Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C5/00—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work
  • B05C5/02—Apparatus in which liquid or other fluent material is projected, poured or allowed to flow on to the surface of the work the liquid or other fluent material being discharged through an outlet orifice by pressure, e.g. from an outlet device in contact or almost in contact, with the work
  • B05C5/0254—Coating heads with slot-shaped outlet
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
  • H10K71/00—Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
  • H10K71/10—Deposition of organic active material
  • H10K71/12—Deposition of organic active material using liquid deposition, e.g. spin coating
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C11/00—Component parts, details or accessories not specifically provided for in groups B05C1/00 - B05C9/00
  • B05C11/10—Storage, supply or control of liquid or other fluent material; Recovery of excess liquid or other fluent material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D1/00—Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials
  • B05D1/26—Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials performed by applying the liquid or other fluent material from an outlet device in contact with, or almost in contact with, the surface
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D2252/00—Sheets
  • B05D2252/02—Sheets of indefinite length
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D3/00—Pretreatment of surfaces to which liquids or other fluent materials are to be applied; After-treatment of applied coatings, e.g. intermediate treating of an applied coating preparatory to subsequent applications of liquids or other fluent materials
  • B05D3/02—Pretreatment of surfaces to which liquids or other fluent materials are to be applied; After-treatment of applied coatings, e.g. intermediate treating of an applied coating preparatory to subsequent applications of liquids or other fluent materials by baking
  • B05D3/0254—After-treatment
  • B05D3/0263—After-treatment with IR heaters
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D3/00—Pretreatment of surfaces to which liquids or other fluent materials are to be applied; After-treatment of applied coatings, e.g. intermediate treating of an applied coating preparatory to subsequent applications of liquids or other fluent materials
  • B05D3/04—Pretreatment of surfaces to which liquids or other fluent materials are to be applied; After-treatment of applied coatings, e.g. intermediate treating of an applied coating preparatory to subsequent applications of liquids or other fluent materials by exposure to gases
  • B05D3/0406—Pretreatment of surfaces to which liquids or other fluent materials are to be applied; After-treatment of applied coatings, e.g. intermediate treating of an applied coating preparatory to subsequent applications of liquids or other fluent materials by exposure to gases the gas being air
  • B05D3/0413—Heating with air

Definitions

• Embodiments of the present invention relate to a coating head, a coating apparatus, and a coating method that can be used for device formation.
• Organic thin-film solar cells and organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells using organic semiconductors are expected to be low-cost solar cells because inexpensive coating methods can be applied to form the active layer.
• it is necessary to uniformly coat the coating materials that form the organic active layer and other layers.
• the film thickness of each layer is about several nm to several hundreds of nm, and it is required to form such very thin layers with good uniformity over a large area.
• slit coating is known as one of the roll-to-roll (R2R) coating methods that can coat extremely thin layers over a large area at low cost.
• the coating liquid can be supplied to the substrate from a wide slit, making it easy to obtain a single large-area coating film.
• the amount of coating liquid discharged is likely to differ in the longitudinal direction of the slit, and it was sometimes difficult to obtain a coating film with a uniform thickness. For this reason, a coating head, coating device, and coating method that can form a more uniform coating film are desired.
• Embodiments of the present invention provide a coating head, coating device, and coating method that can form a uniform coating film by slit coating.
• a coating head used for slit coating which ejects a coating liquid from a slit
• the coating head includes a manifold for temporarily storing a coating liquid therein; a slit for discharging a coating liquid stored in the manifold; a plurality of coating liquid supply ports for introducing coating liquids into the manifold; the manifold has a columnar shape and is disposed inside the coating head and substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction thereof; The coating head has the plurality of coating liquid supply ports disposed on both ends of the manifold in the longitudinal direction.
• the coating head according to [1] wherein the gap at the longitudinal center of the slit is wider than the gap at the longitudinal ends.
• the coating head according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the outer surface of the coating head from which the slit is exposed is flat.
• a coating device for supplying a coating liquid to a surface of a substrate and forming a coating film by slit coating A coating head; A substrate transport member that transports a substrate; a coating liquid supplying member for supplying the coating liquid to the coating head; Equipped with The coating head includes: a manifold for temporarily storing the coating liquid therein; a slit for discharging a coating liquid stored in the manifold; a plurality of coating liquid supply ports for introducing coating liquids into the manifold; the manifold has a columnar shape and is disposed inside the coating head and substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction thereof; the coating device, wherein the plurality of coating liquid supply ports are disposed on both ends of the manifold in a longitudinal direction.
• a coating method for applying a coating liquid to a substrate by slit coating using a coating head comprising the steps of:
• the coating head includes a manifold for temporarily storing the coating liquid therein; a slit for discharging a coating liquid stored in the manifold; a plurality of coating liquid supply ports for introducing coating liquids into the manifold;
• the manifold has a columnar shape and is disposed inside the coating head and substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction thereof, the plurality of coating liquid supply ports are disposed at both ends of the manifold in a longitudinal direction, a coating method comprising: supplying a coating liquid to the plurality of coating liquid supply ports to perform coating.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a coating state using a coating head according to a first embodiment.
• FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the application head according to the first embodiment in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
• FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coating head according to the first embodiment in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic side view illustrating the coating apparatus according to the second embodiment.
• FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a coating method according to the third embodiment.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a coating state using a coating head according to the first embodiment.
• Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are schematic cross-sectional views in directions perpendicular and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the coating head according to the first embodiment.
• the coating device 100 has a coating head that ejects coating liquid 102 from a slit 101 in the cross section shown in Figure 2, and has coating liquid supply ports 103 that supply coating liquid from both ends of the coating head in the longitudinal direction.
• the figure also shows a substrate 104, a coating film 105, a pipe 106 that supplies coating liquid to the coating head, a liquid delivery pump 107 that is a coating liquid supply member, and a coating liquid tank 108.
• the internal structure of the slit of the coating head 100 includes a manifold 112 in which the coating liquid temporarily stays, and a flow path 111 from the coating liquid supply port 103 to the manifold.
• the inner surface of the slit 101 can be provided with an uneven structure.
• the manifold has a columnar shape and is disposed inside the coating head, approximately parallel to its longitudinal direction.
• the coating liquid 102 collides in the center, causing localized increases in pressure and turbulence.
• pressure fluctuations and the occurrence of gaps can cause coating variations, but the manifold 112 and the uneven structure on the inner surface of the slit act to mitigate these issues.
• the coating head according to the first embodiment may have a constant gap in the slit 101.
• the gap in the longitudinal center of the slit can be made wider than the gap at the longitudinal ends. This makes it easier to suppress local increases in pressure of the coating liquid and the occurrence of turbulence.
• the coating head 100 has coating liquid supply ports on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the manifold arranged inside the coating head, but can also have a coating liquid supply port that supplies liquid to the center of the manifold 112. This makes it easier to discharge the liquid uniformly from the slits.
• the outer surface 109 of the slit 101 can be curved as shown in FIG. 2.
• the outer surface refers to the portion with which the coating liquid can come into contact.
• the range of the outer surface in which the shape should be considered is 2 to 5 times the slit width. Note that in FIG. 2, the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the coating bar is circular, but the cross-sectional shape is not particularly limited.
• the coating head according to the first embodiment may have a flat outer surface 109 of the slit 101. Making the outer surface flat increases the shear stress, and when the viscosity of the coating liquid is high, it is easy to obtain a uniform coating film. Even in this case, the range of the outer surface is 2 to 5 times the width of the slit.
• the coating device 200 has a coating head 100 having a slit 101, a substrate transport member 110 for transporting a substrate 104, and a pump 107 which is a coating liquid supply member for supplying a coating liquid 102 to the coating head 100.
• a coating film 105 is formed on a substrate 104 by the coating liquid 102.
• the coating film 105 is solidified, for example by drying, to obtain the desired film (solid film). For example, by moving the substrate 104 along the moving direction (the direction of the arrow in the figure), a coating film 105 with a large area can be formed on the substrate 104.
• the coating device according to the second embodiment can be equipped with a coating head position adjustment member 113 that controls the position of the coating head. By detecting the position of the coating head before or during coating and controlling the distance between the coating head and the substrate while coating, it is possible to make the thickness of the coating film uniform.
• the coating device can supply the coating liquid 102 from one liquid delivery pump 107.
• the piping from one liquid delivery pump is divided into several parts, each of which is connected to the coating head. If the liquid delivery pump 107 is located below the coating head 100, it is easier to remove air that is present in the coating liquid. It is also better to have the coating liquid tank 108 located below the pump 107.
• the coating device 200 may further include a drying member 114.
• the drying member 114 is capable of drying the coating liquid 102 applied to the substrate 104.
• the drying member 114 may include, for example, an air nozzle or a far-infrared lamp.
• the third embodiment relates to a coating method.
• coating is performed using, for example, the coating apparatus 200 (or a variation thereof) described in relation to the first embodiment.
• This method in which a coating liquid is discharged from a coating head having a slit and applied, includes the steps of preparing a coating head that supplies coating liquid from both sides in the longitudinal direction of the coating head (S31), as shown in embodiment 1, detecting and adjusting the distance between the coating head and the substrate (S32), and applying the liquid to the substrate while supplying the liquid from both ends of the coating head in the longitudinal direction of the slit (S33).
• Figure 4 shows an example of a coating device in which the slit is positioned so that it faces downward.
• the direction of the slit can be freely selected to face downward, sideways, or upward, but it is preferable to eject the coating liquid upward, as this makes it easier for the air in the coating liquid to escape and also makes it easier to apply uniform pressure to the coating liquid, which tends to result in stable coating.
• a solar cell can be formed by coating using the coating device 200.
• the number of pumps is one.
• a tube connected to one pump is split into two and connected to a coating head.
• the substrate 104 is a rolled PET film.
• the width of the PET film is, for example, 330 mm.
• a light-transmitting electrode having a width of 300 mm is formed on the PET film by a roll-to-roll compatible sputtering device.
• the sheet resistance of the electrode is, for example, 10 ⁇ / ⁇ .
• the electrode has, for example, a laminated structure of an ITO film/Ag alloy/ITO film.
• multiple electrodes are provided.
• the length of each of the multiple electrodes is, for example, about 10 mm.
• the distance between the multiple electrodes is, for example, 50 ⁇ m.
• the coating head 100 described in embodiment 1 is prepared.
• the width of the slit in the coating head 10 is 0.5 mm at the ends and 1.0 mm at the center.
• the cross section of the outer surface is arc-shaped.
• the radius of the arc is 10 mm.
• the length of the coating head is 300 mm.
• the material of the coating head is, for example, stainless steel (e.g., SUS303).
• the relative positional relationship between the application head and the substrate is controlled by a gap ring or actuator.
• the coating liquid 102 is continuously supplied by the liquid supply pump 107.
• the movement speed of the substrate 104 is, for example, 5 m/min.
• the drying member 114 blows heated dry air onto the applied coating liquid 102. A solidified coating film is obtained from the coating liquid.
• another coating liquid may be further coated.
• the other coating liquid includes, for example, a semiconductor material.
• the other coating liquid includes, for example, PTB7 ([poly ⁇ 4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl-1t-alt-3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophene-4,6-diyl ⁇ ]) and PC70BM ([6,6]phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester).
• PTB7 is, for example, a p-type semiconductor.
• PC70BM is, for example, an n-type semiconductor.
• the other coating liquid further includes, for example, monochlorobenzene.
• the amount of PTB7 is 8 mg per 1 mL of monochlorobenzene.
• the amount of PC70BM is 12 mg per 1 mL of monochlorobenzene.
• Another coating liquid 22A is a dispersion liquid containing an organic semiconductor.
• the other coating liquid becomes, for example, a semiconductor film for a solar cell.
• the minimum gap distance between the coating head 100 and the substrate 104 is 300 ⁇ m.
• the moving speed of the substrate 102 is, for example, 5 m/min. After application, drying is performed by a drying member.
• organic thin-film solar cells that use organic semiconductors, or organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells.
• organic semiconductors or organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells.
• the coating liquid may be applied to the substrate 104 at a position where the substrate is transported vertically. This, for example, applies the effect of gravity to the meniscus, making it easier to obtain a uniform film even at high speeds.
• Coating head 101 Slit 102
• Coating liquid 103 Supply port 104
• Substrate 105 ... Coating film 106
• Pipe 107
• Coating liquid supply member 108
• Coating liquid tank 109
• Outer surface 110
• Substrate transport member 111
• Flow path 112
• Manifold 113
• Coating head position member 114
• Drying member 200

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Coating Apparatus (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

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Citations (8)

• 2023
  • 2023-03-08 JP JP2025505002A patent/JP7757567B2/ja active Active
  • 2023-03-08 CN CN202380061041.9A patent/CN119744203A/zh active Pending
  • 2023-03-08 WO PCT/JP2023/008878 patent/WO2024185089A1/ja not_active Ceased
  • 2023-03-08 EP EP23926299.1A patent/EP4563242A1/en active Pending
• 2025
  • 2025-02-24 US US19/060,913 patent/US20250187034A1/en active Pending

Patent Citations (8)

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