Coating Equipment

Abstract

To provide a coating apparatus which can cope with various kinds of substrates with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A coating apparatus includes: a stage on which various kinds of substrates having different width dimensions can be mounted; and a coating unit which forms a coating film on the substrate mounted on a surface of the stage by discharging coating liquid while moving relatively to the substrate. The stage has a lift member for holding the substrate at a prescribed height from the stage when carrying in / out the substrate. In the lift member, an abutting section abutting on a rear face of the substrate when holding the substrate has a shape extending in a width direction of the substrate so that a holding posture of the substrate having a different width dimension can be maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coating apparatus that forms a coating film on a substrate by moving a coating unit that discharges a coating liquid relative to the substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] Flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays use a substrate made of glass coated with a coating liquid such as a resist liquid (referred to as a coated substrate). This coated substrate is formed by a coating device that uniformly coats the coating liquid. As shown in FIG. 9, this coating device has a stage 100 on which a substrate W is placed and a coating unit 101 that discharges the coating liquid. The substrate W on the stage 100 and the coating unit 101 are moved relatively in one direction while the coating liquid is discharged from a coater 102 of the coating unit 101, thereby forming a substrate W on which a coating film of uniform thickness has been formed.

[0003] This stage 100 is provided with a plurality of lift pins 103 that support the substrate W, and are configured to support the substrate W by abutting against the back surface of the substrate W. That is, the lift pins 103 are arranged at predetermined intervals so that the substrate W can maintain a horizontal attitude, and each of the lift pins 103 is configured to move up and down relative to the support surface on which the substrate W is placed. Specifically, the lift pins 103 are connected to air cylinders, which are driving devices that drive the lift pins 103 to move up and down within the stage 100, and all of the lift pins 103 are configured to move up and down simultaneously by controlling the driving of the air cylinders. That is, by operating the air cylinders, the lift pins 103 can raise and lower the substrate W while supporting the substrate W in a state in which the substrate W maintains a holding attitude (an attitude extending horizontally).

[0004] In an actual operation of loading the substrate W, when the substrate W is loaded onto the placement surface by the robot hand 105, the lift pins 103 protrude from the placement surface and abut against the backside of the substrate W, thereby supporting the substrate W while maintaining a holding attitude. Then, the lift pins 103 descend and are housed within the stage 100, whereby the substrate W is placed on the placement surface, and the operation of loading the substrate W is completed. Furthermore, when a coating film is formed on the substrate W, the lift pins 103 rise while abutting against the backside of the substrate W, and the robot hand 105 enters with the substrate W on the stage 100 lifted by the lift pins 103, whereby the substrate W is transferred from the lift pins 103 to the robot hand 105, and then the substrate W is removed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-087343 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventionally, coating apparatuses handled only one type of substrate W, and multiple substrates were prepared according to the application to accommodate various uses. However, in recent years, a wide variety of substrates W with different widths have emerged, making it necessary to form coating films on these substrates. However, the coating apparatus described above has had a problem in that it is difficult to accommodate a wide variety of substrates W with different widths. That is, in the coating apparatus described above, the lift pins 103 are provided for a single type of substrate W, but the positions of the lift pins 103 do not correspond to the wide variety of substrates W. Therefore, when different types of substrates W are supported, the substrates W cannot be maintained in their holding positions. Furthermore, if lift pins 103 are added to support each type, a new air cylinder is required to simultaneously raise and lower only the lift pins 103 for each specific type. This requires space for installing the new air cylinder within the stage 100, and the configuration within the stage 100 becomes complicated.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a coating apparatus that has a simple configuration and can be adapted to handle a wide variety of substrates. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the coating apparatus of the present invention is a coating apparatus comprising a stage on which a wide variety of substrates with different width dimensions can be placed, and a coating unit that forms a coating film on the substrate by ejecting a coating liquid while moving relative to the substrate placed on the surface of the stage, wherein the stage has a lift member that holds the substrate at a predetermined height from the stage when loading or unloading the substrate, and the lift member is characterized in that the abutment portion that abuts against the back surface of the substrate when holding the substrate has a shape that extends in the width direction of the substrate so that the holding posture of substrates with different width dimensions can be maintained.

[0009] According to the coating device described above, the lift member supporting the substrate has a contact portion that extends in the width direction of the substrate, allowing it to support a wide variety of substrates with different widths. Because the contact portion of the lift member extends in the width direction of the substrate, it can always contact and support the backside of the substrate, regardless of the substrate's width. Therefore, substrates of any width can be supported while maintaining a horizontally extending holding posture. Furthermore, a drive device (e.g., an air cylinder) for raising and lowering the lift member does not need to be provided for each substrate with different widths, thereby avoiding a complex internal stage structure. Therefore, compared to conventional lift pins, substrates of different widths can be supported with a simpler configuration, allowing coating films to be formed directly on substrates of different widths.

[0010] The lift member may be configured to have a width equal to or larger than the width of a substrate having the largest width among substrates having different widths that can be placed on the stage.

[0011] According to this configuration, any substrate can be supported by the lift member as long as it can be placed on the stage.

[0012] In addition, the stage may be provided with a guide pin that centers the substrate by abutting against the edge of the back surface of the substrate when the lift member is lowered to place the substrate on the stage, and the guide pin may be configured to be housed within the stage.

[0013] With this configuration, the substrate can be centered using the guide pins simply by lowering the substrate using the lift member, and since the guide pins are housed within the stage, it is possible to avoid the need to provide additional space for the guide pins.

[0014] In addition, the guide pins may be provided for each width dimension of the substrate, and when centering, only the guide pin corresponding to the width dimension of the substrate may protrude above the stage to perform centering.

[0015] According to this configuration, each of the substrates having different widths can be centered by a dedicated guide pin.

[0016] The guide pin may have a sharpened tip portion with a conical shape at the tip, and the sharpened tip portion may be configured to be rotatable around an axis.

[0017] With this configuration, the substrate can be centered simply by lowering it with the lift member, and compared to centering by moving the guide pin on the stage, there is no need to provide a drive device to move the guide pin, thereby saving space. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The coating apparatus of the present invention can be adapted to handle a wide variety of substrates with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the coating device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a stage in the coating apparatus as viewed from above. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a stage and a lift member, in which (a) shows a state in which the lift member is housed within the stage, and (b) shows a state in which the lift member protrudes above the stage. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the lift member supports the substrate. [Figure 6]1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the stage and guide pins, in which (a) shows the guide pins housed within the stage, (b) shows the guide pins protruding when centering a substrate with the smallest width, and (c) shows the guide pins protruding when centering a substrate with the largest width. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which a substrate is centered by a guide pin, where (a) is a diagram seen from the width direction (Y-axis direction), and (b) is a diagram seen from above. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional coating device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] 1 and 2 are diagrams that schematically show the appearance of a coating device according to one embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a front view and FIG. 2 being a side view.

[0021] The coating apparatus 1 forms a coating film M of a liquid material such as a chemical solution or a resist solution (hereinafter referred to as a coating liquid) 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 relative to the stage 21. When the substrate W is supplied to the stage 21 by the robot hand 9, the coating unit 30 ejects the coating liquid onto the substrate W, and the coating unit 30 moves with the coating liquid ejected, thereby forming a coating film of uniform thickness on the substrate W.

[0022] In the following explanation, the direction in which the coating unit 30 moves will be referred to as the X-axis direction (coating direction), the direction perpendicular to this on the horizontal plane will be referred to as the Y-axis direction (width direction), and the direction perpendicular to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions will be referred to as the Z-axis direction.

[0023] The base 2 is formed in a flat plate shape, and the stage 21, the coating unit 30, and the maintenance device 8 (see FIG. 2) are placed on the base 2. That is, the stage 21 and the maintenance device 8 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction, and the coating unit 30 is provided at a position separated from the stage 21 in the Y-axis direction so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. That is, the coating unit 30 is configured so as to be movable between the stage 21 and the maintenance device 8.

[0024] The stage 21 is used to place and hold the substrate W. The stage 21 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a mounting surface 21a (surface of the stage 21) on which the substrate W is placed is formed to be substantially flat. Specifically, it has a shape extending in the X-axis direction, and is formed so that when the substrate W is placed on the mounting surface 21a, the long substrate W can be held in a flat position along the mounting surface 21a.

[0025] The stage 21 is also provided with a substrate holding means, which holds the substrate W on the mounting surface 21a. The substrate holding means adsorbs and holds the substrate W. Specifically, the substrate holding means has suction grooves and suction holes formed in the mounting surface 21a of the stage 21, which generate suction forces to hold the substrate W on the mounting surface 21a. That is, on the mounting surface 21a of the stage 21, suction grooves formed with a predetermined depth are arranged at approximately equal intervals in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and are arranged in a grid pattern so that they intersect with each other. In addition, suction holes are formed at the intersections of the suction grooves, and these suction holes are connected to a vacuum pump via piping. When the vacuum pump is operated, suction forces are generated in the suction holes, which then spread across the entire mounting surface 21a via the suction grooves.

[0026] The coating unit 30 forms a coating film M by discharging a coating liquid onto the substrate W. The coating unit 30 has a coater 31 that discharges the coating liquid, and a support unit 40 that supports the coater 31. The coating unit 30 is configured so that the coater 31 moves in the X-axis direction while being supported. That is, the coater 31 moves while discharging the coating liquid from the coater 31 while facing the substrate W placed on the stage 21, so that a coating film M of uniform thickness is formed on the substrate W.

[0027] The applicator 31 discharges a coating liquid to form a coating film M on the substrate W. The applicator 31 is a columnar member having a shape extending in one direction, and is provided so as to extend in the Y-axis direction (width direction) that is substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction (X-axis direction) of the coating unit 30. The applicator 31 has a slit nozzle 31a extending in the longitudinal direction formed on the surface facing the stage 21, so that the coating liquid supplied to the applicator 31 is discharged uniformly from the slit nozzle 31a along the longitudinal direction. Therefore, by traveling the coating unit 30 in the X-axis direction while the coating liquid is being discharged from the slit nozzle 31a, a coating film M (see FIG. 2) of a constant thickness is formed on the substrate W along the longitudinal direction of the slit nozzle 31a.

[0028] The support unit 40 is configured to support the applicator 31 while maintaining the orientation of the applicator 31. The support unit 40 has a support column 41 and a beam column 42 extending horizontally from the support column 41. In this embodiment, the beam column 42 is supported by the support column 41 in a cantilever structure. The applicator 31 is attached to the beam column 42 and is supported in an orientation in which the slit nozzle 31a of the applicator 31 faces the mounting surface 21a of the stage 21. The beam column 42 is configured to be raised and lowered by a drive device (not shown), and the applicator 31 is supported so as to be able to approach and separate from the substrate W held on the stage 21.

[0029] In addition, a drive unit 5 is provided on the base 43 on which the support column 41 is placed. The drive unit 5 allows the support unit 40 to move in the X-axis direction. Specifically, two rails 51 (guide members of the present invention) extending in the X-axis direction are provided on the base 2, and the base 43 is slidably attached to the rails 51 via a slider 52. A linear motor is attached to the base 2, and by driving and controlling the linear motor, the support column 41 attached to the base 43, and therefore the application unit 30, moves in the X-axis direction along the rails 51 and can stop at any position. In this embodiment, the applicator 31 can stop at the positions of the stage 21 and the maintenance device 8, and the applicator 31 can move on the stage 21 in a position facing the stage 21.

[0030] Furthermore, a maintenance device 8 is disposed at a position away from the stage 21 in the X-axis direction. The maintenance device 8 cleans and initializes the applicator 31. That is, after a predetermined amount of coating liquid is discharged, the slit nozzle 31a of the applicator 31 is wiped with a wiping member, thereby creating a state in which the coating liquid inside the applicator 31 is uniformly filled throughout the longitudinal direction up to the tip of the slit nozzle 31a. This cleans the slit nozzle 31a and initializes it for forming the next coating film M.

[0031] The stage 21 is also provided with a substrate lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the supplied substrate W. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the substrate lifting mechanism is composed of a lift member 11 that can support the substrate W and a lifting unit 12 that raises and lowers the lift member 11. Specifically, the lift member 11 is accommodated within the stage 21, and is configured to be raised to a predetermined height above the stage 21 by operating the lifting unit 12, which is a drive device such as an air cylinder. That is, as shown in Figure 4(a), the lift member 11 is accommodated at a position lower than the mounting surface 21a of the stage 21, and is configured to be raised by the lifting unit 12 to a position higher than the mounting surface 21a, i.e., the substrate W transfer position (Figure 4(b)). As a result, while the lift member 11 is waiting at the substrate W transfer position, the substrate W is loaded onto the stage 21 by a robot hand or the like, and as the robot hand or the like is further lowered, the back surface r of the substrate W abuts against the lift member 11, thereby supporting the substrate W.

[0032] The lift member 11 is a rod-shaped member extending in one direction (the Y-axis direction in this embodiment), and in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is disposed so as to extend in the width direction (the Y-axis direction). The lift member 11 has, on its upper surface, a contact portion 11a that contacts the rear surface r of the substrate W, and is formed to have a predetermined length. In this embodiment, the contact portion 11a is formed to have a dimension larger than the width dimension (the Y-axis dimension) of the substrate W loaded. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the contact portion 11a is formed to have a dimension A that is larger than the width dimension a of the substrate W with the largest width dimension among the various types of substrates W handled by the coating apparatus. As a result, even when a substrate W with a width dimension b smaller than a (a substrate W with a width dimension equal to or smaller than a) is loaded, the common lift member 11 contacts the substrate W while extending beyond the width direction end portion, and the contact portion 11a can reliably contact and support the rear surface r of the substrate W across the width direction. That is, when the substrate W is supported by the lift member 11, the substrate W can maintain a posture (holding posture) that extends substantially horizontally in the width direction, regardless of the type of substrate W.

[0033] 4 and 5, the contact portion 11a of the lift member 11 is formed to have a curved surface. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the cross section of the contact portion 11a is formed to have a crescent shape, so that when the contact portion 11a comes into contact with the rear surface r of the substrate W, the contact area with the rear surface r of the substrate W is reduced, and damage to the contact point is reduced compared to a sharp-pointed pin.

[0034] In this embodiment, two lift members 11 are provided, each spaced apart in the X-axis direction. That is, these lift members 11 are adjusted to support both longitudinal (X-axis) end portions of the substrate W. When the substrate W is supported, the substrate W does not slip between the two lift members 11 and is supported in a substantially horizontally extending position (holding position). The holding position in which the substrate W is held includes not only a position in which the substrate W extends completely horizontally, but also a position in which the central position of the substrate W in the longitudinal direction is slightly bent. As a result, when the lift members 11 descend, the supported substrate W is placed on the placement surface 21a without significant positional deviation. Since the abutting portions 11a of the lift members 11 are configured to abut along the width direction of the substrate W, the lift members 11 can stably support a wide variety of substrates W having different widths. The substrate W placed on the placement surface 21a is raised to a substrate W transfer position by the lift member 11 being raised and held there, and then the substrate W is removed by a robot hand or the like holding the rear surface r of the substrate W. In this manner, the substrate W can be carried in and out of the stage 21 by the raising and lowering operation of the lift member 11. Note that in this embodiment, the lift member 11 is set to a dimension larger than the width dimension of the type of substrate W with the largest width dimension, but it may also be set to the same dimension as the width dimension of the type of substrate W with the largest width dimension.

[0035] The stage 21 is also provided with guide pins 6 for centering the loaded substrate W. The guide pins 6 are accommodated in the stage 21 and configured to center the substrate W by lowering the substrate W by the lift member 11 while protruding from the placement surface 21a. A guide pin 6 is provided for each type of substrate W to be handled, and in the example shown in Fig. 3, guide pins 6 corresponding to three types of substrate W are provided, and the six guide pins 6 are configured to come into contact with the substrate W to center it.

[0036] The guide pins 6 have longitudinal pins 61 that abut against the longitudinal end (X-axis direction) of the substrate W and widthwise pins 62 that abut against the widthwise end (Y-axis direction) of the substrate W, and are each accommodated in a separate pin hole. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal pins 61 are formed such that a pin hole 61a for accommodating the longitudinal pins 61 is located at the center of the width direction of the stage 21, and two pin holes 61a are formed at positions spaced apart in the X-axis direction. The longitudinal pins 61 can be protruded and accommodated in the pin holes 61a by driving a driving device such as an air cylinder (not shown). That is, when the substrate W is loaded, the longitudinal pins 61 protrude from the mounting surface 21a and abut against the longitudinal end of the substrate W, thereby positioning the substrate W in the X-axis direction.

[0037] The width pins 62 position the substrate W in the width direction by contacting the widthwise ends of the substrate W. The width pins 62 are provided to correspond to the width dimension of the substrate W for each type of substrate W to be handled. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, dedicated pin holes 62a are provided for each type of substrate W, spaced apart in the Y-axis direction, and a width pin 62 is accommodated in each pin hole. In this embodiment, four width pins 62 are provided for each type of substrate W, and are arranged in a line along the coating direction (X-axis direction) for each type of substrate W. In the example of FIG. 3, a total of four width pins 62 are arranged on the stage 21, corresponding to the smallest-width substrate W (corresponding pin hole 62a1), the medium-width substrate W (corresponding pin hole 62a2), and the largest-width substrate W (corresponding pin hole 62a3), in that order from the outside in the coating direction (X-axis direction). That is, when a substrate W is loaded, four widthwise pins 62 corresponding to this substrate W are selected, and these widthwise pins 62 protrude to abut against the widthwise ends of the substrate W, thereby centering it in the widthwise direction (Y-axis direction).

[0038] That is, the substrate W transported onto the stage 21 is centered by the six guide pins 6, with the longitudinal pins 61 abutting against its longitudinal ends and the widthwise pins 62 abutting against its widthwise ends. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c), when a substrate W of minimum width is loaded, the housed guide pins 6 (FIG. 6(a)) protrude the longitudinal pins 61 and the widthwise pin 62 located outermost in the X-axis direction, thereby centering the substrate W (FIG. 6(b)). On the other hand, when a substrate W of maximum width is loaded, the longitudinal pins 61 and the widthwise pin 62 located innermost in the X-axis direction protrude, thereby centering the substrate W (FIG. 6(c)). In this way, the substrate W is centered by the two longitudinal pins 61 and the four widthwise pins 62 set for each type of substrate W.

[0039] Further, the guide pin 6 is formed of a pin member having a pointed tip. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the guide pin 6 has a cylindrical pin main body 6a and a conical tip 6b attached to the pin main body 6a. The tip 6b is configured to rotate about its axis and to be rotated by the substrate W coming into contact with it. As a result, the substrate W supported by the lift member 11 is lowered, thereby correcting the attitude of the substrate W.

[0040] That is, as shown in Fig. 8(a), when the transferred substrate W is supported by the lift members 11 and the transfer of the substrate W is completed and the substrate W is loaded onto the stage 21 (indicated by the dashed lines in Fig. 8(a)), the longitudinal pins 61 and widthwise pins 62 selected according to the type of substrate W stand by in a protruding state. Then, as the lift members 11 descend, the substrate W abuts against the protruding longitudinal pins 61 and widthwise pins 62. That is, as the rear edge r1 of the substrate W abuts against the tip ends 6b of the longitudinal pins 61 and widthwise pins 62, the tip ends 6b rotate, and the substrate W shown by the solid line is corrected to the position of the substrate W shown by the two-dot chain line, as shown in Fig. 8(b), and the substrate W is guided between the longitudinal pins 61 and widthwise pins 62. That is, as the lift member 11 descends, the position of the substrate W supported by the lift member 11 is corrected, and the substrate W is centered by being guided between the six guide pins 6.

[0041] As described above, according to the coating apparatus, the lift member 11 supporting the substrate W has a contact portion 11a that contacts the rear surface r of the substrate W and extends in the width direction of the substrate W. This allows the lift member 11 to support a wide variety of substrates W with different widths. Since the contact portion 11a of the lift member 11 extends in the width direction of the substrate W, the lift member 11 can always contact and support the rear surface r of the substrate W, regardless of the width of the substrate W. Therefore, the lift member 11 can support the substrate W while maintaining a horizontally extending holding posture, regardless of the width of the substrate W. Furthermore, a drive device (such as an air cylinder) for raising and lowering the lift member 11 does not need to be provided for each substrate W with different widths, which avoids a complex structure within the stage 21. Therefore, compared to conventional lift pins, the lift member 11 can support substrates W with different widths with a simpler configuration, and a coating film can be formed on substrates W with different widths. The substrate W can be centered by the guide pins 6 simply by lowering the substrate W using the lift member 11, and since the guide pins 6 are housed within the stage 21, it is possible to avoid the need to provide additional space for the guide pins 6.

[0042] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which there are two longitudinal pins 61 and four widthwise pins 62, but the number is not particularly limited, and the number of guide pins 6 is not limited as long as the guide pins 6 can be abutted against the longitudinal ends and widthwise ends of the substrate W to center it.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the sharpened portion of the guide pin 6 is rotatable around an axis, but the sharpened portion may be configured not to rotate. In this case, since the substrate W is centered by being brought into contact with the guide pin 6, it is desirable to use a material with low sliding resistance for the portion of the guide pin 6 that comes into contact with the substrate W. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Coating device 6 guide pins 9 Robot Hand 11 Lifting members 21 Stages 21a Placement surface 30 Coating unit 31 Applicator 61 Longitudinal Pin 62 Width direction pin W substrate r Back r1 Back edge

Claims

1. a stage capable of mounting a wide variety of substrates having different widths; and a coating unit configured to move relative to the substrate mounted on the surface of the stage while discharging a coating liquid to form a coating film on the substrate; An application device comprising: the stage has a lift member that holds the substrate at a predetermined height from the stage when the substrate is loaded or unloaded; a contact portion of the lift member that contacts the rear surface of the substrate when holding the substrate has a shape that extends in the width direction of the substrate so as to be able to maintain the holding posture of substrates having different width dimensions; The coating apparatus is characterized in that the lift member is formed to have a width dimension larger than the width dimension of the substrate carried onto the stage.

2. 2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lift member is set to a width dimension equal to or greater than the width dimension of a substrate having a maximum width among substrates having different width dimensions that can be placed on the stage.

3. The coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stage is provided with a guide pin that abuts against the rear edge of the substrate to center the substrate when the lift member is lowered to place the substrate on the stage, and the guide pin is housed within the stage.

4. The coating device according to claim 3, characterized in that the guide pins are provided for each width dimension of the substrate, and when centering, only the guide pin corresponding to the width dimension of the substrate protrudes above the stage, thereby performing centering.

5. 5. The coating device according to claim 4, wherein the guide pin has a sharpened tip portion with a conical shape at the tip, and the sharpened tip portion is formed so as to be rotatable around an axis.

Images