WO2016013501A1

WO2016013501A1 - Cleaning device

Info

Publication number: WO2016013501A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/070483
Authority: WO
Inventors: 原田　吉典
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2014-07-24
Filing date: 2015-07-17
Publication date: 2016-01-28
Also published as: JP6240777B2; JPWO2016013501A1

Abstract

A cleaning device (50) is provided with: a transporting device (60) which transports a glass substrate (30A) in such a way that the plate surface of the glass substrate (30A) extends in the transporting direction; and a plurality of inclined nozzles (72) which are disposed parallel to one another in a straight line in a direction orthogonal to the transporting direction, from among the directions in which the plate surface of the glass substrate (30A) extends, and which spray a cleaning liquid onto the glass substrate (30A) being transported by means of the transporting device (60). The plurality of inclined nozzles (72) spray the cleaning liquid in such a way that at least a portion of the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the glass substrate (30A) is directed toward the two end portions of the glass substrate (30A) in said orthogonal direction.

Description

Cleaning device

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a cleaning apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal panel which is a main component of a liquid crystal display device, a cleaning device is known that sprays a cleaning liquid onto a glass substrate while transporting the glass substrate by a transport device and cleans the surface of the glass substrate. . Among the transport devices provided in this type of cleaning device, in a so-called horizontal transport type device that transports a glass substrate so that its plate surface is along the transport direction, the cleaning liquid sprayed on the glass substrate stays on the glass substrate. There is. When the cleaning liquid stays on the glass substrate in this way, foreign matters such as dust and dirt peeled off from the glass substrate by the cleaning liquid may adhere to the glass substrate again and accumulate.

Therefore, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device that prevents the cleaning liquid from staying on the plate-like material conveyed by the conveying device. In this cleaning apparatus, the plurality of showers that spray the cleaning liquid are bent in a V shape in a direction from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the plate-like body in the direction along the plate surface of the plate-like body. They are arranged in parallel. For this reason, the cleaning liquid sprayed from each shower flows toward the end face of the plate-like body in contact with the surface of the plate-like board in a V shape, thereby preventing the cleaning liquid from staying on the surface of the plate-like body. It can be done.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-136025

(Problems to be solved by the invention)
However, in the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of showers for injecting the cleaning liquid are arranged in parallel in a V shape as described above, and thus a plurality of showers are arranged in the manufacturing process of the cleaning device. There is a possibility that the process of performing becomes complicated. Moreover, in order to arrange a plurality of showers in parallel with the V shape, it is necessary to prepare a pipe bent into the V shape.

The technology disclosed in this specification has been created in view of the above-described problems, and can be manufactured by a simple process, and suppresses the reattachment of foreign matter on a plate-like body to be conveyed. An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that can be used.

(Means for solving the problem)
The technology disclosed in this specification includes a transport device that transports a plate-like body so that the plate surface thereof is along the transport direction, and a direction orthogonal to the transport direction among directions along the plate surface of the plate-like body. A plurality of nozzles that are arranged in parallel in a straight line and that spray a cleaning liquid onto the plate-like body that is transported by the transport device, wherein at least a part of the cleaning liquid that is sprayed onto the plate-like body The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus including a plurality of nozzles that inject the cleaning liquid toward both end portions in the orthogonal direction of the plate-like body.

In the above-described cleaning apparatus, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the plurality of nozzles so that at least a part of the cleaning liquid sprayed on the plate-shaped body is directed to both end portions in the orthogonal direction of the plate-shaped body. For this reason, even if the cleaning liquid stays on the transported plate-like body, the cleaning liquid stayed on the plate-like body by the cleaning liquid sprayed from the nozzles becomes plate-like from both ends in the orthogonal direction of the plate-like body. Washed away outside the body. As a result, it is possible to suppress foreign matters contained in the cleaning liquid staying on the plate-like body from reattaching to the plate-like body.

Further, since the plurality of nozzles are arranged in parallel in a straight line, the plurality of nozzles are arranged in parallel in a shape other than a straight line (for example, a shape bent in a V shape) in the manufacturing process of the cleaning apparatus. A plurality of nozzles can be arranged in a simple process compared to the configuration. As described above, the above-described cleaning device can be manufactured by a simple process, and can prevent foreign matters from re-adhering on the transported plate-like body.

In the above-described cleaning apparatus, the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid from at least two nozzles of the plurality of nozzles may be inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the plate surface of the plate-like body.

According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a specific configuration of the nozzle for causing at least a part of the cleaning liquid sprayed on the plate-like body to go to both end portions in the direction orthogonal to the plate-like body.

In the above-described cleaning apparatus, the nozzle having the inclined cleaning liquid injection direction has a larger inclination angle with respect to the orthogonal plane of the cleaning liquid injection direction as approaching both end sides of the plate-like body in the orthogonal direction. May be.

On the plate-like body transported by the transport device, the cleaning liquid tends to stay as it approaches the both ends of the plate-like body in the orthogonal direction. According to the above configuration, since the inclination angle of the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the plate-like body becomes larger as it approaches the side where the cleaning liquid tends to stay on the plate-like body, the cleaning liquid staying on the plate-like body is reduced. It can be effectively washed off the outside of the plate-like body.

In the above-described cleaning apparatus, the cleaning liquid spraying force may be increased as the nozzle in which the cleaning liquid spraying direction is inclined approaches the both ends of the plate-like body in the orthogonal direction.

According to this configuration, since the spraying force of the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the plate-like body increases as it approaches the side where the cleaning liquid tends to stay on the plate-like body, the cleaning liquid staying on the plate-like body is removed. It can be effectively washed out to the outside.

The cleaning apparatus may further include a plurality of cleaning nozzles in which the spray direction of the cleaning liquid is along the plane, and the plurality of nozzles are arranged downstream of the plurality of cleaning nozzles in the transport direction. May be.

According to this configuration, since the cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning nozzle onto the plate-like body hits the plate-like body without being inclined with respect to the plane, the plate-like body conveyed along the conveyance direction is washed. The nozzle can be effectively cleaned. After that, the cleaning liquid staying on the plate-like body can be poured out of the plate-like body by a plurality of nozzles.

(The invention's effect)
According to the technology disclosed in the present specification, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that can be manufactured by a simple process and that can prevent foreign matters from re-adhering on a transported plate-like body.

Schematic cross-sectional view of a cross section of a liquid crystal display device cut along the long side direction Schematic plan view of a liquid crystal panel Schematic sectional view showing the sectional structure of the liquid crystal panel The top view which shows the plane structure of the display area in the array substrate which comprises a liquid crystal panel FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 4, showing a cross-sectional configuration of a part of the array substrate. Block diagram for explaining a processing procedure by each manufacturing apparatus for a glass substrate Side view of the cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment. Top view of cleaning equipment Front view of the branch pipe located upstream in the transport direction Transmission plan view of the branch pipe section located upstream in the transport direction Front view of the branch pipe located on the most downstream side in the transport direction Permeation plan view of the branch pipe located on the most downstream side in the transport direction Perspective view of the branch pipe portion located on the most downstream side in the transport direction The top view which shows typically the aspect by which the foreign material on a glass substrate is discharged | emitted out of a glass substrate The graph which shows the detection result of the pattern defect before and behind application of the cleaning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. The front view of the branch pipe part which concerns on Embodiment 2 located in the most downstream side of a conveyance direction The front view of the branch pipe part which concerns on Embodiment 3 located in the most downstream side of a conveyance direction

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel 11 that is a component of the liquid crystal display device 10, a cleaning process is performed on the surface of the glass substrate 30A while conveying the glass substrate (an example of a plate-like body) 30A. The cleaning device 50 (see FIG. 7) will be exemplified. A part of each drawing shows an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis, and each axis direction is drawn in a common direction in each drawing. 1, 3, and 5, the upper side of the figure is the upper side (front side) of the liquid crystal display device 10.

First, the configuration of the liquid crystal display device 10 and the liquid crystal panel 11 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the liquid crystal display device 10 includes a liquid crystal panel 11, an IC chip 17 that is an electronic component that is mounted on the liquid crystal panel 11 and drives the liquid crystal panel 11, and the IC chip 17. A control board 19 that supplies various input signals from the outside, a flexible board 18 that electrically connects the liquid crystal panel 11 and the external control board 19, and a backlight device 14 that is an external light source that supplies light to the liquid crystal panel 11. And. In addition, the liquid crystal display device 10 includes front and back

external members

15 and 16 for housing and holding the liquid crystal panel 11 and the backlight device 14 assembled to each other. An opening 15A for visually recognizing an image displayed on the liquid crystal panel 11 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the backlight device 14 includes a chassis 14A having a substantially box shape that opens toward the front side, and a light source (cold cathode tube, LED, organic EL, etc.) not shown disposed in the chassis 14A. And an optical member (not shown) arranged so as to cover the opening of the chassis 14A. The optical member has a function of converting light emitted from the light source into planar light. The light that has been planarized through the optical member is incident on the liquid crystal panel 11 and is used to display an image on the liquid crystal panel 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal panel 11 has a vertically long rectangular shape as a whole, and the long side direction coincides with the Y-axis direction of each drawing, and the short side direction corresponds to the X-axis direction of each drawing. Match. In the liquid crystal panel 11, a display area A1 capable of displaying an image is arranged on the majority thereof, and no image is displayed at a position biased to one end side (the lower side in FIG. 2) in the long side direction. Area A2 is arranged. An IC chip 17 and a flexible substrate 18 are mounted on a part of the non-display area A2 by pressure-bonding via an anisotropic conductive film (not shown). In the liquid crystal panel 11, as shown in FIG. 1, a frame-shaped one-dot chain line that is slightly smaller than a color filter substrate 20 described later forms an outer shape of the display area A 1, and an area outside the one-dot chain line is It is a non-display area A2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal panel 11 includes a pair of

glass substrates

20 and 30 having excellent translucency, and a liquid crystal layer 11A including liquid crystal molecules that are substances whose optical characteristics change with application of an electric field. It is equipped with. The two

substrates

20 and 30 constituting the liquid crystal panel 11 are bonded together by a sealing material (not shown) while maintaining a cell gap corresponding to the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 11A. Of the two

substrates

20, 30, the front side (front side) substrate 20 is the color filter substrate 20, and the back side (back side) substrate 30 is the array substrate (an example of a circuit board) 30. As shown in FIG. 3, alignment films 11B and 11C for aligning liquid crystal molecules contained in the liquid crystal layer 11A are formed on the inner surfaces of both the

substrates

20 and 30, respectively. Further,

polarizing plates

11D and 11E are attached to the outer surface sides of the glass substrates 20A and 30A constituting both the

substrates

20 and 30, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2, the color filter substrate 20 has a short side dimension substantially the same as that of the array substrate 30, but the long side dimension is smaller than that of the array substrate 30, and one side of the long side direction with respect to the array substrate 30. Are bonded together with their end portions (upper side shown in FIG. 2) aligned. Therefore, the color filter substrate 20 does not overlap the other end (the lower side shown in FIG. 1) of the array substrate 30 in the long side direction, and both the front and back plate surfaces are exposed to the outside. The mounting area for the IC chip 17 and the flexible substrate 18 is secured here. The glass substrate 30A constituting the array substrate 30 has the color filter substrate 20 and the polarizing plate 11E bonded to the main portion thereof, and the portion where the mounting area of the IC chip 17 and the flexible substrate 18 is secured is the color filter substrate 20 and It is not superimposed on the polarizing plate 11E.

Subsequently, the configuration in the display area A1 of the array substrate 30 and the color filter substrate 20 will be described. On the inner surface side (liquid crystal layer 11A side) of a glass substrate (an example of a substrate) 30A constituting the array substrate 30, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a TFT (which is a switching element having three electrodes 32A to 32C) is provided. A large number of pixel electrodes 33 made of a transparent conductive film such as a thin film transistor (ITO) 32 and an indium film (ITO) are provided side by side. Around the TFT 32 and the pixel electrode 33, as shown in FIG. 4, a gate wiring 34 and a source wiring 35 are arranged so as to surround the grid. The gate wiring 34 and the source wiring 35 are connected to the gate electrode 32A and the source electrode 32B of the TFT 32, respectively, and the pixel electrode 33 is connected to the drain electrode 32C of the TFT 32 via a drain wiring (not shown).

Further, the array substrate 30 is provided with a capacitor wiring 36 that is parallel to the gate wiring 34 and overlaps the pixel electrode 33 in plan view. The capacitor wirings 36 are alternately arranged with the gate wirings 34 in the Y-axis direction. The gate wiring 34 is disposed between the pixel electrodes 33 adjacent in the Y-axis direction, whereas the capacitor wiring 36 is disposed at a position that substantially crosses the central portion of each pixel electrode 33 in the Y-axis direction. The end portion of the array substrate 30 is provided with a terminal portion routed from the gate wiring 34 and the capacitor wiring 36 and a terminal portion routed from the source wiring 35. Each signal or reference potential is inputted from the control board 19 shown in FIG. 1, and the drive of the TFT 32 is thereby controlled.

On the other hand, on the inner surface side (liquid crystal layer 11A side) of the glass substrate 20A constituting the color filter substrate 20, as shown in FIG. The color filters are provided side by side. The color filter is arranged such that the colored portions 22 exhibiting R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are alternately arranged along the X-axis direction. Between each coloring part 22 which comprises a color filter, the substantially lattice-shaped light-shielding part (black matrix) 23 for preventing color mixing is formed. The light shielding portion 23 is arranged so as to overlap with the gate wiring 34, the source wiring 35, and the capacitor wiring 36 on the array substrate 30 side in a plan view. A counter electrode 24 is provided on the surface of each coloring portion 22 and the light shielding portion 23 so as to face the pixel electrode 33 on the array substrate 30 side. In the liquid crystal panel 11, one display pixel, which is a display unit, is configured by the combination of the three colored portions 22 of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) and the three pixel electrodes 33 that face each other. ing.

Here, the TFT 32 which is a switching element provided on the array substrate 30 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the TFT 32 has a structure in which a plurality of films are stacked on the array substrate 30. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the gate electrode 32A, the gate insulating film 37, the semiconductor film 38, and the source wiring 35 connected to the gate wiring 34 are sequentially connected from the lower layer side (glass substrate 30A side). A drain electrode 32C connected to the source electrode 32B and the pixel electrode 33, an interlayer insulating film 39, and a protective film 40 are stacked.

The gate electrode 32A is made of the same material as the gate wiring 34 and is patterned on the array substrate 30 in the same process as the gate wiring 34, and is made of aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), tander (Ta), titanium (Ti ), Copper (Cu), or a metal film alone or a laminated film of these metal nitrides. The gate insulating film 37 is made of, for example, a silicon oxide film (SiOx), and insulates between the gate electrode 32A and the semiconductor film 38. The semiconductor film 38 is made of, for example, amorphous silicon (a-Si) or a transparent amorphous oxide semiconductor (InGaZnOx). One end side is connected to the drain electrode 32C and the other end side is connected to the source electrode 32B. It functions as a channel region for conducting.

The source electrode 32B and the drain electrode 32C contain the same material as the source wiring 35 and are patterned on the array substrate 30 in the same process as the source wiring 35. The source electrode 32B and the drain electrode 32C are configured by laminating first conductive films 32B1 and 32C1 on the lower layer side (semiconductor film 38 side) and second conductive films 32B2 and 32C2 on the upper layer side (interlayer insulating film 39 side). The The first conductive films 32B1 and 32C1 on the lower layer side are made of amorphous silicon (n + Si) doped with an n-type impurity such as phosphorus (P) at a high concentration, and function as an ohmic contact layer. The second conductive films 32B2 and 32C2 on the upper layer side have a two-layer structure in which different metal films are stacked. The metal film on the lower layer side is made of titanium (Ti), and the metal film on the upper layer side is aluminum ( Al).

The above-mentioned source electrode 32B and drain electrode 32C are arranged in an opposing manner with a predetermined interval (opening region) interposed therebetween, so that they are not directly electrically connected to each other. However, the source electrode 32B and the drain electrode 32C are indirectly electrically connected via the semiconductor film 38 on the lower layer side, and the bridge portion between the

electrodes

32B and 32C in the semiconductor film 38 is the drain current. Functions as a channel region through which the gas flows.

The interlayer insulating film 39 is made of, for example, a silicon oxide film (SiOx), and is made of the same material as the gate insulating film 37 described above. The protective film 40 is made of an acrylic resin (for example, polymethyl methacrylate resin (PMMA)) or a polyimide resin, which is an organic material. Therefore, the protective film 40 is thicker than the gate insulating film 37 and the interlayer insulating film 39 made of other inorganic materials and functions as a planarizing film. Note that each insulating film (gate insulating film 37, interlayer insulating film 39, and protective film 40) in the TFT 32 is formed with a uniform film thickness over the entire area, including the area other than the area where the TFT 32 is formed on the array substrate 30. Has been.

In forming thin films such as the TFT 32, the pixel electrode 33, and the

wirings

34, 35, and 36 on the array substrate 30, a known photolithography method is used, and various manufacturing apparatuses 50 to 56 are used for that purpose. ing. Specifically, as the manufacturing apparatuses 50 to 56, as shown in FIG. 6, a cleaning apparatus 50, a film forming apparatus 51, a resist coating apparatus 52, an exposure apparatus 53, a developing apparatus 54, an etching apparatus 55, and a resist stripping apparatus. 56 is used. The glass substrate 30A constituting the array substrate 30 is subjected to a cleaning process by the cleaning apparatus 50, a film forming process by the film forming apparatus 51, a resist coating process by the resist coating apparatus 52, an exposure process by the exposure apparatus 53, and a developing apparatus 54 Through the development process, the etching process by the etching device 55, and the resist peeling process by the resist stripping device 56, the target thin film is formed in a predetermined pattern. By repeating this procedure for each thin film, the thin films are sequentially stacked. To be formed.

Specifically, in the cleaning step, the glass substrate 30A is cleaned by spraying the cleaning liquid onto the glass substrate 30A before forming each thin film by the cleaning device 50, and foreign matter such as dust and dust on the glass substrate 30A. Remove. In the film forming process, the film forming apparatus 51 forms the thin film material to be formed so as to have a uniform film thickness with respect to the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A. Specifically, as the film forming apparatus 51, a CVD apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, a vacuum deposition apparatus, or the like is used. In the resist coating process, a photoresist is applied to the material film formed by the film forming device 51 by the resist coating device 52 so as to have a uniform film thickness, and is laminated. At this time, a positive type or a negative type is used as the photoresist. In the exposure process, the exposure device 53 irradiates the photoresist applied by the resist coating device 52 with UV light or the like through a photomask having a predetermined pattern, thereby providing a range corresponding to the pattern of the photomask. To expose.

In the developing step, the developing device 54 supplies the developer onto the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A, thereby developing the photoresist and removing either the exposed area or the non-exposed area. In the etching process, the material film is patterned by etching and removing the region of the material film that is not covered with the remaining photoresist by the etching apparatus 55. As the etching apparatus 55, specifically, a dry etching apparatus that etches a material film with an etching gas, ions, or radicals, a wet etching apparatus that etches a material film with an etchant, or the like is used. Among these, in the wet etching apparatus, the material film is etched by supplying an etching solution onto the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A. In the resist stripping step, the resist stripping device 56 supplies a resist stripping solution onto the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A, thereby removing the remaining photoresist.

Of the manufacturing apparatuses 50 to 56 described above, the cleaning apparatus 50 may be used after the processes by the other manufacturing apparatuses 51 to 56 in addition to the cleaning process before film formation. Specifically, a cleaning process may be performed after the film forming process by the film forming apparatus 51 in order to remove residual substances and dust accompanying the film formation, and the cleaning apparatus 50 is used in the cleaning process. In addition to this, for example, when a dry etching apparatus is used as the etching apparatus 55, a cleaning process may be performed after the etching process in order to remove residues by dry etching. A device 50 is used.

Subsequently, the configuration of the cleaning apparatus 50 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cleaning device 50 is provided with a cleaning tank 50A separated from the external atmosphere, a transfer device 60 disposed in the cleaning tank 50A, and

nozzles

70 and 72 described later. And a plurality of pipes 80. 7 to 13, the X-axis direction is the conveyance direction (front-rear direction) of the glass substrate 30A, the Y-axis direction is the left-right direction (width direction of the glass substrate 30A to be conveyed), and the Z-axis direction is The vertical direction of the cleaning device 50 is used. 7 and 8, the left side of the figure is the upstream side in the transport direction, and the right side of the figure is the downstream side in the transport direction. In the cleaning apparatus 50, the glass substrate 30A is thrown to the upstream side in the transport direction with the thin film formation surface or the formation scheduled surface facing upward, and the long side direction is along the X-axis direction and the short side direction. Is transported from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction by the transport device 60 in a posture along the Y-axis direction (see arrows in FIGS. 7 and 8).

First, the configuration of the transfer device 60 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the transport device 60 extends in a shaft shape, and includes a plurality of transport rollers 62 that transport the glass substrate 30 A along the transport direction, and both end portions of each transport roller 62. A bearing portion 64 that supports the bearing portion 64 rotatably and a pair of frames 66 that are fixed at a predetermined height position and hold the bearing portion 64 are provided. Among these, the pair of frames 66 has a shape extending along the conveyance direction of the glass substrate 30 A, and has a plurality of concave portions 66 A 1 that are recessed in positions corresponding to the attachment positions of the respective conveyance rollers 62. Yes. Each concave portion 66A is provided intermittently along the conveyance direction of the glass substrate 30A so as to open upward.

Each conveyance roller 62 is bridged between a pair of frames 66, and the extending direction thereof is in a posture along the Y-axis direction, and is arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval along the conveyance direction. Each conveyance roller 62 is rotated around its axis by a rotation mechanism (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each transport roller 62 has a metal shaft portion 62A and a plurality of synthetic resin substrate support portions 62B attached to the shaft portion 62A. Each substrate support portion 62B has a disk shape larger in diameter than the shaft portion 62A, and is attached to the shaft portion 62A with a predetermined interval in the extending direction of the transport roller 62. The glass substrate 30 A is transported along the transport direction while the plate surface opposite to the thin film formation surface or the surface to be formed is continuously supported by the substrate support portion 62 B of the transport roller 62.

The bearing portion 64 is a so-called ball bearing, and is disposed outside the periphery of the shaft at both ends in the extending direction of the shaft portion 62 A of the transport roller 62. The lower portion of the bearing portion 64 is held and fixed to the frame 66 by being bonded and fixed to the concave portion 66 A of each frame 66. As shown in FIG. 7, the transport device 60 includes one additional roller 68 disposed on the upper side of the transport roller 62 so as to face one transport roller 62 disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction. ing. The upper roller 68 has the same configuration as that of the transport roller 62, and the rotation mechanism thereof is the same as that of the transport roller 62. The upper roller 68 is configured to send the glass substrate 30A to the downstream side in the conveying direction in a form in which the glass substrate 30A is sandwiched between the upper roller 68 and the opposite conveying roller 62. By sandwiching the glass substrate 30A between the pair of

rollers

62 and 68 opposed to each other in this way, the glass substrate 30A can be prevented or suppressed from sliding in the plate surface direction.

Next, the configuration of the piping 80 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, each pipe 80 includes a main pipe portion 80A extending along the transport direction, and a plurality of branch pipe portions 80B branching from the main pipe portion 80A and extending along the left-right direction. ing. The main pipe portion 80A of each pipe 80 is located on one end side in the left-right direction of the transfer device, and the branch pipe portion 80B of each pipe 80 extends from one end side to the other end side in the left-right direction of the transfer device. Further, in each pipe 80, the intervals in the transport direction of the branch pipe portions 80B are substantially equal. In each branch pipe portion 80B of each pipe 80, a plurality of

nozzles

70 and 72 for injecting the cleaning liquid onto the glass substrate 30A conveyed by the conveying device 60 are linearly formed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (Y-axis direction). Installed in parallel. The plurality of

nozzles

70 and 72 are intermittently provided at substantially equal intervals in each branch pipe portion 80B, and the number of

nozzles

70 and 72 in each branch pipe portion 80B and the arrangement of the

nozzles

70 and 72 are both equal. It is supposed to be. Note that the cleaning liquid is supplied to a main pipe portion 80A of each pipe 80 from a supply pipe (not shown). The cleaning liquid supplied to the main pipe portion 80A flows to each branch pipe portion 80B and is ejected from the

nozzles

70 and 72.

Most of the plurality of

nozzles

70 and 72 are vertical nozzles (an example of a cleaning nozzle) that sprays the cleaning liquid straight downward so as to be perpendicular to the plate surface of the glass substrate 30 A conveyed by the conveying device 60. 70. Here, the chain line in FIG. 9 and the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 10 indicate the ejection range of the cleaning liquid ejected from each vertical nozzle 70. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the vertical nozzle 70 is sprayed from the spray nozzle of the vertical nozzle 70 toward the glass substrate 30 A so as to spread in the left-right direction with a slight inclination. Further, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaning liquid sprayed from each vertical nozzle 70 has a spray range that overlaps with the spray range of the adjacent cleaning liquid on both sides in the left-right direction. For this reason, when the glass substrate 30A conveyed by the conveying device 60 passes directly under the branch pipe portion 80B to which the vertical nozzle 70 is attached, the portion of the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A located directly under the branch pipe portion 80B. Is applied to the cleaning liquid over the entire width direction.

On the other hand, among the

nozzles

70 and 72 attached to the branch pipe portion 80B located on the most downstream side in the transport direction, three nozzles 72 located on one end side in the left-right direction and 3 located on the other end side in the left-right direction. The two nozzles 72 are inclined nozzles 72 that inject the cleaning liquid downward so as to hit the plate surface of the glass substrate 30 A conveyed by the conveying device 60 from an oblique direction. Here, the chain line in FIG. 11 and the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 12 indicate the ejection range of the cleaning liquid ejected from each vertical nozzle 70 and each inclined nozzle 72. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the tilt nozzle 72 is sprayed from the spray port of the tilt nozzle 72 toward the glass substrate 30A so as to spread in the front-rear direction in a slightly tilted form. Specifically, in the inclined nozzle 72, the spray direction D1 of the cleaning liquid is inclined with respect to a plane P1 orthogonal to the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A being conveyed (see FIGS. 11 and 13). On the other hand, in the vertical nozzle 70, the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid is set along the plane P1.

The configuration of the inclined nozzle 72 and the manner of spraying the cleaning liquid by the inclined nozzle 72 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, the inclined nozzle 72 has a configuration in which an extension nozzle 72 A that is bent and extended in a substantially crank shape is attached to the injection port of the vertical nozzle 70 that is slightly inclined upstream in the transport direction. Is done. The extension nozzle 72A is attached in such a posture that its injection port is directed to both end portions in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A. For this reason, the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the glass substrate 30A from the inclined nozzle 72 is directed toward both end portions in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A. Specifically, in FIG. 12, in the three inclined nozzles 72 located on the right end side of the drawing, the jetting direction is inclined so that the cleaning liquid to be jetted is directed to the right end side of the glass substrate 30A, and the position is on the left end side of the drawing. In the three inclined nozzles 72, the injection direction is inclined so that the cleaning liquid to be injected is directed to the left end side of the glass substrate 30A. Further, the cleaning liquid ejection direction by the inclined nozzle 72 is slightly inclined to the upstream side in the transport direction as compared with the cleaning liquid ejection direction by the vertical nozzle 70 (see FIG. 7).

Since the inclined nozzle 72 attached to each branch pipe portion 80B has the above-described configuration, as schematically shown in FIG. 14, dust, dust, etc. on the glass substrate 30A conveyed by the conveying device 60 The foreign matter R1 is caused to flow down from the both end sides in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A to the outside of the glass substrate 30A by the cleaning liquid ejected from the inclined nozzle 72 (see the arrow shown in FIG. 14). For this reason, it is prevented or suppressed that the cleaning liquid stays at both end portions in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A, and the foreign matter R1 peeled off from the glass substrate 30A by the cleaning liquid is prevented from adhering again on the glass substrate 30A. It is supposed to be suppressed.

Incidentally, in the cleaning device 50, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the

nozzles

70 and 72 is collected, circulated by a circulation device (not shown), and used again as the cleaning liquid. In the manufacturing process of the array substrate 30, when the cleaning device 50 is used after the steps by the other manufacturing devices 51 to 56, the cleaning liquid mixed with the foreign matter R1 may be sprayed onto the glass substrate 30A. For this reason, when the cleaning apparatus 50 is used after the steps of the other manufacturing apparatuses 51 to 56, if the cleaning liquid stays on the glass substrate 30A, the foreign matter R1 mixed in the cleaning liquid is formed on the glass substrate 30A. It may adhere to the gate insulating film 37 or the interlayer insulating film 39 and peel off from the glass substrate 30A together with a part of the gate insulating film 37 or the interlayer insulating film 39, and may be detected as a gate insulating film defect or an interlayer insulating film defect. . The array substrate 30 in which such a defect is detected is regarded as a defective product. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the cleaning liquid is prevented or suppressed from staying on the glass substrate 30A as described above, the foreign matter R1 contained in the reused cleaning liquid is prevented from flowing into the gate insulating film 37 on the glass substrate 30A. In addition, adhesion to the interlayer insulating film 39 or the like is prevented or suppressed.

Here, in the graph of FIG. 15, before and after the application of the cleaning apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, the gate insulating film defect of the gate insulating film 37 formed on the glass substrate 30A and the film formed on the glass substrate 30A are formed. The result of having detected the interlayer insulation film defect | deletion of the interlayer insulation film 39 is shown, respectively. Note that the horizontal axis in the graph of FIG. 15 indicates how many pattern defects (the gate insulating film defect and the interlayer insulating film defect) generated per one array substrate 30 occur, and the vertical axis indicates the pattern. The frequency of occurrence of each defect is shown as a percentage (%). Further, the line connecting the circle marks indicates before application of the cleaning apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, and the line connected with the square marks indicates after application of the cleaning apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the graph of FIG. 15, the number of occurrences of pattern defects exceeding 60 is much lower after application than before application of the cleaning apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment. Therefore, by applying the cleaning device 50 of this embodiment, the cleaning liquid is prevented or suppressed from staying on the surface of the glass substrate 30A, and pattern defects are generated due to the reattachment of the foreign matter R1 on the glass substrate 30A. The number has been reduced.

As described above, in the cleaning device 50 according to the present embodiment, among the plurality of

nozzles

70 and 72 attached to the branch pipe portion 80B located on the most downstream side in the transport direction, the cleaning device 50 is disposed on both ends in the left-right direction. The total six inclined nozzles 72 are inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A to which the cleaning liquid is ejected. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid is sprayed from the six inclined nozzles 72 onto the glass substrate 30A so as to be directed to both end portions in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A being conveyed. For this reason, even if the cleaning liquid stays on the transported glass substrate 30A, the cleaning liquid stayed on the glass substrate 30A by the cleaning liquid sprayed from the inclined nozzle 72 is removed from both ends in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A. It is washed off to the outside of 30A. As a result, it is possible to suppress the foreign matter R1 contained in the cleaning liquid staying on the glass substrate 30A from reattaching to the glass substrate 30A.

Furthermore, in the cleaning device 50 according to the present embodiment, the

nozzles

70 and 72 attached to the pipes 80 are arranged in parallel with the branch pipe portions 80B of the pipes 80. For this reason, in the manufacturing process of the cleaning apparatus 50, a plurality of

nozzles

70 and 72 are formed in a simple process compared to a configuration in which the plurality of

nozzles

70 and 72 are arranged in parallel to a shape other than a straight shape (for example, a shape bent in a V shape).

Nozzles

70 and 72 can be arranged.

In the present embodiment, the inclined nozzle 72 is arranged downstream of the vertical nozzle 70 in the transport direction, and the plane P1 in which the cleaning liquid ejecting direction by the vertical nozzle 70 is orthogonal to the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A to be transported. It is along. With such a configuration, the cleaning liquid sprayed from the vertical nozzle 70 onto the glass substrate 30A hits the glass substrate 30A without being inclined with respect to the plane P1, so that it is transported along the transport direction. The glass substrate 30 A to be formed can be effectively cleaned by the vertical nozzle 70 before reaching the lower side of the inclined nozzle 72.

By the way, in this embodiment, the inclined nozzle 72 is arranged on the most downstream side in the transport direction, and the cleaning liquid is ejected from the tilt nozzle 72 so as to be inclined with respect to the plate surface of the glass substrate 30A. On the side, the cleaning liquid from the inclined nozzle 72 may enter between the glass substrate 30A and the transport roller 62, and the glass substrate 30A may slide in the plate surface direction. In this regard, in this embodiment, the glass substrate 30A is sandwiched between the transport roller 62 and the addition roller 68 on the downstream side in the transport direction, and the glass substrate 30A is sent out further downstream in the transport direction. The substrate 30A is prevented or suppressed from sliding on the transport roller 62 in the plate surface direction.

<Embodiment 2>
The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the injection mode of the

inclined nozzles

72, 173 and 174 is different from that of the first embodiment. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the structure, operation, and effect is omitted. In the cleaning apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, as in Embodiment 1, a plurality of

nozzles

70, 72, 173, 174 attached to the branch pipe portion 80 B located on the most downstream side in the transport direction are used. Among them, the three

nozzles

72, 173, 174 located on one end side in the left-right direction and the three

nozzles

72, 173, 174 located on the other end side in the left-right direction are respectively

inclined nozzles

72, 173, 174. Of these, the two inclined nozzles 72 located on the inner side (the center side in the left-right direction of the branch pipe portion 80B) are the same as the inclined nozzles 72 of the first embodiment.

On the other hand, as for the two inclined nozzles 173 respectively located outside the inclined nozzle 72 (both ends in the left-right direction of the branch pipe portion 80B) as in the first embodiment, the extension nozzle 173A is inclined further outward. Specifically, the two inclined nozzles 173 are configured such that the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid is further inclined by about 5 ° to the outer side than the inclined nozzle 72 similar to that of the first embodiment with respect to the plane P1 described above. . Furthermore, the two inclined nozzles 174 respectively positioned outside the two inclined nozzles 173, that is, the two inclined nozzles 174 respectively positioned at both ends in the left-right direction of the branch pipe portion 80B, have the extended nozzle 174A on the outer side. Tilted. Specifically, the two inclined nozzles 173 are configured such that the spraying direction of the cleaning liquid is further inclined by about 10 ° to the outer side than the inclined nozzle 72 similar to that of the first embodiment with respect to the plane P1 described above. .

Thus, in this embodiment, the inclination angle with respect to the plane P1 in the spray direction of the cleaning liquid by the

inclined nozzles

72, 173, and 174 becomes larger as approaching the both end portions in the left-right direction of the branch pipe portion 80B. Here, on the glass substrate 30 A transported by the transport device, the cleaning liquid tends to stay as it approaches the both end portions in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30 A. In the present embodiment, each of the

inclined nozzles

72, 173, and 174 is configured as described above, so that the cleaning liquid that is sprayed onto the glass substrate 30A as it approaches the side where the cleaning liquid tends to stay on the glass substrate 30A. Therefore, the cleaning liquid staying on the glass substrate 30A can be effectively poured from both ends of the glass substrate 30A in the left-right direction to the outside of the glass substrate 30A.

<Embodiment 3>
The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, the injection modes of the

inclined nozzles

72, 275, and 276 are different from those in the first and second embodiments. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description of the structure, operation, and effect is omitted. In the cleaning apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, as in Embodiments 1 and 2, a plurality of

nozzles

70, 72, attached to the branch pipe portion 80 B located on the most downstream side in the transport direction. Among the

nozzles

275 and 276, the three

nozzles

72, 275 and 276 located on one end side in the left-right direction and the three

nozzles

72, 275 and 276 located on the other end side in the left-right direction are

inclined nozzles

72, 275 and 276, respectively. Is done. Of these, the two inclined nozzles 72 located on the inner side (the center side in the left-right direction of the branch pipe portion 80B) are the same as the inclined nozzles 72 of the first embodiment.

On the other hand, the two inclined nozzles 275 located on the outer sides of the inclined nozzles 72 similar to those in the first embodiment have the same spraying force of the cleaning liquid sprayed from the extension nozzles 275A as that in the first embodiment. Larger than Further, the two inclined nozzles 275 positioned outside the two inclined nozzles 275, that is, the two inclined nozzles 276 respectively positioned at both ends in the left-right direction of the branch pipe portion 80B are ejected from the extension nozzle 276A. The spraying force of the cleaning liquid is larger than the spraying force of the inclined nozzle 275 located inside the cleaning liquid.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid ejection force by the

inclined nozzles

72, 275, and 276 is increased as approaching the both end portions in the left-right direction of the branch pipe portion 80 B. With such a configuration, the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the glass substrate 30A as it approaches the side on which the cleaning liquid is likely to stay (both ends in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A) on the transported glass substrate 30A. Therefore, the cleaning liquid staying on the glass substrate 30A can be effectively poured from the both ends in the left-right direction of the glass substrate 30A to the outside of the glass substrate 30A.

The modifications of the above embodiments are listed below.
(1) In each of the above embodiments, the configuration in which the inclined nozzle is attached only to the branch pipe portion located on the most downstream side in the transport direction is exemplified, but the position where the inclined nozzle is attached is not limited. The inclined nozzle may be arranged on the upstream side in the conveyance direction, or the inclined nozzle may be arranged in the middle of the conveyance direction.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the configuration in which the cleaning device includes a total of six inclined nozzles is illustrated, but the number of inclined nozzles is not limited.

(3) In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which the inclined nozzle is configured by attaching the extension nozzle to the vertical nozzle is shown. However, the inclined nozzle may be arranged in a straight line, The configuration and the injection mode are not limited.

(4) In each of the above embodiments, the glass substrate is exemplified as an example of the plate-like body conveyed by the conveying device of the cleaning device. However, the plate-like body on which the cleaning liquid from the inclined nozzle is ejected is not limited to the glass substrate. .

As mentioned above, although each embodiment of this invention was described in detail, these are only illustrations and do not limit a claim. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.

10: liquid crystal display device, 11: liquid crystal panel, 14: backlight device, 20: color filter substrate, 30: array substrate, 30A: glass substrate, 37: gate insulating film, 39: interlayer insulating film, 50: cleaning device, 50A: Cleaning tank, 60: Conveying device, 62: Conveying roller, 66: Frame, 68: Overhead roller, 70: Vertical nozzle, 72, 173, 174, 275, 276: Inclined nozzle, 72A, 173A, 174A, 275A, 276A: Extension nozzle, 80: Piping, 80A: Main pipe section, 80B: Branch pipe section, D1: Injection direction of cleaning liquid from the inclined nozzle, P1: Plane (perpendicular to the glass substrate being conveyed), R1: Foreign matter

Claims

A transport device for transporting the plate-like body so that its plate surface is along the transport direction;
A plurality of nozzles that are arranged in parallel in a straight line in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction among the directions along the plate surface of the plate-like body, and inject a cleaning liquid onto the plate-like body that is transported by the transport device And a plurality of nozzles for injecting the cleaning liquid so that at least a part of the cleaning liquid to be injected on the plate-shaped body is directed to both end portions in the orthogonal direction of the plate-shaped body;
A cleaning device comprising:
The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a spraying direction of the cleaning liquid of at least two nozzles among the plurality of nozzles is inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to a plate surface of the plate-like body.
The nozzle inclined in the direction in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed has an inclination angle with respect to the orthogonal plane in the direction in which the cleaning liquid is sprayed as it approaches the both ends of the plate-like body in the orthogonal direction. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 2.
The nozzle with the inclined spraying direction of the cleaning liquid increases the spraying force of the cleaning liquid as it approaches the both end sides in the orthogonal direction of the plate-like body. The cleaning device described.
A plurality of cleaning nozzles, wherein the cleaning liquid is sprayed along the plane;
The cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles are arranged downstream of the plurality of cleaning nozzles in the transport direction.