Spiral Coating Nozzle with Integrated Cleaning for Film Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing film formation methods, such as spin coating, suffer from low material use efficiency and high maintenance requirements due to material scattering, while the spiral coating method improves efficiency but compromises film thickness uniformity due to nozzle contamination.
Innovation Solution
A film forming system that includes a rotating stage, an application nozzle, a moving mechanism, and integrated cleaning and inspection apparatuses to monitor and clean the nozzle, ensuring precise material application and maintaining nozzle cleanliness to prevent contamination and ensure uniform film thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If spin coating is used to form a film on a substrate, then the film thickness uniformity can be controlled within 0.1 to 1.0 μm, but the material use efficiency is low (about 30%) due to material scattering and requires regular cover cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional spin coating mechanical system with a spiral coating system that uses a metering pump to control material discharge and a linear moving mechanism to guide the application nozzle along a spiral trajectory, eliminating centrifugal force-based spreading and reducing material scattering
Solution Approach 2:
The application nozzle is equipped with an integrated cleaning mechanism that automatically cleans the nozzle tip during the coating process, allowing the nozzle to serve both coating and self-cleaning functions, thereby maintaining material use efficiency without requiring separate cover cleaning operations
2Loss of substance
If spiral coating method is used to improve material use efficiency, then material scattering is reduced and cover cleaning is eliminated, but the application nozzle becomes more susceptible to contamination which increases film thickness variation
Solution Approach 1:
The application nozzle incorporates an automatic cleaning mechanism that actively cleans the nozzle tip during operation, allowing the nozzle to self-maintain its cleanliness and prevent contamination-induced film thickness variations while preserving the material use efficiency benefits of spiral coating
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors the cleaning status and coating quality in real-time, adjusting cleaning frequency and intensity based on actual contamination levels to maintain optimal film thickness uniformity while maximizing material use efficiency
3Measurement precision
If the application nozzle is brought close to the substrate in spiral coating to form precise spiral trajectory, then material application precision is improved, but the nozzle contamination increases leading to low film thickness uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The application nozzle performs self-cleaning during operation to remove contaminants that would otherwise be picked up from the substrate during close-proximity spiral coating, maintaining both application precision and film thickness uniformity
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning mechanism operates in advance or between coating passes to prevent contamination before it can affect film thickness uniformity, ensuring the nozzle remains clean during high-precision application
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances material use efficiency and reduces maintenance time by preventing nozzle contamination, thereby improving the uniformity and quality of the film thickness, and simplifying the cleaning and inspection processes.
Implementation Method 1
spinning the rotary stage at high speed to spread the material on the rotary stage over the entire surface of the substrate by centrifugal force
Implementation Method 2
a cleaning apparatus cleaning the application nozzle
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a film forming system includes: a stage including a placement surface on which an object to be coated is placed; a rotating mechanism rotating the stage in a rotational direction along the placement surface; an application nozzle discharging a material onto the object placed on the stage for application; a moving mechanism relatively moving the stage and the application nozzle along the placement surface in a cross direction crossing the rotational direction; a controller performing a control to rotate the stage on which the object is placed through the rotating mechanism while relatively moving the stage and application nozzle along the placement surface in the cross direction through the moving mechanism and applying the material to the object on the stage through the application nozzle; and a cleaning apparatus cleaning the application nozzle.