KR20050025703A - Apparatus and method for coating photoresist on a substrate for manufacturing flat panel display devices - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method are provided to precisely adjust the position of a slit nozzle using both a first moving unit for roughly moving the slit nozzle and a second moving unit for finely moving the slit nozzle. A coating apparatus includes a supporting plate(400), a slit nozzle(10), and a nozzle moving unit(20). The slit nozzle injects photoresist on a substrate placed on the supporting plate. The nozzle moving unit includes a vertical moving unit comprising a plurality of supporting blocks(300), and first and second moving unit(220,240). The supporting blocks support both sides of the slit nozzle. The first moving unit roughly moves the supporting blocks. The second moving unit finely moves the supporting blocks for precisely adjusting the position of the slit nozzle.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COATING PHOTORESIST ON A SUBSTRATE FOR MANUFACTURING FLAT PANEL DISPLAY DEVICES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plant and a method for manufacturing a flat panel display device, and more particularly, to a plant and a method for applying a photoresist such as a photoresist onto a substrate used for manufacturing a flat panel display device.

Recently, information processing devices have been rapidly developed to have various types of functions and faster information processing speeds. This information processing apparatus has a display device for displaying the operated information. Until now, a cathode ray tube monitor has been mainly used as a display device, but in recent years, with the rapid development of semiconductor technology, the use of flat panel displays that are light and occupy small space is rapidly increasing. There are various types of flat panel displays, and among them, liquid crystal displays having low power consumption and volume and low voltage driving type are widely used.

Among the processes performed to manufacture the liquid crystal display device, an application process is a process of applying a photoresist, such as a photoresist, on a substrate to the exposure light source. In general, the coating process is performed while the slit nozzle located on the substrate placed on the coating portion is moved at a constant speed from one end of the substrate to the other end. At this time, in order to apply the photoresist with a uniform and set thickness on the substrate, the slit nozzle is arranged to be spaced precisely above the substrate by a set distance from the substrate, and the slit nozzle is disposed perpendicularly to the traveling direction without twisting during the application. It is very important to be. However, since the general nozzle moving device moves the slit nozzle vertically by a motor or a cylinder, the position of the slit nozzle cannot be precisely controlled, and supports for supporting both ends of the slit nozzle are separated, so that the slit nozzle is The process proceeds in a distorted state in the vertical direction.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and a coating method capable of precisely adjusting the vertical position of the slit nozzle during the application process.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a coating apparatus in which a slit nozzle can be positioned perpendicularly to the traveling direction thereof while the photosensitive liquid is discharged from the slit nozzle.

In order to achieve the above object, the present application equipment includes a processing chamber having a slit nozzle, a nozzle moving portion for moving the slit nozzle, and a support plate on which a substrate is placed. The treatment chamber has an applicator in which a process of applying a photosensitive liquid and a preparation part for cleaning the slit nozzle or forming beads in the slit nozzle, wherein the nozzle moving part includes a vertical moving part for vertically moving the slit nozzle and the slit nozzle. It has a horizontal moving unit for moving the horizontal.

The horizontal moving part may be disposed on both sides of the slit supporter, and may include transport blocks supporting the support and a driving unit for driving the transport blocks in a horizontal direction.

The vertical moving part includes support blocks for supporting both sides of the slit nozzle, a first moving part for moving the support block with a relatively large width, and the slit on the support block to precisely adjust the position of the slit nozzle. And a second moving part which moves the nozzle relatively finely.

The first moving unit is disposed on both sides of the slit nozzle, respectively, and has support units to which the support blocks are coupled, and a driving unit to drive the support block so that the support block moves vertically along the support unit. Coupling beams fixed to the supports are disposed between the supports to prevent the slit nozzle from twisting by moving the supports horizontally. When the support block is moved to the setting position of the support may be provided with a locking portion for fixing the support block to the support. In one embodiment, the locking part is installed on the support and has a locking key movable by the driving part and an insertion part formed in the support block at a position opposite to the locking key when the support block is moved to a setting position of the support.

The two moving parts have an excitation group disposed between the slit nozzle and the support block, preferably the excitation group is a piezo excitation group. In addition, an elastic body disposed between the vibrator and the support block may be provided to prevent external vibration from being transmitted to the vibrator.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described below. This embodiment is provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shape of the elements in the drawings are exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

In this embodiment, the substrate is for manufacturing a flat panel display device, which is a rectangular flat plate, and the flat display device is a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display (PDP), a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), or a FED ( Field emission display (ELD), or electroluminescence display (ELD).

1 is a view schematically showing a coating equipment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the coating apparatus of the present invention has a slit nozzle 10, a nozzle transfer part 20, and a processing room 30. The treatment chamber 30 is composed of a coating room 32 and a preparation unit. The application part 32 is a part in which the process of apply | coating a photoresist like a photoresist on a board | substrate is performed directly. The preparation unit includes a cleaning room 36 for cleaning the slit nozzle 10 that has completed the application process on one substrate, and an application unit 32 to apply the photoresist with a uniform thickness on the substrate. Before the slit nozzle 10 is moved, it has a bead forming unit 34 in which a process of forming a bead on one side of the slit nozzle 10 is performed. According to an example, the coating part 32, the bead forming part 34, and the cleaning part 36 are arranged side by side in a line.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the slit nozzle 10 of FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the slit nozzle 10 is a portion for supplying a photoresist to a substrate. The slit nozzle 10 is gradually reduced in width and extends upward from the discharge part 12 and the discharge part 12 having the discharge port 12a formed at the end thereof, and has a rectangular parallelepiped body part 14 and a body part ( 14 has a top plate 16 coupled to the top surface thereof. The upper plate 16 is formed longer than the body portion 14 and protrudes from the body portion 14 by a predetermined distance. The slit nozzle 10 is formed to have a length similar to that of one side of the substrate, and the discharge port 12a is formed of a slit.

The nozzle moving unit 20 is a part for moving the slit nozzle 10, a horizontal block 100 for horizontally moving the support block 300 and the slit nozzle 10 supporting the slit nozzle 10, and It has a vertical moving part 200 for moving the slit nozzle 10 vertically.

3 is a schematic view showing a path in which the slit nozzle 10 is moved. In FIG. 3, the solid arrow indicates the moving direction of the slit nozzle 10, and the dotted arrow indicates the process of moving the slit nozzle 10 when the photoresist is applied onto the substrate in the coating part 32. Direction. When the application process is completed for one substrate placed on the application unit 32, the slit nozzle 10 is moved to the cleaning unit 36. In the cleaning section 36, the discharge section 12 is cleaned by a cleaning liquid such as deionized water. The slit nozzle 10 is then moved to the bead forming portion 34 and the next substrate is placed on the support plate 400 of the applicator 12. Beads are formed on one side of the discharge part 12 of the slit nozzle in the coating part 12 in the bead forming part 34. Thereafter, the slit nozzle 10 is moved to the coating unit 12 and discharges the photoresist while moving along the process progress direction from one end to the other end of the substrate.

The horizontal moving part 100 horizontally moves the slit nozzle 10 to the applicator 12, the cleaning part 16, and the bead forming part 14, or the slit nozzle 10 in the applicator 12. Move horizontally in the direction of process progress. 4 is a front view of the nozzle moving unit 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the support plate 400 is formed to be flat and is formed on both sides of the central portion on which the substrate is placed and on both sides of the central portion and on which the horizontal moving portion 100 is disposed. The horizontal moving unit 100 has a transfer block 140 coupled to the driving unit 120 and the driving unit 120 and moved on the driving unit 120. For example, the driving unit 120 may be formed by a guide rotated by a motor and formed on the upper surface to guide the horizontal movement of the screw and the transfer block 140 inserted into the transfer block 140. The transfer block 140 is disposed at each side of the support plate 400 and supports the vertical moving part 200.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the vertical moving part 200 includes the first moving part 220 for moving the slit nozzle 10 in a large width and the second moving part 240 for precisely adjusting the height of the slit nozzle 10. Have The first moving part 220 controls the vertical position of the slit nozzle 10 when the slit nozzle 10 is moved between the coating part 32, the cleaning part 36, and the bead forming part 34 in the processing chamber 30. The support block 300 is moved to the set position in the applicator 32. Here, the setting position is the position of the support block 300 when the photoresist is discharged from the slit nozzle 10.

The first moving part 220 has a support 222, a coupling beam 226, a driving part 224, and a locking part 228 (shown in FIG. 5). The support 222 is fixedly coupled to the above-described transfer block 140 to be perpendicular to the support plate 400 on both sides of the support plate 400, respectively. The transport block 140 may have a recess in which the support 222 is placed on the inner side such that the support 222 may be seated on the transport block 140. The coupling beam 226 is positioned between the supports 222 to couple the supports 222. One end of the coupling beam 226 is fixedly coupled to the upper end of the side of the support 222a disposed on one side, the other end of the coupling beam 226 is fixedly coupled to the upper end of the side of the support 222b disposed on the other side. This prevents the slit nozzle 10 disposed between the supports 222 by twisting the supports 222, respectively. The support block 300 is coupled to the inner surface of each support 222, and the driving unit 224 driving the support block 300 to be moved along the inner surface of the support 222 on the upper surface of the support 222. Combined. According to an example, the driving unit 224 includes a pair of LM guides (not shown) and the support 222 on the support 222 so as to be perpendicular to the support plate 400 on the inner wall of the support 222. The lead screw (not shown) rotated by the motor 226 is inserted between the motor 226 (motor), which is fixedly coupled to the upper surface, and inserts the support block 300. Can be used. Alternatively, a hydraulic cylinder may be used as the driving unit 224.

The locking part 228 is a part for fixing the support block 300 moved to the setting position to the support 222. This prevents the support block 300 from being moved downward along the support 222 even though the slit nozzle 10 is moved in the process progress direction. According to an example, as shown in FIG. 5, the locking part 228 has an insertion part 228a formed as a groove in the support block 300 and a locking key 228b installed in the support 222. The lock key 228b has a rod shape and is inserted into the support 222 by the driving unit 229 such as a cylinder or a motor, or moved to protrude from an inner surface of the support 222. The insertion part 228a is formed at a position opposite to the lock key 228b in a state in which the support block 300 is moved to the setting position. Initially, the lock key 228b is maintained to be positioned in the support 222, and when the support block 300 is moved to the set position, the lock key 228b protrudes from the support 222 and is inserted into the insertion portion 228a. do.

The support blocks 300 are portions for supporting the slit nozzle 10, and each support block 300 is coupled to an inner surface of the support 222, respectively. Each support block 300 has a vertical portion 320 coupled to the support 222 and a horizontal portion 340 extending horizontally inward from the bottom of the vertical portion 320. That is, each support block 300 has a 'b' shape as a whole.

The height of the slit nozzle 10 is precisely adjusted by the second moving part 240 while the support block 300 is moved to the set position by the first moving part 220. Since the first moving part 220 is made of a mechanical mechanism such as a motor or a pneumatic cylinder, it is difficult to precisely control the position of the slit nozzle 10. The second moving part 240 is for precisely controlling the vertical position of the slit nozzle 10 on the support block 300 disposed at the set position, the second moving part 200 is an exciter 242, dustproof It has a pad 244, a measuring unit 246, and a control unit 248. Referring to FIG. 6, which is an enlarged view of a portion 'A' of FIG. 4, both sides of the lower surface of the upper plate 16 of the slit nozzle are arranged between the slit nozzle 10 and the support block 300. It is installed at each edge. Excitator 242 is expanded in accordance with the electrical signal or the amount of air injected, the vertical position of the slit nozzle 10 is adjusted in accordance with the expansion rate of the exciter 242. The exciter 242 is preferably a piezoelectric vibrator whose expansion coefficient is controlled by an electrical signal.

An elastic body such as an anti-vibration pad 244 is attached to the lower surface of the exciter 242, and the anti-vibration pad 244 is coupled to the upper surface of the horizontal portion of the support block. The dustproof pad 244 prevents shock or vibration from being transmitted from the bottom surface or the support 222. The measurement unit 246 is for measuring the distance from the slit nozzle 10 to the substrate placed on the support plate 400, and a laser sensor may be used. The measuring unit 246 may be installed on the body 14 side of the slit nozzle or on the lower surface of the upper plate 16 of the slit nozzle. The value measured by the measuring unit 246 is transmitted to the control unit 248, and the control unit 248 controls the exciter 242 to precisely adjust the vertical position of the slit nozzle 10. Preferably, the slit nozzle 10 is adjusted so that the distance from the discharge port 242a of the slit nozzle to the substrate placed on the support plate 400 is 50 μm to 500 μm, and the exciters are provided on both sides of the slit nozzle 10, respectively. The positional deviation of the field 242 is adjusted to be 50 μm or less.

Since the height of the slit nozzle 10 is controlled by the second moving part 240 while the photoresist is discharged from the slit nozzle 10, the slit nozzle 10 can be accurately adjusted in real time even during the process progress. have.

7 is a flowchart sequentially showing a coating method according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the slit nozzle 10 which has completed the coating process on one substrate is transferred to the cleaning part 36 and cleaned. When the cleaning is completed, the slit nozzle 10 is transferred to the bead forming unit 34 to form beads on the side of the slit nozzle 10. The substrate is placed on the support plate 400 of the coating portion 32 and the slit nozzle 10 is moved to the coating portion 32 (steps S10 and S20). The horizontal movement of the slit nozzle 10 between the cleaning unit 36, the bead forming unit 34, and the coating unit 32 is performed by the horizontal moving unit 100, and the cleaning unit 36 and the bead forming unit Vertical movement of the slit nozzle 10 at 34 is made while the support block 300 is moved along the support 222 by the first moving part 220 of the vertical moving part.

When the slit nozzle 10 is moved to the applicator 32, the support block 300 is moved to the set position on the support 222 by the first moving part 220 (step S30), the locking portion 228 By this, the support block 300 is fixed to the support 222 (step S40). Then, the vertical position of the slit nozzle 10 on the support block 300 is precisely adjusted by the second moving part 240. The distance from the discharge port 12a of the slit nozzle to the substrate is measured by the measuring unit 246, and the control unit 248 controls the second moving unit 240 in accordance with the measured value (step S50). As the photoresist is discharged from the slit nozzle 10, the slit nozzle 10 is moved by the horizontal moving part 100 in the process progress direction (step S60). While the process is in progress, the height of the slit nozzle is continuously measured and controlled in real time (step S70).

According to the present invention, since the slit nozzle is moved largely by the first moving part having a mechanical mechanism such as a motor, and the vertical position is precisely adjusted by the second moving part such as a piezoelectric vibrator, the application process is accurate. There is an effect that can be made quickly.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the vertical position of the slit nozzle can be controlled in real time by the second moving unit, the photoresist can be applied to the substrate with a uniform thickness.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the anti-vibration pad is disposed between the vibrator and the support block, there is an effect that can minimize the vibration and shock transmitted from the bottom surface of the support or the installation.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the supports arranged on both sides are connected by the coupling beam, the supports are moved differently from each other during the process, thereby preventing the slit nozzle from twisting.

1 shows schematically a coating installation of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the slit nozzle of FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a view schematically showing a path in which a slit nozzle is moved;

4 is a front view of the nozzle moving unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

5 shows an example of a locking part;

6 is an enlarged view of a portion 'A' of FIG. 4 showing a second moving part; And

7 is a flowchart sequentially showing a coating method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: slit nozzle 20: nozzle moving part

30: processing chamber 100: horizontal moving unit

140: moving block 200: vertical moving unit

220: first moving part 222: support

240: second moving unit 242: excitation

244: dustproof pad 300: support block

400: support plate 500: locking part

Claims (16)

In a facility for performing a process for applying a photosensitive liquid to a substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display device, A support plate; A slit nozzle for spraying a photosensitive liquid on a substrate placed on the support plate; A nozzle moving part having a vertical moving part for vertically moving the slit nozzle; The vertical moving unit, Support blocks supporting both sides of the slit nozzle; A first moving part which moves the support block in a relatively large width; And a second moving part moving the slit nozzle relatively finely on the support block to precisely adjust the position of the slit nozzle. The method of claim 1, And the second moving part comprises an exciter disposed between the slit nozzle and the support block. The method of claim 2, And said vibrator is a piezo vibrator. The method of claim 2, And the vertical position deviation between the excitation groups respectively coupled to both ends of the slit nozzle is 50 micrometers (µm) or less. The method of claim 2, And the second moving part further comprises an elastic body disposed between the vibrator and the support block to prevent external vibration from being transmitted to the vibrator. The method of claim 1, The first moving unit, Supporters disposed on both sides of the slit nozzle, respectively, to which the support block is coupled; And a driving unit for driving the support block such that the support block moves vertically along the support. The method of claim 6, The vertical moving portion is disposed between the support and the coating equipment further comprises a coupling beam that is fixedly coupled to the ends of the support. The method of claim 6, And the first moving part further comprises a locking part for fixing the support block moved to the setting position of the support to the support. The method of claim 8, The locking portion, A lock key installed on the support and movable by the driving unit; And an insertion portion formed in the support block at a position opposite to the lock key when the support block is moved to a setting position of the support. The method of claim 6, The nozzle moving unit further includes a horizontal moving unit for moving the slit nozzle in the horizontal direction, The horizontal moving unit, Transfer blocks disposed on both sides of the slit support and supporting the support; And a driving unit for driving the transfer blocks in a horizontal direction. In a facility for performing a process for applying a photosensitive liquid to a substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display device, Slit nozzle; A processing chamber having a supporting plate on which a substrate is placed, and having a coating unit for performing a process of applying a photosensitive liquid and a preparation unit for cleaning the slit nozzle or forming beads in the slit nozzle; And A nozzle moving part having a horizontal moving part for horizontally moving the slit nozzle in the processing chamber and a vertical moving part for vertically moving the slit nozzle; The vertical moving unit, A first moving part for moving the slit nozzle to a setting position for performing an application process; And a second moving part which controls the position of the slit nozzle moved to the set position relatively precisely compared to the first moving part. The method of claim 11, The vertical moving unit further includes a support block for supporting both sides of the slit nozzle, The horizontal moving unit, Moving blocks positioned at both sides of the support plate; Has a drive unit for moving the moving blocks in the horizontal direction, respectively The first moving unit, A support coupled to the support plate and moved together with the support plate and coupled to the support block; Has a drive for moving the support block up and down along the support, And the second moving part includes an exciter coupled to the slit nozzle and disposed between the slit nozzle and the support block. The method of claim 11, The vertical moving part further includes a locking part for fixing the support block to the support when the support block is moved to a setting position on the support, The locking portion, An insertion part formed on the support block; And a lock key movably installed on the support so that the support block is inserted into the insertion part when the support block is moved to the setting position. In the method for applying the photosensitive liquid to a substrate for manufacturing a flat panel display device, Placing a substrate on a support plate of an applicator and transferring a slit nozzle to the applicator by a horizontal moving part; The support block for supporting the slit nozzle is lowered to the set position by the first moving portion of the vertical moving portion along the support; Precisely adjusting the position of the slit nozzle on the support block by the second moving part of the vertical moving part; And And a photosensitive liquid is discharged from the slit nozzle, and the slit nozzle is moved horizontally by the horizontal moving part. The method of claim 14, The method after the support block is lowered to the set position, And fixing the support block to the support. The method of claim 14, The method further comprises the step of adjusting the vertical position of the slit nozzle in real time by the second moving unit when the slit nozzle is moved horizontally.