CN116532302B - Coating equipment for reducing dry air consumption - Google Patents

Abstract

This disclosure describes a coating apparatus, including a clean chamber, a support mechanism, a feeding mechanism, a conveying mechanism, an airflow guiding mechanism, and an air supply mechanism. The clean chamber includes a chamber body, an air inlet, an air outlet, an air inlet valve, an air outlet valve, and a door. The support mechanism and the feeding mechanism are disposed within a receiving space. The support mechanism supports a substrate, and the feeding mechanism guides a solution onto the substrate. The airflow guiding mechanism includes an air inlet pipe, an air outlet pipe, and a circulation pipe. The air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe are respectively connected to the receiving space, and the circulation pipe connects the air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe. The air supply mechanism is configured to provide dry gas to the receiving space through the air inlet and the air inlet pipe. The receiving space is connected to the outside through the air outlet pipe and the air outlet. The air inlet valve is used to adjust the air inlet speed, and the air outlet valve is used to adjust the air outlet speed. The air inlet speed is not less than the air outlet speed. The conveying mechanism transfers the substrate through the opened door.

Description

Coating equipment for reducing dry air consumption

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a coating apparatus that reduces the amount of dry air used.

Background

The coating apparatus is an apparatus capable of forming a coating film on the surface of a substrate at low cost, and is generally used in the field of chip manufacturing, display panel manufacturing, solar cell manufacturing, or lithium battery manufacturing. The coating equipment generally adopts slit coating, spin coating and knife coating modes to coat a layer of wet film on the surface of the substrate, and the wet film can form a film or a coating after being dried.

Among them, some films or coatings need to be prepared in clean, low-humidity dry environments to have high yields. Therefore, how to increase the drying degree inside the coating apparatus is a problem to be solved.

The conventional solution is to ventilate the interior of the coating apparatus space by means of a humidity control device, so that the humid gas in the coating apparatus space can be removed from the interior of the coating apparatus and dry air can be continuously supplied to the interior of the coating apparatus. The ventilation scheme can ensure that the humidity/dryness inside the coating equipment is in dynamic balance as a whole, but has larger ventilation quantity, larger running consumption electrode of the humidity control equipment and higher production cost. There is therefore a need for a coating apparatus that reduces the amount of dry air used.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a coating apparatus that reduces the amount of dry air used.

To this end, the present disclosure provides a coating apparatus for reducing dry air usage, including clean case, supporting mechanism, feeding mechanism, transport mechanism, air current guiding mechanism, and air supply mechanism, the clean case includes the box that has accommodation space, open in air inlet and gas outlet of box, set up in the admission valve of air inlet, set up in the discharge valve of gas outlet, and openable door, supporting mechanism with feeding mechanism sets up in accommodation space, supporting mechanism is used for supporting the base plate, feeding mechanism guides solution to on the base plate, air current guiding mechanism includes inlet tube, exhaust pipeline, circulation pipeline, inlet tube with exhaust pipeline respectively with accommodation space intercommunication, circulation pipeline intercommunication inlet tube with exhaust pipeline, air supply mechanism is configured to be through the air inlet the inlet tube to the inside dry gas that provides of accommodation space, accommodation space is through exhaust pipeline, the gas outlet and outside UNICOM, the admission valve is used for adjusting the speed of air inlet, the gas outlet is used for adjusting the air outlet the speed that the air inlet is used for adjusting the air outlet the air inlet is not transferred to the air outlet valve is little by the air inlet valve the speed of the air outlet is opened to the clean case.

In the present disclosure, when a substrate is placed on a support mechanism, a feed mechanism forms a wet film on a substrate surface coating solution, and a transport mechanism transfers the substrate coated with the wet film on the support mechanism. In this process, the air supply mechanism supplies dry air to the clean box to control the humidity inside the accommodating space. The air supply mechanism supplies the dry air to the accommodating space at a speed not less than the exhaust speed, and the dry air circulates inside the coating apparatus through the air flow guide mechanism, whereby the air pressure inside the accommodating space is entirely greater than or equal to the ambient air pressure outside the coating apparatus, so that humid air outside the coating apparatus is not easily introduced into the accommodating space when the door is temporarily opened.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, the gas flow guiding mechanism includes a reagent content controller, and the gas of the accommodation space is circulated through the exhaust duct, the circulation duct, the reagent content controller, and the gas intake duct to enter the accommodation space. In this case, the exhaust gas inside the accommodation space can be recycled through the reagent content controller.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, the carrying mechanism has a carrying portion carrying the substrate, the carrying portion being movably provided in the accommodating space. Thereby, the bearing part can drive the substrate to move between the accommodating space and the outside of the clean box.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, the carrying mechanism includes an air curtain mechanism disposed near the carrying portion, the air curtain mechanism being configured to provide a drying air flow in the form of an air curtain for a substrate located at the carrying portion. Thus, the air curtain mechanism may form a dry air curtain on the substrate surface to reduce the likelihood of wet film contact with humid air during substrate transfer.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, the carrying mechanism further includes a protective cover provided near the carrying portion, the protective cover and the carrying portion forming a flat area for accommodating the substrate. This reduces the possibility of contamination of the wet film with moist air or impurities in the air.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, the supporting mechanism includes a plurality of pins configured to jack up the substrate, and the pins jack up the substrate to a height greater than that of the carrying portion. In this case, the thimble can lift the substrate to make the carrier part can remove the below of the substrate that is jacked, further make things convenient for the carrier part to bear the substrate.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, the air supply mechanism includes a dehumidifier for drying the air and a blower for powering the air flow. Thereby, the air blowing mechanism can be used for drying gas and for powering the drying gas flow.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, the air blowing mechanism is configured to supply a dry gas to the inside of the accommodating space so that the air pressure inside the accommodating space is higher than the atmospheric pressure outside the clean box. Thereby, when the door is opened, moist air outside the coating apparatus is difficult to enter the accommodating space.

In addition, in the coating apparatus according to the present disclosure, optionally, a pressure sensor disposed inside the accommodating space is further included. Thereby, the air pressure inside the accommodation space can be monitored.

According to the present disclosure, a coating apparatus that reduces the amount of dry air can be provided.

Drawings

The present disclosure will now be explained in further detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a clean box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing a coating solution on a substrate by a feeding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of a carrier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a support mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6A and 6B are schematic views showing a carrier picking up a substrate from a supporting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description thereof is omitted. In addition, the drawings are schematic, and the ratio of the sizes of the components to each other, the shapes of the components, and the like may be different from actual ones.

It should be noted that the terms "comprises" and "comprising," and any variations thereof, in this disclosure, such as a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises or has a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus, but may include or have other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

In addition, headings and the like referred to in the following description of the disclosure are not intended to limit the disclosure or scope thereof, but rather are merely indicative of reading. Such subtitles are not to be understood as being used for segmenting the content of the article, nor should the content under the subtitle be limited only to the scope of the subtitle.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a coating apparatus. In some examples, the coating apparatus may also be referred to as a coater. The coating apparatus according to the present disclosure may be applied to a chip manufacturing field, a display manufacturing field, a solar cell manufacturing field, or a lithium battery manufacturing field. The coating equipment has the advantages of saving the consumption of dry air and the like, and is particularly suitable for preparing perovskite coatings by using a one-time solution method in the field of perovskite solar cell preparation.

In some examples, preparing the perovskite coating using the one-time solution method may include the steps of coating the perovskite precursor solution on the surface of the substrate using a high-precision slit coating apparatus while maintaining the moisture content of the article contacted with the perovskite precursor solution extremely low and the contacted air humidity less than 30%, transferring the substrate coated with the perovskite precursor liquid film into a closed cavity, evacuating the closed cavity for a short period of time to enable the perovskite precursor liquid film to be rapidly and uniformly crystallized, and heating for crystal growth. In some examples, the perovskite precursor liquid film may also be treated during the film coating process using an air knife or infrared lamp to uniformly devitrify. The coating apparatus to which the present disclosure relates is particularly suitable for preparing perovskite precursor liquid films in preparing perovskite coatings using a one-time solution process.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a coating apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the clean box 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some examples, the coating apparatus 10 may include a clean box 100, a support mechanism 110, a feed mechanism 120 (see fig. 3), and an air supply mechanism.

In some examples, clean box 100 may include a box 101 having a receiving space, an air inlet 102, an air outlet 103, an air inlet valve 104, and an air outlet valve 105.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a coating solution on a substrate 20 by a feeding mechanism 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some examples, the support mechanism 110 may be used to support the substrate 20. In some examples, the support mechanism 110 may be disposed within the receiving space. In some examples, the feed mechanism 120 may direct a solution onto the substrate 20. In some examples, the feed mechanism 120 may be disposed within the receiving space. When the feeding mechanism 120 outputs the solution, the feeding mechanism 120 may be relatively moved with respect to the supporting mechanism 110 to form a coating film or a coating layer of a specific pattern. In some examples, the solution output by the feed mechanism 120 may also be referred to as a coating liquid or liquid reagent.

In some examples, the air supply mechanism may be configured to provide a drying gas to the interior of the receiving space via the air inlet 102. In some examples, the accommodation space communicates with the outside via the air outlet 103. In some examples, intake valve 104 may be used to adjust an intake speed of intake port 102. The exhaust valve 105 may be used to regulate the exhaust rate of the air outlet 103. In some examples, the intake speed of the intake port 102 may be no less than the exhaust speed of the exhaust port 103.

In some examples, the intake speed of the intake port 102 may be greater than the exhaust speed of the exhaust port 103. In some examples, the intake speed of the intake port 102 may be equal to the exhaust speed of the output port 103. In some examples, the vent valve 105 may close the vent 103, i.e., the vent velocity of the vent 103 may be equal to 0.

In some examples, the air inlet 102 may be open to the tank. The air outlet 103 may be formed in the case. An intake valve 104 may be disposed at the intake port 102. An exhaust valve 105 may be provided at the air outlet 103.

In some examples, the humidity inside the accommodation space may be determined as the case may be. For example, when the perovskite coating is prepared using a one-time solution process, the air humidity inside the accommodation space may be less than 30%.

In the present disclosure, the feeding mechanism 120 forms a wet film by coating a solution on the surface of the substrate 20 when the substrate 20 is placed on the supporting mechanism 110. In this process, the air blowing mechanism supplies dry air to the clean box 100 to control the degree of wetting inside the accommodating space. The air blowing mechanism supplies dry air to the accommodating space at a speed not less than the exhaust speed, whereby the air pressure inside the accommodating space is generally greater than or equal to the ambient air pressure outside the coating apparatus 10, and humid air is difficult to enter inside the accommodating space. In this case, the system may supplement the air lost when opening the door, and the amount of air can be dried to some extent.

In some examples, the coating apparatus 10 may also include a pressure sensor 130 (see fig. 2). In some examples, the pressure sensor 130 may be disposed inside the accommodation space. Thereby, the air pressure inside the accommodation space can be monitored.

In some examples, the coating apparatus 10 may further include a handling mechanism 140 and an openable and closable door 106. In some examples, the handling mechanism 140 may transfer the substrate 20 to the outside of the clean box 100 via the opened door 106. The carrying mechanism 140 may transfer the substrate 20 coated with the wet film on the supporting mechanism 110. The moist air outside the coating apparatus 10 is also not easily introduced into the accommodating space with higher air pressure when the door 106 is temporarily opened.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of the bearing 141 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some examples, the handling mechanism 140 may have a carrier 141. The bearing portion 141 may be used to bear the substrate 20. In some examples, the bearing 141 is movably disposed in the accommodating space. Thereby, the carrying part 141 can drive the substrate 20 to move between the accommodating space and the outside of the clean box 100.

In some examples, the handling mechanism 140 may include an air curtain mechanism 142. The air curtain mechanism 142 may be configured to provide a drying air flow in the form of an air curtain to the substrate 20 positioned on the carrier 141. Thus, the air curtain mechanism 142 may form a dry air curtain on the surface of the substrate 20 to reduce the likelihood of wet film contact with the outside humid air during transfer of the substrate 20. In some examples, the air curtain mechanism 142 may be disposed proximate to the carrier 141. In some examples, the "air curtain" may be a laminar flow of fluid. In some examples, the air curtain mechanism 142 may be an air knife.

In some examples, the handling mechanism 140 may also include a protective cover 143. In some examples, the protective cover 143 may be disposed near the carrier 141. In some examples, the protective cover 143 forms a flat area with the carrier 141 for accommodating the substrate 20. This reduces the possibility of contamination of the wet film with moist air or impurities in the air by the protective cover 143.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a support mechanism 110 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some examples, support mechanism 110 may include a plurality of pins (described later). In some examples, the pins may be configured to lift the substrate 20. The jacking height of the ejector pins to jack the substrate 20 may be greater than the height of the bearing portion 141. In this case, the ejector pins can lift the substrate 20 so that the carrying portion 141 can move below the lifted substrate 20, thereby further facilitating the carrying portion 141 to carry the substrate 20.

Fig. 6A and 6B are schematic views illustrating picking up of the substrate 20 from the supporting mechanism 110 by the carrier 141 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In some examples, the plurality of pins may include a first pin 111 and a second pin 112 disposed opposite each other. In some examples, the distance between first and second pins 111, 112 may be less than the width of substrate 20. Thus, the ejector pins can eject the substrate 20.

In some examples, the carrier 141 may include a central bracket 1411, a left bracket 1412, and a right bracket 1413. In some examples, the center support 1411 and the right support 1413 may be spaced apart. The center support 1411 and the left support 1412 may be spaced apart.

In some examples, the spacing of first and second thimbles 111, 112 may be greater than the width of central support 1411. In some examples, the spacing of first and second thimbles 111, 112 may be less than the distance from left bracket 1412 to right bracket 1413. In some examples, the carrier 141 may not include the central bracket 1411. Thereby, the carrying portion 141 moves in a direction parallel to the substrate 20 to a lower side of the substrate 20 pushed up by the ejector pins.

In some examples, the carrier 141 may have a connection bracket 1414. In some examples, the connection bracket 1414 is located at one end of the carrier 141. In some examples, the center bracket 1411, the left bracket 1412, and the right bracket 1413 may be connected to the connection brackets 1414, respectively. The center bracket 1411, left bracket 1412, right bracket 1413, and connecting bracket 1414 may be integrally formed.

In some examples, the carrier 141 may also include suction cups. The chuck can reduce the likelihood of the substrate 20 slipping or rattling during transfer.

In some examples, the step of picking up the substrate 20 from the supporting mechanism 110 by the carrying part 141 may include a plurality of pins of the supporting mechanism 110 lifting up the substrate 20 by a preset distance, the carrying part 141 moving in a direction parallel to the substrate 20 to below the substrate 20 lifted up by the pins, the carrying part 141 moving upward to drag the substrate 20, and a suction cup of the carrying part 141 activating the suction substrate 20.

In some examples, the door 106 may automatically open upon recognizing that the carrier 141 is approaching. Thereby, the degree of automation of the coating apparatus 10 can be improved. In some examples, controlling the opening speed and opening time of the door 106 may reduce the loss of dry air inside the receiving space to some extent.

Referring to fig. 2, in some examples, the coating apparatus 10 may further include an airflow directing mechanism 150. The drying air may circulate inside the coating apparatus 10 via the air flow guide mechanism 150. In some examples, airflow directing mechanism 150 may include an intake conduit 151 and an exhaust conduit 152.

In some examples, the intake duct 151 and the exhaust duct 152 may communicate with the accommodation space, respectively. In some examples, the air supply mechanism may be configured to supply dry air to the interior of the accommodating space via the air inlet 102, the air inlet duct 151. The accommodation space may communicate with the outside via the exhaust duct 152, the air outlet 103. In some examples, there is no strict boundary between the intake conduit 151 and the intake port 102. There is no strict boundary between the exhaust duct 152 and the air outlet 103.

In some examples, airflow directing mechanism 150 may include a circulation conduit 153. In some examples, circulation conduit 153 may communicate intake conduit 151 and exhaust conduit 152. In some examples, the gas inside the clean box 100 may circulate among the gas inlet pipe 151, the accommodating space, the gas outlet pipe 152, and the circulation pipe 153.

In some examples, the airflow directing mechanism 150 may further include a first communication duct 154 and a second communication duct 155 arranged side-by-side. In some examples, the first communication conduit 154 and the second communication conduit 155 may function to optimize airflow direction.

In one example, both ends of the first communication duct 154 communicate with both ends of the second communication duct 155, respectively. In some examples, a communication port that communicates with the intake duct 151 is provided between both ends of the first communication duct 154. A plurality of communication ports communicating with the receiving space are provided between both ends of the second communication duct 155. In this case, the air flow entering the clean box 100 from the air inlet pipe 151 can pass through the first communication pipe 154 and then enter the second communication pipe 155, and through the plurality of communication holes, the possibility of generating an air flow circulation dead angle is reduced.

In some examples, the first communication conduit 154 or the second communication conduit 155 is also in communication with the exhaust conduit 152. Thus, the air flow can circulate inside the clean box 100 through a portion of the exhaust duct 152, the first communication duct 154, and/or the second communication duct 155. In some examples, the communication of the first communication line 154 or the second communication line 155 to the exhaust line 152 may function as a shunt to the circulation line 153, and may provide another circulation path for a portion of the circulation gas flow when the circulation gas flow is greater than the upper operating limit of the circulation line 153. In some examples, either the first communication conduit 154 or the second communication conduit 155 may also not be in communication with the exhaust conduit 152.

In some examples, the liquid reagent may include a solute and a solvent. When the air contains a gaseous solvent (gasifying agent), the rate of solvent evaporation in the wet film formed by the liquid agent coating can be effectively suppressed. Thus, the gasification reagent is introduced into the air to form a gasification reagent atmosphere so as to reduce the solvent volatilization rate in the wet film. In the preparation of perovskite coatings, reagents of the perovskite solution are volatile, and in order not to continuously increase the concentration of the volatile solvent during the coating process, it may be necessary to always discharge the exhaust gas outwards, which may lead to an increase in the ventilation. In addition, the reagent of the perovskite solution is generally an organic solvent such as N-methyl pyrrolidone or dimethyl sulfoxide, which is possibly harmful to human bodies and the environment, and the tail gas needs to be treated for emission, so that if the tail gas is directly emitted, the cost for treating the tail gas is relatively high.

In some examples, the airflow directing mechanism 150 may include a reagent content controller 156. The reagent content controller 156 may be configured to control the content of vaporized reagent in the gas stream flowing through the reagent content controller 156. In some examples, the gas of the accommodation space enters the accommodation space after being circulated through the exhaust pipe 152, the circulation pipe 153, the reagent content controller 156, and the intake pipe 151. In this case, the exhaust gas inside the accommodation space can be recycled through the reagent content controller 156.

In some examples, the reagent content controller 156 may adjust the content of vaporized reagent inside the containment space 101. In some examples, the reagent content controller 156 may adjust the concentration of vaporized reagent in the gas stream passing through the reagent content controller 156 based on the principles of evaporation and condensation. In this case, the reagent content controller 156 can evaporate the supplemental gasification reagent when the concentration of the gasification reagent in the gas stream is low, thereby increasing the concentration of the gasification reagent in the gas stream. When the concentration of gasifying agent in the gas stream is too high, the agent content controller 156 may saturate the gas stream that condenses therethrough, thereby reducing the concentration of gasifying agent in the gas stream.

In some examples, reagent content controller 156 may be disposed in a communication path of circulation conduit 153 with blower 141. In some examples, the reagent content controller 156 may be disposed on a communication path of the air intake conduit 151 and the blower 141. In some examples, reagent content controller 156 may be disposed at the junction of circulation line 153 and intake line 151. Thereby, the reagent content controller 156 can adjust the content of the gasifying reagent in the air flow flowing to the accommodating space through the circulation duct 153 and/or the air intake duct 151.

While the disclosure has been described in detail in connection with the drawings and examples, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the disclosure in any way. Modifications and variations of the present disclosure may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure, and such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims (7)

1. A coating device for reducing the consumption of dry air is characterized in that,

The device comprises a clean box, a supporting mechanism, a feeding mechanism, a carrying mechanism, an airflow guiding mechanism and an air supply mechanism, wherein the clean box comprises a box body with an accommodating space, an air inlet and an air outlet which are formed in the box body, an air inlet valve which is arranged in the air inlet, an air outlet valve which is arranged in the air outlet, and an openable door, the supporting mechanism and the feeding mechanism are arranged in the accommodating space, the supporting mechanism is used for supporting a substrate, the feeding mechanism guides solution onto the substrate, the airflow guiding mechanism comprises an air inlet pipeline, an air outlet pipeline, a circulating pipeline and a reagent content controller, the air inlet pipeline and the air outlet pipeline are respectively communicated with the accommodating space, the circulating pipeline is communicated with the air inlet pipeline and the air outlet pipeline, air in the accommodating space passes through the air outlet pipeline, the reagent content controller and the air inlet pipeline to circulate and then enter the accommodating space, the reagent content controller adjusts the concentration of the air flow passing through the reagent content controller based on the principle of evaporation and condensation, the air supply mechanism is configured to lead the solution to the substrate, the air inlet pipeline and the air outlet pipeline is respectively communicated with the air inlet valve at a speed which is equal to or less than the air inlet valve air inlet speed is regulated at the air inlet and air outlet speed which is equal to the air inlet speed which is regulated at the outside the air inlet and the air outlet air inlet is or the air outlet speed which is high, the carrying mechanism transfers the substrate to the outside of the clean box via the opened door.

2. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

The carrying mechanism is provided with a carrying part for carrying the substrate, and the carrying part is movably arranged in the accommodating space.

3. Coating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that,

The handling mechanism includes an air curtain mechanism disposed proximate the carrier portion, the air curtain mechanism configured to provide a drying air flow in the form of an air curtain for a substrate positioned at the carrier portion.

4. Coating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that,

The carrying mechanism further includes a protective cover disposed in the vicinity of the carrying portion, the protective cover and the carrying portion forming a flat area for accommodating the substrate.

5. Coating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that,

The supporting mechanism comprises a plurality of ejector pins, the ejector pins are configured to jack up the substrate, and the jacking height of the ejector pins to jack up the substrate is larger than that of the bearing part.

6. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

The air supply mechanism comprises a dehumidifier for drying the air and a fan for providing power for the air flow.

7. The coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

The pressure sensor is arranged in the accommodating space.