KR20160097025A - Unit for supplying chemical and Apparatus treating substrate with the unit - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chemical supplying unit and a substrate treating apparatus having the same. The chemical supplying unit includes an injection member which has housings arranged in a first direction, and nozzle plates which are simultaneously combined with each of the housings. Each of the housings has a flow path along which a process solution flows. The nozzle plate has injection holes connected to the flow path to inject the process solution. So, the misalignment of the injection nozzles can be prevented.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid supply unit,

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying a treatment liquid.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, liquid crystal display devices have been widely used in display portions of electronic devices such as portable telephones and portable computers. Such a liquid crystal display device has a structure in which liquid crystal is injected into a space between a black matrix, a color filter, a color filter substrate on which a common electrode and an alignment film are formed, a thin film transistor (TFT), a pixel electrode and an alignment film- To obtain a visual effect.

As an apparatus for applying a treatment liquid such as an alignment liquid or a liquid crystal on the color filter substrate and the array substrate, an inkjet type coating apparatus is used. Such a coating apparatus includes a liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid onto a substrate. The liquid supply unit has a plurality of discharge heads. FIG. 1 is a front view of general discharge heads, and FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the discharge heads of FIG. 1. FIG. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a nozzle plate is coupled to the bottom surface of each of the ejection heads. The processing liquid accommodated in the ejection head is supplied to the substrate through the ejection holes formed in the nozzle plate.

The discharge holes formed in the nozzle plate are associated with a region where the treatment liquid is supplied onto the substrate. Therefore, the discharge holes formed in the respective nozzle plates must be aligned before the substrate processing process is performed. Therefore, by using the vision camera, the discharge heads are moved to the proper positions so that the discharge holes are aligned.

However, it takes a lot of time to shoot each of the discharge holes and to match them to the setting data. Further, the vision camera for photographing the nozzle plate and the discharge head not only narrows the space of the substrate processing apparatus, but also complicates the apparatus.

Korean Published Patent Application No. 2006-0037936

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable of preventing misalignment of discharge holes through which discharge liquids are discharged from discharge heads.

The present invention further simplifies the arrangement for aligning the positions of the discharge holes.

The present invention relates to a unit for supplying a treatment liquid and an apparatus having the unit. The liquid supply unit includes a discharge member having a plurality of housings arranged in a first direction, and a nozzle plate which is coupled to each of the plurality of housings simultaneously, wherein each of the housings has a flow path through which the process liquid flows, The nozzle plate is formed with discharge holes connected to the flow path for discharging the processing liquid.

The plurality of discharge members are provided in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when viewed from above, and the plurality of nozzle plates may be provided to each of the discharge members. Further comprising a vibrator which is located in each of the plurality of housings and presses the processing liquid so that the processing liquid flowing in the flow path flows toward the discharge hole, wherein each of the areas of the nozzle plate opposed to the housings The discharge holes may be formed in the same arrangement with each other. The arrangement of the discharge holes formed between two adjacent regions of the regions of the nozzle plate may be positioned to be shifted with respect to the first direction. At least four of the discharge holes may be disposed on the nozzle plate so as to be offset from each other with respect to the second direction.

The substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate supporting unit for supporting a substrate and transporting the substrate in a first direction, a second supporting member positioned on a conveying path of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit and having a second direction perpendicular to the first direction And a liquid supply unit for supplying a treatment liquid onto the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit, wherein the liquid supply unit is supported by the gantry, and a plurality of And a plurality of housings respectively coupled to the plurality of housings, wherein each of the housings has a flow path through which the process liquid flows, and the nozzle plate is connected to the plurality of housings, The discharge holes are formed.

The plurality of discharge members are provided in the second direction, and the plurality of nozzle plates may be provided to each of the discharge members. Wherein the liquid supply unit further includes a vibrator which is located in each of the plurality of housings and presses the processing liquid so that the processing liquid flowing in the flow path flows toward the discharge hole, The discharge holes may be formed in the same arrangement in each of the regions. The arrangement of the discharge holes formed between two adjacent regions of the regions of the nozzle plate may be positioned to be shifted with respect to the first direction.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to omit the process of aligning the discharge holes as the nozzle plate is simultaneously coupled to the housings.

In addition, according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the process of aligning the positions of the discharge holes is omitted, the apparatus used for aligning the discharge holes can be simplified.

1 is a front view of general discharge heads.
Fig. 2 is a view showing the discharge heads of Fig. 1 from below. Fig.
3 is a view showing a configuration of an inkjet type substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a perspective view showing the liquid crystal discharge unit of FIG.
5 is a plan view showing the liquid crystal discharge unit of FIG.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the liquid supply unit of Fig. 4;
7 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge heads of FIG. 6 viewed from a first direction.
8 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge heads of FIG. 6 viewed in the second direction.
FIG. 9 is a view showing the discharge heads of FIG. 6 from below.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each drawing has been partially or exaggerated for clarity. It should be noted that, in adding reference numerals to the constituent elements of the respective drawings, the same constituent elements are shown to have the same reference numerals as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

In this embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus for applying a treatment liquid to an object by an inkjet method for ejecting droplets will be described. The object liquid may be a color filter (CF) substrate or a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate of a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid may be a liquid crystal, an alignment liquid, red (R) Green (G), or blue (B) ink. As the alignment liquid, polyimide may be used.

The alignment liquid can be applied to the entire surface of the color filter (CF) substrate and the thin film transistor (TFT) substrate, and the liquid crystal can be applied to the entire surface of the color filter (CF) substrate or the thin film transistor (TFT) substrate. The ink may be applied to the interior area of the black matrix arranged in a lattice pattern on a color filter (CF) substrate.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus for applying liquid crystal (liquid crystal) to a substrate by an inkjet method for ejecting droplets.

The substrate may be a color filter (CF) substrate or a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate of a liquid crystal display panel, and the liquid crystal may be applied to an entire surface of a color filter (CF) substrate or a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate.

3 is a view showing a substrate processing apparatus of an inkjet type. 3, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a liquid crystal discharge unit 10, a substrate transfer unit 20, a loading unit 30, an unloading unit 40, a liquid crystal supply unit 50, and a main controller 90 ). The liquid crystal discharge portion 10 and the substrate transfer portion 20 are arranged in a line in the first direction I and can be positioned adjacent to each other. A liquid crystal supply part 50 and a main control part 90 are disposed at positions facing the substrate transfer part 20 with the liquid crystal discharge part 10 as a center. The liquid crystal supply part 50 and the main control part 90 may be arranged in a line in the second direction II. The loading unit 30 and the unloading unit 40 are disposed at positions facing the liquid crystal discharge unit 10 with the substrate transfer unit 20 as a center. The loading section 30 and the unloading section 40 may be arranged in a line in the second direction II.

Here, the first direction I is an arrangement direction of the liquid crystal discharge portion 10 and the substrate transfer portion 20, the second direction II is a direction perpendicular to the first direction I on the horizontal plane, (III) is a direction perpendicular to the first direction (I) and the second direction (II).

The substrate to which the liquid crystal is to be applied is brought into the loading section 30. The substrate transferring unit 20 transfers the substrate loaded into the loading unit 30 to the liquid crystal discharging unit 10. The liquid crystal discharge portion 10 receives the liquid crystal from the liquid crystal supply portion 50 and discharges the liquid crystal onto the substrate by an inkjet method. When the liquid crystal discharge is completed, the substrate transfer section 20 transfers the substrate from the liquid crystal discharge section 10 to the unloading section 40. The substrate coated with the liquid crystal is taken out of the unloading portion 40. The main control unit 90 controls the overall operations of the liquid crystal discharge unit 10, the substrate transfer unit 20, the loading unit 30, the unloading unit 40, and the liquid crystal supply unit 50.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the liquid crystal discharging unit of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the liquid crystal discharging unit of FIG. 4 and 5, the liquid crystal discharging portion 10 includes a base B, a substrate supporting unit 100, a gantry 200, a liquid supply unit 500, a head control unit 400, (800).

The base (B) can be provided in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a constant height. The base (B) has a longitudinal direction toward the first direction (I) and a width toward the second direction (II). The upper surface of the base (B) is provided as a space in which the devices for processing the substrate are disposed.

The substrate supporting unit 100 conveys the substrate S in the first direction I on the upper surface of the base B. The substrate supporting unit 100 is disposed on the upper surface of the base B. The substrate support unit 100 includes a support plate 110, a rotation drive member 120, and a linear drive member 130. The support plate (110) supports the substrate (S). The support plate 110 may be a rectangular plate. The rotation driving member 120 is connected to the lower surface of the support plate 110. The rotation drive member 120 may be a rotary motor. The rotation driving member 120 rotates the support plate 110 around a rotation center axis perpendicular to the support plate 100. [ When the support plate 110 is rotated by the rotation driving member 120, the substrate S can be rotated together with the support plate 110. When the long side direction of the cell formed on the substrate S to which the liquid crystal is to be applied faces the first direction I, the rotation driving member 120 rotates the substrate such that the long side direction of the cell faces the second direction II .

The linear driving member 130 linearly moves the supporting plate 110 and the rotation driving member 120 in the first direction I. The linear driving member 130 includes a slider 132 and a guide member 134. The slider 132 is installed below the rotation drive member 120. [ The guide member 134 is elongated in the first direction I in the center of the upper surface of the base B. A linear motor (not shown) may be incorporated in the slider 132 and is linearly moved along the guide member 134 in the first direction I.

The gantry 200 is provided at an upper portion of a path through which the support plate 110 is moved. The gantry 200 is disposed upwardly away from the upper surface of the base B and the gantry 200 is arranged such that its longitudinal direction is in the second direction II. The gantry 200 is supported by a support shaft 220. A plurality of support shafts 220 are provided and support both side edge regions of the gantry 200. Each support shaft 220 is spaced apart from one another along the second direction II. For example, the support shaft 220 may be two. The support shafts 220 are fixedly coupled to the upper surface of the base B. At the upper end of the support shafts 220, both side edge regions of the gantry 200 are engaged. Alternatively, the support shaft 220 is linearly moved in the first direction by the guide rails, and the gantry 200 can be changed in relative position with the substrate supporting unit 100. [

The liquid supply unit 500 supplies the processing liquid to the substrate. For example, the treatment liquid may be provided as an ink containing a liquid crystal. The ink may be a liquid having viscosity. The liquid supply unit 500 includes the discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c and the nozzle plates 700 and 640.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the liquid supply unit of Fig. 4; Referring to Fig. 6, the discharging members 500a, 500b, and 500c supply the treating liquid onto the substrate S supported by the substrate supporting unit 100. Fig. The plurality of discharge members (500a, 500b, 500c) are provided. The discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c are arranged in a line along the second direction II and are coupled to the gantry 200. [ The discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c are spaced apart from each other with respect to the second direction II. Each of the ejection members 500a, 500b, 500c includes a plurality of ejection heads 600. In this embodiment, three discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c are provided, and the individual discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c have two discharge heads 600. FIG. However, the number of the discharging members 500a, 500b, 500c and the discharging heads 600 is not limited to this, and two or more discharging members 500a, 500b, 500c and three or more discharging heads 600 may be provided .

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge heads of FIG. 6 viewed from a first direction, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the discharge heads 600 of FIG. 6 viewed from a second direction. 7 and 8, the discharge head 600 includes a housing 610, a liquid supply line 652, a liquid discharge line 654, and a vibrator 630. In the housing 610, a flow path 612 through which the treatment liquid flows is formed. An inlet port and an outlet port are formed at the upper end of the housing 610, and a plurality of discharge ports 614 are formed at the bottom surface thereof. For example, the discharge port 614 may have 128 or 256 discharge ports. The flow path 612 connects the inlet port, the outlet port 614, and the outlet port so as to communicate with each other. Here, the inlet port is a passage through which the process liquid is introduced into the housing 610, and the outlet port is a passage through which the process liquid is discharged from the inside of the housing 610. The discharge port 614 is a passage through which the processing liquid provided inside the housing 610 is discharged onto the substrate S. [ The liquid supply line 652 connects the inlet of the housing 610 and the liquid supply source to each other. The treatment liquid is supplied from the liquid supply source through the liquid supply line 652 to the flow path 612 of the housing 610. The liquid discharge line 654 is connected to the outlet of the housing 610. When the discharge head 600 is in the standby state, the processing liquid flowing in the flow path 612 can be discharged through the liquid discharge line 654.

The vibrator 630 pressurizes the treatment liquid so that the treatment liquid flowing in the flow path 612 flows toward the discharge port 614. [ The vibrator 630 opens or cuts the discharge port 614. A plurality of vibrators 630 are provided. According to one example, the vibrator 630 may be provided in a number corresponding one-to-one with the discharge port 614. [ The vibrator 630 is electrically connected and can open or shut off the respective ejection openings 614 by an electric signal. Each of the oscillators 630 can be independently controlled. For example, the vibrator 630 may be a piezoelectric element 630. [

FIG. 9 is a view showing the discharge heads of FIG. 6 from below. Referring to FIG. The nozzle plate 700 is coupled to each of the discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c. A plurality of nozzle plates 700 are provided and are provided in a number corresponding one-to-one with the discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c. The nozzle plate 700 is simultaneously coupled to the plurality of discharge heads 600 provided in the individual discharge members 500a, 500b, and 500c. The nozzle plate 700 is fixedly coupled to the bottom surface of the housing 610. In the nozzle plate 700, a plurality of discharge holes 710 are formed in each of a plurality of regions. Each area of the nozzle plate 700 is provided as an opposed surface corresponding to the individual housing 610. According to one example, the nozzle plate 700 may have a first region and a second region. The first region and the second region are provided in a line along the first direction. The first region is opposed to one of the ejection heads 600, and the second region is opposed to the other. The discharge holes 710 are arranged in the first area and the second area, respectively. The nozzle plate 700 is coupled to the housing 610 such that the discharge hole 710 coincides with the discharge port 614 of the housing 610. In each of the first and second regions, discharge holes 710 are formed in a zigzag shape along the second direction. In addition, the discharge holes 710 of the first area and the discharge holes 710 of the second area are positioned to be shifted from each other with respect to the first direction. A first gap D1 toward the second direction II is provided between the discharge hole 710 provided in the first row of the first region and the discharge hole 710 provided in the first row of the second region. A second gap D2 toward the second direction II between the discharge hole 710 provided in the first row of the second region and the discharge hole 710 provided in the second row of the first region. The first interval D1 and the second interval D2 are provided at equal intervals. Therefore, the discharge holes 710 formed in the nozzle plate 700 are all shifted with respect to the first direction I. Alternatively, the first interval D1 and the second interval D2 may be provided at different intervals depending on the operator's setting. In addition, the discharge holes 710 provided in the first row of the first region and the discharge holes 710 provided in the second row of the first region are positioned offset from each other with respect to the second direction II. Therefore, four of the discharge holes 710 formed in the nozzle plate 700 are positioned to be shifted with respect to the second direction II. Alternatively, two, three, and five or more discharge holes 710 may be positioned in the second direction II with respect to the second direction.

The head control unit 400 controls the liquid crystal discharge of the discharge heads 600. The head control unit 400 may be disposed in the liquid crystal discharge portion 10 adjacent to the discharge heads 600. [ For example, the head control unit 400 may be disposed at the top of the gantry 200. In this embodiment, the case where the head control unit 400 is disposed at the upper end of the gantry 200 is described as an example, but the position of the head control unit 400 is not limited thereto. The head control unit 400 is electrically connected to each of the ejection heads 600 and applies a control signal to each of the ejection heads 600. The head control unit 400 may be connected to each of the vibrators 630. [

The inspection unit 800 confirms whether or not there is an abnormality in the treatment liquid discharge flow rate of the discharge heads 600. [ The inspection unit 800 determines the weight of the treatment liquid discharged from each of the discharge heads 600 and confirms whether or not the discharge ports 614 are abnormal. The inspection unit (800) includes a plurality of weighing members (810). The weighing members 810 are provided in a number corresponding one-to-one with the discharging heads 600. Each weighing member 810 receives the treatment liquid discharged from each of the discharge heads 600 and measures its weight. For example, the weighing member 810 may be a balance. The weight measuring member 810 determines that some of the ejection outlets 614 are clogged or abnormal in the vibrator 630 when the weight of the ejected processing liquid is below a certain weight, .

500a, 500b, 500c: Discharge member 600: Discharge head
610: housing 612:
700: nozzle plate 710: discharge hole
630: oscillator

Claims (9)

A discharge member having a plurality of housings arranged in a first direction;
And nozzle plates concurrently coupled to each of the plurality of housings,
Each of the housings has a flow path through which a treatment liquid flows,
Wherein the nozzle plate is formed with discharge holes connected to the flow path for discharging the processing liquid. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of discharge members are provided in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when viewed from above,
Wherein the nozzle plate is provided with a plurality of nozzle plates, and the liquid supply unit is provided for each of the discharge members. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a vibrator which is located in each of the plurality of housings and pressurizes the treatment liquid so that the treatment liquid flowing in the flow path flows toward the discharge hole,
Wherein the discharge holes are formed in the same arrangement in each of the regions of the nozzle plate facing the housings. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the arrangement of the discharge holes formed between two adjacent regions of the regions of the nozzle plate is located to be shifted from the first direction. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein at least four of the discharge holes are located on the nozzle plate so as to be offset from each other with respect to the second direction. A substrate supporting unit for supporting the substrate and transporting the substrate in a first direction;
A gantry positioned on a conveying path of the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit and having a longitudinal direction in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction when viewed from above;
And a liquid supply unit for supplying the processing liquid onto the substrate supported by the substrate supporting unit,
The liquid supply unit includes:
A discharge member supported by the gantry and having a plurality of housings arranged in the first direction;
And nozzle plates concurrently coupled to each of the plurality of housings,
Each of the housings has a flow path through which a treatment liquid flows,
Wherein the nozzle plate is formed with discharge holes connected to the flow path so as to discharge the process liquid. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the plurality of discharge members are arranged in the second direction,
Wherein the plurality of nozzle plates are provided, and each of the plurality of the discharge members is provided. 8. The method of claim 7,
The liquid supply unit includes:
And a vibrator which is located in each of the plurality of housings and pressurizes the treatment liquid so that the treatment liquid flowing in the flow path flows toward the discharge hole,
Wherein the discharge holes are formed in the same arrangement in each of the areas of the nozzle plate facing the housings. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein an array of the discharge holes formed between two adjacent areas of the areas of the nozzle plate is positioned to be shifted with respect to the first direction.

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