KR20120029966A - Cleaning device of sheet plate for preparatory photoresist discharging in substrate coater apparatus and apparatus using same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A cleaning device for pre dispensing thin plate of substrate coater apparatus and a substrate coating apparatus using the same are provided to clean the thin plate with a small amount of cleaning solution or compressed dry air. CONSTITUTION: When a thin plate reaches to a separated position from a processed substrate, a cleaning module(210) supplies a cleaning solution on the thin plate. The cleaning module cleans a chemical solution on the surface of the thin plate. The cleaning module includes a plurality of cleaning solution spraying nozzles. A plurality of cleaning solution spraying nozzles supplies the cleaning solution toward the thin plate. Each of the cleaning solution spraying nozzles is formed as a needle typed nozzle.

Description

CLEANING DEVICE OF SHEET PLATE FOR PREPARATORY PHOTORESIST DISCHARGING IN SUBSTRATE COATER APPARATUS AND APPARATUS USING SAME}

The present invention relates to a cleaning mechanism of a thin plate for preliminary discharge of a substrate coater device and a substrate coating device using the same. More specifically, the thin plate for preliminary discharge is formed to be movable in a length corresponding to the width of a substrate to be processed and is movable. In the substrate coater apparatus for performing the preliminary ejection process by discharging the chemical liquid from the ejection opening of the slit nozzle on the surface of the substrate, the cleaning mechanism for the preliminary ejection thin sheet of the substrate coater apparatus which is cleaned quickly and efficiently without applying excessive force to the sheet A substrate coating apparatus.

In the process of manufacturing flat panel displays, such as LCD, the coating process of apply | coating chemical liquids, such as a resist liquid, to the surface of the to-be-processed substrate made from glass etc. is accompanied. Conventionally, when the size of the LCD was small, a spin coating method was used in which the chemical was applied to the surface of the substrate by rotating the substrate while applying the chemical to the center of the substrate.

However, as the size of the LCD screen becomes larger, the spin coating method is scarcely used, and a slit-shaped slit nozzle having a length corresponding to the width of the substrate to be processed and a slit nozzle A coating method of coating the surface of the substrate is used.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional substrate coater apparatus. As shown in Fig. 1, the conventional substrate coater apparatus has a nozzle having a discharge port corresponding to the width of the substrate G in a state where the substrate G is mounted on the substrate chuck 10. The chemical liquid is applied to the surface of the substrate G to be processed while moving 30) in the direction indicated by 30d.

Here, the substrate chuck 10 is formed in a rectangular shape larger than the glass substrate in order to seat the glass substrate (G), a plurality of vacuum holes (not shown) in communication with the vacuum pump for the vacuum adsorption is formed thereon have. The preliminary discharge part 20 is provided at one side of the substrate chuck 10 and includes a cleaning tank 24 and a cylindrical priming roller 22 rotatably installed in the cleaning tank 24. The cleaning tank 24 is filled with the cleaning liquid w so that the lower portion of the priming roller 22 is immersed, and the upper portion of the priming roller 22 is exposed to the outside through an opening in the upper portion of the cleaning tank 24.

In addition, above the substrate chuck 10, the nozzle 30 movable in the longitudinal direction 30d of the substrate chuck 10 moves the preliminary discharge portion 20 and the upper portion of the substrate chuck 10 horizontally. Chemical solution such as photoresist is applied to G). That is, in the substrate coater device configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 2A, the discharge port of the nozzle 30 is primed while the nozzle 30 is horizontally moved and moved to the upper portion of the preliminary discharge part 20. The preliminary discharging step is performed by slightly discharging the chemical liquid 55 onto the rotating priming roller 22 by moving downward 30y so as to be close to the roller 22.

The chemical liquid 55 on the outer circumferential surface of the priming polarizer 22 is immersed in the cleaning liquid w in the cleaning tank 24 by the rotation of the roller 22 as shown in FIG. 2C. The priming roller 22 immersed in the cleaning tank 24 washes the chemical liquid 55 on the surface with the cleaning liquid w, then is dried by the drying air 26a of the dryer 26, and then dried. The preparation for carrying out the preliminary ejection step is completed. Generally, in addition to the cleaning liquid w, various cleaning units, such as a cleaning liquid dropping unit, a blade, a cleaning liquid injector, and a CDA (Clean Dry Air) dryer 26, are installed in the cleaning tank 24, but a detailed description thereof will be omitted. .

The reason for performing the preliminary ejection step is that the ejection opening of the nozzle 30 is contacted with air during the waiting time from the coating process of one substrate G to the next coating process of the substrate G. The photoresist concentration therein is raised to prevent the discharge of the photoresist having the increased concentration onto the substrate G. That is, when a photoresist having a higher concentration is applied to the substrate G, curing of the applied photoresist causes cracking of the coating film vertically or cutting of the coating film. .

After completing the preliminary discharge as described above, as shown in FIG. 2B, the nozzle 30 moves to the processing target substrate G in a state in which the discharge of the chemical liquid is temporarily stopped and moved to the upper portion 30y '. At the position spaced apart from the end of the processing substrate G by a predetermined distance s, the chemical liquid 55 is discharged while the nozzle 30 is moved downward 30y, and the slit nozzle with respect to the processing substrate G is processed. The chemical liquid 55 is apply | coated to the surface of the to-be-processed board | substrate G as 30 moves. This is because the nozzle 30 proceeds a further distance (s) from the tip of the substrate G and starts coating the photoresist according to the process conditions in which a part of the tip and the end of the substrate G should not be coated. Done. As a result, the injection of the chemical liquid is stopped between the preliminary discharge part 20 and the substrate G, thereby causing a problem in that the process efficiency is lowered.

After finishing the preliminary discharge as described above, in order to match the initial coating failure and thickness uniformity in the state stopped at the tip of the substrate (G), various process factors should be adjusted. That is, factors such as bead formation conditions, acceleration of the photosensitive liquid discharge amount, acceleration in the traveling direction, and the like should be controlled. However, since it is very difficult for the amount of the chemical liquid 55 to be discharged from the discharge port of the nozzle 30 to exactly match the amount of the chemical liquid in progress, it is difficult to precisely control the chemical liquid at the point of the first discharge point even if the control factors are precisely controlled. ) Causes a problem that it is difficult to avoid the problem of non-uniformity because the application amount is less or more than other areas.

In addition, in the substrate coating apparatus having the preliminary ejection unit 20 according to the related art, a process time is long and the unit coating process is delayed because the slit nozzle always returns to the front end of the substrate and the preliminary ejection is performed. There is a problem.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, the chemical liquid is discharged from the discharge port of the slit nozzle on the surface of the pre-discharge thin plate is formed to a length corresponding to the width of the substrate to be processed and is installed to perform a pre-discharge process It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning mechanism of a thin plate for preliminary ejection of a substrate coater device which can be cleaned quickly and efficiently without applying excessive force to the thin plate in a substrate coater device, and a substrate coating device using the same.

In order to achieve the object described above, the present invention provides a preliminary ejection process by discharging the chemical liquid from the ejection opening of the slit nozzle on the surface of the preliminary ejection thin plate that is formed to have a length corresponding to the width of the substrate to be processed and is movably installed. A substrate coater apparatus comprising: a cleaning module configured to supply a cleaning liquid to the thin plate to clean the chemical liquid on the surface of the thin plate when the thin plate reaches a second position spaced apart from the substrate to be processed. A cleaning mechanism for a thin plate for preliminary ejection of a substrate coater device is provided.

At this time, the cleaning module is provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid injection holes for supplying the cleaning liquid toward the thin plate, it is possible to clean a large area on the thin plate at once.

The cleaning liquid injection hole may be configured as a needle-shaped nozzle to be configured to spray the cleaning liquid. In addition, in order to more quickly clean the thin plate for preliminary discharge, the cleaning liquid injection hole may be formed in a slit form.

In addition, it is effective that the cleaning liquid supplied through the cleaning liquid injection port is sprayed on the thin plate together with compressed air in order to improve the cleaning effect without applying excessive force to the thin plate. At this time, only the compressed air excluding the cleaning liquid is injected through the cleaning liquid injection port, and the cleaning liquid injection port may serve as the compressed dry air injection port even without a separate dry air injection port.

On the other hand, the cleaning module is provided with a compressed air injection hole for injecting compressed dry air (Compressed Dried Air) toward the thin plate. Through this, after cleaning the chemical liquid on the thin plate using the cleaning liquid, the thin plate can be dried within a short time, and then the chemical liquid coating process of the substrate to be processed can be immediately proceeded.

Above all, the width of the cleaning module is smaller than the length of the thin plate so that the cleaning module moves along the longitudinal direction of the thin plate to supply the cleaning liquid to clean the thin plate. Through this, even if the capacity of the pump or the like for supplying the cleaning liquid is small, it is possible to efficiently clean the wide thin plate.

In addition, the cleaning module is formed in a cross-section 'c' to introduce a thin plate for preliminary discharge into the inner space through an opening, and supplies the cleaning liquid toward the thin plate from the upper and lower sides, respectively, and then supplies the chemical liquid to the substrate to be processed. The slit nozzle is contaminated by the upper and lower contaminants of the thin plate in the process of preventing poor coating, and improves the cleaning and drying performance of the thin plate in a short time.

In addition, a lower side of the moving path of the cleaning module further includes a receiving tank for containing the cleaning liquid falling from the thin plate, to facilitate the treatment of impurities, such as impurities contained in the cleaning process of the thin plate and the cleaning liquid.

On the other hand, according to another field of the invention, the present invention is a substrate coater apparatus for applying the chemical liquid to the surface of the substrate to be discharged by the chemical liquid from the discharge port of the nozzle, the substrate stage for mounting the substrate; A nozzle for applying a chemical to a surface of the substrate to be fixed fixed to the substrate chuck; A preliminary ejection mechanism having a preliminary ejection thin plate formed to be movable in a length corresponding to the width of the substrate to be processed and installed to be movable; Provided is a substrate coater device comprising the cleaning mechanism described above to clean the thin sheet for preliminary ejection.

As described above, the present invention provides a substrate coater for performing a preliminary ejection process by discharging a chemical liquid from a ejection port of a slit nozzle on a surface of a preliminary ejection thin plate that is formed with a length corresponding to the width of the substrate to be processed and is movable. An apparatus, comprising: a 'c' shaped cleaning module for supplying a cleaning liquid to the thin plate to clean the chemical liquid on the surface of the thin plate when the thin plate reaches a second position spaced from the substrate to be processed. The present invention provides a cleaning mechanism of a thin plate for preliminary ejection of a substrate coater device which can be cleaned quickly and efficiently without applying excessive force to the thin plate, and a substrate coater device using the same.

In addition, the present invention is the width of the cleaning module is formed smaller than the length of the thin plate, the cleaning module moves along the longitudinal direction of the thin plate to clean the thin plate, the capacity of the pump or the like to supply a cleaning liquid or compressed dry air, Even if small, a large thin plate can be cleaned efficiently.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of a conventional general substrate coater apparatus
2A to 2C are schematic views for explaining a preliminary ejection process and a substrate coating process using the substrate coater device of FIG.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a substrate coater device according to an embodiment of the present invention
4 is an enlarged view of portion 'A' of FIG.
5 is a front view of the preliminary ejection mechanism of FIG.
6 is an enlarged view of a portion 'B' of FIG.
7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the preliminary ejection mechanism and the cleaning mechanism of FIG. 3 are arranged;
8 is a perspective view of portion 'C' of FIG.
Fig. 9A is a sectional view showing the structure of a cleaning module of the cleaning mechanism of Fig. 3;
9B-9D illustrate another type of cleaning module applicable to the cleaning mechanism of FIG.
FIG. 9E is a cross-sectional view taken along cut line EE of the cleaning module having another internal structure of the slit-shaped jet hole of FIG. 9D
10A to 10C are schematic diagrams showing the configuration according to the substrate coating process according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a substrate coater device provided with a cleaning mechanism 200 of the thin plate for pre-discharge according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing a substrate coater device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion 'A' of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a front view of the preliminary ejection mechanism of FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of portion 'B', FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the preliminary ejection mechanism and the cleaning mechanism are arranged in FIG. 3, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of portion 'C' in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9B to 9D are views showing another configuration of the cleaning module applicable to the cleaning mechanism of FIG. 3.

As shown in the figure, the substrate coater apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate stage 10 for adsorbing the substrate G to be treated by a plurality of suction holes and firmly fixed without shaking, and the substrate stage 10. Slit nozzle 30 for applying the chemical liquid 55 to the surface of the substrate G to be fixed, and gantry for moving the slit nozzle 30 along the longitudinal direction 30d of the substrate stage 10. (Gantry, not shown) and the preliminary discharging mechanism 100 for discharging a small amount of chemical liquid 55 preliminarily before discharging the chemical liquid 55 onto the surface of the substrate G by the slit nozzle 30. ) And a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the chemical liquid on the preliminary discharge mechanism 100.

The preliminary ejection mechanism 100 is formed of a length corresponding to the width of the substrate G to be processed and is formed of a thin metal plate 110 formed to perform preliminary ejection in a state close to the ejection opening of the slit nozzle 30; Tension unit 120 to act on the tension or pull the tension from both sides of the thin plate 110, a tension force measuring unit 124 for measuring the tension force introduced by the tension unit 120, and the thin plate 110 Moving units 130 and 140 for moving the thin plate 110 and the tension unit 120 together to reciprocate a first position proximate the substrate G and a second position spaced apart from the substrate G. It consists of.

Here, the first position where the thin plate 110 is close to the substrate G is a position overlapping the substrate G by a predetermined distance s, or the substrate G and the thin plate 110 are The ends of the substrates G which are not overlapped with each other but are in contact with each other or the processing target substrate G are not in contact with each other but include all of the adjacent positions with a slight gap.

Here, the thin plate 110 is a pin or bolt (111b) to a pair of support (111a) spaced apart to be set to a corresponding length slightly longer than the width of the substrate (G) as shown in Figures 5 and 6 Is fixed. And, since the upper portion of the support 111a is formed in a curved surface and is installed while the thin plate 110 is wound around the pair of supports 111a, the tension unit 120 always has a constant length (110w) even in the synchronization control error. The tension force acts and not only causes the thin plate 110 to be automatically aligned in the arrangement direction of the support 110a, but also prevents local stress from acting on both ends of the thin plate 110.

In addition, the thin plate 110 is selected from a stainless-based metal material that is excellent in corrosion resistance and chemical resistance to chemicals and ensures ductility so as not to be damaged by tension, and is formed to a thickness of about 1 μm to 1000 μm, and Preferably it is formed in the thickness of 20 micrometers-200 micrometers. In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the thin plate 110 may be used by coating with ceramic, quartz on the surface of the material to ensure ductility.

The tension unit 120 tensions the thin plate 110 in a taut state such that the entire discharge port of the slit nozzle 30 becomes a predetermined gap on the surface of the thin plate 110 in the preliminary discharging process. To this end, a fixing block 123y fixed to the body 111 fixed to the lower portion of the support 111a supporting the thin plate 110 is provided, one end of which is fixed to the fixing block 123y and the other end of the linear reciprocating motion. An actuating bar 123 connected to the actuator 122 for performing the operation is provided. As a result, the actuator bar 123 is reciprocated in the direction indicated by reference numeral 122d by the actuator 122, so that the distance between the pair of supports 111a may be close to each other, and thus, the thin plate 110 may be separated. In the direction indicated by 110x in the tension force may be introduced or the tension force may be alleviated.

The tension force introduced into the thin plate 110 by the tension unit 120 is measured and monitored in real time by the tension force measuring unit 124. When the tension force introduced by the tension unit 120 is excessive, tensile rupture of the thin plate may occur, and when the tension force is insufficient, a problem that the deflection amount of the thin plate exceeds the allowable value is generated, and thus, by the tension unit 120 The pulling force of the thin plate 110 is measured by the tension force measuring unit 124, so that an appropriate tension force can be introduced to minimize the amount of deflection of the thin plate 110 with an allowable tension within the elastic limit of the thin plate 110. do.

To this end, the operation bar 123 of the tension unit 120 is formed in the recess, the load cell is located in the recess as the tension force measuring unit 124, the operation unit 123 in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the operation bar 123 The pressing part 123x fixed to the pressurizes the load cell. Accordingly, the tension force introduced by the tension unit 120 is measured from the deformation amount of the load cell.

At this time, the tension unit 120 may be installed on one side of the thin plate 110 and the tension force measuring unit may also be installed on only one side of the thin plate 110 on which the tension unit is installed, but according to one embodiment of the present invention The preliminary ejection mechanism 100 of the tension unit 120 and the tension force measuring unit 124 is preferably installed on both sides of the thin plate (110). Through this, in the process of introducing the tension force to the thin plate 110 can be prevented from excessive force acting on either side.

In the process where the chemical liquid is slightly discharged from the discharge port of the slit nozzle 30 to the surface of the thin plate 110 and preliminarily discharged, the thin plate 110 reciprocates toward or away from the slit nozzle 30 to thereby slit the slit nozzle ( While 30 may perform the preliminary ejection process, the moving distance of the slit nozzle 30 is minimized, thereby reducing the time required for the process of coating the chemical liquid on the surface of one to-be-processed substrate G.

To this end, the support (111a) and the tension unit 120 of the thin plate 110 is fixed to the base (131; 131a, 131b) is moved in the vertical direction and the front and rear direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the thin plate 110 and the tension unit 120 are fixed to the upper base 131a, and the upper base 131a is attached to the drive actuator 132 installed in the lower base 131a. As a result, the lead screw moves in the vertical direction 130d with respect to the lower base 131a. Here, the lower base 131a has guide rails 134 for guiding the upper base 131b that moves up and down in accordance with the forward and reverse rotation of the rotation shaft 133 of the drive actuator 132, and both sides of the base 131. Are installed on each.

And, as shown in Figure 4, the lower base 131b is controlled to move in the front-rear direction along a pair of guide rails 141 provided on both sides of the bottom surface. To this end, when the lead screw motor 142 fixed to the ground rotates in the forward and reverse directions, a male screw thread formed on the rotation shaft 142a of the screw motor 142 is fixed to the fixing plate 143 fixed to the lower base 131b. The lower base 131b is moved in the front-rear direction 140d while being engaged with the formed female thread.

As described above, the preliminary ejection mechanism 100 of the substrate coater apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment may move the thin plate 110 in the vertical direction 130d and the front and rear directions 140d, respectively, and the driving actuator (tension unit). ) And the screw motor 142 may be operated at the same time to move along the inclined path with respect to the plate surface of the substrate G.

The cleaning mechanism 200 includes a chemical liquid 55 in which the slit nozzle 30 is buried in the thin plate 110 during the preliminary ejection process while the slit nozzle 30 applies the chemical liquid 55 to the surface of the substrate G. Rinse and clean. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning mechanism 200 includes a cleaning module 210 through which dry air and the cleaning liquid are discharged to remove the chemical liquid 55 adhered to the thin plate 110, and the cleaning module 210. A cleaning module moving unit 220 for moving the cleaning module 210 to clean the thin plate 110 having an elongated shape as a whole, a receiving tank 230 containing a cleaning liquid and a chemical liquid sprayed from the cleaning module 210, It consists of the support body 240 which supports them.

Therefore, when the slit nozzle 30 moves from the surface of the thin plate 110 onto the surface of the substrate G, the thin plate 110 moves in the direction indicated by the reference numeral 100d ', as shown in Fig. 9A. The opening is formed in the cleaning space 210a inside the cleaning module 210 having a 'C' cross section, and the cleaning module 210 has the length of the thin plate 110 by the cleaning module moving unit 220. The thin plate 110 is primarily cleaned with the cleaning liquid injected from the cleaning liquid nozzle 211 of the cleaning module 210 while moving along the direction 110w). At this time, the cleaning liquid is sprayed on the upper and lower portions of the thin plate 110 at the same time to rinse and clean both surfaces of the thin plate 110 at the same time. The chemical coating process of G) can be performed neatly without contamination.

Then, the cleaning module 210 is moved by the cleaning module moving unit 220 along the length 110w of the thin plate 110 to compressed dry air injected from the air nozzle 212 of the cleaning module 210. As a result, the cleaning liquid buried on the surface of the thin plate 110 is dried. At this time, the cleaning liquid and the chemical liquid are contained in the receiving tank 230 of the cleaning mechanism 200.

With this configuration, the thin plate 110 moves to a first position that is close to the processing target substrate G or overlaps a part of the processing target substrate G in the process of preliminarily discharging the slit nozzle 30, The preliminary ejection can be performed at a moving distance much shorter than the moving distance reaching the thin plate 110 at the slit nozzle 30 in a fixed position. In particular, when the thin plate 110 is positioned so as to overlap with a predetermined distance s of the end portion of the substrate G to be processed, the slit nozzle 30 performs the preliminary ejection on the upper side of the thin plate 110 and the substrate coating direction. It moves to 30d, and the process of coating the chemical | medical solution 55 on the surface of the to-be-processed substrate G immediately without interruption | discharging can be continued continuously. By overlapping by a predetermined distance (s) of the end of the substrate (G) by the thin plate 110, it is possible to simply adjust the length of the end of the substrate (G) to prevent the chemical liquid is coated. Therefore, the length s where the thin plate 110 and the processing target substrate G overlap is set to 1 mm to 2 mm.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the cleaning module 210 uses a needle-type multiple nozzles 211 and 212 to apply cleaning liquid and compressed dry air to the surface of the thin plate 110 introduced into the cleaning space 210a. It can be configured to spray. The cleaning liquid is supplied through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 211a and sprayed toward the thin plate 110 through the cleaning nozzle 211, and the compressed dry air is supplied through the dry air supply pipe 212a and the thin plate through the dry air nozzle 212. Sprayed toward 110.

Although FIG. 9A shows that the compressed drying air and the cleaning liquid are sprayed together, only the cleaning liquid may be sprayed in the washing step. Alternatively, the cleaning liquid may be sprayed together with the compressed drying air in the washing step, and only the compressed drying air is dried in the drying step. Sprayed.

On the other hand, instead of supplying the cleaning liquid or compressed dry air using the needle-type nozzles 211 and 212, the cleaning liquid chamber 212c 'and the dry air chamber (like the cleaning module 210' shown in Fig. 9B) are provided. 211c '), the cleaning liquid and the compressed drying air may be supplied to the thin plate 110 through the plurality of opening holes 211', 212 '. At this time, in order to regulate the pressure in the chambers 211c 'and 212c', control valves 211a 'and 212a' are provided between the pump (not shown) and the chambers 211c 'and 212c'.

Similarly, as the cleaning module 2101 'shown in Fig. 9C, the cleaning liquid and the compressed air flow into the cleaning liquid chamber 212c' for supplying the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid opening 212 'is removed from the cleaning liquid chamber 212c. The cleaning liquid sprayed through may be discharged at a predetermined pressure in a spray state in which a liquid and a gas are mixed. Through this, it is possible to minimize the damage caused by the inertia of the cleaning liquid itself applied to the thin plate 110 and to increase the cleaning efficiency.

In the drawing, reference numeral '212a1' denotes a valve for adjusting the supply amount of the cleaning liquid, and in the figure, reference numeral '212a2' denotes a valve for controlling the supply amount of compressed air, and in the figure, '211a' denotes the valve. The valve regulates the supply of compressed dry air.

On the other hand, the cleaning module 210 ″ which is supplied toward the thin plate 110 does not supply cleaning liquid and compressed dry air in the form of a nozzle or an opening, as shown in FIG. 9D, and has a slit-shaped jet hole 211. The cleaning liquid and the compressed dry air may be sprayed onto the thin plate 110 through each of the “, 212”. Through this, the amount of the washing liquid and the compressed dry air per unit time supplied to the thin plate 110 increases, thereby cleaning the module 210. It is possible to increase the speed of moving the ") in the direction of the length 110w of the thin plate 110 to increase the efficiency of the cleaning process, and the thin plate 110 in the form of a continuous curtain as compared to the point-type supply nozzles spaced apart from each other. ), The advantage of being able to perform a thorough clean-up is obtained.

Meanwhile, instead of supplying the cleaning liquid and the compressed dry air through the slit-shaped jet holes 211 ″ and 212 ″, the cleaning module 210 ′ ′ is provided with a single jet hole 211 as shown in FIG. 9E. "') And the cleaning solution and the compressed dry air is supplied together to clean both sides of the thin plate 110, and to supply only the compressed dry air to the blowing hole (211"') to be configured to dry both sides of the thin plate (110) In other words, a cleaning liquid mixed with compressed air may be injected into one slit-type discharge hole 211 "', or only compressed dry air may be injected. Since the cleaning liquid remaining in the region 211x where the cleaning liquid and the compressed air are combined at the time of spraying the compressed drying air is instantaneously dried and immediately discharged, the drying process of the thin plate 110 can be substantially smoothed.

At this time, the flow passage 212a "'through which the compressed dry air is supplied and the flow passage 211a"' through which the cleaning liquid is provided have a Y shape, so that the other one can be smoothly supplied even if one supply pressure is high. do. Therefore, the cleaning liquid is mixed with the compressed air in the region 211x where the flow passage 212a ″ 'through which the compressed dry air is supplied and the flow passage 211a ″ ′ through which the cleaning liquid is supplied are mixed with the compressed air, and the high pressure is supplied through the cleaning liquid injection port 211 ″'. Can be diluted with air and sprayed.

In the figure, reference numeral '212a''is a cleaning liquid supply pipe for supplying a cleaning liquid, and' 211a '' is a dry air supply pipe for supplying compressed dry air.

At this time, the first position where the thin plate 110 overlaps by a predetermined distance s of the end portion of the substrate G may be positioned in a state in which the thin plate 110 contacts and covers the substrate G. The thin plate 110 is spaced apart slightly from the surface of the substrate G to be overlapped but may be positioned in a non-contact state.

Through this, the conventional problem that the coating process of the substrate to be processed is delayed due to the preliminary ejection process of the slit nozzle 30 does not occur, and the process required for the coating process of the unit substrate to be processed G can be shortened. At the same time, the chemical liquid discharge of the slit nozzle 30 is not interrupted and is continuously applied from the surface of the thin plate 110 to the surface of the substrate G to be treated. The chemical liquid is applied in thickness. Therefore, the chemical liquid is applied to a uniform thickness throughout the substrate to be implemented to implement a coating of excellent quality.

Hereinafter, the substrate coating method according to the first embodiment of the present invention of the substrate coater device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10C.

Step 1 : The substrate G is mounted on the surface of the substrate stage 10 and a negative pressure is applied to a plurality of suction holes (not shown) of the substrate stage 10 to firmly fix the substrate G. Let's do it.

Step 2 : And, as shown in FIG. 10A, the thin plate 110 is moved in the direction indicated by reference numeral 110d by the moving units 130 and 140 so that the thin plate 110 overlaps with a portion of the substrate G to be processed. Move it. At this time, the thin plate 110 is positioned so as to overlap by a predetermined length s so as not to apply the chemical liquid 55 to the surface of the substrate G to be processed.

Step 3 : Then, the slit nozzle 30 is moved above the thin plate 110, and then moved downward 30y to bring the discharge port of the slit nozzle 30 into the thin plate 110. Then, the chemical liquid 55 is applied to the surface of the thin plate 110 by controlling a pump (not shown) controlling the slit nozzle 30 to discharge the cured chemical liquid 55 around the discharge port of the slit nozzle 30. By doing this, a preliminary ejection step is performed.

Step 4 : As soon as Step 3 is performed, as shown in Fig. 10B, the slit nozzle 30 proceeds in the direction indicated by reference numeral 30d without interrupting the discharge of the chemical liquid 55. Accordingly, the slit nozzle 30 continuously applies the chemical liquid 55 to the surface of the substrate G after the surface of the thin plate 110.

Therefore, the slit nozzle 30 can perform the preliminary ejection process even if the slit nozzle 30 does not move to the preliminary ejection portion, which is spaced apart from the substrate G for conventionally preliminary ejection. The chemical liquid 55 can be coated continuously from the position spaced apart by the predetermined length s on the surface of the substrate G without stopping the chemical liquid discharge of the slit nozzle 30. In addition, since the portion 55x in which the thickness of the chemical liquid is not constant at the time of initial discharge of the slit nozzle 30 exists on the thin plate 110, even if the chemical liquid discharge pressure of the slit nozzle 30 is not fluctuately controlled, The thickness of the chemical liquid 55 applied to the substrate G to be processed is applied to a constant thickness.

Step 5 : When the slit nozzle 30 passes the surface of the thin plate 110 in the course of step 4, the acute angle θ of approximately 40 degrees to 85 degrees with respect to the substrate G as shown in FIG. 10C. ) And retracted in the diagonal direction indicated by reference numeral 110d ", and then moved to the cleaning space 210a of the cleaning module 210 of the cleaning mechanism 200. Thus, the thin plate 110 is processed substrate G By retreating in the diagonal direction 110d ″, which is an acute angle with respect to the), the coating layer of the chemical liquid 55 continuously applied to the surface of the thin plate 110 and the substrate to be processed G is neatly separated without a change in thickness.

The 'diagonal direction' described in the present specification and claims is not necessarily limited to the straight path direction, and includes a curved path direction.

Step 6 : By spraying the cleaning liquid and compressed dry air while the cleaning module 210 moves in the direction indicated by 210d, the chemical liquid 55 on the surface of the thin plate 110 moved into the cleaning module 210 is washed and dried. do. Step 6 is all performed during the process of step 4 in which the slit nozzle 30 applies the chemical liquid 55 while moving the surface of the substrate G to be processed. Therefore, the time required for cleaning the thin plate 110 does not delay the chemical liquid coating process of the substrate G to be processed.

When the process of step 4 is completed, steps 1 to 6 are repeated, and then the chemical liquid coating process of the substrate to be processed G is performed. As described above, as the chemical liquid coating process of the substrate G is performed, the time required for coating the chemical liquid of the substrate G is shortened, so that the productivity is improved, and the chemical liquid is applied to the substrate G. Since the thickness of the chemical liquid applied from the starting point to the end point is uniform, it is possible to obtain the advantageous effect of coating the chemical liquid with high quality.

Hereinafter, the substrate coating method according to the second embodiment of the present invention of the substrate coater device configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11C.

Step 1 : The substrate G is mounted on the surface of the substrate stage 10 and a negative pressure is applied to a plurality of suction holes (not shown) of the substrate stage 10 to firmly fix the substrate G. Let's do it. The thin plate 110 is located near the substrate G without being overlapped with the substrate G.

Step 2 : And, as shown in FIG. 11A, after the slit nozzle 30 is moved upward of the thin plate 110, the slit nozzle 30 is moved downward 30y to discharge the slit nozzle 30. And the thin plate 110 is in close proximity.

Step 3 : Then, the chemical liquid 55 is applied to the surface of the thin plate 110 by controlling a pump (not shown) that controls the slit nozzle 30 to harden the chemical liquid (around the discharge port of the slit nozzle 30). A preliminary ejection step is performed by discharging 55). At the same time, as shown in Fig. 11A, the slit nozzle 30 is moved forward with respect to the thin plate 110, while the slit nozzle 30 and the thin plate 110 move together toward the substrate G to be processed. . That is, the slit nozzle 30 is controlled to move slightly faster than the thin plate 110.

Accordingly, when the thin plate 110 reaches a position overlapping the substrate G to be processed by the predetermined length s, the movement of the thin plate 110 is stopped. At this time, although the thin plate 110 may be positioned in contact with the substrate G, the thin plate 110 may be spaced apart by a predetermined minute gap c in order to prevent breakage of the thin plate 110.

At this time, the thin plate 110 stops, but the slit nozzle 30 moves while applying the chemical liquid continuously to the surface of the thin plate 110 without interruption of the chemical liquid discharge as shown in FIG. 11B.

Therefore, the slit nozzle 30 can perform the preliminary ejection process even if the slit nozzle 30 does not move to the preliminary ejection portion disposed far away from the substrate G for the preliminary ejection, and the chemical liquid ejection of the slit nozzle 30 is prevented. The chemical liquid 55 can be coated continuously from the position spaced apart by the predetermined length s on the surface of the substrate G without interruption. In addition, since the portion 55x in which the thickness of the chemical liquid is not constant at the time of initial discharge of the slit nozzle 30 exists on the thin plate 110, even if the chemical liquid discharge pressure of the slit nozzle 30 is not fluctuately controlled, The thickness of the chemical liquid 55 applied to the substrate G to be processed is applied to a constant thickness.

Step 5 : When the slit nozzle 30 passes the surface of the thin plate 110 in the course of step 4, the acute angle θ of approximately 40 degrees to 55 degrees with respect to the substrate G as shown in Fig. 11C. ), And retracted in the direction indicated by reference numeral 110d ", and then moved to the cleaning space 210a of the cleaning module 210 of the cleaning mechanism 200. Thus, the thin plate 110 is processed substrate G As the retracted direction 110d ″ with respect to the acute angle with respect to, the coating layer of the chemical liquid 55 continuously applied to the surface of the thin plate 110 and the substrate to be processed G is neatly separated without changing the thickness.

Step 6 : By spraying the cleaning liquid and compressed dry air while the cleaning module 210 moves in the direction indicated by 210d, the chemical liquid 55 on the surface of the thin plate 110 moved into the cleaning module 210 is washed and dried. do. Step 6 is all performed during the process of step 4 in which the slit nozzle 30 applies the chemical liquid 55 while moving the surface of the substrate G to be processed. Therefore, the time required for cleaning the thin plate 110 does not delay the chemical liquid coating process of the substrate G to be processed.

When the process of step 4 is completed, steps 1 to 6 are repeated, and then the chemical liquid coating process of the substrate to be processed G is performed. As described above, as the chemical liquid coating process of the substrate G is performed, the time required for coating the chemical liquid of the substrate G is shortened, so that the productivity is improved, and the chemical liquid is applied to the substrate G. Since the thickness of the chemical liquid applied from the starting point to the end point is uniform, it is possible to obtain the advantageous effect of coating the chemical liquid with high quality.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **
10: substrate stage 30: slit nozzle
100: preliminary discharge mechanism 110: thin plate
120: tension unit 124: tension force measuring unit
130, 140: mobile unit 200: cleaning mechanism
210,210 ', 210 ": Cleaning module 220: Cleaning module moving unit
230: reservoir 240: support

Claims (15)

In the substrate coater apparatus which performs a preliminary ejection process by discharging a chemical | medical solution from the ejection opening of a slit nozzle on the surface of the preliminary ejection thin plate which is formed in the length corresponding to the width | variety of the said to-be-processed substrate, and is movable.
A cleaning module for supplying a cleaning liquid to the thin plate and cleaning the chemical liquid on the surface of the thin plate when the thin plate reaches a position spaced apart from the substrate to be processed;
And a cleaning mechanism for the thin plate for preliminary ejection of the substrate coater device.
The method of claim 1,
And said cleaning module comprises a plurality of cleaning liquid injection holes for supplying a cleaning liquid toward said thin plate.
The method of claim 2,
The cleaning liquid jet opening is formed of a needle (needle) nozzle to spray the cleaning liquid, the cleaning mechanism of the thin plate for preliminary ejection of the substrate coater device.
The method of claim 2,
The cleaning liquid jet opening of the thin plate for preliminary ejection of the substrate coater device, characterized in that formed in the form of a slit.
The method of claim 2,
And a cleaning liquid supplied through the cleaning liquid injection port is sprayed onto the thin plate together with the compressed air.
6. The method of claim 5,
The cleaning liquid jetting port sprays only compressed air excluding the cleaning liquid, and serves as a compressed air jetting port.
6. The method of claim 5,
The cleaning liquid jetting mechanism of the thin plate for preliminary ejection of the substrate coater device, characterized in that the flow path through which the compressed air is supplied and the flow path through which the cleaning liquid is supplied form a 'Y' shape.
The method of claim 2,
And said cleaning module has a compressed air jet port for injecting compressed dry air toward said thin plate.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The width of the cleaning module is formed smaller than the length of the thin plate, the cleaning module moves along the longitudinal direction of the thin plate to supply a cleaning liquid to clean the thin plate of the substrate coater apparatus, characterized in that Cleaning appliance.
The method of claim 9,
The cleaning module is a cleaning mechanism of the thin plate for pre-discharge of the substrate coater device, characterized in that the 'C' is formed in the cross-section to supply the cleaning liquid toward the thin plate from the upper and lower sides, respectively.
The method of claim 10,
And a receiving tank for containing a cleaning liquid falling from the thin plate at a lower side of the moving path of the cleaning module.
A substrate coater apparatus for discharging a chemical liquid from a discharge port of a nozzle to apply the chemical liquid to a surface of a substrate to be processed,
A substrate stage for mounting the substrate to be processed;
A nozzle for applying a chemical to a surface of the substrate to be fixed fixed to the substrate chuck;
A preliminary ejection mechanism having a preliminary ejection thin plate formed to be movable in a length corresponding to the width of the substrate to be processed and installed to be movable;
A cleaning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for cleaning the thin sheet for preliminary ejection;
Substrate coater device comprising a.
The method of claim 12,
The width of the cleaning module is formed smaller than the length of the thin plate, the substrate coating apparatus, characterized in that for cleaning the thin plate by supplying a cleaning liquid while moving along the longitudinal direction of the thin plate.
The method of claim 13,
The cleaning module is a substrate coater device, characterized in that the 'C' is formed in the cross-section supplying the cleaning liquid toward the thin plate from the top and bottom, respectively.
The method of claim 14,
Substrate coater apparatus, characterized in that the lower side of the movement path of the cleaning module further comprises a holding tank for cleaning liquid falling from the thin plate.

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