TWI824210B - Slit nozzle and substrate processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to enable a slit nozzle and a substrate processing apparatus including the slit nozzle to efficiently perform an operation for uniformizing the discharge amount between the center portion and the end portion of the discharge port. The slit nozzle of the present invention includes: a nozzle body that faces each other with a gap separated by a pair of lips to form an outlet opening in a slit shape; and an adjustment mechanism that makes the pair of lips face each other in the approaching direction and the separating direction. The opening width of the ejection port is adjusted by displacement, and in at least one of the pair of lips, a groove is provided on a surface opposite to the opposing surface facing the other lip, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ejection port, The adjustment mechanism adjusts the opening width by deforming the nozzle body so as to increase or decrease the distance between portions of the nozzle body that face each other across the groove. The groove is deeper at a position corresponding to the longitudinal end of the discharge port than at a position corresponding to the center portion of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction.

Description

Slit nozzle and substrate processing device

The present invention relates to a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port and a substrate processing apparatus that applies a processing liquid to a substrate using the slit nozzle. Furthermore, the substrate includes: a semiconductor substrate, a light shielding substrate, a liquid crystal display substrate, an organic electroluminescence (EL) display substrate, a plasma display substrate, a field emission display (Field Emission Display, FED) ) substrates, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, magneto-optical disk substrates, etc.

In the manufacturing process of electronic components such as semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display devices, a substrate processing apparatus is used that supplies a processing liquid to the surface of a substrate and applies the processing liquid to the substrate. A certain substrate processing apparatus transports a processing liquid to a slit nozzle while transporting the substrate in a floating state, and discharges the processing liquid from a discharge port of the slit nozzle toward the surface of the substrate, thereby applying the processing liquid to substantially the entire substrate. superior. Another type of substrate processing apparatus applies the processing liquid by relatively moving the slit nozzle relative to the substrate while discharging the processing liquid from the discharge port of the slit nozzle toward the surface of the substrate while adsorbing and holding the substrate on the stage. on approximately the entire substrate.

In recent years, with the demand for high-quality products, it has become important to improve the uniformity of the film thickness of the processing liquid applied by the substrate processing apparatus. To achieve the above purpose, a structure has been proposed in which the opening size of the slit-shaped discharge port can be individually adjusted at each position along the longitudinal direction of the slit.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-246280 (Patent Document 1), As an adjustment mechanism in a structure in which two members are combined and the gap between them is used as an outlet, there are disclosed a conventional structure in which a plurality of differential screws are arranged in the longitudinal direction (Fig. 8), and a structure in which a plurality of differential screws are arranged in the longitudinal direction (Fig. 8), and a structure in which a plurality of differential screws are arranged in the longitudinal direction. One of the members is divided in the longitudinal direction, and the structure related to the invention allows independent gap adjustment at the center and end of the discharge port (Fig. 2).

In addition, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-066537 (Patent Document 2) and Japanese Patent No. 4522726 (Patent Document 3), two nozzle bodies are combined so as to face each other, thereby creating a gap between the two nozzle bodies. A fluid flow path and an outlet are formed in the gap. A thin gasket plate (sometimes simply called a "gasket") is sandwiched between the two. The two nozzle bodies are coupled to each other by screws (bolts) inserted through the gasket plate. The bolts are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port, and by increasing or decreasing the tightening amount of these bolts, the opening width of the discharge port can be adjusted individually at each position in the longitudinal direction.

From the viewpoint of miniaturization of electronic components and effective utilization of materials, the uniformity of coating is required to be at a higher level than ever before. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the discharge amount extremely finely in the entire area across the longitudinal direction of the discharge port. Therefore, further improvements are desired for the prior art. In particular, even if the opening width of the discharge port is changed in the same manner near the center portion and the end portion of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction, the change in the discharge amount is not necessarily the same. That is, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the adjustment of the opening width differs between the central portion and the end portion of the discharge port. Therefore, the work of finely adjusting the discharge amount uniformly from the center to the end of the discharge port tends to become complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port and a substrate including the slit nozzle and applying a processing liquid to a substrate. In the plate processing apparatus, a technique for making the discharge amount uniform can be efficiently performed between the center part and the end part of the discharge port.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the slit nozzle of the present invention includes: a nozzle body facing each other with a gap separated by a pair of lips to form an outlet opening in a slit shape; and an adjustment mechanism to make the pair The lips are relatively displaced in the approaching direction and the separation direction to adjust the opening width of the discharge port, and at least one of the pair of lips is on the opposite side to the opposing surface facing the other lip. A groove is provided on the surface of the nozzle body along a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the discharge port, and the adjustment mechanism is used to increase or decrease the distance between the parts of the nozzle body that face each other across the groove. The opening width is adjusted by deforming the nozzle body, and the groove is at a position corresponding to the end of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction, and is smaller than the ejection port at the long side. The position corresponding to the central part in the direction is deep.

In order to achieve the above object, another form of the slit nozzle of the present invention includes: a nozzle body facing each other with a gap separated by a pair of lips to form an outlet opening in a slit shape; and an adjustment mechanism to make the one The opening width of the discharge port is adjusted by relatively displacing the lips in the approaching direction and the separation direction, and at least one of the pair of lips is opposite to the opposing surface facing the other lip. A groove is provided on the side surface along a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the discharge port, and the adjustment mechanism is used to increase or decrease the distance between the parts of the nozzle body that face each other across the groove. The opening width is adjusted by deforming the nozzle body, and the wall thickness of the lip between the bottom of the groove and the opposing surface is at the same angle as the end of the outlet in the longitudinal direction. The position corresponding to the part is smaller than the position corresponding to the center part of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction.

In the invention configured in this way, the deformation amount of the lip portion with respect to the force applied to deform the lip portion is larger at the end portion than at the center portion in the longitudinal direction. The reason is as follows. In the first form, the groove is deeper at the end than at the center. In addition, in the second form, the wall thickness of the lip is thicker at the end than The central part is small. Therefore, in any form, the amount of deflection of the nozzle body with respect to the force to be deformed is larger at the end than at the center. Therefore, in order to increase or decrease the opening width of the discharge port, when the adjustment mechanism applies a force for deforming the nozzle body to the nozzle body, the deformation amount of the opening width of the discharge port corresponding to the same magnitude of force is larger at the end than at the center. .

On the other hand, when the liquid is discharged from the slit nozzle, it is difficult to achieve a uniform discharge volume over the entire longitudinal direction of the discharge port. In particular, the discharge volume may occur near the center and ends of the discharge port. difference. More specifically, in the vicinity of the end of the discharge port, the resistance to fluid flow increases due to the influence of friction with the inner wall of the nozzle around the discharge port. This is one of the reasons why the discharge amount is more likely to change than in the central part. Small. In other words, the change amount of the discharge amount corresponding to the adjustment amount of the opening width of the discharge port is less sensitive near the end than in the center of the discharge port. Therefore, the work of uniformly adjusting the discharge amount over the entire area of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction tends to become complicated.

Therefore, in order to equalize the variation amount of the discharge amount with respect to the mechanical input for adjusting the opening width at the center portion and the end portion of the discharge port, it can be said that it is preferable to make the variation amount of the opening width with respect to the mechanical input at the end portion more than at the center portion. big. The structure of the present invention allows the sensitivity to changes in opening width to the same mechanical input to be higher at the ends than at the center, thereby being suitable for the purpose.

In addition, another aspect of the slit nozzle of the present invention is to have an outlet opening in a slit shape and a fluid flow path connected to the outlet. In order to achieve the above object, the slit nozzle includes: a first The main body part and the second main body part respectively have flat surfaces facing each other with a gap in which the flow path and the discharge port are formed; and a thin plate-shaped spacer member is sandwiched between the first body part and the second main body part. between the first body part and the second body part, the size of the gap is determined and the gap around the flow path other than the discharge port is blocked; and a coupling part through the spacer member. The first body part and the second body part are combined. Here, the spacer member has a longitudinal direction extending from the discharge port to one of the discharge ports. A strip-shaped portion that continuously extends from a position corresponding to one end to a position corresponding to the other end, and the width of the contact surface of the main surface of the strip-shaped portion that contacts the first flat surface is within The end regions corresponding to both ends of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction are smaller than the central region located inward of the end regions.

In the invention having such a structure, the spacer member is interposed between the first body and the second body part and comes into contact with the flat surfaces of the respective bodies, thereby defining a gap therebetween. Here, the width of the contact surface is smaller in the end region corresponding to the end of the discharge port than in the central region. Furthermore, the "width" of the contact surface in the present invention refers to the width of the strip-shaped portion when viewed along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port in the direction in which the extension direction is. The length in a direction that intersects and is parallel to the flat surface of the first body part.

This situation means that the clearance provisions based on the spacer elements act in the end areas and are weaker than in the central area. Therefore, the opening width of the ejection port caused by the gap change is more likely to be greatly increased in the end region than in the central region. The reason for this is as follows.

As described above, even if the opening width of the discharge port is made uniform over the entire length of the discharge port, the amount of fluid discharged may not be uniform. Particularly at the end of the discharge port, the discharge volume tends to decrease. In other words, the amount of change in the opening width required to change the discharge amount by the same amount is not constant, but varies depending on the position in the longitudinal direction. That is, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to a change in the opening width differs depending on the position. This is one reason why adjustment work to obtain a uniform discharge amount is difficult.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the opening width of the discharge port is significantly changed in the end region where the discharge amount is likely to decrease compared with the central region. Therefore, the difference in response sensitivity caused by the position as described above can be reduced or eliminated. Therefore, the work of making the discharge amount uniform between the center part and the end part of the discharge port can be performed more simply and efficiently.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes The method includes: a slit nozzle having any of the structures described above; and a relative movement mechanism for arranging a substrate and the discharge port of the slit nozzle to face each other, and for positioning the slit nozzle and the substrate in an alignment with the length of the substrate. and a processing liquid supply unit that supplies processing liquid to the slit nozzle and applies the processing liquid discharged from the discharge port on the surface of the substrate.

In the invention thus configured, by supplying the processing liquid to the substrate from the slit nozzle with the opening width adjusted using the above-mentioned structure, a film with a uniform film thickness in the longitudinal direction can be stably formed.

As described above, in the present invention, the opening width of the discharge port greatly changes in the end region corresponding to the end of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction compared with the central region. This eliminates the problem that the change in the discharge amount differs between the center portion and the end portion, making adjustment difficult, and the adjustment operation for making the discharge amount uniform can be performed efficiently.

1: Coating device (substrate processing device)

2: Input transfer part (relative movement mechanism)

3: Floating platform part (relative movement mechanism)

4: Output transfer part (relative movement mechanism)

5:Substrate transport unit (relative movement mechanism)

7: Coating mechanism

8: Coating liquid supply mechanism (processing liquid supply part)

9:Control unit

21, 41, 101, 111: roller conveyor

22, 42: Rotation/lifting drive mechanism

31: Entrance floating platform

32: Coating platform

33: Exit floating platform

34: Ejection pin driving mechanism

35: Floating control mechanism

51:Clamp mechanism

52: Adsorption/forward control mechanism

61: Sensor (sensor for plate thickness measurement)

62: Sensor (floating height detection sensor)

71, 71A~71F, 75, 75D: slit nozzle

72B, 72F: Gasket

79: Nozzle cleaning standby unit

100: Input conveyor (relative movement mechanism)

102, 112: Rotary drive mechanism

110:Output conveyor

710, 710B, 710C: Nozzle body

710F: Main body part

711, 751: First body part (nozzle body, first body part)

711a, 751a: first flat surface (opposing surface)

711b: Flat surface

711B, 711C, 711D, 711E, 711F: First body part

711c, 751c: Lip (first lip)

711d, 711f, 711k, 712f, 751d: slot

711e, 712e: Main surface

711g:Protrusion (first protrusion)

711h, 712h, 751f: Screw hole (adjustment mechanism)

712, 752: Second body part (nozzle body, second body part)

712a, 752a: Second flat surface (opposing surface)

712B, 712C, 712D, 712E, 712F: Second body part

712c, 752c: Lip (second lip)

712g:Protrusion (second protrusion)

713, 713C: first side plate

714, 714C: Second side panel

715, 715a, 715b, 755, 755a, 755b: spit

716: Adjustment screw (adjustment mechanism)

753, 753A, 753B, 753C, 753D: Spacer plate (spacer component)

753a, 753c, 753d1: band-shaped parts

753b:Extension part

752f, 753f: through hole

756, 756a, 756b: Fixing screws (screw components, joints)

721F, 753q: protruding parts

753d, 753k, 753p, 753r: notch part

791:Roller

792:Cleaning Department

793:Roller

Dc, De: certain value (depth)

Dt:Transportation direction

L1, L2, L3: straight line

Pa: thick wall part

Pb: thin wall part

Rc: Central part (central area)

Re: end (end area)

S:Substrate

Sb: back

Sf: surface

Tc, Te: wall thickness

Wa, Wb, Wc: opening width

ΔR: rotation input amount

ΔX: change amount

ΔZ: displacement amount

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded assembly view schematically showing the first embodiment of the slit nozzle.

Fig. 3 is a three-side view of the slit nozzle according to the first embodiment.

(a) to (d) of FIG. 4 are diagrams illustrating the depth distribution of grooves.

5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the slit nozzle.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modification of the slit nozzle according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an exploded assembly view schematically showing a second embodiment of the slit nozzle.

FIG. 8 is an exploded assembly view schematically showing a third embodiment of the slit nozzle.

Figure 9 is a three-sided view of the slit nozzle.

10A and 10B are diagrams showing modifications of the slit nozzle according to the third embodiment.

11A and 11B are diagrams showing a fourth embodiment of the slit nozzle.

12A and 12B are diagrams showing a fifth embodiment of the slit nozzle.

13A to 13C are diagrams showing the cross-sectional structure of the slit nozzle.

14A to 14D are diagrams showing the structure of the gasket plate.

15A and 15B are diagrams showing modifications of the gasket plate.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another modified example of the gasket plate.

17A and 17B are diagrams showing a sixth embodiment of the slit nozzle.

<Overall structure of coating device>

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a coating device as one embodiment of the substrate processing device of the present invention. The coating device 1 is a slit coater that applies a fluid coating liquid (processing liquid) to the surface Sf of the substrate S conveyed in a horizontal posture from the left hand side to the right hand side in FIG. 1 . For example, it is suitable for the purpose of coating a coating liquid containing a resist film material, a coating liquid containing an electrode material, and other processing liquids on the surface Sf of various substrates S such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate, and forming a uniform coating film. Use the coating device 1 effectively.

In addition, in each of the following figures, in order to clarify the positional relationship between the various parts of the device, right-handed XYZ orthogonal coordinates are set as shown in FIG. 1 . The conveyance direction of the substrate S is referred to as the "X direction", the horizontal direction from the left-hand side to the right-hand side in FIG. 1 is referred to as the "+X direction", and the opposite direction is referred to as the "-X direction". In addition, among the horizontal directions Y orthogonal to the X direction, the front side of the device (in the figure, the front side) is called the “-Y direction”, and the back side of the device is called the “+Y direction”. Furthermore, the upper direction and the lower direction in the vertical direction Z are called "+Z direction" and "-Z direction" respectively.

First, an outline of the structure and operation of the coating device 1 will be described using FIG. 1 , and then the detailed structure of the slit nozzle including the technical features of the present invention and the adjustment operation of the opening size will be described. In the coating device 1, an input conveyor 100, an input transfer part 2, The floating platform portion 3 , the output transfer portion 4 , and the output conveyor 110 are arranged closely in this order along the conveyance direction Dt of the substrate S, that is, the (+X) direction. As will be described in detail below, these members form a conveyance path for the substrate S extending in a substantially horizontal direction.

The substrate S to be processed is carried into the input conveyor 100 from the left hand side in FIG. 1 . The input conveyor 100 includes a roller conveyor 101 and a rotation drive mechanism 102 for rotationally driving the roller conveyor 101 . The substrate S is conveyed in a horizontal posture toward the downstream side, that is, in the (+X) direction by the rotation of the roller conveyor 101 . The input transfer unit 2 includes a roller conveyor 21 and a rotation/lifting drive mechanism 22 that has a function of rotationally driving the roller conveyor 21 and a function of raising and lowering the roller conveyor 21 . The substrate S is further conveyed in the (+X) direction by rotating the roller conveyor 21 . In addition, the vertical position of the substrate S is changed by lifting and lowering the roller conveyor 21 . The substrate S is transferred from the input conveyor 100 to the floating platform part 3 by the input transfer part 2 configured in this way.

The floating platform portion 3 includes a flat platform divided into three parts along the substrate conveyance direction Dt. That is, the floating platform part 3 includes the inlet floating platform 31, the coating platform 32, and the outlet floating platform 33. The surfaces of the platforms form part of the same plane as each other. A plurality of ejection holes for ejecting the compressed air supplied from the floating control mechanism 35 are provided in a matrix on the respective surfaces of the inlet floating platform 31 and the outlet floating platform 33 . The substrate S is floated by the buoyancy force imparted by the ejected air flow. In this way, the back surface Sb of the substrate S is supported in a horizontal posture while being separated from the platform surface. The distance between the back surface Sb of the substrate S and the platform surface, that is, the floating amount of the substrate S, can be set to 10 μm to 500 μm, for example.

On the other hand, on the surface of the coating platform 32, ejection holes for ejecting compressed air and suction holes for sucking air between the back surface Sb of the substrate S and the surface of the platform are alternately arranged. The floating control mechanism 35 controls the ejection amount of compressed air from the ejection hole and the suction amount from the suction hole, thereby precisely controlling the distance between the back surface Sb of the substrate S and the surface of the coating platform 32 . From this, the The vertical position of the surface Sf of the substrate S passing above the coating platform 32 is controlled to a predetermined value. As a specific structure of the floating platform portion 3, for example, the structure described in Japanese Patent No. 5346643 can be applied. In addition, the floating amount on the coating platform 32 is calculated by the control unit 9 based on the detection results of the sensors 61 and 62 which will be described in detail later, and can be adjusted with high accuracy by air flow control. .

Furthermore, the inlet floating platform 31 is provided with a lift pin (not shown in the figure), and the floating platform portion 3 is provided with a lifting pin driving mechanism 34 for raising and lowering the lifting pin.

The substrate S carried into the floating platform part 3 via the input transfer part 2 is given a propulsive force in the (+X) direction by the rotation of the roller conveyor 21 , and is transported to the entrance floating platform 31 . The inlet floating platform 31, the coating platform 32, and the outlet floating platform 33 support the substrate S in a floating state, but do not have the function of moving the substrate S in the horizontal direction. The substrate S is transported in the floating platform part 3 by the substrate transporting part 5 arranged below the inlet floating platform 31 , the coating platform 32 and the outlet floating platform 33 .

The substrate transport unit 5 includes a chuck mechanism 51 and a suction/advance control mechanism 52 . The chuck mechanism 51 partially abuts the lower surface peripheral portion of the substrate S to support the substrate S from below. The suction/advance control mechanism 52 holds the substrate S by the chuck mechanism 51 , which has a back surface Sb of the substrate S located at a position higher than the surface of each platform of the floating platform part 3 . The suction pad (not shown) of the suction member at the upper end of the chuck mechanism 51 has the function of applying negative pressure to suction and hold the substrate S, and the function of causing the chuck mechanism 51 to reciprocate in the X direction. Therefore, the edge portion of the substrate S is adsorbed and held by the chuck mechanism 51 , and the overall horizontal posture is maintained by the buoyancy force given by the floating platform portion 3 . In order to detect the vertical position of the surface of the substrate S when the back surface Sb of the substrate S is partially held by the chuck mechanism 51 , a sensor 61 for measuring the plate thickness is arranged near the roller conveyor 21 . The chuck (not shown) that does not hold the substrate S is located directly below the sensor 61, so that the sensor 61 can detect the surface of the adsorption member, That is, the vertical position of the adsorption surface.

The chuck mechanism 51 holds the substrate S carried from the input transfer part 2 to the floating platform part 3, and in this state, the chuck mechanism 51 moves in the (+X) direction. Thereby, the substrate S is conveyed from above the entrance floating platform 31 to above the exit floating platform 33 via the upper side of the coating platform 32 . The conveyed substrate S is delivered to the output transfer unit 4 arranged on the (+X) side of the outlet floating platform 33 .

The output transfer unit 4 includes a roller conveyor 41 and a rotation/lifting drive mechanism 42 that has a function of rotationally driving the roller conveyor 41 and a function of raising and lowering the roller conveyor 41 . The roller conveyor 41 rotates, thereby imparting a propelling force in the (+X) direction to the substrate S, and further conveying the substrate S along the conveyance direction Dt. In addition, the roller conveyor 41 moves up and down, thereby changing the vertical position of the substrate S. The substrate S is transferred from above the exit floating platform 33 toward the output conveyor 110 by the output transfer unit 4 .

The output conveyor 110 includes a roller conveyor 111 and a rotation drive mechanism 112 that drives the roller conveyor 111 to rotate. The substrate S is further conveyed in the (+X) direction by the rotation of the roller conveyor 111 and is finally discharged out of the coating device 1 . Furthermore, the input conveyor 100 and the output conveyor 110 may be provided as a part of the structure of the coating device 1 , or they may be separated from the coating device 1 . In addition, for example, a substrate discharge mechanism of another unit provided on the upstream side of the coating device 1 may be used as the input conveyor 100 . In addition, a substrate receiving mechanism of another unit provided on the downstream side of the coating device 1 may be used as the output conveyor 110 .

The application mechanism 7 for applying the coating liquid to the surface Sf of the substrate S is disposed on the conveyance path of the substrate S conveyed in this manner. The coating mechanism 7 has a slit nozzle 71 . In addition, although illustration is omitted, a positioning mechanism is connected to the slit nozzle 71 . The slit nozzle 71 is positioned at a coating position (a position represented by a solid line in FIG. 1 ) above the coating platform 32 or at a suitable maintenance position by a positioning mechanism. Furthermore, the coating liquid supply mechanism 8 is connected to the slit nozzle 71, so that the self-coating The cloth liquid supply mechanism 8 supplies the coating liquid and discharges the coating liquid from the discharge port opening downward at the lower part of the nozzle. Note that the slit nozzle 71 will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the slit nozzle 71 is provided with a floating height detection sensor 62 for detecting the floating height of the substrate S in a non-contact manner. The floating height detection sensor 62 can measure the separation distance between the floating substrate S and the surface of the coating platform 32 , and the control unit 9 can detect the floating height detection sensor 62 via the control unit 9 . value to adjust the lowering position of the slit nozzle 71. Furthermore, as the floating height detection sensor 62, an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like can be used.

In order to perform predetermined maintenance on the slit nozzle 71, as shown in FIG. 1, the coating mechanism 7 is provided with a nozzle cleaning standby unit 79. The nozzle cleaning standby unit 79 mainly includes a roller 791, a cleaning part 792, a roller bar 793, and the like. Then, with the slit nozzle 71 positioned at the maintenance position, nozzle cleaning and liquid accumulation are performed using these components, and the discharge port of the slit nozzle 71 is adjusted to a state suitable for the next coating process.

In addition, the coating device 1 is provided with a control unit 9 for controlling the operation of each part of the device. The control unit 9 has a storage unit that stores predetermined programs or various methods, an arithmetic processing unit such as a central processing unit (CPU) that causes each device unit to perform predetermined operations by executing the program, and a display such as a liquid crystal panel. parts, and input parts such as keyboards.

Hereinafter, a specific structural example of the slit nozzle 71 and a method for adjusting the opening size of the discharge port will be described in detail. Furthermore, the adjustment of the opening size described here is not an adjustment aimed at achieving a fixed or predetermined value, but an adjustment aimed at changing the thickness of the coating film formed on the surface of the substrate S as a result of the discharge. Adjustment for uniformity.

<First Embodiment>

FIG. 2 schematically shows a third slit nozzle used in the coating device of FIG. 1 . An exploded assembly view of the main structure of an embodiment. In addition, FIG. 3 is a three-side view of the slit nozzle. The slit nozzle 71 has a first body part 711 , a second body part 712 , a first side plate 713 and a second side plate 714 . As shown by the dash-dotted arrow, the first body part 711 and the second body part 712 are coupled in a state facing each other in the X direction. The first side plate 713 is connected to the (-Y) side end surface of the combined body, and the second side plate 714 is connected to the (+Y) side end surface to form the nozzle body 710.

Each of the members is, for example, a member cut out of a metal block such as stainless steel or aluminum. In addition, each member constituting the nozzle body 710 is fixedly coupled to each other by a suitable fixing coupling member such as a bolt, and is coupled to each other. This coupling structure is well known. Therefore, in order to make the drawings easier to view, descriptions of structures related to fixed coupling, such as fixing bolts and screw holes for inserting them, are omitted here. This aspect may be the same in other embodiments described below.

The main surface of the first body part 711 on the side opposite to the second body part 712, that is, the lower half of the main surface on the (+X) side is finished so as to become a flat surface 711a parallel to the YZ plane. Hereinafter, the flat surface 711a is referred to as the "first flat surface". The upper half of the main surface of the first body part 711 on the side opposite to the second body part 712 is also finished so as to become a flat surface 711b parallel to the YZ plane. In addition, the lower part of the first body part 711 protrudes downward to form a first lip part 711c. The flat surface 711a and the flat surface 711b are separated by a substantially semi-cylindrical groove 711d having the Y direction as the longitudinal direction and the X direction as the depth direction. The groove 711d functions as a manifold in the flow path of the coating liquid.

On the other hand, the main surface of the second body portion 712 on the side opposite to the first body portion 711 , that is, the main surface on the (-X) side becomes a single flat surface 712 a parallel to the YZ plane. Hereinafter, the flat surface 712a is referred to as a “second flat surface”. In addition, the lower part of the second body part 712 protrudes downward to form a second lip part 712c. The first body part 711 and the second body part 712 are combined in such a manner that the flat surface 711b is in close contact with the upper half of the second flat surface 712a.

The first flat surface 711a is slightly retreated toward the (-X) side compared to the flat surface 711b. because Therefore, when the first body part 711 and the second body part 712 are coupled, the first flat surface 711a and the second flat surface 712a face each other in parallel with a slight gap. The gap portion between the opposing surfaces (the first flat surface 711a, the second flat surface 712a) facing each other in this way becomes a flow path for the coating liquid from the manifold, and the lower end thereof serves as a spout opening downward toward the surface Sf of the substrate S. Exit 715 (Fig. 3) is functional. The discharge port 715 is a slit-shaped opening with the Y direction as the longitudinal direction and a small opening size in the X direction.

A groove 712f extending in the Y direction is provided on the main surface 712e of the second body portion 712 on the opposite side to the second flat surface 712a. The depth of the groove 712f will be described later. The groove 712f is continuously provided across the entire area of the second body portion 712 in the Y direction. Therefore, the portion of the second body portion 712 lower than the groove 712f becomes a protruding portion 712g that has a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape in the Y direction and protrudes in the (+X) direction.

A screw hole 712h penetrating the protruding part 712g in the up-down direction is provided on the lower surface of the protruding part 712g. A plurality of screw holes 712h are provided in a row at equal intervals along the Y direction on the lower surface of the protrusion 712g. As will be described later, an adjustment screw 716 for adjusting the opening size of the discharge port 715 in the X direction is attached to each screw hole 712h. The adjustment screw 716 spans the slot 712f and its upper end reaches the upper surface of the slot 712f.

The adjustment screw 716 is provided across the groove 712f with respect to the screw hole 712h. Therefore, when the screwing amount is changed, the second body portion 712 is slightly deformed around the axis in the extending direction (Y direction) of the groove 712f, across the groove 712f. The distance between the two parts facing each other increases or decreases. Specifically, with respect to the portion of the second body portion 712 that is located above the groove 712f, the second protruding portion 712g that is located below the groove 712f is relatively displaced in the direction of approaching or separating, so that the relationship between the two is Interval changes.

Along with this displacement, the second lip portion 712c connected to the second protruding portion 712g is displaced in the X direction, that is, in the direction of approaching and separating from the opposing first lip portion 711c. In this way, the first lip portion 711c and the second lip portion 712c facing each other are relatively positioned in the approaching direction and the separating direction. As a result, the distance between them, that is, the opening width of the discharge port 715 changes. Therefore, the opening width of the discharge port 715 can be adjusted by adjusting the screwing amount of the screw 716 . By arranging a plurality of adjustment screws 716 along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port 715, the opening width can be adjusted at each position in the direction.

The adjustment screw 716 is, for example, a differential screw. The principle of the method of adjusting the opening size of the ejection port when using a differential screw as an adjustment screw is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-131561. The same principle can be used in this embodiment, so here Detailed explanation is omitted.

In order to make the drawings easier to understand, the number of the adjustment screws 716 is shown to be smaller than the actual number in FIGS. 2 and 3 . That is, in an actual device, more adjustment screws 716 are arranged at a finer arrangement pitch than in these figures.

(a) to (d) of FIG. 4 are diagrams illustrating the depth distribution of grooves. More specifically, FIGS. 4(a) to 4(d) are cross-sectional views of the nozzle body 710 corresponding to the cross-section along line A-A in FIG. 3 , and each illustrates examples of depth distributions of different shapes. As shown in these figures, the depth of the groove 712f is not uniform in the Y direction. It is relatively shallow at the center of the ejection port 715 in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) and becomes deeper at both ends.

More specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 4(a) , the depth of the groove 712f is a constant value Dc at the central portion Rc in the longitudinal direction, and is a depth Re at both end portions adjacent to the central portion Rc. Anything bigger must be worth it. That is, the groove 712f has a depth distribution that changes in a step-like manner. The center portion Rc of the groove 712f in the longitudinal direction has a substantially constant depth Dc, while the both end portions Re have a depth De greater than this. In other words, in the location where the groove 712f is provided, the wall thickness of the second body portion 712 is large at the central portion Rc and small at both end portions Re. That is, the wall thickness Tc of the second body portion 712 at the central portion Rc is larger than the wall thickness Te at both end portions Re.

In the example shown in FIG. 4(b) , the grooves at the central portion Rc and both end portions Re The depth of 712f is the same as the example in Figure 4(a). However, the depth changes in its boundary portion are continuous and gentle. In the example shown in FIG. 4(c) , the groove 712f has a substantially constant depth in the central portion Rc, but has a depth distribution such that the depth gradually increases in both end portions Re. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 4(d) , the depth distribution is such that the center of the groove 712f in the longitudinal direction is the shallowest and the depth gradually increases toward the outside. In addition, for example, a distribution in which a continuous change as shown in FIGS. 4(b) and 4(c) is approximated to a multi-stage step shape may be used.

The depth distribution of the groove 712f of the slit nozzle 71 may be any of them. The reason why the depth distribution of the groove 712f is "shallow at the center and deep at both ends" will be described next. Note that here, the groove 712f is typically assumed to have a depth distribution illustrated in (a) of FIG. 4 .

5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the slit nozzle. More specifically, FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 3 , and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view along line C-C in FIG. 3 . Note that line B-B in FIG. 4(a) corresponds to line B-B in FIG. 3, and line C-C in FIG. 4(a) corresponds to line C-C in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 5A , in the cross section along line B-B corresponding to the center portion of the discharge port 715 in the Y direction, the depth of the groove 712f is relatively shallow. In other words, the distance between the bottom of the groove 712f and the second flat surface 712a, that is, the wall thickness of the second body portion 712 at the position corresponding to the bottom of the groove 712f is relatively large. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B , in the C-C line cross section corresponding to the position close to the end of the discharge port 715 in the Y direction, the depth of the groove 712f is deeper. In other words, the distance between the bottom of the groove 712f and the second flat surface 712a, that is, the wall thickness of the second body portion 712 at the position corresponding to the bottom of the groove 712f is smaller.

Therefore, the second body portion 712 is more likely to deflect at a deeper position than at a shallower position of the groove 712f. Therefore, the amount of deformation of the second body portion 712 with respect to the rotational input amount ΔR given to the adjustment screw 716 for adjusting the opening width, more specifically, the protruding portion 712g in the vertical direction (Z The displacement amount ΔZ in the direction) is larger near the deep end portion of the groove 712f than in the shallower center portion of the groove 712f. As a result, the change amount ΔX of the opening width of the discharge port 715 in the X direction is larger at the end than at the center for the same rotation input amount ΔR.

The “rotation input” here is an example of a mechanical input given by an operator to increase or decrease the opening width. For example, the rotation input amount ΔR can be quantitatively represented by the rotation amount or rotation angle input by operating the adjustment screw 716 .

According to the knowledge of the present inventors, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the increase or decrease in the opening width, that is, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the adjustment of the opening width, is high in the center of the discharge port and low in the end. Therefore, if the opening width changes by the same amount, the discharge amount changes relatively greatly at the center portion, whereas the change in the discharge amount at the end portions is small.

If the change amount ΔX of the opening width with respect to the rotation input amount ΔR is about the same between the center part and the end part, even if the same rotation input is given, the resulting change amount of the discharge amount will be the same between the center part and the end part. different. Therefore, the adjustment operation for making the discharge amount uniform across the entire discharge port and obtaining a coating film with uniform thickness becomes very complicated. In order to prevent this, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount, that is, the change amount of the discharge amount with respect to the same rotational input amount ΔR, is preferably the same across the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the discharge port. Therefore, there is a special demand for improving the response sensitivity of the end portion.

In the slit nozzle 71 of this embodiment, the groove 712f is made deeper at the end than at the center, so that the change amount ΔX in the discharge port opening width with respect to the same rotation input amount ΔR is larger at the end than at the center. Therefore, the difference in the change of the discharge amount with respect to the same rotation input amount ΔR is less likely to occur between the center portion and the end portion. Accordingly, the change in the discharge amount corresponding to the rotational input amount to the adjustment screw 716 is uniform in both the central portion and the end portion of the discharge port. The operator can efficiently perform adjustment work for uniformizing the discharge amount.

By suitably setting the depth distribution of the groove 712f, it is considered that the central portion and the end portion can be The difference in response sensitivity between parts is suppressed to a level that is practically no problem. The specific depth distribution can be experimentally determined based on, for example, the size of the opening width of the discharge port 715 or the viscosity of the coating liquid used.

Furthermore, in the slit nozzle 71 of the first embodiment, the adjustment screws 716 are arranged at a certain arrangement pitch in the second body portion 712 . However, as shown below as a modification, the arrangement pitch of the adjustment screws may be made uneven. In addition, as a slit nozzle configured based on the same technical idea, other embodiments other than those described above are also conceivable. Hereinafter, such other structural examples will be described in sequence. In the following description, in order to make comparison with other embodiments easier to understand, the same symbols are assigned to structures that are the same as existing structures or have slight differences but have equivalent functions.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modification of the slit nozzle according to the first embodiment. In the slit nozzle 71A of the modified example shown in FIG. 6 , the adjustment screws 716 are arranged at a relatively large arrangement pitch in the central portion Rc of the discharge port 715 in the Y direction. On the other hand, the adjustment screws 716 are arranged at a finer arrangement pitch at the end Re in the Y direction of the discharge port 715 . In coating using a slit nozzle, it is easy to obtain a relatively consistent film in the center of the formed coating film, but near the ends, bulges from a high-viscosity coating liquid or a low-viscosity coating liquid tend to occur outward. Disturbance of the coating film caused by outflow, etc. In order to suppress such disorder, it is desirable to adjust the resolution near the end of the discharge port 715 in the longitudinal direction with a finer resolution than in the center. The slit nozzle 71A of this modification example can satisfy such a requirement.

In other words, the arrangement pitch of the adjustment screws 716 is increased by increasing the arrangement pitch of the adjustment screws 716 in the central portion Rc where relatively uniformity is easily obtained. This can reduce the number of parts and adjustment man-hours, which can also contribute to reductions in equipment costs and running costs.

<Second Embodiment>

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a slit nozzle used in the coating device of FIG. 1 . An exploded assembly diagram of the main structure of the second embodiment. This type of slit nozzle has a structure in which a thin plate-shaped gasket is sandwiched between two body members made of a highly rigid material. The slit nozzle 71B of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7 has such a structure.

In the slit nozzle 71B, a first body part 711B and a second body part 712B having flat surfaces facing each other are coupled with a gasket 72B interposed therebetween. Thus, the nozzle body 710B is constructed. In the first body part 711B, a substantially semi-cylindrical groove 711k that functions as a manifold for the coating liquid is provided on the first flat surface 711a on the side opposite to the second body part 712B. The gasket 72B is, for example, a metal thin plate in which a portion serving as a flow path for the coating liquid is cut. The gasket 72B is sandwiched between the first body part 711B and the second body part 712B to define a gap therebetween and form a flow path for the coating liquid.

Except for these aspects, the shapes of the first body part 711B and the second body part 712B are the same as the corresponding structures 711 and 712 of the first embodiment. That is, the groove 712f is provided on the surface 712e of the main surface of the second body part 712B that is opposite to the surface 712a facing the first body part 711B. Furthermore, a plurality of adjustment screws 716 are arranged in the Y direction so as to span the groove 712f. The shape of the groove 712f and the function of the adjustment screw 716 are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the effects thereof are also the same.

In this manner, the adjustment mechanism for the opening width of the ejection port based on the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to both a nozzle that uses a spacer to define the gap and a nozzle that does not use a spacer.

<Third Embodiment>

FIG. 8 is an exploded assembly view schematically showing the main structure of a third embodiment of the slit nozzle used in the coating device of FIG. 1 . In addition, FIG. 9 is a three-side view of the slit nozzle. The slit nozzle 71C of this embodiment has a first body part 711C, a second body part 712C, a first side plate 713C, and a second side plate 714C. The structure of the second body part 712C is the same as the second body part 712 of the first embodiment. Similar to the first embodiment, combining them And constitute the nozzle body 710C.

In the first embodiment, only the second body portion 712 is provided with a mechanism (specifically, the groove 712f and the adjustment screw 716) for adjusting the opening width of the discharge port. On the other hand, in the above embodiment, the same adjustment mechanism is provided in both the first body part 711C and the second body part 712C. More specifically, a groove 711f extending in the Y direction is provided on the main surface 711e of the main surface of the first body part 711C that is opposite to the first flat surface 711a. The groove 711f is provided in a uniform cross-sectional shape across the entire area of the first body portion 711 in the Y direction. Therefore, the portion of the first body portion 711C lower than the groove 711f becomes a protruding portion 711g that has a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape in the Y direction and protrudes in the (-X) direction. Hereinafter, when it is necessary to distinguish the protruding parts respectively provided in the two main body parts 711C and 712C, they may be referred to as the "first protruding part" and the "second protruding part" respectively.

The lower surfaces of the first protruding portion 711g and the second protruding portion 712g are provided with screw holes 711h and 712h penetrating them in the up-down direction. A plurality of screw holes 711h are provided along the Y direction on the lower surface of the first protrusion 711g. In addition, a plurality of screw holes 712h are provided along the Y direction on the lower surface of the second protruding portion 712g. Adjustment screws 716 for adjusting the opening size of the discharge port 715 in the X direction are attached to each of the screw holes 711h and 712h as will be described later. The adjustment screw 716 spans the grooves 711f and 712f, and its upper end reaches the upper surface of the grooves 711f and 712f.

As shown in the bottom view of the lower part of FIG. 9 , the arrangement position of the adjustment screw 716 is different in the Y direction between the first body part 711 and the second body part 712 . Specifically, in the Y direction, each screw hole 711h and the screw hole 711h are arranged such that the adjustment screw 716 on the first body part 711 side is located between the two adjacent adjustment screws 716 and 716 on the second body part 712 side. Hole 712h. Therefore, when the slit nozzle 71 is viewed from the lower surface side, the adjustment screws 716 are arranged in a so-called staggered manner along the Y direction.

By setting the adjustment screw 716 to this configuration, the effects described below are obtained. That is, in the discharge port 715 extending in the Y direction, the opening size is adjusted by the displacement of the first lip portion 711 c near the position where the adjustment screw 716 is provided in the first body portion 711 . On the other hand, near the position where the adjustment screw 716 is provided on the second body part 712, the opening size is adjusted by the displacement of the second lip part 712c.

Therefore, compared with a structure in which an adjustment screw is provided only in one of the first body part 711 or the second body part 712 , the opening size can be adjusted more finely. That is, by arranging the adjustment screws 716 in the first body part 711 and the second body part 712 respectively, and by arranging the adjustment screws 716 in a staggered structure, compared with the case where the adjustment screws are arranged only in any one of them, the adjustment can be adjusted. "Resolution" increased to 2 times. In addition, in order to obtain the same resolution, the arrangement pitch of the necessary adjustment screws can be doubled, so it is easy to ensure the mechanical strength of each component.

In the embodiment, one or both of the groove 711f provided in the first body part 711C and the groove 712f provided in the second body part 712C have " "Shallow in the center and deep at both ends". Thereby, similarly to the above-mentioned embodiment, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the rotational input to the adjustment screw 716 for adjustment is made equal to the center part and the end part, and the adjustment work can be made more efficient.

Furthermore, for the purpose of obtaining the same effects as those of the first embodiment, when the adjustment screws 716 are arranged on both the first body part 711 and the second body part 712, it may also be considered to arrange the adjustment screws 716 in the Y direction. Same as above. However, in this case, the resolution improvement effect obtained by arranging the adjustment screws in a staggered manner as described above cannot be obtained. In addition, since the two adjustment mechanisms function independently with respect to one position in the longitudinal direction of the discharge port, the adjustment work may become troublesome.

10A and 10B are diagrams showing modifications of the slit nozzle according to the third embodiment. In the slit nozzle 71D of the modified example shown in FIG. 10A and the slit of the modified example shown in FIG. 10B In the nozzle 71E, similarly to the slit nozzle 71A in the modified example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the arrangement pitch of the adjustment screws 716 becomes uneven. Specifically, in the slit nozzle 71D of the modified example shown in FIG. 10A , in each of the first body part 711D and the second body part 712D, the central part Rc in the Y direction of the discharge port 715 is opposite to The thicker arrangement spacing is equipped with the adjustment screw 716. On the other hand, the adjustment screws 716 are arranged at a finer arrangement pitch at the end Re in the Y direction of the discharge port 715 .

In addition, in the slit nozzle 71E of the modified example shown in FIG. 10B , from the same viewpoint, in the central portion Rc, the adjustment screw 716 is arranged only in the second body portion 712E, and in the first body portion 711E Omit adjustment screw 716. This makes it possible to practically maintain the uniformity of the coating film and further reduce the number of parts and adjustment man-hours. In contrast, of course, there is no problem even if the adjustment screw on the second body portion 712E side is omitted.

<Fourth Embodiment>

Next, a fourth embodiment of the slit nozzle applicable to the coating device 1 will be described. In each of the above embodiments, a single discharge port is provided in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the slit nozzle. However, in such a coating device, there is also a usage form in which the discharge port is divided into a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction and a plurality of coating films are formed simultaneously. The slit nozzle 71F of the fourth embodiment shown next corresponds to this need.

11A and 11B are diagrams showing a fourth embodiment of the slit nozzle used in the coating device of FIG. 1 . More specifically, FIG. 11A is an exploded assembly diagram schematically showing the main structure of the slit nozzle 71F of this embodiment. In addition, FIG. 11B is a bottom view of the slit nozzle 71F and a cross-sectional view of the slit nozzle 71F taking a horizontal plane including the position corresponding to the groove 712f as a cutting plane. The cross-sectional view corresponds to the cross-sectional view along line A-A shown in FIG. 3 in the first embodiment.

In the embodiment, by connecting the first body part 711F and the second body part 712F A gasket 72F is sandwiched between them to form a main body portion 710F. A protruding portion 721F functioning as a partition wall of the flow path is provided in the center portion of the gasket 72F, thereby dividing the flow path of the coating liquid into two. The protruding portion 721F extends to the lower ends of the first lip portion 711c and the second lip portion 712c. Two discharge ports 715a and 715b arranged along the Y direction with the Y direction as the longitudinal direction are respectively formed at these lower ends.

In this case, in order to achieve the purpose of "making the response sensitivity coincide with the center part and the end part" of each of the two ejection ports 715a and 715b, as shown in FIG. The depth distribution of the groove 712f is such that the area corresponding to the end portion Re is shallow and the area corresponding to the end Re is deep. In the figure, the depth distribution corresponding to each discharge port corresponds to (a) of FIG. 4 , but of course it may also have the shape shown in (b) to (d) of FIG. 4 .

In addition, since the same concept has been shown in FIG. 2 , FIG. 6 , FIG. 8 , etc., the illustration is omitted. However, in the fourth embodiment, the following structure can also be considered as a modification thereof. That is, the slit nozzle 71F of the fourth embodiment has two flow paths and two discharge ports formed by the gasket 72F sandwiched between the first body part 711F and the second body part 712F. However, as in the example shown in FIG. 2 , by changing the shape of at least one of the first body part and the second body part, the above-described method can also be applied to a nozzle that forms a flow path and a discharge port without using a gasket. Same idea.

In addition, as in the example shown in FIG. 6 , the arrangement pitch of the adjustment screws 716 may be widened in the area corresponding to the center part of each discharge port and narrowed in the area corresponding to the end part. Furthermore, as in the example shown in FIG. 8 , adjustment mechanisms (grooves and adjustment screws) may be provided in both body parts.

As described above, in each of the above embodiments, the arrangement pitch of the adjustment screws 716 that increases or decreases the depth and width of the groove provided in the nozzle body is appropriately set according to the purpose and the characteristics of the device or the coating liquid to adjust the opening size. . This makes it possible to realize coating conditions that can obtain a uniform coating film more efficiently.

Next, the fifth and sixth embodiments of the slit nozzle of the present invention will be described. The first to fourth embodiments described so far adjust the opening width of the discharge port by deforming at least one of the first body part and the second body part constituting the nozzle body. On the other hand, in the fifth and sixth embodiments described below, the opening width of the discharge port is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the tightening amount of the set screw that connects the first body part and the second body part via the gasket plate. . Both the slit nozzle 75 of the fifth embodiment and the slit nozzle 75D of the sixth embodiment described next can be used as the slit nozzle 71 of the coating device 1 shown in FIG. 1 .

<Fifth Embodiment>

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the slit nozzle used in the coating device of FIG. 1 . More specifically, FIG. 12A is an external perspective view of the slit nozzle 75 of this embodiment, and FIG. 12B is an exploded assembly diagram schematically showing the main structure of the slit nozzle 75 . The slit nozzle 75 has a structure in which a first body part 751 , a second body part 752 and a gasket plate 753 are coupled to each other through a plurality of fixing screws 756 . As shown by the dash-dotted arrow in FIG. 12B , the first body part 751 and the second body part 752 are coupled together in a state facing each other in the X direction with the gasket plate 753 sandwiched therebetween, thereby forming the slit nozzle 75 .

The first body part 751 and the second body part 752 are cut out from a metal block such as stainless steel or aluminum. In addition, the gasket plate 753 is a thin plate-shaped member formed of the same metal material.

The main surface of the first body part 751 on the side opposite to the second body part 752, that is, the main surface on the (+X) side is finished so as to become a flat surface 751a parallel to the YZ plane. Hereinafter, the flat surface 751a is referred to as the "first flat surface". In addition, the lower part of the first body part 751 protrudes downward to form a first lip part 751c. A substantially semi-cylindrical groove 751d is provided in the center portion of the flat surface 751a in the Z direction, with the Y direction being the longitudinal direction and the X direction being the depth direction. The groove 751d functions as a manifold in the flow path of the coating liquid, and is connected to the coating liquid supply mechanism 8 via a coating liquid supply port (not shown).

On the other hand, the main surface of the second body portion 752 on the side opposite to the first body portion 751 , that is, the main surface on the (-X) side becomes a flat surface 752 a parallel to the YZ plane. Hereinafter, the flat surface 752a is referred to as a “second flat surface”. In addition, the lower part of the second body part 752 protrudes downward to form a second lip part 752c. The first body part 751 and the second body part 752 are coupled via a spacer plate 753 so that the flat surface 751b and the second flat surface 752a face each other.

When the first body part 751 and the second body part 752 are coupled, the first flat surface 751 a and the second flat surface 752 a face each other in parallel with a slight gap corresponding to the thickness of the gasket plate 753 . The gap portion between the opposing surfaces (the first flat surface 751a, the second flat surface 752a) facing each other in this way becomes a flow path for the coating liquid from the manifold, and the lower end thereof serves as a spout opening downward toward the surface Sf of the substrate S. Exit 755 functions. The discharge port 755 is a slit-shaped opening with the Y direction being the long side direction and the opening size in the X direction being minute.

The spacer plate 753 is formed in an inverted U shape that opens downward. By sandwiching the shim plate 753 in the gap between the first body part 751 and the second body part 752, the upper end portion above the groove 751d and both ends in the Y direction in the gap space are shimmed by the shim plate 753 clogged. Accordingly, the space in the clearance space that is not blocked by the gasket plate 753 defines a flow path of the coating liquid that connects the groove 751 d serving as the manifold and the discharge port 755 . In other words, the gasket plate 753 is formed into a shape in which a portion serving as a flow path for the coating liquid is cut out and surrounds the flow path for the coating liquid other than the discharge port.

In order to make the drawing easier to see, the description is omitted in FIG. 12A , and only a part of it is shown in FIG. 12B . However, the first body part 751 , the second body part 752 and the gasket plate 753 are provided with spacers for attaching them to each other. The combined fixing screws (such as bolts) 756 are inserted into the holes. Specifically, a screw hole 751f is provided in the flat surface 751a of the first body part 751 above the groove 751d. The screw hole 751f is formed with an internal thread that is screwed into the fixing screw 756 as an external thread. On the other hand, the second body portion 752 is provided with a through hole 752f penetrating in the X direction at a position corresponding to the screw hole 751f. In addition, also in the spacer plate 753, at the position corresponding to the screw hole 751f The device is provided with a through hole 753f.

Furthermore, the fixing screw 756 inserted into the through hole 752f of the second body part 752 is screwed into the screw hole 751f of the first body part 751 through the through hole 753f of the gasket plate 753. Thereby, the first body part 751, the second body part 752, and the gasket plate 753 are integrally coupled to each other. In FIG. 12B , only two fixing screws 756 and holes for inserting the fixing screws 756 are shown. However, in reality, a plurality of holes are arranged in a row in the dotted area in the figure, and the fixing screws 756 are inserted into these holes respectively. That is, the fixing screw 756 is arranged so as to surround the flow path of the coating liquid. Thereby, the slit nozzle 75 is formed as a combined body in which the first body part 751 , the second body part 752 and the gasket plate 753 are firmly fixed and connected. The arrangement of the holes will be described later.

13A to 13C are diagrams showing the cross-sectional structure of the slit nozzle, and more specifically are cross-sectional views taking the XZ plane of the slit nozzle 75 as a cut plane. As shown in FIG. 13A , the first body part 751 and the second body part 752 are fixed by fixing screws 756 above the groove 751d via the gasket plate 753. As will be described later, a plurality of fixing screws 756 (756a, 756b) are arranged so that their positions are different in the up and down direction (Z direction). Thereby, the first flat surface 751a and the second flat surface 752a face each other with a gap below the groove 751d. The gap space becomes a flow path for the coating liquid, and a discharge port 755 that opens downward is formed at the lower end. . The opening width Wa of the discharge port 755 in the width direction (X direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (Y direction) is defined by the thickness of the gasket plate 753 .

Here, consider a case where the screwing amount (tightening amount) of the lower set screw 756b among the set screws 756 arranged vertically is made larger than the screwing amount of the upper set screw 756a. Then, as shown in FIG. 13B , the gasket plate 753 is slightly elastically deformed due to the increase in tightening force, so that the opening width Wb of the discharge port 755 at the lower end of the gap is slightly smaller than the original opening width Wa. In addition, contrary to this, the screwing amount of the upper fixing screw 756a is made larger than the screwing amount of the lower fixing screw 756b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13C, the opening width Wc of the discharge port 755 at the lower end of the gap is slightly larger than the original opening width Wc. The opening width Wa.

In this way, by increasing or decreasing the screwing amount of the fixing screw 756, the opening width of the discharge port 755 can be adjusted. A plurality of fixing screws 756 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port 755 , that is, in the Y direction. By individually adjusting these fixing screws 756, the opening width of the discharge port 755 can be adjusted at each position in the longitudinal direction.

14A to 14D are diagrams showing the structure of the gasket plate. FIG. 14A shows the planar shape of the spacer plate 753. The envelope outer shape of the gasket plate 753, which is a metal thin plate-like member, is substantially the same as the outer shapes of the first flat surface 751a of the first body part 751 and the second flat surface 752a of the second body part 752. However, a cutout 753d is provided on the lower end side serving as the discharge port 755. The space formed between the first flat surface 751a and the second flat surface 752a by the cutout portion 753d serves as a flow path for the coating liquid.

It can be put another way as follows. The gasket plate 753 has a strip portion 753a and an extension portion 753b. The strip-shaped portion 753a has a substantially consistent width including at least positions corresponding to both ends of the discharge port 755 in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) and extending in the Y direction. The extending portions 753b and the extending portions 753b extend downward, that is, in the -Z direction from both ends of the belt-shaped portion 753a. The strip-shaped portion 753a functions as a partition wall on the back surface of the flow path opposite to the discharge port 755. On the other hand, the extending portions 753b and the extending portions 753b function as partition walls defining the side surfaces of both ends of the flow path in the Y direction.

The spacer plate 753 is provided with a plurality of through holes 753f through which the fixing screws 756 are inserted. The strip-shaped portion 753a of the gasket plate 753 located above the notch 753d is provided with rows arranged in a row along the Y direction over the entire area of the gasket plate 753 in the Y direction (the longitudinal direction of the discharge port 755). a plurality of through holes 753f. More specifically, a plurality of through holes 753f are arranged at a constant pitch in the Y direction along each of three virtual straight lines L1, L2, and L3 whose positions in the Z direction are different from each other. That is, in the above example, the Y direction including the plurality of through holes 753f There are three columns arranged along the Z direction. The screw holes 751f in the first body part 751 and the through holes 752f in the second body part 752 also have the same arrangement.

As described above, by arranging the plurality of fixing screws 756 at different positions in the Z direction, the opening width of the discharge port 755 can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the screwing amount. Furthermore, by distributing the fixing screws 756 along the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the discharge port 755, and throughout the entire area between both ends of the discharge port 755, the opening width can be adjusted at each position in the longitudinal direction. adjust.

In principle, if the fixing screws 756 are arranged in upper and lower rows, the opening width can be adjusted to increase or decrease. When three columns are used as in the above example, the following applications are possible. For example, by first coupling the first body part 751 and the second body part 752 with the fixing screws 756 in the center row in the vertical direction (the row along the straight line L2), the opening width of the discharge port 755 can be adjusted to the gasket. The thickness of plate 753 is the same. Furthermore, the fixing screws 756 are temporarily fixed to the upper row and the lower row, and the opening width can be increased or decreased by tightening the fixing screws 756 belonging to either of the upper and lower rows as necessary.

As described above, according to the knowledge of the inventors of the present application, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the increase or decrease in the opening width, that is, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the adjustment of the opening width is high in the center of the discharge port and low at the ends. Therefore, if the opening width changes by the same amount, the discharge amount changes relatively greatly at the center portion, whereas the change in the discharge amount at the end portions is small. In addition, the film thickness is relatively stable in the center portion of the width direction of the coating film, whereas the film thickness tends to easily fluctuate near the end portions due to friction with the side wall surface of the flow path, for example. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 12B and 14A , in addition to being arranged along three straight lines L1, L2, and L3 near both ends of the slit nozzle 75, at a position closer to the discharge port 755, in the width direction thereof, Fixing screws 756 are arranged on both sides so as to sandwich the flow path of the coating liquid. This type of fixing screw 756 suppresses the adjustment of the opening width with respect to the fixing screws 756 arranged along the straight line L1, the straight line L2, and the straight line L3. changes.

Therefore, even if the fixing screw 756 is rotated at the same rotation angle between the center portion and the end portion of the discharge port 755 in the longitudinal direction, the resulting change in the discharge amount and thus the film thickness of the coating film will The center and ends are also different. In other words, the adjustment amount (rotation angle) of the set screw 756 required to change the discharge amount uniformly varies depending on the position of the set screw 756 . Therefore, the adjustment operation for obtaining a coating film with a uniform discharge amount and a uniform thickness over the entire discharge port becomes very complicated. In order to prevent this, it is preferable that the response sensitivity of the discharge amount, that is, the amount of change in the discharge amount with respect to the same adjustment amount, is the same throughout the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the discharge port. Therefore, there is a special demand for improving the response sensitivity of the end portion. In addition, in order to cope with the phenomenon that film thickness variation is likely to occur near the end portions, it is desirable that the adjustment range of the opening width of the end portions be wider than that of the central portion. Therefore, in the slit nozzle 75 of this embodiment, as explained below, the cross-sectional shape of the gasket plate 753 is changed according to the position to meet the above requirements.

Fig. 14B is a cross-sectional view along line A-A in Fig. 14A. The band-shaped portion 753a of the gasket plate 753 has a certain thickness at a position corresponding to the central region Rc of the discharge port 755 excluding the end regions Re close to both ends. That is, as shown in FIG. 14B , the cross-sectional shape is approximately rectangular. The thickness at this time may be the thickness of the thin plate material constituting the gasket plate 753 itself. In this case, both main surfaces of the strip-shaped portion 753a in the Y direction are in contact with the first flat surface 751a and the second flat surface 752a respectively. That is, when the surface of the strip-shaped portion 753a that is in contact with the first flat surface 751a and the second flat surface 752a is called a "contact surface", the width of the contact surface, that is, the length in the vertical direction is different from the length of the strip-shaped portion 753a. The 753a is the same width.

On the other hand, FIG. 14C is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 14A, but the shape of the cross-section along line C-C is also the same. These represent the cross-sectional shape of the strip-shaped portion 753a in the end region Re near the end of the discharge port 755. In the cross-sectional shape shown at the left end of FIG. 14C , the strip-shaped portion 753a gradually becomes thinner at the upper and lower ends. In addition, in the cross-sectional shape shown in the center, the X direction of the band-shaped portion 753a One of the two main surfaces pointing upward is flat, with only the other side varying in thickness. In addition, in the cross-sectional shape shown at the right end, the thickness decreases at the lower part, but the thickness is constant at the upper part.

The cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 14C has a shape in which the upper and lower ends become tapered. However, instead of this, for example, as shown in FIG. 14D , there may be a step-like thickness change in which both end portions in the vertical direction are thinner than the central portion. Even in this case, in the cross-sectional shape shown at the left end, a step is provided on both main surfaces of the band-shaped portion 753a, and in the central cross-sectional shape, a step is provided in only one of the main surfaces. In addition, in the cross-sectional shape shown at the right end, a step is provided only on the lower side.

Among the band-shaped portions 753a shown by these cross-sectional shapes, a portion having the same thickness as the thickness in the central region Rc is called "thick portion Pa". In addition, a portion thinner than this is called "thin-walled portion Pb". Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the band-shaped portion 753a in the end region Re may be a shape in which the thin-walled portion Pb is provided adjacent to at least one of the up-down directions of the thick-walled portion Pa.

By having the band-shaped portion 753a of the gasket plate 753 have such a cross-sectional shape, the (-X) side main surface of the band-shaped portion 753a contacts the first flat surface 751a as follows. That is, the main surface on the (-X) side of the strip-shaped portion 753a is in contact with the first flat surface 751a only in the thick portion Pa, and is not in contact with the first flat surface 751a in the thin portion Pb. Therefore, the width of the abutment surface defined previously is the width of the thick portion Pa, which is smaller than the width of the band-shaped portion 753a itself. That is, at the portion, the effective width of the spacer plate 753 becomes narrow.

The thin portion Pb does not completely block the space between the first flat surface 751a and the second flat surface 752a, and therefore does not play a role in defining the gap. Therefore, the effect of the gasket plate 753 interposed between the first body part 751 and the second body part 752 to define the gap between them is weaker in the end region Re of the discharge port 755 than in the center region Rc. That is, deformation of the gasket plate 753 caused by changes in the screwing amount of the fixing screw 756 is more likely to occur in the end region Re than in the central region Rc. As a result, the change in the opening width when the same angle of rotation input is given to the set screw 756 is The end portion is larger than the center portion of the discharge port 755 .

In this way, by making the change amount of the opening width with respect to the same rotation input larger at the end portion than at the center portion, the difference in response sensitivity between the center portion and the end portion can be reduced or eliminated. That is, the change amount of the discharge amount with respect to the same rotation input can be made equal at the center part and the end part of the discharge port 755 . Accordingly, the change in the discharge amount corresponding to the rotation input to the set screw 756 is uniform in both the central portion and the end portion of the discharge port. The operator can efficiently perform adjustment work to equalize the discharge amount.

By suitably setting the thickness distribution of the spacer plate 753 in the end region Re, it is considered that the difference in response sensitivity between the center portion and the end portions can be suppressed to a level that is practically no problem. The specific thickness distribution can be determined through experiments, for example, based on the size of the opening width of the discharge port 755 or the viscosity of the coating liquid used.

Furthermore, the spacer plate 753 is provided with a plurality of through holes 753f for inserting the fixing screws 756. Among these through-holes 753f, the through-holes provided in the band-shaped portion 753a are preferably formed so as to penetrate the thick-walled portion Pa. The reason for this is that by providing the through hole 753f only in the thick portion Pa, leakage of liquid through the through hole is prevented. In the thin portion Pb, some gap is generated between the thin portion Pb and the first flat surface 751a or the second flat surface 752a. Therefore, if a through hole is provided in the above-mentioned portion, the coating liquid supplied into the flow path may leak into the through hole through the gap.

15A and 15B are diagrams showing modifications of the gasket plate. As described above, the arrangement of the through-holes 753f provided in the gasket plate (that is, the arrangement of the fixing screws 756) only needs to be two or more different positions in the Z direction. That is, the number of rows of fixing screws 756 may be at least two. In this case, like the gasket plate 753A of the modified example shown in FIG. 15A , the two upper and lower through holes 753f for inserting the fixing screws 756 may be at the same position in the Y direction. In addition, like the gasket plate 753B of the modified example shown in FIG. 15B , the two upper and lower through holes 753f for inserting the fixing screws 756 may be positioned at different positions in the Y direction, so-called staggered. match Set. Furthermore, in these modifications, the first body part 751 and the second body part 752 basically do not need to be changed. However, depending on the change in the arrangement of the through holes 753f on the gasket plate, the positions of the screw holes and the like need to be changed.

Also consider providing more than four set screws in the up and down direction. However, in this case, when adjusting the set screws one by one, the change in opening width may be limited by the other set screws. Therefore, it is difficult to change the opening width within a necessary range, and there is a risk that the workload for adjustment becomes huge. From the above, it can be said that the arrangement of the fixing screws 756 is preferably arranged in two or three rows in the up and down direction.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another modified example of the gasket plate. The gasket plate 753 shown in FIG. 14A has a cross-sectional shape in which the thickness becomes thinner at both upper and lower ends in the strip-shaped portion 753a corresponding to the end region Re. On the other hand, the gasket plate 753C of the modified example shown in FIG. 16 has a structure in which notches 753k are provided at the upper and lower ends of the band-shaped portion 753c at positions corresponding to the end regions Re. That is, in this case, the width rather than the thickness of the band-shaped portion 753c is changed. According to this structure, the gap defining effect of the spacer plate 753C is also weaker at the position corresponding to the end region Re than in the center region Rc. Therefore, like the fifth embodiment, the change in the opening width of the discharge port 755 with respect to the adjustment amount of the fixing screw 756 is larger at the end than at the center, thereby reducing the change in the discharge amount between the center and the ends. quantity difference.

<Sixth Embodiment>

Next, a sixth embodiment of the slit nozzle applicable to the coating device 1 will be described. In the above embodiment, a single discharge port is provided in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the slit nozzle 75 . However, in such a coating device, there is also a usage form in which the discharge port is divided into a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction and a plurality of coating films are formed simultaneously. The slit nozzle 75D of the sixth embodiment shown next corresponds to this need.

17A and 17B illustrate a slit nozzle used in the coating device of FIG. 1 Figure of the sixth embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 17A is an exploded assembly diagram schematically showing the main structure of the slit nozzle 75D of this embodiment. In addition, FIG. 17B is a diagram showing the shape of the spacer plate 753A in the embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 17A, FIG. 17B and the following description, the same structure as that in the fifth embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral, and detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 17A , in the slit nozzle 75D of this embodiment, two discharge ports 755 a and 755 b are formed in a row at the lower end of the nozzle in the Y direction. By using such a nozzle, two coating films that are spaced apart in the Y direction can be formed at the same time.

The slit nozzle 75D of the embodiment is different from the fifth embodiment in the shape of the spacer plate 753D sandwiched between the first body part 751 and the second body part 752. A protruding portion 753q is provided in the center portion of the gasket plate 753D, so that a cutout portion 753p and a cutout portion 753r divided into two parts in the Y direction are formed. Thereby, the protruding portion 753q functions as a partition wall of the flow path, and the flow path of the coating liquid is divided into two. The protruding portion 753q extends to a position corresponding to the lower ends of the first lip portion 751c and the second lip portion 752c. Two ejection ports 755a and 755b are formed at these lower ends respectively, with the Y direction being the longitudinal direction and arranged along the Y direction. In this case, it is also necessary to change the positions of screw holes and the like in the first body part 751 and the second body part 752 according to the change of the through-hole 753f in the gasket plate.

In this case, in order to achieve the purpose of "making the response sensitivity coincide with the center part and the end part" of each of the two discharge ports 755a and 755b, the thickness distribution of the spacer plate 753D is set as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 17B , the cross-sections of the strip-shaped portion 753d1 of the gasket plate 753D in the central region Rc corresponding to the respective central portions of the two discharge ports 755a and 755b, that is, the shapes of the A-A line cross-section and the B-B line cross-section are as follows With consistent thickness as shown in Figure 14B.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14C or 14D , the cross section of the gasket plate 753D in the end region Re corresponding to the vicinity of the respective ends of the two discharge ports 755 a and 755 b, that is, the C-C line cross section The shape of the surface, the D-D line cross-section, the E-E line cross-section and the F-F line cross-section is a shape in which the thickness is smaller at the upper and lower ends than closer to the center.

By adopting this structure, the same effects as those of the fifth embodiment can be obtained in each of the discharge port 755a and the discharge port 755b. That is, the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the adjustment input for the set screw is made uniform from the center to the end of the discharge port, and the adjustment operation can be performed efficiently. The above-mentioned embodiment may be appropriately modified by applying the technical ideas of the modification examples shown in FIGS. 15A to 16 .

In this way, in the fifth and sixth embodiments, the shape of the gasket sandwiched between the two members constituting the slit nozzle is partially changed, and more specifically, the gasket is positioned at the end of the discharge port. The corresponding position is partially thinner or narrower than the position corresponding to the central portion. This allows the opening width to change more significantly near the end portion of the discharge port than at the center portion. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the problem that the response sensitivity of the discharge amount to the adjustment input is different between the center part and the end part, and more specifically, the response sensitivity is lower at the end part than the center part, and the response sensitivity of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction can be suppressed. Consistent throughout the region. As a result, in the above embodiment, coating conditions that can obtain a uniform coating film can be achieved more efficiently.

<Others>

As described above, in the first to fourth embodiments, the first lip portion 711c and the second lip portion 712c constitute a “pair of lips”, and the first body portion 711 and the second body portion 712 respectively Functions as the "first body part" and the "second body part" of the present invention. In addition, the first flat surface 711a of the first body part and the second flat surface 712a of the second body part that face each other correspond to the "opposing surfaces" in the present invention. In addition, the screw hole 711h, the adjustment screw 716, etc. provided in the first body part 711 integrally function as the "adjustment mechanism" of the present invention. In addition, the screw holes 712h, the adjustment screws 716, etc. provided in the second body part 712 also integrally function as the "adjustment mechanism" of the present invention. In addition, the groove 711f and the groove 712f correspond to the "groove" in this invention.

<Others>

In addition, in the fifth and sixth embodiments, the coating device 1 corresponds to the "substrate processing device" of the present invention. In addition, the first flat surface 751a of the first body part 751 and the second flat surface 752a of the second body part 752 correspond to the "flat surface" in the present invention. In addition, the spacer plate 753 functions as the "spacer member" of the present invention, and the fixing screw 756 functions as the "screw member" of the present invention. Furthermore, the plurality of fixing screws 756 arranged in a row integrally function as the "joining part" of the present invention.

In addition, the coating device 1 of the above embodiment corresponds to the "substrate processing device" of the present invention, and the input conveyor 100, the input transfer part 2, the floating platform part 3, the output transfer part 4, the output conveyor 110, and the substrate The conveying part 5 and other components integrally constitute the "relative movement mechanism" of the present invention. In addition, the coating liquid supply mechanism 8 functions as the "processing liquid supply part" of the present invention.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, As long as it does not deviate from the summary, various changes other than the above-mentioned embodiment can be made. For example, in the first to fourth embodiments, the groove 712f is provided on the side surface of the second body part 712, and the opening size of the discharge port 715 is adjusted by the adjustment screw 716 installed from below. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening size may be adjusted in other ways. For example, a groove may be provided on the lower surface of the nozzle, and the opening size may be increased or decreased by elastically deforming the nozzle using an adjustment screw provided in the horizontal direction.

In addition, for example, in the first to fourth embodiments, a differential screw that actively functions in both the direction in which the opening size is enlarged and the direction in which the opening size is reduced is used as the adjustment screw. However, for example, by An adjustment screw having only a one-way adjustment function, such as reducing a preset large opening size, or conversely enlarging a preset small opening size, can also adjust the opening size appropriately.

In addition, although it is not mentioned in particular in the description, as in the third embodiment, When two body members constituting the nozzle body are respectively provided with adjustment mechanisms, the depth distributions of the grooves provided in the respective body members may also be different from each other. In addition, any groove can also have a certain depth.

Furthermore, for example, in the gasket plate 753 and the like of the fifth and sixth embodiments, one of the thickness and the width of the band-shaped portion 753a decreases in the end region Re. Instead, both the thickness and the width of the strip-shaped portion 753a may be changed.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the relative movement of the slit nozzle 71 , the slit nozzle 75 and the substrate S is realized by conveying the substrate S below the slit nozzle 71 , the slit nozzle 75 . However, the method of realizing their relative movement is not limited to the above method. For example, the present invention also effectively functions in a structure in which the slit nozzle performs scanning movement with respect to a substrate held on a stage. In addition, the transportation method of the substrate is not limited to the floating type transportation method as described above. For example, various transportation methods such as roller transportation, belt transportation, and transportation using a moving platform can be applied.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the coating device 1 that supplies the coating liquid to the surface Sf of the substrate S, but the application object of the present invention is not limited to this. It is applicable to all substrate processing technologies that perform a predetermined process by moving the substrate relative to the slit nozzle while supplying the processing liquid from the slit nozzle to the surface of the substrate.

As mentioned above, the specific embodiment has been illustrated and described. For example, the slit nozzle of the present invention can be configured as follows: from a position corresponding to one end of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction to the other end. Between the corresponding positions, the depth of the groove changes in multiple stages. Alternatively, for example, a structure may be adopted in which the depth of the groove continuously changes from a position corresponding to one end of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction to a position corresponding to the other end. In any of the above structures, it is possible to suppress the discharge amount relative to the center portion and the end portion of the discharge port. Differences in changes in mechanical input for opening width adjustment.

In addition, for example, the adjustment mechanism may also have a structure that includes an adjustment screw provided on the nozzle body across the groove, and the width of the groove is changed by increasing or decreasing the screwing amount, and the plurality of adjustment screws are arranged along the longitudinal direction. . According to this structure, by operating each adjustment screw, the opening width of the discharge port at each position can be adjusted.

In this case, the arrangement pitch of the plurality of adjustment screws may be smaller at a position corresponding to an end of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction than at a position corresponding to a central portion of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction. According to this structure, the opening width can be adjusted very finely at the end of the discharge port where variations in the discharge volume are likely to occur, so that the work of uniformizing the discharge volume can be performed efficiently.

In addition, for example, the groove and the adjustment mechanism may be provided corresponding to the pair of lips respectively. According to this structure, the opening width of each of the pair of lips constituting the discharge port can be adjusted. Therefore, the adjustment operation can be performed in a more detailed manner than when only one of the lip portions is adjusted.

In addition, in a structure in which the adjustment mechanism has an adjustment screw, the groove, the adjustment screw, and the pair of lips may be provided corresponding to each other. In this case, the arrangement positions in the longitudinal direction of the adjustment screw provided on one of the pair of lips and the adjustment screw provided on the other lip are different from each other. According to this structure, the adjustment position of one lip is different from the adjustment position of the other lip in the longitudinal direction, so the opening width can be adjusted by finer adjustment of the spacing.

In addition, for example, the nozzle body may have a structure formed by combining a first body part and a second body part each having a lip. According to this structure, the gap provided between the first body member and the second body member can function as a flow path and a discharge port for the liquid. In this case, the first body part and the second body part may be coupled via a spacer with a predetermined gap.

In addition, the slit nozzle of the present invention may have a strip-shaped member with a width and a thickness in the middle The central region is approximately constant. On the other hand, in the end regions, the cross-section of the band-shaped portion on the cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction includes a thick-walled portion having the same thickness as that in the central region and a thicker portion than the above-mentioned thickness. The thick wall part is thin and the thin wall part is thin. According to this structure, the width of the contact surface is changed by partially varying the thickness of the strip-shaped member.

In this case, the thin-walled portion may be adjacent to at least one of both end portions of the thick-walled portion in cross section. In this structure, the gap can be blocked by the thick-walled portion to prevent fluid leakage, and the response sensitivity improvement effect of providing the thin-walled portion can be obtained.

Furthermore, for example, a structure may be adopted in which the width and thickness of the strip-shaped member are substantially constant in the central region, while the width of the strip-shaped member is smaller in the end region than in the central region. In this structure, the width of the belt-shaped member is varied. In this way, by changing at least one of the thickness and width of the strip-shaped member, a position-dependent difference can be generated in the gap defining effect based on the strip-shaped portion.

In addition, for example, the coupling part may have a structure including a plurality of penetrating spacer members and screw members that fasten the first body part and the second body part, and may include a plurality of screw members arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port. A plurality of rows of screw members are provided in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. According to this structure, by individually adjusting the screwing amount (fastening amount) of each screw member, the opening width can be changed at each position of the discharge port. In this case, the rows including the plurality of screw members are preferably two rows or three rows.

In addition, for example, through holes for inserting screw members may be provided in the strip-shaped portion, and the plurality of through holes corresponding to the plurality of screw members may have the same depth. According to this structure, it is possible to prevent a gap from being generated around the through hole between the first body part and the spacer member or between the second body part and the spacer member. This can prevent fluid from leaking to the outside through the gaps and through holes.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention can also use the processing liquid to form shapes on the surface of the substrate. form a consistent coating film. When a slit nozzle is used to form a uniform coating film, the discharge amount may be different between the center part and the end part of the discharge port of the nozzle, and thus the thickness of the coating film may vary. By applying the present invention to such an apparatus, adjustment work for forming a uniform coating film can be efficiently performed over the entire area of the discharge port.

[Industrial availability]

The present invention is applicable to a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port and any substrate processing apparatus that uses the slit nozzle to apply a processing liquid to a substrate.

71: Slit nozzle

711: First body part (nozzle body, first body part)

712: Second body part (nozzle body, second body part)

712f: slot

713: First side panel

714:Second side panel

716: Adjustment screw (adjustment mechanism)

Dc, De: certain value (depth)

Rc: Central part (central area)

Re: end (end area)

Tc, Te: wall thickness

Claims (17)

A slit nozzle, characterized in that it includes: a nozzle body facing each other with a gap separated by a pair of lips to form an outlet opening in a slit shape; and an adjustment mechanism to make the pair of lips face each other in an approaching direction. and the separation direction displacement to adjust the opening width of the discharge port, and at least one of the pair of lips is provided with an edge along the surface on the opposite side to the opposing surface facing the other lip. The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment screw, which is provided on the nozzle body across the slot and is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the screwing amount. The width of the groove is changed, and a plurality of the adjustment screws are arranged along the longitudinal direction to adjust the nozzle body by increasing or decreasing the distance between portions of the nozzle body that face each other across the groove. The opening width is adjusted by deformation, and the groove is located at a position corresponding to the end of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction, rather than at a position corresponding to the center portion of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction. The location is deep. A slit nozzle, characterized in that it includes: a nozzle body facing each other with a gap separated by a pair of lips to form an outlet opening in a slit shape; and an adjustment mechanism to make the pair of lips face each other in an approaching direction. and the separation direction displacement to adjust the opening width of the discharge port, and at least one of the pair of lips is provided with an edge along the surface on the opposite side to the opposing surface facing the other lip. The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment screw, which is provided on the nozzle body across the slot and is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the screwing amount. The width of the groove changes, and a plurality of the adjustment screws are arranged along the longitudinal direction to increase or decrease the number of screws in the nozzle body facing each other across the groove. The nozzle body is deformed to adjust the opening width by spacing the parts. The wall thickness of the lip between the bottom of the groove and the opposing surface is consistent with the thickness of the outlet on the long side. The position corresponding to the end portion in the direction is smaller than the position corresponding to the center portion of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction. The slit nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein between a position corresponding to one end of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction to a position corresponding to the other end, The depth of the groove changes in multiple stages. The slit nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein between a position corresponding to one end of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction to a position corresponding to the other end, The depth of the groove varies continuously. The slit nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the arrangement spacing of the plurality of adjustment screws is at a position corresponding to the end of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction, and is smaller than at the position corresponding to the end of the ejection port in the longitudinal direction. The discharge port is small at a position corresponding to the central portion in the longitudinal direction. The slit nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the groove and the adjustment screw are respectively provided corresponding to the pair of lips, and the groove is provided on one of the pair of lips. The adjustment screws of the lip and the adjustment screws provided on the other lip are arranged in different positions in the longitudinal direction. The slit nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the groove and the adjustment screw are respectively provided corresponding to the pair of lips, and the groove is provided on one of the pair of lips. The adjustment screws of the lip and the adjustment screws provided on the other lip are arranged in different positions in the longitudinal direction. The slit nozzle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the nozzle body is formed by combining a first body part and a second body part respectively having the lip part. The slit nozzle of claim 8, wherein the first body part and the The second body part is coupled via a spacer that defines the gap. A slit nozzle has an outlet opening in a slit shape and a fluid flow path connected to the outlet, and the slit nozzle is characterized in that it includes: a first body part and a second body part, respectively. It has flat surfaces facing each other across a gap, and the flow path and the outlet are formed in the gap; a thin plate-shaped spacer member is sandwiched between the first body part and the second body. between the parts, defining the size of the gap and blocking the gap around the flow path other than the outlet; and a coupling part that connects the first body part and the first body part through the spacer member. The second body part is combined, and the spacer member has a structure that continuously extends along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port from a position corresponding to one end of the discharge port to a position corresponding to the other end. to a strip-shaped portion, the strip-shaped portion having end regions corresponding to both ends of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction and a central region inward of the end regions, in the The width and thickness of the band-shaped portion in the central region are substantially constant. On the other hand, in the end regions, the cross-section of the band-shaped portion on the cut plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction includes the cross-section of the band-shaped portion. The central region has a thick wall portion of the same thickness and a thin wall portion that is thinner than the central region. The thick wall portion is provided at a central portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The thin wall portion is provided At least one end portion in the orthogonal direction, whereby the width of the contact surface of the main surface of the strip-shaped portion that abuts the flat surface of the first body portion is smaller than the width of the end portion. the central area in the outer area. The slit nozzle according to claim 10, wherein in the cross section, the thin wall portion is adjacent to at least one of both ends of the thick wall portion. A slit nozzle has an outlet opening in a slit shape and a fluid flow path connected to the outlet, and the slit nozzle is characterized in that it includes: a first body part and a second body part, respectively. It has flat surfaces facing each other across a gap, and the flow path and the outlet are formed in the gap; a thin plate-shaped spacer member is sandwiched between the first body part and the second body. between the parts, defining the size of the gap and blocking the gap around the flow path other than the outlet; and a coupling part that connects the first body part and the first body part through the spacer member. The second body part is combined, and the spacer member has a structure that continuously extends along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port from a position corresponding to one end of the discharge port to a position corresponding to the other end. to a strip-shaped portion, the strip-shaped portion having end regions corresponding to both ends of the discharge port in the longitudinal direction and a central region inward of the end regions, in the In the central region, the width and thickness of the belt-shaped portion are substantially constant. On the other hand, in the end regions, cutout portions are provided at ends in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, so that the belt-shaped portion has a substantially constant width and thickness. The width of the portion is smaller than that of the central region, and the width of the contact surface in the main surface of the strip-shaped portion that abuts the flat surface of the first body portion is smaller than the width of the contact surface in the end region. medial central area. The slit nozzle according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the coupling part has a plurality of spacer members that pass through and fasten the first body part and the second body part. The screw member includes a plurality of screw members arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the discharge port, and a plurality of rows are provided in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The slit nozzle according to claim 13, comprising a plurality of screw structures The columns of pieces are arranged in two or three columns. The slit nozzle according to claim 13, wherein the strip-shaped portion is provided with a through hole for inserting the screw member, and the plurality of through holes corresponding to the plurality of screw members have the same depth. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that it includes: the slit nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 15; a relative movement mechanism that arranges the substrate and the discharge port of the slit nozzle to face each other, and The slit nozzle and the substrate are relatively moved in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction; and a processing liquid supply unit supplies the processing liquid to the slit nozzle and ejects all the liquid ejected from the ejection port. The treatment liquid is coated on the surface of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processing liquid is used to form a uniform coating film on the surface of the substrate.