KR101512554B1 - Coating apparatus and liquid receiving cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a coating device capable of preventing the mist generated by the cleaning treatment from adhering to the periphery of a coating nozzle even if the cleaning treatment of the nozzle is performed while discharging the coating liquid. In the coating apparatus of the present invention, the internal space L2, which is in contact with the lower surface of the liquid contact member 42, becomes negative pressure, and the air flow 6 is generated toward the internal space L2 in the vicinity of the upper surface of the liquid contact member 42. Therefore, even if a mist is generated by the collision between the coating liquids discharged from the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (the cleaning liquid in the cleaning process), the portion where the mist is generated falls Which is a region where the airflow is generated, and the mist is sucked into the inner space L2 along with the surrounding gas along the descending airflow. Also, the mist is sucked by the suction process of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c. As a result, it is possible to prevent the mist from adhering to the periphery of the application nozzles 52a to 52c.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and a cleaning apparatus,

The present invention relates to a coating apparatus, and more particularly, to a coating apparatus for discharging and applying a coating liquid in a columnar state from a nozzle onto a substrate placed on a stage, and a liquid receiver cleaning apparatus therefor.

Conventionally, a coating apparatus has been developed in which a coating liquid is applied to a substrate by scanning a substrate while discharging the coating liquid from a nozzle. For example, in an apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL display device, an organic EL material is applied to a main surface of a substrate such as a glass substrate placed on a stage in a predetermined pattern using nozzles.

In such a coating apparatus, a liquid receiving section for receiving a coating liquid in addition to the substrate is provided to recover a coating liquid or an unnecessary coating liquid applied outside the substrate when the coating liquid is applied to the substrate when the nozzle moves outside the substrate. This is because once the dispensing of the coating liquid from the nozzle is stopped, the coating liquid solidifies near the discharge port of the nozzle and adversely affects the subsequent coating. That is, in order to prevent such a situation, the dispensing of the coating liquid from the nozzle is continued even when the nozzle is outside the substrate, and it is necessary to collect or discharge the dispensed liquid at this time. For example, in the liquid receiving portion of Patent Document 1, there is shown a configuration in which a space is formed in the inside of the liquid receiving portion and a negative pressure is applied in the space, thereby sucking the liquid applied to the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion.

Patent Document 2 shows a configuration in which a nozzle cleaning apparatus 3 for supplying a cleaning liquid to a discharge port from below a nozzle is provided adjacent to a liquid receiving portion for cleaning a discharge port of a nozzle for discharging a coating liquid.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-167655 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-45541

However, in the case of the nozzle cleaning apparatus as shown in Patent Document 2, when the nozzle cleaning is carried out while discharging the coating liquid from the coating nozzle, the discharged coating liquid collides with the cleaning nozzle of the nozzle cleaning apparatus, There is a risk of scattering in this mist state. Even if the coating liquid discharged from the application nozzle maintains the liquid pillar state immediately after the discharge, there is a risk of dropletization as the distance from the discharge is increased, and the liquid may be misted and scattered.

When the liquid receiving portion having the suction function as shown in Patent Document 1 is disposed adjacent to the nozzle cleaning device, the mist is rolled up by the airflow generated by the suction function of the liquid receiving portion, (For example, the lower surface of the member holding the application nozzle).

Since the application nozzle scans the upper side of the substrate to be treated, if the mist is adhered to the periphery of the nozzle in this way, particles (solidified mist) may fall on the substrate, leading to a decrease in the yield.

On the other hand, when the dispensing of the coating liquid from the nozzle is stopped at the time of nozzle cleaning, it is possible to clean the nozzle while suppressing the generation of mist. In this case, however, it takes a long time for the coating liquid to stably discharge the coating liquid in the columnar state at the time of re-discharging the coating liquid, so that a waiting time occurs and the throughput is lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a coating device capable of preventing the mist generated by the cleaning process from adhering to the coating nozzle or its periphery even if the cleaning process is performed on the nozzle while discharging the coating liquid .

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coating apparatus for coating a coating liquid on a substrate, comprising: a nozzle having a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid downward, the nozzle being movable in a space above the substrate; A liquid receiving portion having an internal space connected to the suction path and receiving the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle when the nozzle is outside the region of the substrate from the upper side to the internal space; And a nozzle cleaning device having an opening capable of releasing a predetermined cleaning liquid upward and performing a cleaning process on the discharge port of the nozzle by the cleaning liquid, The inner space is brought into a negative pressure state so that the downward component of the airflow generated in the space near the liquid receiving portion Is characterized in that the opening of the nozzle cleaning device is fixedly arranged relative to the liquid receiving portion in a downward airflow region which is a space region where a downward airflow is generated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the coating device according to the first aspect, the opening of the nozzle cleaning device is fixedly arranged above the upper surface of the inner space of the liquid receiving portion.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the coating device according to the second aspect, the upper surface of the inner space of the liquid receiving portion is defined by an upper surface of a porous planar body that covers an upper opening of the inner space do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the coating device according to the first aspect, the liquid receiving portion and the nozzle cleaning device are integrated to form a liquid receiver cleaning device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the coating device according to the fourth aspect, the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion and the nozzle cleaning device, which are integrated, is formed of the porous planar body.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the coating device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the nozzle cleaning device is disposed inside the liquid receiving portion and is integrated with the liquid receiving portion.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the coating device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the nozzle cleaning device is disposed adjacent to the side of the liquid receiving portion and has a fixed positional relationship with the liquid receiving portion.

The invention described in claim 8 is the coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an integral moving mechanism for integrally moving both the liquid receiving portion and the nozzle cleaning device do.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for cleaning a nozzle, comprising: an inner space connected to a suction path, the nozzle receiving apparatus comprising: A liquid receiving portion for receiving the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle when the liquid is out of the region of the substrate from the upper side to the inner space and an opening integral with the liquid receiving portion and capable of emitting a predetermined cleaning liquid upward, And a nozzle cleaning device which performs a cleaning process of the discharge port of the nozzle by the cleaning liquid, wherein the internal space of the liquid receiving portion is brought into a negative pressure state by suction through the suction path, In the downward airflow region, which is a spatial region in which the downward airflow having the middle and lower components is generated, And the supply port of the base nozzle cleaning device is fixed relative to the liquid receiving portion.

According to the invention of Claims 1 to 9, by arranging the opening for supplying the cleaning liquid of the nozzle cleaning device in the down stream flow region which is the space region where the down stream is generated in the air flow generated in the space near the liquid receiving portion, It is possible to prevent the generated mist from being rolled upward by the air flow, and to prevent such mist from adhering to the coating nozzle and its periphery.

Particularly, in the invention of claim 3, since the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion is constituted by a porous planar body, the gas easily passes through the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion. Therefore, when the inner space is made negative pressure, airflow is likely to occur on the upper surface of the liquid receiving portion.

Particularly, according to the invention of claim 8, since it is a coating device having an integral movement mechanism for integrally moving the nozzle receiver and the nozzle cleaning device, space saving and simplification of control can be realized.

1 is a top view of a coating device 1. Fig.
2 is a front view of the application device 1. Fig.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the outline of the liquid receiver 3. Fig.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the liquid receiving portion 3. Fig.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the outline of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4. Fig.
6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4. As shown in Fig.
Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4. Fig.
Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the control unit 10. Fig.
Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the application device 1. Fig.
Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the cleaning operation of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4. Fig.
11 is a view showing the relative positional relationship between the application unit 50 and the liquid receiver cleaning apparatus 4 during the cleaning operation of the liquid receiver cleaning apparatus 4. As shown in Fig.
Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the airflow 6 around the liquid receiver cleaning device 4. Fig.
Fig. 13 is a view showing the airflow 6 around the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 in another embodiment.
Fig. 14 is a view showing an air stream 6 around the liquid receiving portion 3 in another embodiment.
15 is a view showing an air stream 6 around the liquid receiver 3 in the comparative example.

{Embodiment Mode}

≪ 1.1 Schematic structure of whole coating apparatus (1) >

Hereinafter, a coating apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of concise description, the following description will be made using an example applied to a coating apparatus for producing an organic EL display device using the organic EL material or the hole transport material as the coating liquid. The coating device 1 applies an organic EL material, a hole transporting material, or the like onto a glass substrate placed on a stage in a predetermined pattern so as to manufacture a panel of an organic EL display device. In the drawings attached to this specification, the X direction and the Y direction are two-dimensional coordinate axes defining a horizontal plane, and the Z direction defines a vertical direction perpendicular to the XY plane.

1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a main part of a coating device 1. Fig. 2 is a front view of the coating device 1. Fig. The coating apparatus 1 uses a plurality of coating liquids, such as an organic EL material and a hole transporting material, as described above, and the organic EL material is used as the representative liquid for the explanation.

1 and 2, the coating apparatus 1 roughly includes a substrate placing apparatus 2, a liquid receiving section 3, a liquid receiving and cleaning apparatus 4, an organic EL applying mechanism 5, And a control unit 10.

≪ 1.2 Construction of each device in the applicator 1 >

<1.2.1 Configuration of Substrate Writing Apparatus 2>

2, the substrate placing apparatus 2 has a stage 21, a turning unit 22, a parallel moving table 23, a guide receiving unit 24, and a guide member 25.

The stage 21 is a horizontally thick plate-shaped rigid member that mounts a substrate P such as a glass substrate to be an object to be coated on the upper surface of the stage. The lower part of the stage 21 is supported by the swivel part 22 and the stage 21 can swivel in the horizontal direction in the direction of the arrow shown by the turning operation of the swivel part 22. [

A heating mechanism for preliminarily heating the substrate P coated with the organic EL material on the surface of the stage 21 or an adsorption mechanism for adsorbing and holding the substrate P from below can be provided in the stage 21, And a water supply pin mechanism or the like (none of which is shown) used to transfer the substrate P to / from the transport mechanism are provided.

The guide member 25 is extended in the Y-axis direction shown in the figure so as to pass under the organic EL application mechanism 5 and fixed horizontally on the floor surface. A guide receiving portion 24 is fixed to the lower surface of the translation table 23 so as to slide on the guide member 25 in contact with the guide member 25.

On the upper surface of the translation table 23, the pivot portion 22 is fixed. Thus, the parallel moving table 23 is moved in the Y-axis direction along the guide member 25 by receiving a driving force from, for example, a linear motor (not shown) It is possible to move the stage 21 in the horizontal direction. In the following description, the mechanism including the translation table 23, the guide receiving portion 24, the guide member 25, and a linear motor (not shown), for example, (26) &quot;.

&Lt; 1.2.2 Configuration of receiving portion 3 >

When the plurality of application nozzles 52a to 52c are located at a position deviated from the upper space of the region where the substrate exists (slightly wider than the expansion of the stage 21), the liquid receiving portion 3 is provided with the coating nozzles 52a to 52c (Coating liquid) discharged from the substrate P, and is arranged in a side space adjacent to the substrate P in the + X direction, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the liquid receiving portion 3. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A3-A3 in Fig. 3 when viewed in the -X direction.

3 and 4, the liquid receiving portion 3 includes a box portion 31, a liquid contact member 32, and a discharge portion 33. As shown in Fig.

The box portion 31 is of a box shape having a transversely elongated shape extending in the X-axis direction and having an inclined bottom at a part of the bottom surface thereof, and is fixedly provided so that the positional relationship with the nozzle moving mechanism 51 is always fixed. The inclined bottom is an inclined surface defined by the lower end edge 31a and the upper end edge 31b. As described later, the coating liquid dropped into the box portion 31 is applied to one side To the lower end edge 31a side) and is temporarily stored (see Figs. 1 to 4).

On the upper surface of the box portion 31, a liquid-absorptive member 32 of a planar body made of a porous material is arranged so as to be opened upward. As used herein, the term &quot; porous material &quot; refers to a general material in which a number of small holes are small enough to allow the coating liquid to pass therethrough, and in the case where water, ceramics, or the like contains a large number of small holes Porous material "may be used as the" porous material ", or may be a plate-shaped workpiece in which a plurality of small holes are distributed in a planar material, a net shape in which a large number of small holes are distributed by a mesh, Quot; absence &quot;. The width (length in the Y direction) of the liquid contact member 32 is a width capable of arriving (coating) all of the organic EL materials discharged in the columnar state from the plurality of application nozzles 52a to 52c, that is, And is equal to or larger than the arrangement width of the plurality of application nozzles 52a to 52c.

The inside of the liquid receiving portion 3 is provided with a hollow inner space L1 surrounded by the box portion 31 and the liquid contact member 32. [ A discharge pipe constituting a discharge portion 33 for discharging and draining is communicated with the side surface and the lower surface of the internal space L1. The upper opening of the inner space L1 is covered with the liquid contact member 32 of the planar body made of a porous material and the discharge portion 33 is provided on the surface other than the upper opening of the inner space L1.

When the organic EL material is applied to the substrate P, the application nozzles 52a to 52c move along the X direction while discharging the organic EL material, Reciprocally. The coating nozzles 52a to 52c and the substrate P mounted on the stage 21 are relatively moved in the Y direction so that the coating liquid on the upper surface of the substrate P by the coating liquids from the coating nozzles 52a to 52c Two-dimensional scanning (combination of X-direction main scanning and Y-direction auxiliary scanning) is achieved. When the nozzles 52a to 52c are moved upwardly of the liquid receiver 3 according to the scanning (main scanning) in the + X direction, the liquid receiving portions 3 (3) are arranged such that the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the liquid contact member 32 face each other . Therefore, the coating liquid discharged from the application nozzles 52a to 52c to the outside of the substrate P contacts the upper surface of the liquid contact member 32.

The lower surface of the liquid contact member 32 faces the inner space L1 of the box portion 31 and is held at a negative pressure by the discharge portion 33 communicating with the inner space L1. The coating liquid adhered to the upper surface of the liquid contact member 32 as a porous material is sucked toward the inner space L1 through a small hole group distributed in the electrolyte member 32 and is dropped into the box portion 31 do. As already described, since a part of the bottom surface of the box portion 31 is inclined to be lowered toward the + X direction side, the coating liquid dropped on the inclined surface in the box portion 31 flows along the inclination.

Since the discharging portion 33 is connected to the side surface of the box portion 31 and the lower surface (the lowest position on the bottom surface) on the + X direction side, the coating liquid discharged onto the liquid receiving portion 3 is discharged from the discharging portion 33, Lt; / RTI &gt; Since the discharge portion 33 is connected to a gas-liquid separating device (not shown), the gas liquid discharged from the box portion 31 by the discharge portion 33 is treated by being divided into exhaust and drain.

The liquid contact member 32 used in the present embodiment is formed by sintering molding a resin such as polyethylene. Depending on the liquid to be applied, the resin material can be appropriately selected, but for example, a latex (registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Chemicals Co., Ltd.) or the like is used. Generally, a porous material is formed by sintering a powder of a resin or the like, and irregular voids are formed in three dimensions inside. Therefore, it becomes possible to pass a fluid such as a gas or a liquid. In this configuration, a porous material formed of a metal may be employed.

The timing at which the air in the internal space L1 is discharged by the discharge portion 33 and the internal space L1 is maintained at the negative pressure can be appropriately set by the control portion 10. [ In this embodiment, the discharging portion 33 is in an on state (discharging state) when the coating liquid is being discharged from the coating nozzles 52a to 52c, and the coating liquid is not discharged from the coating nozzles 52a to 52c And is controlled by the control unit 10 so as to be in the off state (non-discharge state).

In the present embodiment, the discharge portion 33 is formed on two side surfaces in the + Y direction of the box portion 31 and one on the bottom surface. However, depending on the length of the box portion 31 in the X direction and the required negative pressure , It is possible to appropriately select the attachment position and the number thereof. The discharge portion 33 (and the discharge portion 43 described later) corresponds to the "suction path" in the present invention, and the discharge state corresponds to "suction through the suction path" in the present invention .

The internal space L1 in contact with the lower surface of the liquid contact member 32 becomes negative pressure and an air flow is generated in the upper space of the internal space L1 toward the upper opening of the internal space L1. Along with this air flow, the coating liquid that has been contacted is rapidly sucked to the lower surface together with the surrounding gas. For this reason, the upper portion and vicinity of the electrodeposition member 32 are in a dry state without any suspended mist of the coating liquid. The air flow will be described in detail later.

&Lt; 1.2.3 Configuration of cup receiving apparatus 4 >

Fig. 5 (a) is a perspective view showing the outline of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4, and Fig. 5 (b) is a partially enlarged view thereof. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 when viewed in the -X direction from the A5-A5 cross section shown in Fig. 5 (a), and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A5- Sectional view of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 in this case. The liquid receiver cleaning device 4 includes a box portion 41, a liquid contact member 42, a discharge portion 43, and cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 to 7, A common pipe 46a to 46c, supply pipes 461a to 461c, suction pipes 462a to 462c, a Y-direction moving mechanism 48, and a lifting mechanism 49. [

The liquid receiver cleaning device 4 has a function as a liquid receiver for collecting and sucking the organic EL material (coating liquid) discharged from the application nozzles 52a to 52c and a function of cleaning the discharge ports at the ends of the application nozzles 52a to 52c And is disposed in the -X direction with respect to the substrate, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The "liquid receiving portion 3" and the "liquid receiving and cleaning device 4" in the present embodiment correspond to the "liquid receiving portion" in the present invention.

The box portion 41, the liquid contact member 42 and the discharge portion 43 in the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 are connected to the box portion 31 and the liquid contact member 32 in the liquid receiver portion 3 ) And the discharge portion 33, but there are some differences in shape as a result of being integrated with the respective elements to be described later for cleaning the nozzles. Concretely, the box portion 41, which is in contact with the lower surface of the substantially T-shaped liquid contact member 42 in a plan view made of a porous material and has a substantially T shape in plan view, A discharge section 43 (discharge pipe) for sucking air in the internal space L2 and liquid (for example, organic EL material) dropped in the internal space L2 is provided in the internal space L2 . The box portion 41 has an inclined bottom at a portion of the bottom surface, and the inclined bottom is an inclined surface defined by the lower end edge 41a and the upper end edge 41b.

In the liquid receiver cleaning device 4, like the liquid receiver 3, the inner space L2, which is in contact with the lower surface of the liquid contact member 42, becomes a negative pressure, and the inner space L2 ). &Lt; / RTI &gt; In accordance with this air flow, the coating liquid that has been contacted is rapidly sucked into the lower surface together with the surrounding gas. Therefore, the upper portion and the vicinity of the liquid contact member 42 are in a dry state without any floating mist of the coating liquid. The air flow will be described in detail later.

As shown in Fig. 7, the common pipes 46a to 46c are configured so as to pass the side surface of the box portion 41 in the horizontal direction and the liquid contact member 42 in the vertical direction. Cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are provided at upper ends of the common pipes 46a to 46c and supply pipes 461a to 461c and suction pipes 461a to 461c are provided at the lower ends of the common pipes 46a to 46c, 462a to 462c are provided. "Common" attached to the names of the common pipes 46a to 46c means that the common pipes 46a to 46c provide a common path portion for supplying and sucking the cleaning liquid.

7A and 7, the tip ends of the three cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c have the same height (position in the Z-axis direction), and in the horizontal XY plane, In the direction of the slope incline, and are arranged almost linearly at equal intervals in one line. This arrangement relationship is the same for the coating nozzles 52a to 52c to be described later, and will be described later along with the coating nozzles 52a to 52c.

A cleaning liquid supply mechanism (for example, a supply pump) is provided at the other end of the supply pipes 461a to 461c and a suction mechanism (for example, a suction pump or the like) is provided at the other end of the suction pipes 462a to 462c . The supply pipes 461a to 461c and the suction pipes 462a to 462c are provided with valves (not shown) for setting the opening degree of the pipe.

The liquid receiver cleaning device 4 is provided with a Y-direction movement mechanism 48 and a lifting mechanism 49. The liquid receiver cleaning device 4 is freely movable in the Y and Z directions. It is sufficient that these mechanisms can move the liquid receiver cleaning device 4, and for example, a moving mechanism by a cylinder can be adopted. By these moving mechanisms, the coating nozzles 52a to 52c and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are moved so as to face each other at the time of cleaning. In the present embodiment, the Y-direction moving mechanism 48 and the elevating mechanism 49 are configured to move both the "liquid receiving portion" and the "nozzle cleaning device" constituting the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 integrally And functions as an integral moving mechanism.

Since the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 has the above-described configuration, the cleaning liquid supply process and the suction process described below can be performed.

The cleaning liquid is supplied by the cleaning liquid supply mechanism while the suction pipes 462a to 462c are closed by the valve so that the cleaning liquid passes through the supply pipes 461a to 461c and the common pipes 46a to 46c, 45a to 45c. Therefore, the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c and the application nozzles 52a to 52c are opposed to each other by the cleaning liquid eluted from the openings 45m (see Fig. 5 (b)) of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c, The cleaning liquid can be supplied to the tips of the nozzles 52a to 52c (cleaning liquid supply process).

Further, for example, when the coating liquid is a solution containing an organic solvent, the cleaning liquid may be a liquid containing the organic solvent (which may be a pure solvent for the organic solvent). Specifically, if the solvent of the coating liquid is toluene, toluene may be used as the cleaning liquid.

The suction operation is performed by the suction mechanism in the state where the supply piping 461a to 461c is closed by the valve so that the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c ) Can be sucked in. Therefore, the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c and the application nozzles 52a to 52c are opposed to each other, whereby the gas, liquid (coating liquid and cleaning liquid), and particles around the application nozzles 52a to 52c are discharged to the suction pipes 462a to 462c , And can be sent to a gas-liquid separator (not shown) (suction process). In addition, the application nozzles 52a to 52c can be dried by such a suction process.

Details of the operation (moving, cleaning liquid supply processing, suction processing, etc.) of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 will be described later. These various operations in the coating apparatus 1 are controlled by the control section 10. [

The openings 45m formed at the tips of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c correspond to the openings capable of discharging the cleaning liquid upward in the present invention. In the present invention, "the openings in the nozzle cleaning device are relatively fixed relative to the liquid receiving portion" means that the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (more specifically, the openings 45m) are relatively fixedly arranged relative to the configuration of the liquid receiver of the liquid receiver cleanser 4 ".

Here, the structure of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 will be summarized. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 (a), the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 is in the form of a box having a substantially T-shape in plan view. In the following description, the portion corresponding to the cross-section (-) of the letter T of the liquid receiver washing device 4 (the portion in the + Y direction in the section B5-B5 in FIG. 5A) (The portion in the -Y direction in the cross section of B5-B5 in Fig. 5) corresponding to the longitudinal (|) of the T letter is referred to as &quot; the liquid receiving block 4a of the liquid receiver washing device 4 Cleaning block 4b ".

The liquid receiving block 4a and the cleaning block 4b conceptually distinguish between the two parts of the liquid receiving and cleaning device 4 and actually do not have any members for separating them, Thereby constituting the device 4. [

The main function of the liquid receiver block 4a is the liquid receiver function in the same manner as the configuration of the liquid receiver 3. Therefore, after the application nozzles 52a to 52c eject the organic EL material and scan over the substrate P along the -X direction and continue to move the application nozzles 52a to 52c for the scan, The nozzles 52a to 52c are moved upwardly of the liquid receiving block 4a. At this time, since the liquid receiving block 4a is disposed so that the liquid ejection openings at the lower ends of the application nozzles 52a to 52c are opposed to the liquid contact member 42, the coating liquid discharged from the application nozzles 52a to 52c flows, And contacts the upper surface of the liquid contact member 42 of the electrode 4a.

Since the cleaning block 4b has a cleaning function mainly for the application nozzles 52a to 52c, the cleaning block 4b is provided with the cleaning liquid discharge function and the cleaning liquid discharge function of the cleaning block 4b only when the cleaning nozzles 52a to 52c are cleaned. The suction function is activated.

In this case, the ejection orifices of the application nozzles 52a to 52c located above the liquid receiving block 4a are moved by the Y-direction moving mechanism 48 and the lifting mechanism 49 to the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c The liquid receiving and cleaning device 4 is moved so that the cleaning liquid supply process and the suction process described above are carried out so as to come almost directly above the respective openings 45m of the cleaning liquid supply device 4b.

In the liquid-phase-under-scrubbing apparatus 4 of the present embodiment, even in the period in which the organic EL material is discharged from the dispensing nozzles 52a to 52c, or in the dispensation period, the dispensing nozzles 52a to 52c It is possible to perform the cleaning liquid supply processing and the suction processing.

&Lt; 1.2.4 Configuration of Organic EL Coating Mechanism (5) >

The organic EL applying mechanism 5 will be described mainly with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. The organic EL applying mechanism 5 has a nozzle unit 50 and a nozzle moving mechanism 51.

The nozzle unit 50 includes a plurality of application nozzles 52 (three application nozzles 52a, 52b, and 52c in FIG. 1) for ejecting the organic EL material of any one of red, green, Keep it installed side by side.

Each of the application nozzles 52a to 52c is supplied with an organic EL material of any one of red, green, and blue from a supply unit (not shown). In this way, for the sake of concise description, an example in which a red organic EL material is discharged from three application nozzles 52a to 52c is used in order to discharge the same color organic EL material from a plurality of application nozzles 52. [

The coating nozzles 52a to 52c have the same height (positions in the Z-axis direction) and are arranged in almost one row along the X-axis direction, but are arranged slightly shifted with respect to the Y-axis direction. In this embodiment, the nozzle pitches (the intervals in the Y direction between the respective nozzles) can be set appropriately. In this embodiment, the nozzle pitches are set to coincide with the intervals of three stripes of grooves formed on the substrate P. This arrangement relationship is the same as the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c described above.

The nozzle moving mechanism 51 is constituted by a shaft guide 511 and a ball screw 512 extended in the illustrated X-axis direction, and a motor (not shown). A ball screw 512 is screwed into the nozzle unit 50, and the shaft guide 511 penetrates through the nozzle unit 50. Therefore, when the ball screw is rotated by a motor (not shown), the nozzle unit 50, which is screwed with the ball unit, freely moves in the X direction along the guide shaft.

The control unit 10 controls the nozzle moving mechanism 51 to move the nozzle unit 50 along the X axis direction while applying the organic EL material from the application nozzles 52a to 52c to the stage 21 A predetermined flow rate of the organic EL material is discharged from the application nozzles 52a to 52c into the grooves of the substrate P held on the substrate P. At this time, in the coating device 1 of this embodiment, since the pitch of the application nozzles 52a to 52c coincides with the length of three grooves of the substrate P, three grooves Is done.

An organic EL material discharged from the substrate P and discharged from the substrate P is supplied to the spaces on both sides deviated from the substrate P placed on the stage 21 at the discharge position of the application nozzles 52a to 52c in the X- Receiving side receiving portion 3 (on the + X side) and liquid receiving and cleaning device 4 (on the -X side). The nozzle moving mechanism 51 moves the substrate P from the upper space of the liquid receiving portion 3 (or liquid receiving and cleaning device 4) provided on the outside of one side of the substrate P to the substrate P The nozzle unit 50 is moved to the upper space of the liquid receiving and cleaning device 4 (or the liquid receiving portion 3) provided on the other side of the substrate P, EL material is applied. Further, the &quot; space on both sides deviating from the substrate P &quot; corresponds to &quot; outside the area where the substrate exists &quot; in the present invention.

When the nozzle unit 50 is disposed in the upper space of the nozzle receiver 3, the parallel moving table 23 is moved in a predetermined direction (Y-axis direction shown) perpendicular to the nozzle reciprocating direction The stage 21 is moved by a pitch (for example, three times the nozzle pitch). By performing operations of the nozzle moving mechanism 51 and the parallel moving table 23 and discharging operation of discharging the organic EL material from the application nozzles 52a to 52c in a liquid column state, Called stripe arrangement arranged on each of the stripe-shaped grooves formed on the substrate P is formed on the substrate P.

The coating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment may be provided with a mechanism for individually adjusting the pitch in the Y-axis direction of the application nozzles 45a to 45c corresponding to the pattern to be coated on the substrate. As such a pitch adjustment mechanism, various pitch adjustment mechanisms such as a pitch adjustment mechanism (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-155138) can be adopted.

&Lt; 1.2.5 Configuration of control unit 10 >

Fig. 8 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the application device 1. Fig.

8, for example, the CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, the storage device 14, and the like are interconnected via the bus line 15 It is constituted by general computer. The ROM 12 stores basic programs and the like, and the RAM 13 is provided as a work area when the CPU 11 performs predetermined processing. The storage device 14 is constituted by a nonvolatile memory device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device.

In the control unit 10, the input unit 16 and the output unit 17 are also connected to the bus line 15. [ The input unit 16 is made up of various switches, touch panels, and the like, and receives various input setting instructions such as a processing recipe from an operator (an operator who operates the applying apparatus 1). The output unit 17 is constituted by a liquid crystal display, a lamp, and the like, and displays various kinds of information under the control of the CPU 11.

The substrate mounting apparatus 2, the liquid receiver 3, the liquid receiver cleaning apparatus 4, and the organic EL applying mechanism 5 are connected to the control unit 10 as objects to be controlled. The control section 10 controls the respective devices (the substrate mounting device 2, the liquid receiver 3, the liquid crystal panel cleaning device 4, the organic EL applying device 4, (Operation 5) is controlled.

<2.1 Overall Operation of Coating Apparatus 1>

Next, the operation of the coating device 1 constructed as described above will be described. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a process when the organic EL material coating process is performed on one substrate P in the coating device 1. Fig. Hereinafter, the outline of the coating process of the coating device 1 will be described with reference to Fig.

The substrate P to be subjected to the coating treatment in the coating device 1 is brought into the coating device 1 by a transportation robot or the like (not shown) and placed on the stage 21. At this time, the substrate P is placed so that a plurality of grooves formed so as to define the row of the organic EL light emitting cells are parallel in the X-axis direction (step ST1). An anode and a hole transporting layer for the organic EL light emitting cell are already formed on the substrate P to be brought into the coating apparatus 1. [

When the substrate P carried in the coating device 1 is fixed to the stage 21, the control unit 10 controls the liquid container cleaning device 4, the stage 21, and the application nozzle unit 50 as initial (Step ST2). Specifically, the control unit 10 controls the Y-direction moving mechanism 48 and the elevating mechanism 49 so that the liquid receiving block 4a of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 is moved in the same Y direction as the liquid receiving portion 3 Position and the Z-direction position, respectively.

The stage 21 is moved for each substrate P at a predetermined initial position and the coating nozzle unit 50 is mounted on one end of the nozzle moving mechanism 51 (the shaft guide 511, the ball screw 512) . At this time, the nozzle unit 50 is moved upward (one end on the + X side) of the liquid receiver 3 and on the liquid receiver block 4a of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 And is moved to one side. In the following description, the case where the initial position of the nozzle unit 50 is above the liquid receiving portion 3 will be described.

The initial position of the stage 21 is set such that the coating nozzles 52c (the coating nozzles 52a to 52e) are arranged immediately above the grooves on the most Y-axis positive side of the plurality of grooves formed in the Y- 52c in the Y-axis positive direction side). When the liquid receiver cleaning device 4, the stage 21, and the application nozzle unit 50 are disposed at the initial positions as described above, the control unit 10 controls the discharge of the organic EL material from the application nozzles 52a to 52c (Step ST3).

The red organic EL material is discharged from each of the coating nozzles 52a to 52c of the coating nozzle unit 50 and the coating nozzle unit 50 is moved by the nozzle moving mechanism 51 (the shaft guide 511, the ball screw 512 (The upper side of the liquid receiver 3) to the other end (above the liquid receiver block 4a) (step ST4). The step ST4 is hereinafter referred to as &quot; one coating operation (main scanning) &quot;.

As described above, the pitch in the Y-axis direction of each of the application nozzles 52a to 52c coincides with the interval of three rows of grooves formed in the substrate P. [ Therefore, in one coating operation, linear coating of the organic EL material is applied to the three rows of grooves with intervals of two columns with respect to the substrate P. [

When the coating operation is completed once, the nozzle unit 50 stands by while discharging the organic EL material above the liquid receiving block 4a of the liquid level receiver 4. At this time, the organic EL material is brought into contact with the upper surface of the liquid contact member 43. Since the suction by the discharge portion 43 is performed as described above, the organic EL material discharged onto the upper surface of the liquid contact member 43, (41) and discharged from the discharge portion (43).

The stage 21 is moved in the + Y direction by a predetermined pitch (for example, three times the nozzle pitch) by the stage moving mechanism 26 while the nozzle unit 50 is in the standby state. As a result, the substrate P placed on the stage 21 is also moved in the + Y direction (step ST5). The process of this step ST5 is hereinafter referred to as &quot; one substrate transfer operation (sub-scan) &quot;. Since the nozzle pitch is the groove interval of three rows of the substrate P, the substrate P is moved in the + Y direction by nine rows of grooves in one substrate feeding operation.

Thus, at the timing when the nozzle unit 50 is waiting above the liquid receiving block 4a, it is possible to perform the cleaning process of the application nozzles 52a to 52c. The processes (steps ST6 and ST7) of these cleaning processes will be described later, and hence the description will be continued with respect to the case of proceeding to NO in the branching of step ST6 (when no cleaning process is performed).

As shown in step ST8, when the coating process is completed, the discharge of the organic EL material is stopped, and when the coating process is not completed, the process proceeds to step ST4. As a result, by repeating the above-described one coating operation and the one-time feeding operation, the application to the substrate P is performed in three rows. Thus, the organic EL material is applied to the substrate P in a stripe shape in three rows.

The one coating operation and the one feeding operation are performed until the organic EL material is applied to the effective region (region where the grooves are formed) of the substrate P. At this point, the organic EL material is applied to the portion other than the effective region of the substrate P with respect to the X-axis direction. The organic EL material applied to the region other than the effective region is removed by a removing process Removed. Thus, the discharge of the organic EL material by the application nozzles 52a to 52c is terminated (step ST9).

The substrate P on which the coating process in the coating device 1 has been completed is carried out of the coating device 1 by a transport robot (not shown) (step ST10). For the removed substrate P, the organic EL material attached to the region other than the effective region of the substrate P is removed. The removing process may be any method for removing the organic EL material on the substrate P. For example, the removing process may be a method of removing the organic EL material by laser ablation, Method. Then, a drying process (baking process) is performed on the substrate P on which the removing process has been completed.

Thus, the coating and drying process is completed for the red organic EL material. Thereafter, as for the substrate P, the organic EL material of green and blue is applied and dried in the same manner as in the case of red. That is, a process of applying a green organic EL material, a process of drying a coated green organic EL material, a process of applying a blue organic EL material, and a process of drying a coated blue organic EL material are performed in this order Is done. As described above, the organic EL material of red, green, and blue is applied and dried to form the light emitting layer of the organic EL display device. Further, an organic EL display device is manufactured by forming a cathode electrode on the light emitting layer by, for example, vacuum evaporation deposition on the substrate on which the light emitting layer is formed.

&Lt; 2.2 Operation of cleaning process >

Next, the operation (cleaning operation) of the coating device 1 at the time of cleaning will be described. Fig. 10 is a flow chart showing the flow of the cleaning operation of the application device 1. Fig. The cleaning operation shown in Fig. 10 may be performed before or after the start of the one-day work by the application device, or may be performed each time the application processing for the predetermined number of substrates is completed, or may be performed at predetermined time intervals . Further, as shown in step ST6 and step ST7 in Fig. 9, it may be performed in the middle of the coating process of one substrate P. Fig. It may also be performed in the case where the discharge is resumed from each of the application nozzles 52a to 52c after maintenance of the application device 1, for example.

The cleaning operation may be started according to a manual instruction to the control unit 10 by an operator, or may be automatically started by the control unit 10 according to a predetermined condition.

In the cleaning operation, first, the nozzle unit 50 is cleaned by the nozzle moving mechanism 51 by the nozzle moving mechanism 51 so that the positions of the coating nozzles 52a to 52c and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c in the X- And moves to the upper side of the apparatus 4 (Fig. 10: step ST11).

At this time, since the nozzle receiver cleaning device 4 is at the initial position described above, the nozzle moving mechanism 51 is located above the nozzle receiver block 4a of the nozzle receiver cleaner 4. [ In the following description, the initial position of the cup receiving and cleaning apparatus 4 is referred to as a position P1. The relative positional relationship between the nozzle unit 50 and the nozzle receiving and cleaning apparatus 4 at the position P1 is shown in Fig. 11 (a). 11 (a) to (e) are diagrams for explaining the relative positional relationship with the liquid receiver cleaning device 4, the discharge portion 43 and the like are omitted as appropriate.

Next, the lifter mechanism 4 descends until the top surface of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c is lowered from the lowermost surface of the application nozzles 52a to 52c by the lifting mechanism 49 (step ST12). This is to prevent collision between the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c in the next step ST13. In the following description, the position of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 immediately after step ST12 is referred to as a position P2. 11 (b) shows the relative positional relationship between the nozzle unit 50 and the nozzle receiving and cleaning apparatus 4 at the position P2.

Next, the liquid receiving and cleaning device 4 moves in the + Y direction until the respective cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are positioned immediately below the application nozzles 52a to 52c by the Y-direction moving mechanism 48 (Step ST13). As a result, as shown in Fig. 11 (c), each of the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c in the cleaning block 4b of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 are opposed to each other . In the following description, the position of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 immediately after step ST13 is referred to as a position P3. 11 (c) shows the relative positional relationship between the nozzle unit 50 and the nozzle receiving and cleaning apparatus 4 at the position P3.

When the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 moves to the position P3, first, the above-described suction process is performed (step ST14). That is, the suction operation is performed by the suction mechanism in the state where the supply piping 461a to 461c is closed by the valve, so that the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (not shown) are connected to the cleaning pipes 46a to 46c through the common pipes 46a to 46c and the suction pipes 462a to 462c, ) Is performed.

11C, since the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are opposed to the coating nozzles 52a to 52c, the gas around the coating nozzles 52a to 52c, the coating liquid, The particle can be sucked (suction treatment). Hereinafter, the suction process (suction process performed before the cleaning liquid supply process) in this step ST14 is referred to as a first suction process. As for the timing of the end of the first suction process, the process may be terminated manually as instructed by the operator, or the process may be terminated by a predetermined suction process time.

When the first suction process (step ST14) is completed, the above-described cleaning liquid supply process is performed (step ST15). That is, the cleaning liquid is supplied by the cleaning liquid supply mechanism in a state where the suction piping 462a to 462c is closed by the valve, whereby the cleaning liquid passes through the supply pipes 461a to 461c and the common pipes 46a to 46c, And is supplied to the nozzles 45a to 45c.

At this time, as shown in Fig. 11 (c), since the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are opposed to the coating nozzles 52a to 52c, the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (more specifically, The cleaning liquid can be supplied to the application nozzles 52a to 52c (cleaning liquid supply process). The timing of the end of the cleaning liquid supply process may be determined by the operator or may be determined in advance as in the end timing of the first suction process.

When the cleaning liquid supply process is completed, the aforementioned suction process is performed (step ST16). That is, the suction pipes 46a to 46c are connected to the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c via the common pipes 46a to 46c and the suction pipes 462a to 462c by the suction mechanism performing the suction process with the supply pipes 461a to 461c closed by the valves. (Such as a cleaning liquid or a coating liquid) and particles are sucked.

At this time, as shown in Fig. 11 (c), since the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are opposed to the coating nozzles 52a to 52c, the gas around the coating nozzles 52a to 52c, (Suction process). In addition, the application nozzles 52a to 52c may be dried by this suction process. Hereinafter, the suction process (suction process performed after the cleaning liquid supply process) in this step ST16 is referred to as a second suction process. The timing of the end of the second suction process may be determined by the operator or determined in advance, similar to the timing of the end of the first suction process and the cleaning process.

Upon completion of the first suction process, the cleaning liquid supply process, and the second suction process in steps ST14 to ST16, the cleaning process for the application nozzles 52a to 52c in this embodiment ends. Thus, each device is moved to an initial position for starting the application operation.

More specifically, first, the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 moves in the -Y direction from the position P3 to the position P2 by the Y-direction moving mechanism 48 (step ST17). The relative positional relationship between the nozzle unit 50 after the movement and the nozzle receiver cleaner 4 is shown in Fig. 11 (d) (position P2).

When the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 moves in the -Y direction to the position P2, it is then raised to the position P1 by the lifting mechanism 49 (step ST18). The relative positional relationship between the nozzle unit 50 after the movement and the nozzle receiving and cleaning apparatus 4 is shown in Fig. 11 (e) (position P1). Since the position P1 is also the initial position for starting the application operation, the nozzle unit 50 can resume the application operation shown in Fig.

By the above-described steps ST11 to ST18, a series of cleaning operations is completed.

<Effect of the Coating Apparatus 1>

As described above, when the application device 1 applies the application liquid to the entire surface of the substrate, the application nozzles 52a to 52c, which are scanned and moved, apply the liquid application to the liquid receiver 3 or the liquid surface cleaning device 4 , The coating liquid is discharged several times. At this time, if the coating liquid remains on the upper surfaces of the liquid contact members 32 and 42, the next-applied coating liquid and the remaining coating liquid collide with each other, whereby mist droplets (hereinafter simply referred to as &quot; mist &quot; The probability of occurrence is increased.

When the generated mist is adhered to the nozzle unit 50 (for example, the application nozzles 52a to 52c), when the nozzle unit 50 moves above the substrate P, the mist or particles Is likely to fall on the substrate P. The dropping of the mist or particles onto the substrate P is required to prevent the substrate P from becoming a defective product and leading to a reduction in the yield.

The upper surface of the liquid contact members 32 and 42 to which the coating liquid discharged from the application nozzles 52a to 52c are to be contacted is sucked by the suction of the discharge portions 33 and 43 It is always in a dry state, so that the possibility of the occurrence of the mist can be reduced.

As described above, by the suction of the discharge portions 33 and 43, the internal spaces L1 and L2, which are in contact with the lower surface of the liquid contact members 32 and 42, become negative, An air flow toward the inner spaces L1 and L2 is generated. Naturally, this air flow is stronger as it is closer to the liquid contact members 32 and 42. Further, a downward flow (airflow having a downward component) is generated toward the inner spaces L1 and L2 on the side of the liquid contact members 32 and 42. [ Here, &quot; immediately adjacent to the liquid contact member &quot; means a range in which a downward air current is generated, which is closer to the liquid contact member than the &quot; near the liquid contact member &quot;

Since the downward flow is generated just in the vicinity of the liquid contact members 32 and 42 as described above, even when the coating liquid collides with the liquid contact members 32 and 42 and mist is generated, And is sucked into the inner space (L1 / L2) together with the gas of the air. As a result, it is possible to prevent the generated mist from floating and adhering to the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the periphery thereof (for example, the nozzle unit 50 or the like).

12 is a drawing showing the positional relationship between the nozzle unit 50 of the present embodiment and the nozzle receiver cleaning apparatus 4 (position P3), and FIG. 11 (c) showing the position of the nozzle unit cleaning apparatus 4 (position P3).

As described above, when the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 is at the position P3, the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are positioned immediately below the application nozzles 52a to 52c to perform the suction process and the cleaning process . Therefore, as shown in Fig. 11 (c) and Fig. 12, the organic EL material as the coating liquid is discharged toward the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c, not to the liquid contact member 42. [ At this time, the discharged coating liquid and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (the cleaning liquid during the cleaning process) may collide with each other, possibly causing mist.

However, even when the mist is generated in this manner, the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (more specifically, the opening 45m) are arranged in the downward direction (-Z direction) of the airflow 6 (In this example, the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 in this example) within the range of the lower air flow area D where the lower airflow having the lower airflow is generated The mist is sucked into the inner space L2 together with the surrounding gas along the downward flow. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the generated mist from floating and adhering to the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the periphery thereof (for example, the nozzle unit 50 or the like).

To sum up, in the invention of the present embodiment, the probability of occurrence of mist can be reduced. Even if a mist is generated, if the mist generation portion is within the range of the down stream airflow region D, the mist is supplied to the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the periphery thereof (for example, the nozzle unit 50 or the like) Can be prevented from being adhered.

Particularly, in the case where the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (more specifically, the opening 45m) are fixedly arranged above the upper surfaces of the inner spaces L1 and L2 of the liquid receiver as in this embodiment, It is possible to surely prevent the mist from adhering to the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the periphery thereof (for example, the nozzle unit 50 or the like).

{Variation example}

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than the above insofar as it does not deviate from the purpose.

In the description of the modification example, the same elements as those of the embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, duplicate description is omitted for the same configuration or operation as the embodiment of the present invention.

&Lt; 4.1 Modified example of liquid receiver cleaning device 4 &

The liquid receiver cleaning apparatus 4 according to the above embodiment is provided with a mechanism (cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c, common pipes 46a to 46c, supply pipes 461a to 461c, suction pipes 462a to 462c ) Is provided inside the mechanism serving as the liquid receiver (the box portion 41, the liquid contact member 42, and the discharge portion 43). The &quot; arrangement of the nozzle cleaning device inside the nozzle receiving portion &quot; in the present invention includes the case where &quot; part of the nozzle cleaning device is disposed inside the nozzle receiving portion &quot;

5 and 7, the upper end (opening 45m) of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c is positioned above the upper surface of the liquid contact member 42 as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, .

However, the constitution of the present invention is not limited to the constitution of the above-described embodiment, and it is possible to apply a modification as shown in the following example to the liquid- have.

&Lt; 4.1.1 Variation Example 1 of liquid receiver cleaning device 4 &

13 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing a configuration corresponding to the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 of the present invention in the first modification. The liquid receiver cleaning device 4 may be configured so that the upper ends of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are flush with the upper surface of the liquid contact member 42 as shown in Fig.

Also in this case, when the suction process and the cleaning liquid supply process are performed, the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are located immediately below the application nozzles 52a to 52c (position P3), as in the present embodiment. Therefore, the organic EL material is discharged toward the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c, and the discharged coating liquid and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c (cleaning liquid in the cleaning process) collide with each other, thereby generating mist.

However, since the upper ends of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are at the same height as the upper surface of the liquid contact member 42 in the present modification example, naturally occurring portions (openings 45 of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c) The airflow is in the range of the airflow region D.

Therefore, in the first modified example, even when a mist is generated, the mist is sucked into the inner space L2 together with the surrounding gas along the downward flow. As a result, the generated mist can be prevented from floating and adhering to the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the periphery thereof (for example, the nozzle unit 50).

Although the upper ends of the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are lower in height than the upper surface of the liquid contact member 42, they are included in the scope of the present invention, although they are different from the first modified example. However, in such a case, it is necessary to take into consideration mechanical constraints that the coating nozzles 52a to 52c and the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c are opposed to each other in the cleaning liquid supply process.

&Lt; 4.1.2 Variation 2 of liquid receiver cleaning device 4 &gt;

14 is a conceptual cross-sectional view showing a configuration corresponding to the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 of the present invention in the second modification. As shown in Fig. 14, unlike the embodiment of the present invention, the liquid receiving portion 3 having the liquid receiving function and the cleaning device 9 having the cleaning function of the nozzle may be provided separately.

The cleaning apparatus 9 includes a liquid recovery unit 91, a discharge unit 93, cleaning nozzles 95a to 95c, common lines 96a to 96c, supply lines 961a to 961c, and suction lines 962a To 962c.

14, the liquid recovery portion 91 is connected to the box portions 31 and 41, the discharge portion 93 is connected to the discharge portions 33 and 43, and the cleaning nozzles 95a to 95c The common pipes 96a to 96c are connected to the common pipes 46a to 46c while the supply pipes 961a to 961c are connected to the supply pipes 461a to 461c and the suction pipes 962a to 961c are connected to the cleaning nozzles 45a to 45c, And 962c correspond to the suction pipes 462a to 462c, respectively.

The width (length in the Y direction) of the organic EL material discharged from the application nozzles 52a to 52c in the columnar state is a width Lt; / RTI &gt;

When the organic EL material is applied to the substrate P, the application nozzles 52a to 52c are scanned above the substrate P along the X direction while discharging the organic EL material . When the nozzles 52a to 52c are scanned along the X direction and moved upward of the cleaning device 9, the cleaning device 9 is arranged so that the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the cleaning nozzles 95a to 95c face each other . Therefore, the cleaning process (cleaning liquid supply process and suction process) in this modification can be performed on the application nozzles 52a to 52c by the cleaning nozzles 95a to 95c.

The present invention is also applied to the configuration of the second modified example in which the liquid receiving portion 3 having the liquid receiving function and the cleaning device 9 having the cleaning function are provided separately as described above.

That is, as shown in Fig. 14, the mist generating portions (the cleaning nozzles 95a to 95c, and more specifically, the openings thereof) are arranged in such a manner that the downward airflow of the airflow 6 generated by the negative pressure of the box portion 31 The mist is sucked into the inner space L1 together with the surrounding gas along the downward flow. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the generated mist from floating and adhering to the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the periphery thereof (for example, the nozzle unit 50).

In the case where the cleaning device 9 is disposed adjacent to the side of the liquid receiver 3 and the positional relationship between them is fixed as in the present modified example, it is easy to employ the above-described integral moving mechanism.

15 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a liquid receiving portion 3 and a cleaning device 9 of a coating device 1 in which the present invention can not be applied as a comparative example of the present invention.

15, the mist generating portions (cleaning nozzles 95a to 95c) are arranged in the upward flow region E (the upstream side in the drawing) in which the upward flow of the airflow 6 generated by the negative pressure of the box portion 31 is generated ), The mist is rolled up along the ascending current. As a result, there is a high possibility that the mist adheres to the application nozzles 52a to 52c and the periphery thereof (for example, the nozzle unit 50).

&Lt; 4.2 Variations of Coating Apparatus 1 >

As described above, a modified example of the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 has been described. However, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than the above-described ones without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the embodiment described above, a porous material is used as a liquid contact member to which the coating liquid discharged from the coating nozzles 52a to 52c is contacted in the liquid receiving portion 3 and the liquid receiver cleaning device 4, It is not. That is, it is sufficient that a porous material is sufficient. For example, a material such as a nonwoven fabric, a planar body, a woven fabric or a mesh-like thin plate, or the like having a gap therein enough to allow gas to pass therethrough, It is possible.

Further, a plurality of slit-shaped members or the like may be used instead of the porous material as the liquid contact member to which the coating liquid is contacted. The slit-shaped member is configured to allow the liquid to flow down from the gap to the bottom by passing the gas through the gap inclined in the oblique direction. As the slit member, a metal plate such as stainless steel or a resin material such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) can be used.

In addition, a structure is described in which spaces are formed in the spaces L1 and L2 which are in contact with the lower surface of the electrolyte solution member, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a low density cotton-like member, a plurality of columnar members, or the like, which does not substantially cause a pressure loss as in the spaces L 1 and L 2, .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the organic EL materials of red, green, and blue are applied to the substrate P by three groups of the application nozzles 52a to 52c, Or may be used for application of the hole transport layer material.

Further, red, green, and blue organic EL materials may be respectively ejected from the application nozzles 52a to 52c. In this case, a so-called stripe arrangement arranged in the order of red, green, and blue is formed by one coating process.

In the above-described embodiment, the organic EL materials are flown into the respective grooves of the substrate P by the three groups of the application nozzles 52a to 52c. The number of the organic EL materials is not limited to three, but one Or may be applied by more nozzles. By increasing the number of nozzles, the number of coatings that can be applied by one scanning movement is increased, so that the processing time can be shortened.

In the above-described embodiments, an apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL display device in which an organic EL material or a hole transporting material is used as a coating liquid has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to other coating apparatuses. For example, the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for applying a resist solution, a spin-on glass (SOG) liquid, or a fluorescent material used for manufacturing a PDP (plasma display panel). The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus for applying a coloring material used for manufacturing a color filter in a liquid crystal cell for color display of a liquid crystal color display. Further, the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for performing a coating process when a solar panel used for solar power generation is manufactured.

The liquid receiving portion 3 and the liquid receiving and cleaning device 4 in the above-described embodiment can not move in the X direction. However, the liquid receiving portion 3 and the liquid receiving and cleaning device 4 can be moved in the X direction Therefore, a moving mechanism for moving the apparatus may be provided. In such a case, the relative positions of the liquid receiver 3 and the liquid receiver cleaning device 4 can be adjusted in accordance with the size of the substrate P to be coated.

1: Coating device 2: Substrate mounting device
3: Receiver part 4: Receiver cleaning device
5: Organic EL dispensing device 6: Air flow
9: cleaning device 21: stage
31, 41: box portion 32, 42:
33, 43, 93: discharge part 45, 95: cleaning nozzle
46, 96: common pipe 50: nozzle unit
51: nozzle moving mechanism 52: application nozzle
91: liquid recovery unit L1, L2: inner space

Claims (9)

A coating apparatus for coating a coating liquid on a substrate,
A nozzle which is movable in a space above the substrate and has a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid downward;
A liquid receiving portion having an internal space connected to a suction path and receiving the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle when the nozzle is outside the region of the substrate,
And a nozzle cleaning device disposed in the vicinity of the liquid receiving portion and having an opening capable of discharging a predetermined cleaning liquid upward and performing a cleaning process on the discharge port of the nozzle by the cleaning liquid,
Wherein the inner space of the liquid receiver is in a negative pressure state due to suction through the suction path so that a downward airflow region in which a downward airflow having a downward component is generated in the airflow generated in a space near the liquid receiving portion, Wherein the opening of the nozzle cleaning device is relatively fixed relative to the liquid receiving portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the opening of the nozzle cleaning device is fixedly disposed above the upper surface of the inner space of the liquid receiving portion. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the upper surface of the inner space of the liquid receiver is defined by an upper surface of a porous planar body that covers an upper opening of the inner space. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the liquid receiving portion and the nozzle cleaning device are integrated to form a liquid receiving and cleaning device. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the upper surface of the nozzle receiver and the nozzle receiver integrally formed are formed as a porous planar body. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein the nozzle cleaning device is disposed inside the liquid receiving portion and is integrated with the liquid receiving portion. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Wherein the nozzle cleaning device is disposed adjacent to a side portion of the liquid receiving portion and has a fixed positional relationship with the liquid receiving portion. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
And an integrally moving mechanism for integrally moving both the liquid receiver and the nozzle cleaning device. There is provided a liquid receiving and cleaning apparatus which receives a coating liquid discharged downward from a nozzle of a substrate applying apparatus and cleans the nozzle,
A liquid receiving portion having an internal space connected to a suction path and receiving the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle when the nozzle is outside the region of the substrate,
And a nozzle cleaning device integrated with the liquid receiving portion and having an opening capable of discharging a predetermined cleaning liquid upward and performing a cleaning process on the discharge port of the nozzle by the cleaning liquid,
Wherein the inner space of the liquid receiver is in a negative pressure state due to the suction through the suction path so that a downward airflow having a downward component in the airflow generated in the space near the liquid receiving portion is generated, And the opening of the nozzle cleaning device is fixed relative to the liquid receiving portion.

Images