KR20080086811A - Liquid material applying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An applying apparatus is provided to be capable of controlling plural pitches of nozzles in high accuracy without applying flowable material on a substrate. An applying apparatus(1) includes a substrate holding part(11) which holds a substrate(9), a substrate moving part(12) which moves the substrate holding part in a direction parallel with the main surface of the substrate, a substrate rotation part(12a) which rotates the substrate holding part with a rotation axis perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate and a heating part in inside thereof.

Description

Application device {LIQUID MATERIAL APPLYING APPARATUS}

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to the coating apparatus which apply | coats a fluid material to a board | substrate.

Background Art Conventionally, development of organic EL display devices using organic EL (Electro Luminescence) materials has been conducted. For example, in the manufacture of an active matrix drive type organic EL display device using a polymer organic EL material, a glass substrate (hereinafter, A fluid material including a formation of a thin film transistor (TFT) circuit, an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode serving as an anode, a formation of a partition wall, and a hole transporting material (hereinafter referred to as a "substrate"). The formation of the hole transporting layer by the heat treatment, the application of the fluid material (hereinafter referred to as "organic EL liquid") including the organic EL material, and the formation of the organic EL layer by the heat treatment. The sealing by the formation of the cathode, and the formation of the insulating film is performed in order.

In manufacture of an organic electroluminescence display, Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2002-75640 (document 1) and Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-10755 (document) As shown in 2), there is known an apparatus for applying a fluid material to a substrate by moving a plurality of nozzles for continuously discharging the fluid material relative to the substrate.

In the apparatuses of Documents 1 and 2, a plurality of partitions formed in the coating area on the substrate by moving the plurality of nozzles in the main scanning direction and moving the substrate in the sub-scanning direction each time the nozzle is moved in the main scanning direction. The fluid material is applied in a stripe shape to the groove of the liver. In the coating apparatuses of Documents 1 and 2, three nozzles are integrally held by the holding member, and the holding member is rotated around the support shaft perpendicular to the substrate, so that the three nozzles are in the sub-scanning direction. By making pitch small, the application pitch of a fluid material can be narrowed.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-74050 (Document 3), while moving one nozzle in the main scanning direction, the substrate is moved in the sub-scanning direction every time the nozzle is moved in the main scanning direction. A coating apparatus is disclosed in which a fluid material is applied in a stripe shape to a groove between a plurality of partition walls formed in an application region of a top. In the coating device of Document 3, the organic EL liquid is applied to a mask provided between the nozzle and the substrate, and the inclination of the substrate is corrected based on the application trace of the organic EL liquid on the mask and the image data of the groove on the substrate, The main scanning direction of the nozzle coincides with the direction in which the groove extends.

By the way, in such an apparatus, pitch adjustment of a nozzle is normally performed by a worker's manual work, and confirmation of the adjustment result is performed by a worker who sees a coating result directly, but high-precision pitch adjustment is difficult, and therefore, work time required for adjustment And effort is also enormous. In addition, the test coating at the time of the pitch detection before adjustment, or the confirmation of the adjustment result is performed with respect to the uncoated area | region of the board | substrate for products, but when the number of nozzles is large, the width | variety required for test coating is uncoated. It becomes larger than the width | variety of an area | region, and it becomes impossible to adjust pitch of a nozzle.

This invention relates to the coating device which apply | coats a fluid material to a board | substrate, Comprising: It aims at adjusting the pitch of the some nozzle of a coating device to high precision, without apply | coating a fluid material to a board | substrate.

The coating apparatus includes a substrate holding part for holding a substrate, a plurality of nozzles for continuously discharging a fluid material toward a main surface of the substrate, and the plurality of nozzles in the main scanning direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate. A nozzle scanning mechanism which moves relatively to the main scanning direction and moves the substrate relative to the plurality of nozzles in the sub-scanning direction parallel to the main surface and perpendicular to the main scanning direction each time the movement in the main scanning direction is performed; And a test coating portion having a test coating surface on which the flowable material from the plurality of nozzles is subjected to test coating upon non-application to the substrate, and the test coating portion with respect to a path of relative movement in the main scanning direction of the plurality of nozzles. At the time of coating, the distance between the plurality of nozzles and the test coating surface is An image of a pattern of a fluid coating material applied to the test coating surface by relative movement in the main scanning direction of the test coating portion and the test coating portion retracting mechanism equal to the distance between the plurality of nozzles and the main surface of the substrate. In the sub-scanning direction of the plurality of nozzles, and an image pickup unit for acquiring an image, a pitch detection unit for detecting a pitch in the sub-scan direction of the plurality of nozzles based on the image acquired by the imaging unit. And a pitch coating mechanism for adjusting the pitch of the sample and a test coating surface exchange mechanism for exchanging the test coating surface of the test coating portion with a new test coating surface. According to the present invention, the pitches of the plurality of nozzles can be adjusted with high accuracy without applying the flowable material to the substrate.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coating apparatus includes a substrate rotating mechanism that rotates the substrate holding part about a rotation axis perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate, and is provided spaced apart from the test coating surface in the main scanning direction. Another imaging unit for acquiring an image of the pattern of the fluid material applied to one test coating surface, an image of the pattern of the fluid material acquired by the imaging unit and the other imaging unit, and the imaging unit and The relative position with respect to the said some nozzle of the said board | substrate is adjusted by controlling the said nozzle scanning mechanism and the said board | substrate rotation mechanism based on the image of the positioning mark on the said main surface of the said board | substrate acquired by the said another imaging part. It further comprises a substrate position adjusting unit. Thereby, position adjustment of a board | substrate can be performed with high precision.

In another preferable embodiment of this invention, the said test application part is a tape holding | maintenance part holding a part of resin tape, the said test application surface is a main surface of said one part of the said resin tape, and the said test application surface exchange mechanism is said resin And a tape supply section for unwinding the tape into the test applicator.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the test coated surface is a main surface of a test piece whose wettability against a fluid material is equal to the main surface of the substrate, and the test coated part is a test piece holding part for holding the test piece.

The above objects and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1: is a top view which shows the coating device 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the coating device 1. As shown in FIG. The coating apparatus 1 is an apparatus which apply | coats the fluidic material containing the pixel formation material for flat panel display devices to the glass substrate 9 (henceforth simply "substrate 9") for flat panel display devices. . In the present embodiment, in the coating device 1, a fluid material containing an organic EL material in the substrate 9 for an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device of an active matrix driving method (hereinafter referred to as "organic EL liquid"). .) Is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the coating apparatus 1 includes a substrate holding part 11 holding the substrate 9 and a predetermined holding of the substrate holding part 11 parallel to the main surface of the substrate 9. The substrate movement mechanism 12 and the substrate holding part 11 which are horizontally moved in the direction (that is, the Y direction in FIG. 1 and hereinafter referred to as "sub-scan direction") are perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate 9. It is provided with the board | substrate rotation mechanism 12a which rotates about a phosphorus rotation axis. The board | substrate holding part 11 is equipped with the heating mechanism (not shown) by a heater inside.

The coating device 1 further includes two imaging unit moving mechanisms that individually move the CCD camera 13, which is two imaging units disposed on the substrate 9, and the two CCD cameras 13 in the sub-scanning direction, respectively. 13a, the organic EL liquid continuously from the plurality of nozzles 17 toward the main surface (hereinafter referred to as "top surface") 91 on the (+ Z) side of the substrate 9 on the substrate holding portion 11. The application head 14 and the application head 14 which are discharge mechanisms to discharge are parallel to the main surface of the substrate 9 and perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction (that is, the X direction in FIG. 1, hereinafter referred to as the "main scanning direction"). The head moving mechanism 15 moving horizontally in the horizontal direction and the moving direction of the coating head 14 (that is, the X direction) are provided on both sides of the substrate holding portion 11 and the organic matter from the coating head 14 is removed. Two liquid receiving portions 16 receiving the EL liquid, and a pitch adjusting mechanism 3 for adjusting the pitch in the sub-scan direction of the plurality of nozzles 17, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the test coating unit 2 to which the organic EL liquid from the coating head 14 is apply | coated is provided. Moreover, the coating device 1 is equipped with the control part 10 which controls such a structure.

The control unit 10, like a normal computer, includes a CPU that performs various arithmetic processing, a RAM that stores programs to be executed or serves as a work area for arithmetic processing, a ROM that stores basic programs, a fixed disk that stores various kinds of information, and an operator. The display which displays various types of information, and input parts, such as a keyboard and a mouse, are connected. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a function realized by a CPU or the like of the controller 10 performing arithmetic processing in accordance with a program along with other configurations, and includes a pitch detector 101, an adjustment mechanism controller 102, and the like. The board position adjusting unit 103 corresponds to a function realized by the CPU or the like. In addition, such a function may be implemented by a plurality of computers.

In the application head 14 shown in FIG. 1, the sixteen nozzles 17 are arranged in a substantially straight line with respect to the X direction (that is, the main scanning direction) in FIG. 1, and in the Y direction (that is, the minor part) in FIG. 1. Slightly in the scanning direction). In this embodiment, the distance regarding the sub-scanning direction between two adjacent nozzles 17 is a pitch between partitions extending in the main scanning direction previously formed on the application | coating area | region of the board | substrate 9 (hereinafter, "bump pitch"). 3 times). In the coating device 1, the test coating of the organic EL liquid is performed on the test coating unit 2 at the time of non-application of the organic EL liquid onto the substrate 9, and the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is based on the result of the test coating. By controlling, the distance regarding the sub scanning direction between the some nozzle 17 is adjusted. The pitch adjustment method of the nozzle 17 is mentioned later.

4 and 5 are a front view and a plan view showing a part of the application head 14, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the coating head 14 includes 16 nozzles 17 which continuously discharge the organic EL liquid toward the upper surface 91 (see FIG. 1) of the substrate 9, and And a nozzle attachment portion 141 to which the sixteen nozzles are mounted. The nozzle attachment part 141 is horizontally perpendicular to the Z direction fixed to the backrest part 1411 which is substantially perpendicular to a Y direction, and the lower end part (that is, the edge part of (-Z) side) of the backrest part 1411. The unit 1412 is provided.

Each of the sixteen nozzles 17 is movably mounted in the guide groove 142 extending in the (+ Y) direction (that is, the sub-scan direction) from the edge on the (-Y) side of the horizontal portion 1412, On the (-X) side of each nozzle 17, the nozzle lock part 173 which fixes the position with respect to the nozzle attachment part 141 of the nozzle 17 is provided.

In the coating device 1 shown in FIG. 1, the coating head is applied by the head moving mechanism 15 in a state where the sixteen nozzles 17 are fixed to the nozzle attachment portion 141 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). When the 14 moves in the main scanning direction while continuously discharging the organic EL liquid from the plurality of nozzles 17, and the movement in the main scanning direction of the coating head 14 is performed once, the substrate moving mechanism 12 As a result, the substrate 9 moves stepwise in the sub-scanning direction ((+ Y) direction). The relative movement of the plurality of nozzles 17 in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction with respect to the substrate 9 is repeated, so that the organic EL liquid is applied to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 in a stripe shape. In the coating device 1, the head movement mechanism 15 and the substrate movement mechanism 12 respectively move the 16 nozzles 17 with the nozzle attachment portion 141 with respect to the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. It becomes a nozzle scanning mechanism which moves relatively.

Moreover, in the coating device 1, the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is provided separately from the coating head 14 in the (+ X) side of the board | substrate holding part 11, and 16 nozzles 17 and nozzles are provided. The attachment part 141 (refer FIG. 4 and FIG. 5) is moved independently from the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 by the head movement mechanism 15 of a nozzle scanning mechanism. In other words, the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is disposed independently of the relative movement of the application head 14 with respect to the substrate 9 by the nozzle scanning mechanism.

The pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is provided with the some (16 in this embodiment) adjustment head corresponding to the some nozzle 17, respectively. FIG.6 and FIG.7 is the top view which shows one adjustment head 30 located in the most (-X) side of the some adjustment head of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, and a part of application | coating head 14, respectively. And left side view. In FIG. 6, the nozzle lock 173 illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 is omitted in order to facilitate understanding of the drawings. In addition, in FIG. 7, the nozzle attachment part 141 and a part of nozzle 17 are shown by the cross section including the central axis of the nozzle 17 in order to make understanding of drawing easy. In the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the structures of the plurality of adjustment heads 30 are all the same.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the adjustment head 30 has the first fixing portion 311 and the (+ Y) side and the (-Y) side on the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle attachment portion 141. The attachment part fixing mechanism 31 for contacting the second fixing part 314 to fix the nozzle mounting part 141 and the nozzle 17 contacting the nozzle 17 from the (-Y) side (that is, one side in the sub-scanning direction). Pressing the nozzle 17 into the nozzle contact portion 32 from the side opposite to the nozzle contact portion 32 and the nozzle contact portion 32 (that is, the (+ Y) side of the nozzle 17 and also one side in the sub-scanning direction). And a contact portion moving mechanism 34 for adjusting the position in the sub-scan direction of the nozzle contact portion 32 to which the nozzle 17 pressed by the nozzle pressing mechanism 33 contacts. do.

In the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the lock operation mechanism (with the nozzle attachment portion 141 fitted to the first fixing portion 311 and the second fixing portion 314 of the attachment portion fixing mechanism 31 and fixed). The lock by the nozzle locking part 173 (refer FIG. 4 and FIG. 5) is canceled | released by the figure, and the step motor 343 of the contact part moving mechanism 34, and the regulator of the nozzle pressurizing mechanism 33 are shown. The air cylinder 332 connected to the 333 is driven by the adjustment mechanism control unit 102 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 10. Thereby, the nozzle contact part 32 and the rod 331 of the nozzle pressurization mechanism 33 contact the nozzle 17 from the (-Y) side and the (+ Y) side, respectively, and the nozzle by the contact part movement mechanism 34 is carried out. By moving the contact portion 32 in the (+ Y) direction, the nozzle 17 moves in the (+ Y) direction while being pressed by the nozzle pressing mechanism 33 to the nozzle contact portion 32. And when the nozzle 17 moves by the desired distance, the nozzle lock part 173 is operated again by the lock part operation mechanism, and the position of the nozzle 17 is fixed.

In the coating apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, when the pitch of a nozzle is adjusted, the 8th nozzle 17 from a (-X) side turns into a reference nozzle, and the lock part operation mechanism of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is carried out. Thus, the locks of the other 15 nozzles except the reference nozzles are released as necessary. Then, the 15 nozzles 17 are moved in the sub-scan direction, and the positions of the nozzles 17 are adjusted so that the distance from the reference nozzle in the sub-scan direction of each nozzle 17 is a predetermined distance. Position adjustment of the nozzle 17 by the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 (that is, adjustment of the distance between each nozzle) is a control part shown in FIG. 3 from the image of the organic EL liquid test-coated to the test application unit 2 On the basis of the distance between the nozzles detected by the pitch detection unit 101 of (10) (that is, based on the detection result of the pitch detection unit 101), the contact portion moving mechanism 34 of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 ( 6 and 7) are controlled by the adjustment mechanism control unit 102.

As shown in FIG. 1, the test coating unit 2 is provided on the (+ Y) side of the substrate holding part 11, and is spaced apart in the X direction and disposed at almost the same position with respect to the Y direction. The test | coating stage part 21 and the center liquid receiving part 22 which extends in the X direction between two test coating stage parts 21, and whose both ends are fixed to the test application stage part 21 is provided. do. Each test coating stage 21 is mounted on the rail 121 of the substrate movement mechanism 12 so as to be movable in the Y direction through the slider 211 (see FIGS. 8 and 9), and the connection portion It is fixed to the board | substrate holding part 11 via the 111. In the coating device 1, the substrate holding unit 11 moves in the Y direction by the substrate moving mechanism 12, so that the test coating unit 2 also moves in the Y direction together with the substrate holding unit 11.

8 and 9 are left and rear views showing the test coating stage 21 on the (+ X) side, respectively. In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a part of the board | substrate movement mechanism 12 is also illustrated, and in FIG. 9, a part of the center liquid receiving part 22 is also shown together. In addition, in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the housing 212 of the test application stage part 21 is shown in cross section for the convenience of illustration (same also in FIG. 13 and FIG. 15). In FIG. 9, the resin tape 213 is also shown in cross section. In the coating device 1, the test coating stage 21 on the (-X) side shown in FIG. 1 is also substantially the same as the test coating stage 21 on the (+ X) side shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Has a structure.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the test coating stage 21 is fixed on the slider 211 and the slider 211 that are movably mounted to the rail 121 of the substrate movement mechanism 12. Tape holding part for holding the housing 212, the resin tape 213 which is a test coating member to which the test coating of the organic EL liquid is performed, and the site where the test coating of the resin tape 213 is performed on the housing 212. (214), the unused (that is, the test coating of the organic EL liquid is not carried out) while maintaining the roll-shaped resin tape 213, and the resin tape 213 is released and supplied to the tape holding portion 214. The tape supply part 215 and the tape recovery part 216 which move and collect | recover the used part of the resin tape 213 which test-coated the organic EL liquid were provided are provided. In this embodiment, PPS (polyphenylene sulfite) type resin tape is used as the resin tape 213.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the test coating stage 21 further includes a motor 2171 and a worm gear 2172 rotating the tape supply unit 215 and the tape recovery unit 216, and a tape holding unit. On the (+ X) side of the part 214 (in the test application stage part 21 on the (-X) side), the outer liquid receiving part 218 disposed on the (-X) side of the tape holding part 214 is disposed. The external liquid receiver 218 is provided on the (-X) side of the tape holding part 214 (+ X) of the tape holding part 214 on the test application stage 21 on the (-X) side. Together with the central liquid receiving portion 22 arranged on the side), it is disposed slightly below the resin tape 213 held by the tape holding portion 214 (that is, the (-Z) side).

In the test application stage unit 21, the motor 2171 is driven to rotate the tape supply unit 215 and the tape recovery unit 216 by a predetermined angle around the counter clock in FIG. 8, respectively. Thereby, in the tape holding | maintenance part 214, the resin tape 213 is sent by predetermined length to (+ Y) direction, and the unused part of the resin tape 213 is located in the tape holding part 214. As shown in FIG. 8, the test coating stage 21 detects the end of the resin tape 213 unwound from the tape supply 215 between the tape supply 215 and the tape holding part 214. A sensor 2151 is provided, and a sensor 2161 is provided in the vicinity of the tape recovery part 216 to detect that the predetermined amount of the resin tape 213 has been moved and wound around the tape recovery part 216.

In the test application stage part 21 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the main surface of the part (+ Z) side hold | maintained by the tape holding part 214 of the resin tape 213 is the some nozzle 17. As shown in FIG. The test coating surface 2131 to which the organic EL liquid from (refer FIG. 1) is test-coated, and the tape holding | maintenance part 214 which hold | maintains the said part of resin tape 213 has test coating which has a test coating surface 2131. Is added. Moreover, the tape supply part 215 and the tape collection part 216 which supply and collect | recover the resin tape 213 become a test application | coating surface exchange mechanism which replaces the test application surface 2131 of the test application part with a new test application surface. In other words, the test coating unit 2 exchanges two test coating surfaces 2131 which are spaced apart in the main scanning direction, and two test coating surfaces which individually replace the two test coating surfaces 2131 with a new test coating surface. A mechanism is provided.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the vicinity of the tape holding part 214 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. As shown in FIGS. 8-10, the tape holding part 214 is arrange | positioned at the (-Z) side (namely, the opposite side to the test application surface 2131) of the resin tape 213, and the resin tape 213 Is placed on the tape adsorption portion 2141 and the (+ Z) side of the resin tape 213 (that is, disposed to face the test coating surface 2131), and is located near the test coating surface 2131 of the resin tape 213. Tape pressing portion 2142 for pressing the portion toward the tape suction portion 2141, pressing portion lifting mechanism 2143 for lifting the tape pressing portion 2142 in the Z direction, and the tape pressing portion 2142 and the pressing portion A pressing part moving mechanism 2144 that moves the lifting mechanism 2143 in the Y direction is provided.

The tape adsorption portion 2141 holds a resin tape 213 and includes a holding plane 2145 parallel to the upper surface 91 (see FIG. 1) of the substrate 9 on the substrate holding portion 11. As shown in FIG. 10, the tape pressing portion 2142 has two nail portions extending in the X direction on the (-Y) side and the (-Y) side of the test coating surface 2131 of the resin tape 213. 2146. In the tape holding part 214 shown in FIGS. 8-10, the tape press part 2142 descend | falls by the press part lifting mechanism 2143, and it is convex on the (+ Z) side on the tape adsorption part 2141. Slightly curved resin tape 213 is pressed toward the holding plane 2145 of the tape adsorption part 2141 by the two nail parts 2146.

And the resin tape 213 is vacuum-adsorbed by the tape adsorption part 2141, and the test coating surface 2131 of the resin tape 213 is smooth on the holding plane 2145 of the tape adsorption part 2141. It is fixed and becomes the same height as the upper surface 91 of the board | substrate 9 (refer FIG. 1). In the test application stage part 21, the tape adsorption part 2141 and the tape press part 2142 become a tape fixing part which fixes the test application surface 2131 of the resin tape 213. FIG. The tape pressing portion 2142 is lifted up by the pressing portion lifting mechanism 2143 and separated from the resin tape 213 after the adsorption of the resin tape 213 by the tape absorbing portion 2141, and the pressing portion moves. It moves to the (+ Y) direction by the mechanism 2144, and it is evacuated from the test coating surface 2131. As shown in FIG.

Next, the preparation operation in the coating device 1 before the application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9 is described. In the coating device 1, the pitch in the sub-scan direction of the plurality of nozzles 17 of the coating head 14 shown in FIG. 1 as a preparatory work (hereinafter referred to as "nozzle pitch") is adjusted, After the adjustment of the relative position with respect to the nozzle 17 of the board | substrate 9 is performed, the organic EL liquid is apply | coated to the board | substrate 9. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing the flow of preparation work (that is, adjustment of nozzle pitch and position adjustment of the substrate 9) in the coating device 1.

In the coating device 1, first, the substrate holding part 11 moves from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the (-Y) direction, and as shown in FIG. 12, two tests of the test coating unit 2 are performed. The application stage 21 is positioned at a test application position below the movement path in the main scanning direction of the plurality of nozzles 17 of the application head 14 (that is, the path of relative movement with respect to the substrate 9). do. At this time, the two test application stage parts 21 are located below the two CCD cameras 13, respectively (step S11).

In the coating device 1, the substrate movement mechanism 12 uses the tape holding part 214 (refer FIG. 8 thru | or 10) which are two test application parts of the test application unit 2 of the several nozzle 17. As shown in FIG. It becomes a test coating part retraction mechanism which advances and retreats with respect to the movement path in a main scanning direction. In addition, the test application unit 2 does not necessarily need to be moved together with the substrate holding unit 11, and is provided with another test application unit retracting mechanism (for example, a rodless cylinder or the like driven independently of the substrate moving mechanism 12). By the other mover provided on the rail 121 of the board | substrate movement mechanism 12), the test coating unit 2 may advance and retreat with respect to the movement path | route in the main scanning direction of the some nozzle 17. FIG.

When the test application unit 2 is located at the test application position, the discharge of the organic EL liquid is started from the plurality of nozzles 17 of the application head 14 toward the liquid receiver 16 on the (+ X) side, and the head The movement mechanism 15 is driven to start the movement of the application head 14. And while discharging the same kind of organic EL liquid continuously from the some nozzle 17, the coating head 14 shows the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 12 from the liquid receiving part 16 of the (+ X) side. , The resin frame held by the tape holding part 214 in each test coating stage 21 of the test coating unit 2 by moving in the main scanning direction on the liquid receiving part 16 on the (-X) side. The organic EL liquid is applied in a stripe shape to the test coating surface 2131 (see FIGS. 8 to 10) of the if 213 (step S12).

At this time, since the test coating surface 2131 of the resin tape 213 becomes the same height as the upper surface 91 of the board | substrate 9 on the board | substrate holding part 11, as mentioned above, the some in the Z direction The distance between the nozzle 17 and the test coating surface 2131 of the resin tape 213 is a plurality of nozzles 17 and the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 at the time of application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9. It is becoming equal to the distance between them. In addition, between the two test coating stage portions 21, the organic EL liquid discharged from the nozzle 17 is received by the central liquid receiving portion 22, and the test coating surface of each test coating stage portion 21 ( Between the 2131 and the liquid receiving part 16, the organic EL liquid is received by the outer liquid receiving part 218 (see FIG. 9).

Subsequently, the test coating surface 2131 of each test coating stage part 21 is imaged by the CCD camera 13, the image of the stripe-shaped pattern of the organic EL liquid apply | coated to the test coating surface 2131 is acquired, and a control part ( It is sent to the pitch detection part 101 (refer FIG. 3) of 10 (step S13).

In the pitch detection unit 101, the center line of each line of the organic EL liquid is obtained based on the image acquired by the CCD camera 13 on the (+ X) side, and the distances (the sub-scanning directions between the adjacent center lines ( That is, each distance between two nozzles 17 adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction is detected as the nozzle pitch (step S14). In addition, detection of the nozzle pitch by the pitch detection part 101 may be performed based on the image acquired by the CCD camera 13 of the (-X) side, and is respectively performed by the two CCD cameras 13, respectively. It may be performed based on both of the acquired images (for example, let the average value of the pitches of the nozzles 17 calculated | required from both images be nozzle pitch.).

Then, the distance between the eighth nozzle 17 and each of the other fifteen nozzles 17 is obtained from the (-X) side, which is the reference nozzle, and a predetermined nozzle pitch (as described above, in the present embodiment is a partition wall). Based on the distance equal to three times the pitch, hereinafter referred to as "target nozzle pitch", it is confirmed whether or not the adjustment of the position of each nozzle 17 is necessary (step S15). When the relative position with respect to the reference nozzle of each nozzle 17 becomes a predetermined position, it is determined by the control part 10 that adjustment of a nozzle position is not necessary, and the adjustment operation of a nozzle pitch is complete | finished.

On the contrary, when it is determined that adjustment of the nozzle position is necessary, the parts of the 15 nozzles 17 (hereinafter referred to as "moving nozzles") other than the reference nozzle are based on the distance between the nozzles obtained as described above. The amount to be moved in the scanning direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as "moving amount") is determined by the pitch detection unit 101. In the following, all of the 15 moving nozzles will be described as having been determined that the adjustment of the nozzle position is necessary.

When the moving amount of each nozzle 17 is calculated | required, after discharge of the organic EL liquid from the coating head 14 is stopped, the coating head 14 is moved to the (+ X) side by the head moving mechanism 15, and FIG. As shown by the dashed-dotted line in 12, it is located in the adjustment position which opposes the pitch adjustment mechanism 3. As shown in FIG. Subsequently, in each adjustment head 30 of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, it connects to the 1st fixing part 311 and the 2nd fixing part 314 of the attachment part fixing mechanism 31 shown to FIG. 6 and FIG. Thereby, the nozzle attachment portion 141 is fixed by fitting the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle attachment portion 141 from the (-Y) side and the (+ Y) side.

Next, by the locking part operating mechanism of each adjustment head 30, the lock by the nozzle lock part 173 of each moving nozzle is released, and each moving nozzle becomes movable in a sub scanning direction. And by the adjustment mechanism control part 102 (refer FIG. 3) of the control part 10, in the adjustment head 30 corresponding to each moving nozzle, the contact part movement mechanism 34 which is a drive part of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is carried out. The step motor 343 is controlled and the nozzle 17 is moved in the sub-scanning direction in accordance with the movement amount determined by the pitch detection unit 101 while the nozzle 17 is pressed by the nozzle contacting portion 32. (Step S151). When the movement of each moving nozzle in the sub-scanning direction is finished, the position of each moving nozzle is fixed again by the locking part operating mechanism. In addition, when it is determined that the position adjustment is unnecessary for the 15 moving nozzles, the locking of the moving nozzles is not released and the movement in the sub-scanning direction is not performed.

Thereafter, the first fixing portion 311 and the second fixing portion 314 of the attaching portion fixing mechanism 31 are separated from the horizontal portion 1412 of the nozzle attaching portion 141 to thereby apply the nozzle of the application head 14. The fixing of the attachment part 141 is released. The coating head 14 shown in FIG. 12 moves on the liquid receiving part 16 on the (+ X) side, and discharge of the organic EL liquid is started from the plurality of nozzles 17.

As described above, in the coating device 1, all the nozzles 17 (i.e., the transfer nozzles) except for one reference nozzle are individually moved in the sub-scanning direction according to the movement amount determined by the pitch detection unit 101. The pitch may be adjusted. In this embodiment, a nozzle pitch is adjusted in the range of 120 micrometers-700 micrometers. In addition, in the coating device 1, all 16 nozzles 17 may be moved individually to a sub scanning direction, and the nozzle pitch may be adjusted.

When the movement in the sub-scanning direction of the moving nozzle is completed, in each test coating stage 21 of the test coating unit 2, the resin tape by the tape adsorption portion 2141 shown in Figs. 8 to 10. While the suction of the 213 is released, the tape pressing unit 2142 is moved in the (-Y) direction by the pressing unit moving mechanism 2144, and as shown in FIG. 10, the tape suction unit 2141 is moved. Located at the top Subsequently, the motor 2171 shown in FIG. 9 is driven so that the resin tape 213 is sent only a predetermined length in the (+ Y) direction in the tape holding section 214 shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. The test application surface 2131 is located on the tape adsorption portion 2141.

Next, the tape pressing portion 2142 is lowered by the pressing portion lifting mechanism 2143 to press the resin tape 213 toward the tape absorbing portion 2141, and the resin tape is pressed by the tape sucking portion 2141. As the 213 is adsorbed, the test application surface is exchanged with the new test application surface 2131 to be fixed on the holding plane 2145 (step S152). When the resin tape 213 is adsorbed, the tape pressing portion 2142 retracts from the test coating surface 2131.

When the test coating surface 2131 is replaced, the process returns to step S12, whereby the coating head 14 is moved in the (-X) direction while discharging the organic EL liquid from the plurality of nozzles 17, and the test coating unit 2 The organic EL liquid is applied to two test coating surfaces 2131 of () (step S12). Subsequently, an image of a pattern of the organic EL liquid on the test coating surface 2131 is acquired by the CCD camera 13, and the nozzle pitch is detected by the pitch detection unit 101 to confirm whether or not repositioning of the nozzle is necessary. (Steps S13 to S15). Then, the movement of the nozzle 17 in the sub-scanning direction by the pitch adjusting mechanism 3 and the replacement of the test application surface 2131 until the adjustment of the nozzle position is determined to be unnecessary (steps S151 and S152). And the necessity and unnecessary confirmation (steps S12 to S15) of the application of the organic EL liquid to the test coating surface 2131, the detection of the nozzle pitch, and the adjustment of the nozzle position are repeated.

When the adjustment of the nozzle pitch is completed, two images of the pattern of the organic EL liquid on the test coating surface 2131 finally obtained by the two CCD cameras 13 (that is, when it is determined that the adjustment of the nozzle pitch is unnecessary) In each of the images, hereinafter referred to as "final image", the sub-scanning direction of the pattern of the organic EL liquid in the image is controlled by the substrate position adjusting unit 103 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 10. The position of is obtained. Next, in the sub-scanning direction of the position of the pattern in the final image picked up by the CCD camera 13 on the (-X) side, based on the final image picked up by the CCD camera 13 on the (+ X) side. Deviation amount (hereinafter referred to as "position deviation amount") is obtained (step S16).

Next, the imaging unit moving mechanism 13a on the (-X) side is controlled by the substrate position adjusting unit 103 so that the CCD camera 13 on the (-X) side is sub-scanned by the same distance as the position deviation amount. Direction is moved so that the relative positions of the two CCD cameras 13 are adjusted (step S17). As a result, a straight line connecting the centers of the imaging regions of the two CCD cameras 13 is parallel to the line of the organic EL liquid applied by the application head 14. Specifically, when the pattern of the organic EL liquid in the final image by the CCD camera 13 on the (-X) side is shifted to the (-Y) side compared to the final image on the (+ X) side, (-X) The CCD camera 13 on the side is moved in the (-Y) direction and is shifted in the (+ Y) direction when it is shifted to the (+ Y) side. The position adjustment of the CCD camera 13 in the coating device 1 is performed by moving the CCD camera 13 on the (+ X) side while the CCD camera 13 on the (−X) side is fixed. This may be done by moving both CCD cameras 13.

When the position adjustment of the CCD camera 13 ends, the board | substrate 9 is moved to (+ Y) direction with the board | substrate holding part 11 and the test coating unit 2 by the board | substrate movement mechanism 12, and FIG. As indicated by the solid line at, the substrate 9 is located below the two CCD cameras 13 (step S18). At this time, on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, two positioning marks 93 provided in the vicinity of two corner portions on the (+ Y) side and in the non-coated area outside the coating area (FIG. 12). Respectively) are located in the imaging area of the two CCD cameras 13. On the board | substrate 9, the straight line which connects the center of the two positioning labels 93 is parallel to the some groove | channel of the application | coating area | region.

Subsequently, the two CCD cameras 13 are controlled by the substrate positioning unit 103, and the two positioning indicators 93 on the substrate 9 are captured (step S19). Next, based on the images of the two positioning markers 93, the distance regarding the sub-scan direction between the centers of the positioning markers 93 is obtained, and the center of the positioning markers 93 stored in advance is stored. The amount of deviation (that is, the inclination) of the rotation direction of the substrate 9 is obtained based on the distance with respect to the main scanning direction of the liver. Then, the substrate rotation mechanism 12a is controlled by the substrate position adjusting unit 103 based on the amount of deviation in the rotational direction of the substrate 9 so that the substrate 9 rotates, so that the CCDs of the two positioning indicators 93 are rotated. The relative position in the sub-scan direction with respect to the camera 13 becomes the same (step S20).

As described above, in the coating device 1, the sub-scanning direction with respect to the plurality of nozzles 17 (line of the organic EL liquid discharged from and applied onto the substrate 9) of the two CCD cameras 13 is applied. The relative positions relative to each other are the same. Therefore, by making the relative positions of the two positioning marks 93 in the sub-scan direction to the CCD camera 13 equal to each other, the plurality of nozzles 17 of the two positioning marks 93 are discharged from ( And relative positions with respect to the sub-scanning direction with respect to the line of the organic EL liquid applied on the substrate 9 are the same. In other words, the grooves between the partition walls of the coating area on the substrate 9 are parallel to the trajectory of the movement of the plurality of nozzles 17 in the main scanning direction.

Thus, in the coating device 1, the image of the pattern of the organic EL liquid acquired by the two CCD cameras 13, and the upper surface 91 of the board | substrate 9 acquired by the two CCD cameras 13 Based on the image of the positioning mark 93 on the (), the substrate movement mechanism 12 and the substrate rotation mechanism 12a are controlled by the substrate position adjustment unit 103 (see FIG. 3) of the control unit 10. The relative position with respect to the some nozzle 17 of the board | substrate 9 is adjusted.

And when the position adjustment of the board | substrate 9 is complete | finished, the application | coating head 14 moves to the main scanning direction, continuously discharging organic EL liquid from the some nozzle 17 by the head movement mechanism 15, and an application | coating head Each time the movement in the main scanning direction of (14) is performed once, the substrate 9 moves stepwise in the sub-scanning direction ((+ Y) direction) by the substrate moving mechanism 12. And the relative movement to the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction with respect to the board | substrate 9 of the some nozzle 17 is repeated until the board | substrate 9 is located in the application | coating end position shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. The organic EL liquid is applied to the substrate 9 in a stripe shape.

As described above, in the coating device 1, the organic EL solution is applied to the test coating surface 2131 of the test coating unit 2, and the organic EL on the test coating surface 2131 obtained by the CCD camera 13. The nozzle pitch is detected based on the image of the liquid pattern, and the pitch in the sub-scan direction of the plurality of nozzles 17 is adjusted by the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 based on the detection result. Thereby, the pitch (namely, nozzle pitch) in the sub-scanning direction of the some nozzle 17 of the coating device 1 can be adjusted with high precision, without apply | coating the organic EL liquid to the board | substrate 9. FIG. .

As a result, unlike the case where the nozzle pitch is adjusted by applying the test coating to the uncoated area on the substrate, the relationship between the number of nozzles and the size of the non-coated area (that is, the size of the area required for the test coating and the area on the substrate) The nozzle pitch can be adjusted with high precision without considering the relationship with the size of the testable region. Therefore, the structure of the coating device 1 is especially suitable for the coating device provided with the nozzle of many (for example, 8 or more). In addition, in the coating device 1, by not performing test coating on the substrate, particles that may be generated from the organic EL material after drying of the test-coated organic EL liquid can be prevented, so that the coating of the coating on the substrate 9 can be prevented. Can improve the quality.

In the coating device 1, the distance in the Z direction between the nozzle 17 and the test coating surface 2131 at the time of test coating is different from the nozzle 17 and the time of application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9. Since it becomes equal to the distance in the Z direction between the upper surfaces 91 of the plate 9, the discharge distance of the organic EL liquid at the time of application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9 is the same as the discharge distance at the time of test coating. Become. If there is a large difference in the discharge distance at the time of application to the substrate and at the time of application of the test, the pitch of the lines of the plurality of applied organic EL liquids may change, but the coating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment (1) In (), since the influence by the difference in the discharge distance at the time of application | coating to the board | substrate 9 and the test application | coating can be prevented, nozzle pitch can be adjusted more accurately. Moreover, in the coating device 1, if it is in the range which the influence of the difference of the discharge distance with respect to the line pitch of organic EL liquid is prevented, the Z direction between the nozzle 17 and the test coating surface 2131 at the time of test coating. Even if the distance in the Z direction between the nozzle 17 and the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 during application of the organic EL liquid to the substrate 9 differs slightly, the distances can be regarded as substantially the same. have.

In the test application stage 21, the test application surface 2131 is used as the main surface of the resin tape 213, and the tape supply unit 215 releases the resin tape 213 into the tape holding unit 214. The finished test coating surface 2131 (that is, after performing the test coating of the organic EL liquid) can be easily replaced with a new unused test coating surface. In the tape holding unit 214, the test application surface 2131 of the resin tape 213 is fixed and flattened by the tape adsorption unit 2141 and the tape pressing unit 2142, and the test application surface 2131 and the plurality of nozzles are flattened. By keeping the distance between the 17 constant, the nozzle pitch can be detected with higher accuracy.

In the test coating unit 2, the test coating surface 2131 of the test coating stage unit 21 has a relative movement in the main scanning direction of the plurality of nozzles 17 at the time of test coating by the coating head 14. Only part of the path overlaps. In other words, the test coating surface 2131 is disposed only in a part of the main scanning direction on the movement path of the plurality of nozzles 17 by the head moving mechanism 15. For this reason, the area of the test coating surface to which an organic EL liquid is apply | coated can be made small, and the usage-amount of the test coating surface 2131 can be reduced. As a result, the cost required for adjusting the nozzle pitch can be reduced.

In the coating device 1, the contact portion moving mechanism 34 of the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 is controlled by the adjustment mechanism control unit 102 based on the nozzle pitch detected by the pitch detection unit 101 of the control unit 10. As a result, the nozzle pitch can be automatically adjusted. As a result, the nozzle pitch can be adjusted more precisely, and the work time and effort required for the adjustment of the nozzle pitch can be reduced. In addition, by the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, all but one of the plurality of nozzles 17 (or all of the plurality of nozzles 17) are individually moved in the sub-scanning direction, whereby adjacent nozzles ( Each distance in the sub-scanning direction between 17) can be adjusted individually and with high precision.

In the coating device 1, an image of the pattern of the organic EL liquid applied to the two test coating surfaces 2131 spaced apart in the main scanning direction and two positioning marks disposed spaced apart in the main scanning direction on the substrate 9. By adjusting the relative position with respect to the nozzle 17 of the board | substrate 9 based on the image of 93, in the line of the organic EL liquid apply | coated by the some nozzle 17, and the application | coating area | region of the board | substrate 9 Positioning of the board | substrate 9 can be performed with high precision by making a some groove | channel of the parallel with high precision. Moreover, since the position adjustment of the board | substrate 9 can be performed using the structure for adjustment of a nozzle pitch, the structure of the coating device 1 can also be simplified.

In addition, the two test coating stage portions 21 having the same structure replace the two tape holding portions 214 for fixing the two test coating surfaces 2131, and the two test coating surfaces 2131, respectively. The structure of the coating device 1 can be further simplified by the configuration of the two tape supply units 215 and the tape recovery unit 216.

Next, the coating apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The coating device concerning 2nd Embodiment is provided with two test coating stage parts 21a different from the test coating stage part 21 shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. The other structure is the same as that of the coating device 1 shown in FIGS. 1-7, and attaches the same code | symbol in the following description.

FIG. 13 is a left side view of the test coating stage 21a on the (+ X) side. In FIG. 13, a part of the substrate moving mechanism 12 is also shown. In the coating device according to the second embodiment, the test application stage 21a on the (-X) side also has the same structure as the test application stage 21a on the (+ X) side shown in FIG. 13.

As shown in FIG. 13, the test coating stage part 21a is a slider 211 which is movably mounted to the rail 121 of the board | substrate movement mechanism 12, and the housing 212 fixed on the slider 211. As shown in FIG. ), The test piece 213a which is a test coating member to which the test coating of the organic EL liquid is performed, the test piece holding part 214a holding the test piece 213a on the upper part of the housing 212, and the (-Z) of the test piece 213a. A test piece accommodating portion which is a magazine for stacking and holding a plurality of unused (i.e., no test coating of an organic EL liquid) on the) side (hereinafter referred to as the "air test piece 213b"). (215a), the test piece holding part 214a by the extrusion mechanism 216a which is a cylinder which pushes the test piece 213a hold | maintained by the test piece holding part 214a toward (-Y) direction, and the extrusion mechanism 216a. The test piece collection part 217a which receives the test piece 213a which was pushed out from it is provided.

The test piece 213a is formed by the material equivalent to the board | substrate 9 with respect to the organic EL liquid, and is formed by the glass which is the same material as the board | substrate 9 in this embodiment. Moreover, the thin film equivalent to the thin film (for example, the layer of the hole transport material mentioned later) formed on the board | substrate 9 is formed in the main surface on the (+ Z) side of the test piece 213a by applying Each wettability of the organic EL liquid between the main surface on the (+ Z) side of the test piece 213a and the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is equal (that is, approximately equal). In addition, by appropriately selecting the material of the test piece 213a, the main surface on the (+ Z) side of the test piece 213a and the upper surface of the substrate 9 are not formed on the main surface on the (+ Z) side of the test piece 213a. The wettability with respect to the organic EL liquid with 91) may be equal.

In the test coating stage 21a, the main surface on the (+ Z) side of the test piece 213a is a test coating surface 2131 to which the organic EL liquid from the plurality of nozzles 17 (see FIG. 1) is test coated. The test piece holding part 214a holding the test piece 213a becomes a test coating part having the test coating surface 2131.

14 is a plan view showing the vicinity of the test piece holding part 214a. As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the test piece holding part 214a is in contact with the test coating surface 2131 of the test piece 213a in the Z direction (that is, the direction perpendicular to the test coating surface 2131). A test coating surface contacting portion 2147 having a substantially spherical frame shape for determining the position of the test coating surface 2131 is provided. The test piece 213a of the test piece holding part 214a is formed by a plurality of atmospheric test pieces (215a) of the test piece receiving part 215a on the side opposite to the test application surface 2131 of the test piece 213a (that is, (-Z) side). 213b) is pressed toward the test coating surface contact 2147 and pressed against the test coating surface contact 2147.

In the test coating stage 21a, the extrusion mechanism 216a is driven so that the test piece 213a in contact with the test coating surface contacting part 2147 is pushed out in the (+ Y) direction and taken out from the test piece holding part 214a. . And the atmospheric test piece 213b which is the uppermost among the some atmospheric test piece 213b accommodated in the test piece accommodating part 215a is pressed by the test coating surface contact part 2147 of the test piece holding part 214a, and a test piece holding part ( It becomes the new test piece 213a hold | maintained by 214a, and the main surface of the (+ Z side) of the said test piece 213a becomes a new test coating surface 2131. That is, in the test application stage part 21a, the extrusion mechanism 216a becomes a test piece taking-out part which takes out the test piece 213a from the test piece holding part 214a, and the test piece accommodating part 215a and the extrusion mechanism 216a become It becomes a test coating surface exchange mechanism for replacing the test coating surface 2131 of the test piece holding part 214a with a new test coating surface.

The flow of the preparation work (that is, adjustment of nozzle pitch and position adjustment of the substrate 9) in the coating apparatus according to the second embodiment is the test application surface 2131 in step S152 shown in FIG. 11A. Is replaced with that of the first embodiment except that the replacement of the resin tape 213 is caused by the replacement of the test piece 213a.

In the coating device according to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the organic EL solution is applied to the test coating surface 2131 of the test coating unit 2 (see FIG. 1), and the organic EL on the test coating surface 2131. The nozzle pitch is detected based on the image of the liquid pattern, and the pitch in the sub-scanning direction of the plurality of nozzles 17 (see FIG. 1) is adjusted based on the detection result. Thereby, the pitch (i.e., nozzle pitch) in the sub-scan direction of the some nozzle 17 of the coating apparatus is adjusted to high precision, without apply | coating the organic EL liquid with respect to the board | substrate 9 (refer FIG. 1). Can be.

In the coating device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, the test coating surface 2131 becomes a main surface of the test piece 213a which is especially the wetness with respect to organic electrolytic solution to the upper surface 91 of the board | substrate 9 by the test coating surface 2131. ) And the nozzle pitch can be detected with high accuracy by preventing measurement errors due to the difference in wettability between the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 and the like.

In the test application stage part 21a, the test piece holding part 215a which accommodates the several atmospheric test piece 213b is provided in the (-Z) side of the test piece 213a, and the test piece holding part is carried out by the extrusion mechanism 216a. By pushing the test piece 213a out of 214a, the new test piece 213a is pressed against the test application surface contacting part 2147 of the test piece holding part 214a, and a new test application surface 2131 is disposed. As a result, the test coating surface 2131 can be easily replaced, and the distance between the test coating surface 2131 and the plurality of nozzles 17 can be kept constant, and the nozzle pitch can be detected with higher accuracy. .

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible.

For example, in the test application stage 21 of the coating device 1 according to the first embodiment, the resin tape 213 is adsorbed only by the suction force of the tape adsorption unit 2141 in the tape holding unit 214. When the test coating surface 2131 can be fixed in a smooth state, the tape pressing portion 2142, the pressing portion lifting mechanism 2143, and the pressing portion moving mechanism 2144 are omitted, and only the tape suction portion 2141 is provided. The tape fixing part which fixes the test coating surface 2131 of the resin tape 213 may be sufficient. Moreover, you may fix the test application surface 2131 of the resin tape 213 by the pressure of the tape press part 2142, without performing the adsorption by the tape adsorption part 2141. FIG. In this case, only the tape pressing portion 2142 becomes the tape fixing portion.

In the preparatory work in the coating device 1, the movement of the nozzle 17 by the pitch adjustment mechanism 3 in step S151 and the exchange of the test application surface 2131 in step S152 are performed in parallel. The step S152 may be performed before the step S151 (the same also in the second embodiment). In addition, the positioning mark image | photographed in step S18 does not necessarily need to be the positioning exclusive mark provided in the non-coating area | region, For example, a part of wiring formed in the partition and non-coating area | region in an application area | region. May be a marking for positioning.

In the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, the plurality of adjustment heads 30 do not necessarily need to be provided, and the position adjustment in the sub-scan direction of the plurality of nozzles 17 is sequentially performed by one adjustment head 30. It may be done. In this case, the plurality of nozzles 17 are sequentially moved to the position corresponding to the adjustment head 30 by the movement of the application head 14 by the head moving mechanism 15. In addition, when one nozzle 17 of the some nozzle 17 turns into a reference nozzle, the position adjustment by the adjustment head 30 with respect to the said reference nozzle is not performed. In addition, the reference nozzle may be fixed to the nozzle attachment portion 141 so as not to move in the sub-scanning direction.

In the coating device according to the above embodiment, not all nozzles 17 (or all other nozzles 17 except one nozzle 17) need to be individually moved in the sub-scanning direction, and a plurality of nozzles. The nozzle attachment portion to which the 17 is immovably fixed is rotated by a slight angle around the rotation axis perpendicular to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 by a pitch adjustment mechanism different from the pitch adjustment mechanism 3, The nozzle pitch in the sub scanning direction may be changed. In addition, adjustment of the nozzle pitch in an application device may be performed by an operator operating a pitch adjustment mechanism manually based on the detection result of a nozzle pitch.

In the coating device, when the position adjustment of the substrate 9 is performed by another mechanism different from the configuration used for the adjustment of the nozzle pitch, even if only one test coating stage part is provided in the test coating unit 2. do. Also in this case, nozzle pitch can be adjusted with high precision, without apply | coating the organic EL liquid to the board | substrate 9 similarly to the said embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a rear view illustrating another example of the test coating unit 2a using the resin tape 213. In the test coating unit 2a shown in FIG. 15, the 90 ° direction is different from the test coating stage 21 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the width of the substrate in the X direction (that is, the main scanning direction). Only one large test coating stage 21b is provided. In the tape holding | maintenance part 214 of the upper part of the test application | coating stage part 21b, the resin tape 213 extends in the X direction by the length substantially equal to the width of the X direction of a board | substrate.

In the test application unit 2a, in the tape holding | maintenance part 214, the organic EL liquid is apply | coated over the substantially full length of the X direction of the resin tape 213, and the resin tape 213 is provided in the vicinity of the both ends of the X direction. The two test coating surfaces 2131 in the image are captured by the CCD camera in a fixed state by the tape adsorption unit 2141, so that the nozzle pitch is detected and information necessary for position adjustment of the substrate is obtained as in the above embodiment. do.

In the test application stage part 21b, the resin tape 213 is ring-shaped, and when one test application is complete | finished, it is sent to the anticlockwise perimeter in FIG. As a result, the used test coating surface 2131 is replaced with a new test coating surface. In addition, the used test coating surface 2131 can be used as a new test coating surface by cleaning liquid being sprayed by the spray 2191 and by removing the organic EL material adhered by the air knife 2192. In addition, in the test application stage part 21b, a tape supply part and a tape recovery part may be provided in the (+ X) side and the (-X) side, respectively, and the used test coating surface may be moved and wound up.

In the coating device according to the above embodiment, the application head 14 moves in the sub-scanning direction instead of the movement of the substrate 9 and the substrate holding unit 11 by the substrate moving mechanism 12, thereby causing the sub-scanning direction. The relative movement of the board | substrate 9 with respect to the application | coating head 14 may be performed. Moreover, instead of the movement of the application | coating head 14 by the head movement mechanism 15, the board | substrate 9 and the board | substrate holding part 11 move to the main scanning direction, and therefore, of the application head 14 in the main scanning direction The relative movement with respect to the board | substrate 9 may be performed.

In the coating device according to the above embodiment, the number of the nozzles 17 provided on the coating head 14 is not limited to 16, but may be three or more. In the coating device, for example, three types of organic EL materials different in color from red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are respectively obtained from three nozzles 17 provided in the coating head 14. Three kinds of organic EL liquids may be simultaneously discharged and applied to the substrate 9. In this case, the distance with respect to the sub scanning direction between two adjacent nozzles is adjusted so that it may become equal to a partition pitch.

In addition, in the said coating apparatus, the fluid material (henceforth a "hole transport liquid") containing the hole transport material which is a pixel formation material may be apply | coated to the board | substrate 9. Here, the "hole transporting material" is a material for forming the hole transporting layer of the organic EL display device, and the "hole transporting layer" means only the narrow hole transporting layer for transporting holes to the organic EL layer formed of the organic EL material. It also includes a hole injection layer for injecting holes.

The said coating apparatus is not necessarily used only for application | coating of the organic electroluminescent liquid or hole transport liquid for organic electroluminescent display apparatuses, For example, it is coloring material with respect to the board | substrate for flat panel display apparatuses, such as a liquid crystal display device and a plasma display device. Or a fluid material containing another kind of pixel forming material such as a fluorescent material may be used.

In the application of the fluid material including the application of the organic EL liquid or the hole transport liquid to the substrate for an organic EL display device and the pixel forming material to the other substrate for a flat panel display, high positional accuracy is applied to the application position of the fluid material. Is required. As described above, the coating device can adjust the pitch of the plurality of nozzles 17 with high precision, so that the coating of the organic EL liquid and the hole transporting liquid to the substrate for the organic EL display device, the substrate for the other flat display device It is particularly suitable for the application of flowable materials, including pixel forming materials.

Moreover, the said coating apparatus may be used for application | coating of various kinds of fluid materials to various board | substrates, such as a magnetic disk, a glass substrate for optical disks, a ceramic substrate, or a semiconductor substrate, in addition to the board | substrate for flat panel display apparatuses.

While the invention has been shown and described in detail, the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Accordingly, it is understood that many variations and aspects are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 is a plan view of a coating device according to a first embodiment,

2 is a front view of the coating device,

3 is a block diagram showing the function of a control unit;

4 is a front view showing a part of the application head;

5 is a plan view showing a part of an application head;

6 is a plan view showing a part of the adjustment head and the application head;

7 is a left side view showing a part of the adjustment head and the application head;

8 is a left side view of the test coating stage;

9 is a rear view of the test application stage;

10 is a plan view showing the vicinity of the tape holding unit;

11A and 11B show the flow of preparation work in the application device;

12 is a plan view of the coating device;

FIG. 13 is a left side view of the test coating stage part according to the second embodiment; FIG.

14 is a plan view showing the vicinity of a test piece holding part;

15 is a rear view of another test coating stage unit.

Claims (12)

An application device for applying a fluid material to a substrate, A substrate holding part for holding a substrate, A plurality of nozzles for continuously discharging the flowable material toward the main surface of the substrate; The plurality of nozzles are moved relative to the substrate in a main scanning direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate, and the substrate is parallel to the main surface with respect to the plurality of nozzles every time the movement in the main scanning direction is performed. In addition, the nozzle scanning mechanism that moves relatively in the sub-scan direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, A test coating portion having a test coating surface on which the flowable material from the plurality of nozzles is subjected to a test coating upon non-application to the substrate; The said test application part is advanced with respect to the path | route of the relative movement in the said main scanning direction of the said some nozzle, and the said nozzle and the said board | substrate at the time of application | coating, and the said board | substrate at the time of test application are apply | coated A test applicator retracting mechanism equal to the distance between the main surfaces of An imaging unit for acquiring an image of a pattern of the flowable material applied to the test application surface by relative movement of the plurality of nozzles in the main scanning direction; A pitch detection unit that detects a pitch in the sub-scan direction of the plurality of nozzles based on the image acquired by the imaging unit; A pitch adjusting mechanism for adjusting a pitch in the sub-scan direction of the plurality of nozzles; And a test coating surface exchange mechanism for exchanging the test coating surface of the test coating portion with a new test coating surface. The method according to claim 1, The coating device in which the said test coating surface overlaps only a part of the path | route of the relative movement in the said main scanning direction of the said some nozzle at the time of test coating. The method according to claim 1, A substrate rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate holding part about a rotation axis perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate; Another imaging unit for acquiring an image of a pattern of the flowable material applied to another test coating surface provided spaced apart from the test coating surface in the main scanning direction; To an image of a pattern of a fluid material obtained by the imaging section and the another imaging section, and an image of a positioning mark on the main surface of the substrate obtained by the imaging section and the another imaging section. And a substrate position adjusting portion that adjusts relative positions of the plurality of nozzles of the substrate by controlling the nozzle scanning mechanism and the substrate rotating mechanism based on the above. The method according to claim 3, And another test coating surface exchange mechanism for exchanging said another test coating surface with a new test coating surface separately from said test coating surface. The method according to claim 1, The distance between the two nozzles adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction is detected by the pitch detection unit, The application device according to the above pitch adjustment mechanism, wherein the distances are adjusted by moving all of the plurality of nozzles or all but one except for one separately in the sub-scanning direction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A drive unit for driving the pitch adjustment mechanism; And an adjustment mechanism control unit for controlling the drive unit based on a detection result of the pitch detection unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The said test application part is a tape holding part holding a part of resin tape, The said test application surface is a main surface of the said part of the said resin tape, And said test coating surface exchange mechanism is provided with a tape supply part for unwinding said resin tape to said test application part. The method according to claim 7, And said test coating part comprises a tape fixing part for fixing said test coating surface of said resin tape on a holding plane parallel to said main surface of said substrate. The method according to claim 7, A drive unit for driving the pitch adjustment mechanism; And an adjustment mechanism control unit for controlling the drive unit based on a detection result of the pitch detection unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The test coated surface is a main surface of a test piece having wettability to a flowable material equal to the main surface of the substrate, The coating device according to claim 1, wherein the test coating part is a test piece holding part for holding the test piece. The method according to claim 10, The said test coating part is provided with the test coating surface contact part which contacts the said test coating surface of the said test piece, and determines the position of the said test coating surface in the direction perpendicular | vertical to the said test coating surface, The test coating surface exchange mechanism, A test piece accommodating part for holding the plurality of atmospheric test pieces on the side opposite to the test coated surface of the test piece and for pressing the test piece toward the test coated surface contact portion through the plurality of atmospheric test pieces; An application apparatus comprising a test piece extracting unit for taking out the test piece from the test coating unit. The method according to claim 10, A drive unit for driving the pitch adjustment mechanism; And an adjustment mechanism control unit for controlling the drive unit based on a detection result of the pitch detection unit.

Images