Device and method for accelerating leveling speed of liquid film on surface of substrate

Abstract

The invention discloses a device and method for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on the surface of a substrate, and belongs to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing. The device adopts a positive and negative pressure combined mode of an air floating platform to support the substrate, and a platform body of the air floating platform is divided into a plurality of independently controlled ventilation areas; air is blown to the substrate body through the ventilation areas by controlling opening and closing of the electromagnetic valves and pressure adjustment of the positive and negative air paths, and partition control is more stable and precise. The surface liquid film attached to the substrate body can be driven to be quickly leveled by adjusting the positive pressure blowing and / or the negative pressure corresponding to the negative pressure airflow intensity and adjusting the on-off of the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path. By means of the design, accelerated leveling of a large-area substrate ultrathin liquid film can be achieved, and the leveling efficiency and the leveling quality of the liquid film on the surface of the substrate are improved; and the method is particularly suitable for manufacturing high-resolution and large-format displays, electronic components and the like by utilizing ink-jet printing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and more specifically, relates to an apparatus and method for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of semiconductor manufacturing, display panel production, and flexible electronics technology, the requirements for the leveling quality of liquid films on substrates are increasing. Air flotation technology is gradually being applied to substrate processing. By applying positive and negative pressure airflows to an air flotation platform, the substrate is suspended in a non-contact manner, thereby reducing mechanical damage. This is particularly suitable for large-area, high-precision substrate processing. In the leveling process of large-area liquid films, leveling speed is a key indicator, and the leveling effect and speed directly affect the film quality. Accelerating the leveling process of liquid films on substrate surfaces can significantly improve the process efficiency and finished product quality of thin-film encapsulation, and facilitate the mass production application of inkjet printing technology in new display fields. This is a goal that global panel manufacturers and research institutions urgently need to achieve.

[0003] However, in the field of printed displays, thin films are often only a few micrometers to tens of micrometers in size. Further research has revealed that existing technologies still have the following shortcomings:

[0004] 1. Existing technologies for accelerating the leveling of liquid films on substrate surfaces are inefficient.

[0005] 2. Traditional non-contact support solutions using air blowing and heating are not applicable. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned defects or improvement needs of the prior art, the present invention provides an apparatus and method for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on substrate surface. Its purpose is to enable non-contact support of the substrate by air flotation and to solve the technical problem of low efficiency of the accelerated leveling method of liquid film on substrate surface in the prior art by increasing the leveling speed of liquid film on substrate surface.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided to accelerate the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface, the substrate comprising a substrate body and a surface liquid film adhered to its surface; the apparatus includes:

[0008] The air flotation platform includes multiple positive pressure air passages, multiple negative pressure air passages, and a platform body with multiple ventilation areas; the multiple positive pressure air passages are used to apply positive pressure air blowing to the substrate body through the multiple ventilation areas, and the multiple negative pressure air passages are used to apply negative pressure air suction to the substrate body through the multiple ventilation areas, thereby achieving non-contact support of the platform body for the substrate body at a certain height.

[0009] A displacement sensor collects the dynamic height difference between the substrate body and the platform body in a non-contact manner.

[0010] The controller, connected to the displacement sensor, is used to generate a voltage regulation signal and a magnetic force signal based on the dynamic flight altitude.

[0011] A pressure regulating valve, connected to the controller and also connected to the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path, is used to adjust the negative pressure corresponding to the intensity of the positive pressure blowing air and / or the negative pressure airflow according to the pressure regulating signal, so as to drive the surface liquid film attached to the substrate body to level.

[0012] A solenoid valve, connected to the controller and also to the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path, is used to adjust the on / off frequency of the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path according to the magnetic force signal, so as to cause airflow vibration to drive the substrate body to vibrate, thereby driving the surface liquid film that is attached to the substrate to level.

[0013] Furthermore, the pressure regulating valve includes:

[0014] A positive pressure regulating valve, connected to the controller and the positive pressure air circuit, is used to control the positive pressure airflow intensity of the positive pressure blowing air according to the pressure regulating signal;

[0015] A negative pressure regulating valve, connected to the controller and the negative pressure air circuit, is used to control the intensity of the negative pressure airflow of the negative pressure intake according to the pressure regulating signal.

[0016] Furthermore, the first mapping relationship between the flight altitude and the positive pressure corresponding to the positive pressure airflow intensity is as follows:

[0017]

[0018] Among them, a p b p P represents the constant term fitting coefficient and the constant term fitting coefficient of the first mapping relationship, respectively. p The positive pressure of the positive pressure air path is h, and the flight altitude is h.

[0019] Furthermore, the second mapping relationship between the flight altitude and the negative pressure corresponding to the negative pressure airflow intensity is as follows:

[0020]

[0021] Among them, a N b N These are the constant term fitting coefficients and constant term fitting coefficients of the second mapping relationship, respectively, P N The positive pressure of the positive pressure air path is h, and the flight altitude is h.

[0022] Furthermore, the process of determining the first mapping relationship and the second mapping relationship is as follows:

[0023] The flight height between multiple measuring points between the platform body and the substrate body is controlled to be uniform and consistent.

[0024] Adjust the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path and the negative pressure of the negative pressure air path according to a certain range and increment, and record the corresponding flight altitude to establish the mapping relationship between the flight altitude and the positive pressure and the negative pressure.

[0025] Furthermore, the solenoid valve includes: a positive solenoid valve and / or a negative solenoid valve;

[0026] The positive solenoid valve is connected to the controller and the positive pressure air circuit, and is used to control the on and off of the positive pressure blowing according to the magnetic signal at a first preset frequency, thereby causing airflow vibration to drive the substrate body to vibrate at high frequency.

[0027] The negative solenoid valve is connected to the controller and the negative pressure air circuit. It is used to control the opening and closing of the negative pressure air intake according to the magnetic signal at a second preset frequency, thereby causing airflow vibration to drive the substrate body to vibrate at high frequency.

[0028] Furthermore, the relationship between the amplitude A of the airflow vibration and the flight altitude h is as follows:

[0029]

[0030] Among them, a p a is the constant-number fitting coefficient of the first mapping relationship between the flight altitude h and the barometric pressure corresponding to the barometric airflow intensity. N The constant-number fitting coefficients are the second mapping relationship between the flight altitude h and the negative pressure corresponding to the negative pressure airflow intensity.

[0031] Furthermore, the vibration mode of the substrate body is represented as follows:

[0032]

[0033] Where h is the flight height, w is the displacement of the substrate body, A is the amplitude of the airflow vibration, D is the duty cycle of the high-frequency pulse signal used to drive the solenoid valve, and T is the first preset frequency and / or the second preset frequency.

[0034] Furthermore, the displacement sensor is used to measure the height of multiple measuring points on the substrate body from the platform body.

[0035] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface is provided, applied to the aforementioned apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface, comprising:

[0036] S1: Control the uniformity of the flight height between the platform body and the substrate body of the air flotation platform; adjust the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path and the negative pressure of the negative pressure air path according to a certain range and increment, and record the corresponding flight height to construct the mapping relationship between the flight height and the positive pressure and the negative pressure.

[0037] S2: Based on the mapping relationship, the vibration of the substrate body is driven by regulating the solenoid valve and the pressure regulating valve to accelerate the leveling of the surface liquid film.

[0038] In summary, compared with the prior art, the above-described technical solutions conceived by this invention can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0039] (1) This invention provides a device for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface. The device uses an air-float platform with a combination of positive and negative pressure to support the substrate. The platform body is divided into multiple independently controlled ventilation zones. By controlling the opening and closing of solenoid valves and adjusting the pressure of the positive and negative air paths, air is blown onto the substrate body through each ventilation zone, resulting in more stable and precise zoned control. Adjusting the negative pressure corresponding to the intensity of the positive and / or negative airflow, and adjusting the on / off state of the positive and / or negative air paths, can drive the surface liquid film, which is in contact with the substrate body, to level rapidly. This design enables accelerated leveling of ultra-thin liquid films on large-area substrates, improving the leveling efficiency and quality of the liquid film on the substrate surface; it is particularly suitable for manufacturing high-resolution, large-format displays, electronic components, etc., using inkjet printing.

[0040] (2) The pressure regulating valves mentioned in this scheme include positive and negative pressure regulating valves, which can regulate the pressure of the positive and negative air paths separately and simultaneously.

[0041] (3) The solenoid valves described in this solution include: a positive solenoid valve and / or a negative solenoid valve, which can adjust the amplitude and frequency of the substrate vibration separately and simultaneously, thereby increasing the adjustment flexibility and control accuracy of the device.

[0042] (4) In this scheme, the first mapping relationship and the second mapping relationship can be predetermined and built into the controller, thereby improving the processing speed of the device. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of a device for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the air flotation platform body provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the determination of the first and second mapping relationships provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0048] Example 1

[0049] This embodiment provides a device for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface, wherein the substrate includes a substrate body and a surface liquid film adhered to its surface, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the device includes an air flotation platform, a displacement sensor, a controller, a pressure regulating valve, and a solenoid valve.

[0050] The air flotation platform includes multiple positive pressure air passages, multiple negative pressure air passages, and a platform body with multiple ventilation areas; a schematic diagram of the platform body is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, it is located on the side close to the substrate body. Multiple positive pressure air passages are used to blow positive pressure air onto the substrate body through multiple ventilation areas, and multiple negative pressure air passages are used to draw negative pressure air onto the substrate body through multiple ventilation areas, thereby achieving non-contact support between the platform body and the substrate body at a certain height.

[0051] Specifically, the air flotation platform includes independent positive and negative pressure channels. The positive pressure is formed by throttling through porous material, and the negative pressure is formed through negative pressure holes. Each air channel has a pressure regulating valve and a flow valve to record pressure and flow data. The air channels of the air flotation platform support zone control. Zone control is achieved by dividing the air flotation platform into multiple independent air pressure control zones. The air pressure in each zone can be adjusted individually to adapt to the differences in the morphology of the substrate.

[0052] A displacement sensor acquires the dynamic height difference between the substrate and the platform in a non-contact manner. For example, a laser displacement sensor can be used, offering advantages such as high accuracy, ease of operation, and non-contact measurement. Furthermore, the displacement sensor is used to measure the height difference between multiple points on the substrate and the platform.

[0053] The controller, connected to the displacement sensor, is used to generate voltage regulation signals and magnetic force signals based on dynamic altitude. As shown in the attached diagram, it can include multiple controllers, such as a PC terminal, a high-frequency controller, etc.

[0054] A pressure regulating valve, connected to the controller and also to the positive and / or negative pressure air paths, is used to adjust the negative pressure corresponding to the intensity of the positive and / or negative airflow according to the pressure regulating signal, thereby driving the liquid film on the surface bonded to the substrate body to level. A solenoid valve, connected to the controller and also to the positive and / or negative pressure air paths, is used to adjust the on / off state of the positive and / or negative pressure air paths according to a magnetic signal, thereby causing airflow vibration to drive the substrate body to vibrate, thus driving the liquid film on the bonded surface to level. It should be noted that the positive and negative pressure air paths preferably coexist; however, in some specific scenarios, only one may be present.

[0055] Furthermore, the pressure regulating valve includes a positive pressure regulating valve and a negative pressure regulating valve. The positive pressure regulating valve is connected to the controller and the positive pressure air path, and is used to control the positive pressure corresponding to the intensity of the positive pressure airflow according to the pressure regulating signal. The negative pressure regulating valve is connected to the controller and the negative pressure air path, and is used to control the negative pressure corresponding to the intensity of the negative pressure airflow according to the pressure regulating signal. It should be noted that the positive pressure regulating valve must exist when only a positive pressure air path exists, and the negative pressure regulating valve must exist when only a negative pressure air path exists. When both positive and negative pressure air paths exist, both the positive and negative pressure regulating valves can exist, or only one of them can exist.

[0056] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a device for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface, provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; it should be noted that... Figure 2 In the diagram, 1 represents a PC terminal, 2 represents a laser displacement sensor, 3 represents a PLC as one of the controllers, 4 represents a high-frequency solenoid valve, 5 represents a negative pressure regulating valve, 6 represents a positive pressure regulating valve, 7 represents a positive pressure air source, and 8 represents a negative pressure air source.

[0057] Furthermore, the first mapping relationship between flight altitude and the barometric pressure corresponding to the barometric airflow intensity is as follows:

[0058]

[0059] Among them, a p b p Let P be the constant term fitting coefficient and the constant term fitting coefficient of the first mapping relationship. p is the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path, and h is the flight altitude.

[0060] Furthermore, the second mapping relationship between flight altitude and the negative pressure corresponding to the intensity of negative pressure airflow is as follows:

[0061]

[0062] Among them, a N b N P represents the fitting coefficients for the non-constant and constant terms of the second mapping relationship. N is the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path, and h is the flight altitude.

[0063] Furthermore, such as Figure 4 As shown, the process of determining the first and second mapping relationships is as follows: the flight height between multiple measuring points between the control platform body and the base plate body is uniform and consistent; the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path and the negative pressure of the negative pressure air path are adjusted according to a certain range and increment, and the corresponding flight height is recorded to construct the mapping relationship between flight height and positive pressure and negative pressure.

[0064] Specifically, it is necessary to repeatedly measure different P values. p P N Based on the corresponding substrate flight height data, a mathematical model of flight height and pressure is established to accurately describe the relationship between the suspension height of the substrate and the air pressure on the air flotation platform. Wherein, a p b p a N b N The least squares method is used for fitting. If the air flotation platform is divided into multiple independent air pressure control regions, the flight altitude-pressure model parameters of each region can be fitted separately to adapt to the local differences in the morphology of the substrate.

[0065] Furthermore, the solenoid valve includes: a positive solenoid valve and / or a negative solenoid valve; the positive solenoid valve is connected to the controller and the positive pressure air circuit, and is used to control the on / off of positive pressure blowing according to the magnetic signal to cause airflow vibration, so as to drive the substrate body to vibrate at high frequency; the negative solenoid valve is connected to the controller and the negative pressure air circuit, and is used to control the on / off of negative pressure suction according to the magnetic signal to cause airflow vibration, so as to drive the substrate body to vibrate at high frequency.

[0066] Furthermore, the air flotation platform includes multiple negative pressure air paths, each equipped with a solenoid valve. These solenoid valves are driven by a controller using high-frequency pulse signals. The controller dynamically adjusts the pulse characteristics of the negative pressure airflow by adjusting the opening and closing frequency and duty cycle of the solenoid valves according to a preset vibration frequency target, ensuring that the vibration frequency of the substrate precisely matches the target. The relationship between the amplitude of the airflow vibration and the flight altitude is as follows:

[0067]

[0068] Among them, a p a is the constant-number fitting coefficient of the first mapping relationship between flight altitude h and the baropressure corresponding to the baropressure airflow intensity. N The constant and constant fitting coefficients represent the second mapping relationship between flight altitude h and the negative pressure corresponding to the negative pressure airflow intensity.

[0069] Furthermore, the vibration mode of the substrate body is represented as follows:

[0070]

[0071] Where h is the flight height, w is the displacement of the substrate body, A is the amplitude of airflow vibration, D is the duty cycle of the high-frequency pulse signal used to drive the solenoid valve, and T is the on / off frequency.

[0072] The vibration morphology and surface morphology of the substrate are controlled by adjusting the positive and negative pressure regulating valves of the corresponding zones. The flow of the surface liquid film can be guided by controlling the local fly-up and morphology. The vibration mode of the substrate can also be controlled by adjusting the stiffness of the support in the corresponding area. The vibration morphology and mode of the substrate are related to the solution characteristics and film thickness of the corresponding liquid film, and can be determined by experimental process testing.

[0073] Example 2

[0074] This embodiment provides a method for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface, applied to the aforementioned apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface, comprising:

[0075] S1: The flight height between multiple measuring points between the control platform body and the base plate body is uniform and consistent; the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path and the negative pressure of the negative pressure air path are adjusted according to a certain range and increment, and the corresponding flight height is recorded to construct the mapping relationship between flight height and positive pressure and negative pressure.

[0076] S2: Based on the mapping relationship, the vibration of the substrate body is driven by regulating the solenoid valve and the pressure regulating valve to accelerate the leveling of the surface liquid film.

[0077] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface, characterized in that, The substrate includes a substrate body and a surface liquid film adhered to its surface; the device includes: The air flotation platform includes multiple positive pressure air passages, multiple negative pressure air passages, and a platform body with multiple ventilation areas; the multiple positive pressure air passages are used to apply positive pressure air blowing to the substrate body through the multiple ventilation areas, and the multiple negative pressure air passages are used to apply negative pressure air suction to the substrate body through the multiple ventilation areas, thereby achieving non-contact support of the platform body for the substrate body at a certain height. A displacement sensor collects the dynamic height difference between the substrate body and the platform body in a non-contact manner. The controller, connected to the displacement sensor, is used to generate a voltage regulation signal and a magnetic force signal based on the dynamic flight altitude. A pressure regulating valve, connected to the controller and also connected to the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path, is used to adjust the airflow intensity of the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path according to the pressure regulating signal, so as to drive the surface liquid film attached to the substrate body to level. A solenoid valve, connected to the controller and also to the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path, is used to adjust the on / off frequency of the positive pressure air path and / or the negative pressure air path according to the magnetic force signal, so as to cause airflow vibration to drive the substrate body to vibrate, thereby driving the surface liquid film that is attached to the substrate to level.

2. The device for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The pressure regulating valve includes: A positive pressure regulating valve, connected to the controller and the positive pressure air circuit, is used to control the positive pressure airflow intensity of the positive pressure blowing air according to the pressure regulating signal; A negative pressure regulating valve, connected to the controller and the negative pressure air circuit, is used to control the intensity of the negative pressure airflow of the negative pressure intake according to the pressure regulating signal.

3. The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first mapping relationship between the flight altitude and the positive pressure corresponding to the positive pressure airflow intensity is: Among them, a p b p P represents the constant term fitting coefficient and the constant term fitting coefficient of the first mapping relationship, respectively. p The positive pressure of the positive pressure air path is h, and the flight altitude is h.

4. The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The second mapping relationship between the flight altitude and the negative pressure corresponding to the negative pressure airflow intensity is: Among them, a N b N These are the constant term fitting coefficients and constant term fitting coefficients of the second mapping relationship, respectively, P N The negative pressure of the negative pressure air path is h, and the flight altitude is h.

5. The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The process of determining the first mapping relationship and the second mapping relationship is as follows: The height of multiple measuring points between the platform body and the substrate body is controlled to achieve uniformity; Adjust the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path and the negative pressure of the negative pressure air path according to a certain range and increment, and record the corresponding flight altitude to establish the mapping relationship between the flight altitude and the positive pressure and the negative pressure.

6. The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The solenoid valve includes: a positive solenoid valve and / or a negative solenoid valve; The positive solenoid valve is connected to the controller and the positive pressure air circuit, and is used to control the on and off of the positive pressure blowing according to the magnetic signal at a first preset frequency, thereby causing airflow vibration to drive the substrate body to vibrate at high frequency. The negative solenoid valve is connected to the controller and the negative pressure air circuit. It is used to control the opening and closing of the negative pressure air intake according to the magnetic signal at a second preset frequency, thereby causing airflow vibration to drive the substrate body to vibrate at high frequency.

7. The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The relationship between the amplitude A of the airflow vibration and the flight altitude h is as follows: Among them, a p a is the constant-number fitting coefficient of the first mapping relationship between the flight altitude h and the barometric pressure corresponding to the barometric airflow intensity. N The constant-number fitting coefficients are the second mapping relationship between the flight altitude h and the negative pressure corresponding to the negative pressure airflow intensity.

8. The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The vibration mode of the substrate body is represented as follows: Where h is the flight height, w is the displacement of the substrate body, A is the amplitude of the airflow vibration, D is the duty cycle of the high-frequency pulse signal used to drive the solenoid valve, and T is the first preset frequency and / or the second preset frequency.

9. The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The displacement sensor is used to measure the height of multiple measuring points on the substrate body from the platform body.

10. A method for accelerating the leveling speed of a liquid film on a substrate surface, characterized in that, The apparatus for accelerating the leveling speed of liquid film on a substrate surface as described in any one of claims 1-9 comprises: S1: Control the uniformity of the flight height between the platform body and the substrate body of the air flotation platform; adjust the positive pressure of the positive pressure air path and the negative pressure of the negative pressure air path according to a certain range and increment, and record the corresponding flight height to construct the mapping relationship between the flight height and the positive pressure and the negative pressure. S2: Based on the mapping relationship, the vibration of the substrate body is driven by regulating the solenoid valve and the pressure regulating valve to accelerate the leveling of the surface liquid film.

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