JPH09319094A - Spin coating method and spin coating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniformly apply a coating material on the surface to be coated by dropping a coating material on plural circumference positions which are apart from the rotation center of a spinner in such a manner that the dropped coating material can be spread to the rotation center. SOLUTION: The spinner 11 is connected to the rotation axis 10 of a motor 9 fixed in the lower center of a chamber 8, and plural nozzles 12a to 12e connected to a photoresist reservoir are arranged in the upper part of the chamber 8. A photoresist liquid 13 as a coating material is dropped from the top ends of nozzles onto a mask substrate 14 as a material to be coated by the spinner 11. These nozzles 12a to 12e are arranged on 8 positions at a equal interval on the same circumference apart from the center of the rotation axis O1 of the spinner, namely the center of the mask substrate 14 by half of the radius of the substrate. By arranging the nozzles 12a to 12e in the same interval on 8 positions and dropping the photoresist liquid 13 from the nozzles 12a to 12e, the photoresist liquid 13 dropped is surely spread to the center of the mask substrate 14.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spinner coating method and a spinner coating apparatus capable of uniformly coating a coating object on the surface of the coating object by using a spinner and removing foreign matter on the coating object. It is a thing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a photoresist solution is dropped on the center of a mask substrate, the mask substrate is rotated by a spinner, and the photoresist solution is applied on the mask substrate. However, this method has a problem that it takes time until the photoresist solution spreads over the entire surface of the mask substrate, resulting in uneven coating. Here, in order to solve this, the following means are provided.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of a conventional spinner coating apparatus disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-130570. In the figure, a spinner 4 is connected to a rotary shaft 3 of a motor 2 fixed to the lower center of the container 1. The motor 2 has a controllable rotation speed, and the spinner 4 can rotate at high speed and low speed around a vertical rotation axis.

Further, a nozzle 5 communicating with a photoresist reservoir (not shown) is provided on the upper part of the container 1, and a photoresist solution 6 as a coating material is dripped from the tip of the nozzle onto a mask substrate 7 as a coating object on the spinner 4. To do. The nozzle 5 is provided at a position deviated from the rotation axis O of the spinner 4, and the locus drawn by the nozzle 5 relative to the mask substrate 7 is configured to have an annular shape centered on the rotation axis O. .

Next, a spinner coating method using the spinner coating apparatus configured as described above will be described. First, while the photoresist solution 6 is dropped onto the mask substrate 7 which is horizontally adsorbed and supported on the spinner 4, the motor 2 is rotated at a low speed to slowly rotate the spinner 4. For this reason,
The photoresist liquid 6 is dripped in a disc shape along the relative trajectory of the nozzle 5 and the spinner 4.

Then, by expanding a little, it becomes a circle as shown in FIG. Next, when the motor 2 is rotated at high speed, the mask substrate 7 is also integrally rotated at high speed, and the photoresist solution 6 on the mask substrate 7 is caused to flow in the peripheral direction by centrifugal force so that the entire surface of the mask substrate 7 can be coated with the photoresist. .

[0007]

In the conventional spinner coating apparatus, the nozzle 5 is provided at a position deviated from the rotation axis O of the spinner 4, and the motor 2 is slowly rotated to cause the mask substrate 7 to rotate.
By increasing the dropping radius of the photoresist solution 6 as described above, as compared with dropping the photoresist solution in the center of the mask substrate, the time for the photoresist solution to spread over the entire surface of the mask substrate is shortened and coating unevenness is reduced. Since the motor 2 is slowly rotated to apply the photoresist solution 6 in order to obtain the state of FIG. 6, there is a problem that the organic solvent in the photoresist solution 6 evaporates and the uniformity deteriorates. . This problem becomes more remarkable as the diameter of the mask substrate 7 increases.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and relates to a spinner coating method and a spinner coating apparatus capable of uniformly coating a coating material on the surface of the coating material.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems Claim 1 according to the present invention.
The spinner coating method is a spinner coating method in which a coating object is dropped on a coating object placed on the spinner, and the coating object is rotated by spin coating with the spinner.
The dropping of the coating material is carried out from a plurality of locations on the circumference which are separated from the spinner rotation center axis in the range where the dropped coating material reaches the center of rotation of the coating object.

The spinner coating method according to a second aspect of the present invention is the method according to the first aspect, in which the coating material is dropped from eight or more locations at equal intervals on the same circumference apart from the center of the spinner. .

Further, in the spinner coating method according to the third aspect of the present invention, the coating object is dropped onto the coating object horizontally placed on the spinner, and the coating object is rotated about the vertical rotation axis of the spinner. After centrifugally applying the coated material by doing, by rotating the object to be coated around the central axis of rotation at the time of centrifugal coating and tilting the central axis of rotation in a pestle shape,
The object to be coated is rotated with the coating surface being inclined with respect to the horizontal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the spinner coating method according to the third aspect, the inclination angle of the object to be coated with respect to the horizontal is 30 ° or more and 60 ° or less.

Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a spinner coating apparatus, a spinner for placing an object to be coated thereon and rotating the object to be coated and a plurality of objects to be coated at a plurality of locations on a circumference distant from a rotation axis of the spinner. And a nozzle for dropping.

The spinner coating apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the spinner coating apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the nozzle comprises an annular tube provided with holes at equal intervals.

Further, a spinner coating apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the spinner coating apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein a plurality of nozzles are provided on the circumference and a moving means for moving each nozzle in the radial direction of the object to be coated. It is a thing.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spinner coating apparatus, wherein a spinner for placing an object to be coated horizontally and rotating the object to be coated around a vertical rotation axis is applied to the upper surface of the object to be coated. A nozzle for dropping an object, and a rotation center axis of the object to be coated are rotated, and the rotation center axis is tilted and rotated like a pestle,
And a rotation mechanism for rotating the object to be coated in a state of being inclined from the horizontal.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a spinner coating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, as in the conventional case, a spinner 11 is connected to a rotary shaft 10 of a motor 9 which is fixed to the lower center of the container 8. Further, a plurality of nozzles 12a to 12h communicating with a photoresist reservoir (not shown) are provided on the top of the container 8, and a photoresist solution 13 as a coating material is dripped from the nozzle tip onto a mask substrate 14 as a coating object of the spinner 11. To do.

The plurality of nozzles 12a-12
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, h are provided at eight locations at equal intervals on the rotation axis O ₁ of the spinner 11, that is, on the same circumference deviated from the center of the mask substrate 4 by half the radius. The photoresist solution 13 is dropped from each of the nozzles 12a to 12h so that the dropped photoresist solution reaches the center of the mask substrate 14 in this manner.
2h can be surely performed by providing 8 places at equal intervals. Needless to say, if eight or more locations are provided, this can be done more reliably. The positions and the number of these nozzles 12a to 12h depend on the viscosity of the photoresist liquid 13, the size of the mask substrate 14, and the like.
It may be set appropriately within the range where 3 reaches. Further, in order to take these things into consideration, for example, the nozzles 12a to 12h
However, it goes without saying that each may be provided with a moving means that can move freely in the radial direction.

Next, the first embodiment configured as described above
A spinner coating method using the above spinner coating device will be described. First, the photoresist solution 13 is dropped from each of the nozzles 12a to 12h onto the mask substrate 14 which is horizontally adsorbed and supported on the spinner 11. Each nozzle 12a-
The photoresist liquid 13 dropped from 12h immediately spreads slightly on the mask substrate 14 and is integrated with each other to form a circular shape as shown in FIG. At this time, the nozzles 12a to ₁ are provided within a range in which the photoresist liquid 13 can reliably reach the position of the rotation axis O ₁ which is the center of the mask substrate 14.
The position of 2h and the amount of the photoresist liquid 13 are adjusted. Next, the motor 9 is rotated at a high speed, and the mask substrate 1
The photoresist solution 13 can be applied to the entire surface of the mask substrate 14 by causing the photoresist solution 13 to flow to the peripheral direction on the surface of the mask substrate 14 by a centrifugal force.

In the spinner coating apparatus of the first embodiment having the above-mentioned structure, the nozzles 12a to 12h are thus arranged.
Since the dropping radius of the photoresist solution 13 can be easily increased only by dropping the solution from the above, the spinner is rotated at a low speed by one nozzle in the related art, and the photoresist solution 1 shown in FIG.
Compared with the case where the state is set to 3, the organic solvent in the photoresist liquid 13 hardly evaporates because it can be performed in a very short time, and like the conventional case,
Since the area where the photoresist solution 13 spreads during the high speed rotation is small, the time when the photoresist solution 13 spreads over the entire surface of the mask substrate 14 can be very short. As a result, uniform coating can be performed without coating unevenness.

By the way, there are cases where the photoresist liquid 13 adheres to the tips of the nozzles 12a to 12h, and foreign matters which are considered to be caused by the drying of the nozzles 12a to 12h fall. As compared with the case where the foreign matter falls on the rotation center of the mask substrate 14, the spinner 11 is more likely to be subjected to the centrifugal force due to the high-speed rotation, and the foreign matter jumps out of the mask substrate 14 immediately after the high-speed rotation of the spinner 11. Therefore, the influence of foreign matter can be minimized.

In the first embodiment, an example in which a plurality of nozzles are provided has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and if the arrangement position of each nozzle can be fixed, for example, a plurality of holes may be formed in one annular pipe. Needless to say, even if the structure is open and simple, the coating can be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Further, since the photoresist solution is controlled by one tube, the photoresist solution can be easily controlled. or,
In the above-described first embodiment, an example in which a plurality of nozzles are provided on the same circumference is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of nozzles are provided on two circumferences having different diameters, and the mask substrate 14 is rotated. If it is formed so as to surround the center of
It is more effective for large-diameter mask substrates. or,
In the first embodiment, the photoresist liquid is dropped onto a part of the mask substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the photoresist liquid is dropped onto the entire surface of the mask substrate and is dropped by centrifugal coating. You may correct only the unevenness of time.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of a spinner coating apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, as in the first embodiment, the spinner 15 is connected to a rotary shaft 16 of a motor (not shown). A mask substrate 18 is placed on the spinner 15 via an inclined plate 17 as a rotating mechanism. The tilt plate 17 can be attached to and detached from the spinner 15, and rotates while holding the mask substrate 18 horizontally like the spinner 15 when wearing, and when the mask plate 18 is removed from the spinner 15 according to the tilt angle θ. It has a rotation mechanism for rotating the rotation center axis O ₃ while tilting and rotating the rotation center axis O ₃ in a tilting manner. The rotating mechanism may be, for example, a screw type or a magnetic type (not shown).

Next, a second embodiment configured as described above
A spinner coating method using the above spinner coating device will be described. First, as shown in FIG.
In the state where the spinner 15 is attached to the first embodiment,
From the plurality of nozzles using a method similar to
A photoresist solution is dropped on the mask substrate 18, and the mask substrate 18 is rotated around the rotation axis O ₂ together with the spinner 15, and the photoresist solution is centrifugally coated to evenly coat the mask substrate 18. At this point, the photoresist solution on the mask substrate 18 has almost no fluidity because the organic solvent is evaporated.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the inclined plate 17
Is removed from the spinner 15. At this time, the mask substrate 18 is also tilted on the spinner 15 depending on the tilt angle θ of the tilt plate 17. Then, the mask substrate 18 is tilted on the spinner 15 depending on the tilt angle θ of the tilt plate 17, and the mask substrate 18 is rotated about the central axis O ₃ during the centrifugal coating.
And the rotation center axis O ₃ is tilted and rotated like a pestle. As a result, centrifugal force is likely to be generated at any position on the mask substrate 18, and the foreign matter on the photoresist liquid on the mask substrate 18 can be removed.

In the spinner coating apparatus according to the second embodiment having the above-described structure, after applying the photoresist solution on the mask substrate 18, the mask substrate 18 is rotated about the rotation center axis O ₃ and the rotation center axis is rotated. By rotating the O ₃ in a tilted manner, the mask substrate 18 is rotated with its coating surface inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, so that foreign matter adhering to the photoresist liquid can be reliably removed by centrifugal force. . Since the foreign matter is removed by the above rotation,
Since the same force is applied to all positions of the mask on the substrate 18, the photoresist liquid on the mask substrate 18 does not move.

Although the inclination angle θ of the inclined plate 17 is not particularly shown in the second embodiment, it may be set within the range of 30 ° to 60 °. This is because the centrifugal force applied to the central portion of the mask substrate 18 becomes small when the angle is too small or too large.

In the second embodiment, the example in which the photoresist solution is used after being applied in the same manner as in the first embodiment has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the conventional method can be used. If you use it after applying,
It goes without saying that foreign matter on the photoresist solution on the mask substrate can be removed.

In each of the above embodiments, the case where the photoresist liquid is applied onto the mask substrate has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and when applying using a spinner, the same applies in any case. be able to.

[0030]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the applied material is dropped from the spinner rotation center axis within the range in which the dropped applied material reaches the center of rotation of the object to be coated. Since it is performed from a plurality of locations on the circumference, it is possible to provide a spinner coating method capable of performing spin coating with no coating unevenness because the coating can be formed in a large diameter range on the object to be coated in a short time. Is.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the coating material is dripped from eight or more locations at equal intervals on the same circumference away from the center of the spinner, so that the coating material is coated. It is possible to provide a spinner coating method that facilitates the control of dripping and spin coating without uneven coating.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the coating material is dropped on the coating material horizontally placed on the spinner, and the coating material is rotated about the vertical rotation axis of the spinner. After centrifuging the coated object with, the object to be coated is placed horizontally by rotating the object about the central axis of rotation during the centrifugal coating and tilting the central axis of rotation in a pestle shape. Since it is rotated in a tilted state, it is possible to provide a spinner coating method capable of removing foreign matter on the coated article at any position on the coated article by centrifugal force.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, since the inclination angle of the object to be coated with respect to the horizontal is set to 30 ° or more and 60 ° or less, the spinner capable of reliably removing foreign matter on the object to be coated. It is possible to provide a coating method.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the spinner for placing the object to be coated thereon and rotating the object to be coated, and the object to be coated are dropped onto a plurality of locations on the circumference distant from the rotation axis of the spinner. Therefore, it is possible to provide a spinner coating apparatus that can easily drop a coating material onto a coating material in a large diameter range in a short time.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect, since the nozzle is formed by equipping the annular pipe with holes at equal intervals, the spinner having a simple structure can be formed. It is possible to provide a coating device.

Further, according to claim 7 of the present invention, in claim 5, a plurality of nozzles are provided on the circumference, and a moving means for moving each nozzle in the radial direction of the object to be coated is provided. It is possible to provide a spinner coating apparatus in which the position of the nozzle can be appropriately set according to the size of the coating object and the viscosity of the coating object.

Further, according to claim 8 of the present invention, the spinner for placing the object to be coated horizontally and rotating the object to be coated about a vertical rotation axis, and the object to be coated on the upper surface of the object to be coated. Since the nozzle for dropping and the rotation center axis of the object to be coated are rotated and the rotation center axis is tilted and rotated like a pestle, the object to be coated is rotated in a state of being inclined from the horizontal, It is possible to provide a spinner coating device in which centrifugal force acts on any position on the object to be coated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a spinner coating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a mask substrate and a plurality of nozzles of the spinner coating apparatus in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of the spinner coating apparatus in FIG. 1 after dropping a photoresist droplet.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a spinner coating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional spinner coating device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state after the photoresist droplets have been dropped while rotating the spinner of the spinner coating apparatus in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

11,15 Spinner, 12a-12h Nozzle, 13
Photoresist liquid, 14, 18 mask substrate, 17 inclined plate, O ₁ , O ₂ rotation axis, O ₃ rotation center axis.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A spinner coating method in which a coating material is dropped onto a coating material placed on a spinner, and the coating material is rotated together with the spinner to spin-coat the coating material. The spinner coating method is characterized in that it is carried out from a plurality of locations on the circumference, which are separated from the spinner rotation center axis, within a range where the dropped coating material reaches the rotation center of the coating object. 2. The spinner coating method according to claim 1, wherein the coating material is dropped from eight or more locations at equal intervals on the same circumference away from the center of the spinner. 3. The coating material is centrifugally coated by dropping the coating material on the coating material horizontally placed on the spinner and rotating the coating material around a vertical rotation axis of the spinner. After that, by rotating the coating object around the rotation center axis at the time of the centrifugal coating and tilting the rotation center axis in a pestle shape, the coating surface of the coating object is inclined horizontally. Spinner coating method that rotates in the state. 4. The inclination angle of the object to be coated with respect to the horizontal is 30.
The spinner coating method according to claim 3, wherein the spinner coating method is at least 60 ° and not more than 60 °. 5. A spinner for placing an object to be coated and rotating the object to be coated, and a nozzle for dropping the object to be coated at a plurality of locations on a circumference distant from a rotation axis of the spinner. Characteristic spinner coating device. 6. The spinner coating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the nozzle comprises an annular tube provided with holes at equal intervals. 7. The spinner coating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of nozzles are provided on the circumference, and a moving means for moving each of the nozzles in the radial direction of the object to be coated is provided. 8. A spinner for placing an object to be coated horizontally and rotating the object to be coated around a vertical axis of rotation, a nozzle for dropping the object to be coated on the upper surface of the object to be coated, and the object to be coated. A spinner coating comprising: a rotation mechanism for rotating the object about its rotation center axis, tilting the rotation center axis for tilting, and rotating the object to be coated in an inclined state from the horizontal. apparatus.