阅读说明：本技术 雾涂敷成膜装置的涂敷头及其维护方法 (Coating head of mist coating film forming apparatus and maintenance method thereof ) 是由 李天明 于 2017-05-31 设计创作，主要内容包括：在实施方式中,提供一种使成品率及生产能力提高的雾涂敷成膜装置的涂敷头及其维护方法。涂敷头具备主体。上述主体包括：顶板,设有能够供给原料溶液的雾的供给口；底板,设在上述顶板的铅直方向的下方；以及侧壁,设在上述顶板与上述底板之间,与上述顶板及上述底板一起形成内部空间。上述侧壁包括：狭缝,从上述内部空间将上述雾向外部喷雾；以及回收口,能够将在上述内部空间中凝结的雾回收。上述底板具有从上述侧壁的内周朝向上述回收口而高度变低的倾斜。(In an embodiment, an application head of a mist coating film forming apparatus and a maintenance method thereof are provided, which improve yield and productivity. The coating head includes a main body. The above-mentioned main part includes: a top plate provided with a supply port through which mist of the raw material solution can be supplied; a bottom plate provided below the top plate in a vertical direction; and a side wall provided between the top plate and the bottom plate, and forming an internal space together with the top plate and the bottom plate. The above-mentioned lateral wall includes: a slit for spraying the mist from the internal space to the outside; and a recovery port capable of recovering the mist condensed in the internal space. The bottom plate has an inclination that decreases in height from the inner periphery of the side wall toward the recovery port.)

1. A coating head of a fog coating film forming device,

the disclosed device is provided with a main body that includes:

a top plate provided with a supply port through which mist of the raw material solution or the cleaning solution can be supplied;

a bottom plate disposed below the top plate in a vertical direction; and

a side wall provided between the top plate and the bottom plate, connected to the top plate and the bottom plate at upper and lower ends thereof, respectively, and forming an inner space together with the top plate and the bottom plate;

the above-mentioned lateral wall includes:

a slit for spraying the mist from the internal space to the outside; and

a recovery port capable of recovering the mist condensed in the internal space or the supplied cleaning liquid;

the bottom plate has an inclined surface that decreases in height from the inner periphery of the side wall toward the recovery port.

2. An applicator head according to claim 1,

the slit is located at a position higher than the highest position of the inclined surface and is provided along a 1 st direction intersecting with a vertical direction.

3. An applicator head according to claim 1,

the main body includes a plate-shaped 1 st flow regulating plate, the 1 st flow regulating plate is connected to the side wall in the internal space, and a 1 st end portion as an end portion thereof is opened;

the side wall includes a 1 st wall portion parallel to a plane including a vertical direction and a 1 st direction intersecting the vertical direction, and the slit is formed;

the 1 st flow regulating plate extends from the 1 st wall portion toward the 1 st end portion;

the 1 st end is provided at a position lower than the other part of the 1 st flow rectification plate.

4. An applicator head according to claim 3,

the slit is arranged along the 1 st direction;

the end portion is provided along the 1 st direction.

5. An applicator head according to claim 3,

the side wall includes a 2 nd wall portion provided at a position opposed to the 1 st wall portion;

the coating head further includes a 2 nd flow regulating plate extending from the 2 nd wall portion toward the 1 st wall portion and having a 2 nd end portion which is an end portion provided above the 1 st end portion.

6. An applicator head according to claim 1,

the mist ejected from the slit is ejected so as to form a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction.

7. An applicator head according to claim 6,

a mist guide member including a guide passage for guiding the mist discharged from the slit;

the guide path is formed at the predetermined angle.

8. A maintenance method for a coating head of a mist coating and film forming apparatus, the coating head comprising a main body including:

a top plate provided with a supply port through which mist of the raw material solution or the cleaning solution can be supplied;

a bottom plate disposed below the top plate in a vertical direction; and

a side wall provided between the top plate and the bottom plate, connected to the top plate and the bottom plate at upper and lower ends thereof, respectively, and forming an inner space together with the top plate and the bottom plate;

the above-mentioned lateral wall includes:

a slit for spraying the mist from the internal space to the outside; and

a recovery port capable of recovering the mist condensed in the internal space or the supplied cleaning liquid;

the bottom plate has an inclination which becomes lower in height from the inner periphery of the side wall toward the recovery port;

in the maintenance method of the above-described applicator head,

closing a supply valve of the supply port to stop the supply of the mist;

opening a recovery valve of the recovery port to recover the condensed mist;

closing the recovery valve and stopping the recovery of the mist;

opening the supply valve to supply the cleaning liquid;

after the supply of the cleaning liquid is stopped, the supply valve is kept open, and the replacement gas is supplied.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an application head of a mist application film forming apparatus and a maintenance method thereof.

Background

The mist coating film forming apparatus includes a coating liquid atomizing mechanism, a mist coating mechanism, and a firing/drying mechanism. The coating liquid atomizing means atomizes the coating liquid containing the predetermined raw material in the atomizing container by the ultrasonic vibrator to obtain a coating liquid mist in a droplet shape. The mist coating mechanism has a mounting portion on which a substrate to be film-formed is mounted. The mist coating mechanism supplies the coating liquid mist generated by the coating liquid atomizing mechanism to the substrate, and coats the coating liquid mist on the surface of the substrate. The firing/drying mechanism fires and dries the coating liquid mist coated on the surface of the substrate, and forms a thin film containing a predetermined raw material on the surface of the substrate.

Such a mist coating film forming apparatus can uniformly form a thin film having a film thickness of 1 μm or less.

As a coating apparatus for forming a coating liquid into droplets, there are a spray coating apparatus (for example, see patent document 1), a spin coating apparatus, and the like. The spin coating apparatus forms a thin film on the surface of a substrate by rotating a droplet of a coating liquid supplied to the center of the surface of the substrate at a high speed. The spray coating device sprays the coating liquid onto the substrate with high-pressure air to form a thin film on the surface of the substrate.

Unlike a spray coating apparatus, the mist coating film forming apparatus rectifies mist in a coating head and applies the rectified mist to the surface of a substrate to form a thin and uniform film.

The mist coating film forming apparatus rectifies mist in the coating head, and thus the raw material solution is retained in the coating head. The raw material solution is discarded as it is, and the yield is substantially lowered, which increases the cost.

In addition, when a different thin film is formed by changing the raw material solution, it is necessary to remove the retained raw material solution. Therefore, the coating head must be disassembled and cleaned, which increases the number of operations and decreases the productivity of film production.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

An object of the present embodiment is to provide a coating head of a mist coating film forming apparatus and a maintenance method thereof, which improve the yield and productivity.

Means for solving the problems

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an application head of a mist application film forming apparatus including a main body. The above-mentioned main part includes: a top plate provided with a supply port through which mist of the raw material solution or the cleaning solution can be supplied; a bottom plate provided below the top plate in a vertical direction; and a side wall provided between the top plate and the bottom plate, connected to the top plate and the bottom plate at upper and lower ends thereof, respectively, and forming an inner space together with the top plate and the bottom plate. The above-mentioned lateral wall includes: a slit for spraying the mist from the internal space to the outside; and a recovery port capable of recovering the mist condensed in the internal space or the supplied cleaning liquid. The bottom plate has an inclination (slope, inclination) that decreases in height from the inner periphery of the side wall toward the recovery port.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the application head of the embodiment, since the bottom plate has the slope (slope, inclination) in which the height decreases from the inner periphery of the side wall toward the recovery port, the retained raw material solution or cleaning liquid can be easily recovered. Therefore, the coating head according to the embodiment can improve the yield and the throughput.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic explanatory view illustrating a mist application film forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an application head of an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a three-view diagram illustrating a portion of an applicator head of an embodiment. Fig. 4 (a) is a plan view, fig. 4 (b) is a front view, and fig. 4 (c) is a side view.

Fig. 5 is a three-view diagram illustrating a portion of an applicator head of an embodiment. Fig. 5 (a) is a plan view, fig. 5 (b) is a front view, and fig. 5 (c) is a side view.

Fig. 6 is a three-view diagram illustrating a portion of an applicator head of an embodiment. Fig. 6 (a) is a plan view, fig. 6 (b) is a front view, and fig. 6 (c) is a side view.

Fig. 7 is a partially exploded assembly view of an applicator head according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of actions of the application head.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and the width of each portion, the ratio of the sizes of the portions, and the like are not necessarily the same as those in reality. Even when the same portions are indicated, the sizes and ratios thereof are different from each other according to the drawings.

In the description and drawings of the present application, the same elements as those described in the figures already shown are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

Fig. 1 is a schematic explanatory view illustrating a mist application film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, the mist coating and film forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes, as main components, a raw material solution atomizing mechanism 50, a mist coating mechanism 70, and a baking/drying mechanism 90.

The raw material solution atomizing mechanism 50 performs a raw material solution mist generating process. The raw material solution atomizing treatment atomizes (atomizes) the raw material solution to generate a raw material solution mist 6. By using the ultrasonic transducer 1 for generating ultrasonic waves, the raw material solution 5 charged into the atomizing vessel 4 can be atomized into droplets having a central particle diameter of about 4 μm and a narrow particle size distribution (standard deviation σ of ± 20% or less). The raw material solution mist 6 is supplied to the mist application mechanism 70 through the mist supply line 22 by the carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 16.

In the raw material solution atomizing mechanism 50, the ultrasonic vibrator 1 is, for example, 1.5

Oscillating at a set frequency in the 2.5MHz range. Water 3 is introduced into a water tank 2 provided in the ultrasonic transducer 1 as a medium through which ultrasonic waves propagate. The ultrasonic vibrator 1 is driven at a predetermined oscillation frequency to be fed into the atomizationThe raw material solution 5 in the container 4 is atomized (atomized).

The raw material solution 5 is assumed to have a low viscosity. The low-viscosity raw material solution is diluted with a solvent such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride, methanol, toluene, water, hexane, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, vinyl acetate, or ethyl chloride.

A case where the raw material solution 5 is a nanoparticle dispersed solution can be considered. In this case, for example, a silver nanoparticle dispersion solution, a zirconium oxide dispersion solution, a cerium oxide dispersion solution, an indium oxide dispersion solution, a tin oxide dispersion solution, a zinc oxide dispersion solution, a titanium oxide dispersion solution, a silica dispersion solution, or an alumina dispersion solution may be considered, and these solutions may be diluted with the above-mentioned solvent to obtain the raw material solution 5.

On the other hand, a case where the raw material solution 5 is a nanofiber dispersion solution may be considered. In this case, for example, a carbon nanotube dispersion solution, a silver nanofiber dispersion solution, or a cellulose nanofiber dispersion solution may be considered, and these solutions may be diluted with the above-mentioned solvent to obtain the raw material solution 5.

The carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 16 is supplied into the atomizing chamber 4 through the carrier gas introduction line 21. Thereby, the raw material solution mist 6 in the form of droplets atomized in the internal space of the atomizing container 4 is conveyed toward the coating head 8 of the mist coating mechanism 70 through the mist supply line 22.

The raw material solution mist 6 is transported using mainly nitrogen or air in the carrier gas. The flow rate of the carrier gas is controlled to 2 by the mist control part 35

10 (L/min). The valve 21b is a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the carrier gas. A valve 21b is provided in the carrier gas introduction line 21.

The mist control unit 35 controls the degree of opening and closing of the valve 21b, and controls the flow rate of the carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 16. The mist control unit 35 controls the flow rate of the carrier gas, and controls the opening and closing of the ultrasonic oscillator circuit of the ultrasonic transducer 1, the opening and closing of the ultrasonic oscillator circuit for the ultrasonic transducers of different frequencies, and the like.

The mist coating mechanism 70 performs a raw material solution mist coating process (mist coating processing). The raw material solution mist application process applies (coat) the raw material solution mist 6 supplied through the mist supply line 22 onto the surface of the substrate 9 (substrate to be film-formed) to form a raw material solution liquid film. In the raw material solution mist coating process, a raw material solution mist 6 is supplied from a coating head 8 onto the surface of a substrate 9 (a substrate to be film-formed) placed on a moving stage 10 (a placing portion).

The firing/drying mechanism 90 performs a firing/drying process. The firing/drying treatment is a treatment of forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate 9, the thin film being made of a raw material contained in the raw material solution film. In the firing/drying treatment, the substrate 9 having the raw material solution film formed on the surface thereof is fired/dried on the hot plate 13, and the solvent of the raw material solution film is evaporated.

The firing/drying mechanism 90 has, as a main structure, a hot plate 13 provided in a firing/drying chamber 14. The substrate 9 having a liquid film of the raw material solution formed on the surface thereof is placed on the hot plate 13 in the baking/drying chamber 14 by coating the raw material solution mist 6 using the mist coating mechanism 70.

The substrate 9 having the liquid film of the raw material solution formed on the surface thereof is subjected to a firing/drying treatment using a hot plate 13. By the firing/drying treatment, the solvent of the raw material solution liquid film formed by the applied raw material solution mist 6 is evaporated, and a thin film can be formed on the surface of the substrate 9, the thin film being composed of the raw material (predetermined raw material) itself contained in the raw material solution 5. The solvent vapor of the raw material solution 5 generated by the firing/drying process is discharged to the atmosphere after being processed by an exhaust gas processing device, not shown, through the exhaust gas output line 24. The exhaust gas output line 24 is opened and closed by a valve 24 b.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the firing/drying process is performed using the hot plate 13, but the firing/drying mechanism 90 may be configured to supply hot air into the firing/drying chamber 14 without using the hot plate 13.

The structure of the application head 8 will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 is an illustration ofA perspective view of the application head of the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the AA line of fig. 2. In FIG. 4 (a)

Fig. 6 (c) is a three-dimensional view illustrating a part of the application head of the present embodiment. Fig. 7 is a partially exploded assembly view illustrating the applicator head according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 2, the application head 8 includes a main body 80, a slit block 83, and a slit plate 84. A slit block 83 is attached below the side of the body 80. The slit plate 84 is connected at one end portion along the inclination of the slit block 83, and the remaining portion forms the bottom surface 8b of the application head 8.

The bottom surface 8b of the application head 8 is provided with a slit-like mist ejection port 18. The mist of the raw material solution is ejected from the mist ejection port 18. On the other hand, the body 80 is provided with a body slit 85 a. The slit block 83 has a groove on its inclined surface, and a main body slit 85a is connected to one end of the groove. At the other end of the slot is a mist outlet port 18. The upper portion of the slot is covered by a portion of the slit plate 84. The groove of the slit block 83 and the portion covered by the slit plate 84 form a guide path 83a for mist supplied from the main body slit 85 a.

The mist supplied from the body slit 85a is ejected from the mist ejection port 18 via the guide passage 83 a. The guide passage 83a has an angle suitable for the inclination of the slit block 83. Therefore, the mist supplied from the guide passage 83a is ejected from the mist ejection port 18 at an angle θ 1 from the vertical direction.

The substrate 9 is placed so that its surface faces the bottom surface 8b of the application head 8. That is, the substrate 9 is placed under the bottom surface 8b of the application head 8. The mist ejection port 18 is provided in the bottom surface 8b of the head. The mist ejection port 18 is provided in a slit shape having a long direction in a short side direction of the substrate 9. The formation length of the mist ejection port 18 is set to be approximately the same as the short side width of the substrate 9.

In the following description, three-dimensional coordinates may be used. That is, the three-dimensional coordinates include an X axis parallel to the direction in which the slits of the mist ejection openings 18 extend, a Y axis parallel to the direction in which the moving stage 10 moves, and a Z axis which is a vertical direction.

For example, while the substrate 9 is moved in the Y-axis direction (the direction orthogonal to both the extending direction of the mist ejection openings 18 and the vertical direction) by the moving stage 10, the raw material solution mist 6 rectified in the coating head 8 is supplied from the mist ejection openings 18. This enables the raw material solution mist 6 to be applied to substantially the entire surface of the substrate 9, thereby forming a liquid film of the raw material solution on the surface of the substrate 9. The mist ejection port 18 is formed in a slit shape. Therefore, by adjusting the formation length of the coating head 8 in the longer direction (X-axis direction, 1 st direction), the substrate 9 having a wide short-side width can be accommodated without being limited by the short-side width of the substrate 9 as a substrate for thin film formation. Specifically, by providing the coating head 8 with a width (length) in the longer direction that matches the assumed maximum short-side width of the substrate 9, the formation length of the mist discharge openings 18 can be made to substantially match the maximum short-side width of the substrate 9.

The movable stage 10 has a base plate 9 mounted on its upper portion. The movable stage 10 is separated 2 from the bottom surface 8b of the coating head 8

The movement is performed by the movement controller 37 in a state of about 5 mm. For example, the mobile station 10 moves in a direction opposite to the positive direction of the Y axis (negative direction). This allows the raw material solution mist 6 to be applied to substantially the entire surface of the substrate 9, thereby forming a raw material solution film on the surface of the substrate 9.

At this time, the thickness of the raw material solution film can be adjusted by changing the moving speed of the moving stage 10 by the movement controller (fig. 1) 37.

That is, the movement controller 37 moves the movable stage 10 in a movement direction (a negative direction of the Y axis in fig. 2) corresponding to the short direction of the mist ejection port 18 of the application head 8, and variably controls the movement speed of the movable stage 10 in the movement direction.

As already shown in fig. 1, the application head 8 and the moving stage 10 are provided in the mist application chamber 11. The mixed gas of the solvent vapor and the carrier gas of the raw material solution mist 6 volatilized in the mist application chamber 11 is treated by an exhaust gas treatment device, not shown, via the exhaust gas output line 23 and then released to the atmosphere. Further, the valve 23b is a valve provided in the exhaust gas output line 23.

The main body 80 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as in this example. As shown in fig. 3, the main body 80 includes a top plate 87, a bottom plate 82, and a side wall 88. The top plate 87 is provided at an upper portion of the main body 80. The top plate 87 is a square plate. A bottom plate 82 is provided at the bottom of the body 80. The bottom plate 82 is a square member having substantially the same shape as the top plate 87 in the XY plane view. The side wall 88 is a rectangular frame having an XY cross section substantially identical to that of the top plate 87 and the bottom plate 82. Side walls 88 are provided between the top plate 87 and the bottom plate 82. The side walls 88 are connected at the upper end to the top plate 87 and at the lower end to the bottom plate 82.

The main body 80 has a hollow space surrounded by the top plate 87, the side walls 88, and the bottom plate 82. The hollow space inside the main body 80 is a rectifying chamber 80 a.

The top plate 87 is provided with an opening. To the opening, pipes for a mist supply line 22 and a cleaning liquid/replacement gas supply line 25 are fluidly connected. The mist, the cleaning liquid and the replacement gas are supplied through the opening. The opening is a supply port 87 a.

The side wall 88 includes a front plate 86 and a back plate 85. The front plate 86 and the back plate 85 are arranged parallel to the XZ plane and face each other. The front plate 86 and the back plate 85 are plate-like bodies constituting the side wall 88.

An opening is provided below the front plate 86. A pipe for the raw material solution recovery line 26 is fluidly connected to the opening. The opening is a recovery port 86 a. The recovery ports 86a are at a position of the upper surface of the bottom plate 82 or at a position higher than the upper surface.

The back plate 85 is provided with a body slit 85 a. The main body slit 85a has a longer direction substantially parallel to the X axis. The main body slit 85a is provided at a position higher than the upper surface of the bottom plate 82.

Since the bottom plate 82 has an inclined portion that is lowered in height from the main body slit 85a toward the slit recovery port as described later, the application head 8 can spray mist almost independently of the raw material solution staying on the bottom plate 82. Therefore, the raw material solution does not need to be recovered or cleaned from the coating head 8 frequently, and thus the film production throughput can be improved. Since the retained raw material solution can be reused, a sufficient amount of raw material solution can be collected into the bottom plate 82, which can contribute to improvement of yield.

The rectifying chamber 80a as the inner space of the main body 80 is partitioned by 1 or more rectifying plates (flow guide plates). In this example, a rectifying plate (flow guide plate) 81-181-4 are provided with 4. Rectifying plate 81-1

81-4 are arranged in sequence from the lower side to the upper side. Each rectifying plate 81-1

81-4 is a square plate with three sides attached to the inner wall of the body 80. The remaining edge being the end 81-1a

81-4a are each opened. That is, the rectifying chamber 80a is rectified by the rectifying plate 81-181-4 are partially separated and the space within the rectification chamber 80a is fluidly continuous.

Each rectifying plate 81-1

81-4 with respective ends 81-1a

81-4a is disposed vertically below the other portions. The lowermost rectifying plate 81-1 is disposed such that its end 81-1a faces in the opposite direction to the direction in which the body slit 85a is provided. Preferably, the direction in which the end portion 81-1a extends is a direction parallel to the body slit 85 a.

The rectifying plate 81-2 is provided adjacent to and above the rectifying plate 81-1. The plate surface of the rectifying plate 81-1 is disposed vertically below the end 81-2 a. The rectifying plate 81-2 is disposed such that an end portion 81-2a thereof faces a direction in which the body slit 85a is disposed.

The rectifying plate 81-3 is provided adjacent to and above the rectifying plate 81-2. The plate surface of the rectifying plate 81-2 is disposed vertically below the end 81-3 a. The rectifying plate 81-3 is disposed such that an end portion 81-3a thereof faces in a direction opposite to the direction in which the body slit 85a is disposed.

The rectifying plate 81-4 is provided adjacently above the rectifying plate 81-3. The plate surface of the rectifying plate 81-3 is disposed vertically below the end 81-4 a. The rectifying plate 81-4 is disposed such that an end portion 81-4a thereof faces a direction in which the body slit 85a is disposed.

The distance between the end of the rectifying plate and the vertical direction of the rectifying plate arranged below and adjacent to the rectifying plate is set to be about 1mm to about several mm. For example, the distance is appropriately set according to the atomized raw material solution.

Thus, each rectifying plate 81-1

81-4 is inclined at an angle theta 2 from the vertical direction. The angle θ 2 is appropriately set so as to flow down to the bottom plate 82 together with the cleaning liquid or the like when the cleaning liquid or the replacement gas is introduced. The angle θ 2 is set to, for example, about 60 °.

The mist supplied from the supply port 87a is dispersed in the two-dimensional direction in which the flow regulating plate 81-4 spreads while being blocked by the plate surface of the flow regulating plate 81-4, and is supplied to the next flow regulating plate 81-3 while being dispersed in the direction in which the end portion 81-4a extends. The dispersed mist is further dispersed by being blocked by the plate surface of the rectifying plate 81-3. The mist is also dispersed by the lower rectification plates 81-2, 81-1, and is widely dispersed into the space at the lowermost portion of the rectification chamber 80 a.

The position of the supply port 87a in the Y axis direction may be provided near the end of the rectifying plate as in this example, or may be offset from the end toward the front plate 86 or the back plate 85 depending on the degree of dispersion of the mist.

The dispersed mist is ejected from the mist ejection port 18 from the main body slit 85a via the guide passage 83 a.

When the application head 8 is cleaned, a cleaning liquid or a replacement gas is supplied from the supply port 87 a. Each rectifying plate 81-1

End 81-1a of 81-4

81-4a is set to be larger than each rectifying plate 81-1

The other part of 81-4 is located downward, so that the cleaning liquid or the replacement gas supplied from the supply port 87a can flow downward by gravity without being accumulated on the rectifying plate.

In the above, the case where 4 rectifying plates are provided has been described, but the number of rectifying plates is not limited to 4, and may be 1

Any of 3, or 5 or more may be provided. In either case, in order to sufficiently enhance the mist rectifying effect and sufficiently disperse the sprayed mist, the rectifying plate closest to (positioned at the lowermost position of) the main slit 85a is disposed so that the end thereof faces the direction opposite to the direction in which the main slit 85a is disposed.

As shown in fig. 4, the bottom plate 82 includes a connecting portion 82a and inclined portions 82b, 82 c. The connection portion 82a is formed so as to surround three sides of the square bottom plate 82. The connection portion 82a surrounds the square plate at the end portions of the inclined portions 82b and 82 c. The connecting portion 82a is connected to the lower end of the side wall 88 by an upper (positive Z-axis) flat surface. A recovery port 86a for connecting the raw material solution recovery line 26 is connected to the side not surrounded by the rectangular plate.

The inclined portion 82b has an inclination that decreases in height from a position facing the recovery port 86a toward the recovery port 86 a. The inclined portion 82c has an inclination that decreases in height from the position of the side adjacent to the surface provided with the recovery port 86a toward the recovery port 86 a.

The condensate in the mist dispersed in the lowermost portion of the rectification chamber 80a is accumulated as the raw material solution in the bottom plate 82. The accumulated raw material solution flows down toward the recovery port 86a through the inclined portions 82b and 82c, and is thus recovered through the recovery port 86 a.

In addition, when the coating head 8 is cleaned, each of the flow rectification plates 81-1 is cleaned

The cleaning liquid after 81-4 falls on the bottom plate 82 and flows in the direction of the recovery port 86a through the inclined portions 82b and 82 c. The accumulated cleaning liquid is collected through the collection port 86 a.

As shown in fig. 5, the slit block 83 is a triangular prism member extending in the X-axis direction. The triangular prism member has a surface 83b parallel to the XY plane and a surface 83c parallel to the XZ plane orthogonal thereto. The slit block 83 has a slope 83d intersecting the 2 faces.

The surface 83b of the slit block 83 parallel to the XY plane forms a part of the bottom surface 8b of the application head 8 together with the slit plate 84. The face 83c of the slit block 83 parallel to the XZ plane is connected to the back plate 85.

The slit block 83 includes a groove portion 83e parallel to the inclined surface 83 d. The groove portion 83e is formed by leaving both ends of the slit block 83 along the X-axis direction.

As shown in fig. 6, the slit plate 84 includes a bottom surface portion 84a and a slant surface portion 84 b. A slope portion 84b is provided at one end of the bottom surface portion 84 a. The inclined surface portion 84b is provided at an angle θ 1 from the bottom surface portion 84 a. The angle θ 1 is equivalent to the angle of the face 83c and the inclined face 83d of the slit block 83. The length of the slope portion 84b is substantially equal to the length of the slope of the slit block 83.

As shown in fig. 7, the slit block 83 is connected to a lower portion of the back plate 85 of the main body 80. The bottom surface of the slit block 83 is connected to the bottom surface of the bottom plate 82 of the main body 80 so as to be in the same plane.

The slit plate 84 is connected to the inclined surface of the slit block 83 so as to be covered with the inclined surface portion 84b of the slit plate 84. The bottom surface portion 84a of the slit plate 84 is connected to the bottom surface of the slit block 83 and the bottom surface of the bottom plate 82 of the main body 80 so as to be in the same plane.

Thus, the bottom surface 84a of the slit plate 84, the surface 83b of the slit block 83 parallel to the XY plane, and the bottom surface of the bottom plate 82 of the main body 80 form the bottom surface 8b of the application head 8.

The groove 83e is provided so as to coincide with the position of the main slit 85 a. Therefore, the groove 83e forms the guide path 83a of the mist by being covered with the inclined surface portion 84b of the slit plate 84. Thus, the guide passage 83a of the mist has an angle θ 1 from the surface of the back plate 85 of the main body 80. When the surface of the back plate 85 is parallel to the vertical direction, the mist ejected from the body slit 85a is guided to the mist ejection port 18 at an angle θ 1 from the vertical direction. Therefore, the mist ejected from the mist ejection port 18 is ejected toward the surface of the substrate 9 at an angle θ 1 from the vertical direction. The angle θ 1 is set to, for example, about 45 °. The angle θ 1 is not limited to this, and is set to an appropriate value according to the material, the film thickness, and the like of the thin film to be formed.

As described above, the mist jetted toward the surface of the substrate 9 has an angle, and compared with the case of being jetted in the vertical direction, turbulence near the surface is suppressed, and the film can be formed more uniformly.

Each component of the coating head 8 is formed of a material that is not corroded by the raw material solution, the cleaning liquid, or the replacement gas used. For example, the main body 80, the slit block 83, and the slit plate 84 are formed of a metal material. These components can be formed by sheet metal working, cast working, or the like. The metal material is not limited to, and synthetic resin or the like may be used, and injection molding techniques or the like may be used depending on the parts.

A method of operating and maintaining the coating head 8 according to the present embodiment will be described.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a sequence of actions of the application head.

(mist coating Process)

As shown in fig. 8, when the mist is applied, both the valve 25b provided in the cleaning liquid/replacement gas supply line 25 and the valve 26b provided in the raw material solution recovery line 26 are closed in step S1. The introduction of the cleaning liquid and the replacement gas is shut off by a valve 25b provided in the cleaning liquid/replacement gas supply line 25. Further, the outflow of the raw material solution accumulated on the bottom plate 82 to the outside of the main body 80 is shut off by a valve 26b provided in the raw material solution recovery line 26.

In step S2, the valve 22b provided in the mist supply line 22 is opened. The mist of the raw material solution generated by the raw material solution atomizing mechanism 50 is introduced into the coating head 8 from the supply port 87a through the valve 22 b.

The mist introduced into the rectifying chamber 80a is set to 1 stage orMulti-stage rectifying plate 81-1

81-4 are rectified and dispersed and reach the lower part of the rectifying chamber 80 a.

The mist is ejected from the mist ejection port 18 from the main body slit 85a via the guide passage 83 a.

The mist is dispersed in the rectifying chamber 80a, but a part of the mist approaches each other and is condensed. Further, the mist not ejected from the main body slit 85a is also condensed. The condensed mist passes through the inclined portions 82b and 82c of the bottom plate 82 and is retained in the vicinity of the recovery port 86a as the raw material solution.

In step S3, the above operation is continued until the film formation of the thin film is completed. The end of the film forming process is determined based on the film thickness, whether the substrate to be film formed has reached a predetermined length, or the like. When the film formation is completed, the process is shifted to the raw material solution recovery step.

(raw Material solution recovery step)

The raw material solution retained on the bottom plate 82 is recovered through the recovery port 86a by the raw material solution recovery step. First, in step S4, the valve 22b of the mist supply line 22 is closed. The valve 25b provided in the cleaning liquid/replacement gas supply line 25 is in a closed state. The supply of the raw material solution is stopped by the valve 22 b.

In step S5, the valve 26b of the raw material solution recovery line 26 is opened. The raw material solution retained in the application head 8 is recovered by the valve 26b through the raw material solution recovery line 26. The recovered raw material solution is, for example, charged into the atomizing vessel 4 and reused. The raw material solution recovery line 26 may be fluidly connected to the atomizing vessel 4, and the raw material solution may be recovered by using a pump or the like.

In step S6, the above operation is continued until the recovery of the raw material solution is completed. When the recovery of the raw material solution is completed, the process is transferred to a cleaning step in the coating head. Whether or not the recovery of the raw material solution is completed can be determined by, for example, a level meter or the like that detects the liquid level of the raw material solution in the vicinity of the recovery port 86 a. Alternatively, the level (height, horizontal surface) of the raw material solution may be visually determined by using a transparent resin pipe for the piping of the raw material solution recovery line 26.

(cleaning step in coating head)

After the recovery of the raw material solution, film formation may be performed by mist using another raw material solution. In this case, the raw material solution used in advance needs to be washed in a washing step.

In step S7, the valve 22b of the mist supply line 22 and the valve 26b of the raw material solution recovery line 26 are closed. The supply of the raw material solution is cut off by the valve 22 b. The outflow of the substance accumulated in the interior is shut off by the valve 26 b. Then, in step S8, the valve 25b of the cleaning liquid/replacement gas supply line 25 is opened. The cleaning liquid is introduced through the cleaning liquid/replacement gas supply line 25 by the valve 25 b. The cleaning liquid is introduced from the supply port 87 a.

The cleaning liquid introduced into the rectifying chamber 80a will include the rectifying plate 81-1

The faces of 81-4 are cleaned on the inner wall of the inner rectifying chamber 80 a. Rectifying plate 81-1

81-4 is arranged at the end part 81-1aThe connection portions 81-4a are respectively located downward. Therefore, the introduced cleaning liquid flows the rectifying plate 81-1

81-4 from respective ends 81-1a

81-4a falls downward. The cleaning liquid falling downward is retained on the bottom plate 82.

In step S9, the retained cleaning liquid is recovered by opening the valve 26b of the raw material solution recovery line 26. The recovered cleaning solution is recovered to a place different from the recovered raw material solution.

Then, in step S10, the replacement gas is introduced into the rectification chamber 80a through the cleaning liquid/replacement gas supply line 25. The cleaning liquid is dried by the replacement gas, and another raw material solution can be introduced.

In step S11, the above operation is continued until the cleaning process is completed. Upon completion of the cleaning step, a series of operations are completed. The end of the cleaning step is determined based on, for example, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed.

In the above steps, opening and closing of the valves 22b, 25b, and 26b and selective introduction of the cleaning liquid and the replacement gas may be sequentially controlled (program-controlled) by using a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) or the like.

By using the PLC, it is possible to shift to the raw material solution recovery step when the raw material solution retained on the bottom plate 82 reaches a predetermined level in the mist coating step, or to automatically shift to the cleaning step after the raw material solution is recovered.

The effect of the application head of the present embodiment will be described.

In the application head 8 of the present embodiment, the bottom plate 82 of the main body 80 includes inclined portions 82b and 82 c. Since the inclined portions 82b and 82c are provided so as to be lower in height toward the recovery port 86a, the condensed mist stays near the recovery port 86a on the bottom plate 82. Therefore, the retained raw material solution can be recovered from the recovery port 86a through the raw material solution recovery line 26. Since the recovered raw material solution can be reused, the yield of the mist coating film forming apparatus 100 can be improved.

A rectifying plate 81-1 provided in the rectifying chamber 80a

81-4 are arranged in such a way that the end portions are lower in height than the other portions. Therefore, the cleaning liquid supplied from the upper supply port 87a is supplied to the respective flow regulating plates 81-1

81-4, easily dropped onto the lower floor 82. The inner surface of the bottom plate 82 is set so that the height thereof decreases toward the recovery port 86aTherefore, the cleaning liquid after the cleaning can be easily collected from the collection port 86 a.

Thus, the coating head 8 of the present embodiment can easily collect the raw material solution and clean the inside without detaching and disassembling the coating head 8 from the mist coating mechanism 70. Therefore, the yield of the produced film product can be improved and the production capacity can be improved.

Further, the application head 8 of the present embodiment includes a slit block 83 and a slit plate 84 in which a guide passage 83a having an angle θ 1 from the vertical direction is formed. Therefore, the mist rectified and dispersed by the rectifying chamber 80a can be ejected toward the substrate 9 at an angle θ 1 from the vertical direction. By discharging at the angle θ 1, turbulence is less likely to occur near the surface of the substrate 9, and a film can be formed with a uniform film thickness more stably.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments may be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.