KR19980042825A - Coating film forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

The coating film forming apparatus includes a mounting table (10) for holding an LCD substrate substantially horizontally, and a nozzle (20) having a slit-shaped liquid ejection opening (21) extending from one end portion to the other end portion of the substrate. And the resist liquid supply mechanisms 126 to 128 for supplying the resist liquid 50 to the nozzles, and the nozzles are supported so that the liquid discharge ports maintain a constant distance from the substrate, and the nozzles are orthogonal to the longer side of the liquid discharge ports. And a moving mechanism 130 that moves relative to the substrate. This nozzle connects the inlet 23a through which the resist liquid is introduced from the resist liquid supply mechanism, and the resist liquid introduced through the inlet and the liquid discharge port, respectively, to temporarily store the resist liquid through the inlet. A film thickness control means (40) provided at the liquid storage portion (22) to be discharged, and at both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port, and for reducing the discharge pressure of the resist liquid discharged from both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port; 40A, 40B, 40C are provided. By this film thickness control means, the discharge pressure of the resist liquid discharged from the both ends of the liquid discharge port in the longitudinal direction is made to be substantially equal to the discharge pressure of the resist liquid discharged from the middle portion of the liquid discharge port. The film thickness of the resist coating film formed in the film is uniformed.

Description

Coating film forming device

The present invention relates to a coating film forming apparatus for coating and forming a resist film on a substrate such as an LCD substrate or a semiconductor wafer.

Photolithography technology is used in the manufacturing process of liquid crystal display devices (LCDs). In the photolithography technique, a resist is applied onto a glass substrate, the coating resist is exposed to a predetermined pattern, and further developed. As a result, a resist film having a predetermined pattern is formed on the surface of the glass substrate, and a film composed of a semiconductor layer, an insulator layer, and an electrode layer having a predetermined pattern is formed on the substrate by forming and etching.

For example, US application Ser. No. 08 / 914,819 (filed Aug. 20, 1997) describes a resist coating apparatus for an LCD substrate having a slit nozzle. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional apparatus is equipped with the nozzle 1 which has the linear slit-shaped discharge port 2. As shown in FIG. The passage 1a which is connected to the resist liquid supply source (not shown) is opened in the liquid storage part 1c of the nozzle 1 at the place of the inlet 1b, and the liquid storage part 1c is the slit-shaped discharge port. It is connected to (2) in succession. The resist is applied to the substrate by scanning the nozzle 1 from one side of the substrate toward the opposite side along the LCD substrate while discharging the resist liquid 3 from the slit nozzle 1 in a band shape. .

However, in the nozzle 1 of this conventional apparatus, since the pressure P2 of the peripheral part of the slit-shaped discharge port 2 tends to become higher than the pressure P1 of the intermediate part of the discharge port 2, the resist liquid discharged ( 3) the peripheral part is larger than the middle part of the discharge port 2, and as shown in FIG. 2, the thickness of the resist liquid discharged from the peripheral part becomes thicker than the thickness of the intermediate part. In addition, due to the change in the discharge pressure of the resist liquid, the viscosity of the resist liquid is affected, and thus the thickness of the resist liquid in both peripheral edge portions of the discharge port 2 is similarly increased. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, since the film thickness of both the resist films 4 of the width direction of LCD substrate G becomes thick, and the resist film thickness becomes nonuniform as a whole, product production yield falls.

In addition, when the resist liquid discharged from the nozzle 1 is applied onto the LCD substrate, there is a problem that the thickness of the resist film becomes uneven under the influence of ambient temperature or static electricity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coating film forming apparatus in which the discharge amount of the coating liquid discharged in a band shape is made uniform so that a uniform film thickness can be formed.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a slit nozzle of a conventional apparatus;

2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a coating liquid film discharged from a slit nozzle of a conventional apparatus;

3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state of a coating film coated by a conventional apparatus;

4 is a schematic perspective view showing an outline of a coating film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a block plan view showing a coating film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a start operation of a slit nozzle;

7 is a block sectional view showing a coating film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a cross sectional view schematically showing a coating liquid film discharged from a slit nozzle;

9 is a film thickness distribution diagram of a resist film formed on a glass substrate for LCD,

10 is a block sectional view showing a coating film forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

11 is a cross-sectional view showing a coating film forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

12 is a sectional view showing a coating film forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view showing a device of a fourth embodiment cut along the line III-III III of FIG. 12;

14 is a perspective view showing an outline of a coating and developing treatment system having a coating film forming apparatus;

Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

10: mounting table 20: nozzle

20b: Extended sloped inner wall 20c, 20d, 20f: Vertical inner wall

20e: inner wall of reduced taper 21: liquid outlet

22: liquid reservoir 23: passage

23a: entrance 30: waiting area

31: prime roller 32: container

40, 40A, 40B, 40C: Film thickness control means 41: Communication path

42, 60: suction pipe 43: diaphragm pump

65: vacuum pump 70: atmospheric opening

71: opening adjustment valve mechanism 80: heater

81: insulation spacer 90: loader

91,92: processing unit 93: relay unit

94: exchange unit 95: exposure apparatus

99, 112: sub-arm mechanism 100, 100a: main arm mechanism

107: coating film forming apparatus 126: resist liquid supply source

130: moving mechanism 150: space keeping mechanism

A coating film forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a nozzle for holding a substrate substantially horizontally, a nozzle having a slit-shaped discharge port extending from one end portion to the other end portion of the substrate, Means for supplying a coating liquid, and moving means for supporting the nozzle so that the liquid discharge port maintains a constant distance from the substrate, and moving the nozzle relative to the substrate in a direction orthogonal to the long side of the liquid discharge port; And the nozzle communicates with the inlet through which the coating liquid is introduced from the coating liquid supplying means, the coating liquid introduced through the inlet and the liquid outlet, respectively, and temporarily stores the coating liquid introduced through the inlet to the liquid outlet. A liquid storage portion for dispensing the coating liquid, and is provided at both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port, and toward both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port. And a film thickness control means for reducing the discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged from the discharge liquid, and the discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged from both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port by the film thickness control means toward the middle portion of the liquid discharge port. It is characterized in that it is substantially equal to the discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged from the above, thereby making the film thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate uniform.

In this case, the short side of the liquid storage part is defined by the inner side of the tapered expansion tape and the first vertical inner wall. Further, the long side of the liquid storage part is defined by the second vertical inner wall and the reduced taper inner wall. It is defined by the third vertical inner wall, and the first vertical inner wall defines both ends in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port.

The film thickness control means includes a plurality of communication paths each opening to a nozzle inner wall defining both ends of the liquid discharge port in a longitudinal direction, a plurality of suction pipes respectively connected to each communication path, and a vacuum pump for evacuating each suction pipe. It can be provided.

In addition, the film thickness control means includes a plurality of communication paths each opened to the nozzle inner wall defining both ends of the liquid discharge port in the longitudinal direction, a suction pipe connected to each communication path, and an ejector mechanism for depressurizing the inside of each suction pipe. You may.

It is also preferable to have a drying means which volatilizes the solvent of the coating liquid immediately after it is discharged from both ends of the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port and rises on the substrate, thereby increasing the viscosity of the coating liquid.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, various preferable embodiment of this invention is described, referring an accompanying drawing. Here, the case where this invention is applied to the apparatus for apply | coating a resist to a glass substrate for LCD is demonstrated.

As shown to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the coating film forming apparatus 107 is equipped with the mounting base 10, the slit nozzle 20, and two storage parts 30. As shown in FIG. The mounting table 10 is provided with a vacuum suction mechanism (not shown), and is adapted to horizontally hold and hold a glass substrate G having a size of 650 mm x 550 mm, for example. The slit nozzle 20 is provided with the slit-shaped liquid discharge port 21 extended in the Y-axis direction, and is supported by the movement mechanism 130 so that a movement to the X-axis direction is possible. The length of the slit-shaped liquid discharge port 21 is slightly shorter than the length of the short side of the board | substrate G. As shown in FIG. This is because the glass substrate G is provided with the non-coated area 9 to which the resist at its edge is not applied, in addition to the area to be coated 8 to which the resist is to be applied.

As shown in FIG. 5, the moving mechanism 130 includes a pair of ball screws 132, a pair of motors 133, a pair of movable members 134, and a pair of linear guides 154. Equipped with. The pair of ball screws 132 and the pair of linear guides 154 extend in parallel in the X-axis direction, respectively. The board | substrate G is mounted on the mounting base 10 so that it may be located between the one linear guide 154 and the other linear guide 154. As shown in FIG. Each ball screw 132 is supported by the mounting base 10 by the two bearings 131, respectively.

Movable members 134 are attached to both ends of the slit nozzle 20, respectively. These movable members 134 include a ball nut and a nozzle rocking mechanism 138 which will be described later. The slit nozzle 20 is connected to the ball screw 132 and the linear guide 154 via the movable member 134. Each is connected.

Moreover, the space | interval holding mechanism 150 is provided in the both ends of the slit nozzle 20, respectively. The gap holding mechanism 150 is for keeping the gap between the discharge port 21 of the nozzle 20 and the surface to be coated 8 of the substrate G constant. As such a space keeping mechanism 150, in the apparatus described in US Application No. 08 / 914,819, a roller traveling on the circumferential edge region 9 of the substrate G to which the resist is not applied is used.

One end of each ball screw 132 is connected to the drive shaft of each motor 133, respectively. The power supply circuits of both motors 133 are connected to the output of the controller 171, respectively, and both motors 133 are controlled to be synchronized by the controller 171. In such a moving mechanism 130, when the ball screw 132 is rotated, the nozzle 20 is maintained in the X axis direction while maintaining a constant distance from the surface to be coated 8 of the substrate G on the mounting table 10. Move.

Next, a supply circuit of the resist liquid to the slit nozzle 20 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the resist liquid supply circuit includes a passage 23, a resist liquid supply source 126, a diaphragm pump 127, and a valve 128. The inlet 23a is formed in the upper part of the slit nozzle 20 and connects to the passage 23 of the resist liquid supply circuit. The resist liquid is introduced into the nozzle 20 via this inlet 23a. The passage 23 communicates with the resist liquid supply source 126 via the diaphragm pump 127 and the valve 128. The passage 23 uses a tube made of soft resin or a flexible hose made of stainless steel. The operation circuit of the diaphragm pump 127 and the valve 128 is connected to the output part of the controller 171, and the supply flow volume of the resist liquid to the nozzle 20 is controlled.

Two storage units 30 face each other with the mounting table 10 therebetween. Each storage unit 30 is installed close to both sides parallel to the Y axis of the mounting table 10, the prime roller 31 is provided to prevent the drying of the liquid discharge port 21 in the air (not in use) have.

As shown in FIG. 6, the prime roller 31 is horizontally installed in the container 32 of the storage unit 30, and the lower half of the prime roller 31 is placed in a solvent (thinner) 50A in the container 32. It is immersed. This prime roller 31 is rotatably supported by a rotating mechanism (not shown). The nozzle 20 in the air is in a state in which the liquid discharge port 21 is in contact with the peripheral surface of the prime roller 31. When the prime roller 31 is rotated, the thinner 50A is attached to the circumferential surface of the prime roller 31, and the attachment thinner 50A moves to the liquid discharge port 21 of the nozzle. Thereby, drying of the liquid discharge port 21 of a nozzle is prevented, and the density | concentration change of the resist liquid which exists in the liquid discharge port 21 is suppressed.

A nozzle swing mechanism 138 is provided between the slit nozzle 20 and the movable member 134. This nozzle swing mechanism 138 is a belt drive mechanism including a motor 135, a drive pulley 136, a driven pulley 155, and a belt 158. The motor 135 is attached to the side of the movable member 134 so that the drive shaft 135a is horizontal. The drive pulley 136 is fitted into the drive shaft 135a. In addition, the driven pulley 155 is attached to the side of the nozzle 20. The belt 158 is connected between the driven pulley 155 and the drive pulley 136. Moreover, the outer ring of the driven pulley 155 is provided so that it may rotate freely, and this outer ring contacts the guide rails 153a and 153b, and is rotated so that the nozzle 20 may be guided. In addition, the guide rail is composed of a curved portion 153a and a straight portion 153b.

The sensor 159 is provided in the vicinity of the application start position and detects the nozzle 20 existing at the application start position. When the nozzle detection signal is input from the sensor 159 to the controller 171, the driving of the motor 135 of the nozzle swing mechanism 138 is stopped by the command from the controller 171, and the X-axis movement mechanism 130 The driving of is started.

Next, the slit nozzle 20 will be described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 7, the slit nozzle 20 includes a liquid storage part (header part) 22 and a liquid discharge port 21. The liquid storage part 22 is defined by the inclined inner wall 20b, the first vertical inner wall 20c, the second vertical inner wall 20d, the reduced taper inner wall 20e and the third vertical inner wall 20f of the nozzle. It is. That is, the surface on the short side of the liquid reservoir 22 is defined by the expansion inclined inner wall 20b and the first vertical inner wall 20c, and the surface on the long side of the liquid reservoir 22 is defined by the second vertical inner wall ( 20d), the reduction taper inner wall 20e, and the 3rd vertical inner wall 20f are prescribed | regulated. In addition, the first vertical inner wall 20c is continuous to the liquid discharge port 21. The communication path 41 of the film thickness control means 40 mentioned later is opened in the 1st vertical inner wall 20c.

An inlet 23a is formed at an upper center position of the liquid storage unit 22, and the resist liquid supply passage 23 communicates with the liquid storage unit 22 via the inlet 23a. The liquid discharge port 21 is formed to be continuous to the liquid storage unit 22. In addition, although there is only one inlet 23a which communicates with the liquid storage part 22 in the case of illustration, you may make it let the some inlet 23a communicate with the liquid storage part 22 in connection. The nozzle 20 is made of ethylene fluoride resin such as PTFE. In addition, a temperature controller (not shown) is provided in the resist liquid supply circuit so that the temperature of the resist liquid 50 is adjusted to a proper temperature range.

The diameter of the liquid storage part 22 is expanded by the inclined inner wall 20b, and the liquid storage part 22 in the portion between the first vertical inner wall 20c is the size of the liquid discharge port 21 in the Y-axis direction. Is equal to (L1).

As shown in FIG. 13, the size W2 in the X-axis direction of the liquid storage unit 22 is larger than the size W1 in the X-axis direction of the liquid discharge port 21. The liquid storage part 22 has a constant size W2 in the X-axis direction at the upper portion of the second vertical inner wall 20d. However, the liquid storage unit 22 is reduced by the reduced taper inner wall 20e, and the size W1 of the liquid storage unit 22 in the X-axis direction at the lower third vertical inner wall 20f is the liquid discharge port ( 21) is equal to the size W1 in the X-axis direction.

In addition, in order to make the film thickness of a coating resist uniform, it is preferable to make mutual gap H1 between the liquid discharge port 21 and the board | substrate G as small as possible. It is preferable to set mutual space H1 to the range of 100-200 micrometers. In addition, the diameter d1 of the liquid inlet 23a is 15 ± 1 mm. The angle θ1 formed by the expanded inclination inner wall 20b with the Z axis is 85 ° ± 2 °. Each size L1, W1, W2 is preferably set to 540 mm, 0.1 to 0.15 mm, and 20 mm, respectively.

The maximum scanning speed of the nozzle 20 is 20 mm / sec when the viscosity of the resist liquid is 15 cps (centipoise), and 35 mm / sec when the viscosity of the resist liquid is 10 cps (centi poise).

Next, the film thickness control means will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, the film thickness control means 40 of the first embodiment includes a plurality of communication paths 41, a plurality of suction pipes 42, a plurality of diaphragm pumps 43, and a plurality of valves. Equipped with 44. Each communication path 41 penetrates the lower part of the side wall of the longitudinal direction edge part of the nozzle 20, and is open at the position just above the liquid discharge port 20c. Each communication path 41 communicates with the suction side of the diaphragm pump 43 via the suction pipe 42, respectively. In addition, the valve 44 is provided between the communication path 41 and the diaphragm pump 43. The operation of the diaphragm pump 43 and the valve 44 is controlled by the controller 171.

Next, the operation of the apparatus will be described.

When the liquid discharge port 21 of the nozzle 20 is connected to the prime roller 31 in the storage unit 30, and the drying of the liquid discharge port 21 is prevented, the substrate G is transferred by a conveying means (not shown). Is placed on the mounting table 10, and this is adsorbed and held. Next, the resist liquid 50 is supplied to the nozzle 20 from the resist liquid supply source 126. At this time, by the film thickness control means 40, the discharge pressure P2 of the resist liquid 50 discharged from the circumferential edge region of the liquid discharge port 21 is reduced. As a result, the discharge pressure P2 becomes substantially equal to the discharge pressure P1 of the resist liquid 50 discharged from the central region of the liquid discharge port 21. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, in the state where the liquid thickness of the resist liquid 50 is the same over the entire length of the liquid discharge port 21, the strip | belt-shaped resist liquid 50 is carried out from the liquid discharge port 21 by the board | substrate ( It is discharged (supplied) on G). At this time, when the nozzle 20 is moved in the X-axis direction, the resist liquid is applied to the region to be coated 8 of the substrate G.

After forming a resist film in the to-be-coated area | region 8 of the board | substrate G in this way, supply of a resist liquid is stopped and the nozzle 20 is moved to the storage part 30. FIG. Then, the liquid discharge port 21 is brought into contact with the prime roller 31 to prepare for the processing of the next substrate. On the other hand, the substrate G coated with the resist liquid is carried out from the mounting table 10 by a conveying means (not shown) and conveyed to the next processing apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a film thickness distribution diagram showing the results of irradiating the variation in resist film thickness with the abscissa being the resist film thickness measurement position on the substrate G and the ordinate being the film thickness measurement value. The resist film thickness was measured using an ellipsometer with respect to five points of the positions M1-M5 of the board | substrate G along the Y-axis direction. In the figure, the characteristic line J following the black circle plot indicates the film thickness distribution of the coating resist according to the present invention device shown in FIG. 7, and the characteristic line K following the white circle plot shows the conventional device shown in FIG. The film thickness distribution of the coating resist is shown. As is apparent from the figure, the coating resist by the conventional apparatus has a thicker film thickness at the circumferential positions M1 and M5 than the intermediate positions M2 to M4, whereas the coating resist by the apparatus of the present invention is the intermediate position M2. M4) and the film thickness difference did not arise in the peripheral positions M1 and M5. Thus, it was confirmed that the coating resist by the apparatus of this invention shown in FIG. 7 becomes uniform in the film thickness over the whole surface of the board | substrate G. As shown in FIG.

Next, the film thickness control means 40A of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. In addition, description of the part which this 2nd Embodiment is common with the said 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

The film thickness control means 40A of the second embodiment includes a plurality of communication paths 41, a plurality of suction pipes 60, a plurality of gas pressure pipe paths 62, and a plurality of N ₂ gas supply sources 63. And an ejector mechanism including a plurality of drain tanks 64 and a plurality of vacuum pumps 65. The suction pipe 60 has an inverted U-shape shape, one end thereof is connected to the communication path 41, and the other end (opening end) is inserted into the drain tank 64, and the uppermost part (opening part) (61) is in communication with the gas pressure pipeline (62). The N ₂ gas supply source 63 is connected to one end of the gas pressure passage 62, while the suction port of the vacuum pump 65 is connected to the other end.

When the gas is flowed through the N ₂ gas into the gas conveying line 62 and exhausted by the vacuum pump 65, the inside of the suction pipe 60 is depressurized through the opening 61 and from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port 21. The resist liquid is sucked into the suction pipe 60. The sucked resist liquid is recovered in the drain tank 64. Thus, the resist liquid which exists in the vicinity of the vertical inner wall 20c of the liquid discharge port 21 is suction-removed, and the discharge pressure of the resist liquid in this area | region is reduced. As a result, the resist liquid discharge pressure P1 at the middle portion of the liquid discharge port 21 and the resist liquid discharge pressure P2 at both circumferential edges are approximately equal, and as shown in FIG. 8, the liquid of the resist liquid 50 is shown. In a state where the thicknesses are the same, the resist liquid 50 is supplied in a band form from the liquid discharge port 21 onto the substrate G.

Next, the film thickness control means 40B of 3rd Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. In addition, description of the part which this 3rd Embodiment is common with the said 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

The film thickness control means 40B of the third embodiment is provided with an atmospheric opening 70 and an opening adjustment valve mechanism 71. The lower end of the atmospheric opening 70 is in open communication with the liquid storage part 22 where it moves from the expansion inclination inner wall 20b of the nozzle 20 to the vertical inner wall 20c. The atmospheric opening 70 and the vertical inner wall 20c lie in a straight line along the Z axis.

The opening adjustment valve mechanism 71 has a main body 71a and a valve body 71b. The inlet of the main body 71a is connected to the upper end of the atmospheric opening 70, and the outlet is open to the atmosphere. The valve body 71b is a lifting screw mechanism screwed to the main body 71a, whereby the inlet of the main body 71a is opened and closed.

According to such film thickness control means 40B, the discharge pressure of the resist liquid at both peripheral edges of the liquid discharge port 21 can be reduced in pressure, and the discharge pressure of the resist liquid at the middle of the liquid discharge port 21. (P1) and the discharge pressure P2 of the resist liquid of the both peripheral edges can be made into substantially equal pressure.

Next, the film thickness control means 40C of 4th Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. 12 and FIG. In addition, description of the part which this 4th Embodiment is common with the said 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

The film thickness control means 40C of the fourth embodiment includes two heaters 80. Each heater 80 is attached to the side of the liquid discharge port 21 of the nozzle 20 via the heat insulation spacer 81. As shown in FIG. In addition, the heater 80 does not necessarily need to be attached to the nozzle 20 via the heat insulation spacer 81, and may be arrange | positioned in the position some distance from the nozzle 20. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, the attachment position of each heater 80 is the vicinity of the periphery of the peripheral part of the Y-axis direction of the liquid discharge port 21, and as shown in FIG. Side. The power supply circuit of each heater 80 is connected to the output of the controller 171. The insulating spacer 81 is made of resin or plastic having a low thermal conductivity. The reason why the heater 80 is attached to the nozzle 20 via the spacer 81 is that the heat of the heater 80 is transmitted directly to the nozzle 20, so that the resist liquid 50 is discharged from the liquid outlet. This is because the viscosity increases due to the local temperature rise within (21). In this way, the thermal effect on the resist liquid 50 in the liquid discharge port 21 is reduced as much as possible, while the resist liquid 50 immediately after being placed on the substrate G is heated by the heater 80. As a result, a resist film having a uniform film thickness is formed on the substrate G. That is, the viscosity of the resist liquid 50 discharged from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port 21 is increased to slow the flow rate (increasing the flow resistance), and this is discharged from the center of the liquid discharge port 21. The flow rate (flow resistance) of the resist liquid 50 can be the same.

Thus, in 4th Embodiment, the viscosity change of the resist liquid 50 resulting from the pressure change of the center part side in the liquid discharge port 21, and the both ends of a longitudinal direction, and just after rising on the board | substrate G are mentioned. The film thickness of the coating resist can be made uniform by controlling the viscosity of the resist liquid 50 in response to the change in viscosity due to the temperature around the resist liquid 50 or the influence of static electricity. Moreover, since the solvent (thinner) 50A in the resist liquid 50 raised on the board | substrate G by the heater 80 can be volatilized, drying of the resist liquid 50 can be accelerated | stimulated and formation of a resist film is carried out. Time can be shortened and production yield can be improved further.

In addition, in the said embodiment, although the case where the nozzle 20 was moved was demonstrated, you may make it move the mounting base 10 side in the state which stopped the nozzle 20. FIG. In addition, both the nozzle 20 and the mounting table 10 may be moved.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the board | substrate holding means was the mounting base 10 with a vacuum suction mechanism was demonstrated, you may provide in which several rollers were lined up as a board | substrate holding means.

The coating film forming apparatus configured as described above may be used alone or as a resist coating and developing system for LCD substrates, in addition to being used alone as a resist coating apparatus for LCD substrates. The resist coating and developing processing system in which the coating film forming apparatus is provided will be described below.

As shown in Fig. 14, the resist coating and developing processing system includes a loader section 90, two subarm mechanisms 99 and 112, two main arm mechanisms 100 and 100a, The first processing unit 91, the second processing unit 92, and the relay unit 93 are provided. In addition, the second processing unit 92 is provided so that an exposure apparatus 95 for exposing the coating resist through the exchange unit 94 can be provided successively.

The case where the LCD substrate G is processed using such a resist coating and developing processing system will be described. The LCD substrate G is taken out of the cassette 96 by the sub arm mechanism 99, is passed to the main arm mechanism 100, and carried into the first processing unit 91. Subsequently, the substrate G is scrubbed in the brush cleaning device 103 and then cleaned in the jet water cleaning device 104 with high pressure jet water. In addition, the substrate G is adsorbed in the adjuvant processing apparatus 105 and cooled in the cooling processing apparatus 106, and then resist is coated in the coating film forming apparatus 107 described above. Subsequently, the resist film is removed from the peripheral portion of the substrate in the coating film removing apparatus 108. In addition, after the substrate G is heated and baked in the heat treatment apparatus 109, the substrate G is conveyed to the receiving base 113 by the second main arm 100a, and the second sub from the receiving base 113. It is conveyed to the exposure apparatus 95 by the arm mechanism 112, and is exposed by the exposure apparatus 95. FIG. Subsequently, the substrate G after the exposure treatment is developed in the developing apparatus 110 and rinsed with pure water to complete the development.

In addition, a series of processed LCD substrates G are accommodated in the cassette 97 of the loader section 90 and carried out outside the system with the cassette 97.

In the above embodiment, the case where the coating film forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied to the resist coating apparatus of the LCD substrate has been described. It is applicable also to the case of applying a film, and of course, it can be applied also to polyimide coating liquid (PIQ) other than a resist, coating liquid (SOG) containing glass, etc.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged (supplied) from both sides of the slit-shaped discharge port can be reduced, and can be made equal to the discharge pressure of other parts of the discharge port, the discharge of the coating liquid. By uniformizing the pressure, the coating liquid can be discharged (supplied) in a band shape, a uniform coating film can be formed on the entire surface of the substrate, and the production yield can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the viscosity of the coating liquid discharged from both sides of the slit-shaped discharge port can be increased to slow down the flow rate, and the flow rate of the coating liquid discharged from the discharge port middle part and both portions of the discharge port can be reduced. Since the flow rate of the coating liquid to be discharged can be the same, the coating liquid can be discharged (supplyed) in a band shape by making the flow velocity of the coating liquid uniform, and a uniform coating film can be formed on the entire surface of the substrate. At the same time, production yield can be improved. Further, by evaporating the solvent in the coating liquid discharged by the drying means to accelerate the drying of the coating liquid, the coating film formation time can be shortened, and the production yield can be improved.

Claims (12)

A substrate holding means for keeping the substrate substantially horizontal; A nozzle having a slit-shaped liquid discharge port extending from one end of the substrate to the other end; Coating liquid supplying means for supplying the coating liquid to the nozzle, A moving means for supporting the nozzle such that the liquid discharge port maintains a constant distance from the substrate, and moving the nozzle relative to the substrate in a direction orthogonal to the long side of the liquid discharge port; The nozzle, An inlet through which the coating liquid is introduced from the coating liquid supplying means; A liquid storage portion connected to each of the inlet and the liquid discharge port, and temporarily storing the coating liquid introduced through the inlet, and sending the coating liquid to the liquid discharge port; A film thickness control means which is provided at both end portions of the liquid discharge port in the longitudinal direction and reduces the discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged from both end portions of the liquid discharge port in the longitudinal direction, The discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged from both ends of the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port by the film thickness control means is made to be substantially equal to the discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged from the middle part of the liquid discharge port, whereby The coating film forming apparatus characterized by making the film thickness of the coating film formed in the film uniform. 2. The surface of the short side of the liquid reservoir is defined by an inclined inner wall and a first vertical inner wall, and the surface of the long side of the liquid reservoir is a second vertical inner wall, a reduced taper inner wall, and a third vertical inner wall. Prescribed by And said first vertical inner wall defines both ends of the liquid discharge port in the longitudinal direction. 3. The coating film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a diameter of the liquid storage portion in the Y-axis direction is extended to the extended inclined inner wall portion. 3. The coating film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of the liquid storage portion is reduced in the reduced taper inner wall portion. 3. The film thickness control means according to claim 2, wherein the film thickness control means includes a plurality of communication paths respectively opened in the first vertical inner wall, a plurality of suction pipes respectively connected to each communication path, and a vacuum pump for exhausting the inside of each suction pipe. Coating film forming apparatus. 3. The film thickness controlling means according to claim 2, wherein the film thickness control means includes: a plurality of communication paths each opened in the first vertical inner wall, a suction pipe communicating with each communication path, and an ejector mechanism for depressurizing the inside of each suction pipe. Membrane forming device. 3. The film thickness control means according to claim 2, wherein the film thickness control means has a plurality of atmospheric openings respectively opened between the expansion ramp inner wall and the first vertical inner wall, and an opening adjustment valve for opening and closing each atmospheric opening. A coating film forming apparatus which reduces the discharge pressure of the coating liquid discharged therefrom by opening the atmospheric opening to the atmosphere when the opening adjustment valve is opened to reduce the pressure at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port. The coating film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heater for heating the coating liquid immediately after being discharged from both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge port to rise on the substrate. 9. The coating film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the heater is attached to the lower side of the side of the nozzle via an insulating spacer. The drying according to claim 1, wherein the viscosity of the coating liquid immediately after being discharged from both ends of the liquid discharge port in the longitudinal direction is increased, and at the same time, the solvent in the coating liquid immediately after rising on the substrate is volatilized. Coating film forming apparatus which has a means. The coating film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle has at least a liquid discharge port made of a resin. The coating film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a rectangular LCD glass substrate, and the coating liquid is a photoresist liquid.