KR20090052806A - Coating machine and fixing method of a substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a coating apparatus capable of suppressing prolongation of the cycle time of the coating apparatus even when the suction force for adsorbing the substrate is set to such an extent that coating staining does not occur.

A substrate support comprising: a substrate support means for generating suction force in a suction hole formed in a surface of a stage to adsorb and support the substrate to the surface of the stage; and a coating unit for discharging the coating liquid while moving relative to the substrate. The means includes a pressure adjusting unit capable of adjusting suction force on the substrate by adjusting a pressure added to the substrate, the pressure adjusting unit including an initial pressure for adsorbing the substrate immediately after being placed on the surface of the stage, and the initial pressure. After adsorb | sucking a board | substrate by this, a board | substrate can be adjusted to the support pressure which keeps the state supported by the surface of a stage, and this support pressure is set so that it may be set to become smaller than the said initial pressure.

Description

Coating device and substrate support method {COATING MACHINE AND FIXING METHOD OF A SUBSTRATE}

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to the coating apparatus which apply | coats a coating liquid on a board | substrate, and the supporting method of the board | substrate.

BACKGROUND ART In a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display, a resist liquid coated on a glass substrate (called a coating substrate) is used. This application board | substrate is formed by the application | coating device which apply | coats a resist liquid uniformly.

The coating device includes a stage on which a substrate is placed and a coating unit through which a resist liquid is discharged, and the substrate is moved by discharging the resist liquid from the coating unit. A resist liquid film having a uniform thickness is formed on the substrate.

In such a coating apparatus, as a means for supporting a substrate on a stage, an adsorption hole is formed in the stage, and it is generally known to adsorb and support the substrate on the stage by generating a negative pressure in the adsorption hole (e.g., See Patent Document 1). Specifically, the suction hole and the negative pressure generator are connected, and by setting the negative pressure generator to low pressure (high vacuum side), negative pressure is generated in the suction hole. When the substrate is supplied to the stage, the negative pressure generator is used for high speed exhaust, thereby rapidly generating a negative pressure in the adsorption hole, thereby shortening the adsorption time necessary for adsorbing the substrate to the stage, The cycle time was improved.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-281091

However, in the coating device, a large negative pressure (high vacuum side pressure) is generated in the suction hole by high-speed exhausting by the negative pressure generator. When the coating is applied in a state where such a large suction force is generated, there is a problem that coating stain may occur in the substrate portion corresponding to the adsorption hole.

Therefore, if the negative pressure generated in the suction hole is set to be weak (set to the atmospheric pressure side), the negative pressure generator cannot perform high-speed exhaust and the time for generating the set pressure in the suction hole becomes long. In other words, the time required for adsorbing the substrate to the stage becomes long, and as a result, there is a problem that the cycle time of the coating apparatus becomes long.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and even if the suction force for adsorbing the substrate is set to such an extent that no coating spots occur, a coating apparatus and a substrate supporting method capable of suppressing prolongation of the cycle time of the coating apparatus are provided. It aims to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the coating apparatus of the present invention includes a stage for mounting a substrate, substrate support means for generating suction force in a suction hole formed in the surface of the stage to adsorb and support the substrate to the surface of the stage, and A coating apparatus comprising a coating unit for discharging a coating liquid while moving relative to a substrate supported on a surface of a stage, wherein the substrate supporting means includes a pressure adjusting unit capable of adjusting a suction force on the substrate. The pressure regulating portion can be adjusted to an initial pressure for adsorbing the substrate immediately after being placed on the surface of the stage, and a support pressure for adsorbing the substrate by the initial pressure, and for maintaining the state in which the substrate is supported on the surface of the stage, This supporting pressure is set to be smaller than the initial pressure. It is characterized by being fixed.

According to the said coating apparatus, when adsorb | sucking the board | substrate mounted on a stage, it generate | occur | produces a negative pressure (pressure less than atmospheric pressure) in a suction hole, and adsorb | sucks rapidly, and after a pressure reaches an initial pressure, by the said pressure control part By adjusting to a support pressure smaller than the initial pressure, the adsorbed substrate can be supported on the stage. Therefore, when the coating liquid is applied onto the substrate by the coating unit, since the coating can be applied onto the substrate that is adsorbed and supported by the support pressure smaller than the initial pressure, it is the first to adsorb the substrate placed on the stage as in the prior art. As compared with the case of applying in the state of atmospheric pressure, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of coating unevenness in the portion corresponding to the suction hole. In addition, even when the substrate is supported on the stage by a support pressure smaller than the initial pressure, the initial pressure can be generated at a high speed when the substrate is adsorbed, thereby eliminating the problem that the cycle time of the coating apparatus is extended.

The substrate supporting means includes a suction force generating device for generating a suction force in the suction hole, and a pipe for connecting and connecting the suction force generator and the suction hole, and the pressure adjusting unit adjusts the initial pressure. The piping path and the piping path adjusted by the said support pressure can be comprised separately, respectively.

According to this configuration, the generation of the initial pressure and the generation of the support pressure in the suction hole can be easily switched only by switching the piping path. Therefore, the switching response of the initial pressure and the support pressure can be improved.

In addition, a pressure gauge is provided in a pipe connected to the suction hole, and the pressure gauge can be adjusted to the supporting pressure when the pressure gauge reaches the initial pressure.

According to this structure, since a pressure gauge is provided near the suction hole of a pipe, compared with the case where it attaches to another piping part, the pressure in a suction hole can suppress the influence of a pressure loss, and can measure it accurately.

In order to solve the above problems, the substrate supporting method of the coating apparatus of the present invention includes a stage for placing a substrate, substrate supporting means for generating suction force on the surface of the stage to adsorb and support the substrate, and supporting the surface of the stage. In the substrate support method of the coating apparatus provided with the coating unit which discharges a coating liquid, moving relatively to the board | substrate which was prepared, The said board | substrate supporting means is a pressure which can adjust the suction force with respect to a board | substrate by adjusting the pressure added to a board | substrate. It is provided with an adjustment part, and by this pressure control part, after the pressure with respect to the board | substrate adsorb | sucked on the surface of a stage reaches a predetermined | prescribed initial pressure, it adjusts to the support pressure lower than this initial pressure, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. Doing.

According to the substrate supporting method of this coating apparatus, when adsorbing the substrate placed on the stage, a negative pressure is generated in the suction hole and rapidly adsorbed, and after the pressure reaches the initial pressure, the initial pressure is controlled by the pressure adjusting unit. By adjusting to a smaller supporting pressure, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of coating unevenness in the portion corresponding to the suction hole, as compared with the case of applying in the state of the initial pressure to adsorb the substrate mounted on the stage as in the prior art. In addition, even when the substrate is supported on the stage by a supporting pressure smaller than the initial pressure, the initial pressure can be generated at a high speed when the substrate is adsorbed, thereby eliminating the problem that the cycle time of the coating apparatus is extended.

According to the coating apparatus of the present invention and the substrate supporting method thereof, even if the suction force for adsorbing the substrate is set to such an extent that no coating stain occurs, the prolongation of the cycle time of the coating apparatus can be suppressed.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a coating apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the vicinity of a leg portion of the coating unit, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a piping system of the coating apparatus. to be.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the coating apparatus is applied to a liquid substance such as a chemical liquid or a resist liquid (hereinafter referred to as a coating liquid) on the substrate 10. Forming a film, the base 2, the stage 21 for mounting the substrate 10, and a coating unit configured to be movable in a specific direction with respect to the stage 21. 30 is provided.

In addition, in the following description, the direction which the application | coating unit 30 moves is made into the X-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to this on a horizontal plane makes the direction orthogonal to both the Y-axis direction, the X-axis, and the Y-axis direction as Z-axis direction. It is assumed that the explanation proceeds.

On the base 2, a stage 21 is arranged at the center portion thereof. This stage 21 mounts the board | substrate 10 which was carried in. The substrate support means 40 is provided in this stage 21, and the board | substrate 10 is supported by this board support means 40. FIG. Specifically, the suction force is generated in the plurality of suction holes 21a formed in the surface of the stage 21 so that the substrate 10 can be adsorbed and supported on the surface of the stage 21.

That is, this board | substrate supporting means 40 is the piping 50 which connects and connects the vacuum pump 81 (suction force generating apparatus of this invention), this vacuum pump 81 (refer FIG. 3), and the suction hole 21a. The negative pressure (less than atmospheric pressure) is generated in the suction hole 21a through the piping 50 by operating the vacuum pump 81, and the board | substrate 10 can be supported.

In addition, the board | substrate supporting means 40 is equipped with the pressure control part 41, In this embodiment, this pressure control part 41 is able to adjust to an initial pressure and a support pressure. Here, the initial pressure is the pressure at the time of adsorbing the substrate 10 immediately after being placed on the surface of the stage 21 on the surface of the stage 21, and is sucked by the high-speed exhaust by the vacuum pump 81. This is a pressure for rapidly generating a negative pressure in the hole 21a to instantly adsorb the substrate 10. The supporting pressure is a pressure for maintaining the state in which the substrate 10 is supported on the surface of the stage 21 after the substrate 10 is adsorbed by the initial pressure. It is a pressure which does not produce the shift | offset | difference of the position of the board | substrate 10 adsorb | sucked to (21).

The pressure regulating part 41 is comprised by the piping path which separates the piping (main piping 51) adjusted to initial pressure, and the piping (sub piping 52) adjusted to support pressure. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, a main valve 51a is provided in the main pipe 51 for adjusting the initial pressure, and the vacuum pump 81 is opened and closed by opening and closing the main valve 51a. And suction hole 21a can be connected or shielded. Therefore, the initial pressure is generated in the suction hole 21a by operating the vacuum pump 81 in the state which fully opened this main valve 51a. As a result, the substrate 10 mounted on the surface of the stage 21 can be adsorbed by applying an initial pressure.

In addition, a sub valve 52a and a sub regulator 52b are provided in the sub pipe 52 for adjusting the support pressure. This sub-valve 52a is the same as the main valve 51a, and can open or close this sub-valve 52a to connect or shield the vacuum pump 81 and the suction hole 21a through the sub piping 52. It is supposed to be. In addition, the sub regulator 52b is set so that piping may become a predetermined pressure, and in this embodiment, it is set so that the set pressure of the sub regulator 52b may become a support pressure. Therefore, since the pressure is controlled by the sub regulator 52b by operating the vacuum pump 81 in a state where the sub valve 52a is fully open, the support pressure is generated in the suction hole 21a. In addition, when the vacuum pump 81 is operated with the main valve 51a and the sub valve 52a fully open, the initial pressure is generated in the suction hole 21a by being sucked through the main pipe 51. .

Moreover, the pressure gauge 53 is provided in the piping 50. This pressure gauge 53 measures the pressure in the pipe 50. In the present embodiment, the pressure gauge 53 is provided in the pipe 50 portion near the suction hole 21a directly below the stage 21. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the influence of pressure loss etc. is suppressed and the pressure state of the suction hole 21a can be measured accurately.

Moreover, the stage 21 is provided with the board | substrate elevating mechanism which raises and lowers the board | substrate 10. As shown in FIG. Specifically, a plurality of pin holes are formed on the surface of the stage 21, and lift pins (not shown) that are capable of lifting and lowering in the Z-axis direction are embedded in the pin holes. . That is, when the substrate 10 is loaded in the state in which the lift pin is protruded from the surface of the stage 21, the tip of the lift pin may contact the substrate 10 to support the substrate 10, and the lift pin may be lowered. The substrate 10 can be placed on the surface of the stage 21 by accommodating the pin hole.

In addition, the tip of the lift pin is brought into contact with the substrate 10 by raising the lift pin while the substrate 10 is placed on the surface of the stage 21 so that the substrate 10 is defined by the tip of the plurality of lift pins. It can be supported at the height position of. Thereby, the contact part with the board | substrate 10 can be restrained and supported as much as possible, and it can change smoothly, without damaging the board | substrate 10. FIG.

In addition, the coating unit 30 coats the coating liquid on the substrate 10. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the coating unit 30 includes a leg portion 31 connected to the base 2 and an application portion 34 extending in the Y-axis direction. ) The image is attached to the X axis direction so as to be movable in the X axis direction. Specifically, rails 22 extending in the X-axis direction are provided at both end portions of the base 2 in the Y-axis direction, and the leg portions 31 are attached to slide with the rails 22. And the linear part 33 is attached to the leg part 31, The application | coating unit 30 moves to an X-axis direction, and can stop in arbitrary positions by driving control of this linear motor 33. As shown in FIG. .

On the leg portion 31 of the coating unit 30, an application portion 34 for applying the coating liquid is attached as shown in FIG. Specifically, the leg portion 31 is provided with a rail 37 extending in the Z-axis direction and a slider 35 that slides along the rail 37. Such a slider 35 and an application portion ( 34) is connected. The slider 35 is provided with a ball screw mechanism driven by the servo motor 36 (see Fig. 4), and the slider 35 moves in the Z-axis direction by driving control of the servo motor 36. In addition, it is possible to stop at an arbitrary position. That is, the application part 34 is supported so that the application part 34 may approach or move away from the board | substrate 10 supported by the stage 21. FIG.

The application part 34 forms a coating film on the board | substrate 10 by apply | coating a coating liquid. This application part 34 is a columnar member having a shape extending in one direction and is provided to be substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the application unit 30. The slit nozzle 34a extended in the longitudinal direction is formed in this application part 34, and the coating liquid supplied to the application part 34 is discharged uniformly from the slit nozzle 34a in the longitudinal direction. . Accordingly, by running the coating unit 30 in the X-axis direction while discharging the coating liquid from the slit nozzle 34a, a coating film having a constant thickness is formed on the substrate 10 over the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 34a. It is supposed to be.

Next, the structure of the control system of the said coating apparatus is demonstrated using the block diagram shown in FIG.

4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the control device 90 provided in the mounting apparatus. As shown in Fig. 4, the coating device is provided with a control device 90 for controlling the driving of the various units described above. This control apparatus 90 is provided with the control main body 91, the drive control part 92, the pressure control part 93, the input / output device control part 94, and the external device control part 95. As shown in FIG.

The control main body 91 includes a well-known CPU for executing logical operations, a ROM for storing various programs for controlling the CPU in advance, a RAM for temporarily storing various data during operation of the apparatus, various programs and OS, In addition, an HDD for storing various data such as a production program is provided. And the control main body 91 is equipped with the main control part 91a, the determination part 91b, and the memory | storage part 91c.

The main control unit 91a controls the drive devices such as the servo motor 36 and the linear motor 33 of each unit through the drive control unit 92 in order to execute a series of coating operations in accordance with a program stored in advance. It is.

The determination part 91b determines whether the pressure state which produces | generates a suction force at the time of attracting and supporting the board | substrate 10 is appropriate. In other words, it is determined whether or not the pressure detected by the pressure gauge 53 has reached the initial pressure. Specifically, the preset initial pressure data is stored in the storage unit 91c described later, and it is determined whether or not the detected pressure is this initial pressure. For example, when the initial pressure has been reached, control is performed through the pressure control unit 93 described later so that the main valve 51a is in a closed state. As a result, the pipe 50 connecting the suction hole 21a and the vacuum pump 81 is switched to only the sub pipe 52 so that the pressure generated in the suction hole 21a is adjusted to the supporting pressure set in the sub regulator 52b. It is supposed to be. In addition, when the pressure gauge 53 does not reach initial pressure, the state of the main valve 51a and the sub valve 52a is maintained as it is.

The storage unit 91c is for storing various data and temporarily storing arithmetic results and the like. Specifically, data such as initial pressure and support pressure are stored.

The drive control unit 92 drives the linear motor 33, the servo motor 36, and the like based on the control signal from the control main body unit 91. Specifically, the linear motor 33 and the servo motor 36 are controlled to control the movement of the coating unit 30 and the lifting operation of the coating unit 34.

The pressure control unit 93 senses the pressure in the pipe 50 and controls the pressure generated in the suction hole 21a based on the control signal from the control main body unit 91. Specifically, the pressure in the pipe 50 near the suction hole 21a is sensed by the signal from the pressure gauge 53. In addition, when a signal indicating that the pressure gauge 53 indicates the initial pressure is switched from the control main body 91 to the supporting pressure, the main valve 51a is set so that the main valve 51a is closed from the open state. ) Is controlled so that the inside of the pipe 50 (exactly around the suction hole 21a) becomes the supporting pressure by controlling the driving of the.

The input / output device control unit 94 controls the input / output devices such as the keyboard 83 and the touch panel 82. Specifically, it is possible to set the conditions of the coating operation and the like from the keyboard 83 and the touch panel 82, and it is possible to appropriately set the initial pressure, the supporting pressure, and the like. In addition, when adjusting from initial pressure to support pressure, when the inside of the piping 50 is not set to the support pressure to be adjusted, it displays a warning on a touch panel, and prompts an operator to warn.

The external device control unit 95 performs drive control of the external device based on the control signal from the control main body unit 91. In the present embodiment, the vacuum pump 81 is connected, and by driving the vacuum pump 81, negative pressure can be generated in the suction hole 21a.

Next, the operation in this coating apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, carrying in of the board | substrate 10 is performed in step S1. Specifically, the substrate 10 is placed on the front end of the lift pin by a robot hand not shown in the state where the plurality of lift pins protrude from the surface of the stage 21. .

Next, in step S2, the substrate 10 is placed on the stage 21. Specifically, the substrate 10 is placed on the surface of the stage 21 by lowering the lift pin from the state where the substrate 10 is placed on the tip end of the lift pin. At this time, the substrate 10 is positioned at a predetermined position by the positioning means not shown.

Next, the board | substrate 10 is supported on the stage 21 by step S3-S5. First, the step S3 performs the suction operation of the substrate, and the substrate 10 is sucked onto the stage 21. Specifically, in the state where the main valve 51a and the sub valve 52a are in the open state, the suction force is rapidly generated in the suction hole 21a by driving the vacuum pump 81 to exhaust the gas at high speed. That is, since the atmosphere in the pipe 50 is sucked rapidly from the main pipe 51 by the vacuum pump 81, a negative pressure is rapidly generated in the suction hole 21a, and the board | substrate 10 is instantaneously staged 21 ) Is adsorbed onto.

Then, it is determined whether or not the pressure in the pipe 50 has reached the initial pressure (step S4). Specifically, it is determined whether or not the pressure gauge 53 has reached the initial pressure, and when the initial pressure has not been reached, it proceeds in the direction of NO to continue the adsorption operation of the substrate.

When the pressure gauge 53 has reached the initial pressure, the pressure gauge 53 proceeds in the YES direction to adsorb and support the substrate (step S5). Specifically, the main valve 51a is switched from the open state to the closed state. That is, the vacuum pump 81 and the suction hole 21a are interrupted | blocked, and the piping path of the suction hole 21a and the vacuum pump 81 becomes only the sub piping 52, and the pressure in the suction hole 21a becomes a sub The support pressure set in the regulator 52b is adjusted. Therefore, the substrate 10 is adsorbed and supported by the supporting pressure on the stage 21.

Next, in step S6, the coating operation is performed. That is, the coating film is formed on the surface of the substrate 10 by discharging the coating liquid while driving the coating unit 30 in a specific direction.

Next, in step S7, the substrate 10 is carried out. In other words, after the coating film is formed on the surface of the substrate 10 by the coating operation in S6, the vacuum pump 81 is stopped to return the pressure in the suction hole 21a to atmospheric pressure. By raising the lift pin, the substrate 10 is supported by the tip of the lift pin, and the substrate 10 is conveyed by a robot hand not shown in the drawing, and the substrate 10 is discharged from the surface of the stage 21. .

According to this coating apparatus and the substrate supporting method, when the substrate 10 mounted on the stage 21 is adsorbed, a negative pressure is generated in the suction hole 21a to rapidly adsorb the substrate 10 and adsorb the substrate 10. After the pressure reaches the initial pressure, the adsorbed substrate 10 can be supported on the stage 21 by adjusting the support pressure lower than the initial pressure by the pressure adjusting part 41. Therefore, when the coating liquid is applied onto the substrate 10 by the coating unit 30, the coating liquid can be applied onto the substrate 10 which is adsorbed and supported by a supporting pressure smaller than the initial pressure. As compared with the case where application | coating is carried out in the state of the initial stage pressure which adsorb | sucks the board | substrate 10 mounted on the stage 21, it can suppress that application | coating unevenness generate | occur | produces in the part corresponding to the suction hole 21a. In addition, even when the substrate 10 is supported by the stage 21 by a supporting pressure smaller than the initial pressure, since the initial pressure can be generated at a high speed when the substrate 10 is attracted, the cycle time of the coating apparatus is extended. Can solve the problem.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the example in which the initial pressure and the support pressure are switched by installing the main pipe 51 and the sub pipe 52 and switching the pipe path thereof is described. However, the main valve 51a and the regulator are provided. Only one piping 50 may be used, and the configuration may be such that the initial pressure and the support pressure are switched by controlling the regulation of the regulator. According to this structure, compared with the above embodiment, it takes time to switch the initial pressure and the support pressure, but the piping route becomes one, which is advantageous for the space of the entire coating apparatus.

1 is a perspective view showing a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic view showing the vicinity of a leg of an application unit.

3 is a schematic view showing a vacuum pump and piping system of the coating apparatus.

4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the coating apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the coating device.

** Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawings **

10 boards

21 stage

21a suction hole

30 Dispensing Units

40 Substrate Supporting Means

41 Pressure regulator

50 piping

51a main valve

52a sub valve

52b sub regulator

53 pressure gauge

Claims (4)

A stage for mounting a substrate, Substrate support means for generating a suction force in a suction hole formed in the surface of the stage to adsorb and support the substrate to the surface of the stage; A coating unit for discharging the coating liquid while moving relative to the substrate supported on the surface of the stage is provided. In the coating device provided, The substrate supporting means includes a pressure adjusting unit capable of adjusting a suction force on the substrate, and the pressure adjusting unit includes an initial pressure for adsorbing the substrate immediately after being placed on the surface of the stage, and the initial pressure. And after the substrate is adsorbed, the substrate can be adjusted to a supporting pressure for holding the substrate supported on the surface of the stage, the supporting pressure being set to be smaller than the initial pressure. The method of claim 1, The substrate support means includes a suction force generating device for generating a suction force in the suction hole, and a pipe for connecting and connecting the suction force generator and the suction hole, wherein the pressure adjusting unit is a pipe for adjusting the initial pressure. A coating device, comprising a path and a pipe path to be adjusted by the support pressure, respectively. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And a pressure gauge is provided at a pipe connected to the suction hole, and the pressure gauge is adjusted to the supporting pressure when the pressure gauge reaches the initial pressure. A substrate supporting means for adsorbing and supporting the substrate by generating a suction force on the surface of the stage, and a coating unit for discharging the coating liquid while moving relative to the substrate supported on the surface of the stage. In the substrate support method of the coating apparatus to The substrate support means is provided with a pressure control unit that can adjust the suction force to the substrate by adjusting the pressure added to the substrate, After the pressure to the substrate adsorbed on the surface of the stage reaches the predetermined initial pressure by this pressure adjusting unit, the substrate is supported by adjusting to a supporting pressure smaller than this initial pressure to support the substrate. Way.

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