzle longitudinal direction of the nozzle of the first example of the present invention.

  The nozzle 9 includes a manifold member 52 that forms a coating liquid reservoir 51 that stores the coating liquid 91 therein, and a discharge hole forming member 93 in which a plurality of discharge holes 56 are arranged in a substantially straight line. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 9 has a coating liquid supply port 54 for supplying the coating liquid to the coating liquid reservoir 51 and a pressurized air for supplying pressurized air to discharge the coating liquid. A supply port 200 is provided.

  The coating liquid supply port 54 includes a hole that is inserted into the coating liquid reservoir 51 and opens at the tip of the pipe 57. At the time of application, the nozzle 9, particularly the nozzle surface 9 a and the back plate are brought close to each other, pressurized air is supplied from the pressurized air supply port 200 to pressurize the coating liquid, and the coating liquid is pushed out from the discharge holes and applied.

  Here, the means for discharging the coating liquid is not limited to using the above-described pressurized air. For example, the nozzle 9 may be filled with the coating liquid and pushed out by a pump or the like.

Further, in order to supply the coating liquid to the coating liquid reservoir 51, the coating liquid is applied upstream of the coating liquid reservoir 51 like a general die coater, in addition to using the pipe 57 inserted in the coating liquid reservoir. A manifold that widens in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle may be formed and communicated with the coating liquid reservoir 51.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the nozzle of FIG. 2 in the side surface direction. The nozzle 9 has a manifold member 52 and a discharge hole forming member 93.

  The manifold member 52 forms a coating liquid reservoir 51 for storing the coating liquid 91, and a plate-like discharge hole forming member 93 in which the discharge holes 56 are formed is joined via a joint surface 92.

  In the present invention, the use of the plate-like discharge hole forming member 93 is effective in increasing the processing accuracy such as the diameter and pitch of the discharge holes 56, and pressure is required when discharging a highly viscous coating liquid. This has the effect of preventing the loss from becoming larger than necessary, preventing the pressure applied to the inside of the nozzle from increasing, and preventing a large difference in the discharge amount for each discharge hole. Furthermore, there is an advantage that it can be easily replaced when the discharge hole is worn out or is damaged by mistake. In the present invention, the discharge hole forming member 93 preferably has a thickness of 0.1 to 3 mm at a portion where the discharge hole is formed. The diameter of the discharge hole is preferably 50 to 500 μm. Moreover, it is preferable that the plurality of ejection holes are arranged on a substantially straight line at a pitch of 300 to 1500 μm.

  The nozzle of the present invention is characterized in that the joint surface 92 where the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 are joined is a curved surface or a surface constituted by two or more flat surfaces. Here, a curved surface or a surface composed of two or more planes means a surface other than a single plane, a continuous curved surface, a combination of a curved surface and a plane, or a plurality of planes. Point to. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the joining surface is a part of a cylindrical surface, but the joining surface may be a part of an elliptical cylinder surface, or a part of a cylindrical surface or a combination of a part of an elliptical cylinder surface and a plane. The shape may consist of Here, the radius of curvature of a part of the cylindrical surface or a part of the elliptical cylindrical surface is preferably in the range of 5 to 200 mm.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the range which is a part of cylindrical surface or a part of elliptic cylinder surface is the range whose center angle is 10 to 180 degrees.

  Thus, by making the shape of the joining surface 92 a curved surface or a surface constituted by two or more planes, the joining area between the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 can be increased, and as a result, the joining force is increased. As a result, each member becomes difficult to peel off. Furthermore, by making the nozzle surface 9a convex downward, it is possible to reduce the width of the portion of the nozzle surface that faces the substrate that is the base material parallel to the substrate, and apply the coating liquid to the substrate. At this time, the nozzle surface can be easily brought close to the substrate, which is advantageous in performing high-precision coating.

  On the other hand, when the joining surface is formed of a single plane, it is necessary to widen the joining surface as in the nozzle shown in FIG. 17 in order to obtain a sufficient joining force. The width of the parallel part is also widened. In such a case, if the distance between the nozzle surface and the substrate is reduced for the purpose of high-precision coating, the nozzle surface and the substrate collide if a slight tilt occurs in the rotation direction about the longitudinal direction of the nozzle. There is a fear. Therefore, in order to avoid this, it is necessary to provide a position adjustment mechanism in the rotation direction at the portion where the nozzle is attached, to eliminate the inclination, and to keep the distance from the substrate uniform.

  In the nozzle of the present invention, it is preferable to use an adhesive as means for joining the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93. Specifically, a silicone-based adhesive or an epoxy-based adhesive can be applied, but any adhesive may be used as long as a desired adhesive force can be obtained.

  It is preferable that the adhesive can be applied as uniformly as possible. The adhesive may be applied directly to the joining surface 92 or may be sprayed by spraying.

The advantage of bonding with an adhesive is that it can be easily bonded and can be easily peeled off. For example, even if the discharge hole 56 is worn away due to the discharge of the coating liquid and the desired coating quality cannot be obtained, or the discharge hole forming member 93 is damaged, the discharge hole forming member 93 is removed with an adhesive remover or the like. If peeled off, the manifold member 52 can be used again, which is very advantageous in terms of cost.
In addition, it is also preferable to use a plurality of bolts 94 for fastening and fixing together after bonding with an adhesive as described above. That is, after the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 are joined with an adhesive, the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 can be joined more firmly by fastening and fixing with the plurality of bolts 94.
At this time, it is desirable that the number of bolts 94 and the distance between the bolts are determined by the discharge pressure and the adhesive bonding force.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view in the side surface direction of the nozzle of the second example of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a view of the nozzle of FIG. 4 as viewed from the lower side (discharge hole side).

  In FIG. 4, the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 are bonded with an adhesive, and then fastened with a bolt 94 via an intermediate member 95.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the intermediate member 95 is an integral member extending in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 9 and is fixed by a plurality of bolts 94. Since the intermediate member 95 presses the discharge hole forming member 93 on the surface, the discharge hole forming member 93 can be fixed more firmly than the embodiment in which the bolts 94 are fastened as shown in FIG.

  At this time, the size of the intermediate member 95 and the number and interval of the bolts 94 are desirably determined according to the magnitude of the discharge pressure.

  Further, when the nozzle 9 is long in the nozzle longitudinal direction, the intermediate member 95 can be manufactured at low cost because it is easier to manufacture by dividing the intermediate member 95 by an arbitrary length and arranging them.

  As other joining means, joining by laser welding is also possible. However, in the case of laser welding, since it is joining by welding, heat distortion may be a problem because heat is applied. Therefore, this problem can be avoided by adopting a welding method in which the laser output is low and heat is not applied for a long time. Specifically, a YAG laser welder may be used to reduce the welding spot diameter as much as possible with a low output and to reduce the penetration depth.

  Adhesive bonding and laser welding can be used in combination. After joining with an adhesive, higher welding force can be obtained by laser welding. In addition, by fixing the discharge hole forming member 93 to the manifold member 52 in advance with an adhesive, the welding operation of laser welding becomes much easier.

  Further, at this time, when a silicone adhesive that forms an adhesive layer of an elastic body after being solidified is used as the adhesive, the elastic body serves as a seal, thereby preventing the coating liquid from leaking out. Therefore, it is preferable.

Note that the laser welding may be performed by welding the entire periphery of the discharge hole forming member 93 or spot welding in which welding is performed at an arbitrary interval.
Other joining means include diffusion welding and beam welding, but any joining means may be used as long as thermal strain and manufacturing accuracy fall within an allowable range.

  6 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views in the side direction of the nozzles of the third and fourth examples of the present invention.

  In the nozzle of FIG. 6, the joint surface 92 that joins the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 is a surface constituted by three planes.

  Even if it is a joint surface of such a plane composed of a plurality of planes, there is an effect similar to the case described above, and the joint area between the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 can be increased, and as a result. Bonding force increases and each member becomes difficult to peel off. Furthermore, since the nozzle surface 9a is convex downward, it is possible to reduce the width of the portion parallel to the substrate that is the application target of the nozzle surface facing the substrate, and when applying the coating liquid to the base material The nozzle surface can be easily brought close to the substrate.

  Here, the number and shape of the planes constituting the bonding surface are not particularly specified, and any plane number or shape may be used as long as a desired bonding force can be obtained. It is preferable to consist of a surface and two inclined surfaces which sandwich this. Here, the width of the nozzle surface parallel to the substrate is preferably 3 to 30 mm. At this time, the angle of the inclined surface needs to be selected such that the head of the bolt 94 is below the nozzle surface and does not come into contact with the base material. It is preferable to incline in the range. As in the case described above, it is preferable to use an adhesive as described above, and any bonding means such as laser welding, diffusion bonding or beam welding may be used as long as the thermal strain and manufacturing accuracy are within an allowable range. May be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the manifold member 52 and the discharge hole forming member 93 may be bonded with an adhesive, and then fastened and fixed with bolts 94 via the intermediate member 95.

This intermediate member 95 presses the discharge hole forming member 93 with the same surface as that used in the nozzle of FIG. 4, so that the discharge hole is formed more firmly than the embodiment in which the bolt 94 is fastened as shown in FIG. The member 93 can be fixed.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view in the side surface direction of the nozzle of the fifth example of the present invention.

  As described above, joining with an adhesive is advantageous in terms of cost because the discharge hole forming member 93 can be replaced. For example, when joining to the manifold member 52 completely by laser welding, Even if it cannot be peeled off successfully, by using the nozzle of FIG. 8, it is possible to obtain the same cost merit as when only the discharge hole forming member 93 is replaced.

  In the nozzle of FIG. 8, the manifold member 52 includes an upper member 52a and a lower member 52b, and the discharge hole forming member 93 is joined to the lower member 52b via a joining surface 92. The joint surface 92 is a three-dimensional surface, and in this example, is a line including an arc. The lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 may be joined by, for example, using YAG laser welding, and then firmly fixing the discharge hole forming member 93 with the bolt 94 via the intermediate member 95.

  Further, it is preferable to use a sealing means on the contact surface between the lower member 52b and the upper member 52a so that the coating liquid does not leak out. In this embodiment, an O-ring 98 is used. As the sealing means, for example, rubber packing or metal packing can be used, and as other means, the surface roughness of the contact surface between the lower member and the upper member is finished to about 0.4 s, for example, You may perform the surface seal | sticker which improves flatness to such an extent that a coating liquid does not leak, and mutually adheres.

  And a nozzle can be comprised by fastening these lower member 52b and upper member 52a with a volt | bolt (not shown).

  In this way, even if problems such as wear or damage occur in the discharge hole forming member 93, it is only necessary to replace the lower member 52b to which the discharge hole forming member 93 is joined, which is advantageous in terms of cost. Become.

  Here, the manufacturing procedure of the nozzle of FIG. 8 will be described. Note that the nozzle of FIG. 4 can be manufactured in the same manufacturing procedure.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing an example of a manufacturing procedure of the nozzle of FIG. FIG. 14 is a view of the nozzle of FIG. 8 as viewed from below.

  The discharge hole forming member 93 is bent in advance in an arc substantially the same as the joint surface between the lower member 52 b and the discharge hole forming member 93. This is joined to the lower member 52b with an adhesive. At this time, the lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 are preferably positioned by the two positioning pins 96 shown in FIG. The positioning pin 96 is longer than the thickness of the discharge hole forming member 93, and after the bonding is completed, or after being fastened and fixed with the bolt 94 via the intermediate member 95, the positioning pin 96 protrudes from the discharge hole forming member 93. It is preferable to excise the existing part. The positions of the positioning pins 96 may be other than the positions shown in FIG. 14, and the number is not limited to two.

  At this time, it is preferable that the discharge hole forming member 93 has already finished processing the discharge holes 56. Moreover, the bonding force by an adhesive agent can be made high by roughening the bonding surface of each member or one member beforehand. This is because the surface area of the joint surface can be increased by roughening the joint surface of each member in advance, that is, the contact area with the adhesive can be increased.

  After joining the lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 with an adhesive in the above procedure using an adhesive, and using YAG laser welding or the like as necessary, the bolt 94 is passed through the intermediate member 95. Is used to firmly fix the discharge hole forming member 93.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing another example of the manufacturing procedure of the nozzle of FIG.

  The discharge hole forming member 93 is initially flat. After applying an adhesive to the lower member 52b, the discharge hole forming member 93 is deformed by pressing the discharge hole forming member 93 against the lower member 52b using a jig 97, and then joined. . Also in this case, as in the case described above, the positioning of the lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 is preferably performed by a positioning pin. After joining the lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 with an adhesive according to the above procedure, and after joining using YAG laser welding or the like as necessary, the discharge hole using the bolt 94 through the intermediate member 95 The forming member 93 is firmly fixed.

  FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view in the side surface direction of the nozzle of the sixth example of the present invention. Similar to the nozzle of FIG. 8, the manifold member 52 includes an upper member 52 a and a lower member 52 b, and the discharge hole forming member 93 is joined to the lower member 52 b through a joining surface 92.

  Also in the nozzle of FIG. 11, the joint surface 92 of the lower member 52b with the discharge hole forming member 93 is a surface formed by three planes.

  And as a joining means of the lower member 52b and the discharge hole formation member 93, after joining using YAG laser welding, for example, if the discharge hole formation member 93 is firmly fixed using the bolt 94 via the intermediate member 95, Good.

  Moreover, it is preferable to use a sealing means on the contact surface between the lower member 52b and the upper member 52a so that the coating liquid does not leak out, as in the nozzle of FIG. 8, and an O-ring is used in this embodiment. Further, as another means, surface sealing may be performed in the same manner as described above.

  And a nozzle can be comprised by fastening these lower member 52b and upper member 52a with a volt | bolt (not shown).

  By doing so, as described above, even if a problem occurs in the discharge hole forming member 93, it is only necessary to replace the lower member 52b to which the discharge hole forming member 93 is joined, which is advantageous in terms of cost. Become.

Here, the manufacturing procedure of the nozzle of FIG. 11 will be described. Note that the nozzle of FIG. 7 can be manufactured by the same manufacturing procedure.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing an example of a manufacturing procedure of the nozzle of FIG. The discharge hole forming member 93 is bent in advance to have substantially the same shape as the joint surface between the lower member 52 b and the discharge hole forming member 93. This is joined to the lower member 52b by an adhesive. Also in this case, as described in the nozzle manufacturing procedure of FIG. 8, the positioning of the lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 is preferably performed by a positioning pin.

  At this time, it is preferable that the discharge hole forming member 93 has already finished processing the discharge holes 56. Also in this case, the bonding force of the adhesive may be increased by roughening the surface of each member or the bonding surface of one member.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing another example of the manufacturing procedure of the nozzle of FIG.

  The discharge hole forming member 93 is initially flat, and after applying an adhesive to the lower member, the discharge hole forming member 93 is deformed by pressing the discharge hole forming member 93 against the lower member 52b using the jig 97, and then joined. Also in this case, as described above, it is preferable to position the lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 with positioning pins.

  In addition, since the discharge hole forming member 93 is bent, it is preferable to process a minute V-shaped groove in a bent portion in advance.

  After joining the lower member 52b and the discharge hole forming member 93 with an adhesive according to the above procedure, and after joining using YAG laser welding or the like as necessary, the discharge hole using the bolt 94 through the intermediate member 95 The forming member 93 is firmly fixed.

  In the above description, the discharge hole forming member 93 is preferably a plate-like body having a parallelism of 0.1 mm or less. The thickness of the plate-like body is preferably in the range of 0.2 to 3 mm, and more preferably the hole length of the discharge hole 56 is equal to the thickness of the plate-like body. By doing so, if the thickness of the plate-like body is processed with high accuracy, the hole length of the discharge hole 56 can be processed with high accuracy.

  Further, since the discharge hole 56, which is the most important part for discharging the coating liquid, is processed on a relatively inexpensive plate-like body, the manufacturing cost of the nozzle itself can be greatly reduced. Further, since the processing is simply a plate-like body, the processing operation is facilitated, and a highly accurate discharge hole can be formed.

  The above contents can be applied in any combination, and it is desirable to use them properly according to the required bonding strength, coating liquid characteristics, and the like.

  Next, an example of the overall configuration of a coating liquid coating apparatus according to the present invention, particularly a coating liquid coating apparatus for a plasma display panel member, will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a coating liquid coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a substrate 1 that is a base material to be coated is placed on a table 2, and is sucked and fixed by a suction device (not shown) provided on the table 2. When manufacturing a member for plasma display, the substrate 1 is provided with striped partition walls. The substrate 1 has a coating region 3. The table 2 is supported by a θ-axis member (not shown) that can rotate around the center. The θ-axis member is mounted on the Y-axis transport unit 4, and the Y-axis transport unit 4 moves in the Y-axis direction of the machine base 6 along linear guides 4 a and 4 b provided on the X-axis transport unit 5. The X-axis transport unit 5 moves in the X-axis direction of the machine base 6 along linear guides 5 a and 5 b provided on the machine base 6. The X and Y axis conveyance units are adjusted to be orthogonal. The X-axis transport unit 5 is a relative movement unit for applying the coating liquid to the substrate 1 and moves the table 2 in the X-axis direction in the application operation.

  A gate-shaped support base 7 is provided above the center of the machine base 6 so as to pass through the table 2 moved by the X-axis transport section 5 so as to be orthogonal to the X-axis. Z-axis transport units 8a and 8b that move in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the table 2 are provided on both sides of the back side (hereinafter referred to as the downstream side) of the support base 7, and the Z-axis transport unit 8a. 8b, a nozzle 9 for discharging the coating liquid is attached with reference to the center of the machine base 6 in the Y-axis direction. The nozzle 9 is detachable and is fixed by a chuck (not shown) provided on the Z-axis transport units 8a and 8b perpendicular to the X-axis movement direction of the table 2 when attached to the Z-axis transport units 8a and 8b. The

  As described above, the coating apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that it has a nozzle in which the manifold portion and the discharge hole forming member are joined via a joining surface comprising a curved surface or a surface constituted by two or more planes. By having such a nozzle, problems such as breakage are unlikely to occur, and an inexpensive coating apparatus can be obtained. By using this nozzle, a high-definition plasma display member can be manufactured with high accuracy and at low cost. Can do.

  Next, other features of the nozzle 9 will be described with reference to FIG. The nozzle 9 is selected according to the size of the application region 3 to be applied, and the discharge holes 56 for completing the application in one application operation for all of the predetermined grooves formed in the application region 3 are approximately. They are arranged in a straight line. For example, when the substrate to be applied is a back plate of a plasma display, a coating solution containing phosphor powder of one color of R, G, or B is applied. Accordingly, the nozzles 9 are provided with the discharge holes 56 at the number and pitch corresponding to the grooves to be applied.

  Further, the nozzle 9 may be one that reduces the number of ejection holes 56 and completes the application to one substrate by a plurality of application operations. That is, it may be a short nozzle or a nozzle with a wider pitch of the discharge holes 56.

  The nozzle 9 has a coating liquid reservoir 51 for storing the coating liquid therein, and is connected to a pipe for supplying the coating liquid. An opening / closing valve 10 for controlling the supply of the coating liquid is provided at the opposite end of the pipe. The coating liquid tank 12 is connected through the connector. A gas pressure source 13 having a predetermined pressure is connected to the coating liquid tank 12 via a pipe. The nozzle 9 is connected to a pipe for supplying a gas pressure for discharging the coating liquid from the discharge hole 56. The opposite end portion of the pipe is connected to a gas pressure switching valve 11, one of which is a desired pressure. Is connected to the gas pressure source 13 and the other is open to the atmosphere.

  When discharging the coating liquid from the discharge hole 56, the switching valve 11 is opened, and the coating liquid is pushed out from the discharge hole by pressurizing the inside of the nozzle. At this time, by using, for example, the nozzle 9 shown in FIG. 3, even if a large force is applied by pressurization, the discharge hole forming member 93 can be prevented from peeling off.

  The coating liquid is supplied to the nozzle 9 by opening the opening / closing valve 10 with the switching valve 11 opened to the atmosphere. At this time, for example, a liquid level sensor 58 for detecting the liquid level height is provided for the coating liquid, and a predetermined amount is stored so as to leave a space above the coating liquid reservoir 51. Such a liquid level sensor 58 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the liquid level, but is preferably non-contact with the coating liquid. Thereby, contamination of the coating liquid can be prevented.

  The coating liquid is discharged by switching the switching valve 11 to the gas pressure source 13 and supplying the gas pressure to this space.

  The application process to the substrate includes a process of supplying the coating liquid to the coating liquid reservoir 51 of the nozzle 9 and a process of applying the coating liquid to the application region, which are alternately repeated. In the process of applying the coating liquid to the application area, the application liquid is applied to the application area 3 using a part (predetermined amount) of the coating liquid in the coating liquid reservoir 51 in a single process. Thereby, since the liquid level in the coating liquid reservoir 51 (distance from the discharge hole to the liquid level) is lowered by a certain height, the coating liquid is supplied (supplemented) by a predetermined amount in the next coating liquid supply process, The liquid level is set to a predetermined height (coating liquid amount).

  Cameras 17 and 19 are attached to the front side (hereinafter referred to as the upstream side) of the support base 7 as first position sensors for measuring the position of the application region 3 of the substrate 1. A camera 18 is attached as a second position sensor for measuring the position of the reference groove. These measuring means may have a plurality of cameras. These cameras are attached to the Y1 transport unit 14, the Y3 transport unit 16, and the Y2 transport unit 15 that can move independently in the Y-axis direction of the support base 7 through fine adjustment mechanisms in the X- and Z-axis directions, respectively. ing. The Y1 and Y3 transport sections are adjusted by the linear guides 7a and 7b so that the height from the table surface is constant even when the Y1 and Y3 transport sections are moved in the Y-axis direction.

  The control unit 22 includes a microcomputer, RAM, hard disk, and the like. The control unit 22 includes a movement control unit 24. The movement control unit 24 controls the operation of the coating machine via the movement driving unit 25, and relatively moves the substrate 1 and the nozzle 9 in the X direction. The control unit 22 includes a supply control unit 23, and has a touch panel unit that controls the supply of the coating liquid to the nozzle 9 and the discharge of the coating liquid from the nozzle 9, and inputs and displays the application conditions. In addition, each camera is usually configured to be connected to a monitor television and display an image of the field of view.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the substrate 1 as viewed from above. The substrate 1 has a coating region 3 in the X direction (coating direction). In the application region 3, linear ribs (not shown) are formed over the entire surface at a predetermined interval perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the application region, and grooves are formed between the ribs. In addition, there is a structure in which a lateral rib for dividing the groove is formed between the ribs. In the vicinity of the four corners of the coating region 3, alignment marks A1 and A4 indicating the positional relationship with the rib pattern formed on the substrate surface are provided. This alignment mark is created together when the rib pattern of the application area is formed. Thereby, the positional relationship with the pattern is formed with high accuracy.

  The alignment mark is provided so that the straight line connecting A1 and A3 is parallel to the rib pattern, and the straight line connecting A1 and A2 is orthogonal to the rib pattern. The alignment mark intervals XA and YA and the reference groove position Ys of each coating liquid application groove are given to the control unit as substrate information. The reference groove position Ys is the center of the groove between the central ribs of YA, and is a position for alignment with the reference hole of the nozzle 9 in the Y-axis direction, and is given by the distance from the alignment mark A1.

When starting application, first, the coating liquid is supplied into the coating liquid reservoir 51 of the nozzle 9. As described above, the coating liquid is supplied until the opening / closing valve 10 is opened with the switching valve 11 of FIG.
Next, it moves to substrate mounting. This operation can be performed in parallel with the supply of the coating liquid into the nozzle 9 and the waiting time for supplying the coating liquid to the nozzle 9 can be reduced.
The table 2 is moved to the upstream end. The substrate 1 to be coated by an external transfer machine is mounted almost at the center of the table surface at the center zero position on the Y axis and the θ axis, and the ribs are sucked and fixed in a state of being substantially parallel to the X axis direction of the table. For example, a multi-axis robot is used as the external transfer machine, and the substrate 1 is held horizontally on the table 2 by the robot arm. The table 2 is provided with a plurality of pins that can be raised and lowered. The pins are raised to receive the substrate, and the arms are retracted and the pins are lowered to receive the substrate on the table surface. Note that the ribs and the table 2 are aligned in parallel by, for example, providing a mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a centering device) that pushes the end surface of the substrate 1 in accordance with the size on both sides and the upstream side of the table 2. Perform by the method.

  Next, the operation of applying the coating liquid to the application region 3 is started. First, substrate positioning is performed. The table 2 is moved, and the alignment marks A1 and A2 in the application region 3 are placed in the field of view of the cameras 17 and 19.

  Next, the amount of displacement of the alignment mark A1 in the X and Y directions is obtained with reference to the center of the field of view of the camera 17. Further, the amount of displacement of the alignment mark A2 in the X and Y directions is obtained from the center of the field of view of the camera 19. The inclination of the substrate and the amount of movement of the alignment mark A1 when the inclination is corrected are obtained from these two X-axis direction deviation amounts and the alignment mark interval YA. According to the calculated result, the tilt of the substrate is corrected by rotating the θ axis of the table, and the X and Y axes are moved to align the alignment mark A1 with the center of the field of view of the camera 17.

  At this time, since the reference groove of the R (red) coating liquid application groove in the application region 3 is observed in the field of view of the camera 18, the center position of the groove is judged and the Y axis of the table 2 is moved. The Y-axis direction positions of the reference hole of the nozzle 9 and the reference groove center of the R coating liquid application groove in the application region 3 are matched.

When positioning is completed, the operation moves to the coating operation of the coating liquid. Confirm that the coating liquid supply into the coating liquid reservoir of the nozzle 9 has been completed (wait if not completed), and set the X axis of the table 2 at a pre-programmed speed downstream from the positioning position of the coating area 3 Move. When the X-axis coordinate reaches a preset coating liquid discharge position, the coating liquid is discharged from the nozzle 9, and when it reaches the discharge stop position, the discharge is stopped. The discharge and stop of the coating liquid are performed by the switching valve 11 shown in FIG. This completes the application to the application region 3.
Subsequently, in order to start cleaning the discharge hole 56, the cleaning device moves to below the nozzle 9 and cleans it.

  When the application is finished, the substrate is discharged. For discharging the substrate 1, the table 2 is moved to the downstream end, the adsorbed substrate 1 is released, the pins are lifted and taken out by the transfer machine. By placing one transfer machine exclusively for upstream substrate carry-in and downstream discharge, the next substrate to be coated can be prepared during substrate discharge, so the time from substrate carry-in to discharge can be shortened. it can. A series of operations ends when the substrate 1 is discharged. In the case where the coating is continuously applied to the substrate 1, the coating liquid supply is started.

Next, the supply of the coating liquid will be described. The supply of the coating liquid from the coating liquid tank 12 to the nozzle 9 is performed when the application area 3 is not applied, that is, until the application to the application area 3 is once completed and the application to the next application area 3 is started. It is preferable to carry out during the interval.
The interval is mainly used for the above-described alignment of the material to be coated and the nozzle 9 and the loading and unloading of the material to be coated. However, in consideration of the takt time, the coating liquid supply to the nozzle 9 is performed within this interval. It is still preferable to complete the process.

Next, according to the embodiment of the present invention, an example in the case where the coating liquid is applied to the back plate of the plasma display panel will be described. In the embodiment of the present embodiment, the back plate of the plasma display panel will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the flat panel display manufacturing method includes a step of applying paste or the like on the substrate using a nozzle. If so, the effects of the present invention described below can be obtained by using the nozzle of the present invention.

  The coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was used as a coating apparatus for coating liquid according to the present invention. The nozzle having the configuration shown in FIG. 8 was used. The nozzle was manufactured using the method shown in FIG. The joint surface between the discharge hole forming member and the manifold member was a surface composed of a part of a cylindrical surface with a radius of 20 mm (center angle 60 °) and a flat portion connected to it. Then, a spray-type silicone adhesive (trade name: FC-112 RTV silicone spray, manufacturer: Fine Chemical Japan) was sprayed on the joint surface, and then the discharge hole forming member was pressed against the lower member using a jig. As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge hole forming member was positioned with one positioning pin at each end in the nozzle longitudinal direction. Then, the discharge hole formation member was fixed by fastening an intermediate member with a truss machine screw. The truss machine screws were arranged at intervals of 20 mm in the nozzle longitudinal direction. Then, after the adhesive was dried, the portion where the positioning pin protruded from the discharge hole forming member was cut out. The nozzle manufactured by the above procedure had a width of 1000 mm, the number of discharge holes of 1032 holes, a discharge hole pitch of 0.90 mm, a discharge hole diameter of φ0.100 mm, and a discharge hole forming member thickness of 0.4 mm. The material of the manifold member and the discharge hole forming member was made of stainless steel (SUS304).

  The coating liquid is phosphor powder red: (Y, Gd, Eu) BO3 (cumulative average particle size 2.7 μm, specific surface area 3.1 m2 / cm3), an organic binder (ethylcellulose) and an organic solvent (terpineol), and organic. Each component of the component was dissolved in water while heating at 60 ° C., phosphor powder was then added, and a phosphor paste having a viscosity of 50 Pa · s prepared by kneading with a kneader was used.

  First, the phosphor paste is supplied from the coating liquid tank into the nozzle until the liquid level of the coating liquid reaches 23 mm from the discharge hole. Next, the nozzle and the table are moved, the nozzle and the substrate are positioned, the nozzle surface is brought close to the substrate, and 600 kPa of compressed air is supplied from the pressure supply port while the nozzle and the substrate are moved relative to each other from the discharge hole. Extrude and apply paste. When the application of one substrate was completed, the liquid level was 21.5 mm, so the phosphor paste was supplied from the coating liquid tank until it reached 23 mm.

  The nozzle surface was brought close to the distance of 200 μm from the top of the partition wall on the substrate surface, but the nozzle surface did not contact the substrate.

When the above coating operation was repeated 100 times, it was possible to form a plasma display back plate with no nozzle member peeling or phosphor paste leakage from the bonding surface and excellent coating quality.
<Example 2>
Next, the nozzle shown in FIG. 11 was used. The nozzle was manufactured using the method shown in FIG. The joint surface between the discharge hole forming member and the manifold member has a three-dimensional shape in which an arc shape having a radius of 20 mm and a linear portion connected thereto are combined. Then, the same silicone-based adhesive as in Example 1 was sprayed onto the joint surface, and then the discharge hole forming member was pressed against the lower member using a jig. As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge hole forming member was positioned with one positioning pin at each end in the longitudinal direction. Then, the discharge hole formation member was fixed by fastening an intermediate member with a truss machine screw. The truss machine screws were arranged at intervals of 20 mm in the longitudinal direction. Then, after the adhesive was dried, the portion where the positioning pin protruded from the discharge hole forming member was cut out. The width of the nozzle manufactured by the above procedure was 1000 mm, the number of discharge holes was 1032 holes, the discharge hole pitch was 0.90 mm, and the discharge hole diameter was φ0.100 mm.

Application was performed in the same manner as in Example 1. The nozzle surface was brought close to the distance of 200 μm from the top of the partition wall on the substrate surface, but the nozzle surface did not contact the substrate.
When the above coating operation was repeated 100 times, it was possible to form a plasma display back plate with no nozzle member peeling or phosphor paste leakage from the bonding surface and excellent coating quality.
<Comparative Example 1>
A nozzle having a flat joining surface shown in FIG. 16 was used.
This is a flat discharge hole forming member joined to a manifold member with an epoxy adhesive. The width of the joint surface is 10 mm.

When coating was performed in the same manner as in Example 1, when the pressure of 600 kPa was applied in the nozzle to perform ejection in the 20th coating operation, the ejection hole forming member peeled off, and the phosphor paste was placed on the substrate. Scattered.
<Comparative example 2>
A nozzle having a planar joining surface shown in FIG. 17 was used. A flat discharge hole forming member is bonded to the manifold member with an epoxy adhesive. The nozzle shown in FIG. 18 has a bonding surface width of 50 mm in order to increase the bonding force.

  When coating was performed in the same manner as in Example 1, the nozzle surface was in contact with the substrate, and the substrate was damaged. This is because a slight inclination (θ) is generated with respect to the longitudinal axis of the nozzle, and the clearance is extremely narrow, which is in contact with the substrate.

  The present invention is not limited to a plasma display member manufacturing apparatus and a nozzle applied thereto, but is also applied to a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus, a die thereof, or a coating head having a slit-like opening. However, the application range is not limited to these.

It is a schematic perspective view of the coating liquid coating apparatus equipped with the nozzle of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the nozzle longitudinal direction of the nozzle of the 1st example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the side surface direction of the nozzle of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the side surface direction of the nozzle of the 2nd example of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the nozzle of FIG. 4 from the lower side. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the side surface direction of the nozzle of the 3rd example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the side surface direction of the nozzle of the 4th example of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the side surface direction of the nozzle of the 5th example of this invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed an example of the manufacture procedure of the nozzle of FIG. It is the schematic diagram which showed the other example of the manufacture procedure of the nozzle of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the side surface direction of the nozzle of the 6th example of this invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed an example of the manufacture procedure of the nozzle of FIG. It is the schematic diagram which showed the other example of the manufacture procedure of the nozzle of FIG. It is the figure which looked at the nozzle of FIG. 8 from the downward direction. It is a figure which shows an example which looked at the board | substrate from the top. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view in a side surface direction of a nozzle of Comparative Example 1. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view in a side surface direction of a nozzle of Comparative Example 2. FIG. :

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate 2 Table 3 Application | coating area | region 4 Y-axis conveyance part 4a, 4b Linear guide 5 X-axis conveyance part 5a, 5b Linear guide 6 Machine stand 7 Support stand 7a, 7b Linear guide 8a, 8b Z-axis conveyance part 9 Nozzle 9a Nozzle surface DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Opening / closing valve 11 Switching valve 12 Coating liquid tank 13 Gas pressure source 14 Y1 conveyance part 15 Y2 conveyance part 16 Y3 conveyance part 17, 18, 19 Camera
22 Control part 23 Supply control part 24 Movement control part 25 Movement drive part 51 Coating liquid reservoir part 52 Manifold member 52a Upper member 52b Lower member 54 Coating liquid supply port 56 Discharge hole 57 Pipe 58 Liquid level sensor 91 Coating liquid 92 Bonding surface 93 Discharge hole forming member 94 Bolt 95 Intermediate member 96 Positioning pin 97 Jig 98 O-ring 200 Compressed air supply port

Claims (8)

A nozzle that discharges a coating liquid from a discharge hole and applies it to a substrate. A manifold member that forms a coating liquid reservoir for storing the coating liquid therein and a plurality of discharge holes are arranged in a substantially straight line in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle. The manifold member and the discharge hole forming member are joined via a joint surface, and the joint surface is a curved surface or a surface constituted by two or more planes. Characteristic nozzle. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the joining surface is a part of a cylindrical surface or a part of an elliptic cylinder surface. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the joint surface includes a plurality of flat surfaces. Any of the plurality of discharge holes as the discharge hole forming member with a substantially flat plate-like material disposed in a substantially straight line, of the claims 1 formed by joining by fixing the joint surface of the manifold member 3 nozzle according to any. The nozzle according to claim 4, wherein the plate-like material is a plate-like body having a parallelism of 0.1 mm or less. Coating provided with a table for fixing the substrate, a nozzle that is provided facing the substrate and that discharges the coating liquid onto the surface of the substrate , and a moving means that relatively moves the table and the nozzle three-dimensionally An application apparatus, wherein the nozzle is the nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A base material and a nozzle having a plurality of ejection holes provided facing the surface of the base material are relatively moved, and at the same time, a coating liquid is ejected from the ejection holes to apply the coating liquid to the surface of the base material. 6. A coating method, wherein the nozzle is the nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display comprising the step of applying the paste using a nozzle to the substrate, the manufacture of flat panel displays, wherein said nozzle is a nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 5 Way .

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