JP6636392B2 - Film pattern drawing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film pattern drawing method capable of forming a film pattern with high accuracy even when a non-ejection nozzle occurs in an ink jet coating apparatus.

  It is desired that droplets are ejected onto a substrate such as a glass or a film by an ink-jet method to form coating films (referred to as film patterns) having various shapes such as line segments and rectangular shapes. For example, a wiring pattern on a wiring board such as a printed board or a package board, and an insulating film pattern of a power semiconductor have conventionally been formed by photolithography. However, photolithography requires many steps such as coating, exposure, and etching.Moreover, the etching step consumes a large amount of coating material. It has been studied to form a film pattern without performing this.

  This ink-jet coating is performed by an ink-jet coating apparatus as shown in FIG. That is, the inkjet coating apparatus is provided with a stage 100 on which the substrate W is placed, and a coating unit 101 having a plurality of nozzles 103a for discharging droplets as a coating material. The coating film C is formed by discharging droplets while moving with respect to the substrate W (FIG. 11B).

  Specifically, the coating unit 101 has a gantry section 101a that moves in the main scanning direction (the X-axis direction in the example in the drawing) relatively to the substrate W, and the gantry section 101a includes a plurality of nozzles. A head unit 102 having 103a is provided. As shown in FIG. 12A, the head unit 102 is formed by arranging head modules 103 each having a plurality of nozzles 103a. In the head module 103, nozzles 103a are arranged at a predetermined arrangement pitch in a sub-scanning direction (Y-axis direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction (X-axis direction). That is, when viewed from the X-axis direction, the nozzles 103a are arranged at equal intervals in the Y-axis direction (FIG. 12B).

  Landing positions at which ink is to be ejected are set in advance for all the nozzles 103a, and ink is ejected when each nozzle 103a is located at the set landing position (set landing position). Has become. Specifically, for example, when a planar film pattern is formed, the set landing positions are set in a grid pattern on the substrate W, at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction, and in the Y-axis direction. Is set to a number corresponding to the number of nozzles 103a. That is, the ink is ejected when each head module 103 is located at a certain landing position in the X-axis direction, and at that X-axis position, a uniform linear shape is formed over the Y-axis direction. An ink aggregate C ′ is formed. In other words, by moving the gantry portion 101a once relative to the substrate W in a specific direction and discharging ink to the set landing position, a linear coating film is continuously formed in the X-axis direction, A uniform and flat film pattern is formed on the substrate W.

  In recent years, there has been a demand for higher performance of wiring boards, organic ELs, power semiconductors, and the like, as well as thinner film patterns and higher precision of coating by thinning in accordance with the expansion of applications. If there is a defective nozzle 103a (including non-discharge and defective discharge) in the head unit 102, the coating material at the position where the defective nozzle 103a exists is insufficient as shown in FIG. Is insufficient (uncoated area f). The formation of the uncoated region f causes the problem of stripe unevenness and the problem of defect unevenness that the thickness dimension standard of the thin film cannot be partially cleared. Therefore, as shown in Patent Literature 1 below, the nozzle 103a inspection is performed before coating. That is, a droplet is discharged from each nozzle 103a, and the non-discharge nozzle 103a is detected from the discharge state. If the non-ejection nozzle 103a is present, the non-ejection nozzle 103a may be replaced, or a portion to be originally applied by the non-ejection nozzle 103a may be applied by another nozzle 103a in the head unit 102. Thus, a precise film pattern was formed by changing the scanning pattern.

  In addition, the surface shape of the substrate W is also complicated, and if it is ejected to a concavo-convex shape or a narrow portion, the ejected application material may be repelled, resulting in a shortage of the application material in that portion, which may cause defect unevenness. In such a case, by reducing the arrangement pitch of the nozzles 103a of the head unit 102 to increase the resolution at which droplets are ejected, and by supplying a sufficient coating material to an appropriate position, the occurrence of defect unevenness is suppressed. I was For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of head units 102 are provided in the main scanning direction, and the nozzles 103a of each head unit 102 are arranged in a state shifted by a half pitch. In the example of FIG. 14, they are arranged with a shift of t / 2. That is, the nozzles 103a are arranged at equal intervals of t / 2 in the Y-axis direction when viewed from the X-axis direction. As a result, the resolution is improved, and the liquid droplets can be discharged more densely. Therefore, the shortage of the coating material in a certain area is solved, and the occurrence of defect unevenness is suppressed.

JP 2013-110236 A

  However, the above-described inkjet coating apparatus has a problem that defect unevenness cannot be completely eliminated. That is, in the above-described inkjet coating apparatus, the nozzle 103a inspection is performed in order to suppress the occurrence of defect unevenness. However, since the nozzle 103a inspection is performed before the film pattern forming step, the defective nozzle 103a is not detected during the film pattern forming step. When it occurs, it becomes impossible to suppress the formation of defect unevenness.

  Further, if the arrangement pitch of the nozzles 103a is made dense when the surface of the substrate W has a complicated uneven shape or has a narrow portion, it is physically limited to make the nozzles 103a dense with one head module 103. There is. Therefore, by arranging the head modules 103 in the main scanning direction as shown in FIG. 14, the arrangement pitch of the nozzles 103a can be reduced, but the head module 103 is very expensive, so that the initials of the ink jet coating apparatus are required. There is a problem that both cost and running cost increase. In addition, when the number of head modules 103 increases, the weight of the entire head unit 102 increases, which may affect the control of the ejection position of the nozzle 103a, and the accuracy of coating cannot be sufficiently improved. was there.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a film pattern drawing method capable of suppressing defect unevenness even when a defective nozzle occurs during coating, and forming a film pattern with high accuracy without increasing the number of nozzles more than necessary. It is intended to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a film pattern drawing method of the present invention is characterized in that a head having a plurality of nozzles arranged at a predetermined arrangement pitch is scanned in a main scanning direction while discharging a droplet from the nozzle to form a film pattern. Forming an initial film according to the nozzle position of the nozzle by discharging droplets from each of the nozzles while scanning the head in the main scanning direction from the nozzle position. A main shift moving step of moving the head in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction to another nozzle position beyond a nozzle position of a nozzle located next to itself, and the main shift moving step. A sub-shift moving step of moving by a moving amount smaller than the arrangement pitch of the nozzles, and a shift nozzle after the main shift moving step and the sub-shift moving step A shift film forming step of ejecting liquid droplets from each of the nozzles while scanning the head in the main scanning direction to form a film corresponding to the shift nozzle position; and after the initial film forming step, The moving pattern, the sub-shifting step, and the shift film forming step are repeated in this order to form a film pattern.

  According to the above film pattern drawing method, after the head is scanned in the main scanning direction in the initial film forming step to form an initial film corresponding to the nozzle position (initial), in the main shift moving step, each nozzle is moved to its own position. Since it moves in the sub-scanning direction beyond the position of the nozzle located next to it, it is possible to prevent non-ejection areas from being formed side by side in the sub-scanning direction. That is, if there is a defective nozzle, the defective nozzle can be moved to a position beyond the normal nozzle located next to the defective nozzle by performing the main shift moving step. Even if the ejection regions are formed, it is possible to ensure that the initial film exists between these non-ejection regions.

  Then, by performing the sub-shift moving step and the shift film forming step, the nozzle is moved in the sub-scanning direction by a moving amount smaller than the nozzle arrangement pitch, and then the shift film is formed in the main scanning direction. As a result, the shift film is formed between the previously formed films (including the initial film and the shift film), so that the films are formed so as to fill the spaces between the previously formed films. As a result, it is possible to form a uniform film pattern by suppressing the application material ejected to the uneven shape or the narrow portion from being repelled and causing a shortage of the application material at that portion to cause defect unevenness. The film pattern can be formed with high accuracy without increasing the resolution by increasing the number of nozzles.

  Further, as a specific mode, the main shift movement step and the sub shift step may be performed simultaneously, and the movement amount smaller than the arrangement pitch in the sub shift movement step is performed a plurality of times. The configuration may be the same in all sub-shift movement steps.

  Further, the shift film forming step may be configured such that the droplet lands at a position overlapping with the previously formed film.

  According to this configuration, according to this configuration, since the landed droplets always overlap the film formed earlier, it is possible to form a uniform film while suppressing the occurrence of defect unevenness.

  Further, the head is provided with a plurality of nozzles arranged in one direction in a row in the main scanning direction, and the plurality of nozzles are arranged at the predetermined pitch when viewed from the main scanning direction. You may.

  According to this configuration, since the resolution of the head is improved, it is possible to suppress occurrence of defect unevenness due to the influence of the surface shape of the substrate such as an uneven shape or a narrow portion.

  According to the present invention, even when a defective nozzle occurs during coating, defect unevenness can be suppressed, and a film pattern can be formed with high accuracy without unnecessarily increasing the number of nozzles.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing an inkjet coating apparatus in one embodiment for executing a film pattern drawing method of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the said inkjet coating device schematically. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a coating film is formed on a substrate. FIG. 3 is a view of the head as viewed from the nozzle side, in which a first nozzle unit and a second nozzle unit are configured adjacent to each other. It is the figure which expanded a part of said head. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a coating material is applied on a substrate in a time series, (a) is a diagram showing a state where a head is arranged at an initial nozzle position, (b) is a diagram showing an initial film forming step, (C) is a diagram showing a main shift moving process, and (d) is a diagram showing a sub shift moving process. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a state in which a coating material is applied on a substrate in a time-series manner, wherein FIG. 3A illustrates a shift film forming process, FIG. 3B illustrates a main shift moving process, and FIG. FIG. 4D is a diagram illustrating a process, and FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating a shift film forming process. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a time sequence of a situation in which a coating material is applied on a substrate, wherein FIG. 4A illustrates a main shift moving process, FIG. 4B illustrates a sub shift moving process, and FIG. It is a figure showing a process. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a time series of a situation in which a coating material is applied when a defective nozzle is generated, wherein FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an initial film forming process, and FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a first main shift movement process and a sub shift movement. FIG. 3C is a diagram showing a state after a shift film forming step is performed, and FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a state after a second main shift moving step, a sub shift moving step, and a shift film forming step are performed. () Is a diagram showing a state in which the application step has been completed. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the said inkjet coating device. It is a figure which shows the conventional inkjet application device, (a) is a side view, (b) is a top view. It is a figure which shows the nozzle unit of the conventional inkjet coating device, (a) is the figure seen from the nozzle side, (b) is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence of a head module. It is a figure which shows the application state at the time of the non-discharge nozzle existing in the conventional inkjet coating apparatus, (a) is a figure which shows the coating film formed in the whole board | substrate, (b) The coating film in which an uncoated area exists FIG. It is a figure which shows the head in which the nozzle unit was provided in two steps in the main scanning direction in the conventional inkjet coating device, (a) is the figure seen from the nozzle side, (b) is a figure which shows the arrangement | sequence of a head module. is there.

  An embodiment according to the inkjet coating apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the inkjet coating apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a top view of the inkjet coating apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inkjet coating apparatus includes a stage 10 on which a substrate W is mounted, and a coating unit 2 for coating droplets (coating material) on the substrate W. While moving on the substrate W placed on the stage 10, the liquid droplets are discharged to predetermined landing positions, whereby a flat coating film C is formed on the substrate W. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of flat coating films C are formed on one substrate W such that a plurality of substrates W (product substrates) with the coating film C are formed. Is done.
The coating film C is an alignment film of a liquid crystal display panel, an insulating film of a touch panel, and the like. This ink jet coating apparatus forms any coating film C if it is used to form a flat coating film C on a substrate W. can do. For example, a coating film C of an organic EL, a wiring pattern, a power semiconductor, or the like can be formed.

  In the following description, the direction in which the coating unit 2 moves is the X-axis direction (the main scanning direction in the present embodiment), and the direction orthogonal to the horizontal plane is the Y-axis direction (the sub-scanning direction in the present embodiment). , The direction orthogonal to both the X-axis and the Y-axis directions will be described as the Z-axis direction.

  The inkjet coating apparatus has a base 1, and a stage 10 and a coating unit 2 are provided on the base 1. Specifically, a rectangular parallelepiped stage 10 is provided on the base 1, and the coating unit 2 is provided so as to straddle the stage 10 in the Y-axis direction.

  The stage 10 is for mounting a substrate W thereon, and the mounted substrate W is to be mounted while maintaining a horizontal posture. Specifically, the surface of the stage 10 is formed flat, and a plurality of suction holes are formed on the surface. A vacuum pump is connected to the suction hole, and by operating the vacuum pump with the substrate W placed on the surface of the stage 10, a suction force is generated in the suction hole, and the substrate W is held in a horizontal posture. The surface of the stage 10 can be suction-held. The substrate W is provided with an alignment mark, and an image of the alignment mark is taken by a camera (not shown) so that a set landing position stored by a control device described later is set to a set landing position based on the alignment mark. Is corrected to In other words, the correction is performed so that the set landing position of each of the nozzles 31a and 41a matches the actual landing position of the substrate W on the stage 10, and the coating material is applied to each set landing position. By being discharged, a flat coating film C is formed at a predetermined position on the substrate W with high accuracy.

  Further, the coating unit 2 is for applying a coating material by landing it on the substrate W, and has a head 21 for discharging the coating material and a gantry section 22 for supporting the head 21. The gantry portion 22 has a substantially portal shape including a leg portion 22a disposed on both outer sides in the Y-axis direction of the stage 10 and a stone beam member 22b connecting the leg portions 22a and extending in the Y-axis direction. Is formed. The head 21 is attached to the beam member 22b, and the gantry section 22 is attached movably in the X-axis direction while straddling the stage 10 in the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, rails (not shown) extending in the X-axis direction are installed at both ends of the base 1 in the Y-axis direction, and the legs 22a are slidably attached to the rails. A linear motor is attached to the leg 22a, and by controlling the driving of the linear motor, the gantry 22 moves in the X-axis direction and can be stopped at an arbitrary position.

  The beam member 22b is a columnar member that connects the two leg portions 22a, and is formed of a stone material. The head 21 is attached to the beam member 22b. Specifically, a head 21 is attached to one side surface of the beam member 22b in the X-axis direction, and the nozzles 31a and 41a provided on the head 21 are attached in a posture facing the surface of the stage 10. . Therefore, as the gantry unit 22 moves or stops in the X-axis direction, the head 21 can also move or stop accompanying the movement, and by adjusting the amount of movement of the gantry unit 22, The coating material can be discharged onto the substrate W by positioning the head 21 on the mounted substrate W.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the head 21 is formed by integrating a plurality of nozzles 31a and 41a, and has a first nozzle unit 30 and a second nozzle unit 40. In the present embodiment, the first nozzle unit 30 and the second nozzle unit 40 are fixed in a state of being arranged adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. That is, in the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the first nozzle unit 30 is disposed on the front side in the traveling direction with respect to the second nozzle unit 40, and first faces the substrate W when moving and applying in the X-axis direction. Located on the side. The head 21 is formed so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction (sub-scanning direction), so that the impact position in the X-axis direction can be shifted in the Y-axis direction. Specifically, the beam member 22b is provided with a rail (not shown), and the head 21 is slidably mounted on the rail. A linear motor is attached to the head 21. By controlling the driving of the linear motor, the head 21 moves in the X-axis direction and can be stopped at an arbitrary position. In the present embodiment, control is possible with a movement amount smaller than the arrangement pitch of the nozzles 31a and 41a, and the configuration is such that positioning can be performed with high accuracy, such as 1/4 pitch, 1/8 pitch or the like.

  The first nozzle unit 30 has a plurality of nozzles 31a, and these nozzles 31a are arranged in a state of being arranged in one direction at a predetermined arrangement pitch. Specifically, the first nozzle unit 30 is formed to include a plurality of head modules 31 that drive a piezo element to discharge a coating material, and the plurality of nozzles in which the head modules 31 are arranged in one direction. 31a. In the present embodiment, these nozzles 31a are arranged at an arrangement pitch t. The head modules 31 are staggered so as to have portions overlapping each other. In the example of FIG. 4, the adjacent head modules 31 are alternately arranged in the X-axis direction. That is, since these head modules 31 have different dimensions between the nozzle arrangement interval and both end portions of the head module 31, as shown in FIG. They are arranged in the Y-axis direction while being shifted. Specifically, the head module 31 is arranged so that the arrangement direction of the plurality of nozzles 31a of the head module 31 is aligned in the Y-axis direction, and the dimension (dimension s) of both ends of the head module 31 can be offset. . That is, in the first nozzle unit 30, the nozzles 31a are arranged at equal intervals (dimension t) in the Y-axis direction when viewed in the X-axis direction, and all the nozzles 31a are viewed in the X-axis direction as a whole of the head 21. They are arranged at an arrangement pitch t along the Y-axis direction, and are arranged at equal intervals over the Y-axis direction when viewed from the X-axis direction.

  The second nozzle unit 40 has a plurality of nozzles 41a, and is arranged in one direction (the Y-axis direction in the present embodiment) at a predetermined pitch. In the present embodiment, the configuration is similar to that of the above-described first nozzle unit 30, and the arrangement of the nozzles 41 a is the same as the arrangement of the nozzles 31 a of the first nozzle unit 30. That is, the adjacent head modules 41 are arranged so as to be alternately shifted in the X-axis direction so that the dimensions (dimensions) of both end portions of the head module 41 can be offset. On the other hand, the respective nozzles 41 a of the second nozzle unit 40 are mounted such that the respective nozzles 41 a are located between the respective nozzles 31 a of the first nozzle unit 30 when mounted on the head 21. That is, the nozzle 41a of the second nozzle unit 40 is disposed at a position shifted by t / 2 with respect to the nozzle position of the first nozzle unit 30 when viewed in the X-axis direction, and the first nozzle unit 30 and the second nozzle Since the pitch of the nozzles 31a and 41a of the unit 40 is the same arrangement pitch t, all the nozzles 41a are arranged with a shift of t / 2 from the nozzle 31a. As a result, the nozzles 41a and the nozzles 31a are displaced from each other by t / 2 when viewed in the X-axis direction, and the resolution can be improved as compared with the configuration of the first nozzle unit 30 alone.

  In addition, the inkjet coating apparatus of the present embodiment has a control device (not shown) that controls the operation of the entire apparatus. This control device controls the driving of a drive device such as a servo motor or a linear motor of each unit and performs various calculations necessary for the coating operation in order to execute a series of coating operations in accordance with a program stored in advance.

  The control device stores the discharge positions (set landing positions) of the coating material discharged from the nozzles 31a and 41a, and the set landing positions are set for each of the nozzles 31a and 41a. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of coating films C are set on the substrate W so as to correspond to multiple product substrate cutting, and the coating film C should be formed. A set landing position based on the alignment mark is set in the application area.

  The set landing positions are set in a grid pattern with respect to the application area, and an appropriate amount of liquid droplets are landed on the grid points from the nozzles 31a and 41a, so that a uniform coating film C is formed. It has become. In the present embodiment, a nozzle position to be landed is set with respect to the set landing position, and droplets are discharged in accordance with this nozzle position, so that even if a defective nozzle is generated, uniform coating is performed. The film C can be formed.

  Specifically, it is set so that the coating film C is formed by scanning the first nozzle unit 30 and the second nozzle unit 40 in the main scanning direction a plurality of times with respect to each of the grid-like set landing positions. In addition, the uniform coating film C is formed by performing the initial film forming process, the main shift moving process, the sub shift moving process, and the shift film forming process. In the present embodiment, the setting is made so that the coating film C is formed by scanning four times in the main scanning direction. The number of scans in the main scanning direction required to complete the uniform coating film C is referred to as a set number of scans.

  The initial film forming process is a process in which a coating material is ejected from the nozzles 31a and 41a onto the substrate W to first cause droplets to land in the main scanning direction from the nozzle position. Here, the nozzle position is a scanning start position at which the nozzles 31a and 41a can pass the set landing position when the head 21 is moved in the main scanning direction. By this processing, an initial film corresponding to the nozzle position (particularly, the initial nozzle position) arranged first is formed. That is, the liquid droplets are ejected to the set landing position while the head 21 is moved only once in the main scanning direction from the position positioned with respect to the substrate W. Depending on the relationship between the lyophilicity of the surface of the substrate W and the viscosity of the droplets, the discharged coating material may be formed in a row extending in the main scanning direction, or the adjacent rows of films may spread the droplet. May bond with each other. In the initial film forming process, the appropriate amount of liquid is set to be smaller than the appropriate amount of liquid ejected when the coating film C is completed by one scan. In other words, the appropriate amount of liquid is set so that an equal amount is ejected every time scanning is performed in the main scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the set number of scans is set to four. The amount is set to １ ／ of the appropriate amount of the liquid necessary for forming the coating film C in each scan. In other words, the head 21 scans four times in the main scanning direction so that a necessary amount of the coating material is discharged onto the coating film C.

  The main shift movement process is a process of moving the nozzles 31a and 41a in the sub-scanning direction, and moves the nozzles 31a and 41a in the sub-scanning direction beyond the nozzle positions of the nozzles 31a and 41a located adjacent to the nozzles 31a and 41a. Processing. Here, the nozzle position located next to itself is a nozzle position located immediately next to the nozzle when viewed in the X-axis direction. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle position located next to the nozzle 31a1 is the nozzle position of the nozzle 41a1. In a configuration including only the first nozzle unit 30 without the second nozzle unit 40, the nozzle position located next to the nozzle 31a1 is the nozzle position of the nozzle 31a2. In the main shift movement process, the entire head 21 is moved in the sub-scanning direction such that the nozzles 31a and 41a are located at nozzle positions that exceed the adjacent nozzle positions. By performing the main shift movement process, if a defective nozzle is generated, it is possible to prevent the defective nozzle from being positioned again at the nozzle position of the defective nozzle. In other words, it is possible to prevent the defective nozzle from scanning the same region many times and not applying the coating material to the uncoated region f formed on the substrate, thereby preventing the formation of defect unevenness.

  The sub-shift movement process is a process of moving the nozzles 31a and 41a in the sub-scanning direction by a movement amount (sub-shift movement amount) smaller than the arrangement pitch after the main shift movement process. In the present embodiment, the sub-shift movement amount is set to be moved by an amount obtained by dividing the arrangement pitch of the nozzles 31a and 41a by the set number of scans. That is, the sub-shift movement amount is set to t / 8.

  In the shift film forming process, the head 21 is moved in the main scanning direction from the nozzle position (shift nozzle position) after the main shift moving process and the sub-shift moving process, and droplets are ejected from the nozzles 31a and 41a to shift. This is a process for landing droplets in the main scanning direction from the nozzle position. By this processing, a shift film corresponding to the shift nozzle position is formed. That is, droplets are ejected to the set landing position while the head 21 is moved only once in the main scanning direction from the shift nozzle position positioned with respect to the substrate W. Depending on the relationship between the lyophilicity of the surface of the substrate W and the viscosity of the droplets, the discharged coating material may be formed in a row extending in the main scanning direction, or the adjacent rows of films may spread the droplet. May overlap with each other. Further, as in the initial film forming process, the appropriate amount of the liquid in the shift film forming process is set to １ ／ of the appropriate amount of the liquid when the coating film C is formed by one scan.

  When the sub-shift moving process and the shift film forming process are performed, shift films are formed at intervals of t / 8 pitch between the initial films formed in the initial film forming process. In this embodiment, since the initial films are formed at a pitch of t / 2, three shift films are formed at equal pitches between adjacent initial films. In other words, the sub-shift movement amount is set such that the droplets discharged to form the initial film and the shift film flow and are connected and integrated by flowing. As a result, even if the uncoated area f is formed when a defective nozzle is generated, the landed droplets forming the films (the initial film and the shift film) on both sides separated by t / 8 flow due to the flow. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of defect unevenness due to filling of the application region f.

  Next, the operation of the inkjet coating apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the substrate W is loaded in step S1. Specifically, the substrate W is placed on the stage 10 by a robot hand or the like. When the substrate W is placed on the stage 10 and held, the alignment mark of the substrate W is taken in, and the set landing position is corrected based on the alignment mark. That is, for the substrate W on the stage 10, the set landing position and the ejection amount for each of the nozzles 31 a and 41 a (in the present embodiment, the appropriate amount of liquid necessary for forming the coating film C by one scan) 1/4) is set.

  Before starting the next first coating process, the nozzles 31a and 41a are discharged onto the test substrate to check for the presence of non-discharge nozzles.

  Next, a coating process is performed in step S2. This coating step includes an initial film forming step, a main shift moving step, a sub shift moving step, and a shift film forming step.

  First, an initial film forming step is performed in step S21. More specifically, the nozzles 31a and 41a are arranged at the initial nozzle positions so that they can be discharged at the set landing positions in the main scanning direction. Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating the coating process, and the description will focus on the three nozzles 31a and 41a of the first nozzle unit 30 and the second nozzle unit 40, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6A, each of the nozzles 31a and 41a is arranged at an initial nozzle position. That is, when the head 21 moves in the X-axis direction, the head 21 is positioned so that the nozzles 31a and 41a pass above the set landing position (broken line). Then, the head 21 moves in the main scanning direction from the initial nozzle position, and when each of the nozzles 31a and 41a is located at the set landing position, a droplet is formed, and the coating material having the set droplet amount at the set landing position is discharged. (FIG. 6B). It should be noted that circles drawn by broken lines in the figure indicate set landing positions, and solid circles indicate that landing has been made.

  Next, a main shift moving step is performed in step S22. Specifically, the head 21 is moved in the sub-scanning direction, and the nozzles 31a and 41a are arranged at different nozzle positions beyond the nozzle positions of the nozzles 31a and 41a located adjacent to the respective nozzles 31a and 41a. That is, the nozzles 31a and 41a are arranged at nozzle positions other than the nozzle positions adjacent to the own nozzles 31a and 41a (FIG. 6C).

  Next, in step S23, a sub-shift moving step is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6D, the nozzle is moved in the sub-scanning direction by t / 8 from the nozzle position located in the main shift moving step.

  Next, in step S24, a shift film forming step is performed. Specifically, while moving the head 21 in the main scanning direction from the nozzle position located in the sub-shift movement step, a droplet is landed from each of the nozzles 31a and 41a to a set landing position to form a shift film. The formed shift film (droplets that have landed in some situations) forms a film that is familiar with the previously formed initial film (FIG. 7A).

  Next, in step S25, the set number of scans is confirmed. If the number of scans is less than the set number of scans, the process proceeds to No in step S25, and the main shift moving step, the sub shift moving step, and the shift film forming step are repeated in this order. That is, in the main shift movement step, the nozzles 31a and 41a are again arranged at different nozzle positions beyond the nozzle positions of the nozzles 31a and 41a located adjacent to the respective nozzles 31a and 41a (FIG. 7B). In the sub-shift movement step, the nozzle is further moved in the sub-scanning direction by t / 8 from the nozzle position located in the preceding main shift movement step (FIG. 7C). Then, in the shift film forming step, a droplet is landed from each of the nozzles 31a and 41a on the set landing position while the head 21 is moved in the main scanning direction to form a shift film (FIG. 7D). In the present embodiment, the main shift moving step (FIG. 8A), the sub shift moving step (FIG. 8B), and the shift film forming step (FIG. 8C) are repeated again to move the head 21 in the main scanning direction. By discharging the liquid droplets four times, a uniform film pattern is formed on the substrate W.

  Here, when a defective nozzle is generated initially or during the coating operation, that is, when the nozzle 41a2 is a defective nozzle (non-ejection nozzle) in the initial film forming step, as shown in FIG. The coating material is not applied to the area scanned by the nozzle 41a2, and an uncoated area f is formed.

  Next, by performing the main shift moving step, the nozzles 31a and 41a are arranged at different nozzle positions beyond the nozzle positions of the nozzles 31a and 41a located adjacent to the respective nozzles 31a and 41a. That is, the nozzle 41a2 is not located at the nozzle position located next to the defective nozzle 41a2 itself, but is located at a nozzle position other than the nozzle position located next to the nozzle 41a2 itself. This prevents the nozzle 41a2 from being arranged at the initial nozzle position of the nozzle 41a2 and the nozzle position adjacent to the initial nozzle position of the nozzle 41a2. Nevertheless, it is possible to prevent the uncoated area f from being formed in the same place or a new uncoated area f being formed near the uncoated area f, and the uncoated area f from being formed intensively at a certain location. Can be.

  Then, the shift film is formed at a position shifted by t / 8 from the initial nozzle position by performing the sub-shift moving step and the shift film forming step (FIG. 9B). When the main shift moving step, the sub shift moving step, and the shift film forming step are repeatedly performed, the uncoated area f is complemented and filled on both sides by the droplets discharged in the other steps. Is suppressed, and a uniform film pattern is finally formed.

  Then, when the number of scans satisfies the set number of scans, the process proceeds in the Yes direction in step S25, and the coating process ends in step S26.

  Next, in step S3, the substrate W is discharged. Specifically, the substrate W placed on the stage 10 is discharged by a robot hand or the like, and the substrate W is transported to a drying device in a later process.

  As described above, according to the film pattern drawing method in the above embodiment, after the head is scanned in the main scanning direction in the initial film forming step to form an initial film corresponding to the nozzle position (initial), the head is moved in the main shift moving step. Since each nozzle moves in the sub-scanning direction beyond the position of the nozzle located next to itself, it is possible to prevent non-discharge areas from being formed side by side in the sub-scanning direction. That is, if there is a defective nozzle, the defective nozzle can be moved to a position beyond the normal nozzle located next to the defective nozzle by performing the main shift moving step. Even if the ejection regions are formed, it is possible to ensure that the initial film exists between these non-ejection regions. Then, by performing the sub-shift moving step and the shift film forming step, the nozzle is moved in the sub-scanning direction by a movement amount smaller than the nozzle arrangement pitch, and then the shift film is formed in the main scanning direction. As a result, the shift film is formed between the previously formed films (including the initial film and the shift film), so that the films are formed so as to fill the spaces between the previously formed films. As a result, it is possible to form a uniform film pattern by suppressing the application material ejected to the uneven shape or the narrow portion from being repelled and causing a shortage of the application material at the portion and causing defect unevenness. A film pattern can be formed with high accuracy without increasing the resolution by increasing the number of nozzles.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the main shift step and the sub shift step are performed in this order, but a configuration in which the main shift step and the sub shift step are performed simultaneously may be employed. That is, after the initial film forming step, the moving amount obtained by adding the moving amount in the sub-scanning direction required in the main shift step and the moving amount in the sub-scanning direction required in the sub-shift step is moved at a time. Is also good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the movement amounts in the sub-shift movement process are all the same movement amount, but a different movement amount may be set for each sub-shift movement process. In other words, by reducing the amount of movement to a portion where the coating material is likely to be repelled according to the shape of the substrate W, it is possible to supply the coating material densely and suppress occurrence of defect unevenness.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the shift film forming process, an example was described in which droplets landed so as to overlap with the previously formed film (initial film, shift film). A configuration in which droplets land at independent positions in relation to the liquidity may be employed.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the first nozzle unit 30 and the second nozzle unit 40 are provided side by side in the main scanning direction has been described. You may.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the head 21 moves in the main scanning direction by moving the coating unit 2 has been described, but the head 21 moves relative to the substrate W in the main scanning direction by moving the stage 10. You may comprise so that it may move temporarily. In any case, any configuration may be used as long as the head 21 and the substrate W can relatively move in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction.

  In the above embodiment, the example in which the film pattern is formed by scanning the head 21 four times in the main scanning direction has been described. However, the film pattern may be appropriately set so that a uniform film pattern is formed.

2 Coating unit 10 Stage 21 Head 22 Gantry section 30 First nozzle unit 31a Nozzle (first nozzle unit)
40 second nozzle unit 41a nozzle (second nozzle unit)
W substrate C coating film f uncoated area

Claims (5)

A film pattern drawing method for forming a film pattern by discharging droplets from the nozzles while scanning a head having a plurality of nozzles arranged at a predetermined arrangement pitch in the main scanning direction,
An initial film forming step of discharging droplets from each of the nozzles while scanning the head in the main scanning direction from the nozzle position to form an initial film according to the nozzle position of the nozzle;
A main shift moving step of moving the head in a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction to another nozzle position beyond the nozzle position of a nozzle located next to itself;
From the main shift movement step, a sub-shift movement step of further moving by a movement amount smaller than the arrangement pitch of the nozzles,
At the shift nozzle position after the main shift moving step and the sub shift moving step, a shift film that discharges droplets from each of the nozzles while scanning the head in the main scanning direction to form a film corresponding to the shift nozzle position Forming step;
After the initial film forming step, the main shift moving step;
A film pattern drawing method, wherein the sub-shift step and the shift film forming step are repeated in this order to form a film pattern. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the main shift moving step and the sub shift step are performed simultaneously. The film pattern drawing method according to claim 1, wherein a moving amount smaller than the arrangement pitch in the sub-shift moving step is equal in all sub-shift moving steps performed a plurality of times. 4. The film pattern drawing method according to claim 1, wherein in the shift film forming step, a droplet is landed at a position overlapping with a film formed earlier. A plurality of nozzles arranged in one direction are arranged in the main scanning direction in the head, and the plurality of nozzles are arranged at the predetermined pitch when viewed from the main scanning direction. The method of drawing a film pattern according to claim 1.

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