JP5298083B2 - Coating device and nozzle priming method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating apparatus that applies a processing liquid to a substrate to be processed, and a priming processing method that makes a processing liquid adhering to a nozzle tip uniform with respect to a nozzle having a slit-like discharge port mounted thereon.

For example, in manufacturing an FPD (flat panel display), a circuit pattern is formed by a so-called photolithography process.
In this photolithography process, after a predetermined film is formed on a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate, a photoresist (hereinafter referred to as a resist) as a processing solution is applied to form a resist film (photosensitive film). Then, the resist film is exposed corresponding to the circuit pattern, developed, and patterned.

In such a photolithography process, as a method of forming a resist film by applying a resist solution to a substrate to be processed, there is a method of discharging a resist solution in a strip shape from a slit-like nozzle discharge port and applying the resist onto the substrate. is there.
A conventional resist coating apparatus using this method will be briefly described with reference to FIG.
A resist coating apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 9 includes a stage 201 on which a substrate G is placed, a resist supply nozzle 202 disposed above the stage 201, and nozzle moving means 203 that moves the nozzle 202. ing.
The resist supply nozzle 202 is provided with a slit-like discharge port 202a having a minute gap extending in the width direction of the substrate, and the resist solution R supplied from the resist solution supply source 204 is discharged from the discharge port 202a. Yes.

Further, since the slit-like discharge port 202a is formed by a minute gap, clogging occurs due to drying of the resist solution or the like unless the nozzle tip maintenance process is performed during standby. When the clogged nozzle 202 is used, there is a possibility that the liquid will be drained unevenly as shown in FIG. 10, and the resist solution R may not be discharged uniformly from the discharge port 202a.
For this reason, a priming processing device 208 provided with a rotatable priming roller 207 for uniformizing the resist solution R adhering to the nozzle tip (referred to as priming processing) is provided adjacent to the stage 201.

In this configuration, during the resist coating process on the substrate G, the resist solution R is discharged in a strip shape from the slit-shaped discharge port 202a to the entire surface of the substrate while the nozzle 202 is horizontally moved by the nozzle moving means 203. Thus, the coating process of the resist solution R is performed.
When the nozzle 202 is on standby, the priming processing device 208 performs priming processing on the nozzle 202. In this priming process, first, the nozzle 202 is moved to the priming processing device 208 by the nozzle moving means 203, and the resist solution R is discharged from the slit-shaped discharge port 202a toward the surface of the rotationally driven priming roller 207. .

  By performing this priming process in a standby state where the application to the substrate G is not performed, drying and clogging of the discharge port 202a are prevented, and the resist solution is uniformly applied from the slit-shaped discharge port 202a when applied to the substrate G. R can be discharged.

By the way, the conventional priming apparatus is provided with a scraper, a cleaning nozzle and the like in order to remove the resist solution adhering to the roller surface of the priming roller.
That is, when one priming process is completed, the priming roller is continuously rotated, the scraper is brought into contact with the roller surface to scrape off the resist solution, and the entire roller surface is cleaned with the cleaning solution (thinner solution) sprayed from the cleaning nozzle. It is made like that.

However, when the scraper is brought into contact with the roller surface of the priming roller as described above, there is a possibility that particles are generated due to the friction between them.
Further, in the cleaning process, there is a problem that not only the cleaning liquid is sprayed on the entire roller surface (the entire surface), but a large amount of cleaning liquid is required for cleaning the scraper, which increases the cost.

In response to such a problem, the applicant of the present application in Patent Document 1 rotates the priming roller by a predetermined rotation angle each time the priming process is performed, and discharges from the nozzle only to a partial surface area of the priming roller to perform the priming process. The method of doing is disclosed.
According to this method, the priming process can be continuously performed a plurality of times while the priming roller is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle, and thereafter, the cleaning process can be performed by spraying the cleaning liquid onto the entire roller surface.
That is, the cleaning process is performed once for a plurality of priming processes, and the consumption of the cleaning liquid can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique.
In addition, since the amount of resist solution discharged in one priming process is smaller than in the past, it is not necessary to use a scraper for removing the resist solution adhering to the roller surface, eliminating the problem of particle generation. it can.

JP 2007-237046 A

  By the way, in the priming processing method described in Patent Document 1, as described above, the rotation angle of the priming roller in one priming process is small, and a plurality of priming processes are performed before the roller cleaning. For this reason, after the end of each priming process, the resist solution discharged to the partial area of the roller surface does not flow down (that is, the resist liquid does not adhere to the lower roller surface other than the partial area), It was necessary to temporarily stop the rotation of the priming roller for a predetermined time and dry the resist solution on the roller surface naturally.

However, in that case, there is a problem that the resist liquid which has been dried adheres to the roller surface, and it is difficult to remove it by spraying the cleaning liquid.
Furthermore, when the resist solution fixed on the roller surface eliminates the clearance below the nozzle during the priming process (the distance between the nozzle tip and the roller surface), the resist solution on the roller adheres to the nozzle tip. There is a problem that the state of the resist solution discharged from the discharge port becomes non-uniform and the coating state deteriorates.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and in a coating apparatus for applying a processing liquid to a substrate to be processed, it is possible to reduce the consumption of the cleaning liquid used for the priming process of the nozzle. A coating apparatus and a nozzle priming processing method that can uniformly discharge a processing liquid from a slit-like nozzle discharge port when applying the processing liquid to a substrate to be processed are provided.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a coating apparatus according to the present invention uniformly distributes a processing liquid from a slit-like discharge port that is long in the width direction of a substrate to be processed and a processing liquid attached to the tip of the nozzle. A coating apparatus for forming a coating film by discharging a processing liquid from the nozzle outlet to the substrate, wherein the priming processing means has an upper opening elongated in the substrate width direction. A box-shaped casing, a priming roller formed in a cylindrical or columnar shape having an axis extending in the width direction of the substrate in the casing, and provided rotatably around the axis, and provided near the upper opening of the casing the extending along the priming roller, and absorbed and held available treatment liquid absorbing member said processing liquid, wherein up the longitudinal side of the treatment liquid absorbing member A forward and backward movement means for advancing and retracting the roller surface of Imingurora, within the casing, and a cleaning nozzle for injecting a cleaning liquid to the roller surface of the priming roller, with respect to the roller surface of the priming roller which rotates in a predetermined direction The priming process is performed by discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle outlet through the upper opening of the casing, and the roller surface of the priming roller rotating in the predetermined direction is brought into contact with the advancing / retreating movement means. Alternatively, the treatment liquid adhering member adsorbs and removes the treatment liquid adhering to the roller surface of the priming roller, and the roller surface is washed by the washing liquid sprayed from the washing nozzle in the casing. Has characteristics.
The treatment liquid absorbing member is preferably formed of a porous body having a predetermined elastic force.

According to the coating apparatus configured in this way, in the priming process for adjusting the state of the processing liquid formed at the nozzle tip, the processing liquid is discharged from the nozzle to the roller surface of the priming roller and attached to the roller surface. The processing liquid is absorbed and removed by the processing liquid absorbing member.
As a result, on the roller surface, the film thickness of the processing liquid adhered after the priming process can be greatly reduced, and the roller surface can be cleaned with a smaller amount of cleaning liquid, thereby reducing the consumption of the cleaning liquid. be able to.
Further, as described above, since the processing liquid adhering to the roller surface is absorbed and removed by the processing liquid absorbing member, a sufficient clearance under the nozzle can be ensured during the next priming process. For this reason, the contact between the processing liquid adhering to the roller surface and the nozzle discharge port can be prevented, and the processing liquid can be uniformly discharged from the discharge port during the processing liquid coating process on the substrate. .

In order to solve the above-described problem, the nozzle priming processing method according to the present invention is arranged at the tip of the nozzle with respect to the nozzle for discharging the processing liquid from the slit-like discharge port long in the width direction of the substrate to be processed. A priming processing method for performing a uniform processing of an adhering processing liquid, wherein a priming roller is formed in a cylindrical or cylindrical shape whose axis extends in the substrate width direction in a box-shaped casing having an upper opening elongated in the substrate width direction Rotating the nozzle around the axis, discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle outlet through the upper opening of the casing with respect to the roller surface of the priming roller rotating in a predetermined direction, and the priming roller contact or to the roller surface of the priming roller rotating the treatment liquid absorbing member which extends along the predetermined direction A step of contact, by the processing liquid absorbing member, and injecting the steps of absorbing and removing the processing solution adhering to the roller surface of the priming roller, within the casing, the cleaning liquid to the roller surface of the priming roller from the cleaning nozzle, And cleaning the roller surface .

According to such a priming processing method, the processing liquid is discharged from the nozzle to the roller surface of the priming roller, and the processing liquid adhering to the roller surface is absorbed and removed by the processing liquid absorbing member.
As a result, on the roller surface, the film thickness of the processing liquid adhered after the priming process can be greatly reduced, and the roller surface can be cleaned with a smaller amount of cleaning liquid, thereby reducing the consumption of the cleaning liquid. be able to.
Further, as described above, since the processing liquid adhering to the roller surface is absorbed and removed by the processing liquid absorbing member, a sufficient clearance under the nozzle can be ensured during the next priming process. For this reason, the contact between the processing liquid adhering to the roller surface and the nozzle discharge port can be prevented, and the processing liquid can be uniformly discharged from the discharge port during the processing liquid coating process on the substrate. .

  According to the present invention, in the coating apparatus for applying the processing liquid to the substrate to be processed, the consumption of the cleaning liquid used for the priming process of the nozzle can be reduced, and when the processing liquid is applied to the substrate to be processed, It is possible to obtain a coating apparatus and a nozzle priming processing method that can uniformly discharge a processing liquid from a slit-like nozzle discharge port.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall schematic configuration of an embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an overall schematic configuration of an embodiment according to the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation of the coating apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the embodiment according to the present invention. 8A and 8B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view showing another embodiment of the coating apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining a schematic configuration of a conventional coating processing unit. FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining the state of the resist solution adhering unevenly to the nozzle tip.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment according to a coating apparatus and a nozzle priming method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the coating apparatus is applied to a resist coating processing unit that performs a coating process of a resist solution that is a processing liquid on the substrate while the glass substrate that is a substrate to be processed is levitated and conveyed. Will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the resist coating unit 1 receives a substrate G from the levitation conveyance unit 2A, and a levitation conveyance unit 2A for levitation conveyance of the glass substrates G one by one in a sheet format. And a roller transport unit 2B for roller transport, and the substrate G is configured to be transported in a so-called flat flow.

In the levitation transport unit 2A, a levitation stage 3 extended in the X direction, which is the substrate transport direction, is provided. On the upper surface of the levitation stage 3, as shown in the figure, a large number of gas outlets 3 a and gas inlets 3 b are alternately provided at regular intervals in the X direction and the Y direction. The glass substrate G is floated by making the pressure load between the amount and the amount of intake air from the gas inlet 3b constant.
In this embodiment, the substrate G is levitated by gas ejection and suction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the substrate may be levitated only by the configuration of gas ejection.

  Further, in the roller transport unit 2B, a plurality of roller shafts 41 that are rotationally driven by the roller driving unit 40 are provided in parallel behind the stage 3. A plurality of transport rollers 42 are attached to each roller shaft 41, and the substrate G is transported by the rotation of the transport rollers 42.

A pair of guide rails 5 extending in parallel to the X direction are provided on the left and right sides in the width direction (Y direction) of the levitation stage 3 in the levitation transport unit 2A. The pair of guide rails 5 are provided with four substrate carriers 6 that move on the guide rails 5 by sucking and holding the four corner edges of the glass substrate G from below. The glass substrate G levitated on the levitating stage 3 by these substrate carriers 6 is moved along the transport direction (X direction).
In order to smoothly transfer the substrate from the floating conveyance unit 2A to the roller conveyance unit 2B, the guide rail 5 extends not only to the left and right sides of the floating stage 3, but also to the side of the roller conveyance unit 2B. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3 (AA arrow cross section in FIG. 1), each substrate carrier 6 is sucked / opened with respect to the slide member 6 a provided so as to be movable along the guide rail 5 and the lower surface of the substrate G. It has an adsorbing member 6b that can be adsorbed by operation, and an elevating drive unit 6c that moves the adsorbing member 6b up and down.
Note that a suction pump (not shown) is connected to the suction member 6b, and sucks the air in the contact area with the substrate G to bring it close to a vacuum state, thereby attracting the substrate G.
Further, the driving of the slide member 6a, the elevation drive unit 6c, and the suction pump is controlled by a control unit 50 (control means) comprising a computer.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a nozzle 16 that discharges a resist solution onto the glass substrate G is provided on the levitation stage 3 of the levitation transport unit 2 </ b> A. The nozzle 16 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the Y direction, for example, and is longer than the width of the glass substrate G in the Y direction. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a slit-like discharge port 16 a that is long in the width direction of the levitation stage 3 is formed at the lower end of the nozzle 16. The resist solution is supplied through the flow rate adjusting valve 32.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide rails 10 extending in the X direction are provided on both sides of the nozzle 16. A pair of slide members 17 slidably movable along the guide rail 10 is provided, and a shaft 18 is vertically provided on each slide member 17 as shown in FIG. The shaft 18 is provided with an elevating drive unit 19 that can move up and down along the shaft 18, and a straight rod-like nozzle arm 11 that holds the nozzle 16 between a pair of elevating drive units 19 facing in the Y direction. It is erected.
With this configuration, the nozzle 16 can move up and down and can move in the X direction along the guide rail 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a priming processing unit 20 (priming processing means) is provided on the upstream side of the nozzle 16 for uniformizing the resist solution R adhering to the nozzle tip.
The priming processing unit 20 includes a box-shaped casing 21 having an upper opening 21a elongated in the substrate width direction (Y direction), and a cylinder provided in the casing 21 so as to be rotatable around an axis by a rotation driving unit 22 such as a motor. Alternatively, a cylindrical priming roller 23 is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper part of the priming roller 23 is provided so as to protrude from the upper opening 21 a of the casing 21.

Further, the priming processing unit 20 includes a resist absorbing member 24 (processing liquid absorbing member) provided in the vicinity of the upper opening 21 a of the casing 21. The resist absorbing member 24 is provided on the side of the priming roller 22 and is formed in an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape along the priming roller 22.
Further, the resist absorbing member 24 is a porous body (for example, melamine resin) having a predetermined elastic force that is excellent in chemical resistance (resist liquid resistance), water absorption (resist liquid absorption), and retention after water absorption. Sponge).

  The resist absorbing member 24 is attached to and supported by the distal end portion of a support member 25. The support member 25 is provided so as to be able to advance and retract along the substrate transport direction by an advance / retreat drive unit 29 (advance / retreat means) made of a motor or the like. It has been. For this reason, the longitudinal side of the resist absorbing member 24 can be moved back and forth with respect to the roller surface of the priming roller 22. When the resist absorbing member 24 moves forward, the lower end 24 a of the resist absorbing member 24 moves relative to the roller surface of the priming roller 22. It is designed to come into contact or close proximity.

With this configuration, the resist R adhering to the roller surface of the priming roller 22 after the priming process is brought into contact with the lower end 24a of the resist absorbing member 24, so that most of the resist R adhering to the roller surface is absorbed by the resist. It can be absorbed into member 24 and removed from the roller surface.
The resist absorbing member 24 is detachably attached to the tip of the support member 25 so that it can be easily replaced with a new resist absorbing member 24 after sucking a predetermined amount of resist R.

5 to 7, a cleaning processing space 26 for cleaning the roller surface of the priming roller 23 is formed in the casing 21 as shown in cross-sectional views of the priming processing unit 20. In addition, a cleaning nozzle 27 is provided at the bottom of the nozzle for injecting a cleaning liquid (for example, a thinner liquid) onto the roller surface at a predetermined timing.
Further, when the cleaning liquid is ejected from the cleaning nozzle 27, mist of the cleaning liquid is generated in the cleaning processing space 26. Therefore, an exhaust line 28 for sucking and exhausting the mist from the upper opening 21a is provided on the casing 21 side. Is provided.

A standby unit 14 is provided above the levitation stage 3 and upstream of the priming unit. The standby unit 14 includes a nozzle cleaning unit 14a that cleans and removes excess resist solution adhering to the discharge port 16a of the nozzle 16, and a dummy dispensing unit 14b that performs so-called dummy discharge.
The nozzle 16 is movable along the guide rail 10 between a discharge position for discharging the resist solution onto the glass substrate G and the priming processing unit 20 and the standby unit 14 on the upstream side thereof. During standby, nozzle cleaning in the standby unit 14 and priming processing in the priming processing unit 20 are performed.

Subsequently, in the resist coating processing unit 1 configured as described above, a series of flows including the resist priming process from the application of the resist solution to the substrate G to the standby state will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. .
In the resist coating unit 1, when a glass substrate G is newly carried onto the levitation stage 3, the substrate G is supported from below by an inert gas stream formed on the stage 3 and is held by the substrate carrier 6. (Step S1 in FIG. 4).
Then, the substrate carrier 6 is driven under the control of the control unit 50, and conveyance in the substrate conveyance direction is started (step S2 in FIG. 4).

Also, the resist solution R, which is a processing solution, is discharged from the discharge port 16a of the resist nozzle 16, and the coating process is performed on the substrate G that passes under the nozzle 16 (step S3 in FIG. 4).
When the coating process of the resist solution R on the substrate G is completed, the discharge of the resist solution R from the nozzle 16 is stopped, and the substrate G after the coating process is completed is transferred from the floating transport unit 2A to the roller transport unit 2B. It is unloaded to the subsequent processing section by roller conveyance (step S4 in FIG. 4).

In the standby period, the control unit 50 moves the nozzle 16 along the rail 10 to above the standby unit 14 (step S5 in FIG. 4).
First, a cleaning process using a cleaning liquid (a thinner liquid) is performed on the tip of the nozzle 16 by the nozzle cleaning unit 14a of the standby unit 14, and a predetermined amount of resist solution is preliminarily discharged from the dummy dispensing unit 14b. Dummy ejection is performed (step S6 in FIG. 4).

The nozzle 16 whose nozzle tip has been cleaned is moved above the priming processing unit 20, and the discharge port 16a is arranged with a predetermined clearance immediately above the priming roller 23 as shown in FIG. 4 step S7).
Under the control of the control unit 50, a predetermined amount of the resist solution R is discharged from the discharge port 16a onto the surface of the priming roller 23, and the priming roller 23 starts to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. (Step S8 in FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 5A, in this embodiment, the roller surface is divided into four partial regions (referred to as AR1, AR2, AR3, and AR4) along the circumferential direction of the priming roller 23. Each region is used for one priming process. Therefore, the priming roller 23 rotates by a predetermined angle (90 °) from the state shown in FIG. 5A, and the resist solution R is discharged from the nozzle 16 while the roller surface area AR1 passes below the nozzle.
By such control, the amount of the resist solution R used for one priming process can be reduced.

The resist solution R discharged from the discharge port 16 a of the nozzle 16 is taken up by the rotating priming roller 23. Even if the discharge of the resist solution R from the discharge port 16a is stopped, the rotation of the priming roller 23 is continued, and the resist solution R is drained from the discharge port 16a. Thereby, the homogenization process (priming process) of the resist solution R adhering to the discharge port 16a is completed.
On the other hand, when the resist discharge in step S8 is started as described above, the resist absorbing member 24 is moved forward by driving of the advance / retreat drive unit 29 as shown in FIG. The state is in contact with the roller surface of the roller 22 or in the state of proximity (at least in contact with the resist solution R adhering to the roller surface).
Thereby, with the rotation of the priming roller 23, the resist solution R adhering to the roller surface is absorbed and removed by the resist absorbing member 24 (step S9 in FIG. 4).

When the rotation of the priming roller 23 further proceeds and the partial area AR1 of the roller surface faces downward as shown in FIG. 6A, the rotation of the priming roller 23 is temporarily stopped and enters a standby state. (Step S10 in FIG. 4). Here, the resist absorbing member 24 is moved rearward by the advancing / retreating drive unit 29 so that the resist absorbing member 24 does not contact the priming roller 23.
At this time, a cleaning liquid (thinner liquid) may be sprayed onto the partial area AR1 of the roller surface by the cleaning nozzle 27 to clean the roller surface.

Next, when there is a substrate G to be coated (step S11 in FIG. 4), the process returns to step S3 in FIG. 4 and the same processing is performed up to step S7.
In this step S7, when the priming roller 23 is rotated until the head of the next partial area AR2 reaches the uppermost position, the resist discharge to the surface area AR2 is started as shown in FIG. Step S8 in FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the liquid is discharged from the discharge port 16a and the priming process of the nozzle 16 is performed, and the resist solution R adhering to the partial area AR2 is caused by the resist absorbing member 24 as in the previous time. Absorption is removed (step S9 in FIG. 4).
Then, when the priming roller 23 rotates until the partial area AR2 of the roller surface faces downward, the standby state is resumed (step S10 in FIG. 4).
As described above, when there is a substrate G to be coated next (Step S11 in FIG. 4), Steps S3 to S10 are repeated. At this time, in the priming process of the nozzle 16, the resist discharge is performed on the partial area AR next to the roller surface (the partial area AR3 is next to the partial area AR2, and the partial area AR4 is next to the partial area AR3). Is done.

  The cleaning process for the partial area AR on which the resist is discharged by the priming roller 23 may be performed every time after the priming process, as described above, or may be performed after performing a plurality of priming processes continuously. May be.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, in the priming process for adjusting the state of the resist solution formed at the nozzle tip, one of the partial areas AR divided into a plurality of parts in the circumferential direction of the priming roller 23 is used. On the other hand, the resist solution R is discharged, and the resist solution R adhering to the partial area AR is absorbed and removed by the resist absorbing member 24.
Thereby, in the partial area AR of the roller surface, the film thickness of the resist solution R adhering after the priming process can be greatly reduced, and the roller surface can be cleaned with a smaller amount of cleaning solution. Consumption can be reduced.
Further, as described above, since the resist solution R adhering to the roller surface is absorbed and removed by the resist absorbing member 24, a sufficient clearance under the nozzle 16 can be ensured during the next priming process. For this reason, the contact between the resist solution R adhering to the roller surface and the discharge port 16a can be prevented, and the resist solution R is uniformly discharged from the discharge port 16a during the resist coating process on the substrate G. be able to.

In the above embodiment, the resist absorbing member 24 is described as a porous body having a predetermined elastic force. However, the resist absorbing member 24 has chemical resistance (resist liquid resistance), water absorption (resist liquid absorption), and water absorption. As long as it is a member excellent in retainability, it may not be a porous body (for example, a fibrous member).
In addition, the resist absorbing member 24 has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape, but may be a column having a polygonal cross section (for example, a column having a pentagonal cross section).

Alternatively, as shown in a sectional view of the priming processing section 20 in FIG. 8A and a plan view thereof in FIG. 8B, the resist absorbing member 38 is a long and narrow cylindrical resist absorbing member 38 along the priming roller 23. May be provided.
In this case, the cylindrical resist absorbing member 38 may be rotatably supported by the bearing member 39, and is not free rotating. For example, the bearing member 39 has a mechanism that maintains its state at every predetermined rotation angle. It is preferable to have. Thereby, after the resist R is absorbed by the predetermined surface of the resist absorbing member 38, the resist absorbing member 38 is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle, and after the next priming process, the resist on the roller surface from the surface having a high absorbing power. The liquid R can be absorbed.
Such a rotation mechanism can obtain the same effect even when the resist absorbing member is a column having a polygonal cross section.

In the above embodiment, the resist absorbing member 24 is provided above the casing 21 for reasons such as easy maintenance. However, the resist absorbing member 24 is not limited thereto, and may be provided in the cleaning processing space 26 in the casing 21. Good.
In the embodiment, in order to reduce the amount of the resist solution R used for one priming process, the roller surface is divided into four partial regions (AR1, AR2, AR) along the circumferential direction of the priming roller 23. AR3 and AR4), and each region is used for one priming process.
However, the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to the case where the roller surface of the priming roller 23 is used over the entire circumference in one priming process.
In addition, when the roller surface is divided into a plurality of areas as in the above-described embodiment, the number of divisions of the area is not limited to four, but is divided into other plural areas (for example, two partial areas). It may be what you did.

1 Resist application processing unit (applicator)
16 Nozzle 16a Discharge port 20 Resist supply source (processing liquid supply means)
23 Priming roller 24 Resist absorbing member (treatment liquid absorbing member)
29 Advancing / retreating drive unit
G Glass substrate (substrate to be processed)
R resist solution (treatment solution)

Claims (6)

A nozzle that discharges the processing liquid from a slit-like discharge port that is long in the width direction of the substrate to be processed; and a priming processing unit that uniformizes the processing liquid attached to the tip of the nozzle. A coating apparatus that discharges a treatment liquid onto a substrate to form a coating film,
The priming processing means includes
A box-shaped casing having an upper opening elongated in the substrate width direction;
In the casing, a priming roller that is formed in a cylindrical or columnar shape whose axis extends in the substrate width direction and is provided to be rotatable around the axis;
A treatment liquid absorbing member provided near the upper opening of the casing and extending along the priming roller, capable of absorbing and holding the treatment liquid;
Forward / backward moving means for moving the longitudinal side of the treatment liquid absorbing member forward / backward with respect to the roller surface of the priming roller ;
In the casing, comprising a cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid onto the roller surface of the priming roller,
A priming process is performed on the roller surface of the priming roller that rotates in a predetermined direction by discharging the processing liquid from the discharge port of the nozzle through the upper opening of the casing .
The processing liquid adhering to the roller surface of the priming roller is absorbed and removed by the processing liquid absorbing member brought into contact with or in proximity to the roller surface of the priming roller rotating in the predetermined direction ,
Further, the roller surface is cleaned in the casing by the cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning nozzle .   The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treatment liquid absorbing member is formed of a porous body having a predetermined elastic force.   3. The treatment liquid absorbing member according to claim 1, wherein the treatment liquid absorbing member is formed in a columnar body or a columnar body having a polygonal cross section, and is provided so as to be rotatable about an axis at least at a predetermined rotation angle. The coating device described. Control means for performing discharge control of the processing liquid from the nozzle and operation control of the priming processing means,
The control means causes the processing liquid to be discharged from the discharge port of the nozzle to the roller surface of the priming roller while the priming roller rotates at a predetermined rotation angle.
4. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a partial roller surface area of the priming roller is used for a single priming process. A priming processing method for performing a uniform processing of the processing liquid attached to the tip of the nozzle with respect to a nozzle that discharges the processing liquid from a slit-like discharge port that is long in the width direction of the substrate to be processed,
Rotating a priming roller formed in a cylindrical or columnar shape having an axis extending in the substrate width direction around the axis in a box-shaped casing having an upper opening elongated in the substrate width direction;
Discharging the processing liquid from the discharge port of the nozzle through the upper opening of the casing with respect to the roller surface of the priming roller rotating in a predetermined direction;
Bringing a treatment liquid absorbing member extending along the priming roller into contact with or close to the roller surface of the priming roller rotating in the predetermined direction ;
Absorbing and removing the processing liquid adhering to the roller surface of the priming roller by the processing liquid absorbing member;
A priming processing method comprising: in the casing, a step of spraying a cleaning liquid from a cleaning nozzle onto a roller surface of the priming roller to clean the roller surface . In the step of discharging the processing liquid from the discharge port of the nozzle to the roller surface of the priming roller,
While the priming roller rotates a predetermined rotation angle, the processing liquid is discharged from the discharge port of the nozzle to the roller surface of the priming roller,
6. The priming method according to claim 5, wherein a partial roller surface area of the priming roller is used for one priming process.

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