KR20080067912A - Apparatus and method for cleaning die of slit coater, slit coater using the same and method for coating glass in flat panel display using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for cleaning a die of a slit coater, a method for cleaning a die of a slit coater, a slit coater containing the apparatus, and a method for coating a glass substrate for a flat panel display are provided to remove the coating solution remaining on a slit die completely and to inhibit the abrasion due to the friction with a die. An apparatus for cleaning a die of a slit coater comprises a base(110); a slide part which slides the base on horizontal plane; a pair of supporting axes(140) which are separated on the upper surface of the base with the center of the sliding direction of the base; a pair of rollers(150) which are installed at the supporting axes so as to rotate and whose roller surface is in contact with the lower both sides of the die of a slit coater; and a plate scraper(130) which is installed at the upper surface of the base so as to be vertical to the sliding direction of the base and is arranged at the front part to the sliding direction compared with the rollers.

Description

Die cleaning apparatus and method of slit coater, coating method of glass substrate for slit coater and flat panel display device using the same slit coater and slitting coater SAME}

1A to 1D are schematic views schematically showing the operation of a general slit coater,

2 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a die cleaning apparatus according to the present invention;

3 is a perspective view showing a state of use of the embodiment of FIG.

4A is a cross-sectional view taken from the line A-A of FIG. 3,

4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 3;

5 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the die cleaning apparatus according to the present invention;

6 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the die cleaning apparatus according to the present invention;

7 is a flow chart showing one embodiment of a die cleaning method of a slit coater according to the present invention;

8A is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of a slit coater using the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater according to the present invention;

8B is a perspective view schematically showing another operating state of the embodiment of FIG. 8A;

9 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a coating method of a glass substrate for a flat panel display using a slit coater according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: die cleaning device 110: base

111: through hole 120: linear motor

121: mover 122: stator

130: scraper 140: support shaft

150: roller 160: spring

170: elevation 210: cover

220: nozzle

The present invention relates to a slit coater, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for cleaning a die of a slit coater, and to a slit coater using the same and a coating method of a glass substrate for a flat panel display device using the same.

Spin coaters are widely used in the process of forming a thin film by applying a coating liquid to a coating object.

The spin coater is a device in which a coating liquid is dropped onto the surface of the coating object, and then the coating liquid is applied to the entire surface of the coating object by centrifugal force by rotating the coating object. For example, in order to apply a photo-resist to a semiconductor wafer, after applying a fluidic photoresist to the center of the wafer and rotating the wafer at high speed, the photosensitive agent is moved in the radial direction of the wafer by centrifugal force and the front surface of the wafer is A photoresist is coated for.

However, as a large area of a flat panel display device including a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and the like is required, a glass substrate, which is a coating target, is also being enlarged. Therefore, in order to apply the coating liquid to the entire surface of the large glass substrate with the spin coater, the device for rotating the glass substrate must be enlarged and refined. This not only leads to an increase in the size of the spin coater but also causes a sharp increase in the manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the mechanical strength of the glass substrate is relatively weak, so that the larger the glass substrate is, the greater the risk of breakage due to rotational vibration. In order to solve this problem, the demand for a slit coater (slit coater), especially in the manufacturing process of the flat panel display device is increasing.

The slit coater includes a die that is relatively movable to the coating object while maintaining a uniform gap with the coating object. The slit coater discharges the coating liquid between the slits formed on the bottom of the die to coat the coating object. Even coating is possible at a uniform thickness, there is an advantage that it is possible to reduce the coating liquid because the coating liquid is discharged only in the area to be coated. First of all, since there is no need to rotate the coating object at a high speed, the need for larger coater is reduced, and the possibility of breakage of the coating object is also greatly reduced. On the other hand, the larger the size of the coating object, the larger the size of the slit, the larger the slit has the disadvantage that it is difficult to precisely control the coating liquid discharge.

In the continuous coating of a plurality of coating objects, the coating liquid formed in the slit after the initial coating liquid discharge affects the film quality of the starting point in the next coating, and becomes a fatal problem in mass production equipment.

1A to 1D are schematic diagrams schematically showing the operation of a general slit coater. First, as shown in FIG. 1A, the die 10 is lowered to the coating object 50 to have a predetermined distance from the coating object 50 on the upper side of the coating object 50 such as a glass substrate. The die 10 has slits (11 in FIG. 1D) formed on the lower surface thereof. Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the coating liquid 20 is discharged through the slit 11 of the die 10 while sliding the die 10 in the horizontal plane. The coating liquid supplied to the die 10 is stored in a separate tank, and is supplied to the die 10 through a pump. When the die 10 slides, the coating liquid 20 is applied to a region where the die 10 has passed among the upper surfaces of the coating object 50. Finally, as shown in FIG. 1C, the die 10 is raised from the coating object 50 and the coating object 50 is transferred for the next process.

The problem of such a slit coater is that when the coating is finished, liquid condensation 21 is formed by forming a coating liquid 20 at the end of the die 10, that is, the opening of the slit 11, as shown in FIG. 1D. This condensation 21 occurs mainly due to the residual pressure present in the piping between the pump and the die 10. If liquid build-up occurs, the thickness of the coating surface becomes uneven at the starting point and the end point of the coating, resulting in the failure of the final finished product.

In order to remove the liquid 21, the method of scraping off the coating liquid remaining in the opening part of the slit 11 directly with a plate-shaped scraper is used. That is, the scraper which is a rectangular plate material is arrange | positioned substantially vertically, and the scraper slides, making the upper end contact with the opening part of the slit 11.

However, in such a method, as the coating process is repeatedly performed on a plurality of coating objects, a large amount of coating liquid is applied to the scraper. The coating liquid on the scraper can be transferred back to the die. In addition, the scraper has only a function of pushing the coating liquid in the opening of the slit 11 in one direction, so that the pushed coating liquid is transferred to the scraper, but also to the side of the die 10. Therefore, the scraper does not completely eliminate liquid buildup of the die. In addition, the coating liquid on the scraper solidifies with time. The solidified coating liquid is broken by repeated operation of the scraper, scattering the coating liquid powder, and the coating liquid attached to the surface of the coating object to be formed with a precise pattern. The powder leads to the failure of the final finished product. And the upper end of the scraper repeats the physical friction with the lower end of the die to remove the liquid condensation, the life is shortened as wear occurs.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a die cleaning apparatus and method of a slit coater which enables the formation of a uniform thickness film by completely removing the coating liquid remaining in the slit die. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a die cleaning apparatus and method capable of removing a coating liquid in a die cleaning apparatus by repeated use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a die cleaning apparatus and method with improved service life by minimizing physical friction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a slit coater which can be coated with a uniform film thickness using a die cleaning device.

Another object of the present invention to provide a coating method of a glass substrate for a flat panel display device that can improve the quality by using a slit coater that can be coated with a uniform film thickness.

Other objects, specific advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In order to achieve the above object, a die cleaning apparatus for a slit coater according to the present invention includes a base, a slide portion for sliding the base in a horizontal plane, and an upper surface of the base spaced apart from both sides about the slide direction of the base. And a pair of supporting shafts rotatably installed on the pair of supporting shafts, the rollers being in contact with both side surfaces of the lower end of the die of the slit coater, respectively, and perpendicular to the slide direction of the base. And a plate-shaped scraper disposed on the upper surface of the base and disposed in front of the pair of rollers with respect to the slide direction of the base.

In the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater according to the present invention, it is preferable to further include a spring provided on the bottom of the base to elastically support the base.

In the die cleaning apparatus for a slit coater according to the present invention, the apparatus further includes an elevating portion for elevating the base, wherein the slide portion includes a linear motor, and the elevating portion has one end fixed to a mover of the linear motor. Pneumatic cylinder, and the base is preferably fixed to the other end of the pneumatic cylinder. Or, further including a lifting unit for elevating the base, the slide unit includes a linear motor, the lifting unit includes a pneumatic cylinder, one end of which is fixed to the stator of the linear motor, the base of the linear motor It may also be configured to be fixed to the mover.

In the die cleaning apparatus for a slit coater according to the present invention, the scraper is preferably made of a flexible material.

Moreover, in the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater which concerns on this invention, it is preferable that the said scraper is arrange | positioned inclined along the slide direction of the said base.

And in the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater according to the present invention, the plate-shaped auxiliary scraper is installed on the upper surface of the base so as to be perpendicular to the slide direction of the base and disposed behind the pair of rollers with respect to the slide direction of the base. It is preferable to further include.

In addition, in the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater according to the present invention, it is preferable that the pair of support shafts are disposed to be inclined so that the upper end is closer to the lower end than the lower end.

And in the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater according to the present invention, the cup-shaped cover which is fixedly spaced apart from the die of the slit coater, can surround the pair of rollers, and compressed air into the inner space of the cover It may further include a nozzle for spraying. In this case, the base may further include a through hole formed in the vertical direction, and connected to the through hole to suck air.

The die cleaning method of the slit coater according to the present invention comprises the steps of contacting the upper end of the scraper to the lower surface of the die of the slit coater, and the lower end of the die of the slit coater between a pair of rollers rotatably installed in contact with each other Inserting a; and moving the scraper and the pair of rollers along the direction of the slit formed in the die; and removing the scraper and the pair of rollers from the die of the slit coater. Is done.

In the die cleaning method of the slit coater according to the present invention, preferably further comprising the step of injecting compressed air to the scraper and a pair of rollers separated from the die, the compressed air to the scraper and a pair of rollers More preferably, the step of forcibly sucking air from the scraper and the pair of rollers on the opposite side during the spraying.

The slit coater according to the present invention includes a stage for horizontally supporting a coating object, a tank containing a coating liquid to be coated on the coating object, a pump for sucking and discharging the coating liquid from the tank, and receiving a coating liquid from the pump. Lifting and sliding relative to the stage, the die to discharge the coating liquid through a slit formed in parallel to the stage to apply to the surface of the coating object, and to remove the coating liquid remaining in the opening of the slit of the die And a die cleaning device arranged to be spaced apart from the stage along the slide direction, wherein the die cleaning device includes a base, a slide unit for sliding the base in a horizontal plane, and a slide direction of the base on an upper surface of the base. Installed spaced apart on both sides A pair of rollers rotatably installed at the support shafts of the support shaft and the pair of rollers respectively contacting the roller surfaces on both sides of the lower ends of the dies of the slit coater, and perpendicular to the slide direction of the base. And a plate-shaped scraper disposed in front of the pair of rollers with respect to the slide direction of the base.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of coating a glass substrate for a flat panel display device, the method comprising: loading a glass substrate on a stage, supplying a coating liquid to a die in which a slit is formed in parallel with the stage, and applying the die to an upper surface of the glass substrate. Approaching the substrate, sliding the die relative to the glass substrate in a plane parallel to the upper surface of the glass substrate, removing the die from the upper surface of the glass substrate, and pressing the die of the slit coater. Contacting an upper end of the scraper to a lower surface of the scraper, inserting a lower end of the die of the slit coater between a pair of rollers rotatably installed in contact with each other, and along the direction of the slit formed on the die; Moving the scraper and the pair of rollers, and the scraper and the pair of rollers Disengaging from the die of the slit coater.

In the method of coating a glass substrate for a flat panel display device according to the present invention, the method further comprises spraying compressed air to the scraper and the pair of rollers separated from the die, wherein the scraper and the pair of rollers are further included. More preferably, the method further comprises forcibly sucking air from the scraper and the pair of rollers on the opposite side during the injection of compressed air.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the die cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a state of use of the embodiment of Figure 2, Figure 4a is a cross-sectional view seen from the line AA of Figure 3, 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 3.

The base 110 forms the basis of the die cleaning apparatus and is plate or block shaped.

The slide unit is for sliding the base 110 in a horizontal plane, and may be composed of a mechanical element such as a rack and pinion or a ball screw. However, the slide unit is preferably composed of a linear motor 120. That is, the base 110 is fixed to the mover 121 of the linear motor 120 so that the linear reciprocating motion is installed. Alternatively, the base 110 may be formed integrally with the mover 121.

The scraper 130, the support shaft 140, and the roller 150 are installed on the upper surface of the base 110.

The scraper 130 is a plate-like member and is disposed substantially perpendicular to the slide direction of the base 110. In addition, the top of the scraper 130 is in direct contact with the bottom of the die, and as the base 110 slides to scrape off the coating liquid remaining in the opening of the slit 11 of the die 10.

The support shaft 140 is provided with a pair, spaced one by one on both sides with respect to the slide direction of the base 110.

A pair of rollers 150 are also provided, and each of the rollers 150 is rotatably installed on the support shaft 140. When the lower end of the die having a 'V' shaped cross section between the pair of rollers 150 is inserted between the pair of rollers 150, the roller surface is in contact with the lower end side of the die. As such, the support shaft 140 and the roller 150 may be made of an elastic material so that the roller surface may smoothly contact the side surface of the die bottom.

Meanwhile, the support shaft 140 and the roller 150 are disposed behind the scraper 130 along the slide direction of the base 110. This is because the scraper 130 first contacts the bottom of the die 10 to scrape off the coating liquid remaining in the opening of the slit 11 of the die 10, and then is pushed toward the lower side of the die 10 as shown in FIG. 4A. The egg remaining coating solution 20a is intended to be removed even while the roller 150 in contact with the lower end side of the die 10 is pushed out. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the upper end of the scraper 130 disposed forward with respect to the slide direction of the base 110 is located at the bottom of the die 10, that is, the slit 11. A pair of rollers 150 abutting the opening and disposed behind the scraper 130 are arranged to abut on the lower side of the die 10 as shown in FIG. 4B. In this state, when the base 110 is slid in the direction of the arrow in the drawing, the scraper 130 is removed while pushing out the remaining coating liquid formed on the bottom of the die 10. At this time, there is a coating liquid that is pushed to the bottom side of the die 10 without being completely removed, the roller 150 to be subsequently slide is removed while pushing the coating liquid 20a of the bottom side of the die 10 again. In order to be able to operate in this way, the upper end of the roller 150 should be higher than the upper end of the scraper 130. In addition, in order to increase the contact pressure between the roller 150 and the die 10, it is preferable that the pair of support shafts 140 are disposed to be inclined such that the upper end thereof is closer than the lower end thereof.

It is preferable to arrange the auxiliary scraper 130 behind the roller 150 with respect to the slide direction of the base 110. The auxiliary scraper 130 may be formed of a plate-like member made of the same material and shape as the scraper 130, and is disposed to contact the opening of the slit 11 of the die 10, similarly to the scraper 130. The auxiliary scraper 130 is for scraping off the coating liquid remaining in the place where the pair of rollers 150 are in contact with each other, and may maximize the removal effect of the coating liquid remaining on the slit 11 of the die 10. Therefore, when only the scraper 130 and the roller 150 are sufficient to remove the coating liquid, the auxiliary scraper 130 may be omitted.

Since the roller 150 is rotatably installed on the support shaft 140, even if the roller 150 is in direct contact with the die 10, wear of the roller 150 may be minimized. In addition, the scraper 130 is preferably disposed to be inclined backward with respect to the slide direction of the base 110 so as to minimize wear due to friction with the die 10. Minimizing wear of the roller 150 and scraper 130 in direct contact with the die 10 in the die cleaning apparatus is necessary to extend the life of the die cleaning apparatus. In the same context, it is preferable to install the spring 160 on the bottom of the base 110 so as to elastically support the base 110 with respect to the slide portion. The spring 160 elastically supports the base 110 in the up and down direction, thereby transmitting an impact transmitted from the outside while the base 110 is slid in a state in which the die 10, the scraper 130, and the roller 150 are in contact with each other. Since it minimizes the wear caused by the dynamic load, the scraper 130 and the roller 150 is elastically in close contact with the die 10.

5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a die cleaning apparatus according to the present invention. In order to avoid duplication of description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as in the above embodiments, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Unlike the previous embodiment, the present embodiment further includes a lifting unit 170. The lifting unit 170 is configured to move the base 110 in the vertical direction and includes a pneumatic cylinder. Even if the lifting unit 170 is not provided and only the slide unit is provided, the die 10 is coated by sliding the base 110 away from the lower surface of the die 10 to be located on the side of the die 10. It may be possible to move close to the surface of the coating object to apply the coating liquid to the object. However, by providing the lifting unit 170, the base 110 is raised to contact the bottom surface of the die 10 only when the die 10 needs cleaning, and then slides to clean the die 10, and the cleaning is completed. Afterwards, the die 10 is lowered to facilitate the transition from the die 10 to a state in which the coating liquid application to the coating object can be performed.

On the other hand, the die 10 needs to approach and detach the upper surface of the coating object, there is an example that the lifting operation in the vertical direction in some cases. In this case, a configuration such as the lifting unit 170 is not necessarily required for the die cleaning device, and the scraper 130 and the roller 150 are driven by the die 10 by lowering the die 10 with the die cleaning device in place. It is possible to make contact with the bottom of the). However, the larger the object to be coated, the larger the die 10 should be, and thus, the advantage that it is practical to elevate and drive a relatively small die cleaning apparatus compared to the die 10 is still effective.

When the slide unit is configured of the linear motor 120, as shown in FIG. 5, the lifting unit 170 has both ends coupled to the bottom surface of the movable body 121 and the base 110 of the linear motor 120, respectively. It can be configured as a pneumatic cylinder, but if the slide function and the lifting function can be obtained at the same time, the lifting unit 170 is installed on the lower surface of the stator 122 of the linear motor 120, elevating the entire linear motor 120 It is also possible to make a configuration.

6 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a die cleaning apparatus according to the present invention.

This embodiment further includes means for removing the coating liquid accumulated on the scraper 130 and the roller 150 compared to the previous embodiments. That is, the cover 210 further includes a nozzle 220.

The cover 210 has a cup shape and is disposed with the opening face downward to accommodate the scraper 130 and the roller 150 in the inner space. In addition, the cover 210 may be disposed anywhere within the movable range of the base 110, but is spaced apart from the die 10 so as not to interfere with the operation of the die 10 for coating. In addition, it is preferable that the cover 210 is fixedly arranged compared with the operation of the die 10.

A nozzle 220 is provided inside the cover 210, and a compressed air supply pipe 221 is connected to the nozzle 220 to inject compressed air into the cover 210.

Therefore, when the base 110 is received from below the cover 210, and compressed air is injected through the nozzle 220 inside the cover 210, the base 110 is disposed on the scraper 130 and the roller 150 on the upper surface of the base 110. Accumulated coating liquid may be removed. At this time, the cover 210 serves to suppress the coating liquid that has been separated from the scraper 130 and the roller 150 by the compressed air to be scattered to the outside. In FIG. 6, the lift and slide parts are not illustrated, but the present embodiment also includes the lift and slide parts as in the previous embodiment, and the base 110 may be operated to be accommodated in the cover 210. .

On the other hand, forcibly inhaling air from the opposite side to which the compressed air is injected, can further suppress the external scattering of the coating liquid, forming a through-hole yoke 111 in the vertical direction in the base 110, the through hole It is more preferable to force the suction of air from the outside through the air suction pipe 230 connected to (111).

By further including the cover 210, the nozzle 220, and furthermore, the through hole 111 formed in the base 110, the die cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment accumulates even if the die 10 is repeatedly cleaned. The coating liquid can be removed, and by removing the accumulated coating liquid, subsequent cleaning of the die 10 is more complete.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the die cleaning method of the slit coater according to the present invention will be described in detail.

7 is a flow chart showing one embodiment of a die cleaning method of a slit coater according to the present invention.

In order to clean the die of the slit coater, first, the upper end of the scraper is brought into contact with the lower surface of the die of the slit coater (S100).

At the same time inserting the lower end of the die of the slit coater between the pair of rollers rotatably installed (S110). Each roller face of the pair of rollers then abuts the lower end side of the slit coater die, respectively.

In this state, the scraper and the pair of rollers are moved (S120). The direction of movement follows the direction of the slit formed in the die. That is, the scraper and the roller are moved from one end of the slit to the other end. Since the scraper is in contact with the lower surface of the die, the scraping liquid scrapes off the coating liquid formed in the opening of the slit of the die. At this time, the coating liquid pushed to the side may be transferred to the lower end side of the die. The coating liquid thus removed is removed by a pair of rollers that move while rotating while being in close contact with the lower end side of the die.

When the movement of the scraper and the roller is completed, the scraper and the pair of rollers are separated from the die of the slit coater (S130). This completes the cleaning of the die, and the die can be prepared for applying the coating liquid to the coating object again.

However, as this cleaning operation of the die is repeated, the coating liquid removed from the slits of the die may accumulate in the scraper and the roller. Accumulated coating liquid may be transferred to the die at the next die cleaning, so it is desirable to remove it in advance. To this end, the scraper and the roller separated from the die are sprayed with compressed air to remove the coating liquid therein (S140).

In this case, in order to prevent the coating liquid pushed out by the compressed air from scattering in the air, it is preferable to forcibly suck air from the scraper and the pair of rollers opposite to the point where the compressed air is sprayed (S150).

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the slit coater using the die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater according to the present invention will be described in detail.

8A is a perspective view schematically showing one embodiment of a slit coater using a die cleaning apparatus of a slit coater according to the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view schematically showing another operating state of the embodiment of FIG. 8A.

The stage 30 supports the coating object 50 horizontally. Stage 30 is preferably made of a stone slab in order to minimize the effect of vibration that may occur during operation of the slit coater.

The die 10 receives the coating liquid 20 from the pump and applies the coating liquid 20 to the surface of the coating object 50. A straight slit 11 is formed on the bottom surface. The die 10 is lifted and slided relative to the stage. That is, although not shown, the die 10 is installed to be elevated in the vertical direction and slide in the horizontal plane by the usual driving means. However, since the die 10 is lifted and slideed relative to the stage 30, a driving means is added to the stage 30 so that only the stage 30 is lifted and slided while the die 10 is fixed. It may be. In practice, it is desirable for the die 10 to be raised and lowered, and the stage 30 to be slide-activated. The die 10 is disposed in the initial state spaced apart from the stage 30 in the vertical direction, and is relatively moved to the upper surface of the stage 30 when the coating operation is started. The interval between the upper surface of the stage 30 and the lower surface of the die 10 may be applied to the surface of the coating object 50 evenly depending on the thickness of the coating object 50 as well as the type or viscosity of the coating liquid. It should be set up in advance. Then, the coating liquid 20 is discharged while sliding the die 10 relative to the stage 30 in a horizontal plane. As shown in FIG. 8B, the die 10 may be applied to the coating object 50 supported by the stage 30. The coating liquid 20 is applied to the area where 10) passes.

Although not shown, the coating liquid 20 is initially contained in a tank, and is sucked by a pump and supplied to the die 10. In this case, the pump must be a precision pump capable of discharging the coating liquid in a fixed amount in order to accurately maintain the thickness of the coating liquid 20 to be finally applied to the coating object 50. The specific configurations of the above tanks and pumps belong to conventional techniques, and thus detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The die cleaning apparatus 100 is disposed on one side of the stage 30 so that the coating liquid 20 applying operation of the die 10 as described above is not disturbed. After the die 10 finishes coating the coating solution once, the coating solution 20 remains in the slit 11 as shown in FIG. 1D. The die cleaning apparatus 100 is for removing the remaining coating liquid 20, and a detailed configuration thereof may use an embodiment of the die cleaning apparatus according to the present invention described above. Therefore, detailed description of the specific configuration of the die cleaning apparatus 100 will be omitted.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the glass substrate coating method for a flat panel display device using the slit coater according to the present invention will be described in detail.

9 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a coating method of a glass substrate for a flat panel display using a slit coater according to the present invention.

In order to manufacture a flat panel display device, a process of coating and coating a material such as a photoresist on a glass substrate is required. In order to coat such a glass substrate, first, a glass substrate is loaded on the stage (S200). The stage is a support member having a flat top surface, and supports the glass substrate in a horizontal position. The stage is preferably configured to include a stone platform in order to minimize the effect of vibration from the outside.

It is disposed on the upper surface of the stage, the coating liquid is supplied to the die is formed in parallel with the stage (S210).

At the same time, the die approaches the upper surface of the glass substrate (S220). In order to load the glass substrate on the stage, the die is disposed spaced apart from the stage, and in order to apply the coating liquid to the glass substrate, the die should be placed close to the glass substrate loaded on the stage. Since the die and the glass substrate are relatively close to each other, only the die can be operated with the glass substrate fixed, or the glass substrate can be operated with the die fixed. For example, when the position of the initial die is above the glass substrate, the die may be disposed to be close to each other by lowering only the die or raising only the glass substrate.

The die slides relative to the glass substrate in one direction in a state in which the die is close to the upper surface of the glass substrate (S230). The slide direction of the die is a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the slit extends. Since the coating liquid is supplied to the die, the coating liquid is discharged through the slit, and the discharged coating liquid is applied to the upper surface of the glass substrate. By controlling the amount of the coating liquid discharged through the slit of the die and the slide speed, the coating liquid may be applied to the upper surface of the glass substrate with a uniform thickness. On the other hand, since the die may slide relative to the glass substrate, the die may be fixed while the glass substrate is fixed, or conversely, the die may be fixed while the glass substrate is fixed while the die is fixed.

When all the coating liquid is applied to the area on the glass substrate that needs to be coated by sliding a predetermined distance, the die is separated from the upper surface of the glass substrate (S240). The detachment of the die from the glass substrate is to secure a space for loading another glass substrate on the stage so as to coat the other glass substrate, and to clean the remaining coating liquid formed on the slit of the die even after the coating liquid is applied. It is also to secure the

The die detached from the glass substrate enters the cleaning step, and the cleaning step includes contacting the upper surface of the scraper to the lower surface of the die of the slit coater (S250), and the die of the slit coater between a pair of rollers rotatably installed, respectively. Inserting a lower end of the die (S251), moving the scraper and the pair of rollers along the direction of the slit formed in the die (S252), and removing the scraper and the pair of rollers from the die of the slit coater ( S253). As described above, the step (S250) of contacting the scraper to the lower surface of the die to the step (S253) of detaching the scraper and the roller from the die are common to one embodiment of the die cleaning method of the slit coater according to the present invention described above. Is omitted.

In addition, in order to remove the coating liquid accumulated on the scraper and the roller step of spraying compressed air to the scraper and the roller separated from the die (S254), the step of forcibly sucking air from the scraper and the roller on the opposite side of the point where the compressed air is injected It is preferable to further perform (S255) as described above in the embodiment of the die cleaning method of the slit coater according to the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention described above and illustrated in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical idea of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art can change and change the technical idea of the present invention in various forms. Therefore, such improvements and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

As described above, the die cleaning apparatus and method of the slit coater according to the present invention, the coating method of the slit coater and the glass substrate for a flat panel display device using the same have the following effects.

First, since the coating liquid remaining in the slit die can be more completely removed, it is possible to coat so as to have a uniform film thickness. Therefore, the quality of the coated object can be improved, and when applied to the coating process of the glass substrate for the flat panel display device, the quality of the flat panel display device as a final product can be improved.

Second, even if the coating liquid removed from the die is transferred to the die cleaning apparatus and accumulated, it can be removed, so that continuous die cleaning is possible. Therefore, in the coating process using the slit coater, it is possible to minimize coating defects that may be caused by the remaining coating liquid.

Third, the base is elastically supported, and the scraper is a flexible material, and the wear caused by the friction with the die can be reduced, and in particular, since the roller is rubbed while rotating, the amount of wear is minimized. Therefore, the lifetime of a die cleaning apparatus can be improved.

Claims (17)

Bass, A slide unit for sliding the base in a horizontal plane; A pair of support shafts spaced apart from each other on both sides of a slide direction of the base on an upper surface of the base, A pair of rollers rotatably installed on the pair of support shafts, the roller surfaces being in contact with both side surfaces of the lower end of the die of the slit coater; And a plate-shaped scraper disposed on an upper surface of the base so as to be perpendicular to the slide direction of the base, and disposed in front of the pair of rollers with respect to the slide direction of the base. The method of claim 1, And a spring installed on the bottom of the base to elastically support the base. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Further including a lifting unit for lifting the base, The slide unit includes a linear motor, The lifting unit includes a pneumatic cylinder, one end of which is fixed to the mover of the linear motor, And the base is fixed to the other end of the pneumatic cylinder. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Further including a lifting unit for lifting the base, The slide unit includes a linear motor, The lifting unit includes a pneumatic cylinder, one end of which is fixed to the stator of the linear motor, And the base is fixed to the mover of the linear motor. The method of claim 1, wherein the scraper, Die cleaning apparatus of a slit coater, characterized in that the flexible material. According to claim 1 or 5, wherein said scraper, Die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater, characterized in that arranged inclined along the slide direction of the base. The method according to claim 1 or 5, And a plate-shaped auxiliary scraper disposed on the upper surface of the base so as to be perpendicular to the slide direction of the base and disposed behind the pair of rollers with respect to the slide direction of the base. . The method of claim 1, The pair of support shafts are die cleaning apparatus of the slit coater, characterized in that arranged inclined so that the upper end is closer than the lower end. The method of claim 1, Fixedly spaced apart from the die of the slit coater, A cup-shaped cover which can surround the pair of rollers, And a nozzle for injecting compressed air into the inner space of the cover. The method of claim 9, The base has a through hole formed in the vertical direction, And a air suction unit connected to the through hole to suck air. Contacting the top of the scraper to the bottom of the die of the slit coater, Inserting a lower end of the die of the slit coater between a pair of rollers rotatably installed in contact with each other; Moving the scraper and the pair of rollers along a direction of a slit formed in the die; And removing the scraper and the pair of rollers from the die of the slit coater. The method of claim 11, And spraying compressed air onto the scraper and the pair of rollers detached from the die. The method of claim 12, And forcibly sucking air from the scraper and the pair of rollers on the opposite side while injecting compressed air to the scraper and the pair of rollers. A stage for horizontally supporting the coating object, A tank containing a coating liquid to be coated on the coating object; A pump for sucking and discharging the coating liquid from the tank; A die supplied with the coating liquid from the pump, being lifted and slided relative to the stage, and discharging the coating liquid through a slit formed in parallel with the stage to apply the coating liquid to the surface of the coating object; A die cleaning device disposed spaced apart from the stage along the slide direction to remove the coating liquid remaining in the opening of the slit of the die, The die cleaning device, Bass, A slide unit for sliding the base in a horizontal plane; A pair of support shafts spaced apart from each other on both sides of a slide direction of the base on an upper surface of the base, A pair of rollers rotatably installed on the pair of support shafts, the roller surfaces being in contact with both side surfaces of the lower end of the die of the slit coater; And a plate-shaped scraper disposed on an upper surface of the base so as to be perpendicular to the slide direction of the base, and disposed in front of the pair of rollers with respect to the slide direction of the base. Loading the glass substrate on the stage, Supplying a coating liquid to a die in which slits are formed in parallel with the stage; Approaching the die to an upper surface of the glass substrate; Sliding the die relative to the glass substrate in a plane parallel to the upper surface of the glass substrate; Removing the die from an upper surface of the glass substrate; Contacting the top of the scraper to the bottom of the die of the slit coater, Inserting a lower end of the die of the slit coater between a pair of rollers rotatably installed in contact with each other; Moving the scraper and the pair of rollers along a direction of a slit formed in the die; And removing the scraper and the pair of rollers from the die of the slit coater. The method of claim 15, And spraying compressed air onto the scraper and the pair of rollers separated from the die. The method of claim 16, And forcibly sucking air from the scraper and the pair of rollers on the opposite side while injecting compressed air to the scraper and the pair of rollers.

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