Coating device

Abstract

To provide an application device which can suppress formation of unevenness on an application film by suppressing the variations of a supply amount of the air by a dryer.SOLUTION: An application device comprises: a stage on which a substrate is placed; and an applicator which forms an application film on the substrate by discharging application liquid from a nozzle while relatively moving with respect to the substrate placed on the stage. The application device also comprises a dryer which dries the application film by supplying the air to the application film formed on the substrate by the applicator. The dryer includes a porous member which suppresses local formation of the variations of the air supply amount in an air supply port in the air supply port supplying the air.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coating apparatus for coating a coating liquid on a substrate, and more particularly to a coating apparatus for drying the coating liquid immediately after discharging it.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, substrates W having a uniform thin film formed thereon (referred to as coated substrates) are used for various applications. For example, when forming a coating film having a uniform film thickness on a substrate, it is formed by a coating apparatus having a slit-shaped nozzle. As shown in FIG. 6, this coating apparatus includes a stage 100 on which a substrate W is placed and a coater 101 having a slit-shaped nozzle for discharging a coating liquid. While discharging the coating liquid from the slit of the nozzle, the substrate W and the coater 101 are relatively moved in the coating direction (X-axis direction), so that a coating film C having a predetermined thickness is formed on the substrate W.

[0003] Then, the formed coated substrate W is dried by a drying apparatus 102 different from the coating apparatus after being carried out from the coating apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the above coating apparatus had a problem that the functionality of the formed coating film C could not be fully exhibited. That is, in recent years, as a characteristic of the material, there are some materials that can stably exhibit functionality by drying immediately after being coated as the coating film C. For example, such materials are used in the materials of perovskite solar cells. In the above coating apparatus, after the coating film C is formed, it takes time while being transported to another drying apparatus 102. Therefore, this time affects the crystal state of the coating film C, and there is a problem that the functionality of the material is difficult to be stably exhibited.

[0006] Therefore, it is also conceivable to blow air onto the coating film C immediately after coating to dry it. That is, as shown in Fig. 7(a), similar to the coater 101, a dryer 103 (air blowing device) having a slit-shaped air outlet extending in the width direction is used, and the formed coating film can be dried immediately after being formed by blowing air onto it. That is, while blowing air by the dryer 103 and moving in the coating direction, air can be supplied to the entire surface of the coating film C and dried.

[0007] However, as shown in Fig. 7(b), in such a dryer 103, it is difficult to blow air uniformly in the longitudinal direction, and there is unevenness in the air volume locally (the two-dot chain line part in Fig. 7(b)). Therefore, there is a problem that the coating film C may be affected by the unevenness of the air volume, and streak unevenness along the coating direction may be formed in the coating film C.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a coating apparatus capable of suppressing the formation of unevenness in a coating film by suppressing the variation in the supply amount of air by a dryer.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0009] To solve the above problems, the coating device of the present invention includes a stage for placing a substrate, and a coater that moves relative to the substrate placed on the stage and discharges a coating liquid from a nozzle to form a coating film on the substrate. The coating device is provided with a dryer that dries the coating film by supplying air to the coating film formed on the substrate by the coater. The dryer is provided with a porous member at the air supply port through which air is supplied to suppress the formation of local variations in the air supply amount at the air supply port. The dryer is provided on the applicator It is characterized by this.

[0010] According to the above coating device, since the porous member is provided at the air supply port of the dryer, the air passes through the porous member and the momentum of the air is suppressed, so that the air discharged from the air supply port is made uniform over the entire air supply port, and local variations in the air supply amount can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in the air supply amount in the conventional case, and avoid the problem of unevenness being formed in the coating film. and drying can be started immediately after the coating liquid is discharged from the applicator and wets the substrate .

[0013] Also, a plurality of the porous members may be arranged side by side at the air supply port, and the joints between adjacent porous members are arranged so as to avoid crossing the air supply port linearly in the coating direction in which the coater moves when forming the coating film.

[0014] According to this configuration, since no air is supplied to the joints formed between the porous members, the air supply amount is less than that in the coating film region directly below the porous member. Therefore, when the dryer is moved in the coating direction, the drying state of the coating film directly below the joint is different from that directly below the porous member, and streak unevenness occurs. However, by avoiding the formation of the air supply port linearly crossing in the coating direction, when the dryer moves in the coating direction, the porous member always passes through the position on the coating film that was directly below the joint, so that the formation of streak unevenness in the coating film can be avoided.

[0015] As a specific embodiment, a porous array portion is provided at the air supply port, in which a plurality of porous members are arranged side by side in the width direction orthogonal to the coating direction. The porous array portion is provided in a plurality of rows in the coating direction at the air supply port, and the joints between adjacent porous members are configured to avoid being continuously arranged in the coating direction in adjacent porous array portions, so that a region where the joints always pass in the coating direction is avoided from being formed in the coating film, and the formation of streaks in the coating film can be avoided.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the coating apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to suppress variations in the air supply amount by the dryer and suppress the formation of unevenness in the coating film.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view showing the vicinity of the legs of the coating unit, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a coating apparatus provided with a dryer.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the coating apparatus forms a coating film of a liquid material such as a chemical solution or a resist solution (hereinafter referred to as a coating solution) on a substrate W, and includes a base 2, a stage 21 for placing the substrate W, and a coating unit 30 configured to be movable in a specific direction with respect to the stage 21.

[0021] In the following description, the direction in which the coating unit 30 moves will be described as the X-axis direction, the direction orthogonal to this on the horizontal plane as the Y-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions as the Z-axis direction.

[0022] The stage 21 is disposed at the central portion of the base 2. The stage 21 is for placing the loaded substrate W. The stage 21 is provided with a substrate placement surface 21a for placing the substrate W and substrate holding means (not shown), and the substrate W is held by the substrate holding means. Specifically, a plurality of suction holes are formed in the substrate placement surface 21a of the stage 21, and the substrate W can be adsorbed and held on the substrate placement surface 21a by generating a suction force in the suction holes.

[0023] In addition, the stage 21 is provided with a substrate lifting mechanism for moving the substrate W up and down. Specifically, a plurality of pin holes are formed on the surface of the stage 21, and lift pins (not shown) capable of moving up and down in the Z-axis direction are embedded in these pin holes. That is, when the substrate W is carried in with the lift pins protruding from the surface of the stage 21, the tip portions of the lift pins come into contact with the substrate W to hold the substrate W. Then, by lowering the lift pins from that state and housing them in the pin holes, the substrate W can be placed on the substrate placement surface 21a.

[0024] In addition, the coating unit 30 discharges a coating liquid onto the substrate W to form a coating film C. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this coating unit 30 has legs 31 connected to the base 2 and a coater 34 extending in the Y-axis direction, and is attached so as to be movable in the X-axis direction while straddling the base 2 in the Y-axis direction. Specifically, rails 22 extending in the X-axis direction are installed at both ends of the base 2 in the Y-axis direction, and the legs 31 are slidably attached to these rails 22. A linear motor is attached to the legs 31, and by driving and controlling this linear motor, the coating unit 30 can move in the X-axis direction and stop at an arbitrary position.

[0025] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a coater 34 for applying the coating liquid is attached to the legs 31 of the coating unit 30. Specifically, a rail 37 extending in the Z-axis direction and a slider 35 that slides along this rail 37 are provided on the legs 31, and the slider 35 and the coater 34 are connected. A ball screw mechanism driven by a servo motor is attached to the slider 35, and by driving and controlling this servo motor, the slider 35 can move in the Z-axis direction and stop at an arbitrary position. That is, the coater 34 is supported so as to be able to approach and separate from the substrate W held on the stage 21.

[0026] Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the coater 34 discharges a coating liquid to form a coating film C on the substrate W. This coater 34 is a columnar member having a shape extending in one direction, and is provided so as to be substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the coating unit 30. The coater 34 has a side surface portion 34b extending in the vertical direction, and has a substrate facing surface 34d facing the substrate W through an inclined surface portion 34c formed obliquely from the side surface portion 34b. A slit nozzle 34a is formed on the substrate facing surface 34d, and the coating liquid is discharged from the slit nozzle 34a. That is, the slit nozzle 34a is formed on the substrate facing surface 34d of the coater 34 so as to extend in the longitudinal direction, and the coating liquid supplied to the coater 34 is uniformly discharged from the slit nozzle 34a over the longitudinal direction. Therefore, by running the coating unit 30 in the X-axis direction with the coating liquid being discharged from the slit nozzle 34a, a coating film C having a constant thickness is formed on the substrate W over the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 34a. In addition, in order to apply the coating liquid, the direction in which the coating unit 30 is moved with the coating liquid being discharged from the slit nozzle 34a is referred to as the coating direction in this embodiment, and the coating direction side is referred to as the coating progress side.

[0027] Further, a dryer 40 is provided in the coater 34. This dryer 40 dries the coating film C formed on the substrate W. Here, drying includes not only the meaning of complete drying, but also drying in a semi-dried state and drying in which the crystallization of the material is promoted more than when left in the air.

[0028] In this embodiment, the dryer 40 is integrally attached to the coater 34 so as to be adjacent to the side opposite to the coating progress side. That is, when the coater 34 moves in the coating progress direction while discharging the coating liquid, the dryer 40 moves integrally with the coater 34, and the coating film C is dried by the dryer 40 immediately after the coating film C is formed on the substrate W.

[0029] The dryer 40 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the applicator 34 and has a blower section 41 for supplying air. In the present embodiment, the blower section 41 is arranged and configured so as to be adjacent to the applicator 34.

[0030] The blower section 41 supplies air to the coating film C formed on the substrate W. In the present embodiment, the blower section 41 has a blower main body section 411 and an air discharge section 42, and the air stored in the blower main body section 411 is blown out through the air discharge section 42.

[0031] The blower main body section 411 has a box shape and is formed in a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction along the side surface portion 34b of the applicator 34. In the present embodiment, it is formed to have a dimension longer than the longitudinal dimension of the slit nozzle 34a. Further, the blower main body section 411 is provided with a cavity 41b for storing air to be supplied to the coating film C, and the air supplied from an air supply source (not shown) can be temporarily stored in the cavity 41b. The cavity 41b is formed in a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction, and is connected to communicate with the air discharge section 42 by a communication flow path 43 formed narrower than the cavity 41b. Therefore, when air is supplied to the cavity 41b, it spreads throughout the cavity 41b and is temporarily stored, and by passing through the narrow communication flow path 43, the air is uniformly supplied to the air discharge section 42 in the longitudinal direction.

[0032] The air discharge part 42 is for guiding the air supplied to the blower main body part 411 to the coating film C. The air discharge part 42 has an air supply port 41c from which air is discharged, and the height position of the air supply port 41c extends to the vicinity of the slit nozzle 34a. In the example of FIG. 3, it extends to a position slightly higher than the height position of the slit nozzle 34a, that is, a height position that does not contact the coating film C formed on the substrate W. And the air discharge part 42 is connected to the cavity 41b of the blower main body part 411 and the air supply port 41c by the communication flow path 43. That is, when the air supply source is operated, the air discharge part 42 can guide the air in the cavity 41b to the air supply port 41c through the communication flow path 43.

[0033] Also, the air discharge part 42 is formed by accommodating a plurality of porous plates 51. This porous plate 51 is formed by shaping a porous member into a flat plate shape. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(a), it is formed by arranging a plurality of rectangular porous plates 51 side by side in a rectangular air supply port 41c. Specifically, three rows of porous arrangement parts 5 extending in the longitudinal direction of the air supply port 41c are provided, and a plurality of porous plates 51 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction in the porous arrangement part 5. And these porous plates 51 are connected to each other by, for example, an adhesive member, and a plurality of porous plates 51 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction in the porous arrangement part 5. That is, the air supply port 41c is formed by laying a plurality of porous plates 51 without forming a gap.

[0034] As a result, the air supplied from the cavity 41b through the communication flow path 43 passes through the porous plate 51 at the air supply port 41c, so that the supply amount of the air is equalized. That is, the porous plate 51 is formed with a large number of pores formed randomly, and the supplied air passes through the pores and then passes to the substrate W side. Therefore, since the supplied air is suppressed from passing straight through the air supply port 41c, the air is suppressed from being directly discharged onto the substrate W, and the formation of local strength differences in the air supply amount along the longitudinal direction of the air supply port 41c can be suppressed.

[0035] In addition, the blower unit 41 is connected to the coater 34 and the lifting member 49, and the height can be adjusted in the Z direction with respect to the coater 34. That is, the air supply port 41c can be displaced so as to be able to approach and separate from the formed coating film C, and the distance between the coating film C and the air supply port 41C can be adjusted. As a result, the air discharged from the porous plate 51 becomes air similar to a static pressure film without directivity, so that the height position of the blower unit 41 can be adjusted by the lifting member 49 so that this air acts on the coating film C.

[0036] Further, the porous plates 51 constituting the porous array portion 5 are arranged such that the joints 51a formed between adjacent porous plates 51 do not cross the air supply port 41c linearly in the coating direction. That is, joints 51a are formed between adjacent porous plates 51, but these joints 51a have a portion that is not formed of a porous member, such as an adhesive member or a frame for holding the porous member, or even if it is formed of a porous member, the uniformity of the porous member is coarser than that of the central portion. When the joints 51a are linearly arranged in the coating direction at the air supply port 41c as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5(b), a region where air is not sufficiently supplied is linearly formed. That is, as shown in FIG. 5(c), since the amount of air supplied to the joint 51a portion is less than that of the other porous plates 51, when the joint 51a portion moves in the coating direction, the region of the coating film C corresponding to the joint 51a portion is less likely to dry compared to other regions. Therefore, when the joint 51a portion moves in the coating direction, a problem occurs in that a region where it is difficult to dry is linearly formed in the coating direction, resulting in streak unevenness in the coating film C. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the porous plates 51 are arranged such that the joints 51a do not cross the air supply port 41c linearly.

[0037] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the size of the porous plates 51 is adjusted and arranged such that the joints 51a between the porous plates 51 of adjacent porous array portions 5 do not line up linearly in the coating direction. As a result, when the dryer 40 supplies air while moving in the coating direction, air from the porous plates 51 of any one of the porous array portions 5 is always supplied to the coating film C, so that the problem of streak unevenness caused by the formation of a region where no air is supplied can be avoided.

[0038] Note that the joint 51a of the adjacent porous plates 51 only needs to avoid being provided so as to linearly cross the air supply port 41c from end to end in the coating direction. Even if the joints 51a are linearly connected, as long as they are partially continuous in the coating direction, air can be supplied from other porous plates 51, so this is acceptable.

[0039] As described above, according to the coating apparatus, since the porous member is provided at the air supply port 41c of the dryer 40, the air passes through the porous member and the momentum of the air is suppressed. As a result, the air discharged from the air supply port is made uniform over the entire air supply port, and local variations in the air supply amount can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in the conventional air supply amount and avoid the problem of unevenness forming in the coating film.

[0040] In the above embodiment, an example in which the dryer 40 is attached to the coater 34 has been described. However, the coater 34 may be provided in a state independent of the coating unit 30, and the dryer 40 may be driven immediately after the coating unit 30 travels and the coating film C is formed on the substrate W to dry the coating film C.

[0041] In the above embodiment, an example in which three rows of porous array portions 5 are provided has been described. However, the porous array portions 5 may have three or more rows. It is preferable to provide two or more rows of porous array portions 5 so that the joints 51a of the porous plates 51 between adjacent porous array portions 5 do not linearly cross the air supply port 41c from end to end in the coating direction.

[0042] In the above embodiment, an example in which the air supplied from the blower unit 41 is the temperature of the air supply source (the temperature of the space where the coating apparatus is installed) has been described. However, a heater may be provided between the air supply source and the blower unit 41 to supply air heated by the heater. For example, by setting it to about 35°C to 45°C, which is slightly higher than the temperature of the space where the coating apparatus is installed, the drying of the coating film C can be promoted compared to the case of directly using the air from the air supply source.

[0043] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which a plurality of rows of the porous array portions 5 are arranged in the coating direction at the air supply port 41c in one blower unit 41 has been described. However, by arranging a plurality of blower units 41 in the coating direction, the porous array portions 5 may be arranged in a plurality of rows. When a plurality of blower units 41 are used in this way, the number of porous array portions 5 provided in each blower unit 41 may be one or a plurality, or they may be configured in combination.

[0044] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the applicator 34 has a slit nozzle 34a has been described. However, any applicator (for example, an inkjet) that moves in one direction and requires drying immediately after forming the coating film C may be used, and the discharge method is not particularly limited.

[0045] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, an example of applying to a coating apparatus that fixes and places the substrate W on the stage 21 has been described. However, it may be applied to a coating apparatus that places the substrate W on the stage 21 in a state where the substrate W floats from the stage 21.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0046] 5 Porous array portion 21 Stage 30 Coating unit 34 Applicator 40 Dryer 41C Air supply port 51 Porous plate 51a Joint C Coating film W Substrate

Claims

1. A stage for placing a substrate, A coater that forms a coating film on the substrate by discharging a coating liquid from a nozzle while relatively moving with respect to the substrate placed on the stage, A coating apparatus comprising: A dryer is provided for drying the coating film by supplying air to the coating film formed on the substrate by the coater. The dryer is provided with a porous member at the air supply port to which air is supplied to suppress the formation of local strengths and weaknesses in the air supply amount at the air supply port. The dryer is characterized in that it is provided on the coater.

2. A stage for placing a substrate, A coater that forms a coating film on the substrate by discharging a coating liquid from a nozzle while relatively moving with respect to the substrate placed on the stage, A coating apparatus comprising: A dryer is provided for drying the coating film by supplying air to the coating film formed on the substrate by the coater. The dryer is provided with a porous member at the air supply port to which air is supplied to suppress the formation of local strengths and weaknesses in the air supply amount at the air supply port. A plurality of the porous members are arranged side by side at the air supply port, and the joints between adjacent porous members are arranged so as to avoid crossing the air supply port in a straight line in the coating direction in which the coater moves when forming the coating film. The coating apparatus is characterized by this.

3. A stage for placing a substrate, A coater that forms a coating film on the substrate by discharging a coating liquid from a nozzle while relatively moving with respect to the substrate placed on the stage, A coating apparatus comprising: A dryer is provided for drying the coating film by supplying air to the coating film formed on the substrate by the coater. The dryer is provided with a porous member at the air supply port to which air is supplied to suppress the formation of local strengths and weaknesses in the air supply amount at the air supply port. A porous arrangement part is provided at the air supply port where a plurality of porous members are arranged side by side in the width direction orthogonal to the coating direction. The porous arrangement part is provided in a plurality of rows in the coating direction at the air supply port, and the joints between adjacent porous members are arranged so as to avoid being continuously arranged in the coating direction in adjacent porous arrangement parts. The coating apparatus is characterized by this.

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