JPH09253558A - Coating device and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coating device and a coating method suitable to a production of a color filter and capable of reconciling its productivity and quantity improvement. SOLUTION: In this coating device for executing the coating method used in the producing of the color filter, a glass substrate A being a substrate of the color filter is sorted based on its thickness. A sorting feed unit 8 for feeding only the glass substrate A having constant thickness to a downstream side conveyor line 2d and a slit die 12 for discharging continuously a coating liq. toward the surface of each glass substrate A transported continuously on the downstream side conveyor line 2d are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a coating method for forming a coating film on the surface of a sheet member, and more particularly to a coating apparatus and a coating method suitable for manufacturing a color filter.

[0002]

2. Related Background Art A color filter for a color liquid crystal display has a fine grid pattern of three primary colors on a glass substrate, and such a grid pattern first forms a black coating film on the glass substrate. After that, follow the prescribed procedure,
It is obtained by sequentially forming red, blue and green coating films.

Therefore, in order to manufacture a color filter, a coating process in which black, red, blue and green coating liquids are discharged onto the surface of a glass substrate to sequentially form coating films of respective colors is indispensable. . In such a coating process, a spinner, a bar coater, a roll coater or the like has been conventionally used as a coating device, but in recent years, in order to reduce the consumption of the coating liquid and improve the physical properties of the coating film, The use of a die coater is being considered.

A die coater of this type is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-10.
These die coaters are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 0571 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-55347, and a transport line for continuously transporting individual glass substrates as single-wafer members, and a coating line disposed above the transport line. And a so-called slit die. As individual glass substrates are continuously transported on the transport line, when the coating liquid is continuously discharged from the slit die, a coating film is continuously formed on the surface of each glass substrate. Become. Therefore, according to the known die coater, the time required for forming the coating film per glass substrate, that is, the coating time can be shortened, and the productivity thereof can be improved.

[0005]

However, the known die coater does not consider the thickness of the glass substrates conveyed on the conveyance line. Therefore, when the glass substrates adjacent to each other in the transport direction have different thicknesses, a step is generated between the glass substrates. When such a step passes directly under the slit die as the glass substrate is conveyed, the step disturbs the liquid pool formed between the slit die and the glass substrate, and the step on the glass substrate becomes uniform. This makes it impossible to form a coating film having a uniform thickness. That is, a uniform coating film cannot be formed over the entire surface of the glass substrate.

On the other hand, in the case of the known die coater, since the slit die discharges the coating liquid downward, the discharge of the coating liquid from the slit die is stopped unless the glass substrate is conveyed. Therefore, the control of the discharge operation of the coating liquid from the slit die becomes complicated. Furthermore, in all known die coaters, the productivity is improved by continuously transporting individual glass substrates, but for this purpose, it is necessary to secure a long glass substrate transport line. Therefore, a known die coater cannot be used in an environment where the installation space of the transfer line is insufficient.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. The object of the present invention is, firstly, to form a coating film on the surface of a single-wafer member while continuously conveying the individual single-wafer members. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coating device and a coating method that do not generate a step between adjacent sheet-fed members.
Secondly, to provide a coating apparatus and a coating method capable of forming a coating film on the surface of each individual sheet member in a short time without using a long transport line for continuously transporting each individual sheet member. is there.

A third object is to provide a coating apparatus and a coating method that facilitate the control of the discharge operation of the coating liquid from the coating device. Fourth, to provide a manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of a color filter using the above-described coating apparatus and coating method.

[0009]

The above-mentioned object is achieved by the present invention, and the coating apparatus according to claim 1 has a coating conveyance line, and individual sheet-fed members along the coating conveyance line. Transporting means for continuously transporting the sheet-feeding material, sorting and feeding means for sorting the sheet-fed members based on the thickness, and feeding only the sheet-fed members having a desired thickness to the feeding line, and feeding on the coating and feeding line. And a coating device for continuously discharging the coating liquid onto the surface of the single-wafer member. According to the coating device of claim 1,
Since only a single-wafer member having a constant thickness is supplied to the coating / conveying line, no step is formed between the adjacent single-wafer members in the conveying direction. Therefore, when the individual single-wafer members pass through the applicator, the liquid pool formed between the applicator and the single-wafer member is not disturbed, and the surface of the individual single-wafer members is uniform. A coating film having a film thickness is formed.

In the coating apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the selecting and supplying means includes a branching and conveying line that receives and conveys the single-wafer members that have been separated from the selecting. According to the coating apparatus of the second aspect, the single-wafer members that have been removed from the sorting are not simply discarded, but are supplied to a branch transfer line different from the coating transfer line and collected on this branch transfer line. Alternatively, the coating can be continuously performed.

According to another aspect of the coating apparatus of the present invention, the stage which is capable of reciprocating between the first and second positions while holding the single-wafer member is capable of coming into contact with and separating from the stage. When the single-wafer member moves, the applicator that discharges the coating liquid onto the surface of the single-wafer member and the sheet on the stage at the moving position regardless of whether or not the stage is at the first and second moving positions. And a detection means for detecting the thickness of the sheet member after the leaf member is held. According to the coating apparatus of claim 3, when the stage is at the first movement position and the single-wafer member is held on the stage, based on the thickness of the single-wafer member detected by the detecting means, The position of the applicator is adjusted to provide a desired clearance between the single-wafer member and the applicator through the contacting / separating operation of the applicator. After this,
As the single-wafer member is moved toward and from the second stage, the coating liquid is discharged from the applicator to form a coating film on the surface of the single-wafer member. On the contrary, when the single-wafer member is held on the stage at the second movement position, the position of the applicator is adjusted based on the thickness of the single-wafer member, and then the first single-wafer member is moved together with the stage. The sheet is moved toward the moving position to form a coating film on the surface of the single-wafer member.

According to another aspect of the coating apparatus of the present invention, regardless of whether the stage is in the first or second moving position, the feeding means capable of feeding the single-wafer member to the stage and the single-wafer member is removed from the stage. Each of them is provided with a possible removal means, and these supply means and removal means are arranged on both sides of the reciprocating line of the stage. According to the coating apparatus of claim 4, regardless of the position of the first or second moving position of the stage, the single-wafer member is supplied to the stage from one side of the reciprocating motion line of the stage, Also,
From the stage, the single-wafer member on which the coating film has been formed is removed on the other side.

A coating apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention has a coating transport line, and transporting means for transporting the single-wafer member with the surface thereof facing downward along the coating transport line, and below the coating transport line. An applicator that is disposed and that continuously discharges the coating liquid onto the surface of the single-wafer member, a collection unit that collects the excess coating liquid discharged from the applicator, and a detection unit that detects the thickness of the single-wafer member, And an elevating means for elevating the applicator according to the detected thickness of the sheet member. According to the coating apparatus of claim 5, the coating device continuously discharges the coating liquid regardless of whether the single-wafer member is transported along the coating transport line, and the upper part of the coating device is discharged. When the single-wafer member passes, a coating film is formed on the surface of the single-wafer member, and the excess coating liquid not used for forming the coating film is recovered by the recovery means.

In the coating apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the transport means is moved along the coating transport line, and a suction table capable of sucking the single-wafer member is provided on the lower surface of the coating means.
In this case, the single-wafer member is conveyed while being suction-held on the suction table together with the suction table. Claim 7
The coating apparatus of (1) is realized by a suction chamber of which the conveying means is opened downward, and a roller conveyor arranged at the opening of the suction chamber. In this case, since the gap between the rollers of the roller conveyor communicates with the suction chamber, the lower surface of the roller conveyor serves as a suction surface for the single-wafer member. Therefore, the single-wafer member is conveyed by the roller conveyor while being suction-held on the lower surface of the roller conveyor.

An apparatus for manufacturing a color filter according to claim 8 is
A color filter is manufactured by comprising the coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and in this case, the coating device is used to form a coating film on a surface of a substrate that is a single-wafer member. It The coating method according to claim 9, wherein while continuously transporting the individual sheet-fed members along the coating transport line, the coating liquid is continuously discharged onto the surface of the sheet-fed members to reach the surface of the individual sheet-fed members. When forming a coating film, the single-wafer members to be supplied to the coating / conveying line are selected based on the thickness, and only the single-wafer members having a desired thickness are supplied to the coating / conveying line.

In the coating method according to the tenth aspect, the single-wafer member leaked from the sorting is supplied to a branching conveyance line different from the coating conveyance line. The coating method according to claim 11, wherein the single-wafer member is held on a reciprocating stage, and the coating liquid is discharged onto the surface of the single-wafer member while moving the single-wafer member together with the stage to form a coating film. A coating film is formed on the surface of the single-wafer member as the stage moves, both when the stage moves forward and when it moves backward.

In the coating method according to the twelfth aspect, the single-wafer member is supplied to the stage and the single-wafer member on which the coating film is formed is taken out from the stage in the same direction. The stage is reciprocating in the direction to intersect. 14. The coating method according to claim 13, wherein the coating liquid is continuously discharged upward from the coating device, and the discharged excess coating liquid is collected, and the coating device and the sheet are separated according to the detected thickness of the sheet-fed member. The applicator is positioned so as to provide a desired clearance with the surface of the leaf member, and then the single-wafer member is conveyed and passed over the applicator, so that the coating film is applied to the downward surface of the single-leaf member. Form.

A coating method according to a fourteenth aspect adsorbs the single-wafer member on the lower surface of the suction table and conveys it. A fifteenth coating method adsorbs the single-wafer member on the lower surface of the roller conveyor by using suction. Then, in this state, the single-wafer member is conveyed by the roller conveyor. In the method for producing a color filter according to claim 16, the color filter is produced using the coating method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

The coating method and the color filter manufacturing method according to claims 9 to 16 described above exhibit the same operation as the corresponding coating apparatus and color filter manufacturing apparatus.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 schematically shows a first type coating apparatus applied to the production of color filters for color liquid crystal displays. This coating apparatus includes a horizontally extending transfer line 2, and the transfer line 2 is composed of a roller conveyor. The arrow in FIG. 1 indicates the carrying direction on the carrying line 2. A loader 6 is connected to a starting end of the transfer line 2, that is, a left end thereof in FIG. 1 via a washing machine 4, and the loader 6 is, for example, a glass substrate (single sheet) accommodated in a predetermined number in a cassette. Member) A washing machine 4 from the cassette one by one
To the roller conveyor 2 after cleaning the glass substrate A.

A sorting and supplying device 8 is arranged in the middle of the conveying line 2, and the sorting and supplying device 8 divides the conveying line 2 into an upstream conveyor line 2u and a downstream conveyor line (coating conveying line) 2d. are doing. Sorting and feeding device 8
As will be described later, the glass substrate A conveyed on the upstream conveyor line 2u is sorted according to its thickness, and only the glass substrate A having a predetermined thickness is supplied to the downstream conveyor line 2d. .

A thickness sensor 10 is arranged above the end of the upstream conveyor line 2u for the purpose of sorting by the sorting and supplying device 8. The thickness sensor 10 conveys the glass substrate on the upstream conveyor line 2u. Detect the thickness of A,
The detection signal is output to the sorting / supplying device 8. As the thickness sensor 10, a reflected light type thickness meter that detects the thickness of the glass substrate A based on the reflected light from the upper surface and the back surface of the glass substrate A is used, but the thickness sensor 10 is not limited to this. A displacement gauge, an ultrasonic thickness gauge, or the like can be used.
The thickness of the glass substrate A is preferably measured with the transportation stopped.

A slit die (applicator) 12 is arranged above the downstream conveyor line 2d.
The slit die 12 has a width direction of the glass substrate A conveyed on the downstream conveyor line 2d, that is, the glass substrate A.
Extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the, and its lower portion is formed as a tapered nozzle portion. Although not shown, a manifold is formed in the slit die 12, and the slit extends downward from the manifold.
An opening is formed on the lower surface of the nozzle portion. The opening of this slit is a discharge port, and this discharge port also extends in the width direction of the glass substrate A.

A feed line 14 for the coating liquid is connected to the manifold of the slit die 12, and the feed line 1
Reference numeral 4 is connected to a coating liquid supply tank 16. A gear pump 18 is inserted in the supply line 14, and the gear pump 18 is driven by an electric motor (not shown). The gear pump 18 supplies the coating liquid sucked from the supply tank 16 to the manifold of the slit die 12, and upon receiving this supply, the coating liquid is uniformly discharged from the discharge port of the slit die 12.

Further, the slit die 12 has a lifting mechanism 20.
The vertical movement mechanism 20 moves the slit die 12 up and down, thereby providing a predetermined clearance between the glass substrate A conveyed on the downstream conveyor line 2d and the discharge port of the slit die 12. be able to. Although not shown in detail in FIG. 1, the lifting mechanism 20 is easily realized by, for example, a feed screw to which a holder for the slit die 12 is attached and an AC servomotor that rotates the feed screw in the forward and reverse directions. can do.

A dryer 22 and an unloader 24 are sequentially connected to the end of the downstream conveyor line 2d.
The drier 22 sequentially receives the glass substrates A on which a coating film is formed, which will be described later, from the downstream conveyor line 2d, dries or stabilizes the coating films on these glass substrates A, and then supplies them to the unloader 24. The unloader 24 stores the received glass substrates A in a cassette for each predetermined number. After the cassette is removed from the unloader 24, the cassette is supplied for the next step, and another step for manufacturing the color filter is continuously performed.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the sorting and feeding device 8 described above is shown. The sorting / supplying device 8 is composed of, for example, an industrial robot having a cylindrical coordinate system, and the robot body 26 has a lifting post 2 protruding from the upper surface thereof.
Eight. The elevating post 28 can move up and down in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 and can pivot about its axis in the direction of arrow C. A delivery arm 30 is attached to the elevating post 28 via an arm base 32, and the delivery arm 30 is movable with respect to the arm base 32 in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2, that is, in the horizontal direction. A plurality of suction pads 34 capable of sucking the glass substrate A are provided at the tip of the transfer arm 30. Note that the transfer arm 30 is normally positioned at the same height level as the transfer line 2.

Further, the sorting and feeding device 8 is provided with a branch conveying line 36 extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying line 2, and the branch conveying line 36 is also composed of a roller conveyor. Although not shown, the branch transfer line 36 is connected to an unloader similar to the above-mentioned unloader, or is connected to another transfer line similar to the above-mentioned transfer line 2.

Next, a coating method carried out by using the above-mentioned coating apparatus, that is, a method for manufacturing a color filter 1
The two coating processes will be described. The glass substrates A sent out one by one from the loader 6 are washed by the washing machine 4, and then supplied and conveyed on the upstream conveyor line 2u of the conveyance line 2. When the leading glass substrate A on the upstream conveyor line 2u reaches directly below the thickness sensor 10,
The transportation of the glass substrate A by the upstream conveyor line 2u is temporarily stopped. In this state, the thickness sensor 10 detects the thickness of the leading glass substrate A and outputs the detection signal to the controller (not shown) of the sorting and feeding device 8.

On the other hand, in parallel with the above-described thickness measurement of the glass substrate A, the lifting / lowering post 28 of the robot body 26 of the sorting / supplying device 8 is swung, whereby the delivery arm 30 is directed to the upstream conveyor line 2u side. And is positioned in line with the upstream conveyor line 2u.
Then, the transfer arm 30 is connected to the upstream conveyor line 2
The glass substrate A is moved toward u, and its tip is located at the end of the upstream conveyor line 2u, whereby the preparation for receiving the glass substrate A is completed.

When the upstream conveyor line 2u is driven again in this state, the glass substrate A whose thickness is detected
The front portion thereof is received on the transfer arm 30 and suction-held by the suction pad 34. Simultaneously with this suction-holding, the transfer arm 30 is moved in the opposite direction, and is separated from the upstream conveyor line 2u together with the glass substrate A suction-held.

After this, the lifting post 2 of the robot body 26
8 is rotated 90 ° or 180 ° based on the detection signal from the thickness sensor 10, and the transfer arm 30 is positioned so as to be aligned with one of the branch transport line 36 and the downstream conveyor line 2d. That is, when the thickness of the glass substrate A received by the transfer arm 30 is within the allowable range based on the detection signal from the thickness sensor 10,
The delivery arm 30 is swung so as to be aligned with the downstream conveyor line 2d. On the other hand, when the thickness of the glass substrate A is out of the allowable range, the delivery arm 30 is directly aligned with the branch conveyance line 36. Turned to line up on the line.

After that, the transfer arm 30 is moved toward the downstream conveyor line 2d or the branching / conveying line 36, and the glass substrate A sucked and held by the transfer arm 30 has a part of the corresponding line 2d or 36. It is placed on the starting edge. Here, the downstream conveyor line 2d
And the branch transfer line 36 is constantly driven, whereby when the suction of the glass substrate A by the suction pad 34 on the transfer arm 30 side is released, the glass substrate A is transferred to the downstream conveyor line 2d or the branch transfer line. Three
6 is received and is transported on the line.
Therefore, the glass substrate A received by the sorting / supplying device 8 is supplied to the downstream conveyor line 2d or the branching / conveying line 36 depending on its thickness.

On the other hand, on the upstream conveyor line 2u,
When the next glass substrate A reaches just below the thickness sensor 10, the driving is stopped again, the thickness of the next glass substrate A is similarly detected by the thickness sensor 10, and the detection signal thereof is selected and supplied. 8 are supplied. The empty transfer arm 30 once moves in a direction away from the corresponding line 2d or 36, and then is swung toward the upstream conveyor line 2u, and the above-described operation is repeated. That is, the transfer arm 30 receives the next glass substrate A from the upstream conveyor line 2u, and supplies the received glass substrate A to the downstream conveyor line 2d or the branching / conveying line 36 depending on its thickness. . As a result, only the glass substrate A having the same thickness is supplied to the downstream conveyor line 2d. Here, the glass substrate A supplied to the downstream conveyor line 2d has a variation in thickness within an allowable range of 30 μm.

As described above, the downstream conveyor line 2d
Can only intermittently receive the glass substrate A having a constant thickness from the selective supply device 8. However, the transfer speed of the glass substrate A by the selective supply device 8, specifically, after the transfer arm 30 receives the glass substrate A, the glass substrate A is supplied to the downstream conveyor line 2d or the branching and conveying line 36. After that, the time required to receive the next glass substrate A and to supply the glass substrate A to the downstream conveyor line 2d or the branch conveyor line 36 is determined by the transportation speed of the glass substrate A on the downstream conveyor line 2d. Short enough compared to. Therefore, if two or more glass substrates A supplied to the branching and conveying line 36 are not continuous, that is,
There are two glass substrates A whose thickness is out of the allowable range.
If there is no continuous number of sheets, downstream conveyor line 2d
The individual glass substrates A supplied to are continuously conveyed on the downstream conveyor line 2d toward the slit die 12.

On the other hand, the elevating mechanism 20 prepositions the slit die 12 at a predetermined level position according to the thickness of the glass substrate A supplied to the downstream conveyor line 2d, whereby the downstream conveyor line 2d. When the upper glass substrate A passes through the slit die 12, a predetermined clearance (for example, 100 μm) is provided between the glass substrate A and the discharge port of the slit die 12. The slit die 12 may be moved up and down one by one according to the thickness of the glass substrate A, but since the variation in the thickness of the glass substrate A is usually 30 μm or less, the leading glass substrate is usually used. After the clearance is given once in A, the lifting mechanism is not moved and the setting is fixed. As a result, the disturbance of the liquid pool E that appears when the slit die 12 is moved up and down can be prevented, and the thickness of the coating film can be made more uniform.

When the leading glass substrate A reaches the slit die 12 in the glass substrate row conveyed on the downstream conveyor line 2d, in detail, the front edge of the leading glass substrate A is the slit die 12. When reaching the discharge port, the coating liquid is uniformly discharged from the discharge port of the slit die 12. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, a liquid pool E is formed between the discharge port of the slit die 12 and the glass substrate A, and while maintaining this liquid pool E, the leading glass substrate A The coating film F of the coating liquid is formed on the glass substrate A as the film moves. After that, when the leading glass substrate A passes through the slit die 12 and the next glass substrate A passes through the slit die 12, the coating film F is continuously formed on this glass substrate A as well. Therefore, as described above, on the downstream conveyor line 2d,
The coating film F is continuously formed on the surface of each glass substrate A.

Here, since the glass substrate A on the downstream conveyor line 2d is contained within the allowable range of thickness variation or 30 μm, a substantial step is generated between the adjacent glass substrates A. There is no. Therefore, when the boundary between the glass substrates A passes through the discharge port of the slit die 12, the glass substrate A collides with the slit die 12 or the liquid pool E is disturbed by the step. Therefore, the liquid pool E does not vibrate. As a result, according to the coating apparatus described above, not only the coating film F can be continuously formed on each glass substrate A, but also
The coating film F on each glass substrate A has a uniform film thickness over the entire area.

The glass substrate A on which the coating film F has been formed is dried when passing through the dryer 22 to stabilize the coating film F, and then supplied from the dryer 22 to the unloader 24. Then, a predetermined number of sheets are stored in the cassette.
The glass substrate A supplied to the branch transfer line 36 is stored in a cassette via an unloader or is supplied to a transfer line different from the above-described transfer line 2 by the selection by the selective supply device 8. It Here, when the branch transport line 36 is connected to another transport line, the coating film can be similarly formed on the glass substrate A also in this another transport line. However, only the level position of the slit die is different between the coating here and the coating on the downstream conveyor line 2d, so that even if it is on another transport line, the slit die is applied at the time of coating. 1
A desired clearance can be provided between the two discharge ports and the glass substrate A.

Next, other types of coating devices will be sequentially described below. Here, components having the same functions as those of the coating device of the type described above are designated by the same reference numerals. The description will be omitted to avoid duplication of description. A second type of coating device is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This second type coating device is provided with a coating section 37 in the middle of the transfer line 2. The coating section 37 connects the transfer line 2 to the upstream conveyor line 2u.
And the downstream conveyor line 2d. The coating section 37 has a base 38, and the base 38 extends in a direction orthogonal to the transport line 2. A pair of guide rails 40 are arranged on the base 38, and these guide rails 40 extend in the longitudinal direction of the base 38, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the transport line 2. A pair of guide rails 4
A reciprocating movable stage 42 is arranged on the 0.
The upper surface of the stage 42 is formed as a suction surface for sucking and holding the glass substrate A. Although not shown, the stage 42 is provided with a plurality of pins capable of projecting and retracting with respect to its suction surface, and these pins are used for loading and unloading of the glass substrate A as described later. It

A die column 44 is erected at the center of the base 38, and the die column 44 is positioned on one side of the pair of guide rails 40. The die support column 44 has a tip portion projecting above the reciprocating path of the stage 42, and the elevating mechanism 20 is attached to this tip portion to form the slit die 12.
Is attached. In this case, the slit die 40 extends parallel to the transfer line 2, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the reciprocating direction of the stage 42. Here again, the slit die 12 is connected to the supply tank 1 via the coating liquid supply line 14.
6, the syringe pump 47 is inserted in the supply line 14 instead of the gear pump 18.
The syringe pump 47 does not continuously supply the coating liquid to the slit die 12, but can intermittently supply a predetermined amount of the coating liquid. As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of thickness sensors 10 are provided above the base 38. These thickness sensors 10 are located on both sides of the slit die 12 when viewed in the reciprocating direction of the stage 42. It is arranged. Specifically, when the stage 42 reciprocates between the first moving position and the second moving position that sandwich the slit die 12,
The pair of thickness sensors 10 are arranged above the first and second movement positions, respectively. The pair of thickness sensors 10 are
When the thickness of the glass substrate A is detected as described later, the detection signal is supplied to the elevating mechanism 20 of the slit die 12.

Transfer machines 46 and 48 are arranged between the upstream conveyor line 2u and the coating section 37, and between the coating section 37 and the downstream conveyor line 2d. These transfer machines 46 and 48 have the same structure, and the main parts thereof are the same as the selective supply device 8 described above. That is, each transfer machine has a base 6
A pair of guide rails 50 extending in the direction orthogonal to the transport line 2 along the longitudinal direction of the guide rails 50.
The transfer device main body 52 is capable of reciprocating above and has the same configuration as the selective supply device 8. The reciprocating motion of each transfer machine is controlled according to the moving position of the stage 42 in the coating section 37.

According to the above-mentioned second type coating apparatus,
When the leading glass substrate A reaches the end of the upstream conveyor line 2u via the washing machine 4, the upstream conveyor line 2
The driving of u is temporarily stopped. At this time, the transfer machine 46
Is located at a center position where the transfer machine main body 52 is located on the extension line of the upstream conveyor line 2u, and the transfer arm is positioned so as to be connected to the end of the upstream conveyor line 2u. Therefore,
After that, when the driving of the upstream conveyor line 2u is restarted, the leading glass substrate A is received on the transfer arm of the transfer machine 46, and is suction-held by this transfer arm. The driving of the upstream conveyor line 2u is stopped again when the next glass substrate A reaches its end.

Here, stage 4 of coating section 37
2 is in the first movement position shown by the solid line in FIG. 4,
The transfer machine 46 that has received the glass substrate A is moved toward the stage 42 in which the transfer machine main body 52 is in the first movement position, and at the side position of the stage 42, that is, at one loading position. Be stopped. At this time, the pins of the stage 42 described above are in a state of protruding from the suction surface thereof. In this state, the transfer device main body 52 of the transfer device 46 places the glass substrate A on the pins of the stage 42 in the protruding state via the delivery arm and returns to the center position. After that, in the stage 42, the pins are immersed in the stage 42, the glass substrate A is placed on the suction surface of the stage 42, and then the glass substrate A is adsorbed to the suction surface. As a result, the loading of the glass substrate A on the stage 42 is completed. On the other hand, when the stage 42 is in the second movement position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
The transfer machine 46 that has received the glass substrate A is moved to the side of the stage 42 in which the transfer machine main body 52 is in the second movement position, that is, to the other loading position, and the glass substrate A is similarly moved to the stage 42. Place it on the suction side of. Therefore, according to the transfer machine 46 described above, the glass substrate A can be loaded onto the stage 42 regardless of whether the stage 42 is in the first or second movement position.

When the loading of the glass substrate A is completed, one of the thickness sensors 10, that is, the thickness sensor 10 located above the stage 42 detects the thickness of the glass substrate A on the stage 42, and the detection signal thereof. Is supplied to the lifting mechanism 20 of the slit die 12. The elevating mechanism 20 sets the level position of the slit die 12 with respect to the stage 42 so as to provide a predetermined clearance between the glass substrate A on the stage 42 and the discharge port of the slit die 12 based on the detection signal from the thickness sensor 10. Adjust.

After that, the glass substrate A is moved together with the stage 42 from one moving position to the other moving position. In this moving process, when the front edge of the glass substrate A reaches the discharge port of the slit die 12, the syringe pump 47 starts the discharge operation of the coating liquid, and at this point,
The coating liquid is discharged onto the glass substrate A from the discharge port of the slit die 12, and the glass substrate A moves as the glass substrate A moves.
The coating film F is formed on the upper surface of the. At or just before the rear edge of the glass substrate A passes through the discharge port of the slit die 12, the syringe pump 47 stops its discharge operation,
The discharge of the coating liquid from the slit die 12 is stopped. When the stage 42 reaches the other movement position, the movement of the stage 42 is stopped at this point. At this time, the transfer machine main body 52 of the other transfer machine 48 is already positioned at one of the unloading positions on the side of the stage from the center position located on the extension line of the downstream conveyor line 2d.

After that, the suction of the glass substrate A to the stage 42 is released, and at the same time, the pins are projected from the suction surface of the stage 42, and the glass substrate A on which the coating film F is formed is the stage 42 by the protrusion amount of the pins. Can be lifted from. In this state, the transfer device main body 52 of the transfer device 48 receives the glass substrate A on its transfer arm and unloads the glass substrate A from the stage 42. After that, the transfer machine main body 52 of the transfer machine 48 returns to the center position, and at the center position, the transfer machine main body 52 transfers the glass substrate A on which the coating film has been formed to the downstream conveyor line via the transfer arm. Supply to 2d. The glass substrate A supplied on the downstream conveyor line 2d is then dried by the dryer 22, and the coating film F is dried, and then supplied to the unloader.

After the coated glass substrate A is removed from the stage 42, the transfer machine 46 loads the new glass substrate A received from the upstream conveyor line 2u onto the empty stage 42, After that, the coating film F is formed on the glass substrate A in the same manner. The second mentioned above
According to the coating apparatus of the type, regardless of whether the stage 42 is in the first movement position or the second movement position, the glass substrate A
Can be supplied to the stage 4 and the stage 4
It is possible to form the coating film F on the glass substrate A on the upper part 2.
Therefore, the productivity is significantly improved as compared with the case where the coating film F is formed on the glass substrate A only during the forward movement of the stage 42. Further, by disposing the transfer machines 46 and 48 on both sides of the base 38, the loading and unloading of the glass substrate A onto the stage 42 becomes easy.

FIG. 6 shows a third type coating apparatus. This coating apparatus has substantially the same configuration as the second type coating apparatus, but in the case of the third type, a pair of slit dies 12 is provided. This is because the shape of the slit die 12 is directional with respect to the moving direction of the stage 42. In this case, each slit die 12 has a corresponding thickness sensor 10 as shown in FIG.
It is designed to be moved up and down by its own elevating mechanism 20 based on the detection signal from.

FIG. 7 shows a coating device of the fourth type. The transfer line 2 of this coating apparatus is provided with a plurality of suction chambers extending in the horizontal direction, and in FIG. 7, three consecutive suction chambers 54, 56, 58 are shown. These suction chambers 54, 56, 5
The lower surface of 8 is open, and roller conveyors 60 are arranged in these openings. These roller conveyors 60 are positioned at the same horizontal level position as each other. Suction chamber 54, 56, 58
Is connected to a vacuum pump, and the vacuum pump constantly exhausts the inside of each suction chamber. As a result, the inside of the suction chambers 54, 56, 58 is constantly maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum, and the lower surface of the roller conveyor 60 in each suction chamber is configured as a suction surface. That is, in the roller conveyor 60, the gap between the rollers is a suction slit. Therefore, the roller conveyor 60 of each suction chamber can convey the glass substrate A in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG.
Here, the glass substrate A is adsorbed on the roller conveyor 60 so that the surface on which the coating film F is to be formed faces downward.

Below the suction chamber 54, the thickness sensor 10 is arranged in the upstream portion of the transfer line 2, for example, below the suction chamber 54, and below the next suction chamber 56, the slit die 12 is disposed. It is placed with the exit facing up. In this case, slit die 1
No. 2 is arranged in a recovery container 62 having an open upper surface, and its discharge port projects upward from the recovery container 62. The elevating mechanism 20 is connected to the recovery container 62, and the elevating mechanism 20 can move the slit die 12 up and down together with the recovery container 62. The slit die 12 is the supply line 1
4 is connected to the coating liquid supply tank 16 via
The supply tank 16 is connected to the recovery container 62 via a coating liquid return line 64. A gear pump 18 is inserted in the supply line 14, and the gear pump 18 constantly supplies the coating liquid to the slit die 12. Therefore, in this case, the coating liquid is continuously discharged from the upward discharge port of the slit die 12. Of the coating liquid discharged from the slit die 12, a coating liquid not used for forming a coating film, which will be described later, is received by the collecting container 62 and returned from the collecting container 62 to the supply tank 16.

According to the above-mentioned fourth type coating apparatus,
The glass substrate that has been cleaned by the cleaning machine is transferred to the transfer line 2
Roller conveyor 6 of the suction chamber 54 constituting the
It is adsorbed and held at 0 with its surface facing downward, and is conveyed by the roller conveyor 60. When the glass substrate reaches the end of the suction chamber 54, the suction chamber 5
The roller conveyor 60 of No. 4 stops the movement of the glass substrate A, and in this state, the thickness sensor 10 detects the thickness of the glass substrate A and supplies the detection signal to the lifting mechanism 20. In response to the detection signal, the elevating mechanism 20 moves the slit die 12 up and down together with the collection container 62 to provide a desired clearance between the surface of the glass substrate A and the discharge port of the slit die 12, that is, the suction chamber. The discharge port of the slit die 12 is positioned at a predetermined level position with respect to the lower surface of the roller conveyor 60 at 56.

When the roller conveyer 60 of the suction chamber 54 resumes the conveyance of the glass substrate A, the suction conveyance of the glass substrate A is taken over by the roller conveyer 60 of the suction chamber 56, whereby the glass substrate A is moved to the suction chamber 56. It is conveyed toward the slit die 12 by the roller conveyor 60. On the suction chamber 54 side, when the next glass substrate A reaches above the thickness sensor 10, the driving of the roller conveyor 60 in the suction chamber 54 is stopped again, and the thickness of the glass substrate A is changed to the thickness sensor 10. Detected by.

When the glass substrate A received by the roller conveyor 60 of the suction chamber 56 passes above the discharge port of the slit die 12, the coating liquid constantly discharged from the discharge port is coated on the surface of the glass substrate A, The coating film F is formed on the downward surface of the glass substrate A. After that, when the glass substrate A reaches the end of the roller conveyor 60 of the suction chamber 56, the suction conveyance is taken over by the roller conveyor 60 of the suction chamber 58,
Then, the roller conveyor 60 of the suction chamber 58
The glass substrate A that has passed through is passed through a dryer and supplied to the unloader.

When the glass substrate A passes through the discharge port of the slit die 12, based on the thickness of the next glass substrate A,
Level adjustment of the slit die 12 is performed as necessary, and then the roller conveyor 60 of the suction chamber 54 to the roller conveyor 6 of the suction chamber 56.
The next glass substrate A is supplied to 0. After that, the coating film F is similarly formed on the next glass substrate A.

According to the above-mentioned fourth type coating apparatus,
For the roller conveyor 60 of the suction chamber 56,
Since the individual glass substrates A can be supplied at short time intervals, the time required to form the coating film F per glass substrate A, that is, the coating time, can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved. it can. Further, in this case, since the coating liquid is continuously discharged from the discharge port of the slit die 12, the discharge control of the coating liquid from the slit die 12, that is, the drive control of the gear pump 18 is substantially performed. It becomes unnecessary and the control of the entire coating apparatus becomes easy.

If the above-mentioned selective supply device 8 is incorporated in the coating device of the fourth type, the level adjustment of the slit die 12 with respect to each glass substrate A becomes unnecessary, and the roller conveyor of the suction chamber 56 is eliminated. 60
Can receive the glass substrate A continuously, and the productivity can be further improved. FIGS. 8 and 9 show a fifth type coating apparatus. The fifth type coating apparatus has the same structure as the fourth type coating apparatus, but the transport line 2 is different. That is, in this case, a rectangular or square sealing base 66 is arranged in the middle of the transfer line 2, and the sealing base 66 separates the transfer line 2 into an upstream conveyor line and a downstream conveyor line. Transfer machines are respectively arranged between the upstream conveyor line and the sealing base 66, and between the downstream conveyor line and the sealing base 66. These transfer machines correspond to the first type coating apparatus. It has the same structure as the built-in selective supply device 8.

Stages 68 are attached to the lower surface of the sealing base 66 at its four corners, and two of these stages 68 are arranged on the same line as the transfer line. Specifically, the stage 6 on the transfer line
One of the eight is in the loading position and the other is in the unloading position. The four stages 68 move in conjunction with each other as shown by the arrows in FIG. 9, and their positions are sequentially switched.
That is, each stage 68 is sequentially positioned at the loading position, and the stage 6 at the loading position is
8 moves toward the unloading position. The lower surface of each stage 68 is configured as a suction surface, and the stage 68 at the loading position can receive the glass substrate from the transfer machine and can suck and hold the glass substrate A on the suction surface. In this case, the individual glass substrates A are conveyed with their surfaces facing downward on the upstream conveyor line, and therefore the glass substrates A are adsorbed on the stage 68 with their surfaces facing downward. At the unloading position, the glass substrate A adsorbed on the stage 68 is removed by the transfer machine and then supplied to the downstream conveyor line.

In the case of the fifth type coating apparatus, the slit die 12 is arranged below the sealing base 66 together with the collection container 62, and in the middle between the loading position and the unloading position, and the thickness is The sensor 10 is arranged below the stage 68 in the loading position. According to the fifth type coating apparatus described above, when the glass substrate A is supplied from the upstream conveyor line side to the stage 68 at the loading position via the transfer machine, the thickness sensor 10 causes the glass substrate A The thickness of the slit die 12 is detected, and the detected signal is used as the lifting mechanism 2 for the slit die 12.
Output to 0. In response to the detection signal, the lifting mechanism 20 moves the slit die 12 up and down together with the collection container 62,
The level position of the slit die 12 is adjusted. After that, the stage 68 that has received the glass substrate A moves from the loading position to the unloading position, and in this process, the glass substrate A passes through the ejection port of the slit die 12, thereby A coating film is formed on the downward surface. When the stage 68 reaches the unloading position, the glass substrate A on which the coating film is formed
Is removed from the stage 68 by a transfer machine and supplied to the downstream conveyor line. At this time, the next stage 68 is positioned at the loading position, and the next glass substrate A is supplied to the stage 68.

Even in the above-mentioned fifth type coating apparatus, as in the case of the fourth type coating apparatus, a coating film can be continuously formed on each glass substrate A, and the slit die 12 It is also easy to control the discharge of the coating liquid from. In the present embodiment, the type in which the four stages 68 move sequentially is shown, but the present invention is also applicable to the type in which one stage reciprocates.

[0061]

As described above, according to the coating apparatus and the coating method of the first and ninth aspects, individual sheet members are selected based on their thickness, and the thickness is made uniform on the coating conveying line. Since only the single-wafer members are supplied and these single-wafer members are continuously conveyed, the coating film forming time required for each single-wafer member, that is, the coating time is significantly shortened, and the productivity is improved. Can be improved. Further, since the individual sheet members on the coating and conveying line have the same thickness, no step is formed between the adjacent sheet members. Therefore, the step does not collide with the applicator and does not adversely affect the film thickness of the coating film formed on the surface of the single-wafer member. Can be maintained.

According to the coating apparatus and the coating method of the second and the tenth aspects, since the single-wafer member which has been separated from the sorting is supplied to the branching and conveying line different from the coating and conveying line, the branching and conveying line is provided. It is possible to continuously form the coating film on the single-wafer member that is transported. According to the coating apparatus and the coating method of claims 3 and 11, the coating film is formed on the single-wafer member supplied to the stage regardless of whether the stage is reciprocating or returning.
The coating time per sheet-fed member can be shortened, and the productivity thereof can be improved.

According to the coating apparatus and the coating method of claims 4 and 12, the single-wafer member can be supplied to and removed from the stage on both sides of the stage. Can be easily supplied and the single-wafer member can be easily removed from the stage. According to the coating apparatus and the coating method of claims 5 and 13, since the coating liquid is continuously discharged from the coating device, not only the discharge control of the coating liquid can be easily performed, but also the individual single-wafer members can be separated. It is possible to continuously convey and continuously form a coating film on each individual sheet member.

According to the coating apparatus and the coating method of the sixth, seventh, fourteenth and fifteenth aspects, the single-wafer member can be easily transported, and the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing apparatus of the color filter of the eighth and sixteenth aspects, It is possible to improve the quality of the color filter and improve its productivity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first type coating apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a specific example of the sorting and supplying device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the sorting and feeding device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a second type coating device.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a coating section of the coating apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a coating section in a third type coating apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a fourth type coating device.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a fifth type coating apparatus.

9 is a view showing a lower surface of a sealing base of the coating apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Transport Line 2d Downstream Conveyor Line (Coating Transport Line) 8 Sorting Supply Device 10 Thickness Sensor 12 Slit Die 14 Supply Line 16 Supply Tank 18 Gear Pump 20 Lifting Mechanism 26 Robot Main Body 30 Moving Arm 34 Adsorption Pad 36 Branching Transfer Line 37 Coating section 38 Base 40 Guide rail 42 Stage 46 Transfer machine 47 Syringe pump 48 Transfer machine 50 Guide rail 52 Transfer machine main body 54 Suction chamber 56 Suction chamber 58 Suction chamber 60 Roller conveyor 62 Collection container 64 Return line 66 Sealing Base 68 stage

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A transporting means having a coating transporting line for continuously transporting individual sheet-fed members along the coating transporting line; Selective supply means for supplying only the single-wafer member having a thickness to the coating and conveying line, and an applicator for continuously discharging the coating liquid onto the surface of the single-wafer member conveyed on the coating and conveying line. An applicator characterized by being provided. 2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sorting and supplying unit includes a branching and transporting line that receives and transports the single-wafer member that has been unsorted. 3. A stage capable of reciprocating between a first moving position and a second moving position while holding the single-wafer member, and a stage capable of coming into contact with and separating from the stage, and the single-wafer member together with the stage. An applicator for ejecting a coating liquid onto the surface of the single-wafer member when moving, and a stage for moving the stage at the moving position regardless of whether the stage is in the first or second moving position. A coating device, comprising: a detection unit configured to detect the thickness of the single-wafer member after the single-wafer member is held. 4. Regardless of whether the stage is in the first or second movement position, a supply means capable of supplying a single-wafer member to the stage and a detaching means capable of detaching the single-wafer member from the stage are provided. The coating device according to claim 3, further comprising: a supply unit and a removal unit, which are arranged on both sides of a reciprocating line of the stage. 5. A transporting means which has a coating transporting line and transports the sheet-fed members with the surface thereof facing downward along the coating transporting line, and the coating means which is disposed below the coating transporting line. An applicator for continuously ejecting the coating liquid onto the surface of the leaf member, a collecting means for collecting the excess coating liquid ejected from the applicator, a detecting means for detecting the thickness of the sheet member, and An applicator comprising: an elevating means for elevating the applicator according to the thickness of the sheet member. 6. The coating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the conveying means includes a suction table which moves along the coating line and can suck the single-wafer member on the lower surface. 7. The coating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transporting unit includes a suction chamber that opens downward and a roller conveyor that is arranged at an opening of the suction chamber. . 8. An apparatus for producing a color filter, comprising the coating apparatus according to claim 1. 9. The coating solution is continuously discharged onto the surface of the single-wafer member while continuously transporting the individual single-wafer member along a coating and conveying line to form a coating film on the surface of the individual single-wafer member. In the coating method for forming, the single-wafer member to be supplied to the coating and conveying line is selected based on the thickness, and only the single-wafer member having a desired thickness is supplied to the coating and conveying line. How to apply. 10. The coating method according to claim 9, wherein the single-wafer member leaked from the sorting is supplied to a branching conveyance line different from the coating conveyance line. 11. A coating method for forming a coating film by holding a single-wafer member on a reciprocable stage and moving the single-wafer member together with the stage to discharge a coating liquid onto the surface of the single-wafer member. In both cases of forward and backward movements of the stage,
A coating method, characterized in that a coating film is formed on the surface of the single-wafer member as the stage moves. 12. The supply of the single-wafer member to the stage and the taking-out of the film-formed single-wafer member from the stage are performed from the same direction, and the stage is crossed with respect to these feeding and taking-out directions. 12. The coating method according to claim 11, wherein the coating method is reciprocating in the direction. 13. The coating liquid is continuously discharged upward from the coating device and the surplus coating liquid discharged is collected, and the coating device and the above-mentioned sheet are processed according to the detected thickness of the sheet-fed member. The applicator is positioned so as to provide a predetermined clearance with the surface of the member, and then the sheet-fed member is conveyed and passed over the applicator to form a coating film on the surface of the sheet-fed member. A coating method characterized by forming. 14. The coating method according to claim 13, wherein the single-wafer member is sucked and conveyed on the lower surface of the suction table. 15. The coating according to claim 13, wherein the sheet-fed members are attracted to the lower surface of the roller conveyor by suction, and the sheet-fed members are conveyed by the roller conveyor in this state. Method. 16. A method of manufacturing a color filter, which comprises manufacturing a color filter by using the coating method according to claim 9.