Coating drying device
By designing the coating and drying device, the synergy between the air knife drying components and the barrier components is solved, and the film formation with uniform thickness is achieved, which improves the display effect and life of the device.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421173523.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-05-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-28
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-05-27
AI Technical Summary
In OLED and QLED photoelectric display devices, the drying step of the wet film formation process leads to poor film morphology, especially on pixelated substrates, which are prone to coffee ring effect, affecting the device life and display effect.
A coating and drying device is designed, including a load base, a coating die, a first air knife drying assembly and a barrier member. The gas is blown out through the first air knife drying assembly and blocks the accumulation of excess coating material through the barrier member to ensure uniform film thickness.
A stable and uniform dry film is achieved on the pixelated substrate, avoiding the coffee ring effect and improving the display effect and life of the device.
Smart Images

Figure CN222678598U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a coating and drying device. Background Art
[0002] Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) and Quantum Dots Light Emitting Diode (QLED) have the advantages of self-luminescence, low power consumption, and high color gamut. They have received widespread attention from academia and industry, and the application prospects of OLED and QLED in the display field are becoming increasingly bright.
[0003] In OLED and QLED optoelectronic display devices, inkjet printing or other solution coating methods, such as spraying, scraping, and coating, are usually used to form organic functional layer films. An essential step in these wet film-forming processes is that the excess solvent needs to be removed through subsequent processes to dry and form the required film. And this drying process to remove the solvent determines the morphology of the formed film. For optoelectronic display devices, the poor morphology and uniformity of the dried film have a great impact on the life and display effect of the device. In addition, in the display field, the substrate is usually pixelated. On these patterned substrates, after coating using comprehensive coating techniques such as slit coating, it is usually observed that the morphology of the dry film within the pixel has a coffee ring effect, resulting in poor morphology. Therefore, how to efficiently and repeatably prepare a uniform film layer on a pixelated substrate is a necessary prerequisite for the mass production of OLED and QLED devices. Utility Model Content
[0004] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a coating and drying device for forming a stable and uniform dry film. The specific scheme is as follows:
[0005] The present disclosure provides a coating and drying device, comprising:
[0006] A carrying base, used for carrying a substrate;
[0007] A coating die head is arranged above the side of the substrate away from the carrying base, and the coating die head is used to coat a coating material of a preset thickness on the surface of the substrate along a coating direction starting from an initial coating position of the substrate;
[0008] A first air knife drying assembly is disposed above the side of the substrate away from the carrying base, and the first air knife drying assembly is used to blow gas from the initial coating position of the substrate along the coating direction toward the coating material coated on the surface of the substrate to thin the coating material to a preset thickness;
[0009] A blocking component is arranged above the side of the substrate facing away from the supporting base, and the blocking component is arranged between the first air knife drying component and the coating die head along the coating direction. The first surface of the blocking component facing the first air knife drying component is a curved surface, and the blocking component is used to prevent excess coating material blown by the first air knife drying component from gathering to one side of the coating die head.
[0010] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the bottom edge of the first surface of the blocking component close to the substrate is arranged parallel to the air outlet of the first air knife drying component, and the width of the blocking component along the direction perpendicular to the coating is the same as the width of the first air knife drying component along the direction perpendicular to the coating.
[0011] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the angle between the first surface of the blocking component and the bottom surface of the blocking component is less than 10°.
[0012] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, the distance between the end of the first surface closest to the substrate and the bottom surface of the blocking component is less than 50 μm.
[0013] Optionally, the coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes an exhaust assembly fixed on the first surface of the blocking component, and the exhaust assembly is used to exhaust the gas blown onto the first surface and the excess coating material.
[0014] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the exhaust component has an overall curved structure, and the second surface of the exhaust component close to the blocking component is in contact with the first surface of the blocking component.
[0015] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the exhaust component includes: an air inlet close to one side of the substrate, an air outlet arranged opposite to the air inlet, and an exhaust channel for connecting the air inlet and the air outlet; wherein,
[0016] The distance between the air inlet and the substrate is greater than the distance between the bottom surface of the blocking component close to the substrate and the substrate.
[0017] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, a gap height between a bottom surface of the blocking component close to the substrate and a surface of the coating material of the preset thickness is 20 μm to 100 μm.
[0018] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the distance between the air outlet of the first air knife drying assembly and the substrate is greater than the distance between the discharge port of the coating die head and the substrate, and the distance between the discharge port of the coating die head and the substrate is greater than the distance between the bottom surface of the blocking component close to the substrate and the substrate.
[0019] Optionally, the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a moving component that can move along the coating direction, and the first air knife drying component, the exhaust component, the blocking component and the coating die head are all connected to the moving component, and the first air knife drying component, the exhaust component, the blocking component and the coating die head are all moved along the coating direction through the moving component.
[0020] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the distance between the first air knife drying assembly and the blocking component is adjustable, and the distance between the blocking component and the substrate is adjustable.
[0021] Optionally, the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a second air knife drying component arranged on the side of the first air knife drying component away from the coating die head, and the second air knife drying component is used to blow gas to the thinned coating material, and the speed of the second air knife drying component blowing out the gas is less than the speed of the first air knife drying component blowing out the gas.
[0022] Optionally, the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a third air knife drying component arranged on the side of the second air knife drying component away from the coating die head, and the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component, the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component, and the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component are different.
[0023] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component and the coating direction, the second angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component and the coating direction, and the third angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component and the coating direction are all obtuse angles.
[0024] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component and the coating direction, the second angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component and the coating direction, and the third angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component and the coating direction gradually increase.
[0025] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component and the coating direction, the second angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component and the coating direction are both obtuse angles, and the third angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component and the coating direction is an acute angle.
[0026] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the direction in which the second air knife drying component blows out gas is perpendicular to the direction in which the third air knife drying component blows out gas.
[0027] Optionally, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first air knife drying component adopts a continuous air blowing method, and the second air knife drying component and the third air knife drying component adopt a pulsed air blowing method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure at a certain angle;
[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure at a certain angle;
[0030] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure at another angle;
[0031] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the blocking component;
[0032] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the middle side (F2S2S3F5F3);
[0033] Figure 6 for Figure 5 The enlarged schematic diagram in the dashed box;
[0034] Fig. 7A It is a schematic diagram of simulation of the wind flow field distribution on the substrate surface when no blocking component is provided between the first air knife drying assembly and the coating die head;
[0035] Figure 7B It is a schematic diagram of simulation of the wind flow field distribution on the substrate surface when a blocking component is provided between the first air knife drying assembly and the coating die head;
[0036] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of another coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure at a certain angle;
[0037] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the middle blocking component 6 and the exhaust assembly 7;
[0038] Fig. 10A It is a schematic diagram of simulation of the wind flow field distribution on the substrate surface when a blocking component and an exhaust component are arranged between the first air knife drying component and the coating die head;
[0039] Fig. 10B It is a schematic diagram of simulation of the wind flow field distribution on the substrate surface when a blocking component and an exhaust component are arranged between the first air knife drying component and the coating die head;
[0040] Fig.11 A schematic structural diagram of another coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure at a certain angle;
[0041] Fig.12 A schematic structural diagram of another coating and drying device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure at a certain angle;
[0042] Fig.13 A schematic structural diagram of another coating and drying device at a certain angle provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. And in the absence of conflict, the embodiments in the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
[0044] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present disclosure belongs. "Include" or "comprising" and other similar words used in the present disclosure mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and other similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Inside", "outside", "upper", "lower", etc. are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.
[0045] As used in this disclosure, "about," "substantially," or "approximately" includes the stated value and an average value that is within an acceptable range of deviation from the particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the measurements in question and the errors associated with the measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).
[0046] As used in the present disclosure, "parallel", "perpendicular", and "equal" include the situations described and situations similar to the situations described, and the range of the similar situations is within the acceptable deviation range, wherein the acceptable deviation range is determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the measurement in question and the errors associated with the measurement of a particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, "parallel" includes absolute parallelism and approximate parallelism, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate parallelism may be, for example, a deviation within 5°; "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicularity and approximate perpendicularity, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate perpendicularity may also be, for example, a deviation within 5°. "Equal" includes absolute equality and approximate equality, wherein the acceptable deviation range of approximate equality may be, for example, that the difference between the two equals is less than or equal to 10% of either one of them.
[0047] It will be understood that when a layer or an element is referred to as being on another layer or substrate, it can be directly on the other layer or substrate, or intervening layers may be present between the layer or element and the other layer or substrate.
[0048] The present disclosure describes exemplary embodiments with reference to cross-sectional views and / or plan views that are idealized exemplary drawings. In the drawings, the thickness of the layers and the area of the regions are exaggerated for clarity. Therefore, variations in the shapes relative to the drawings due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances are conceivable. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments should not be interpreted as being limited to the shapes of the regions shown herein, but include shape deviations due to, for example, manufacturing. For example, an etched region shown as a rectangle will typically have curved features. Therefore, the regions shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shapes of the regions of the device, and are not intended to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments.
[0049] In the present disclosure, circles, triangles, rectangles, trapezoids, pentagons or hexagons are not in a strict sense, but may be approximate circles, triangles, rectangles, trapezoids, pentagons or hexagons, etc. There may be some small deformations caused by tolerances, and there may be chamfers, arc edges and deformations.
[0050] In the related art, the drying process after coating a large area of liquid film generally adopts the air knife blowing method. The conventional air knife blowing method accelerates the volatilization of the liquid film solvent by blowing air, and forms an orderly and well-behaved film while volatilizing quickly.
[0051] The methods of using air knife blowing to dry liquid film generally include the method of blowing while coating and the method of coating first and then drying with air. However, when using the method of blowing while coating, the cumulative effect of wind blowing on the liquid film between the air knife and the coating die head is gradual, which may cause the drying morphology of the liquid film to be different. When coating first and then drying with air, at the end of the drying liquid film, the cumulative time of air blowing by the air knife is the longest, and the superimposed natural evaporation drying time is the longest, so it is easy to cause the morphology and thickness to be inconsistent with the middle part of the substrate.
[0052] Due to the different characteristics of the substrates used in the field of OLED / QLED display devices (with micron-level pixelated structures), film thickness (the required film thickness is less than 100 nanometers), and technical requirements (the dry film within the pixel is sufficiently flat, and the area with fluctuations less than 10nm usually accounts for more than 80%, etc.), a special process must be used to dry the liquid film in order to achieve uniform film thickness after drying.
[0053] In view of this, in order to achieve the goal of drying a thin film with uniform thickness after liquid film coating, the present disclosure provides a coating and drying device, such as Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the coating and drying device at a certain angle. Figure 3 The structure diagram of the coating and drying device at another angle is as follows. The coating and drying device includes:
[0054] A carrying base 1, used for carrying a substrate 2;
[0055] The coating die head 3 is arranged above the side of the substrate 2 away from the supporting base 1, and the coating die head 3 is used to coat the coating material 4 with a preset thickness on the surface of the substrate 2 along the coating direction X starting from the initial coating position P of the substrate 2;
[0056] A first air knife drying assembly 5 is disposed above the side of the substrate 2 away from the supporting base 1. The first air knife drying assembly 5 is used to blow gas from the initial coating position P of the substrate 2 along the coating direction X toward the coating material 4 coated on the surface of the substrate 2 to reduce the coating material 4 to a preset thickness;
[0057] The blocking component 6 is arranged above the side of the substrate 2 away from the supporting base 1. The blocking component 6 is arranged between the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating die 3 along the coating direction X. The first surface (F1F2F3F4, i.e., the windward surface) of the blocking component 6 facing the first air knife drying component 5 is a curved surface. The blocking component 6 is used to prevent excess coating material 4 blown by the first air knife drying component 5 from gathering to the side of the coating die 3.
[0058] In the coating and drying device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component 5 not only accelerates the air flow on the surface of the coating material 4 (hereinafter referred to as the liquid film) to volatilize the solvent, but also can reduce (or "shear") the thickness of the liquid film. For example, the preset thickness of the initially coated coating material 4 is H1, and the thickness of the coating material 4 after being thinned by the blown gas is H2, that is, the wind blown out from the first air knife drying component 5 must be large enough to push the liquid on the surface of the substrate 2 by the wind knife blade surface, so as to achieve the purpose of thinning and controlling the uniformity of the liquid film thickness. However, the liquid in the coated area is pushed to the uncoated area. The process of continuous accumulation of liquid in the uncoated area causes the initial liquid film thickness in the uncoated area to be inconsistent. Therefore, the present disclosure adds a blocking component 6 between the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating die head 3. On the one hand, the blocking component 6 can prevent the excess liquid 40 blown by the first air knife drying component 5 from continuously gathering on one side of the coating die head 3 and increasing the unevenness of the liquid film, thereby avoiding the problem of inconsistent initial liquid film thickness in the uncoated area; on the other hand, the blocking component 6 can also improve the problem of uneven film caused by inconsistent cumulative wind sweeping time of the liquid film in various places between the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating die head 3. Therefore, the coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can dry to form a stable and uniform film.
[0059] Specifically, Figure 1 As shown, the blocking component 6 divides the area between the coating die head 3 and the first air knife drying component 5 into zone A and zone B, wherein zone B is no longer affected in advance by the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component 5 due to the blocking effect of the blocking component 6, thereby blocking the wind force (especially the horizontal component) of the first air knife drying component 5 from continuously drying the liquid film in zone B; and by controlling the size of zone A, the area of the uneven drying zone can be reduced.
[0060] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 for Figure 3 The structural schematic diagram of the blocking component 6 in the figure shows that the present invention sets the first surface (F1F2F3F4) of the blocking component 6 toward the first air knife drying component 5 as a curved surface. This is beneficial to reducing the vortex-like phenomenon caused by the blocking effect of the gas blown out of the first air knife drying component 5 on the first surface (F1F2F3F4), thereby avoiding uneven influence on the film formation on the surface of the substrate 2. The curvature of the curved surface can be designed by simulation calculation according to actual needs.
[0061] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 3As shown, the bottom edge (F1F2) of the first surface (F1F2F3F4) of the blocking component 6 close to the substrate 2 is arranged parallel to the air outlet 51 of the first air knife drying component 5, and the width L1 of the blocking component 6 perpendicular to the coating direction X is the same as the width L2 of the first air knife drying component 5 perpendicular to the coating direction X. In this way, the excess liquid blown by the first air knife drying component 5 can be basically completely blocked by the blocking component 6 to avoid gathering on one side of the coating die head 3.
[0062] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 4 As shown, the blocking component 6 has a flat bottom surface, for example, the flatness fluctuations of the bottom lines (S1S2, S2S3, S3S4, S4S1) and the bottom surface (S1S2S3S4) are all less than 5 μm, so that the flatness fluctuations of the liquid film surface after drying are all less than 5 μm, thereby improving the uniformity of the liquid film.
[0063] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 for Figure 4 In the schematic diagram of the middle side surface (F2S2S3F5F3), the angle θ between the first surface (F1F2F3F4) of the blocking component 6 and the bottom surface (S1S2S3S4) of the blocking component 6 (i.e., the angle between the side edge F2F3 and the bottom edge S2S3) is less than 10°, which can further reduce the vortex-like phenomenon caused by the blocking effect of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component 5 on the first surface (F1F2F3F4).
[0064] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 3-Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 for Figure 5 In the enlarged schematic diagram within the dotted box, the distance h (i.e., the height of F2S2) between the end of the first surface (F1F2F3F4) closest to the substrate 2 (i.e., the bottom edge F1F2) and the bottom surface (S1S2S3S4) of the blocking component 6 is less than 50 μm, which can ensure that the F1-F2 edge is thin enough, and further reduce the vortex-like phenomenon caused by the blocking effect of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component 5 on the first surface (F1F2F3F4).
[0065] like Fig. 7A and Figure 7B As shown, Fig. 7A It is a schematic diagram of simulation of the wind flow field distribution on the surface of the substrate 2 when no blocking component 6 is provided between the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating die head 3. Figure 7BIt is a simulation schematic diagram of the wind flow field distribution on the surface of the substrate 2 when the blocking component 6 is set between the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating die head 3. The vertical coordinate is the height, and the color depth represents the flow rate. The redder the color (C1 area), the higher the flow rate, and the bluer the color (C2 area), the lower the speed. It can be seen that when there is no blocking component 6, the gas blown by the first air knife drying component 5 on the entire coating film surface (horizontally) is at a high flow rate, which means rapid evaporation of the film surface; and when the blocking component 6 is added, the wind speed on the side of the blocking component 6 facing away from the first air knife drying component 5 is reduced, and the first surface of the blocking component 6 (F1F2F3F4, i.e., the windward surface) will have vortices at higher wind speeds, which will cause uneven effects on the film formation on the surface of the substrate 2. In addition, when there is a lot of excess coating material, it is very likely that the coating material will flow back, resulting in liquid accumulation on the surface of the substrate 2 below the blocking component 6.
[0066] The present disclosure aims to solve the problem of vortex generation and excess coating material backflow on the windward side of the blocking component 6. Figure 8 As shown, the coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes an exhaust assembly 7 fixed on the first surface (F1F2F3F4, i.e., the windward surface) of the blocking member 6, and the exhaust assembly 7 is used to exhaust the gas blown onto the first surface (F1F2F3F4) and the excess coating material. In this way, the gas blown onto the windward surface can be quickly exhausted out of the system through the exhaust assembly 7, reducing the probability of vortex formation, thereby helping to maintain the stability of the airflow on the surface of the substrate 2 and improving the uniformity of film formation.
[0067] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, Fig. 9 for Figure 8 The schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the blocking component 6 and the exhaust component 7 is that the exhaust component 7 is a curved surface structure as a whole, and the second surface 71 of the exhaust component 7 close to the blocking component 6 is in contact with the first surface (F1F2F3F4) of the blocking component 6. In this way, the excess coating material blown onto the windward surface of the blocking component 6 can be basically completely discharged out of the system, and the incomplete contact between the second surface 71 and the windward surface can be avoided, which causes the gas to flow back to the surface of the substrate 2.
[0068] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the exhaust component 7 includes: an air inlet 72 close to one side of the substrate 2, an air outlet 73 arranged opposite to the air inlet 72, and an exhaust channel (inside the exhaust component 7) for connecting the air inlet 72 and the air outlet 73; wherein,
[0069] The distance between the air inlet 72 and the substrate 2 is greater than the distance between the bottom surface (S1S2S3S4) of the blocking component 6 close to the substrate 2 and the substrate 2. In this way, the excess coating material 40 first climbs to the lower end of the windward surface of the blocking component 6 (i.e., the lower end not in contact with the exhaust component 7), and then is discharged out of the system through the exhaust component 7.
[0070] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, the suction force and rate of the exhaust port 73 of the exhaust component 7 can be optimized and adapted to the gas content blown out by the first air knife drying component 5. That is, when the rate of gas blown out by the first air knife drying component 5 is relatively large (the air volume component on the liquid film surface will also increase), the exhaust rate of the exhaust port 73 of the exhaust component 7 should also be appropriately increased.
[0071] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, the distance D1 between the air outlet of the first air knife drying component 5 and the substrate 2 is greater than the distance D2 between the material outlet of the coating die head 3 and the substrate 2, and the distance D2 between the material outlet of the coating die head 3 and the substrate 2 is greater than the distance D3 between the bottom surface of the blocking component 6 close to the substrate 2 and the substrate 2. In this way, it can be ensured that the excess liquid blown by the first air knife drying component 5 can be blocked by the blocking component 6 and discharged out of the system by the exhaust component 7.
[0072] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, it also includes a moving component (not shown) that can move along the coating direction X, and the first air knife drying component 5, the exhaust component 7, the blocking component 6 and the coating die head 3 are all connected to the moving component, and the first air knife drying component 5, the exhaust component 7, the blocking component 6 and the coating die head 3 are all moved along the coating direction X through the moving component. In this way, the distance between the first air knife drying component 5 and the blocking component 6 can be dynamically adjusted, and the distance between the blocking component 6 and the substrate 2 can be dynamically adjusted. Therefore, during the coating process of the coating die head 3, the distance between the first air knife drying component 5 and the blocking component 6 and the distance between the blocking component 6 and the substrate 2 can be adjusted in real time to achieve a stable and uniform liquid film.
[0073] like Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B As shown, Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B All of them are simulation schematic diagrams of the wind flow field distribution on the surface of the substrate 2 when the blocking component 6 and the exhaust component 7 are arranged between the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating die head 3. Fig. 10A and Fig. 10BThe difference is Fig. 10A The distance between the bottom surface of the middle blocking member 6 and the substrate 2 is greater than Fig. 10B The distance between the bottom surface of the middle blocking member 6 and the substrate 2, the ordinate is the height, and the color depth represents the flow rate. The redder the color (C1 area), the higher the flow rate, and the bluer the color (C2 area), the lower the flow rate. Figure 7B No exhaust assembly 7, Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B The vortex on the windward side of the middle blocking component 6 disappears. Figure 7B , Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B It can be seen that as the gap height between the bottom surface of the blocking component 6 close to the substrate 2 and the surface of the coating material 4 gradually decreases (e.g., 1mm→0.5mm→0.05mm), the wind velocity on the surface of the coating material 4 below the side of the blocking component 6 facing away from the coating die 3 gradually decreases, and the thickness of the high velocity layer below the bottom surface of the blocking component 6 also gradually decreases. Fig. 10B As shown, at 0.05 mm, high-flow gas is basically completely blocked from passing below the bottom surface of the blocking component 6. Therefore, the embodiment of the present disclosure can obtain a stable and uniform liquid film by adopting the coordinated action of the blocking component 6 and the exhaust assembly 7 and reasonably setting the height of the gap G between the bottom surface of the blocking component 6 close to the substrate 2 and the surface of the coating material 4 of a preset thickness.
[0074] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as 1 and Figure 8 As shown, the height of the gap G between the bottom surface of the blocking member 6 close to the substrate 2 and the surface of the coating material 4 with a preset thickness can be 20 μm to 100 μm.
[0075] In some embodiments, in the coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in 11, it also includes a second air knife drying component 8 arranged on the side of the first air knife drying component 5 away from the coating die head 3, and the second air knife drying component 8 is used to blow gas to the thinned coating material 4, and the speed of the second air knife drying component 8 blowing gas is less than the speed of the first air knife drying component 5 blowing gas. In this way, the first air knife drying component 5 is used to blow strong air to thin the initially coated coating material 4, so that the thinned coating material 4 no longer has macroscopic fluidity, but in the actual drying process, it may be too late to completely dry it in one blowing due to the slow evaporation rate of the liquid, so the second air knife drying component 8 is used to blow and dry the thinned coating material 4, and a continuous air volume can be provided to make the liquid evaporate quickly. In this way, for film formation on a pixelated substrate, the horizontal shear component of the wind can suppress the various coffee ring effects of the liquid in the pixels on the pixelated substrate, thereby improving the uniformity of film formation on the pixelated substrate.
[0076] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, such as 12 and Fig.13 As shown, it also includes a third air knife drying component 9 arranged on the side of the second air knife drying component 8 away from the coating die head 3. The direction Y1 of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component 5, the direction Y2 of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component 8, and the direction Y3 of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component 9 are different. In this way, for film formation on a pixelated substrate, since it is a pixelated substrate, its surface is a pixel structure with high undulations at the micron level, and liquid is easy to form coffee rings on its surface due to the pinning force. The present disclosure improves the use of multi-stage air knife drying components, such as the first air knife drying component 5, the second air knife drying component 8 and the third air knife drying component 9. The direction of gas blown out by each air knife drying component is different, and the wind action direction can be adjusted to correspond to the undulations on the substrate surface, thereby avoiding the formation of coffee rings on the liquid surface.
[0077] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in 12, the first angle β1 between the direction Y1 of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating direction X, the second angle β2 between the direction Y2 of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component 8 and the coating direction X, and the third angle β3 between the direction Y3 of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component 9 and the coating direction X can all be obtuse angles.
[0078] In some embodiments, in the coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in 12, the first angle β1 between the direction Y1 of the first air knife drying component 5 and the coating direction X, the second angle β2 between the direction Y2 of the second air knife drying component 8 and the coating direction X, and the third angle β3 between the direction Y3 of the third air knife drying component 9 and the coating direction X gradually increase. In this way, a film without coffee rings and stable uniformity can be obtained while drying the liquid film.
[0079] In some embodiments, due to the ups and downs of the pixelated substrate and the pinning effect on the surface, the coating liquid is prone to edge climbing and coffee ring effects during the drying process thereon. When the air knife drying assembly is used for air drying, in the later stage of drying, the continuous unidirectional force is prone to cause the film morphology at the edge of the pixel definition layer of the pixelated substrate to be asymmetric. Therefore, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in 13, the first angle β1 between the direction Y1 of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying assembly 5 and the coating direction X, and the second angle β2 between the direction Y2 of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying assembly 8 and the coating direction X are both obtuse angles, and the third angle β3 between the direction Y3 of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying assembly 9 and the coating direction X is an acute angle. After changing the direction Y3 of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying assembly 9, that is, the third angle β3 with the coating direction X is an acute angle, which is opposite to the air outlet direction of the second air knife drying assembly 8, this can improve the film surface bias phenomenon caused by the unidirectional blowing of the second air knife drying assembly 8, so that the film morphology at the edge of the pixel definition layer of the pixelated substrate is symmetrical.
[0080] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in 13, the direction Y2 in which the second air knife drying component 8 blows out gas is perpendicular to the direction Y3 in which the third air knife drying component 9 blows out gas, which can further improve the film morphology and make the film surface uniform.
[0081] It should be noted that the “vertical” mentioned above refers to approximately vertical. Due to process reasons, there may be a certain deviation, which may be slightly less than 90° or slightly greater than 90°.
[0082] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 1 , Figure 8 , Figure 11-13 As shown, the first air knife drying assembly 5 adopts a continuous blowing method, the main purpose of which is to reduce the thickness of the coating material.
[0083] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned coating and drying device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Fig.12 and Fig.13 As shown, the second air knife drying assembly 8 and the third air knife drying assembly 9 adopt a pulsed air blowing method, which can increase the counteracting force between the wind force and the coffee ring forming factors such as surface tension, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the film morphology.
[0084] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure Fig.12 and Fig.13 Three air knife drying components are taken as an example, but it is certainly not limited to this. There may also be four or even more air knife drying components, which can be set according to actual needs and cost requirements.
[0085] The coating and drying device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is that the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component not only accelerates the airflow flow on the surface of the coating material (hereinafter referred to as the liquid film) to volatilize the solvent, but also can reduce (or "cut") the thickness of the liquid film, that is, the wind blown out from the first air knife drying component must be large enough to use the wind knife blade surface to push the liquid on the surface of the substrate to achieve the purpose of thinning and controlling the uniformity of the liquid film thickness. However, there is a process in which the liquid in the coated area is pushed to the uncoated area and continuously accumulates, resulting in inconsistent initial liquid film thickness in various places in the uncoated area. Therefore, the present disclosure adds a blocking component between the first air knife drying component and the coating die head. On the one hand, the blocking component can prevent the excess liquid blown by the first air knife drying component from continuously gathering to one side of the coating die head and increasing the unevenness of the liquid film, thereby avoiding the problem of inconsistent initial liquid film thickness in various places in the uncoated area; on the other hand, the blocking component can also improve the problem of uneven film caused by the inconsistent cumulative time of wind sweeping on the liquid film in various places in the area between the first air knife drying component and the coating die head. Therefore, the coating and drying device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can dry to form a stable and uniform film.
[0086] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present disclosure fall within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure and their equivalents, the present disclosure is also intended to include these modifications and variations.
Claims
1. A coating and drying device, wherein: include: A carrying base, used for carrying a substrate; A coating die head is arranged above the side of the substrate away from the carrying base, and the coating die head is used to coat a coating material of a preset thickness on the surface of the substrate along a coating direction starting from an initial coating position of the substrate; A first air knife drying assembly is disposed above the side of the substrate away from the carrying base, and the first air knife drying assembly is used to blow gas from the initial coating position of the substrate along the coating direction toward the coating material coated on the surface of the substrate to thin the coating material to a preset thickness; A blocking component is arranged above the side of the substrate facing away from the supporting base, and the blocking component is arranged between the first air knife drying component and the coating die head along the coating direction. The first surface of the blocking component facing the first air knife drying component is a curved surface, and the blocking component is used to prevent excess coating material blown by the first air knife drying component from gathering to one side of the coating die head.
2. The coating and drying device according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom edge of the first surface of the blocking component close to the substrate is arranged parallel to the air outlet of the first air knife drying component, and the width of the blocking component along the direction perpendicular to the coating is the same as the width of the first air knife drying component along the direction perpendicular to the coating.
3. The coating and drying device according to claim 1, wherein: An angle between the first surface of the blocking component and the bottom surface of the blocking component is less than 10°.
4. The coating and drying device according to claim 1, wherein: The distance between the end of the first surface closest to the substrate and the bottom surface of the blocking component is less than 50 μm.
5. The coating and drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: It also includes an exhaust component fixed on the first surface of the blocking component, and the exhaust component is used to exhaust the gas blown onto the first surface and the excess coating material.
6. The coating and drying device according to claim 5, wherein: The exhaust component has a curved structure as a whole, and the second surface of the exhaust component close to the blocking component is in contact with the first surface of the blocking component.
7. The coating and drying device according to claim 6, wherein: The exhaust assembly comprises: an air inlet close to one side of the substrate, an air outlet arranged opposite to the air inlet, and an exhaust channel for connecting the air inlet and the air outlet; wherein, The distance between the air inlet and the substrate is greater than the distance between the bottom surface of the blocking component close to the substrate and the substrate.
8. The coating and drying device according to claim 7, wherein: A gap height between a bottom surface of the blocking component close to the substrate and a surface of the coating material with a preset thickness is 20 μm to 100 μm.
9. The coating and drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The distance between the air outlet of the first air knife drying component and the substrate is greater than the distance between the discharge port of the coating die head and the substrate, and the distance between the discharge port of the coating die head and the substrate is greater than the distance between the bottom surface of the blocking component close to the substrate and the substrate.
10. The coating and drying device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein: It also includes a moving component that can move along the coating direction, the first air knife drying component, the exhaust component, the blocking component and the coating die head are all connected to the moving component, and the first air knife drying component, the exhaust component, the blocking component and the coating die head are all moved along the coating direction through the moving component.
11. The coating and drying device according to claim 10, wherein: The distance between the first air knife drying assembly and the blocking component is adjustable, and the distance between the blocking component and the substrate is adjustable.
12. The coating and drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: It also includes a second air knife drying component arranged on the side of the first air knife drying component away from the coating die head, and the second air knife drying component is used to blow gas to the thinned coating material, and the speed of the second air knife drying component blowing gas is lower than the speed of the first air knife drying component blowing gas.
13. The coating and drying device according to claim 12, wherein: It also includes a third air knife drying component arranged on the side of the second air knife drying component away from the coating die head, and the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component, the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component and the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component are different.
14. The coating and drying device according to claim 13, wherein: The first angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component and the coating direction, the second angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component and the coating direction, and the third angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component and the coating direction are all obtuse angles.
15. The coating and drying device according to claim 14, wherein: The first angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component and the coating direction, the second angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component and the coating direction, and the third angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component and the coating direction gradually increase.
16. The coating and drying device according to claim 13, wherein: The first angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the first air knife drying component and the coating direction and the second angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the second air knife drying component and the coating direction are both obtuse angles, and the third angle between the direction of the gas blown out by the third air knife drying component and the coating direction is an acute angle.
17. The coating and drying device according to claim 16, wherein: The direction in which the second air knife drying component blows out gas is perpendicular to the direction in which the third air knife drying component blows out gas.
18. The coating and drying device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein: The first air knife drying component adopts a continuous air blowing method, and the second air knife drying component and the third air knife drying component adopt a pulsed air blowing method.
Citation Information
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Coating and drying device
WO2025246627A1