阅读说明：本技术 能用于形成器件的涂敷方法以及涂敷装置 (Coating method and coating apparatus usable for forming device ) 是由 内藤胜之 信田直美 熊田贵志 齐田穰 于 2020-03-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供能简便且廉价地制造具有长条状单体的器件的涂敷方法以及能用于该涂敷方法的涂敷装置。涂敷方法和用于进行该涂敷方法的装置在通过弯液面涂敷在排列在基材上的长条状的单体基层上形成涂敷膜的涂敷方法中,(a)将涂敷杆头和上述基材配置成大致平行；(b)将向形成弯液面的部分供给涂敷液的多个涂敷喷嘴配置成邻接的2个上述涂敷喷嘴的中央部分与邻接的2个上述长条状的单体基层的分离区域一致；(c)一边从上述涂敷喷嘴供给上述涂敷液,一边移动上述基材或者上述涂敷杆头,形成上述涂敷膜。(Provided are a coating method capable of simply and inexpensively manufacturing a device having a long single body and a coating apparatus usable for the coating method. In a coating method for forming a coating film on a long monomer base layer arranged on a base material by meniscus coating, (a) a coating head and the base material are arranged substantially in parallel; (b) arranging a plurality of application nozzles for supplying an application liquid to a portion where a meniscus is formed such that the central portions of 2 adjacent application nozzles coincide with the separation regions of 2 adjacent elongated cell substrates; (c) the coating film is formed by moving the substrate or the coating head while supplying the coating liquid from the coating nozzle.)

1. A coating method for forming a coating film on a long-sized monomer base layer arranged on a base material by meniscus coating, wherein,

(a) the coating rod head and the base material are arranged to be approximately parallel,

(b) a plurality of application nozzles for supplying an application liquid to a portion where a meniscus is formed are arranged so that the central portions of 2 adjacent application nozzles are aligned with the separation regions of 2 adjacent elongated cell substrates,

(c) the coating film is formed by moving the substrate or the coating head while supplying the coating liquid from the coating nozzle.

2. The coating method according to claim 1,

the part forming the meniscus is between the coating head and the substrate.

3. The coating method according to claim 1 or 2,

the supply of the coating liquid is started at first, and after the meniscus is formed in the gap, the substrate or the coating head is moved.

4. A coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the liquid amount of the meniscus in the separation region is smaller than that in the periphery.

5. The coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the pitch of the coating nozzles is the same as the pitch of the monomer base layer.

6. The coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the distance between the coating nozzles is adjusted based on the viscosity and surface tension of the coating liquid.

7. The coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

fixing the coating rod head to move the substrate.

8. The coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the substrate is wound into a roll before coating, and the coated substrate is wound into another roll.

9. The coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the distribution of reflectance or transmittance of the base material on which the elongated cell base layer is disposed is measured, and a plurality of application nozzles are disposed such that the central portions of 2 adjacent application nozzles coincide with the separation regions of 2 adjacent cell base layers.

10. The coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

further, a part or the whole of the coating film on the separation region is processed by a scribing method to form a long film.

11. A coating apparatus for forming a coating film on a long-sized monomer base layer arranged on a base material by meniscus coating, wherein,

the coating device comprises:

a coating head disposed substantially parallel to the base material;

a member for conveying the base material;

a plurality of coating nozzles for supplying a coating liquid; and

a means for supplying the coating liquid to the coating nozzle,

the coating nozzle has a member disposed such that the central portion of the adjacent 2 coating nozzles coincides with the separation region of the adjacent 2 cell substrates.

12. A coating apparatus according to claim 11,

the coating head has a shape corresponding to a portion where the meniscus is formed in a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the shape being constant in the longitudinal direction of the coating head.

13. Coating apparatus according to claim 11 or 12,

the coating nozzles can be respectively assembled and disassembled.

14. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13,

the coating apparatus further includes a member for adjusting the distance between the coating nozzles based on the viscosity and surface tension of the coating liquid.

15. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 14,

the coating device further includes a spacer for adjusting the interval between the coating nozzles.

16. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 14,

the coating device further includes a coating nozzle fixing member provided with a plurality of holes or grooves at constant intervals.

17. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 14,

the coating nozzle is fixed to a tip or a joint of a telescopic structure having a telescopic mechanism.

18. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 17,

the coating nozzle has a connecting part for detachably connecting a pipe for supplying the coating liquid.

19. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 18,

the coating apparatus further includes a pipe connecting one coating liquid container and the plurality of coating nozzles.

20. A coating apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 19,

the coating apparatus further includes a member for measuring a distribution of reflectance or transmittance of the thin film.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a coating method and a coating apparatus that can be used to form a device.

Background

An organic thin-film solar cell or an organic/inorganic hybrid solar cell using an organic semiconductor can be expected to be formed at low cost because an inexpensive coating method can be applied to the formation of an active layer. In order to realize an organic thin film solar cell or an organic/inorganic hybrid solar cell at low cost, it is required to uniformly coat a coating material for forming an organic active layer or other layers. The thickness of each layer is about several nm to several 100nm, and it is required to form such a very thin layer over a large area with high uniformity. For example, as one of roll-to-roll (R2R) coating methods capable of coating an extremely thin layer at low cost and in a large area, a Meniscus (Meniscus) coating method is known. As the meniscus coating method, a method of supplying a liquid from a plurality of nozzles to obtain a single large-area coating film at a coating head is simple, and the structure of a tool is also simple. However, it is sometimes difficult to obtain a uniform film thickness.

In addition, in the solar cell module, a process of increasing the voltage by connecting the cells in series is performed. For this reason, a process of separating the obtained large-area film by scribing, photolithography, or the like to produce a long-sized single body is generally performed. The width of the single body tends to be wider as the conductivity of the base electrode is higher. The wider the separation region between the cells, the easier the device fabrication, but the smaller the aperture ratio and the smaller the output tend to be. The adjustment of the width of the separation region is an important issue in device fabrication.

Although the scribing process is simpler than photolithography, a large amount of residue is generated by the scribing process, which may cause defects in the device. In addition, scribing by a laser requires a large amount of energy, and there is a case where the tool life becomes a problem in scribing by a physical tool.

In addition, there are the following problems: the part to be scribed needs to be accurately controlled with respect to the base electrode, but the base electrode is covered with a film formed on the upper part, and thus it is difficult to determine the part.

Instead of such a scribing process, a process of forming a plurality of elongated single bodies arranged in parallel by a meniscus coating method has also been studied. Specifically, an application head having a divided region corresponding to the width of the single body to be formed is prepared, and liquid is supplied from a plurality of nozzles for each divided region to apply the liquid. According to this method, separate monomers of widths corresponding to the respective regions can be formed. However, there are the following problems: the structure of the coating head is complicated, the cost increases, and the frequency of cleaning the coating head becomes high.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-174992

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide: for example, a coating method capable of easily and inexpensively forming a plurality of long coating films arranged on a base material by a roll-to-roll (R2R) method; and a coating device which can flexibly respond to various liquid physical properties or conditions and is easy to maintain.

Means for solving the problems

A coating method of an embodiment of forming a coating film on a long monomer base layer arranged on a base material by meniscus coating, wherein,

(a) the coating rod head and the base material are arranged to be approximately parallel,

(b) a plurality of application nozzles for supplying an application liquid to a portion where a meniscus is formed are arranged so that the central portions of 2 adjacent application nozzles are aligned with the separation regions of 2 adjacent elongated cell substrates,

(c) the coating film is formed by moving the substrate or the coating head while supplying the coating liquid from the coating nozzle.

Further, according to the coating apparatus of the embodiment, which forms the coating film by meniscus coating on the long-sized monomer base layer arranged on the base material,

the coating device comprises:

a coating head disposed substantially parallel to the base material;

a member for conveying the base material;

a plurality of coating nozzles for supplying a coating liquid; and

a means for supplying the coating liquid to the coating nozzle,

the coating nozzle has a member disposed such that the central portion of the adjacent 2 coating nozzles coincides with the separation region of the adjacent 2 cell substrates.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a coating method according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a coating apparatus according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

Note that the same reference numerals are given to the components common to the embodiments, and redundant description is omitted. The drawings are schematic views for illustrating the embodiments and for facilitating understanding thereof, and the shapes, dimensions, proportions, and the like thereof may be different from those of actual devices, and they may be appropriately designed and changed by referring to the following description and known techniques.

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a coating method according to an embodiment. In fig. 1, a coating liquid 105 is supplied from a plurality of coating nozzles 102 to a coating head 101, and the coating liquid flows into a gap between the coating head 101 and a base material 104, thereby forming a meniscus in the vicinity of the gap. The coating head 101 is disposed substantially parallel to the base material 104, i.e., with a constant gap. While continuously supplying the coating liquid 105, the base material 102 is moved toward the arrow, i.e., moved relative to the coating head 101, thereby forming a coating film (also referred to as a thin film) 106 on the base material. In this example, the base material is moved, but the coating head may be moved. Here, the moving direction is preferably substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the coating head.

A monomer base layer 107 (e.g., a transparent electrode, etc.) is formed in advance on the substrate, and an optical device 108 is used to observe the surface of the substrate before coating to adjust the position of the nozzle and the relative position of the substrate. The optical device may be configured to allow the position of the nozzle to be observed at once. The apparatus measures the distribution of reflectance or transmittance of the substrate. Based on the measurement results, the plurality of application nozzles can be arranged such that the central portions of the adjacent 2 application nozzles coincide with the separation regions of the adjacent 2 cell substrates. In the embodiments, the "cell" does not necessarily mean a battery cell, and generally means a device stacked between cells. The monomer-based layer is a part of a laminated structure of such monomers.

In the present embodiment, the term "substantially perpendicular or substantially parallel" means that a slight deviation from perpendicular or parallel is allowed within a range in which the effects of the present embodiment are not impaired. Specifically, in the above example, the direction of moving the base material 102 with respect to the coating head 101 is typically perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the coating head, i.e., at an angle of 90 °, and may have an inclination of about ± 15 °. That is, the deviation may be about ± 15 ° from the vertical or parallel direction, i.e., substantially vertical and substantially parallel.

The substrate can be arbitrarily selected from materials generally used for electronic devices and the like. Examples of the substrate include inorganic materials such as glass and silicon substrates, and resin materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter referred to as PET), polyethylene naphthalate (hereinafter referred to as PEN), polycarbonate (hereinafter referred to as PC), and polymethyl methacrylate (hereinafter referred to as PMMA). In particular, the use of a flexible organic material is preferable because the coating by R2R is easy.

The coating head 101 is generally a stick-shaped head. Here, it is preferable that a shape corresponding to a portion where the meniscus is formed in a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the coating head 101 is constant in the longitudinal direction of the coating head. In other words, when a cross section of the coating head in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction is observed, the cross-sectional end corresponding to the surface on which the meniscus is formed is preferably a straight line. As a result, the distance between the substrate 104 and the cross-sectional end corresponding to the surface on which the meniscus is formed is constant in the longitudinal direction of the coating head. The surface of the coating head on which the meniscus is not formed, for example, the back surface of the coating surface, may have any shape.

In embodiments, the coating head profile may take various forms. Circular, oval, trapezoidal, etc. Typically, the applicator tip is in the shape of a plate or column of constant width. Fig. 1 illustrates a cylindrical coating head. Further, the bottom surface may be curved, and the other three sides may be linear.

A plurality of coating nozzles (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as nozzles) 102 are arranged, and coating films are formed individually from the coating liquids supplied from the nozzles. In fig. 1, the coating films 106 from which the coating liquid supplied from the respective nozzles is separated correspond to the long-sized thin films to be formed by the coating films.

The central portions of the adjacent 2 nozzles are aligned with the separation regions of the adjacent 2 cell substrates. The separation region is generally a band-shaped region of constant width. The term "the central portion of the 2 nozzles coincides with the separation region" means that the central portion of the separation region is located at a position spaced by ± 10%, preferably ± 5%, from the center of the 2 nozzles with respect to the distance between the 2 nozzles.

The arrangement of the plurality of long films is set according to the structural design of the intended device, for example, a solar cell. In the coating method according to the present embodiment, the meniscus shape is ensured by the diffusion of the coating liquid toward the head portion where the meniscus is formed, and any one of the forms in which the coating film is not formed at all and the film thickness is formed thinner or conversely formed thicker than the other region in the separation region which is the portion corresponding to the center between the nozzles can be selected depending on the conditions. In fig. 1, when the adjacent coating films 106 are separated from each other, the coating films may be formed directly as long films. Further, although 2 adjacent coating films may be connected depending on the coating conditions, the film thickness in the separation region may be made thin or thick by adjusting the position of the nozzle, the coating speed, the physical properties of the coating liquid, and the like. In such a case, since the coating film is continuous, it is difficult to directly obtain a plurality of long films, and therefore, for example, a plurality of long films can be obtained by removing a part or all of the coating film in the separation region by a scribing process. According to this method, since the film regions having different film thicknesses are removed by scribing, the portions having uniform film thicknesses can be formed as long-sized thin films, and thus variations in characteristics among the individual films can be reduced. In addition, optical recognition can be easily performed by changing the film thickness in the separation region toward the periphery. As a result, alignment at the time of providing a coating film on the formed thin film or coating film or performing a scribing process on the separated region becomes easy.

In the present embodiment, the start of the supply of the coating liquid may be before the start of the movement of the base material or the coating head, or after the start of the movement of the base material or the coating head. By changing the timing of starting the supply of the coating liquid in this manner, the properties of the coating film can be changed.

First, when the supply of the coating liquid is started before the substrate or the coating head is moved, and the coating is started after the meniscus is formed in the gap between the coating head and the substrate, the meniscus of the coating liquid supplied thereafter is less spread by the surface tension of the meniscus spread portion formed by the presence of the underlying coating liquid, and the liquid amount of the meniscus is less than that in the periphery, and as a result, the film thickness of the coating film tends to be thin in the separation region or the vicinity thereof (the vicinity of both ends of the coating film). The thin portion is preferable because the scratch treatment and the like are simple and the residue is less.

On the other hand, after the substrate or the coating head starts moving, the coating liquid is supplied to the gap between the coating head and the substrate to form a meniscus, and when coating is performed, the coating film tends to become thick in the separation region or the vicinity thereof. Since the portion of the coating film thickness is easily optically detected, alignment at the time of scribing is easy. When the thickness of the coating film is small and optical detection is difficult, it is preferable to increase the thickness of the isolation region.

Preferably, the pitch of the nozzles is an integral multiple of the pitch of the elongated single base layer. In order to make the scribing condition constant, it is preferable that the pitch of both is the same. Here, when adjusting the pitch of the nozzles, it is preferable to consider the physical properties (surface tension, viscosity) of the coating film. The meniscus of the coating liquid having a large surface tension and a small viscosity spreads at a high speed, and a uniform coating film can be easily obtained even if the nozzle pitch is increased. Since the speed of meniscus expansion is substantially proportional to the 0.5 th power of the ratio of surface tension to viscosity, it is preferable to use a known coating liquid for viscosity and surface tension, prepare a calibration line when the coating speed is changed, and use an optimum nozzle interval.

In addition, when the pitch of the nozzles is larger than the pitch of the monomer base layer, the number of times of scribing can be reduced while changing the scribing conditions. Since the pitch of the coating film is preferably large, the pitch of the nozzles is preferably 1 to 3 times the pitch of the monomer base layer.

As a method of adjusting the interval of the nozzles, various methods can be employed. In the method of controlling the nozzles with the spacers interposed therebetween, the spacers of various sizes are prepared, so that the adjustment can be easily performed, and the coating in which the intervals between the nozzles are not constant can be performed.

In the method of fixing the nozzle by the fixing member having a plurality of holes or grooves with a constant interval, when the nozzle is needle-shaped, the nozzle can be fixed with high precision and simply.

In the method for fixing the nozzle at the end or the joint part of the telescopic structure with the telescopic mechanism, the nozzle interval can be changed simply by extending or shortening the telescopic structure.

In the present embodiment, any of the following methods may be employed for coating:

(i) fixing the coating rod head to move the base material,

(ii) fixing the substrate to move the coating rod head,

(iii) the coating head and the substrate are moved.

When the substrate to be coated has flexibility or the substrate has a long size, it is preferable from the viewpoint of stability that (i) the coating head is fixed and the substrate is moved. In particular, when a coating film using a resin material or the like as a base material is to be formed, a so-called roll-to-roll method is preferably applied in which the base material is wound in a roll shape before coating and the coated base material is wound in another roll.

Such a coating method can be applied to the case of forming a monomer film used for a device in which long monomers arranged on a base material are used as constituent elements.

Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a coating apparatus that can be used to fabricate a device according to an embodiment.

The coating apparatus 200 is a coating apparatus for forming a coating film by coating a long single base layer arranged on a base material with a meniscus, and includes:

a coating head 201 disposed substantially parallel to the base material;

members (203a and 203b) for conveying the base material 202;

a plurality of coating nozzles 206 (one is shown in fig. 2) to which the coating liquid 205a is supplied; and

and members (204a, 204b, and 204c) for supplying the coating liquid to the nozzles.

The plurality of nozzles supply the coating liquid to the meniscus forming portion. The central portions of the 2 nozzles disposed adjacently coincide with the separation regions of the 2 monomer base layers adjacent thereto. 207a is an optical device for observing the position of the surface of the substrate, and 207b is an optical device for observing the position of the nozzle. The optical device can measure the transmittance or reflectance of the substrate, measure the position of the nozzle, and detect the position of the separation region or adjust the position of the nozzle according to the position of the separation region.

The coating apparatus generally conveys the substrate directly to a drying apparatus (not shown) to dry the coating film 205 c.

In fig. 2, the coating head is a rod-shaped member, and the surface corresponding to the portion where the meniscus is formed is a curved surface, and the other three surfaces are smooth surfaces.

The members 203a and 203b for conveying the base material may be, for example, 2 rollers, one of which is driven by power to convey the base material. The coated substrate may be wound around a shaft driven by power. In this case, the shaft is a member for conveying the substrate.

In the coating apparatus of the embodiment, the plurality of nozzles are detachable from each other.

The coating apparatus according to the embodiment may further include a member for adjusting the nozzle interval according to the viscosity and surface tension of the coating liquid. Preferably, as described above, an optimum nozzle interval is determined based on the surface tension and viscosity of the coating liquid to be used, based on information obtained from the coating liquid whose surface tension and viscosity are known, and a member for adjusting the nozzle interval to the determined nozzle interval is assembled in the coating apparatus. Examples of such members include spacers arranged between the nozzles to adjust the nozzle interval, members provided with a plurality of holes or grooves, to which the nozzles can be fixed, members in which the nozzles are fixed to the ends or joints of a telescopic structure having a telescopic mechanism, and the nozzle interval can be adjusted by telescopic movement.

The coating device according to the embodiment has a member for supplying the coating liquid to the nozzle. In fig. 2, the member is composed of a coating liquid container 204a, a coating liquid container 204b, and a pipe 204 c. In the application device of the embodiment, the pipe 204c for supplying the liquid to the nozzle 206 may have a joint that is detachable from the nozzle. This makes it easy to attach and detach the individual nozzles.

The coating apparatus of the embodiment may have each pipe connected from one container to each nozzle. This makes it possible to facilitate piping and to control the amount of liquid supplied to each pipe uniformly by applying uniform pressure from the container.

In the coating apparatus of the embodiment, the moving direction of the base material and the coating head is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the coating head is fixed and the coating is performed while the base material is conveyed from the bottom up in the vertical direction as shown in fig. 2. Since gravity is applied to the meniscus portion by moving the substrate from bottom to top in the vertical direction, a uniform film can be easily formed even when coating is performed at high speed. However, the moving direction can be adjusted depending on the configuration of the apparatus, the physical properties of the coating liquid, and the like, and is generally within a range of ± 30 ° with respect to the vertical direction.

The substrate conveying member preferably conveys the substrate from the bottom to the top, and the nozzle preferably supplies the coating liquid from the upper portion of the portion where the meniscus is formed. This allows gravity to be applied to the meniscus, thereby enabling higher-speed coating. Further, the coating liquid is supplied from the upper portion of the portion where the meniscus is formed, thereby suppressing the liquid from dripping.

The coating apparatus may further include a member for measuring a distance between the coating head and the base material and controlling the distance. The uniformity of the coating film thickness can be further improved by using the member.

The coating device may further include a member for cleaning the coating head. Thus, the coating head can be periodically cleaned to remove impurities mixed in from the atmosphere or solid substances precipitated from the coating liquid. Specifically, a member for spraying or radiating a solvent such as water, a member for applying ultrasonic waves, or the like can be mentioned.

The coating apparatus may further include a member for recovering the surplus coating liquid. This member prevents a reverse flow of the coating liquid after completion of coating and loss of expensive coating liquid, and suppresses discharge of solvent and the like to the environment.

Such a coating apparatus can be used when a thin film of a single component is formed in the manufacture of a device having a long single component arranged on a base material.

(example 1)

The coating apparatus 20 shown in fig. 2 was used to perform thin film coating for solar cells as follows. First, an ITO/Ag alloy/ITO transparent electrode having a sheet resistance of 5. omega./□ was formed on a roll-shaped PET film having a width of 300mm by a sputtering apparatus corresponding to R2R. Next, the transparent electrode was formed into a long shape having separation regions with a cell pitch of 20mm and a width of 50 μm by laser scribing. A coating head made of SUS303 having a cross section of a circle of 10mm in radius and a length in the coating width direction of 300mm was produced.

A nozzle fixing member having holes formed at 20mm intervals and having a length of 320mm was inserted into each of the holes, and a locking needle-shaped nozzle having a length of 50mm and made of stainless steel was inserted into each of the holes. A teflon tube was connected to each needle tip via a detachable joint, and the coating liquid was supplied by each small pump.

An aqueous dispersion of PEDOT/PSS was prepared as a coating liquid for forming a hole transport layer, and the transparent electrode on PET was coated by the coating apparatus of fig. 2. The coating head was disposed using an actuator so that the minimum gap distance between the coating head and the PET substrate became 150 μm. The PET film, the head, and the nozzles were arranged by observation with an optical device so that the center between the nozzles and the separation region of the transparent electrode were aligned.

20. mu.L of the coating liquid was supplied from each needle nozzle to the coating head, and a meniscus was formed before the start of the conveyance of the substrate. The PET substrate was conveyed while controlling the angle and gap distance of the nozzle, and the coating liquid was continuously supplied to obtain a coating film. The moving speed of the PET substrate was constant at 83 mm/s. The coated PET substrate was conveyed to a hot air drying oven corresponding to R2R, and continuously dried.

Subsequently, 8mg of PTB7([ poly {4, 8-bis [ (2-ethylhexyl) oxy ] benzo [1,2-b:4, 5-b' ] dithiophene-2, 6-diyl-1 t-alt-3-fluoro-2- [ (2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl ] thieno [3,4-b ] thiophene-4, 6-diyl } ]/p-type semiconductor) and 12mg of PC70BM ([6,6] phenyl C71 butyl ester/n-type semiconductor) were dispersedly disposed in 1mL of chlorobenzene, thereby preparing a coating liquid as a material for forming an organic active layer of a solar cell. The PET substrate on which the hole transport layer was formed was coated by the coating apparatus of fig. 2. The coating head was disposed by an actuator so that the minimum gap distance between the coating head and the surface of the base material became 300 μm. As described above, the PET film, the head, and the nozzles were provided so that the center between the nozzles and the separation region of the transparent electrode were aligned. 40. mu.L of the coating liquid was supplied from each needle nozzle, and a meniscus was formed before the start of the conveyance of the substrate. The PET substrate was conveyed while controlling the angle and gap distance of the nozzle, and the coating liquid was continuously supplied to obtain a coating film. The moving speed of the PET substrate was constant at 83 mm/s. The coated PET substrate was conveyed to a hot air drying oven corresponding to R2R, and continuously dried. The two produced coated films have a film thickness in the separation region smaller than the surrounding thickness, and are easily removed by scribing, and are separated in the separation region, which is advantageous for forming a long-shaped single body.

(example 2)

In this example, an organic active layer used in a solar cell was made semi-transparent. A coating film was produced in the same manner as in example 1, except that the coating liquid of the organic active layer having a concentration of 1/2 in comparison with that in example 1 was used, and liquid supply from the nozzle was started simultaneously with the start of conveyance, instead of preparing the meniscus before the conveyance of the substrate. The two coating films were produced so that the thickness of the separation region in the center between the nozzles was thicker than the periphery. Such a shape makes it easy to discriminate the separation region by an optical device and to remove the coating film in the separation region by scribing. Further, by removing the thick portion in the separation region, variation in characteristics between the coating films can be reduced.

(example 3)

An ITO/Ag alloy/ITO transparent electrode having a sheet resistance of 10. omega./□ was formed on a rolled PET film having a width of 300mm by a sputtering apparatus corresponding to R2R. Next, the transparent electrode was formed into a long shape having separation regions with a cell pitch of 12mm and a width of 50 μm by laser scribing. The following coated rod head made of SUS303 was manufactured: the coating film was substantially trapezoidal, and the portion corresponding to the bottom surface had a cross section with a radius of curvature of 80mm, and the length in the coating width direction was 300 mm.

A nozzle fixing member having holes formed at a pitch of 24mm and a length of 320mm was inserted into each of the holes, and a locking needle-shaped nozzle made of stainless steel and having a length of 50mm was inserted into each of the holes. A teflon tube was connected to each needle tip via a detachable joint, and the coating liquid was supplied by each small pump.

An aqueous dispersion of PEDOT/PSS was prepared as a coating liquid for forming a hole transport layer, and the transparent electrode on PET was coated by the coating apparatus of fig. 2. The coating head was disposed by an actuator so that the minimum gap distance between the coating head and the PET substrate became 150 μm. The PET film, the rod head, and the nozzles were disposed so that the center between the nozzles was aligned with the separation region of the transparent electrode.

25 μ L of the coating liquid was supplied from each needle nozzle to the coating head, and a meniscus was formed before the start of the conveyance of the substrate. The PET substrate was conveyed while controlling the angle and gap distance of the nozzle, and the coating liquid was continuously supplied to obtain a coating film. The moving speed of the PET substrate was constant at 83 mm/s. The coated PET substrate was conveyed to a hot air drying oven corresponding to R2R, and continuously dried.

Subsequently, 8mg of PTB7([ poly {4, 8-bis [ (2-ethylhexyl) oxy ] benzo [1,2-b:4, 5-b' ] dithiophene-2, 6-diyl-1 t-alt-3-fluoro-2- [ (2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl ] thieno [3,4-b ] thiophene-4, 6-diyl } ]/p-type semiconductor) and 12mg of PC70BM ([6,6] phenyl C71 butyl ester/n-type semiconductor) were dispersedly disposed in 1mL of chlorobenzene, thereby preparing a coating liquid as a material for forming an organic active layer of a solar cell. The PET substrate on which the hole transport layer was formed was coated by the coating apparatus of fig. 2. The coating head was disposed by an actuator so that the minimum gap distance between the coating head and the surface of the base material became 300 μm. As described above, the PET film, the head, and the nozzles were provided so that the center between the nozzles and the separation region of the transparent electrode were aligned. 45. mu.L of the coating liquid was supplied from each needle nozzle to each coating head, and a meniscus was formed before the start of the conveyance of the substrate. The PET substrate was conveyed while controlling the angle and gap distance of the nozzle, and the coating liquid was continuously supplied to obtain a coating film. The moving speed of the PET substrate was constant at 83 mm/s. The coated PET substrate was conveyed to a hot air drying oven corresponding to R2R, and continuously dried. The produced coated film has a film thickness in the separation region thinner than the surrounding region, and is easily removed by scribing, and is separated in the separation region, which is advantageous for forming a long-shaped single body.

In addition, while several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concept. 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.

Description of reference numerals

101 … the coating is applied to the club head,

102 … to be applied to the nozzle,

103 … separating the regions of the image,

104 (9) a base material of a glass fiber,

105 … and a coating liquid, wherein the coating liquid is,

106 …, coating the film on the substrate,

107 … of a single-body substrate,

108 … in the form of an optical device,

200 … A coating device for coating a substrate,

201 … the coating of the head,

202 … A base material comprising a plurality of layers,

203a and 203b …,

204a … to coat the liquid container,

204b … to be sent to a liquid pump,

204c … is arranged in a pipeline,

205a …, of the coating liquid,

205b …, in the presence of a meniscus,

205c … is coated with a film,

206 … the application nozzle is moved to,

207a, 207b ….