JP7428551B2 - Cleaning parts and cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning member for cleaning an applicator that discharges a coating liquid, and a cleaning device equipped with this cleaning member.

A transparent conductive film is a thin film that has both visible light transparency and electrical conductivity, and is used as a transparent electrode for liquid crystals, organic EL (organic electroluminescence), flat panel displays, solar cells, and the like. This transparent conductive film (also simply referred to as a coating film) is made of a conductive polymer material of polyethylene dioxythiophene/polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT/PSS), and is coated with a coating device that uniformly applies the coating liquid. is formed by. This coating device has a stage on which the substrate is placed, and an applicator having a slit nozzle extending in one direction, and by moving the applicator and the substrate relative to each other, the coating device coats the substrate with a uniform thickness. A film is formed.

As shown in FIG. 9(a), the applicator 100 has a nozzle surface 101 on which a slit nozzle 100a is formed, and a side wall inclined surface 102 formed continuously with this nozzle surface 101. When the nozzle surface 101 and the side wall inclined surface 102 have deposits including residual coating liquid and foreign matter, the deposits make the discharge state of the coating liquid uneven, and drying unevenness such as streaks is formed in the coating film. cause it to happen. Further, there is a possibility that the deposits may fall and adhere to the substrate during coating. Therefore, the applicator 100 is periodically cleaned and initialized by a cleaning device (for example, see Patent Document 1).

The cleaning device includes a dip tank 103 (see FIG. 9(b)) and a cleaning device 104 (see FIG. 10), and removes deposits that have adhered when the slit nozzle 100a portion of the applicator 100 is immersed in the dip tank 103. After dissolving (including semi-dissolving), the cleaning device 104 performs wiping. Specifically, a solvent for the coating liquid (also referred to as cleaning liquid 106) is stored in the dip tank 103, and the nozzle surface 101 and the side wall inclined surface 102 to which deposits are attached are immersed in this solvent (FIG. 9). (b)). The cleaning device 104 is provided with a blade-shaped cleaning member 105, and as shown in FIG. By moving the nozzle 100a in the extending direction (FIG. 10(a)), the adhering liquid including the cleaning liquid adhering to the nozzle surface 101 and side wall inclined surface 102 is wiped off, and cleaning of the applicator 100 is completed (FIG. 10(a)). (c)).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-192566

However, the conventional cleaning device 104 has a problem in that it cannot completely wipe off the attached liquid. That is, normally, a solvent is used as the cleaning liquid 106 in the dip tank 103, but in alcohol-based PEDOT/PSS, water is used as the cleaning liquid 106 in the dip tank 103. When the cleaning liquid 106 is water, the conventional cleaning member 105 alone cannot wipe the area sufficiently, and even in the area where the cleaning member 105 has passed, the attached liquid containing water in the dip tank 103 still remains as a residue 106a. It ends up. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10(b), during the coating operation for producing products, the remaining residue 106a (adhesive liquid) drips down to the nozzle surface 101, which affects the quality of the coating film. was there.

Furthermore, when the cleaning liquid 106 is water, it may be possible to wipe it off without leaving any adhered liquid by changing the contact angle between the cleaning member 105 and the applicator 100; Since the cleaning liquid 106 needs to be specially designed for each component, there is a problem in that the manufacturing cost of the cleaning device 104 becomes extremely high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is a cleaning method that can prevent adhering liquids including cleaning liquid from adhering to the applicator and remaining as residue when the applicator is cleaned. The purpose is to provide parts and cleaning equipment.

In order to solve the above problems, the cleaning member of the present invention is a cleaning member that removes adhering liquid attached to the applicator by moving it along an applicator having a slit nozzle extending in one direction and discharging the application liquid. A member comprising: a side wall facing portion formed in a shape along a side wall inclined surface formed continuously from a nozzle surface where the slit nozzle is formed; and a first opening formed in the side wall facing portion. a second opening formed in a portion other than the side wall facing portion, and an opening communication portion formed by communicating the first opening and the second opening, the second opening By applying a suction force to the first opening, a suction force is generated in the first opening through the opening communication part, and the attached liquid adhering to the side wall inclined surface is removed, and the side wall facing part 1, a tip facing portion having a portion closer to the slit nozzle than the opening portion formed close to the side wall inclined surface, and a opposite tip facing portion having a portion farther from the slit nozzle formed away from the side wall inclined surface. and a gap formed between the opposite tip facing portion and the side wall inclined surface is formed to be larger than a gap formed between the tip opposing portion and the side wall inclined surface. There is.

According to the present invention, by applying a suction force to the second opening, suction force can be generated in the first opening through the opening communication part, so that the suction force of the first opening can cause the side wall slope to The adhering liquid including the remaining cleaning liquid can be suctioned to remove the residue. Therefore, it is possible to prevent adhesion liquid containing the cleaning liquid from remaining on the applicator as a residue without having to design a conventional cleaning member specifically for the cleaning liquid in the dip tank. In addition, the suction force generated in the first opening is adjusted so that a larger airflow is generated in the gap formed between the opposite tip facing part and the side wall slope than in the gap formed between the tip facing part and the side wall slope. can do. Normally, when a suction force is generated in the first opening, an airflow is generated in each gap. If a large airflow is generated in the gap formed between the opposing tip and the side wall slope, the coating liquid present in the slit nozzle may dry or flow out due to the airflow and flow from the nozzle surface to the side wall slope. As a result of being sucked into the first opening, the coating liquid may remain on the nozzle surface and the inclined side wall surface. Furthermore, there is a possibility that air may get mixed into the slit nozzle due to the application liquid flowing out due to the air current. Therefore, by making the gap formed between the opposite tip opposing part and the side wall inclined surface larger than the gap formed between the opposite tip opposing part and the side wall inclined surface, the gap formed between the opposite tip opposing part and the side wall inclined surface is A strong air current is generated in the slit nozzle to actively remove the liquid adhering to the side wall slope, and a weak air flow is generated in the gap formed between the opposing tip and the side wall slope to dry the coating liquid inside the slit nozzle. It is possible to remove the residue (adhesive liquid) adhering to the inclined side wall surface while preventing the application liquid from flowing out.

The nozzle surface facing portion has a nozzle surface facing portion facing the nozzle surface, and the gap formed between the nozzle surface facing portion and the nozzle surface is larger than the gap formed between the tip facing portion and the side wall inclined surface. It may be configured to be larger.

According to this configuration, by forming the gap formed between the nozzle surface facing portion and the nozzle surface continuous with the gap formed between the tip facing portion and the side wall inclined surface, and making the gap formed between the nozzle surface facing portion and the nozzle surface larger than this gap, The airflow generated in the gap formed between the nozzle surface facing portion and the nozzle surface can be made smaller than the airflow generated in the gap formed between the nozzle surface facing part and the nozzle surface. Thereby, even when suction force is generated in the first opening, it is possible to effectively suppress the coating liquid in the slit nozzle from flowing out.

In order to solve the above problems, a cleaning device of the present invention includes any one of the cleaning members described above, and is a cleaning device for cleaning an applicator having the slit nozzle, and includes a moving device for moving the cleaning member. and the moving device generates a suction force in the first opening to move the cleaning member with the side wall facing portion of the cleaning member facing the side wall inclined surface of the applicator. It is characterized by sucking and removing the adhering liquid adhering to the applicator.

According to the present invention, by applying a suction force to the second opening, suction force can be generated in the first opening through the opening communication part, so that the suction force of the first opening can cause the side wall slope to By suctioning the adhered liquid including the remaining cleaning liquid, the adhered liquid can be removed. Therefore, the problem of the cleaning liquid remaining on the applicator as a residue (adhesive liquid) can be suppressed.

According to the present invention, when the applicator is cleaned, it is possible to prevent a liquid containing a cleaning liquid from adhering to the applicator and remaining as a residue.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a coating device including a cleaning member and a cleaning device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an applicator. It is a figure which shows the dip tank, (a) is a figure which shows the state in which the applicator is arrange|positioned on the dip tank, and (b) is a figure which shows the state in which the applicator is immersed in the dip tank. It is a figure which shows the cleaning device, (a) is a figure which shows the state where the applicator is arrange|positioned on the cleaning device, and (b) is a figure which shows the state where the cleaning member is in contact with the applicator. It is a figure which shows the state where the 1st cleaning member was attached to the 1st pedestal part. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the first cleaning member, in which (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a diagram showing a state in which the contact ridge line is in contact with the applicator, and (c) is a diagram showing the state formed by the applicator and the side wall opposing part. FIG. It is a figure showing the appearance of the 1st cleaning part to which the 1st cleaning member was attached. It is a figure which shows the 2nd cleaning part, (a) is a figure which shows the state where the 2nd cleaning member is attached to the 2nd base part, and (b) is a perspective view which shows the 2nd cleaning member. It is a figure which shows a prior art, (a) is a figure which shows an applicator, (b) is a figure which shows a dip tank. It is a figure which shows the conventional cleaning device, (a) is a figure which shows the state where the cleaning member is in contact with the applicator, and (b) is a figure which shows the state after wiping with the cleaning member.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a coating device equipped with a cleaning device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cleaning device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a view of the cleaning device viewed from the longitudinal direction. It is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the coating device 1 forms a coating film of a liquid material such as a chemical solution or a resist solution (hereinafter referred to as a coating solution) on a substrate W, and the coating device 1 is a device for forming a coating film of a liquid material such as a chemical solution or a resist solution (hereinafter referred to as a coating solution) on a substrate W. The coating unit 3 is provided with a stage 21 for applying the coating, and a coating unit 3 configured to be movable in a specific direction with respect to the stage 21.

In the following description, the direction in which the coating unit 3 moves is referred to as the X-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to this on a horizontal plane as the Y-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the X-axis and Y-axis direction as the Z-axis direction. We will proceed with this.

The stage 21 is used to place a substrate W carried in by a robot hand or the like. This stage 21 is provided with a substrate holding means, and the substrate W is held by this substrate holding means. Specifically, a plurality of suction holes are formed on the surface of the stage 21, and by generating suction force in the suction holes, the substrate W can be attracted and held on the surface of the stage 21. ing.

Further, the coating unit 3 discharges a coating liquid onto the substrate W to form a coating film. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this coating unit 3 includes an applicator 30 that discharges a coating liquid and a gantry section 35 that holds this applicator 30, and is movable in the X-axis direction. It is formed. That is, a drive unit for moving the coating unit 3 is provided, and by controlling this drive unit, the gantry section 35 can be moved in the X-axis direction. Specifically, the drive unit includes a rail extending in the X-axis direction provided at the end of the stage 21 in the Y-axis direction, and a linear motor that drives the gantry section 35 attached to the leg section 35a. A gantry section 35 is slidably attached to the rail. By driving and controlling this linear motor, the coating unit 3 can be moved in the X-axis direction and stopped at any desired position. In this embodiment, it is possible to move to the stage 21 and the cleaning device 5 installed outside the stage 21.

Further, the gantry section 35 is provided with an elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the applicator 30. Specifically, the applicator 30 can be moved toward and away from the substrate W by operating the lifting mechanism. Thereby, during the coating operation, it is possible to position the substrate W on the stage 21 at an appropriate height position. Moreover, it can move up and down with respect to the cleaning device 5, which will be described later, and can move toward and away from the cleaning device 5 by operating the lifting mechanism.

Further, the applicator 30 forms a coating film on the substrate W by discharging a coating liquid. This applicator 30 is a columnar member having a shape extending in one direction, and is provided so as to be substantially orthogonal to the running direction (X-axis direction) of the applicator unit 3. This applicator 30 has a nozzle surface 31 facing the substrate W, and a side wall inclined surface 32 having a predetermined angle with respect to the substrate W, and a slit nozzle 30a is formed in the nozzle surface 31. Specifically, the nozzle surface 31 is formed as a flat surface facing the substrate W and extending in the Y-axis direction, and a side wall inclined surface 32 is formed continuously from the end of the flat surface in the X-axis direction at a predetermined angle. has been done. That is, the applicator 30 is formed in a tapered shape toward the substrate W so as to be continuous with the side wall inclined surface 32 and the nozzle surface 31. Further, a slit nozzle 30a formed with a small gap is formed on the nozzle surface 31 so as to extend in the Y-axis direction. When the coating liquid is supplied to the applicator 30, the coating liquid is uniformly discharged in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) through the slit nozzle 30a. Therefore, by moving the coating unit 3 in the X-axis direction while discharging the coating liquid from the slit nozzle 30a, a coating film having a constant thickness is formed on the substrate W.

Further, the coating device 1 includes a cleaning device 5 for maintaining and initializing the coating device 30. This cleaning device 5 is provided on the end side of the stage 21 in the X-axis direction, and dissolves (including semi-dissolved) deposits by immersing the slit nozzle 30a portion of the applicator 30 in the cleaning liquid. Thereafter, the adhering cleaning liquid is wiped off to clean the applicator 30, and maintenance and initialization of the applicator 30 are performed.

By immersing the applicator 30 in the cleaning liquid, the coating liquid adhering to the applicator 30 is dissolved (including semi-dissolved).

The cleaning device 5 is provided with a dip tank 50 shown in FIG. 3, and by immersing the applicator 30 in this dip tank 50, deposits and the like attached to the applicator 30 are cleaned. The dip tank 50 is a liquid container that stores a certain amount of cleaning liquid, and in this embodiment, water is stored as the cleaning liquid. This dip tank 50 has a shape extending in one direction, and is formed so that its longitudinal dimension extending in one direction is larger than the longitudinal dimension of the slit nozzle 30a. Therefore, when the coating unit 3 is stopped at the position of the cleaning device 5 and the applicator 30 is lowered, the slit nozzle 30a can be immersed in the cleaning liquid in the dip tank 50. Furthermore, a vibrator 51 (ultrasonic vibrator) is provided at the bottom of the dip tank 50. When the vibrator 51 is activated, ultrasonic vibrations are applied to the cleaning liquid in the dip tank 50. This makes it possible to perform ultrasonic cleaning on the slit nozzle 30a immersed in the dip tank 50.

Further, the cleaning device 5 is provided with a cleaning device 4 (see FIG. 4). The cleaning device 4 is for wiping the applicator 30 after it has been dipped in the dip tank 50 to remove the coating liquid (also referred to as deposits) including the cleaning liquid. The cleaning device 4 includes a cleaning unit 40 that wipes the applicator 30, a moving device that moves the cleaning unit 40 in the longitudinal direction of the applicator 30, and a tray section 6 that receives removed deposits. By moving the cleaning unit 40 in contact with the applicator 30, deposits including the adhering liquid adhering to the applicator 30 are removed.

The cleaning device 4 is configured such that during maintenance and initialization operations (referred to as cleaning), the applicator 30 moves onto the tray section 6 and maintenance and initialization processing (referred to as cleaning processing) is performed on the tray section 6. It has become. The tray portion 6 has a shape extending in one direction, and is arranged along the Y-axis direction. That is, the tray section 6 is formed larger than the applicator 30 to the extent that it covers the applicator 30, and receives deposits including the attached liquid removed when the cleaning process is performed on the tray section 6. It is formed to the extent that it can be done.

Further, a cleaning unit 40 and a moving device are provided in the tray portion 6, and the cleaning unit 40 is configured to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the tray portion 6 by driving and controlling the moving device. has been done. In this embodiment, the moving device includes a slider 61 and a linear motor (not shown) for moving the slider 61, and the linear motor is controlled by a control device (not shown). That is, during cleaning, when the linear motor is driven and controlled by the control device with the applicator 30 placed on the tray section 6, the slider 61 moves from one longitudinal end of the applicator 30 to the other end. is configured to be moved. A cleaning unit 40 is provided on the slider 61, and the cleaning unit 40 on the slider 61 can be moved along the slit nozzle 30a of the applicator 30 by driving and controlling a linear motor. It has become. In the present invention, the direction in which the slider 61 is moved during cleaning of the cleaning unit 40 is particularly referred to as the cleaning movement direction. In the example of FIG. 4, the cleaning unit 40 cleans by traveling toward the left, so the left side in FIG. 4 is the direction of cleaning movement.

The cleaning unit 40 is arranged on the slider 61 and includes a first cleaning section 41 and a second cleaning section 42. The first cleaning section 41 and the second cleaning section 42 are brought into contact with the applicator 30 to remove deposits, and the first cleaning section 41 is arranged on the front side of the second cleaning section 42 in the direction of cleaning movement. has been done. Then, by moving the slider 61 while the first cleaning part 41 and the second cleaning part 42 are in contact with the applicator 30, the first cleaning part 41 and the second cleaning part 42 are moved in a state in which they are in contact with the applicator 30. Then, the deposits adhering to the applicator 30 are scraped off and wiped off. That is, the first cleaning section 41 removes the adhering cleaning liquid (water) and scrapes off the adhering material, and the second cleaning section 42 wipes off the remaining adhering material, thereby removing the cleaning liquid from the applicator 30. Deposits are removed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first cleaning section 41 includes a first cleaning member 7 that comes into contact with the applicator 30, and a first pedestal section 43 that supports the first cleaning member 7. The cleaning member 7 is fixed to the first pedestal part 43 in a state of protruding upward from the first pedestal part 43. The first pedestal portion 43 is a pedestal on which the first cleaning member 7 is attached, and is attached on the slider 61. In this embodiment, the first pedestal portion 43 is formed into a block body having a cleaning attachment portion 44 to which the first cleaning member 7 is attached, and is attached to the slider 61 via a spring 62. That is, the first pedestal portion 43 is configured to receive a biasing force in the vertical direction by the spring 62. Further, the cleaning attachment part 44 of the first pedestal part 43 has an inclined plane, and the first cleaning member 7 can be fixed to this inclined plane with a cleaning member fixing part 47 (bolt 45 in this embodiment). It has become. That is, in a state where the first cleaning member 7 is attached to the cleaning attachment part 44, the tip part of the first cleaning member 7 is fixed in an inclined position facing the cleaning movement direction, and the tip part is higher than the first pedestal part 43. It is fixed in an upwardly protruding state. Therefore, when the first cleaning member 7 is brought into contact with the applicator 30 disposed above with the first cleaning member 7 attached to the first pedestal 43, the first cleaning member 7 is placed in an inclined position and the applicator 30 and is further displaced upward from the abutting state, the spring 62 contracts, and the biasing force of the spring 62 acts on the first cleaning member 7, pushing the first cleaning member 7 to a predetermined level. It can be pressed against the applicator 30 with pressure.

The second pedestal part 46 of the second cleaning part 42 also has a similar configuration, and with the second cleaning member 9 attached to the second pedestal part 46, the second pedestal part 46 is attached to the applicator 30 disposed above. When the second cleaning member 9 is brought into contact with the applicator 30, the second cleaning member 9 comes into contact with the applicator 30 in an inclined position, and when the second cleaning member 9 is moved upward from the contact state, the spring 62 is contracted. The biasing force acts on the second cleaning member 9, so that the cleaning member can be pressed against the applicator 30 with a predetermined pressing force.

In this way, in the first cleaning section 41 and the second cleaning section 42, the first pedestal section 43 and the second pedestal section 46 are provided independently from the slider 61 via the spring 62, so that the first cleaning section 7. Since the second cleaning member 9 can independently obtain the force to press the applicator 30 against the applicator 30, the wiping performance of the first cleaning member 7 and the second cleaning member 9 can be stabilized.

The first cleaning member 7 comes into contact with the applicator 30 to remove deposits containing the cleaning liquid. The first cleaning member 7 is made of rubber in this embodiment, and for example, a material that is easily elastically deformed such as nitrile rubber or silicone rubber is used. That is, when the first cleaning member 7 comes into contact with the applicator 30, it is elastically deformed along the mating surface of the applicator 30 that it comes into contact with.

The first cleaning member 7 is a single plate-like member, and a V-shaped groove is formed at its tip. That is, when the V-shaped groove 74 comes into contact with the slit nozzle 30a of the applicator 30, the V-shaped groove 74 is formed along the side wall inclined surface 32 of the applicator 30.

Specifically, the first cleaning member has a long side flat part 71 having a long side portion, a short side flat part 72 opposite to the long side flat part 71, and an inclined surface part 73 connecting these parts. A V-shaped groove 74 is formed in the inclined surface portion 73. That is, the ridge line (contact ridge line 75) formed by the inclined surface portion 73 and the long side flat portion 71 is formed in a shape along the side wall inclined surface 32 of the applicator 30. That is, the first cleaning member 9 is attached to the first pedestal portion 46 with the short side flat portion 72 in contact with the first pedestal portion 46, and the first cleaning member 9 is attached to the first pedestal portion 46. The first cleaning member 7 is fixed in an inclined position in which the member 9 is inclined in the direction of cleaning movement, with the V-shaped groove 74 of the first cleaning member 7 protruding above the first pedestal portion 46. Therefore, when the first cleaning member 7 is attached to the first base portion 46 and the first cleaning member is brought into contact with the applicator 30 disposed above, the contact ridge line 75 of the first cleaning member 7 is applied. When the spring 62 is contracted by contacting the side wall inclined surface 32 of the container 30 and then being displaced upward from the state of contact, the biasing force of the spring 62 acts on the contact ridge line 75. can be pressed against the side wall inclined surface 32 of the applicator 30 with a predetermined pressing force. Since the first cleaning member 7 is made of rubber, when the contact ridge line 75 is brought into contact with the side wall inclined surface 32 with a predetermined pressing force, the V-shaped groove 74 is elastically deformed, and the contact ridge line 75 is in close contact with the side wall inclined surface 32.

Further, the first cleaning member 7 has a side wall opposing portion 77 that faces the side wall inclined surface 32 while maintaining a V-shape from the contact ridge line 75 toward the short side flat portion 72 . This side wall opposing portion 77 is formed to face the side wall inclined surface 32 and to be spaced apart from the side wall inclined surface 32 . That is, the side wall opposing portion 77 is formed to widen toward the short side flat portion 72 from the position where the contact ridge line 75 abuts the side wall inclined surface 32 , and the width of the side wall opposing portion 77 and the side wall inclined surface 32 is increased. A certain gap is formed between them. That is, the positional relationship between the side wall inclined surface 32 of the applicator 30 and the side wall opposing portion 77 is such that at the abutting ridge line 75, the abutting ridge line 75 abuts the side wall inclined surface 32, as shown in FIG. 6(b). As shown in FIG. 6(c), a certain gap is formed between the side wall facing portion 77 and the side wall inclined surface 32 on the side of the short side flat portion 72 with respect to the contact ridge line 75. As shown in FIG.

Further, the first cleaning member 7 has a suction function to suck the cleaning liquid adhering to the applicator 30. That is, the first cleaning member 7 is formed with a first opening 81 that opens to the side wall facing portion 77, and a suction force can be generated from this first opening 81. Specifically, the first cleaning member 7 has a second opening 82 formed in the side surface 79 thereof. As shown in FIG. 7, the first pedestal part 43 is provided with a suction pipe 83 connected to a suction source, and when the first cleaning member 7 is attached to the first pedestal part 43, The suction pipe 83 and the second opening 82 are connected. The first cleaning member 7 has an opening communication part 84 (see FIG. 6(c)) that is connected to the first opening 81 and the second opening 82, and the first cleaning member 7 has an opening communication part 84 (see FIG. When a force is applied, a suction force is generated in the first opening 81 through the opening communication portion 84 . As a result, by generating suction force in the first opening 81 with the side wall opposing portion 77 facing the side wall inclined surface 32 of the applicator 30, the cleaning liquid attached to the side wall inclined surface 32 is removed from the first opening 81. It is designed to be attracted to.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the side wall opposing portion 77 includes a tip opposing portion 77a located on the lower side (a portion near the slit nozzle 30a) with respect to the first opening 81, and an upper side (a portion near the slit nozzle 30a). 77b. When the applicator 30 faces the side wall inclined surface 32, as shown in FIG. 32 is formed so that the gap β is larger. As a result, the suction force generated in the first opening 81 acts on the slit nozzle 30a, and the application liquid staying in the slit nozzle 30a can be prevented from drying and also prevented from being drawn out by the suction force. It has become. That is, when a suction force is generated in the first opening 81, airflow toward the first opening 81 is generated in the respective gaps α and β formed by the tip facing portion 77a and the opposite tip facing portion 77b. However, since the gap β formed between the side wall inclined surface 32 and the opposite tip facing portion 77b is larger than the gap α formed between the side wall inclined surface 32 and the tip opposing portion 77a, the pressure loss is reduced. Due to this relationship, a large airflow is generated in the gap β formed between the side wall inclined surface 32 and the opposite tip facing portion 77b, and the airflow generated in the gap α formed between the side wall inclined surface 32 and the opposite tip opposing portion 77a is reduced. can do. This suppresses drying of the coating liquid staying in the slit nozzle 30a and prevents the coating liquid from being drawn out, compared to the case where the gap α and the gap β formed by the tip facing part 77a and the opposite tip facing part 77b are the same. It is possible to suppress the problems caused by

Further, the first cleaning member 7 has a nozzle surface facing portion 78 that faces the nozzle surface 31, and the gap γ formed between the nozzle surface facing portion 78 and the nozzle surface 31 is between the tip facing portion 77a and the nozzle surface facing portion 78. It is formed to be larger than the gap α formed with the side wall inclined surface 32. In the examples shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the cross section is rectangular and spaced apart from the nozzle surface 31. This can further suppress the problem of the coating liquid in the slit nozzle 30a drying out or flowing out. That is, as described above, the airflow generated in the gap α formed between the tip facing portion 77a and the side wall inclined surface 32 is effectively suppressed, and furthermore, the airflow generated in the gap α formed between the nozzle surface 31 and the nozzle surface facing portion 78 is suppressed. The nozzle The suction force generated in the gap γ formed between the surface 31 and the nozzle surface facing portion 78 is further weakened. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the problem that the coating liquid in the slit nozzle 30a dries or the coating liquid flows out.

In this way, by moving the first cleaning member 7 in the cleaning movement direction, the cleaning liquid adhering to the side wall inclined surface 32 of the applicator 30 is suctioned and removed by the first opening 81, and the contact ridge line 75 The applicator 30 can be cleaned by scraping off deposits.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), the second cleaning unit 42 includes a second cleaning member 9 that comes into contact with the applicator 30, and a second pedestal that supports the second cleaning member 9. 46, and the cleaning member is fixed to the second pedestal part 46 in a state in which it protrudes above the second pedestal part 46. As described above, the second pedestal part 46 has the same configuration as the first pedestal part 43, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

The second cleaning member 9 comes into contact with the applicator 30 to remove deposits, and is formed of a plate-like member. The first cleaning member 7 is made of rubber in this embodiment, and for example, a material that is easily elastically deformed such as nitrile rubber or silicone rubber is used. That is, when the second cleaning member 9 comes into contact with the applicator 30, it is elastically deformed along the mating surface of the applicator 30 that it comes into contact with.

The second cleaning member 9 is a single plate-like member, and a V-shaped groove is formed at its tip. That is, when the V-shaped groove 91 is brought into contact with the slit nozzle 30a of the applicator 30, the V-shaped groove 91 is formed along the substrate facing surface 31 and the inclined side surface 32 of the applicator 30. Similarly to the first pedestal part 43, the second cleaning member 9 is attached to the cleaning member fixing part 47 of the second pedestal part 46, and is bolted to the cleaning attachment part 44 of the second pedestal part 46. It can be fixed at 45. That is, when the second cleaning member 9 is attached to the second pedestal 46 , it maintains an inclined posture inclined in the cleaning movement direction, and the V-shaped groove 91 of the second cleaning member 9 is lower than the second pedestal 46 . It is fixed in an upwardly protruding state. Therefore, when the second cleaning member 9 is attached to the second base portion 46 and the second member is brought into contact with the applicator 30 disposed above, the V-shaped groove 91 of the second cleaning member 9 is placed in the inclined position. When the spring 62 is contracted by contacting the slit nozzle 30a of the applicator 30 and displacing it upward from the state of contact, the biasing force of the spring 62 acts on the second cleaning member 9, and the second cleaning member 9 The cleaning member 9 can be pressed against the applicator 30 with a predetermined pressing force. Since the second cleaning member 9 is made of rubber, when the slit nozzle 30a comes into contact with the V-shaped groove 74, the V-shaped groove 74 is elastically deformed and comes into close contact with the substrate facing surface 31 and the inclined side surface 32. It can be transformed as follows. In this way, after the first cleaning member 7 removes the cleaning liquid adhering to the applicator 30 and scrapes off the deposits, the second cleaning member 9 wipes off the deposits remaining on the applicator 30. be able to. As a result, the second cleaning member 9 can perform wiping after the cleaning liquid has been removed by the first cleaning member 7, that is, the second cleaning member 9 can perform wiping in an environment where no moisture is attached to the applicator 30, similar to the conventional wiping environment. Therefore, the conventional second cleaning member 9 can be used as is, and the applicator 30 can be cleaned without changing to a dedicated cleaning member according to the wiping environment.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, by applying a suction force to the second opening 82, suction force can be generated in the first opening 81 through the opening communication part 84. The adhering liquid including the cleaning liquid remaining on the side wall inclined surface 32 can be sucked and removed by the suction force. Therefore, without designing a conventional cleaning member specifically for the cleaning liquid in the dip tank 50, it is possible to prevent the cleaning liquid from remaining on the applicator 30 as a residue.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first cleaning member 7 and the second cleaning member 9 are each attached to separate pedestals 46 within the same cleaning unit 40, but they are each attached to one common pedestal. It may be something that can be done. Providing them on one pedestal section makes it easier to adjust the positioning of the first cleaning member 7 and the second cleaning member 9 in the height direction.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the nozzle surface facing portion 78 is provided has been described, but if there is no effect on the coating liquid in the slit nozzle 30a, the nozzle surface facing portion 78 may be omitted.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the gap α and the gap β with respect to the side wall inclined surface 32 are set differently between the tip facing part 77a and the opposite tip facing part 77b. If there is no influence, each gap α and gap β may be set to the same size.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example in which the second opening 82 is formed in the side surface portion 79 has been described, but it may be formed in any position on the surface other than the side wall facing portion 77 . It is easier to form the opening communication portion 84 when it is formed on the side surface portion 79 at a position opposite to the side wall facing portion 77, and the manufacturing cost of the first cleaning member can be reduced.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example in which the cleaning unit 40 is provided with the first cleaning member 7 and the second cleaning member 9 has been described, but the first cleaning member 7 alone is sufficient to wipe off deposits including the deposited liquid. If the cleaning is carried out separately, the cleaning device 4 may be equipped with only the first cleaning member 7. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the cleaning unit 40 is provided with one first cleaning member 7 and one second cleaning member 9, but a plurality of first cleaning members 7 and a plurality of second cleaning members 9 are each provided. The number of each sheet is not particularly limited.

1 Coating device 3 Coating unit 4 Cleaning device 5 Cleaning device 7 First cleaning member 9 Second cleaning member 30 Applicator 30a Slit nozzle 31 Nozzle surface 32 Side wall slope 40 Cleaning unit 41 First cleaning section 42 Second cleaning section 50 Dip Tank 77 Side wall opposing portion 77a Tip opposing portion 77b Opposite tip opposing portion 78 Nozzle surface opposing portion 81 First opening 82 Second opening 84 Opening communication portion

Claims (3)

A cleaning member that removes liquid adhering to the applicator by moving it along an applicator having a slit nozzle extending in one direction and discharging a coating liquid,
a side wall facing portion formed in a shape along a side wall inclined surface that is continuously formed from a nozzle surface where the slit nozzle is formed;
a first opening formed in the side wall opposing portion;
a second opening formed in a portion other than the side wall facing portion;
an opening communication portion formed by communicating the first opening and the second opening;
Equipped with
By applying a suction force to the second opening, a suction force is generated at the first opening through the opening communication portion, and the adhering liquid adhering to the side wall slope is removed;
The side wall facing portion includes a tip facing portion in which a portion closer to the slit nozzle than the first opening is formed close to the side wall slope, and a portion farther from the slit nozzle is formed away from the side wall slope. an opposite tip facing portion, such that a gap formed between the opposite tip facing portion and the side wall inclined surface is larger than a gap formed between the tip opposing portion and the side wall inclined surface. A cleaning member characterized in that : It has a nozzle surface facing portion facing the nozzle surface, and a gap formed between the nozzle surface facing portion and the nozzle surface is larger than a gap formed between the tip facing portion and the side wall inclined surface. The cleaning member according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed as follows. comprising the cleaning member according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A cleaning device for cleaning an applicator having the slit nozzle,
comprising a moving device for moving the cleaning member,
By using the moving device to generate suction force in the first opening and moving the cleaning member in a state where the side wall opposing portion of the cleaning member is opposed to the side wall inclined surface of the applicator, A cleaning device characterized by suctioning and removing adhesion liquid adhering to an applicator.

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