JPH0968804A - Resist coating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To apply a resist with a specified film thickness on a glass substrate having variation of thickness. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with an elevating and lowering mechanism 10 to move a nip roller supporting member 8 near to or apart from a roll bar 3, a pulse motor 11 to drive the mechanism 10, an operational processing device 14, and a motor controller 15. The operational processing device 14 generates controlling pulses corresponding to the thickness data generated by a detecting device 13 for the thickness of a glass substrate which generates thickness data according to the output signals from a thickness sensor 12 to measure the thickness of a glass substrate 1 carried to a resist coating mechanism. The motor controller 15 outputs driving pulses to the pulse motor 11 based on the controlling pulses generated by the operational processing device 14. Thus, the distance between a nip roller 2 and a roll bar 3 is changed according to the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a resist coating apparatus, and more particularly to a resist coating apparatus suitable for coating a resist or the like for forming a thin layer such as a color filter on a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a step of forming, for example, a color filter on a glass substrate constituting a liquid crystal display device, a predetermined resist is applied to the glass substrate in a uniform thickness as a pre-stage of a photolithographic etching method for the color filter. There is a need.

Conventionally, this type of resist coating is performed by a roll coating method in which a grooved rubber roller is used to apply the resist solution, or a spin coating method in which the resist solution is centrifugally stretched and applied while rotating the glass substrate. However, the former method has a limitation in the smoothness of the coating film, and the latter method has a problem that the utilization rate of the resist solution is extremely low and it is difficult to efficiently process a large number of glass substrates.

On the other hand, for example, JP-A-2-2580
No. 81 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-270346, a so-called rod coating method, in which a resist solution is applied from the lower surface of a glass substrate that is conveyed in a plane using a wire winding rod, It is possible to form a uniform resist coating film on a large number of glass substrates that are conveyed.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an essential part for explaining the structure of this type of resist coating apparatus. 1 is a glass substrate, 2 is a nip roll, 3 is a roll bar, 4 is a resist, 5 is a tray, and 6 is a roll. The bar support member 7 is a conveyance roller.

In FIG. 1, the resist coating portion is composed of a nip roll 2, a roll bar 3, a tray 5 for storing the resist 4, and a roll bar support member 6, and is provided at the coating portion of the facing gap between the nip roll 2 and the roll bar 3. The glass substrate 1 is carried in from the direction of arrow A in the drawing, and the resist drawn up by the roll bar 3 is applied to the lower surface of the glass substrate 1.

The glass substrate 1 coated with the resist is further carried by the carrying roller 7 of the substrate sending-out carrying mechanism and sent to the next drying stage.

FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of the feeding / conveying section as seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. It should be noted that the nip roller, the substrate leading edge sensor, and the like are not shown in the figure.

In FIG. 1, a glass substrate 1 is a resist coating effective area 1 corresponding to four liquid crystal pulse glass plates.
This is a so-called four-piece substrate having a, 1b, 1c and 1d, and the transport roller 7 is supported in both ends outside the resist coating effective area and transported in the A direction.

[0010]

In the conventional resist coating apparatus described above, the gap between the nip roll 2 and the roll bar 3 is kept constant, and the glass substrate 1 is passed between them while a predetermined pressing force is applied by the nip roll 2. Since the resist 4 is applied, there is a problem that application unevenness occurs when the thickness of the glass substrate varies.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to provide a resist coating apparatus capable of coating a resist with a constant film thickness even if the thickness of the glass substrate varies.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses the following means.

(1) The thickness of the glass substrate is measured before applying the resist, and the gap between the glass substrate and the roll bar is controlled by moving the nip roll up and down according to the change in the thickness.

(2) After the glass substrate is adsorbed on a flat stage and held horizontally, it is moved horizontally on the roll bar.

(3) Weight the nip roll, spring,
The gap is controlled according to the thickness and waviness of the glass substrate by pressing it against the roll bar with air pressure, hydraulic pressure or the like.

(4) The nip roll is fixed and the roll bar is pressed against the glass substrate by air pressure, spring, gravity or the like. Hereinafter, in order to make the features of the present invention easy to understand, the reference numerals used in the embodiments are attached. Explain.

That is, the first aspect of the present invention comprises a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of the glass substrate 1 to be transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism. In a resist coating apparatus having at least the resist coating mechanism, the resist coating mechanism stores the resist 4 therein, the roll bar 3 that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and the roller 5 is submerged in the tray. A roll bar holding member 6 that rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar, and the roll bar 3 including the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1 that is disposed above the roll bar 3 so as to face each other. The nip roller 2 installed so as to pass the glass substrate 1 between them, the nip roller supporting member 8 for supporting the nip roller 2, and the nipping roller supporting member 8. The pulse motor 11 for the cause of the lift mechanism 10 lifting drive is a lifting mechanism 10 to approach or separate the roller support member 8 with respect to the roll bar 3
And a thickness sensor 12 for measuring the thickness of the glass substrate 1 fed to the resist coating mechanism by the substrate feeding and conveying mechanism, and a glass substrate thickness detecting device for generating thickness data based on an output signal of the thickness sensor 12. 13, an arithmetic processing unit 14 for generating a control pulse corresponding to the thickness data generated by the glass substrate thickness detecting unit 13, and a drive pulse for the pulse motor 11 based on the control pulse generated by the arithmetic processing unit 14. And a motor controller 15 for outputting the above, and a uniform resist thin film is applied by changing the distance between the nip roller 2 and the roll bar 3 according to the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

A second invention according to claim 2 is a lifting / lowering mechanism for guiding the nip roller supporting member 8 to move toward or away from the roll bar 3 by the lifting / lowering mechanism 10 in the first invention. A mechanism guide 9, a ball screw 10a fixed to the nip roller support member 8, a ball gear 10b meshing with the ball screw 10a, a first pulley 10c fixed to the ball gear 10b, and a drive shaft of the pulse motor 11. Second pulley 10d
And the belt 10 hung over the first and second pulleys.
It is characterized by being composed of e and e.

Further, a third invention according to a third aspect is characterized in that:
In a resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of the glass substrate 1 to be transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, the resist coating mechanism comprises:
A tray 5 that stores the resist 4, a roll bar 3 that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a support bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. Nip roller 2 installed so as to pass the glass substrate 1 between the roll bar holding member 6 and the roll bar 3 which is disposed above the roll bar 3 so as to face each other and includes the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1.
And a nip roller support member 8 that supports the nip roller 2 and an elevating mechanism 10 ′ that moves the nip roller support member 8 toward or away from the roll bar 3, and the elevating mechanism 10 ′ includes the nip roller support member. A lifting mechanism guide 9 for guiding the movement of the member 8 toward and away from the roll bar 3, an ultra-low friction cylinder 19 fixed to the nip roller support member 8, and an air pressure for driving the ultra-low friction cylinder 19. The air pressure proportional control valve 21 is composed of a proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially constant.
And a processing unit 14 for controlling the above, and a uniform resist thin film is applied regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

[0020] Further, a fourth invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that:
The elevating mechanism 10 'in the third aspect of the invention comprises a wire 16 in which one end is fixed to the nip roller support member 8 and extends upward, is folded back by a pulley 16a, and the weight is suspended at the other end extending downward. A pressure balance control mechanism for the nip roller 2 is provided.

Further, a fifth invention according to claim 5 is
In a resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of the glass substrate 1 to be transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, the resist coating mechanism comprises:
A tray 5 that stores the resist 4, a roll bar 3 that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a support bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. Nip roller 2 installed so as to pass the glass substrate 1 between the roll bar holding member 6 and the roll bar 3 which is disposed above the roll bar 3 so as to face each other and includes the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1.
And a nip roller support member 8 that supports the nip roller 2 and an elevating mechanism 10 ″ that moves the resist coating mechanism closer to or away from the nip roller 2, and the elevating mechanism 10 ″ mounts the tray 5 thereon. Placed ultra low friction cylinder 19 and said ultra low friction cylinder 1
And the air pressure proportional control valve 21 for driving 9,
An arithmetic processing unit 14 for controlling the air pressure proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially constant, and a uniform resist thin film is formed regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate 1. Is applied.

Further, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention,
In a resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of the glass substrate 1 to be transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, the resist coating mechanism comprises:
A tray 5 that stores the resist 4, a roll bar 3 that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a support bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. And a roll bar holding member 6 located above the roll bar 3 and adsorbing the glass substrate 1 on the lower surface so that the roll bar 3 contacts the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 with the roll bar 3. A high-accuracy slide mechanism 29 for conveying and at least one thickness sensor 12 for measuring the thickness of the glass substrate adsorbed by the high-precision slide mechanism 29 before being conveyed to the resist coating mechanism.
And a substrate thickness detecting device 13 for detecting the thickness of the glass substrate 1 based on the output signal of the thickness sensor 12, and output data of the substrate thickness detecting device 13 between the glass substrate 1 and the roll bar 3. It is characterized in that the suction position of the high precision slide mechanism 29 is controlled so that the gap therebetween is constant, and a uniform resist thin film is applied regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

Further, a seventh invention according to claim 7 is
The high precision slide mechanism 29 according to the sixth aspect of the invention includes the moving base 29a and the glass substrate 1 by air pressure.
And a suction plate driving device 31 for controlling the suction posture of the glass substrate 1 by the suction plate 32.

The eighth invention according to claim 8 is
In a resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of the glass substrate 1 to be transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, the resist coating mechanism comprises:
A tray 5 that stores the resist 4, a roll bar 3 that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a support bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. And a roll bar holding member 6 located above the roll bar 3 and adsorbing the glass substrate 1 on the lower surface so that the roll bar 3 contacts the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 with the roll bar 3. It is composed of a high precision slide mechanism 29 for conveying and an elevating mechanism 10 ″ for moving the saucer 5 toward or away from the glass substrate 1, and the elevating mechanism 10 ″ has an ultra-low friction on which the saucer 5 is placed. Cylinder 19 and the ultra low friction cylinder 19
And an air pressure proportional control valve 21 for driving the air pressure proportional control valve 21, which controls the air pressure proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially constant.
4 is provided, and a uniform resist thin film is applied regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, and that a structure having the same effect as the above-mentioned structure of each invention can be adopted.

[0026]

In the structure of the first invention, the resist coating apparatus comprises a resist coating mechanism for coating the back surface of the glass substrate 1 being transported with a resist, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism. At least the resist 4 is stored, and the resist 4 is stored in the receiving tray 5, and a part of the peripheral surface of the rotating roll bar 3 is brought into contact with the liquid surface of the resist stored in the receiving tray 5 to rotate.

The roll bar holding member 6 is submerged in the tray 5 and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3.

The nip roller 2 is disposed above the roll bar 3 so as to face it, and passes the glass substrate 1 between itself and the roll bar 3 including the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1. The nip roller support member 8 supports the nip roller 2, and the elevating mechanism 10 is driven up and down by a pulse motor 11 so that the nip roller support member 8 approaches or separates from the roll bar 3.

The thickness sensor 12 measures the thickness of the glass substrate 1 fed to the resist coating mechanism by the substrate feeding and conveying mechanism, and the glass substrate thickness detecting device 13
Generates thickness data based on the output signal of the thickness sensor 12.

The arithmetic processing unit 14 generates a control pulse corresponding to the thickness data generated by the glass substrate thickness detecting unit 13, and the motor controller 15 outputs a drive pulse to the pulse motor 11 based on the generated control pulse. Output.

Further, in the structure of the second invention, the elevating mechanism guide 9 guides the movement of the nip roller supporting member 8 toward or away from the roll bar 3, and the ball screw 10 a fixed to the nip roller supporting member 8.
And a ball gear 10b that meshes with the ball screw 10a.
And a first pulley 10c fixed to the ball gear 10b
With the second pulley 10d fixed to the drive shaft of the pulse motor 11 and the belt 10e laid over the first and second pulleys, the nip roller support member 8 is separated from or approaches the roll bar 3. Moving.

Further, in the configuration of the third invention, the resist 4 is stored in the tray 5, and a part of the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3 rotates while contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the resist liquid surface.

The roll bar holding member 6 is submerged in the tray 5 and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3. The nip roller 2 is disposed above the roll bar 3 so as to face the roll bar 3 and passes the glass substrate 1 between the roll bar 3 and the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1.

The elevating mechanism 10 'moves the nip roller supporting member 8 supporting the nip roller 2 toward or away from the roll bar 3. The elevating mechanism guide 9 guides the elevating mechanism 10 ′ as the nip roller support member 8 moves toward or away from the roll bar 3.

The ultra-low friction cylinder 19 is fixed to the nip roller support member 8, and the air pressure proportional control valve 21 drives the ultra-low friction cylinder 19. Processor 1
4 controls the air pressure proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially constant.

Further, in the structure of the fourth invention, one end is fixed to the nip roller supporting member 8 and extends upward,
A mechanism made up of a wire 16 folded back by a pulley 16a and having a weight suspended from the other end extending downward controls the pressure balance of the nip roller 2 and applies a constant pressing force regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

Further, in the structure of the fifth invention, the resist 4 is stored in the tray 5, and the roll bar 3 rotates by contacting at least a part of its peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist.

The roll bar holding member 6 is submerged in the tray 5 and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar.
The nip roller 2 is arranged above the roll bar 3 so as to face the roll bar 3 so as to pass the glass substrate 1 between the roll bar 3 and the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1.

The nip roller support member 8 supports the nip roller 2, and the elevating mechanism 10 ″ moves the resist coating mechanism toward or away from the nip roller 2.

An ultra-low friction cylinder 19 which constitutes the lifting mechanism 10 "mounts the tray 5, and an air pressure proportional control valve 21 drives the ultra-low friction cylinder 19.

The arithmetic processing unit 14 controls the air pressure proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the ultra low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially constant.

Further, in the structure of the sixth invention, the resist 4 is stored in the tray 5, and at least a part of the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3 is brought into contact with the liquid surface of the resist to rotate.

The roll bar holding member 6 is submerged in the tray to rotatably support the peripheral surface of the roll bar. The high-precision slide mechanism 29 is located above the roll bar 3 and sucks the glass substrate 1 on the lower surface thereof so as to suck the glass substrate 1 onto the roll bar 3.
Then, the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 is conveyed while being in contact with the roll bar 3.

The thickness sensor 12 measures the thickness of the glass substrate adsorbed on the high precision slide mechanism 29 before the resist is applied, and the substrate thickness detecting device 13 detects the thickness of the glass substrate based on the output signal of the thickness sensor 12. The thickness of the substrate 1 is detected. It should be noted that at least one or a plurality of the thickness sensors 12 are installed, and preferably the thickness of the glass substrate 1 is measured at a plurality of two-dimensional positions to detect a two-dimensional thickness change (swell, tilt, etc.). And

The suction position of the high precision slide mechanism 29 is controlled by the output data of the substrate thickness detecting device 13 so that the gap between the glass substrate 1 and the roll bar 3 becomes constant.

Further, in the structure of the seventh invention, the suction plate 32 is attached to the moving base 29a of the high precision slide mechanism 29, and sucks and holds the glass substrate 1 by air pressure. The suction plate driving device 31 controls the suction posture of the glass substrate 1 by the suction plate 32.

In the structure of the eighth invention, the resist 4 is stored in the tray 5, and the roll bar 3 rotates while contacting at least a part of its peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist.

The roll bar holding member 6 is submerged in the tray to rotatably support the peripheral surface of the roll bar. The high-precision slide mechanism 29 is located above the roll bar 3 and sucks the glass substrate 1 on the lower surface thereof.
Then, the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 is conveyed while being in contact with the roll bar 3.

The elevating mechanism 10 "comprises an ultra-low friction cylinder 19 on which the tray 5 is placed, and an air pressure proportional control valve 21 for driving the ultra-low friction cylinder 19. The air pressure proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially constant.
Control.

[0050]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 are configuration diagrams for explaining a first embodiment of a resist coating apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view and FIG. 2 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. .

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a glass substrate, 2 is a nip roller, 3 is a roll bar, 3a is a roll bar driving device, 4 is a resist, 5 is a tray, 6 is a roll bar holding member, and 7 is a roller ( Substrate transport roller), 7a is a machine frame, 7b is a pedestal, 8 is a nip roller supporting member, 8a is a nip roller driving device, 9 is an elevating guide, 10 is an elevating mechanism, 10a is a ball screw, 10b is a ball gear, and 10c.
Is a first pulley, 10d is a second pulley, 10e is a belt,
Reference numeral 11 is a pulse motor, 12 is a thickness sensor, 13 is a glass substrate thickness detecting device, 14 is an arithmetic processing device, and 15 is a motor controller.

The resist coating mechanism of this embodiment comprises a tray 5 for storing the resist 4, a roll bar 3 for rotating at least a part of its peripheral surface in contact with the liquid surface of the resist 4, and a roll bar 3.
It includes a roll bar holding member 6 which is sunk in the tray 5 and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3, and a resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1 which is disposed above the roll bar 3 so as to face each other. A nip roller 2 installed so as to pass the glass substrate 1 between the roll bar 3 and the roll bar 3,
Nip roller support member 8 for supporting the nip roller 2
And an elevating mechanism 10 for moving the nip roller supporting member 8 toward and away from the roll bar 3, and a pulse motor 11 for vertically moving the elevating mechanism 10.

In this configuration, the thickness sensor 12 measures the thickness of the glass substrate 1 fed into the resist coating mechanism by the substrate feeding and conveying mechanism having the roller 7 arranged on the left side of FIG.

The output signal from the thickness sensor 12 is input to the substrate thickness detecting device 13, and the thickness data of the glass substrate 1 is given to the arithmetic processing device 14.

The arithmetic processing unit 14 is the motor controller 1.
A drive pulse corresponding to the thickness data is output to the pulse motor 11 at 5.

The rotation of the pulse motor 11 changes the distance between the nip roller 2 and the roll bar 3 according to the thickness of the glass substrate 1, and as a result, the glass substrate 1
A uniform resist thin film is applied to the lower surface of the.

The glass substrate 1 coated with the resist thin film is further carried by the carrying roller 7 of the substrate sending-out carrying mechanism installed on the right side of FIG. 1 and sent to the next drying stage.

The lifting mechanism guides the lifting mechanism guide 9 for guiding the nip roller supporting member 8 to move toward and away from the roll bar 3, the ball screw 10a fixed to the nip roller supporting member 8, and the ball screw 10a meshing with each other. Ball gear 10b, a first pulley 10c fixed to the ball gear 10b, a second pulley 10d fixed to the drive shaft of the pulse motor 11, and a first and second pulley 1
0c, 10d and a belt 10e, and the rotation of the pulse motor 11 rotates the ball gear 10b by the belt 10e, which is wound on the first and second pulleys 10c, 10d. The ball screw 10a is moved up and down, and the nip roller support member 8 fixed to the lower end of the ball screw 10a is moved up and down to change the distance between the nip roller 2 and the roll bar 3.

The positioning capability of this lifting mechanism is 5 μm per pulse, and the gap between the nip roller 2 and the roll bar 3 is adjusted by moving the nip roller 2 up and down according to the measured value of the glass substrate 1.

The variation in the thickness of the glass substrate 1 is 0.7.
Since the glass substrate having a thickness of mm has a thickness of ± 0.03 mm and the glass substrate having a thickness of 1.1 mm has a thickness of ± 0.1 mm, the above-described positioning capability of the pulse motor 11 can sufficiently achieve the required accuracy.

According to this embodiment, the resist can be applied with a constant film thickness even if the thickness of the glass substrate varies.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are constitutional views for explaining the second embodiment of the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a front view, and FIG. 4 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. .

In FIGS. 3 and 4, 10 'is a lifting mechanism, 16 is a wire, 16a is a pulley, 17 is a weight, 1
7a is a guide, 18 is a support, 18a is a fixed plate, 18
Reference numeral b is a coupling, 18c is a guide shaft, 19 is an ultra-low friction cylinder, 20 is a cylinder, 21 is an air pressure proportional control valve, 22 is a regulator, and 23 is a filter. The same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 correspond to the same parts.

The resist coating mechanism includes a tray 5 for storing the resist 4, a roll bar 3 for rotating at least a part of the peripheral surface of the resist 4 in contact with the liquid surface, and a roll bar submerged in the tray 5. The glass substrate 1 is passed between the roll bar holding member 6 that rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll substrate 3, and the roll bar 3 including the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1 that faces the roll bar 3 so as to face each other. The nip roller 2 is installed as described above, the nip roller support member 8 that supports the nip roller 2, and the elevating mechanism 10 ′ that moves the nip roller support member 8 toward or away from the roll bar 3.

The elevating mechanism 10 'includes an elevating mechanism guide 9 for guiding the nip roller supporting member 8 to move toward and away from the roll bar 3, an ultra-low friction cylinder 19 fixed to the nip roller supporting member 8, and an ultra-low friction cylinder. It is composed of an air pressure proportional control valve 21 for driving the low friction cylinder 19.

The arithmetic processing unit 14 is an ultra low friction cylinder 1.
The air pressure proportional control valve 21 is controlled so that the driving force of 9 is almost constant.

As a result, a uniform resist thin film can be applied regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

The elevating mechanism 10 'includes a wire 16 having one end fixed to the nip roller supporting member 8 and extending upward, and a wire 16 having a weight 17 suspended at the other end which is folded back by the pulley 16a and extends downward. It is equipped with a pressure balance control mechanism.

In the above-described structure, the arithmetic processing unit 14 includes the air pressure proportional control valve 21 for the ultra-low friction cylinder 1.
The reference data for keeping the driving force of 9 constant is stored. Based on the reference data, the ultra low friction cylinder 1
9 is controlled.

That is, the drive shaft of the ultra low friction cylinder 19 is fixed to the fixing plate 18a of the support 18 via the coupling 18b, and the fixed nip roller support member 8 at the lower end of the support 18 is the ultra low friction cylinder 1 described above.
Raise and lower at 9.

When the glass substrate 1 is conveyed between the roll bar 3 and the nip roller 2, if the driving pressure of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 is 0, the mass around the nip roller becomes the pressing force to the glass substrate 1. To work.

By driving the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 up and down, the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 is controlled so that "pressing force of the glass substrate 1 = load around the nip roller-driving force of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19". The glass substrate 1 can always be pressed with a constant pressure and is not affected by the thickness of the glass substrate.

The weight 17 is attached to reduce the load around the nip roller and improve the response of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 (to reduce the control pressure range of the air pressure proportional control valve 21).

Further, the cylinder 20 and the lifting mechanism guide 9
Is for raising the nip roller 2 to the retracted position when the roll bar 3 is replaced.

According to this embodiment, the resist can be applied with a constant film thickness even if the thickness of the glass substrate varies.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are configuration diagrams for explaining a third embodiment of the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view and FIG. 6 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. .

In FIGS. 5 and 6, 24 is an elevating shaft, 25 is a base, 26 is a bracket, and the same reference numerals as those used in the explanatory drawings of the second embodiment correspond to the same functional portions.

The resist coating mechanism for coating the resist on the back surface of the glass substrate 1 to be conveyed includes a tray 5 for storing the resist 4 and a roll bar 3 which rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist. And a roll bar holding member 6 which is sunk in the tray 5 and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3, and a roll including the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate 1 which is disposed above the roll bar 3 so as to face each other. The nip roller 2 is installed between the bar 3 and the glass substrate 1 so as to pass therethrough, and the nip roller support member 8 that supports the nip roller 2 is provided.

Further, an elevation mechanism for moving the resist coating mechanism toward or away from the nip roller is provided,
This lifting mechanism is composed of an ultra-low friction cylinder 19 on which the tray 5 is placed, and an air pressure proportional control valve 21 for driving the ultra-low friction cylinder 19.

The arithmetic processing unit 14 controls the air pressure proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially constant.

That is, the ultra low friction cylinder 19 is fixed to the base 26, and when the glass substrate 1 enters between the nip roller 2 and the roll bar 3, the tray 5 to which the roll bar 3 is attached and the roll bar driving device. Lift the base 25 on which 3a is placed with the ultra-low friction cylinder 19,
The lower surface of the glass substrate 1 is pressed.

Since the driving of the ultra-low friction cylinder 19 that presses the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 is always kept constant by the air pressure proportional control valve 21, even if the thickness of the glass substrate changes, the coating thickness of the resist does not change. There is no effect.

Also in this embodiment, a uniform resist thin film can be applied regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate 1.

FIG. 7 is a constitutional view for explaining a fourth embodiment of the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention, which includes 12a, 12b,
12c is a thickness sensor, 13 is a glass substrate thickness detecting device,
27 is a lifting shaft, 28 is a cylinder, 29 is a high precision slide mechanism, 29a is a moving base, 30 is a stopper, 31 is a suction plate driving device, 32 is a suction plate, 33 is a lifting plate, and 33a is a pin. The same reference numerals as those in the drawings of the above-described embodiments correspond to the same functional parts.

FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are operation diagrams for explaining a series of operations for applying a resist on the lower surface of the glass substrate.

7 and 8 to 11, the resist coating mechanism includes a tray 5 for storing the resist 4 and a roll bar 3 for rotating the liquid surface of the resist 4 by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface thereof. A roll bar holding member 6 which is laid in a saucer and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3, and a glass substrate 1 which is located above the roll bar 3 and adsorbs the glass substrate 1 on the lower surface so that the glass substrate 1 is attached to the roll bar 3. And a high-precision slide mechanism 29 that conveys the lower surface of the sheet in contact with the lower surface of the sheet.

The thickness sensors 12a, 12b, 12c have a high precision slide mechanism 29 before being conveyed to the resist coating mechanism.
The thickness of the glass substrate adsorbed on is measured. The substrate thickness detecting device 13 detects the thickness of the glass substrate 1 based on the output signal of the thickness sensor.

The suction plate driving device 31 uses the output data of the substrate thickness detecting device 13 to keep the gap between the glass substrate and the roll bar constant.
After adjusting the suction position of No. 2, the high-precision slide mechanism 29 conveys the roll bar 3 with the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 in contact.

That is, the glass substrate 1 is fed from the left side of the drawing by the roller 7 which constitutes the substrate feeding and conveying mechanism. The glass substrate 1 sent in hits the stopper 30, and at the same time, the driving of the roller 7 is stopped and the glass substrate 1 stops above the elevating plate 33.

Cylinder 2 attached to the machine frame in this state
8 operates to guide the elevating plate 33 to the elevating shaft to elevate the glass plate 1 to the pin 33a installed on the upper surface.
Is placed, lifted and further raised to the suction plate 32, and the glass substrate 1 is sucked and held by the suction plate 32 (see FIG. 7).

The suction plate 32 is mounted on the high precision slide mechanism 2 via the suction plate driving device 31 and the moving base 29a.
It is attached to 9.

Next, the thickness sensors 12a, 12 are attached to the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 sucked and held by the suction plate 32.
b and 12c move and assume the thickness. This thickness sensor measures three points on the plane of the glass substrate 1 and gives the measured values to the substrate thickness detecting device 13. Each sensor retracts to its original position after measurement.

The thickness sensor is not limited to three, and the number of measuring points is not limited to three, and may be any number and number of points for measuring the planar state such as the undulation of the lower surface of the glass substrate. A configuration may be adopted in which one sensor is moved to measure a plurality of points.

Based on the measurement result, the substrate thickness detecting device 13 detects that the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 is parallel to the moving axis of the moving base 29a and is between the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 and the roll bar 3 during movement. The suction plate driving device 31 adjusts the position of the glass substrate 1 sucked by the suction plate 32 so that the gap has a predetermined value.

When this adjustment is completed, the moving base 29a
Starts to move in the direction of arrow B, and temporarily stops at the position where the front end of the resist coating area of the glass substrate 1 comes directly above the roll bar 3 (see FIG. 8). At this time, the elevating plate 33 descends to its original position and waits for the arrival of the next glass substrate.

The stopped glass substrate 1 is driven in such a manner that it descends from the stop position in the direction of arrow B so that the front end of the resist coating area faces the roll bar 3 at a predetermined interval (see FIG. 9).

From this state, the moving base 29a starts moving again in the direction of the arrow D, and the resist drawn up by the roll bar 3 is applied to the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 (FIG. 1).
0).

The glass substrate 1 which has been moved to the right in the drawing after the resist coating is completed is received from the suction plate 32 by the lift plate 33 provided in the substrate take-out and transfer mechanism, and the substrate is taken out and carried when the lift plate 33 descends. It is placed on the roller 7 of the mechanism and conveyed to the subsequent processing stage (see FIG. 11).
Also according to this embodiment, a uniform resist thin film can be applied regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate.

The high precision slide mechanism 29 includes a moving base 29a, a suction plate 32 for sucking and holding the glass substrate by air pressure, and a suction plate driving device 31 for controlling the suction posture of the glass substrate 1 by the suction plate 32. Composed of and.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram for explaining the fifth embodiment of the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention, and the same reference numerals as those used in the above-mentioned embodiment correspond to the same functional parts.

This embodiment has a structure in which the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment are combined, and the resist coating mechanism has a tray 5 for storing the resist 4 and at least one of the peripheral surface on the liquid surface of the resist 4. Roll bar 3 that rotates by contacting the parts
A roll bar holding member 6 which is sunk in the tray 5 to rotatably support the peripheral surface of the roll bar 3;
And a high-precision slide mechanism 29 that conveys the lower surface of the glass substrate 1 in contact with the roll bar 3.

The tray 5 is moved toward or away from the glass substrate 1 by an elevating mechanism, and the elevating mechanism includes an ultra-low friction cylinder 19 on which the tray 5 is placed and an air pressure proportional control valve for driving the ultra-low friction cylinder 19. 21 and
The arithmetic processing unit 14 controls the air pressure proportional control valve 21 so that the driving force of the ultra low friction cylinder 19 becomes substantially zero.

That is, in this embodiment, instead of the glass substrate thickness sensor and the suction plate driving device 31 in the fourth embodiment, a structure for moving up and down the tray 5 of the resist 4 similar to the third embodiment is adopted. Is.

In the structure of this embodiment, the pressing force of the roll bar 3 on the glass substrate 1 is kept constant by the ultra-low friction cylinder 19.

Therefore, the high precision slide mechanism 29 has only the function of adsorbing the glass substrate 1 and moving it on the roll bar 3.

Also in this embodiment, a uniform resist thin film can be applied regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention disclosed in the claims.

[0109]

As described above, according to the present invention,
(1) Measure the thickness of the glass substrate before applying the resist,
The gap between the nip roll and the roll bar is controlled by moving the nip roll up and down according to the change in the thickness. (2) After the glass substrate is adsorbed on a flat stage and held horizontally, it is moved horizontally on the roll bar. (3) Weight the nip roll,
It is pressed against the roll bar with a spring, air pressure, hydraulic pressure, etc. to control the pressing force according to the thickness and undulation of the glass substrate. (4) The nip roll is fixed, and the roll bar is pressed against the glass substrate by air pressure, spring, gravity or the like. By using the resist coating apparatus having the above configuration, the resist can be coated with a constant film thickness even if the thickness of the glass substrate varies.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a first embodiment of a resist coating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a second embodiment of the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating a third embodiment of the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention.

6 is a side view as seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a resist coating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an operation diagram illustrating a series of operations for applying a resist to the lower surface of the glass substrate in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an operation diagram illustrating a series of operations for applying a resist to the lower surface of the glass substrate in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an operation diagram illustrating a series of operations for applying a resist on the lower surface of the glass substrate in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an operation diagram illustrating a series of operations for applying a resist on the lower surface of the glass substrate in the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram illustrating a fifth embodiment of the resist coating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a main part for explaining a main part configuration of a conventional resist coating apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of a feeding and conveying unit viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 glass substrate 2 nip roller 3 roll bar 3a roll bar driving device 4 resist 5 saucer 6 roll bar holding member 7 roller (substrate carrying roller) 7a machine frame 7b mount 8 nip roller supporting member 8a nip roller driving device 9 elevating guide 10 elevating mechanism 10a ball screw 10b Ball Gear 10c First Pulley 10d Second Pulley 10e Belt 11 Pulse Motor 12 Thickness Sensor 13 Glass Substrate Thickness Detection Device 14 Arithmetic Processing Device 15 Motor Controller 16 Wire 16a Pulley 17 Weight 18 Support 18a Fixed Plate 18b Coupling 18c Guide Shaft 19 Ultra low friction cylinder 20 Cylinder 21 Air pressure proportional control valve 22 Regulator 23 Filter 24 Lifting shaft 25 Base 26 Bracket 27 Lifting shaft Shift 28 Cylinder 29 High precision slide mechanism 29a Moving base 30 Stopper 31 Suction plate driving device 32 Suction plate 33 Elevating plate 33a Pin.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Haruo Sasaki 3300 Hayano, Mobara, Chiba Prefecture, Hitachi, Ltd. Electronic Device Division (72) Inventor Tomoaki Tsubo, 3300 Hayano, Mobara, Chiba Hitachi Electronic Devices Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yukio Ichimura 3300 Hayano, Mobara-shi, Chiba Hitachi, Ltd. Electronic Device Division (72) Inventor Kazumi Kanesaka 3681 Hayano, Mobara-shi, Chiba Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on a back surface of a glass substrate to be transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, wherein the resist coating mechanism comprises: A tray that stores the resist, a roll bar that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a roll bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. A nip roller disposed so as to pass the glass substrate between the holding member and the roll bar, which is disposed so as to face above the roll bar and includes the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate, and a nip roller support which supports the nip roller. Member and the nip roller support member are moved up and down to move toward and away from the roll bar. A thickness sensor for measuring the thickness of the glass substrate fed to the resist coating mechanism by the substrate feeding and transporting mechanism, and a pulse motor for vertically moving the lifting mechanism, and based on the output signal of the thickness sensor. A glass substrate thickness detecting device that generates thickness data, an arithmetic processing device that generates a control pulse corresponding to the thickness data generated by the glass substrate thickness detecting device, and the control pulse generated by the arithmetic processing device based on the control pulse. And a motor controller for outputting a driving pulse to a pulse motor, wherein a uniform resist thin film is applied by changing the distance between the nip roller and the roll bar according to the thickness of the glass substrate. Resist coating device. 2. The elevating mechanism guide according to claim 1, wherein the elevating mechanism guides movement of the nip roller supporting member toward or away from the roll bar; a ball screw fixed to the nip roller supporting member; A ball gear meshing with the ball screw, a first pulley fixed to the ball gear, a second pulley fixed to the drive shaft of the pulse motor, and a belt stretched around the first and second pulleys. A resist coating device. 3. A resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of a glass substrate being transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, wherein the resist coating mechanism comprises: A tray that stores the resist, a roll bar that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a roll bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. A nip roller disposed so as to pass the glass substrate between the holding member and the roll bar, which is disposed so as to face above the roll bar and includes the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate, and a nip roller support which supports the nip roller. Member and the nip roller support member are moved up and down to move toward and away from the roll bar. A lift mechanism guide for guiding the nip roller support member to move toward or away from the roll bar; an ultra-low friction cylinder fixed to the nip roller support member; An air pressure proportional control valve for driving a low friction cylinder, and an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the air pressure proportional control valve so that the driving force of the ultra low friction cylinder is substantially constant. A resist coating apparatus that coats a uniform resist thin film regardless of the thickness of the substrate. 4. The elevating mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the elevating mechanism comprises a wire having one end fixed to the nip roller support member and extending upward, folding back at a pulley and extending downward to suspend the weight at the other end. A resist coating apparatus comprising a pressure balance control mechanism for nip rollers. 5. A resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of a glass substrate being transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, wherein the resist coating mechanism comprises: A tray that stores the resist, a roll bar that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a roll bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. A nip roller disposed so as to pass the glass substrate between the holding member and the roll bar, which is disposed so as to face above the roll bar and includes the resist coating effective region of the glass substrate, and a nip roller support which supports the nip roller. A member and an elevator for moving the resist coating mechanism toward or away from the nip roller The lifting mechanism comprises an ultra-low friction cylinder on which the tray is placed, and an air pressure proportional control valve that drives the ultra-low friction cylinder, and the driving force of the ultra-low friction cylinder is substantially the same. A resist coating apparatus, comprising: an arithmetic processing unit that controls the air pressure proportional control valve so as to be constant, and coats a uniform resist thin film regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate. 6. A resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of a glass substrate to be transported and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, wherein the resist coating mechanism comprises: A tray that stores the resist, a roll bar that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a roll bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. A holding member, a high-precision slide mechanism which is located above the roll bar, adsorbs the glass substrate on the lower surface, and conveys the lower surface of the glass substrate to the roll bar in a state of being in contact with the roll bar; At least 1 for measuring the thickness of the glass substrate adsorbed by the high precision slide mechanism before being conveyed to the resist coating mechanism Of the thickness sensor, a substrate thickness detecting device that detects the thickness of the glass substrate based on the output signal of the thickness sensor, and output data of the substrate thickness detecting device, the gap between the glass substrate and the roll bar. The resist coating apparatus is characterized in that the suction position of the high precision slide mechanism is controlled so as to keep constant, and a uniform resist thin film is coated regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate. 7. The high precision slide mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the high precision slide mechanism, a suction plate for sucking and holding the glass substrate by air pressure, and a suction plate driving device for controlling a suction posture of the glass substrate by the suction plate. And a resist coating apparatus. 8. A resist coating apparatus having at least a resist coating mechanism for coating a resist on the back surface of a glass substrate to be transported, and a substrate feeding transport mechanism for feeding the glass substrate to the resist coating mechanism, wherein the resist coating mechanism comprises: A tray that stores the resist, a roll bar that rotates by contacting at least a part of the peripheral surface with the liquid surface of the resist, and a roll bar that is submerged in the tray and rotatably supports the peripheral surface of the roll bar. A holding member, a high-precision slide mechanism which is located above the roll bar, adsorbs the glass substrate on the lower surface, and conveys the lower surface of the glass substrate to the roll bar in a state of being in contact with the roll bar; And an elevating mechanism that moves the saucer toward or away from the glass substrate, and the elevating mechanism places the saucer on the glass substrate. An ultra low friction cylinder and an air pressure proportional control valve for driving the ultra low friction cylinder, and an arithmetic process for controlling the air pressure proportional control valve so that the driving force of the ultra low friction cylinder is substantially constant. And a device for applying a uniform resist thin film regardless of the thickness of the glass substrate.