Coating apparatus and coating method

Abstract

The objective of this invention is to apply a treatment liquid by moving a slit nozzle that ejects the treatment liquid relative to the upper surface of a substrate held by a retaining part, and to improve the versatility of the coating apparatus for maintaining the slit nozzle. In this invention, a pair of guide rails are mounted on a base, which are used to move a first bridging structure, on which a first maintenance part and a first slit nozzle are mounted, along a first horizontal direction. In contrast, the retaining part is independent of the pair of guide rails, the first bridging structure, and the first maintenance part, and can be freely mounted and detached relative to the base. Therefore, even if the retaining part varies depending on the substrate size, the treatment liquid can be applied to a changed substrate simply by changing the retaining part as the substrate size changes. That is, by simply changing the retaining part, treatment liquid can be applied to substrates of different sizes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a coating apparatus that supplies a processing liquid and coats glass substrates for flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal displays or organic EL displays, semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording discs, substrates for solar cells, substrates for electronic paper, and substrates for semiconductor packaging (hereinafter referred to as "substrates") from a slit nozzle. Prior Technology

[0002] As an example of a substrate processing apparatus, a coating apparatus is known to coat a substrate with a processing liquid by spraying a processing liquid from a slit nozzle having a slit-shaped nozzle outlet relative to the substrate. For example, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the slit nozzle is moved above the surface of the stage while the stage surface is held over the substrate to coat the substrate with the processing liquid.

[0003] In the substrate processing apparatus (coating apparatus), a stage is provided that functions as a holding part for placing and holding the substrate. The stage is, for example, a single piece of stone with a cuboid shape. The upper surface of the stage is machined into a flat surface, serving as the holding surface for the substrate. At both ends of the holding area of ​​the holding surface, separated from the substrate, a pair of guide rails extending parallel in a generally horizontal direction are fixedly provided. A gantry section of a bridging structure moves freely along these rails. A slit nozzle is mounted on the gantry section. Furthermore, as the gantry section moves, the slit nozzle supplies processing liquid supplied by a supply mechanism to the upper surface of the substrate while scanning the substrate surface. Additionally, in the stage, maintenance parts (cleaning liquid ejection mechanism + standby box + pre-coating mechanism) for maintaining the slit nozzle are provided on both sides of the holding area in the direction of movement of the slit nozzle. [Existing Technical Documents] [Patent Literature]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-230807 Summary of the Invention

[0005] [The problem the invention aims to solve] As described above, in existing devices, a pair of guide rails or maintenance parts are provided relative to the holding part used to mount and hold the substrate. Therefore, if there are changes in the substrate size or maintenance specifications, it is necessary to replace each holding part, including the pair of guide rails or maintenance parts. As a result, there is room for improvement in versatility.

[0006] The present invention was made in view of the aforementioned problems, and its object is to apply a treatment liquid by moving a slit nozzle that sprays the treatment liquid relative to the upper surface of a substrate held by a holding part, and to improve the versatility of a coating apparatus for performing maintenance treatment on the slit nozzle. [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0007] This invention is a substrate holding device, characterized in that it comprises: a base having a holding portion setting region and a first adjacent region adjacent to the holding portion setting region in a first horizontal direction on its upper surface; a holding portion detachably mounted to the holding portion setting region; a pair of guide rails mounted on the upper surface of the base such that the holding portion setting region and the first adjacent region are clamped in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction; a first bridging structure being movably disposed between the holding portion setting region and the first adjacent region in the first horizontal direction, mounted between the pair of guide rails; a first slit nozzle mounted on the first bridging structure such that it can spray a first coating liquid from a slit-shaped first spray outlet toward the substrate held on the upper surface of the holding portion; a driving unit driving the first bridging structure along the pair of guide rails; and a first maintenance unit mounted on the base in the first adjacent region for performing a first maintenance treatment on the first slit nozzle.

[0008] In this invention, a pair of guide rails for moving the first bridging structure, which houses the first maintenance part and the first slit nozzle, along a first horizontal direction are mounted on a base. In contrast, the holding part is independent of the guide rails, the first bridging structure, and the first maintenance part, and can be freely mounted and detached relative to the base. Therefore, even if the holding part varies depending on the substrate size, the processing liquid can be applied to the changed substrate simply by replacing the holding part as the substrate size changes. That is, by simply replacing the holding part, processing liquid can be applied to substrates of different sizes. [The effects of the invention]

[0009] As described above, the present invention provides a coating apparatus that can coat substrates of different sizes with a coating solution in a small number of operations, i.e., a coating apparatus with high versatility. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0010] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating one embodiment of the coating apparatus of the present invention. Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the base, coating processing mechanism, substrate holding mechanism and maintenance mechanism in the coating apparatus shown in Figure 1. Figure 2B is a partial plan view of the coating apparatus in Figure 2A viewed from above. Figure 3A is a plan view of the substrate holding mechanism for large substrates as viewed from above. Figure 3B is a plan view of the substrate holding mechanism for small substrates as viewed from above. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the substrate holding mechanism. Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the substrate holding process in the coating apparatus of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process of temporary correction of a substrate using a substrate holding mechanism. Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the replacement process performed by the coating apparatus shown in Figure 1. Implementation

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating one embodiment of the coating apparatus of the present invention. Furthermore, in Figure 1 and the following figures, to clarify their directional relationships, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system with the Z direction as the vertical direction and the XY plane as the horizontal plane is appropriately labeled. In the movement direction Y of the slit nozzle 2 described later, the upstream side corresponds to the (-Y) side, and the downstream side corresponds to (+Y). Additionally, in each figure, the dimensions or quantity of each part are exaggerated or simplified as needed.

[0012] The coating apparatus 1 includes: a base 100 containing a casting; a coating processing mechanism that performs coating processing using a slit nozzle 2; a substrate holding mechanism that assembles a platform 3, equivalent to an example of the "holding part" of the present invention; a maintenance mechanism having various maintenance units 6 for performing maintenance processing on the slit nozzle 2; and a control unit 200 that controls these components. Furthermore, the control unit 200 controls each component of the coating apparatus 1. Thus, while the substrate S is held by the platform 3 of the substrate holding mechanism, the slit nozzle 2 moves relative to the substrate S in the Y direction, thereby coating the surface Sa of the substrate S with a processing liquid. That is, the coating apparatus 1 is a device called a slit coater. As the processing liquid, for example, photoresist liquid, pigments for color filters, polyimide precursors, silicone, nano-metal inks, or various paste-like or slurry-like processing liquids containing conductive materials can be used. The substrate S is a glass substrate having a rectangular shape when viewed from above. Furthermore, the substrate S to be coated can be applied to various substrates such as rectangular glass substrates, semiconductor substrates, flexible substrates for thin-film liquid crystals, photomask substrates, color filter substrates, solar cell substrates, organic electroluminescence (EL) substrates, and semiconductor packaging substrates. In this specification, the term "surface Sa of substrate S" refers to the main surface of substrate S on the side where the coating solution is applied. In this embodiment, the coating process is performed with surface Sa of substrate S facing upwards; therefore, "surface Sa of substrate S" corresponds to the "upper surface of the substrate" in this invention.

[0013] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the base, coating processing mechanism, substrate holding mechanism, and maintenance mechanism in the coating apparatus shown in Figure 1. Figure 2B is a partial plan view of the coating apparatus of Figure 2A from above. In this embodiment, a holding portion area 101, an upstream adjacent area 102, a downstream adjacent area 103, and a track area 104 are provided on the upper surface of the base 100.

[0014] The holding section area 101 is located at the center of the upper surface of the base 100, and the stage 3 of the substrate holding mechanism is detachably mounted in the holding section area 101. Hereinafter, the structure and operation of the substrate holding mechanism will be described, followed by a detailed description of the coating processing mechanism and the maintenance mechanism.

[0015] As shown in FIG2B, an opening is provided in the holding section area 101 for raising and lowering the four lifting pins, which will be described later. Additionally, an adjustment section 33 and a transport fixing section 34 are alternately arranged around the opening. The adjustment section 33 has a support member 331 that supports the platform 3 from below, and a threaded member 332 that raises and lowers the support member 331 by rotating it about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction Z. On the other hand, the transport fixing section 34, like the adjustment section 33, not only has a support member 341 that supports the platform 3 from below and a threaded member 342 that raises and lowers the support member 341 by rotating it about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction Z, but also has additional fixing bolts 343, allowing switching between a transport fixing mode and a release mode, as will be described later.

[0016] Bolt 343 has a shaft portion that can be freely inserted into a fixing through hole 35 (Fig. 2A) provided on the periphery of the platform 3. Furthermore, during the transport of the coating apparatus 1, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 2A, the shaft portion of bolt 343 is inserted into the fixing through hole 35 from above relative to the platform 3 supported by the support member 341, and the external thread portion (not shown) engages with the internal thread portion formed on the support member 341. Thus, the platform 3 is clamped into the head of bolt 343 and the support member 341 and is fixed (fixed mode during transport). As a result, damage to the platform 3 during device transport can be reliably prevented.

[0017] Furthermore, after the coating apparatus 1 is transported to the factory, the operator removes the bolts 343 to release the fixation of the platform 3 relative to the base 100 (release mode). The operator then operates the threaded components 332 and 342 to precisely adjust the height or level of the platform 3. In this embodiment, the platform adjustment is performed using the adjustment unit 33 and the transport fixing unit 34 after the bolts are removed; however, platform adjustment can also be performed using only the adjustment unit 33.

[0018] In addition, in this embodiment, the fixing part 34 is fixed to the platform 3 by bolts during transport, but it can also be fixed by other mechanical means, such as clamping the periphery of the platform 3.

[0019] Figures 3A and 3B are plan views of the substrate holding mechanism viewed from above. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the substrate holding mechanism. The substrate holding mechanism shown in Figure 3A corresponds to a large-sized substrate S, and the substrate holding mechanism shown in Figure 3B corresponds to a small-sized substrate S. In these, the planar dimensions of the stage 3 are the same; on the other hand, the other structures are configured or sized differently depending on the substrate size, but they are basically the same in shape or function.

[0020] As the stage 3, its upper surface, i.e., the mounting surface 31 on which the substrate S is mounted, has a flatness of about a few micrometers. The central portion of the mounting surface 31 functions as a substrate mounting area capable of mounting the substrate S. In the substrate mounting area, a grid-like adsorption groove 312 is provided corresponding to the effective area of ​​the substrate S. Here, the effective area of ​​the substrate S refers to the area in the central portion of the upper surface of the substrate S where multiple components are provided. For example, in the case of semiconductor packaging, a rectangular glass substrate corresponds to the substrate S, and multiple semiconductor wafers or wiring between wafers stacked in the central portion of the upper surface of the glass substrate correspond to multiple components. When the substrate S is mounted in the substrate mounting area, the effective area is located above the central portion of the substrate mounting area. In the central portion of the substrate mounting area, in order to firmly adsorb and hold the effective area of ​​the substrate S using the mounting surface 31, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, adsorption grooves 312 are etched in a grid pattern. That is, a groove is provided extending along the X and Y directions at a certain depth from the mounting surface 31, and at several locations where the grooves intersect, a through hole 313 is provided along the Z direction, which connects to the lower surface 32 of the platform 3 from the intersection point.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, each through hole 313 is connected to the negative pressure generating unit 7. The negative pressure generating unit 7 includes a suction pipe 71, a suction source 72, and an on / off valve 73. More specifically, the suction source 72 is connected to the through hole 313 via the suction pipe 71. The suction source 72 can be, for example, a vacuum pump, or the power source of the factory equipped with the coating apparatus 1. The on / off valve 73 is inserted into the suction pipe 71. The on / off valve 73 closes according to a closing command from the control unit 200, stopping the supply of negative pressure to the through hole 313. On the other hand, the on / off valve 73 opens according to an opening command from the control unit 200, supplying negative pressure to the through hole 313. That is, as will be explained later, when the on / off valve 73 opens according to an opening command from the control unit 200 after the substrate S is placed in the substrate placement area, negative pressure is supplied to the through hole 313. Therefore, air is discharged from the space between the lower surface of the effective area of ​​the substrate S and the mounting surface 31 through the adsorption groove 312 and the through hole 313, and the substrate S is adsorbed and held on the mounting surface 31. In addition, the holding form of the substrate S is not limited to this, for example, it can also be configured to hold the substrate S mechanically.

[0022] To enable the receiving and receiving of substrate S on the platform 3 configured as described above, a lifting unit is provided corresponding to the holding portion area 101 of the base 100. The lifting unit has multiple lifting pins 75 configured to rise and fall through an opening located in the center of the holding portion area 101, and a lifting pin drive unit 76. The platform 3 is provided with multiple pin receiving holes 315 extending parallel to the Z-direction and opening in the mounting surface 31, each receiving pin 75 housing a lifting pin. Each lifting pin 75 has a pin-shaped form extending parallel to the Z-direction, and is raised and lowered by the lifting pin drive unit 76 via a lifting command given by the control unit 200, which controls the entire device. Thus, the lifting pin 75 moves forward and backward relative to the pin receiving hole 315. By raising the lifting pin 75 to a predetermined height position as shown in FIG. 4, the receiving and receiving of substrate S with a robot (not shown) is possible. That is, this height position corresponds to an example of the handover position of substrate S. For example, when the robot moves the substrate S above the platform 3, multiple lifting pins 75, driven by the lifting pin drive unit 76, rise and protrude from the pin receiving hole 315 toward the top of the mounting surface 31, receiving the substrate S at their respective upper ends. Then, driven by the lifting pin drive unit 76, the multiple lifting pins 75 descend and are stored in the pin receiving hole 315, thereby placing the substrate S from the upper ends of the multiple lifting pins 75 onto the mounting surface 31. Furthermore, when lifting the substrate S from the mounting surface 31, driven by the lifting pin drive unit 76, the multiple lifting pins 75 rise and protrude from the pin receiving hole 315 toward the top of the mounting surface 31.

[0023] In addition, in this embodiment, a positioning part 8 is provided to position the substrate S before coating treatment, which will be transferred from the robot to the plurality of lifting pins 75, in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, a pressing part 9 is provided to perform a warp correction process to correct the warp of the substrate S, either simultaneously with or before the positioning process.

[0024] In this embodiment, the positioning parts 8 and pressing parts 9 adopt the same structure as the position adjustment mechanism and pressing mechanism described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-112197. Hereinafter, detailed descriptions of the structure of the positioning parts 8 and pressing parts 9 will be omitted, and their general structure will be described with reference to Figures 3A, 3B and 4.

[0025] The positioning unit 8 has a total of eight position adjustment members 81, two of which are arranged on each side of the mounting surface 31. Each position adjustment member 81 has a pin-shaped alignment pin 82 that extends parallel to the Z direction. That is, two alignment pins 82 are arranged relative to each side of the stage 3. The alignment pins 82 are arranged horizontally and freely between the space above the stage 3 and the separation space that moves away from the space above the stage from the outside of the stage, located above the mounting surface 31. Moreover, when the substrate S is positioned in the positioning position, the alignment pins 82 face the end face of the substrate S in the horizontal direction.

[0026] The alignment pin 82, configured as described above, is connected to an alignment pin drive unit 83. Furthermore, when the alignment pin drive unit 83 operates according to a positioning command from the control unit 200, the alignment pin 82, located in the retracted position, moves horizontally toward the substrate S at the positioning position and abuts against the end face of the substrate S. Thus, the substrate S is positioned at a predetermined position in the horizontal direction (alignment process). After the alignment process, when a retraction command is given to the alignment pin drive unit 83 from the control unit 200, the alignment pin 82 disengages from the substrate S and returns to the retracted position.

[0027] The pressing part 9 has a total of four pressing members 91, one of which is disposed on each side of the mounting surface 31. Each pressing member 91 has a pressing member 92 extending along the corresponding side of the mounting surface 31. Each pressing member 92 is freely movable between a standby position, a temporary correction position, and a formal correction position. The standby position refers to the position of the pressing member 92 when the substrate S is loaded / unloaded, when the substrate S is loaded into standby, and during the coating process. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, when the pressing member 92 is in the standby position, it does not interfere with the substrate S being loaded / unloaded, and the loading / unloading of the substrate S can be carried out smoothly. In addition, during the coating process, it leaves the substrate S and does not interfere with the slit nozzle 2, and the coating process can be carried out smoothly.

[0028] The temporary correction position refers to the position where the periphery of the substrate S, located in the positioning position, is pressed down from above. That is, in the temporary correction position, the lower surface of the pressing member 92 covers the periphery of the substrate S from above and is located in the positioning position in the vertical direction Z. Thus, when the periphery of the substrate S in the positioning position has an upward-facing shape, i.e., the substrate S is concave, the pressing member 92 presses into the periphery of the substrate S from above in the temporary correction position to correct the warping of the substrate S (temporary correction treatment). Therefore, even if the periphery of the substrate S warps upward when the substrate is loaded, in the positioning position, the substrate S, having undergone temporary correction treatment, is supported by multiple lifting pins 75 in a posture where its end face faces the side of the alignment pin 82. Therefore, the positioning process can be performed stably. Furthermore, during the positioning process, the alignment pin 82 and the pressing member 92 abut against the substrate S. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the contact position where the alignment pin 82 abuts against the end face of the substrate S and the pressing position where the pressing member 92 presses against the periphery of the substrate S are different in the circumferential direction of the substrate S. As a result, temporary correction and positioning processing can be performed smoothly at the positioning position.

[0029] The formal correction position refers to the position where the periphery of the substrate S, which is placed on the mounting surface 31, is pressed down from above. That is, in the formal correction position, the lower surface of the pressing member 92 and the mounting surface 31 are clamped into the periphery of the substrate S to correct the warping of the substrate S (formal correction process).

[0030] Each pressing member 92 is connected to the pressing drive unit 93. Then, the pressing drive unit 93 operates according to the instructions from the control unit 200, and the pressing member 92 returns from the standby position to the standby position via the temporary correction position and the formal correction position. The substrate holding operation, which includes this series of pressing and moving actions, is performed for each substrate S as described below.

[0031] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the substrate holding process in the coating apparatus of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process of temporary substrate correction using the substrate holding mechanism. In step S101, the pressing members 92, which are respectively provided corresponding to the four sides of the mounting surface 31, move to the standby position and standby. That is, the pressing members 92 move to a non-interference position that is higher than the handover position and further outward than the substrate S carried by the robot (not shown) and standby. Then, in the next step S102, each alignment pin 82 is located in the separation space. In addition, the upper end of the lifting pin 75 is stored in the pin receiving hole 315. When the robot carries the substrate S upward to the mounting surface 31, each lifting pin 75 rises from the pin receiving hole 315, and the upper end of each lifting pin 75 makes point contact with the substrate S at the handover position (step S103), and each lifting pin 75 receives the substrate S from the robot (step S104).

[0032] Then, the lifting pin 75 descends until its upper end is in the positioning position. As a result, the substrate S moves to the positioning position while its lower surface is supported from below by the lifting pin 75 (step S105). That is, the center of the substrate S in the vertical direction Z is approximately aligned with the positioning position. On the other hand, the periphery of the substrate S may not be aligned with the positioning position. This is because, for example, if the periphery of the substrate S being moved is warped upwards, sometimes the end face of the substrate S in the vertical direction Z is higher than the positioning position. Moreover, the distance from the positioning position is proportional to the warping of the substrate S. Here, for example, if the warping of the substrate S is large, there is a possibility that the end face of the substrate S is higher than the upper end of the alignment pin 82. In this case, if the alignment pin 82 is moved horizontally towards the substrate side, the alignment pin 82 will not directly contact the end face of the substrate S, but rather the lower surface of the substrate S. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the substrate S in the horizontal direction decreases significantly.

[0033] Therefore, in this embodiment, a temporary correction process for the substrate S shown in FIG. 6 is performed (step S106). That is, the four pressing members 92 are moved horizontally toward the substrate side and positioned directly above the corresponding edge of the substrate S (step S201). Then, each pressing member 92 is lowered to the positioning position (step S202). At this time, if the periphery of the substrate S warps upward, the pressing member 92 that has descended to the positioning position will press the warped periphery of the substrate S downward, thereby correcting the warping of the substrate S to some extent. As a result, the height of the periphery of the substrate S is approximately at the positioning position, which is lower than the upper end of the alignment pin 82. As a result, in the horizontal direction, the side of the alignment pin 82 faces the end face of the substrate S.

[0034] When the temporary correction of substrate S is completed, the plurality of alignment pins 82 move horizontally toward the substrate S at the positioning position, positioning substrate S in the specified position in the horizontal direction (step S107: positioning process). Then, after the positioning process, the alignment pins 82 leave substrate S and return to their original retraction position.

[0035] Next, the lowering of the lifting pin 75 begins again (step S108). As a result, the substrate S descends toward the platform 3 while being supported by the lifting pin 75. Simultaneously, the pressing member 92 also descends toward the platform 3 (step S109). That is, if the substrate S undergoes temporary correction processing based on step S106 while descending, the substrate S descends in a temporarily corrected state.

[0036] By further lowering the lifting pins 75, the upper ends of the lifting pins 75 are housed within the pin receiving holes 315. Thus, the substrate S is placed from the upper ends of each lifting pin 75 onto the mounting surface 31 (step S110). Furthermore, the pressing member 92 presses the periphery of the substrate S onto the mounting surface 31, correcting the shape of the substrate S to align with the shape of the mounting surface 31. Thus, in this embodiment, the substrate S is placed onto the mounting surface 31 while performing the formal correction process. Then, air is drawn from the vent through the air suction unit, adsorbing the substrate S onto the mounting surface 31 (step S111). Thus, the substrate S is fixed to the mounting surface 31. Next, the pressing member 92 returns to its original standby position. Thus, the substrate holding process is completed. Afterward, a coating process is performed by the slit nozzle 2 of the coating processing mechanism.

[0037] Next, the structure of the coating processing mechanism and the maintenance mechanism will be described. In the coating processing mechanism, two coating processing sections 5 with identical structures are provided relative to a substrate holding mechanism. Specifically, when it is necessary to distinguish between the two coating processing sections 5, the coating processing section 5 located on the (-Y) side is designated as 5a, and the coating processing section 5 located on the (+Y) side is designated as 5b. Correspondingly, the nozzle 2 provided in the coating processing section 5a is designated as 2a, and the nozzle 2 provided in the coating processing section 5b is designated as 2b.

[0038] In addition, each of the two nozzles 2a and 2b is provided with a set of maintenance units 6. When it is necessary to distinguish them, the one set on the (-Y) side for maintaining nozzle 2a is marked with symbol 6a, and the one set on the (+Y) side for maintaining nozzle 2b is marked with symbol 6b. These maintenance units 6a and 6b are respectively disposed in the upstream adjacent area 102 and the downstream adjacent area 103. Furthermore, the structure of maintenance units 6a and 6b will be described in detail after the structure of the coating processing unit 5 is explained.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 and 2B, the platform 3 has a track region 104 extending along the Y direction. The track region 104 is arranged such that a holding part setting region 101, an upstream adjacent region 102, and a downstream adjacent region 103 are clamped in the horizontal direction X. Furthermore, a guide rail 52 is provided on each track region 104.

[0040] Returning to Figure 1, in the slit nozzles 2 (2a, 2b), the lower end (spray lip portion) has a shape that gradually tapers downwards. Furthermore, on the lower surface of the lower end, a slit-shaped spray outlet 21 extends along the X direction, and processing liquid, pressurized from a processing liquid supply unit (not shown), is sprayed from the spray outlet 21 onto the surface Sa of the substrate S. Thus, processing liquid is applied to the surface Sa of the substrate S. Moreover, the processing liquid sprayed from the spray outlet 21 of the slit nozzle 2a corresponds to the "first processing liquid" of the present invention, and the processing liquid sprayed from the spray outlet 21 of the slit nozzle 2b corresponds to the "second processing liquid" of the present invention.

[0041] The coating processing unit 5 (5a, 5b) has a nozzle support 51 that supports the slit nozzles 2 (2a, 2b). The nozzle support 51 has a support member 511 extending parallel to the X direction above the stage 3, and two lifting mechanisms 512, 512 that support and raise / lower the support member 511 from both sides in the X direction. The support member 511 is, for example, a rod member containing carbon fiber reinforced resin and having a rectangular cross-section. The support member 511 supports the slit nozzles 2 on its lower surface in a detachable manner. Furthermore, various fastening mechanisms such as latches or screws can be appropriately used as mechanisms for attaching and detaching the slit nozzles 2 relative to the support member 511.

[0042] Two lifting mechanisms 512, 512 are connected to the two ends of the support member 511 along its length, and each has an alternating current (AC) servo motor and a ball screw, etc. Through these lifting mechanisms 512, 512, the support member 511 and the slit nozzle 2 fixed thereto are raised and lowered along the vertical direction (Z direction), adjusting the distance between the nozzle outlet 21 (opening at the lower end of the slit nozzle 2) and the substrate S, i.e., the relative height of the nozzle outlet 21 relative to the substrate S. Furthermore, the vertical position of the support member 511 is omitted from the illustration, but can be detected by a linear encoder, which includes a scale portion disposed on the side of the lifting mechanism 512 and a detection sensor disposed on the side of the slit nozzle 2 opposite to the scale portion.

[0043] As shown in Figure 1, the nozzle support 51 thus constructed has a bridging structure spanning the stage 3 at both ends in the X direction. The coating processing unit 5 has a slit nozzle moving part 53 that moves the nozzle support 51 in the Y direction. The slit nozzle moving part 53 functions as a relative moving member, which moves the nozzle support 51, which is the bridging structure, and the slit nozzle 2 supported thereon relative to the substrate S held on the stage 3 in the Y direction. Specifically, the slit nozzle moving part 53 has a guide rail 52 for guiding the movement of the slit nozzle 2 in the Y direction on both the ±X sides, a linear motor 54 as a drive source, and a linear encoder 55 for detecting the position of the nozzle outlet of the slit nozzle 2.

[0044] As shown in Figures 1 and 2B, a pair of guide rails 52, 52 are respectively disposed on the ±X sides of the platform 3 and the maintenance units 6a and 6b. More specifically, they are disposed parallel to each other in the Y direction in such a way that they include the interval where the platform 3 and the maintenance units 6a and 6b are disposed (= the holding part setting area 101 + the upstream adjacent area 102 + the downstream adjacent area 103).

[0045] Furthermore, the two guide rails 52 guide the movement of the two lifting mechanisms 512, 512 along the Y direction, respectively. Additionally, the two linear motors 54 are AC coreless linear motors, each having a stator 541 and a moving member 542, located on either side of the platform 3 in the X direction. The stator 541 is located on the side of the platform 3 along the Y direction. On the other hand, the moving member 542 is fixedly mounted on the outside of the lifting mechanism 512. The two linear motors 54 drive the two lifting mechanisms 512, 512 along the Y direction through the magnetic force generated between the stator 541 and the moving member 542, respectively.

[0046] Furthermore, each linear encoder 55 has a scale section 551 and a detection section 552. The scale section 551 is disposed along the Y direction at the lower part of the stator 541 of the linear motor 54 fixedly mounted on the platform 3. On the other hand, the detection section 552 is fixedly disposed further outward of the moving part 542 of the linear motor 54 fixedly mounted on the lifting mechanism 512, and is arranged facing the scale section 551. The linear encoder 55 detects the position of the slit nozzle 2 in the Y direction, more specifically the position of the nozzle outlet, based on the relative positional relationship between the scale section 551 and the detection section 552.

[0047] The slit nozzle moving part 53 configured in this way drives the nozzle support 51 along the Y direction, allowing the slit nozzle 2 to move between above the maintenance unit 6 and above the substrate S held on the stage 3. More specifically, the slit nozzle moving part 53 moves the slit nozzle 2a between above the maintenance unit 6a on the upstream side and above the substrate S. Additionally, it moves it between above the slit nozzle 2b on the downstream side and above the substrate S.

[0048] Furthermore, the coating apparatus 1 forms a treatment liquid layer on the surface Sa of the substrate S by moving the slit nozzle 2a in the (+Y) direction while spraying the treatment liquid from the nozzle outlet 2a. Additionally, a treatment liquid layer is formed on the surface Sa of the substrate S by moving the slit nozzle 2b in the (-Y) direction while spraying the treatment liquid from the nozzle outlet 21 of the slit nozzle 2b.

[0049] After the coating of the treatment liquid is completed, as shown in FIG2A, the slit nozzle 2a returns to the upper side adjacent region 102 and stands idle, and the slit nozzle 2b returns to the upper side adjacent region 103 and stands idle. Thus, while the slit nozzles 2a and 2b are standing idle above the upper side adjacent region 102 and the lower side adjacent region 103 respectively, the upper part of the holding part area 101 is open, making it easier to load and unload the substrate holding mechanism (=stage 3 + positioning part 8 + pressing part 9) relative to the holding part area 101. Furthermore, as shown in FIG1, if the slit nozzle 2a is located above the holding part area 101, and the slit nozzle 2b is standing idle above the lower side adjacent region 103, the upper part of the upper side adjacent region 102 is open, making it easier to load and unload the maintenance unit 6a relative to the upper side adjacent region 102 or to modify the structure of the maintenance unit 6a. Furthermore, although the illustration is omitted, if the slit nozzle 2b is located above the holding section area 101, and the slit nozzle 2a is on standby above the upstream adjacent area 102, the downstream adjacent area 103 is open, making it easier to install or remove the maintenance unit 6b relative to the downstream adjacent area 103 or to change the structure of the maintenance unit 6b.

[0050] In this embodiment, considering that a lower viscosity treatment liquid is sprayed from the slit nozzle 2a, while a higher viscosity treatment liquid is sprayed from the slit nozzle 2b, as shown in FIG2A, the cleaning section structures in maintenance unit 6a and maintenance unit 6b are different. More specifically, maintenance unit 6a includes a pre-dispensing mechanism 61, a cleaning block 62, and a standby box 63. Maintenance unit 6a, including these components, has the function of removing excess treatment liquid adhering to the slit nozzle 2a and adjusting the tip of the slit nozzle 2a to a state suitable for coating; these processes correspond to an example of the "first maintenance process" of the present invention. Known structures can be applied as these structures, therefore descriptions are omitted. For example, the content described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-290031 previously disclosed by the applicant of this application can be applied.

[0051] On the other hand, the maintenance unit 6b includes a cleaning block 62, a standby box 63, a scraper block 64, and a scraper cleaning section 65. The maintenance unit 6b, including these components, has the function of performing cleaning by the cleaning block 62 and scraping off residual treatment fluid by the scraper block 64, which corresponds to an example of the "second maintenance process" of the present invention. Known structures can also be applied to these structures, therefore description is omitted. For example, the content described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-158298 previously disclosed by the applicant of this application can be applied. Furthermore, the scraper cleaning section 65 is provided for cleaning the scraper block 64.

[0052] Furthermore, the coating conditions for substrate S are not always constant. Sometimes, different substrate sizes of substrate S are coated, or the maintenance process is modified depending on the processing solution used. For example, when the substrate size is changed from large to small, a coating apparatus 1 equipped with the substrate holding mechanism shown in FIG. 3B is required. In this regard, in the coating apparatus 1 configured as described above, after the substrate holding mechanism (FIG. 3A) corresponding to the large substrate is removed from the base 100, a substrate holding mechanism (FIG. 3B) corresponding to the small substrate can be installed. That is, the substrate holding mechanism can be replaced. In addition, for each maintenance unit 6 (6a, 6b), the currently installed maintenance unit can be removed from the base 100 as a whole and replaced with a maintenance unit suitable for the maintenance process after the specification change. Furthermore, the structure constituting the maintenance unit 6 (pre-dispensing mechanism 61, cleaning block 62, standby box 63, scraper block 64, scraper cleaning section 65, etc.) can be replaced individually. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 200 controls each part of the apparatus according to the exchange program pre-stored in the storage unit (not shown), and the exchange process can be performed smoothly. Hereinafter, the exchange process performed by the coating apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG7.

[0053] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the changeover process performed by the coating apparatus shown in Figure 1. Each time the coating liquid is applied to the substrate S, i.e., during the coating process, the control unit 200 acquires processing conditions such as changes in substrate size or maintenance specifications for the next coating process (step S301). Then, the control unit 200 determines whether the processing conditions have changed (step S302). For example, if the substrate S to be coated changes from a large size to a small size, the substrate holding mechanism needs to be changed from the mechanism shown in Figure 3A to the mechanism shown in Figure 3B. Additionally, for changes in maintenance specifications, the structure of the maintenance unit 6 or the unit itself also needs to be changed. Therefore, during the period when the control unit 200 determines "no" in step S301, the coating process continues with the current processing conditions. On the other hand, when the control unit 200 determines "yes" in step S302, the following steps are executed (steps S303 to S314).

[0054] In step S303, the control unit 200 determines whether the substrate size has changed. If it is determined in step S303 that a change in substrate size has occurred, the control unit 200 assists in the replacement process of the substrate holding mechanism performed by the operator (steps S304 to S306). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S303 that no change in substrate size has occurred, the control unit 200 skips the replacement process of the substrate holding mechanism and proceeds to step S307.

[0055] In step S304, the control unit 200 controls the slit nozzle moving unit 53 to move the upstream coating processing unit 5a and the downstream coating processing unit 5b above the maintenance units 6a and 6b, respectively. As shown in FIG2A, the area above the holding part setting region 101 is opened, enabling the loading and unloading of the substrate holding mechanism (= stage 3 + positioning part 8 + pressing part 9) relative to the holding part setting region 101. Next, the control unit 200 displays a message on the display unit (illustration omitted) requesting the operator to change or adjust the substrate holding mechanism to suit the changed substrate size (step S305). Of course, the notification to the operator is not limited to a message; it can also be given via sound, either in place of a message or together with a message. This also applies to the replacement or adjustment of the entire or a portion of the upstream maintenance unit 6a or the downstream maintenance unit 6b, which will be described later.

[0056] Upon receiving a request to replace the substrate holding mechanism, the operator removes the substrate holding mechanism located in the holding section setting area 101 and installs a substrate holding mechanism suitable for the size of the next substrate S in the holding section setting area 101. After adjusting the height or horizontal position of the newly installed substrate holding mechanism, the operator inputs the completion status of the replacement process into the operation panel of the control unit 200 (illustration omitted). Accordingly, the control unit 200 determines in step S306 that the replacement of the substrate holding mechanism is complete and proceeds to the next step S307.

[0057] In step S307, the control unit 200 determines whether the content of the maintenance process to be performed by the upstream maintenance unit 6a has changed. If it is determined in step S307 that the content of the maintenance process has changed, the control unit 200 assists the operator in performing a replacement process for the entire upstream maintenance unit 6a or a part of its constituent components (steps S308 to S310). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S307 that no change in the content of the maintenance process has occurred, the control unit 200 skips the replacement process for the upstream maintenance unit 6a and proceeds to step S311.

[0058] In step S308, the control unit 200 moves the upstream coating processing unit 5a above the stage 3 by controlling the slit nozzle moving unit 53. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper part of the upstream adjacent area 102 is opened. Furthermore, the upstream maintenance unit 6a can be loaded and unloaded relative to the upstream adjacent area 102. Additionally, the components of the upstream maintenance unit 6a (corresponding to the pre-dispensing mechanism 61, cleaning block 62, and standby box 63 in FIG. 2A) can be replaced or substituted. Next, the control unit 200 displays a message on the display unit (not shown) requesting the operator to replace or adjust the entire or part of the upstream maintenance unit 6a to suit the changed maintenance specifications (step S309).

[0059] According to the replacement request, the operator removes the upstream maintenance unit 6a located in the upstream adjacent area 102 and installs a new upstream maintenance unit 6a suitable for the modified maintenance process in the upstream adjacent area 102. Alternatively, instead of replacing the entire upstream maintenance unit 6a, the operator replaces or substitutes parts of its constituent components. After these operations, the operator adjusts the height and horizontal position of each part of the upstream maintenance unit 6a. Then, the completion of the replacement process is input to the operation panel of the control unit 200. Accordingly, the control unit 200 determines in step S310 that the replacement related to the upstream maintenance unit 6a is complete and proceeds to the next step S311.

[0060] In step S311, the control unit 200 determines whether the content of the maintenance process to be performed by the downstream maintenance unit 6b has changed. When it is determined in step S311 that the content of the maintenance process has changed, the control unit 200 assists the operator in the replacement process of the entire downstream maintenance unit 6b or a part of the components of the downstream maintenance unit 6b (steps S312 to S314). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S311 that no change in the content of the maintenance process has occurred, the control unit 200 skips the replacement process of the downstream maintenance unit 6b and ends the series of auxiliary processes.

[0061] In step S312, the control unit 200 moves the downstream coating processing unit 5b above the stage 3 by controlling the slit nozzle moving unit 53. This opens the area above the downstream adjacent region 103. Furthermore, it enables the loading and unloading of the downstream maintenance unit 6b relative to the downstream adjacent region 103. Additionally, it allows for the replacement or substitution of the components of the downstream maintenance unit 6b (in FIG. 2A, this corresponds to the cleaning block 62, standby box 63, scraper block 64, and scraper cleaning unit 65). Next, the control unit 200 displays a message on the display unit (illustration omitted) requesting the operator to replace or adjust the entire or a portion of the downstream maintenance unit 6b to suit the changed maintenance specifications (step S313).

[0062] According to the replacement request, the operator removes the downstream maintenance unit 6b located in the downstream adjacent area 103 and installs a new downstream maintenance unit 6b suitable for the modified maintenance process in the downstream adjacent area 103. Alternatively, instead of replacing the entire downstream maintenance unit 6b, the operator replaces or substitutes parts of its constituent components. After these operations, the operator adjusts the height and horizontal position of each part of the downstream maintenance unit 6b. Then, the completion status of the replacement process is input to the operation panel of the control unit 200. Accordingly, in step S314, the control unit 200 determines that the replacement related to the downstream maintenance unit 6b is complete and ends a series of auxiliary processes.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during the replacement process, the control unit 200 initiates the movement of the coating processing units 5a and 5b. Alternatively, the operator may issue a command to the control unit 200 to move the coating processing units 5a and 5b, allowing the operator to initiate the replacement process.

[0064] As described above, according to this embodiment, the maintenance unit 6 and guide rails 52 are mounted on the base 100. Furthermore, the coating processing units 5a and 5b move along the guide rails 52 and spray processing liquid from the slit nozzle 2 to perform coating processing. On the other hand, the substrate holding mechanism, including the stage 3, is independent of the maintenance unit 6, guide rails 52, and coating processing units 5a and 5b, and can be freely mounted and dismounted relative to the base 100. Therefore, when the substrate holding mechanism is changed from, for example, the mechanism shown in FIG. 3A to the mechanism shown in FIG. 3B as the substrate size changes, processing liquid can be applied to substrates S of different sizes by only changing and adjusting the substrate holding mechanism. As a result, compared with the prior art of mounting the maintenance unit and guide rails on the stage, the coating apparatus 1 of this embodiment can apply processing liquid to each substrate S of different sizes simultaneously with fewer operations, and has high versatility.

[0065] Furthermore, the same applies to maintenance unit 6. That is, maintenance unit 6 is detachably mounted on base 100. Therefore, as described above, by replacing or substituting the entire maintenance unit 6 or its constituent components, changes in maintenance procedures can be accommodated, thus giving coating apparatus 1 greater versatility.

[0066] Furthermore, the coating apparatus 1 can handle multiple substrate sizes and multiple maintenance processes, and the coating apparatus 1 can perform a wide range of processing conditions, thus expanding the options for coating processes.

[0067] Thus, in the described embodiment, the Y direction and X direction correspond to the "first horizontal direction" and "second horizontal direction" of the present invention, respectively. Furthermore, the upstream adjacent region 102 and the downstream adjacent region 103 correspond to examples of the "first adjacent region" and "second adjacent region" of the present invention, respectively. Additionally, the coating processing unit 5a and the coating processing unit 5b correspond to examples of the "first bridging structure" and "second bridging structure" of the present invention, respectively. Furthermore, the slit nozzle 2a and the nozzle outlet 21 of the slit nozzle 2a correspond to examples of the "first slit nozzle" and "first nozzle outlet" of the present invention, respectively. Furthermore, the slit nozzle 2b and the nozzle outlet 21 of the slit nozzle 2b correspond to examples of the "second slit nozzle" and "second nozzle outlet" of the present invention, respectively. Furthermore, the slit nozzle moving part 53 corresponds to an example of the "moving part" of the present invention. The upstream maintenance unit 6a and its constituent components (pre-distribution mechanism 61, cleaning block 62 and standby box 63) are equivalent to an example of the "first maintenance unit" of the present invention, and the downstream maintenance unit 6b and its constituent components (cleaning block 62, standby box 63, scraper block 64 and scraper cleaning unit 65) are equivalent to an example of the "second maintenance unit" of the present invention.

[0068] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in addition to the above, as long as the spirit of the invention is not departed from. For example, in the described embodiments, the present invention is applied to a coating apparatus 1 having two coating processing units 5 with the same structure relative to a substrate holding mechanism, but the present invention can also be applied to a coating apparatus having a single coating processing unit 5, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-112197.

[0069] Furthermore, in the described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a coating apparatus 1 which has two different maintenance units 6 relative to a substrate holding mechanism. However, the present invention can also be applied to a coating apparatus which has two maintenance units 6 with the same structure as described in Patent Document 1, or a coating apparatus which has a single maintenance unit 6 as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-112197.

[0070] In addition, in the above embodiment, a substrate holding mechanism is used with positioning part 8 and pressing part 9 mounted on the stage 3. However, the present invention can also be applied to a coating apparatus with one of positioning part 8 and pressing part 9 mounted or a coating apparatus without positioning part 8 and pressing part 9 mounted. [Industry availability]

[0071] This invention can be applied to all coating apparatuses that supply and coat a substrate held by a holding part such as a stage from a slit nozzle.

[0072] 1: Coating device 2: Slit nozzle (nozzle) 2a: (First) Slit nozzle / nozzle 2b: (Second) Slit nozzle / nozzle 3: Platform 5: Coating Treatment Department 5a: Coating treatment section (first bridging structure) 5b: Coating treatment section (second bridging structure) 6: Maintenance Unit (Maintenance Department) 6a: Upstream side maintenance unit (first maintenance department / maintenance unit) 6b: Downstream maintenance unit (second maintenance section / maintenance unit) 7: Negative pressure generating section 8: Positioning Department 9: Pressing part 21: Spray outlet 31: Placement surface 32: Lower surface 33: Adjustment Department 34: Fixed part during conveying 35: Through hole for fixing 51: Nozzle support 52: Guide rail 53: Slit nozzle moving part 54: Linear Motor 55: Linear Encoder 61: Pre-allocation mechanism (maintenance department) 62: Cleaning Block (Maintenance Department) 63: Standby Box (Maintenance Department) 64: Scraper block (Maintenance Department) 65: Scraper Cleaning Department (Maintenance Department) 71: Suction piping 72: Suction Source 73: On / off valve 75: Lifting pin 76: Lifting Pin Drive Unit 81: Position Adjustment Component 82: Alignment pin 83: Alignment pin drive unit 91: Pressing component 92: Pressing component 93: Press drive unit 100:Abutment 101: Maintaining the setting area 102: Upstream adjacent region (first adjacent region) 103: Downstream adjacent area (second adjacent area) 104: Track Area 200: Control Department 312: Adsorption tank 313: Through hole 315: Pin storage hole 331, 341, 511: Supporting components 332, 342: Threaded components 343: Bolt 512: Lifting mechanism 541: Stator 542: Moving parts 551: Scale section 552: Testing Department S:Substrate S101, S102, S103, S104, S105, S106, S107, S108, S109, S110, S111, S201, S202, S301, S302, S303, S304, S305, S306, S307, S308, S309, S310, S311, S312, S313, S314: Steps Sa: (Substrate) Surface X: (Second) Horizontal direction / direction Y: Movement direction (first horizontal direction / direction) Z: Vertical direction (direction)

Claims

1. A coating apparatus, characterized in that it comprises: The base has a holding portion setting area on its upper surface and a first adjacent area adjacent to the holding portion setting area in a first horizontal direction; A retaining part is detachably mounted in the retaining part area; a pair of guide rails are mounted on the upper surface of the base in a way that clamps the retaining part area and the first adjacent area in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction; a first bridging structure is movably disposed between the retaining part area and the first adjacent area in the first horizontal direction, positioned between the pair of guide rails; a first slit nozzle is mounted on the first bridging structure in a way that allows it to spray a first treatment liquid from a slit-shaped first spray outlet toward the substrate held on the upper surface of the retaining part; a driving part drives the first bridging structure along the pair of guide rails; a first maintenance part is mounted on the base in the first adjacent area to perform first maintenance treatment on the first slit nozzle; and a plurality of adjustment parts are configured to be erected vertically upward from the retaining part area and to adjust the height of the retaining part while supporting it from below.

2. The coating apparatus as claimed in claim 1 includes a plurality of transport-time fixing parts, wherein the plurality of transport-time fixing parts are configured to switch between a transport-time fixing mode in which the holding part is fixed to the base during device transport when the holding part is installed in the holding part setting area, and a release mode in which the fixing of the holding part relative to the base is released after device transport is completed.

3. The coating apparatus as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, The first maintenance unit is freely detachable from the base in the first adjacent area.

4. The coating apparatus as described in claim 1 or claim 2, comprising: Second bridging structure; Second slit nozzle; The base has a second adjacent area on its upper surface, which is opposite to the first adjacent area relative to the holding portion setting area and adjacent to the holding portion setting area in the first horizontal direction. A pair of guide rails extend to the second adjacent area. The second bridging structure is movably disposed between the holding portion setting area and the second adjacent area in the first horizontal direction, with the pair of guide rails supporting it. The second slit nozzle is mounted on the second bridging structure in such a way that it can spray a second treatment liquid from a slit-shaped second spray outlet toward the substrate held on the upper surface of the holding portion. The second maintenance part is mounted on the base in the second adjacent area to perform a second maintenance treatment on the second slit nozzle.

5. The coating apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The first maintenance unit and the second maintenance unit are respectively detachable from the base in the first adjacent area and the second adjacent area.

6. A coating method comprising switching and performing a first step and a second step using a coating apparatus, wherein the coating apparatus comprises: The base has a holding portion setting area on its upper surface and a first adjacent area adjacent to the holding portion setting area in a first horizontal direction; A pair of guide rails are mounted on the upper surface of the base such that they clamp the holding portion area and the first adjacent area in a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction; a first bridging structure is disposed between the pair of guide rails and is movable freely along the first horizontal direction above the holding portion area and above the first adjacent area; a first slit nozzle is mounted on the first bridging structure such that it can spray a first treatment liquid downward from a slit-shaped first spray outlet; a drive unit drives the first bridging structure along the pair of guide rails; and a first maintenance unit is mounted on the base in the first adjacent area to perform a first maintenance treatment on the first slit nozzle. The first process coats a substrate of a first size with the first treatment liquid sprayed from the first slit nozzle, which moves along the first horizontal direction together with the first bridging structure, wherein the substrate of the first size is held by a first holding part of a first substrate holding mechanism that is detachably mounted in the holding portion area. The second step involves coating a substrate of a second size, different from the first size, with the first processing liquid sprayed from the first slit nozzle, which moves along the first horizontal direction together with the first bridging structure. The substrate of the second size is held by a second holding part of a second substrate holding mechanism that is detachably mounted in the holding part area. The second holding part has the same planar dimensions as the first holding part. The coating method is characterized in that, when switching between the first step and the second step, the first substrate holding mechanism and the second substrate holding mechanism are interchanged by moving the first slit nozzle and the first bridging structure along the pair of guide rails so that they are retracted to the space above the first maintenance part.

Images