KR101464203B1 - Cleaning unit, treating fluid discharging apparatus with the unit, and cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

A head cleaning unit for cleaning a nozzle surface of a head, comprising: a nozzle for removing a fine liquid crystal remaining on a nozzle surface of the head, The fine liquid crystal is scraped off and sucked into the suction nozzle for cleaning.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning unit, a processing solution dispensing apparatus having the same, and a cleaning method,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process liquid ejection apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for ejecting a process liquid onto a substrate by an inkjet method for ejecting droplets.

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, liquid crystal display devices have been widely used in display portions of electronic apparatuses such as mobile phones and portable computers. A liquid crystal display device includes: a color filter substrate on which a black matrix, a color filter, a common electrode, and an alignment film are formed; Liquid crystal is injected into a space between a thin film transistor (TFT), a pixel electrode and an array substrate on which an alignment film is formed, and a video effect is obtained by using a difference in refractive index of light according to anisotropy of liquid crystal.

An ink jet type coating apparatus is used as an apparatus for applying an alignment liquid or a liquid crystal onto a color filter substrate and an array substrate. However, even if the liquid crystal remaining on the head is cleaned after the liquid crystal is coated on the substrate, cleaning is not smoothly performed, and fine liquid crystal remains on the head. This causes a problem that the film uniformity of the liquid crystal applied to the substrate is lowered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a process liquid ejecting apparatus capable of efficiently removing fine liquid crystal remaining on a nozzle face of a head.

The objects of the present invention are not limited thereto, and other objects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing solution dispensing apparatus comprising: a base; a substrate supporting unit installed on the base and on which a substrate is placed; And a cleaning unit installed on the base, the cleaning unit cleaning the nozzle surface, wherein the cleaning unit is provided with a plurality of nozzles for discharging the chemical liquid on the nozzle surface, the gentry being connected to the nozzles, A suction nozzle having a suction hole formed toward the suction nozzle, and a plate-shaped blade coupled to the suction nozzle and protruding upward from the suction nozzle.

Further, an end of the blade is coupled to the inside of the suction hole and protrudes upward.

Further, the blade is provided to be inclined with respect to the suction hole.

In addition, the height of the end of the suction nozzle coupled with the blade around the suction hole is lower than the height of the opposite end of the suction nozzle.

The suction nozzle may further include a lifting member coupled to the suction nozzle to adjust a height of an end of the suction hole of the suction nozzle.

Further, the blade is characterized in that it includes an elastic material.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning unit for cleaning a treatment liquid nozzle according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising: a suction nozzle having a suction hole formed toward an upper portion thereof; And a plate-shaped blade projecting upwardly.

Further, the blade is provided to be inclined with respect to the suction hole.

Further, the blade is characterized in that it includes an elastic material.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the cleaning method of the treatment liquid dispensing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle of the treatment liquid is scratched by the blade, and sucked into the suction nozzle and cleaned.

According to the present invention, the fine liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle face of the head can be completely removed.

The drawings described below are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
1 is a view showing a configuration of an inkjet type liquid crystal coating equipment.
2 is a perspective view of the liquid crystal discharge portion of FIG.
3 is a plan view of the liquid crystal discharge portion of FIG.
4 is a view showing the first drive unit of Fig.
5 is a view showing the second drive unit of Fig.
6 is a view showing a linear movement and a rotation process of the gantry.
7 is a view showing a side surface of the head moving unit of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig.
Figure 8 is a front view of the first mobile unit of Figure 7;
9 is a view showing a nozzle inspection unit.
10 is a view schematically showing the head cleaning unit.
11 is a view showing one embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.
12 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.
13 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.
14 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.
15 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each drawing has been partially or exaggerated for clarity. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the respective drawings, the same constituent elements are shown to have the same reference numerals as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

Hereinafter, a facility for applying a treatment liquid to an object by an ink jet system for ejecting liquid drops and a method for applying the treatment liquid to the object using the apparatus will be described.

For example, the object may be a color filter (CF) substrate or a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate of a liquid crystal display panel, and the processing liquid may be liquid crystal, alignment liquid, red (R) , Green (G), and blue (B) ink. As the alignment liquid, polyimide may be used.

The alignment liquid can be applied to the entire surface of the color filter (CF) substrate and the thin film transistor (TFT) substrate, and the liquid crystal can be applied to the entire surface of the color filter (CF) substrate or the thin film transistor (TFT) substrate. The ink may be applied to the interior area of the black matrix arranged in a lattice pattern on a color filter (CF) substrate.

In this embodiment, a facility using liquid crystal as a treatment liquid is described as an example, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited thereto.

1 is a view showing a configuration of an inkjet type liquid crystal coating equipment. The liquid crystal coating equipment 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a facility for applying a liquid crystal to a substrate by an inkjet method for discharging droplets.

The substrate may be a color filter (CF) substrate or a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate of a liquid crystal display panel, and the liquid crystal may be applied to an entire surface of a color filter (CF) substrate or a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate.

1, the liquid crystal coating equipment 1 includes a liquid crystal discharge unit 10, a substrate transfer unit 20, a loading unit 30, an unloading unit 40, a liquid crystal supply unit 50, and a main controller 90 ). The liquid crystal discharge portion 10 and the substrate transfer portion 20 are arranged in a line in the first direction I and can be positioned adjacent to each other. A liquid crystal supply part 50 and a main control part 90 are disposed at positions facing the substrate transfer part 20 with the liquid crystal discharge part 10 as a center. The liquid crystal supply part 50 and the main control part 90 may be arranged in a line in the second direction II. The loading unit 30 and the unloading unit 40 are disposed at positions facing the liquid crystal discharge unit 10 with the substrate transfer unit 20 as a center. The loading section 30 and the unloading section 40 may be arranged in a line in the second direction II.

Here, the first direction I is an arrangement direction of the liquid crystal discharge portion 10 and the substrate transfer portion 20, the second direction II is a direction perpendicular to the first direction I on the horizontal plane, (III) is a direction perpendicular to the first direction (I) and the second direction (II).

The substrate to which the liquid crystal is to be applied is brought into the loading section 30. The substrate transferring unit 20 transfers the substrate loaded into the loading unit 30 to the liquid crystal discharging unit 10. The liquid crystal discharging portion 10 receives liquid crystal from the liquid crystal supplying portion 50 and discharges the liquid crystal onto the substrate by an ink jet method for discharging liquid droplets. When the liquid crystal discharge is completed, the substrate transfer section 20 transfers the substrate from the liquid crystal discharge section 10 to the unloading section 40. The substrate coated with the liquid crystal is taken out of the unloading portion 40. The main control unit 90 controls the overall operations of the liquid crystal discharge unit 10, the substrate transfer unit 20, the loading unit 30, the unloading unit 40, and the liquid crystal supply unit 50.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the liquid crystal discharge portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the liquid crystal discharge portion of FIG. 2 and 3, the liquid crystal discharging portion 10 includes a base B, a substrate supporting unit 100, a gantry 200, a gantry moving unit 300, inkjet head units 400, Unit 500, a liquid crystal supply unit 600, an individual head control unit 700, a liquid crystal discharge amount measurement unit 800, a nozzle inspection unit 900, and a head cleaning unit 1000.

Hereinafter, each configuration of the liquid crystal discharge portion will be described in detail.

The base (B) may be provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a constant thickness. A substrate supporting unit 100 is disposed on the upper surface of the base B. The substrate supporting unit 100 has a supporting plate 110 on which the substrate S is placed. The support plate 110 may be a rectangular plate. The rotation driving member 120 is connected to the lower surface of the support plate 110. The rotation drive member 120 may be a rotary motor. The rotation driving member 120 rotates the support plate 110 around a rotation center axis perpendicular to the support plate 100. [

When the support plate 110 is rotated by the rotation drive member 120, the substrate S can be rotated by the rotation of the support plate 110. [ When the long-side direction of the cell formed on the substrate to which the liquid crystal is to be applied faces the second direction II, the rotation driving member 120 can rotate the substrate such that the long-side direction of the cell is in the first direction I.

The support plate 110 and the rotation driving member 120 may be linearly moved in the first direction I by the linear driving member 130. The linear driving member 130 includes a slider 132 and a guide member 134. The rotation driving member 120 is provided on the upper surface of the slider 132. [ The guide member 134 is elongated in the first direction I in the center of the upper surface of the base B. A linear motor (not shown) may be incorporated in the slider 132 and the slider 132 is linearly moved in the first direction I along the guide member 134 by a linear motor (not shown).

The gantry 200 is provided at an upper portion of a path through which the support plate 110 is moved. The gantry 200 is disposed upwardly away from the upper surface of the base B and the gantry 200 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is in the second direction II. The inkjet head unit 400 is coupled to the gantry 200 by the head moving unit 500. The inkjet head unit 400 can be linearly moved by the head moving unit 500 in the longitudinal direction of the gantry, that is, in the second direction II, and linearly in the third direction III.

The gantry moving unit 300 moves the gantry 200 in a first direction I or moves the gantry 200 in such a direction that the longitudinal direction of the gantry 200 is inclined in the first direction I . By the rotation of the gantry 200, the nozzles (not shown) of the inkjet head unit 400 are aligned in an oblique direction in the first direction I.

The gantry moving unit 300 can rotate the other end of the gantry 200 with the one end of the gantry 200 as the center of rotation as will be described below. Alternatively, the gantry moving unit 300 may be configured to rotate the gantry 200 with the center of the gantry 200 as the center of rotation.

The gantry drive unit 300 includes a first drive unit 310 and a second drive unit 320. The second drive unit 320 is provided at one end of the gantry 200 serving as a rotation center, and the first drive unit 310 is provided at the other end of the gantry 200.

4 is a view showing the first drive unit of Fig. Referring to FIG. 4, the first drive unit 310 includes a slider 312, a first rotation support member 314, and a first linear drive member 318. A guide rail 210 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the gantry 200 at the lower end of the other end of the gantry 200. The slider 312 is guided by the guide rail 210 and linearly moved. The first rotation support member 314 is coupled to the lower end of the slider 312. The first rotation support member 314 may be a bearing capable of relative rotation between the upper and lower portions. A first linear driving member 318 is coupled to the lower surface of the first rotation support member 314. The first linear driving member 318 linearly moves the first rotation supporting member 314 in the first direction I.

The first linear driving member 318 includes a guide rail 315 and a slider 317. The guide rail 315 is disposed in the other side edge of the upper surface of the base B with the guide member 134 of the substrate supporting unit 100 as the center, with the longitudinal direction thereof facing the first direction I. A slider 317 is movably coupled to the guide rail 315. The first rotation support member 314 is coupled to the upper surface of the slider 317. The slider 317 may include a linear motor (not shown). The slider 317 linearly moves in the first direction I along the guide rail 315 by the driving force of a linear motor (not shown).

5 is a view showing the second drive unit of Fig. 5, the second driving unit 320 linearly moves one end of the gantry 200 in the first direction I when the gantry 200 is linearly moved. When the gantry 200 is rotated, As shown in Fig.

The second drive unit 320 includes a second rotation support member 324 and a second linear drive member 328. A connecting member 322 is coupled to a lower end of the gantry 200 and a second rotation supporting member 324 is coupled to a lower surface of the connecting member 322. The second rotation support member 324 may be a bearing capable of relative rotation between the upper and lower portions. And a second linear driving member 328 is coupled to a lower surface of the second rotation supporting member 324. [ The second linear driving member 328 linearly moves the second rotation supporting member 324 in the first direction I. The connection member 322 and the one end of the gantry 200 are linearly moved by the linear movement of the second rotation support member 324.

The second linear drive member 328 includes a guide rail 325 and a slider 327. The guide rail 325 is disposed in one side edge portion of the upper surface of the base B about the guide member 134 of the substrate supporting unit 100 with its longitudinal direction directed in the first direction I. A slider 327 is movably coupled to the guide rail 325. And the second rotation support member 324 is coupled to the upper surface of the slider 327. [ The slider 327 may include a linear motor (not shown). The slider 327 linearly moves in the first direction I along the guide rail 325 by the driving force of a linear motor (not shown).

6 is a view showing the rotation and linear movement process of the gantry. In Figs. 3 and 6, the liquid crystal supply unit is omitted for convenience of illustration.

 4, 5 and 6, the gantry 200 is rotated by the first drive unit 310 and the second drive unit 320 so as to be inclined in the first direction I , And can be linearly moved in the first direction (I).

When the first linear driving member 318 of the first driving unit 310 linearly moves in the first direction I in a state where the second linear driving member 328 of the second driving unit 320 is fixed, (200) is rotated. This will be described in detail as follows.

First, the slider 317 of the first linear driving member 318 moves in the first direction I along the guide rail 315 by the driving force of a linear motor (not shown). At this time, one end of the gantry 200 is rotated by the second rotation supporting member 324 in the state where there is no movement in the first direction I because the second linear driving member 328 is not driven.

As the slider 317 of the first linear driving member 318 moves in the first direction I, the first rotation supporting member 314 disposed on the upper portion thereof is moved along the guide rail 315 in the first direction I). At the same time, the slider 312 coupled to the upper end of the first rotation support member 314 is rotated by the relative rotation between the upper and lower portions of the first rotation support member 314, and the guide rail 210 To the lower end side of the gantry 200. As a result, the gantry 200 rotates about the supporting position of the second driving unit 320, and the supporting position of the gantry 200 of the first driving unit 310 is shifted to the outside of the other end. Through this operation, the gantry 200 can be rotated in an oblique direction in the first direction I, so that the inkjet head unit 400 is aligned in an inclined direction in the first direction I.

As such, when the ink jet head unit 400 is aligned in the oblique direction in the first direction I, the liquid crystal discharge pitch can be flexibly adjusted in accordance with the pixel pitch change of the substrate S to which the liquid crystal is to be applied, It is possible to increase the film uniformity of the liquid crystal applied to the substrate.

The gantry 200 can be rotated in the same manner as described above and the gantry 200 can be rotated in a state where the slider 317 of the first linear driving member 318 and the slider 317 of the second linear driving member 328 327 in the first direction I further. One end of the gantry 200 is linearly moved in the first direction I by the movement of the slider 327 of the second linear driving member 328 and the other end of the gantry 200 is moved in the first direction I by the first linear driving member 318, Can be linearly moved in the first direction (I) by the movement of the slider (317).

When the gantry 200 is fixed and the substrate moves in the first direction I, the substrate can be moved from one side of the gantry 200 to the other side, so that the footprint of the equipment can be increased. However, according to the present invention, since the gantry 200 can be linearly moved in the first direction I with the substrate fixed or with the linear movement of the substrate, the footprint of the facility can be reduced.

The head moving unit 500 may be provided to the inkjet head unit 400, respectively. In the case of this embodiment, since three inkjet head units 400a, 400b and 400c are provided as an example, three head moving units 500 can also be provided corresponding to the number of heads. Alternatively, one head moving unit 500 may be provided, in which case the ink jet head unit 400 can be moved integrally, not individually.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the head moving unit of Figs. 2 and 3, and Fig. 8 is a front view of the first moving unit of Fig.

7 to 8, the head moving unit 500 includes a first moving unit 520 and a second moving unit 540. [ The first moving unit 520 linearly moves the inkjet head unit 400a in the longitudinal direction of the gantry, that is, in the second direction II, and the second moving unit 540 moves the inkjet head unit 400a in the third direction (III).

The first moving unit 520 includes guide rails 522a and 522b, sliders 524a and 524b, and a moving plate 526. [ The guide rails 522a and 522b may extend in the second direction II and be spaced apart from the gantry 200 in the third direction III. Sliders 524a and 524b are movably coupled to the guide rails 522a and 522b and linear actuators such as a linear motor (not shown) may be incorporated in the sliders 524a and 524b. The moving plate 526 is coupled to the sliders 524a and 524b. The upper region of the moving plate 526 is coupled to the upper slider 524a and the lower region of the moving plate 526 is coupled to the lower slider 524b. The moving plate 526 linearly moves in the second direction II along the guide rails 522a and 522b by the driving force of a linear motor (not shown) as shown in Fig. Thus, as the inkjet head units 400a, 400b, 400c are individually moved along the second direction II, the gap between the inkjet head units 400a, 400b, 400c can be adjusted.

The second moving unit 540 includes a guide member 542, a slider 544, a detector 546, and a controller 548. The guide member 542 is engaged with the moving plate 526 of the first moving unit 520 and guides the linear movement of the slider 544 in the third direction III. The slider 544 is coupled to the guide member 542 so as to be linearly movable. A linear actuator such as a linear motor (not shown) may be incorporated in the slider 544. The inkjet head unit 400a is coupled to the slider 544 and is moved in the third direction III by the linear movement of the slider 544 in the third direction III.

The detector 546 may be installed in the gantry 200 and detects the distance between the inkjet head unit 400a and the substrate S. [ The detector 546 may be a vision camera and is used to verify position and glass printing conditions. The controller 548 generates a control signal corresponding to the detection signal of the detector 546 and transmits a control signal to the linear motor built in the slider 544 to control the driving of the linear motor. If it is determined that the interval between the inkjet head unit 400a and the substrate S deviates from a preset reference value in accordance with the detection result of the detector 546, the controller 548 controls the driving of the linear motor (not shown) The distance between the head unit 400a and the substrate S is adjusted.

The inkjet head unit 400 discharges droplets of liquid crystal onto the substrate. A plurality of inkjet head units 400 may be provided. In this embodiment, three inkjet head units 400a, 400b and 400c are provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The inkjet head units 400 may be arranged in a line in a row in the second direction II and are coupled to the gantry 200.

A plurality of nozzles (not shown) for ejecting droplets of liquid crystal are provided on the bottom surface of the inkjet head unit 400. For example, 128 or 256 nozzles (not shown) may be provided in each of the heads. The nozzles (not shown) may be arranged in a line at intervals of a predetermined pitch. The nozzles (not shown) can eject the liquid crystal in an amount of μg.

In the conventional point dotting method using a syringe, since the ejection pitch of the liquid crystal is large and the amount of liquid crystal to be ejected is in the unit of mg, the liquid crystal is not spread evenly on the substrate due to the viscous flow resistance of the liquid crystal There was a problem. However, since the liquid crystal is ejected in units of micrograms through a plurality of nozzles (not shown) having a narrow pitch interval, the liquid crystal can be coated more evenly on the substrate despite the viscous flow resistance of the liquid crystal.

The number of piezoelectric elements corresponding to the nozzles (not shown) may be provided in each of the inkjet head units 400, and the amount of droplets discharged from the nozzles (not shown) may be controlled by controlling the voltage applied to the piezoelectric elements Respectively.

The liquid crystal supply unit 600 includes a liquid crystal supply module 620 and a pressure regulation module 640. The liquid crystal supply module 620 and the pressure regulation module 640 may be coupled to the gantry 200. The liquid crystal supply module 620 receives the liquid crystal from the liquid crystal supply part (reference numeral 50 in FIG. 1) and supplies the liquid crystal to the individual heads 410, 420, and 430. The pressure regulating module 640 regulates the pressure of the liquid crystal supply module 620 by providing a positive pressure or a negative pressure to the liquid crystal supply module 620.

The head control unit 700 controls the liquid crystal discharge of each of the heads 410, 420, The head control unit 700 may be disposed in the liquid crystal discharge portion 10 adjacent to the heads 410, For example, the head control unit 700 may be disposed at one end of the gantry 200. In this embodiment, the case where the head control unit 700 is disposed at one end of the gantry 200 is described as an example, but the position of the head control unit 700 is not limited thereto.

The head control unit 700 is electrically connected to each of the heads 410, 420, and 430, although not shown, and applies a control signal to each of the heads 410, 420, Each of the heads 410, 420 and 430 may be provided with a number of piezoelectric elements (not shown) corresponding to the nozzles (not shown), and the head control unit 700 may control the voltage applied to the piezoelectric elements, (Not shown) can be adjusted.

The liquid crystal discharge quantity measurement unit 800 measures the liquid crystal discharge quantity of the individual heads 410, 420 and 430. Specifically, the liquid crystal discharge amount measurement unit 800 measures the amount of liquid crystal discharged from all of the nozzles (not shown) for each of the individual heads 410, 420 and 430. It is possible to macroscopically confirm the abnormality of the nozzles (not shown) of the individual heads 410, 420 and 430 through the measurement of the liquid discharge amount of the individual heads 410, 420 and 430. In other words, it can be seen that at least one of the nozzles (not shown) is abnormal when the liquid crystal discharge amount of the individual heads 410, 420 and 430 is out of the reference value. (Not shown). The liquid crystal discharge amount measurement unit 800 may have first to third liquid crystal discharge amount measurement units 800a, 800, and 800c.

The nozzle inspection unit 900 confirms whether or not the individual nozzles provided to the heads 410, 420 and 430 through the optical inspection are abnormal. When the abnormality of the macroscopic nozzle is checked by the liquid crystal discharge quantity measurement unit 800 and it is judged that there is an abnormality in the unspecified nozzle, the nozzle inspection unit 900 checks the existence of abnormality of the individual nozzle, .

The nozzle inspection unit 900 may be disposed on one side of the substrate supporting unit 100 on the base B. [ The heads 410, 420 and 430 may be moved in the first direction I and the second direction II by the gantry moving unit 300 and the head moving unit 500 and may be positioned at the top of the nozzle inspection unit 900 . The head moving unit 500 can move the heads 410, 420 and 430 in the third direction III to adjust the vertical distance between the heads 410, 420 and 430 and the nozzle inspection unit 900.

9 is a view showing a nozzle inspection unit.

9, the nozzle inspection unit 900 includes a first nozzle inspection member 920, a first driving member 940, a second nozzle inspection member 960, and a second driving member 980, (990). The first nozzle inspecting member 920 inspects whether the nozzles of the heads 410, 420, and 430 have discharged liquid crystal, that is, whether the nozzles are blocked. The first driving member 940 moves the first nozzle inspection member 920 in the alignment direction of the nozzles. The second nozzle inspection member 960 checks whether or not the nozzles are aligned. The second driving member 980 moves the second nozzle inspection member 960 in the alignment direction of the nozzles. In Fig. 9, the nozzles are aligned in the second direction II.

The first nozzle inspection member 920 includes a bath 922, a light emitting portion 924, and a light receiving portion 926. The bass 922 is provided in the form of a cylinder having an open upper portion and accommodates the liquid crystal discharged from the nozzles (not shown) of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and falling. The light emitting portion 924 is disposed on one side of the upper portion of the bath 922 and the light receiving portion 926 is disposed on the other side of the upper portion of the bath 922 so as to face the light emitting portion 924. The light emitting portion 924 emits an optical signal, and the light receiving portion 926 receives the optical signal emitted by the light emitting portion 924. The liquid crystal discharged from the nozzles (not shown) of the heads 410, 420 and 430 passes through a region between the light emitting portion 924 and the light receiving portion 926 and the liquid crystal falls or falls due to the difference in amount of light received by the light receiving portion 926 Can be detected. If it is determined that the liquid crystal has dropped normally, it can be seen that the nozzles (not shown) of the heads 410, 420, and 430 are not clogged.

The first driving member 940 includes a guide member 942, a slider 944, and a driver 946. The guide member 942 extends on the upper surface of the base B in the second direction II. The slider 944 may include a driver 946 such as a linear motor. The slider 944 is driven by a driver 946 and is linearly moved along the guide member 942 in the second direction II. A bath 922 is disposed in the slider 944 and the bath 922 is linearly moved in the second direction II by the linear movement of the slider 944 in the second direction II.

The second nozzle inspection member 960 includes a frame 962, a fixture 964, and a camera 966. The frame 962 may be disposed adjacent the bath 922 of the first nozzle test member 920 along the second direction II. In the frame 962, an illuminator 964 and a camera 966 are disposed. The illuminator 964 irradiates light to the nozzle faces of the heads 410, 420 and 430 to be inspected and the photographing machine 966 photographs the nozzle faces of the heads 410, 420 and 430 to which the light of the illuminator 964 is irradiated to obtain images of the nozzles . It is determined whether or not the nozzles are aligned in the predetermined position from the obtained image.

The second driving member 980 includes a slider 984 and a driver 986. The slider 984 may include a driver 986 such as a linear motor. The slider 984 is driven by a driver 986 and is linearly moved along the guide member 942 in the second direction II. The frame 962 of the second nozzle inspecting member 960 is disposed on the slider 984 and the frame 962, the illuminator 964 and the photographing machine 966 by the linear movement of the slider 984 in the second direction Is linearly moved in the second direction II.

The recovery member 990 recovers the liquid crystal discharged from the bath 922. The recovery member 990 includes a housing 992 and a recovery cylinder 994. The housing 992 is disposed at the lower portion of the bath 922 and provides a space for accommodating the recovery cylinder 994. The recovery bottle 994 is moved and separated and inserted into the space of the housing 992 by a sliding method to recover the liquid crystal discharged from the bath 922. The recovered liquid crystal can be recycled.

10 is a view schematically showing the head cleaning unit.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the head cleaning unit 1000 performs a purging process and a suction process. The purging process is a process of spraying a part of the liquid crystal housed inside the heads 410, 420, and 430 at a high pressure. The suction process is a process of sucking and removing the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surface formed with the nozzles in the heads 410, 420 and 430 after the purging process.

The head cleaning unit 1000 sucks the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surface of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and introduces the liquid crystal into the bath 922. The head cleaning unit 1000 and the first nozzle inspection member 940 of the nozzle inspection unit 900 can use one bath 922 in common or individually. The bass 922 can receive the liquid crystal discharged during the purging process of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and can also receive the discharged liquid crystal when inspecting whether the nozzles of the heads 410, 420, have.

The head cleaning unit 1000 includes a suction nozzle 1100, a blade 1200, and a lifting member 1300 supporting member 1400. The support member 1400 supports the lift member.

The suction nozzle 1100 is provided along the moving direction of the heads 410, 420 and 430. The suction nozzle 1100 includes a suction line 1112 for sucking the remaining chemical liquid on the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and a suction hole 1114 formed toward the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430 formed at the end of the suction line. ). Suction nozzles 1100 are provided spaced apart from the nozzle faces of the heads 410, 420, The suction nozzle 1100 sucks the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420 and 430 along the nozzle surface of the heads 410, 420 and 430 to clean them.

The elevating member 1300 linearly moves the suction nozzle 1100 in the vertical direction. The elevating member 1300 adjusts the height of the suction hole 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100. That is, when cleaning the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420 and 430, as the suction nozzle 1100 is moved up and down, the relative height of the suction nozzle 1100 to the nozzle surface of the heads 410,

The elevating member 1300 includes a moving shaft 1302 and a driver 1304. The elevating member 1300 is fixed to the outer wall of the suction nozzle 1100 with a moving shaft 1302 which is vertically moved by the driving machine 1304. The elevating member 1300 is coupled so that the height of the suction nozzle 1100 can be finely adjusted.

The blade 1200 is coupled to the suction nozzle 1100 to scrape the remaining liquid crystal on the nozzle face of the heads 410, It is possible to maintain a fine gap between the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and the blade 1200 so as not to contact the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430. The blade 1200 is provided in a plate shape protruding to the upper portion of the suction nozzle 1100.

The blade 1200 is coupled at an end to the inside of the suction nozzle 1100 and protrudes upward in various forms. This makes it easy to form a vacuum by providing a blade 1200 at a position where negative pressure of the suction nozzle 1100 is formed. The blade 1200 can suck the liquid crystal by the suction nozzle 1100 after the blade 1200 scatters the remaining liquid crystal in advance and sucks the remaining liquid crystal by the suction nozzle 1100 into the blade 1200 can be scraped and guided to the suction hole 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100. [

The blade 1200 may be provided in a plate shape including an elastic material. This is because the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420 and 430 can be resiliently scratched and a buffer function for protecting the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420 and 430 from the collision between the suction nozzle 1100 and the heads 410, Lt; / RTI >

The blade 1200 may be provided in a plate shape including a water-repellent material. This allows the liquid crystal to move along the blade 1200 when the blade 1200 is in contact with the liquid crystal, thereby making it possible to set the vacuum pressure low.

11 is a view showing one embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.

According to one embodiment, the blade 1200 is coupled to the inside of the suction hole 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100 and protrudes upward along the suction hole 1114, as shown in Fig. As the heads 410, 420, and 430 move, the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surface of the head is scratched by the blade 1200, and the remaining liquid crystal is sucked by the suction pressure of the suction nozzle 1100. The elevating member 1300 coupled to the suction nozzle 1100 finely adjusts the gap between the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and the suction holes 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100 according to the size and amount of the remaining liquid crystal The degree of contact between the blade 1200 and the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420, and 430 is adjusted.

12 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.

12, the blade 1200 is coupled to the inside of the suction hole 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100, and protrudes upward at an inclination with respect to the suction hole 1114. As shown in Fig. As the heads 410, 420, and 430 move, the remaining liquid crystal is sucked due to the suction pressure of the suction nozzle 1100, and the fine liquid crystal that can not be completely removed is scraped off by the blade 1200 and sucked into the suction nozzle. The elevating member 1300 coupled to the suction nozzle 1100 finely adjusts the gap between the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and the suction holes 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100 according to the size and amount of the remaining liquid crystal The degree of contact between the blade 1200 and the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420, and 430 is adjusted.

13 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.

13, the blade 1200 is coupled to the inside of the suction hole 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100 and projects upward at an angle with respect to the suction hole 1114. As shown in Fig. As the heads 410, 420, and 430 move, the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surface of the head is first scraped off by the blade 1200 to remove the liquid crystal remaining by the suction pressure of the suction nozzle 1100. The elevating member 1300 coupled to the suction nozzle 1100 finely adjusts the gap between the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and the suction holes 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100 according to the size and amount of the remaining liquid crystal The degree of contact between the blade 1200 and the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420, and 430 is adjusted.

14 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.

15 is a view showing another embodiment of the blade of the head cleaning unit.

14 and 15, according to another embodiment, the blade 1200 is coupled to the other inner side of the suction hole 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100, which is different from that shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 And protrudes upward with respect to the suction hole 1114. [ As the heads 410, 420, and 430 move, the liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surface of the head is first scraped off by the blade 1200 to remove the liquid crystal remaining by the suction pressure of the suction nozzle 1100. The elevating member 1300 coupled to the suction nozzle 1100 finely adjusts the gap between the nozzle face of the heads 410, 420 and 430 and the suction holes 1114 of the suction nozzle 1100 according to the size and amount of the remaining liquid crystal The degree of contact between the blade 1200 and the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420, and 430 is adjusted.

By adjusting the height of the blade and the suction nozzle 1110, the fine liquid crystal remaining on the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420 and 430 can be efficiently removed during the cleaning operation of the heads 410, 420 and 430.

In this embodiment, the blade is coupled to the suction hole of the suction nozzle. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the blade can be coupled to each portion of the suction nozzle.

Also, in the above embodiment, the head cleaning unit 1000 is provided for cleaning the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420 and 430 while the heads 410, 420 and 430 move. But. It is possible to provide the head cleaning unit 1000 that cleans the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420, and 430 while the head cleaning unit 1000 moves.

Also, in this embodiment, a head cleaning unit 1000 for cleaning the nozzle surfaces of the heads 410, 420, and 430 is provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to a cleaning unit for cleaning a nozzle through which a treatment liquid is discharged.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

B base 100 substrate supporting unit
200 Gantry 300 Gantry Mobile Unit
400 head 500 head moving unit
600 liquid crystal supply unit 700 head control unit
800 liquid crystal discharge quantity measurement unit 900 nozzle inspection unit
1000 head cleaning unit
1100 suction nozzle 1200 blade
1300 lifting member

Claims (10)

In the process liquid ejecting apparatus of the inkjet method,
Base;
A substrate supporting unit installed on the base and on which a substrate is placed;
A gantry provided on the moving path of the substrate supporting unit and having heads having nozzle faces formed with nozzles for ejecting a chemical solution on the substrate in an inkjet manner; And
And a cleaning unit installed on the base for cleaning the nozzle surface,
The cleaning unit
A suction nozzle having a suction hole formed toward the nozzle face; And
And a plate-shaped blade coupled to the suction nozzle and protruding upward from the suction nozzle. The method according to claim 1,
And an end of the blade is coupled to the inside of the suction hole to protrude upward. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the blade is provided inclined with respect to the suction hole. The method of claim 3,
Wherein a height of an end of the suction nozzle coupled with the blade around the suction hole is lower than a height of an opposite end of the suction nozzle. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Further comprising an elevating member coupled to the suction nozzle to adjust a height of an end of the suction hole of the suction nozzle. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the blade includes an elastic material. A cleaning unit for cleaning a treatment liquid nozzle,
A suction nozzle having a suction hole formed toward a nozzle surface on which a nozzle for discharging a chemical liquid in the head is formed; And
And a plate-like blade coupled to the upper portion of the suction nozzle and protruding upward from the suction nozzle. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the blade is provided obliquely with respect to the suction hole. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
Wherein the blade comprises an elastic material. delete

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