JP4887076B2 - Solution supply apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a solution supply apparatus and a supply method for applying a solution to a substrate by discharging the solution in a droplet form from a nozzle by an ink jet method.

  Generally, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device or a semiconductor device, there is a film forming process for forming a circuit pattern on a substrate such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer. In this film forming process, a functional thin film such as an alignment film or a resist is formed on the plate surface of the substrate.

  In the case of forming a functional thin film on a substrate, an ink jet type supply device is used in which a solution for forming the functional thin film is discharged in the form of droplets from a nozzle and supplied onto the plate surface of the substrate.

  An ink jet type supply apparatus has a table for transporting a substrate, and a plurality of coating heads each having a nozzle plate in which the nozzles are formed are orthogonal to the substrate transport direction above the table. For example, it is provided in a staggered pattern along the direction. Thereby, a droplet-like solution is spray-applied on the upper surface of the substrate to be transported at a predetermined interval in a direction intersecting the transport direction from a plurality of nozzles.

  When the solution is spray-coated on the substrate, the spray of the solution from the nozzle is controlled in accordance with the coating pattern of the solution applied to the substrate. In order to control the ejection of the solution from the nozzle, the coordinate data of the coating pattern is set as the coating data, and the energization to the piezoelectric element provided facing the nozzle of each coating head is controlled based on the coordinate data. Thus, a solution is ejected from a nozzle facing the coating pattern.

  When the functional thin film is applied to the substrate with a predetermined application pattern by discharging the solution from the nozzle, it is required to form the functional thin film on the substrate with a uniform thickness. In order to make the thickness of the functional thin film uniform, it is required to accurately apply a necessary amount of the solution on the substrate.

  However, even if the same voltage is applied to each piezoelectric element, the amount of the solution discharged from the plurality of nozzles may differ depending on the processing error of the nozzle holes formed in the nozzle plate.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes adjusting the discharge amount of the solution from the nozzle using the following method.
One is a method of adjusting the amount of solution discharged from each nozzle to a target value based on an image captured by a camera.

  In this method, first, a solution is discharged from a selected one of a plurality of nozzles provided in an application head. At this time, the solution discharged from the nozzle is imaged by a camera, and the volume of the liquid is estimated from the projected area of the droplet obtained from the captured image. The calculation result is fed back to adjust the discharge amount so that the droplet volume becomes a target value. This is performed for all nozzles of the coating head.

The other is a method of applying a necessary amount of solution on a substrate based on the measurement value of an electronic balance. In this method, a substrate is placed on a receiver of an electronic balance, and first, an amount of solution smaller than a target value is applied onto the substrate. Then, the total amount of the applied solution is measured with an electronic balance, and the difference from the target value is obtained. Repeat application of the solution to eliminate this difference.
JP 2005-40690 A

  By the way, the quality of the functional thin film formed on the substrate can be improved by the method as described above. However, liquid crystal display devices tend to increase in size and definition year by year, so that the required level of quality of functional thin films is expected to increase.

  Therefore, the present invention is to provide a solution supply apparatus and a supply method capable of further improving the coating quality by accurately adjusting the discharge amount of the solution from each nozzle.

The present invention is a solution supply apparatus for discharging a solution by an inkjet method and applying the solution to a substrate,
A table for holding the substrate;
A plurality of nozzles disposed above the substrate to be transported to discharge and apply a droplet-like solution to the substrate;
A shielding member that is provided so as to be positioned below the nozzle and allows only a solution discharged from one nozzle to pass among a plurality of droplet-like solutions discharged simultaneously from the plurality of nozzles;
A solution supply apparatus comprising: a measuring unit that measures the weight of the solution that has passed through the shielding member.

  It is preferable to include control means for setting the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle to be the same based on the measurement by the measurement means.

  The base has a guide rail that guides the table to be movable in a predetermined direction. The shielding member and the measuring means are guided by the guide rail and are movable in the predetermined direction. In addition, it is preferably provided so as to be movable in a direction crossing the predetermined direction.

  Preferably, the shielding member is provided with a positioning sensor that detects the predetermined direction and a position in a direction crossing the predetermined direction, and the shielding member is positioned with respect to the nozzle based on the detection of the positioning sensor. .

  The shielding member may be provided with a cleaning member that cleans and removes the solution adhering to the opening surface of the nozzle when the shielding member is moved in a direction crossing the predetermined direction below the nozzle. preferable.

  It is preferable that a liquid reservoir for storing the solution is formed on the shielding member, and a drainage pipe for discharging the solution is connected to the liquid reservoir.

This invention has a plurality of nozzles, a solution supply method for discharging a solution from these nozzles by an inkjet method,
A step of simultaneously discharging liquid droplets from a plurality of nozzles;
Only a solution discharged from one nozzle out of a plurality of droplet-like solutions discharged simultaneously from each nozzle is taken out and its weight is measured, and the measurement is performed on the solution discharged from each nozzle. Process,
And a step of comparing the weights of the droplet-like solutions ejected from the plurality of nozzles and setting the weights of the respective solutions to be equal to each other.

  According to this invention, the solution is discharged simultaneously from a plurality of nozzles, and the weight of the solution discharged from one of the nozzles is measured. Therefore, since the weight of the solution discharged from the nozzle can be measured under the same conditions as when the solution is applied to the substrate, it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy, thereby improving the coating quality.

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

  The solution coating apparatus shown in FIG. On the base 1, a pair of guide rails 2 spaced in parallel at a predetermined interval are provided along a predetermined direction. A mounting table 3 is provided on the guide rail 2 so as to be able to travel, and is driven by a driving source (not shown) such as a linear motor. The driving direction of the mounting table 3 is the X direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. For example, a glass substrate W used in a liquid crystal display device is supplied to the upper surface of the mounting table 3 and is held by suction and supported by means such as an electrostatic chuck or vacuum suction.

  In the middle part of the base 1 in the X direction, columns 4 are erected at both ends in the Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. Two mounting plates 5 facing the X direction at a predetermined interval are installed on one side and the other side of the pair of support columns 4 along the Y direction. A plurality of, in this embodiment, four coating heads 7 are held on the inner surface of each mounting plate 5. That is, a total of eight coating heads 7 are provided in a staggered manner on the inner surfaces of the two mounting plates 5.

  Each coating head 7 includes a head body 8 as shown in FIG. The head body 8 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its lower surface opening is closed by a flexible plate 9. The flexible plate 9 is covered with a nozzle plate 11, and a plurality of liquid chambers 12 are formed between the nozzle plate 11 and the flexible plate 9.

  Each liquid chamber 12 communicates with a main pipe line 11A formed in the nozzle plate 11 via a branch pipe (not shown), and a solution is transferred from the main pipe line 11A via the branch pipe line to each liquid chamber 12. To be supplied. One end of the main pipeline 11A is connected to a liquid supply hole 13 described later, and the other end is connected to a recovery hole 17 described later.

  The liquid supply hole 13 that communicates with the liquid chamber 12 is formed at one longitudinal end of the head body 8. A solution for forming a functional thin film such as an alignment film or a resist is supplied from the liquid supply hole 13 to the liquid chamber 12. Thereby, the inside of the liquid chamber 12 is filled with the solution.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of, in this embodiment, 37 nozzles 14 are formed in a staggered pattern in the nozzle plate 11 along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 15 facing the nozzles 14 are provided on the upper surface of the flexible plate 9.

Each piezoelectric element 15 is supplied with a drive voltage by a drive circuit unit 16 provided in the head body 8 as will be described later. As a result, the piezoelectric element 15 expands and contracts and partially deforms the flexible plate 9, so that the solution is sprayed and applied to the upper surface of the substrate W to which the solution is conveyed from the nozzle 14 facing the piezoelectric element 15.
In addition, if the operation amount of the piezoelectric element 15 is controlled by changing the strength of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 15 or the pulse width, the discharge amount of the solution from the nozzle 14 facing each piezoelectric element 15 can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recovery hole 17 communicating with the liquid chamber 12 is formed at the other longitudinal end of the head body 8. The solution supplied from the liquid supply hole 13 to the liquid chamber 12 can be recovered from the recovery hole 17. That is, each coating head 7 can not only spray the solution supplied to the liquid chamber 12 from the nozzle 14 but also recover the solution from the recovery hole 17 through the liquid chamber 12.
A solution supply pipe 21 is connected to the liquid supply hole 13 of each coating head 7, and a solution recovery pipe 22 is connected to the recovery hole 17.

  Similar to the table 3 described above, the guide rail 2 is provided with a measurement table 25 that can be driven in the X direction by a drive source such as a linear motor (not shown) and separately from the table 3. In the measurement table 25, a first movable body 26 and a second movable body 27 are provided so as to be movable along the Y direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the measurement table 25. The first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 can be separately driven in the Y direction by a driving source (not shown) such as a linear motor.

  The first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 are provided with upper placement portions 26a and 27a and lower placement portions 26b and 27b at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. A rectangular shielding member 28 is provided on the upper placement portions 26a and 27a, and an electronic balance 29 is provided on the lower placement portions 26b and 27b.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the shielding member 28 is formed with a rectangular concave liquid reservoir 31 opened on the upper surface. A conical convex portion 33 is provided at a midway portion in the Y direction at one end along the X direction of the liquid reservoir portion 31, and a through hole 32 is formed in the convex portion 33 so as to penetrate in the thickness direction. . The passage hole 32 is formed in such a size that only a droplet-like solution discharged from one nozzle 14 of the coating head 7 passes through.

  For example, if the nozzles 14 having a diameter of 0.1 mm are formed on the coating head 7 at intervals of 1 mm, the passage hole 32 is formed with a diameter of 0.2 to 0.4 mm, for example. Thereby, even if the solution is simultaneously discharged from the plurality of nozzles 14 of the coating head 7, only the solution discharged from the nozzle facing the passage hole 32 passes through the passage hole 32, and the solution discharged from the other nozzles 14. Is accumulated in the liquid reservoir 31. Since the passage hole 32 is formed in the convex portion 33, the solution accumulated in the liquid reservoir portion 31 is prevented from flowing into the passage hole 32 by the convex portion 33.

  The dimension along the Y direction of the liquid reservoir 31 is set to about twice or more the length dimension along the Y direction in the row of nozzles 14 of the coating head 7. Accordingly, even if the nozzle 14 positioned at the end in the Y direction of the coating head 7 is opposed to the passage hole 32 and the solution L is discharged from all the nozzles 14 of the coating head 7, the nozzle 14 facing the passage hole 32. The solution discharged from the other nozzles 14 can be discharged to the liquid reservoir 31.

  The solution that has passed through the passage hole 32 is dropped onto the receiving portion 29a (shown in FIG. 2) of the electronic balance 29. As a result, even when the solution is simultaneously discharged from the plurality of nozzles 14, the weight of only the solution discharged from one nozzle 14 can be measured by the electronic balance 29.

  On the upper surface of the shielding member 28, a pair of first sensors 34 is provided on one side along the Y direction as a positioning sensor, and a second sensor 35 is provided on one side along the X direction. The first and second sensors 34, 35 are, for example, reflection type optical sensors having a light projecting part and a light receiving part. When the shielding member 28 is driven below the application head 7, the application head 7. One side along the Y direction and one side along the X direction are detected. Thus, the first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 can be positioned in the X and Y directions with respect to the coating head 7.

  A drain hole 36 is formed at a position away from the passage hole 32 of the liquid reservoir 31 by a predetermined dimension. A drain pipe 37 is connected to the drain hole 36. Accordingly, the solution L discharged from the nozzle 14 not facing the passage hole 32 to the liquid reservoir 31 is discharged through the drainage pipe 37.

  Further, a cleaning member 39 formed in a blade shape with an elastic material such as rubber is provided along one end of the liquid reservoir 31 in the Y direction. When the first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 are driven along the Y direction below the head 7, the cleaning member 39 rubs the lower surface of the head 7 that is the opening surface of the nozzle 14. As a result, the solution L adhering to the lower surface of the head 7 is cleaned.

  FIG. 6 is a control circuit diagram of the solution supply apparatus, in which 71 is a control apparatus. The control device 71 controls the head controller 72 and the nozzle controller 73, and the first and second sensors 34 and 35 provided on the first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 are used for the first and second sensors 34 and 35. The second movable bodies 26 and 27 are positioned and driven in the X and Y directions, and the passage holes 32 provided in the shielding member 28 are sequentially opposed to the plurality of nozzles 14 provided in the head 7.

  The controllers 72 and 73 output drive signals to the master unit 74 based on detection signals from an encoder (not shown) that detects the X and Y coordinates of the table 3 described above. The master unit 74 includes a first CPU 75, a first transceiver 76, and a power source 77 that supplies a DC voltage of 24 V, and controls the ejection of the solution L from the nozzles 34 of the plurality of coating heads 7.

  Each coating head 7 is provided with the drive circuit section 16 described above. The drive circuit unit 16 is provided with a second CPU 82. The second CPU 82 receives a synchronization pulse from the first CPU 75 and a drive signal from the nozzle controller 73 via a second transceiver 83 communicating with the first transceiver 76. .

  The first CPU 75 sends one synchronization pulse to the plurality of pulse signals from an X encoder (not shown) based on the movement amount of the table 3 in the X direction via the control device 71 and the coating head controller 72. The data is output to the second CPU 82.

  A memory 84 storing application data is connected to the second CPU 82. The application data is read out by the second CPU 82 when the synchronization pulse signal from the first CPU 75 is input to the second CPU 82 of the drive circuit unit 16. The application data read by the second CPU 82 is output to the serial / parallel data converter 85.

  A first transformer 86 is connected to the serial / parallel data converter 85. The first transformer 86 transforms the voltage of 24V from the power source 77 of the master unit 74 into a voltage of 0 to 90V according to the voltage command from the second CPU 82, and converts the serial / parallel data. To the unit 85. A plurality of piezoelectric elements 15 provided in each of the coating heads 7 are connected to the serial / parallel data conversion unit 85.

  When a synchronization signal is input from the first CPU 75 to the second CPU 82, an oscillation signal is output from the second CPU 82 to the serial / parallel data converter 85. As a result, the voltage from the first transformer 86 is applied to the predetermined piezoelectric element 15 based on the application data from the memory 84, so that the solution is ejected from the nozzle 14 corresponding to the piezoelectric element 15. .

  Next, a procedure for measuring and setting the discharge amount of the solution from the nozzle 14 provided in each coating head 7 of the coating apparatus having the above configuration will be described. When the solution is applied to the substrate W, the mounting table 3 on which the substrate W is mounted is moved in the X direction from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 to the position indicated by the chain line. Then, when the substrate W passes under the coating head 7, the solution is discharged from the nozzle 14 of each coating head 7.

  When the discharge amount of the solution from the nozzle 14 is measured and set, first, if the mounting table 3 is retracted from below the head 7 as shown by a solid line in FIG. The first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 are respectively positioned below the head 7 by driving in the direction.

  When the control device 71 positions the first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 below the coating head 7, first, the control table 71 is driven to drive each of the movable bodies 26 and 27, that is, the shielding member 26. The first sensor 34 provided in the is moved in a range set in advance in the X direction. The control device 71 follows the Y direction of the coating head 7 from the output signal of the first sensor 34 during this movement and the output signal of the position detector (not shown) attached to the measurement Y table 25. The position on the right side of the figure is detected.

  If the end position of the coating head 7 in the Y direction is obtained, the second sensor 35 provided on the shielding member 28 is preset in the Y direction by driving the movable bodies 26 and 27 each time. Move by range. The control device 71 follows the X direction of the coating head 7 from the output signal of the second sensor 35 during this movement and the output signal of the position detector (not shown) provided in association with each movable body 26, 27. The position of the upper end in the figure is detected.

  And the control apparatus 71 calculates | requires the positional relationship of the coating head 7 and each movable body 26 and 27 from the edge part position of the X direction calculated | required about each head 7, and the edge part position of the Y direction.

  Since the position information of each nozzle 14 on the coating head 7 and the position information of the passage hole 32 on the shielding member 28 are known from the design data, the control device 71 sets the known position information set in advance and the above-described position information. The relative positions of the nozzles 14 and the passage holes 32 are determined from the positional relationship between the coating head 7 and the movable bodies 26 and 27 determined in step S2.

  In accordance with the relative positions of the nozzles 14 and the passage holes 32 thus obtained, the control device 71 includes the passage holes 32 provided in the shielding members 28 for the first and second movable bodies 26 and 27. The head 7 is positioned so as to sequentially face the 37 nozzles 14.

  The shielding member 28 is provided with two first sensors 34 along the Y direction. Therefore, since the inclination angle with respect to the X direction of the coating head 7 can be detected by the two first sensors 34, the position of the coating head 7 can be recognized more accurately.

  When the passage hole 32 faces one of the 37 nozzles 14 of the head 7, the solution is simultaneously discharged from the 37 nozzles 14 of the head 7. Then, only the solution discharged from one nozzle 14 facing the passage hole 32 passes through the passage hole 32 and drops onto the receiving portion 29a of the electronic balance 29, and the weight is measured. The measured weight of the solution is input to the control device 71 and stored in a storage unit (not shown). The first nozzle 14 is the first nozzle 14.

  The control device 71 calculates the weight of the solution dropped on the receiving portion 29a from the difference in the output value of the electronic balance 29 before and after the solution is discharged from the first nozzle 14. For example, when droplets are ejected 1000 times from each nozzle 14, 1000 droplets of solution are dropped on the receiving portion 29a. The control device 71 obtains a difference between the output values of the electronic balance 29 before and after the 1000 droplets are dropped, and a value obtained by dividing the difference by 1000 is discharged from the first nozzle 14. Determined as the weight of one drop. The weight of one droplet is stored in the storage unit of the control device 71.

  The solution discharged from 36 nozzles 14 other than the one nozzle 14 facing the passage hole 32 is discharged to the liquid reservoir 31 of the shielding member 28, and is discharged from there to the drain pipe 37 through the drain hole 36. Is done.

  Next, the first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 are driven, and the solution is simultaneously ejected from the 37 nozzles 14 of the head 7 with the passage hole 32 facing the second nozzle 14. As a result, only the solution discharged from the second nozzle 14 passes through the passage hole 32 and its weight is measured by the electronic balance 29. Thereafter, the weight of the solution discharged from the third to 37th nozzles 14 is measured in the same manner.

  In this way, when the weight of the solution discharged from each of the 37 nozzles 14 of one head 7 is measured, the weight is compared with a target value by a comparison unit (not shown) of the control device 71. The If the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 is more than the allowable value with respect to the target weight, this is output to the second CPU 82. The target weight is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) of the control device 71.

  As a result, the second CPU 82 causes each nozzle 14 to pass through the serial / parallel data converter 85 from the first transformer 86 so that the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 is within a target weight tolerance. The voltage value or the pulse width of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 15 opposed to is controlled.

  For example, when adjusting the amount of solution discharged from the nozzle 14 by controlling the voltage value applied to the piezoelectric element 15, the voltage correction amount is stored in advance in the memory 84 of the second CPU 82. Since the second CPU 82 needs to reduce the discharge amount when the difference in the weight of the solution sent from the control device 71 is positive (the measured weight is larger than the target weight), the piezoelectric element 15 The first transformer 85 is controlled so that the voltage value applied to is reduced by the amount of voltage correction. On the contrary, when the difference in the weight of the solution is negative (the measured weight is smaller than the target weight), it is necessary to increase the discharge amount. Therefore, the second CPU 82 determines the voltage value applied to the piezoelectric element 15. The first transformer 85 is controlled so as to increase the voltage correction amount.

  When the amount of solution discharged from each nozzle 14 is corrected in this way, the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 is again measured by the same means as described above, and compared with the target weight. Is performed by the control device 71. As a result of the comparison, the adjustment is completed if the weight of the solution discharged from all the nozzles 14 is within the target allowable weight value. If the weight is outside the allowable value, the adjustment of the solution discharged from all the nozzles 14 is performed. Adjustment is repeated until the weight is within the target weight tolerance.

  When the discharge amount setting operation is completed for each nozzle 14 of one coating head 7 in this way, the discharge amount setting operation is performed by the control device 71 in the same manner for the other coating heads 7.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the solution is simultaneously ejected from all of the plurality of nozzles 14 provided in one head 7, and at that time, one nozzle 14 facing the passage hole 32 of the shielding member 28. Only the solution L discharged from the liquid was passed through the passage hole 32 and the weight was measured with the electronic balance 29. Such measurement is sequentially performed on the 37 nozzles 14 of the head 7.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the coating head 7 having a structure in which a plurality of liquid chambers 12 communicate with a single seed pipe 11 </ b> A, a solution is ejected from one nozzle 14 among the plurality of nozzles 14. In the case where the solution is discharged from all the nozzles 14 at the same time, even if the voltage value applied to the piezoelectric element 15 is the same, the amount of the solution discharged from the nozzle 14 in the latter is smaller than that in the former. The so-called crosstalk may occur.

  In such a case, when the solution is discharged from only one selected nozzle 14 among the plurality of nozzles and the discharge amount is set, the solution is simultaneously discharged from all the nozzles 14 when the solution is actually applied to the substrate W. When doing so, there arises a problem that the discharge amount is reduced.

  As described above, since the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 can be measured under the same conditions as when the solution is actually applied to the substrate W, the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 based on the measurement. If the weight is set, the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 when applying the solution to the substrate W can be set to a required value. That is, it is possible to form a functional thin film having a uniform desired thickness on the substrate W.

  The shielding member 28 is provided with a cleaning member 39 along the X direction. Therefore, when the first and second movable bodies 26 and 27 are driven in the Y direction below the coating head 7 in order to measure the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14, the tip of the cleaning member 39 is the coating head. 7 moves while rubbing the lower surface of the nozzle 7, so that the solution adhering to the opening surface of the nozzle 14 can be cleaned.

  For example, in the setting operation in which the discharge amount of the solution from the nozzle 14 is measured and set, each time the measurement for one nozzle 14 is completed, the movable bodies 26 and 27 are reciprocated in the Y direction to Wipe the entire bottom surface. At this time, the upper mounting portions 26a and 27a can be moved up and down with respect to the movable bodies 26 and 27 by a driving device such as an air cylinder (not shown). , 27a are moved to the ascending end, and the upper end of the cleaning member 39 is moved to the wiping position where the upper end of the cleaning member 39 contacts the lower surface of the coating head 7. It is positioned at a standby position where it does not contact the lower surface of the head 7.

  It is known that the solution adheres to the lower surface of the coating head 7 while discharging the solution from the nozzle 14 repeatedly. Then, when the amount of the solution attached increases, the opening of the nozzle 14 may be blocked by the solution, and the discharge of the solution from the nozzle 14 may be hindered.

  Therefore, as described above, when the lower surface of the application head 7 is wiped by the cleaning member 39 during the discharge amount setting operation, the nozzle 14 can be prevented from being blocked by the solution adhering to the lower surface of the application head 7. Therefore, the measurement and setting of the discharge amount from each nozzle 14 can be performed with higher accuracy.

  Further, since the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 is directly measured, the discharge amount can be measured with high accuracy, and the discharge amount from each nozzle 14 can be accurately adjusted to the required discharge amount. As a result, when the solution is applied to the substrate W, the solution can be applied with a uniform application amount, and a functional thin film having a uniform thickness without unevenness can be formed.

  In the above embodiment, two movable bodies are provided on the measurement table so that the weight of the solution discharged from the nozzles of the two heads can be measured simultaneously. However, the number of movable bodies provided on the measurement table is limited. The number may be one or three or more.

  Further, although the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 is set to be the same, it may be set to a different weight for each nozzle 14.

  Further, the example in which the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 is measured while discharging the solution from all the nozzles 14 at the same time has been described. However, the discharging of the solution from some of the nozzles 14 is performed. You may stop and go. For example, in the functional thin film pattern formed on the substrate W this time, when the solution is discharged only from 30 nozzles 14 out of the 37 nozzles 14 of the head 7, only from the 30 nozzles 14. The weight of the solution discharged from each of the 30 nozzles 14 is measured while simultaneously discharging the solution. Even in this case, the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle 14 can be measured while discharging the solution from all the nozzles 14 used when the solution is actually applied to the substrate W. Therefore, the discharge amount of the solution adjusted based on the measurement is in accordance with the actual application, and the quality of the functional thin film to be formed can be improved.

  Moreover, although the description has been made assuming that the rectangular plate-shaped shielding member 29 is provided with the passage hole 32 as the shielding member, the point is that only the solution discharged from one nozzle 14 needs to be passed. The rectangular plates may be arranged with an interval through which only the solution discharged from one nozzle 14 can pass, and the solution discharged from the other nozzles 14 may be received by one of the two rectangular plates. .

  Moreover, although the example which calculates the weight of the droplet discharged from the nozzle 14 from the weight of the droplet for 1000 drops was demonstrated, the number of the droplets discharged in order to measure a weight is not restricted to 1000 droplets, and how many A single drop is acceptable. Moreover, although the example which compares the target weight with respect to the weight of the droplet for 1 drop was demonstrated, you may adjust the discharge amount by comparing the weight of several droplets, such as 1000 drops.

The top view which shows schematic structure of the coating device of one Embodiment of this invention. The sectional side view of the coating device shown in FIG. (A) is a top view of a shielding member, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of Fig.3 (a) similarly. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of an application | coating head. The figure of the lower surface side of a coating head. The control circuit diagram for discharging a solution from the nozzle of an application head.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Base, 2 ... Guide rail, 3 ... Mounting table, 14 ... Nozzle, 28 ... Shielding member, 29 ... Electronic balance (measuring means), 31 ... Liquid reservoir part, 32 ... Pass-through hole, 34 ... 1st sensor (Positioning sensor), 35 ... second sensor (positioning sensor), 37 ... drainage pipe, 39 ... cleaning member, 71 ... control device (control means).

Claims (7)

A solution supply device for discharging a solution by an inkjet method and applying the solution to a substrate,
A table for holding the substrate;
A plurality of nozzles disposed above the substrate to be transported to discharge and apply a droplet-like solution to the substrate;
A shielding member that is provided so as to be positioned below the nozzle and allows only a solution discharged from one nozzle to pass among a plurality of droplet-like solutions discharged simultaneously from the plurality of nozzles;
A solution supply apparatus comprising: a measuring unit that measures the weight of the solution that has passed through the shielding member.   2. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for setting the weight of the solution discharged from each nozzle to be the same based on the measurement by the measurement means.   The base has a guide rail that guides the table to be movable in a predetermined direction. The shielding member and the measuring means are guided by the guide rail and are movable in the predetermined direction. The solution supply device according to claim 1, wherein the solution supply device is movable in a direction intersecting with the predetermined direction.   The shielding member is provided with a positioning sensor for detecting the predetermined direction and a position in a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and the shielding member is positioned with respect to the nozzle based on the detection of the positioning sensor. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 3.   The shielding member is provided with a cleaning member that cleans and removes the solution adhering to the opening surface of the nozzle when the shielding member is moved in a direction crossing the predetermined direction below the nozzle. 5. The solution supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein   2. The solution supply according to claim 1, wherein a liquid reservoir part for storing the solution is formed in the shielding member, and a drainage pipe for discharging the solution is connected to the liquid reservoir part. apparatus. A method of supplying a solution having a plurality of nozzles and discharging the solution from these nozzles by an inkjet method,
A step of simultaneously discharging liquid droplets from a plurality of nozzles;
Only a solution discharged from one nozzle out of a plurality of droplet-like solutions discharged simultaneously from each nozzle is taken out and its weight is measured, and the measurement is performed on the solution discharged from each nozzle. Process,
A step of comparing the weights of the droplet-like solutions discharged from the plurality of nozzles and setting the weights of the solutions to be the same.

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