Slot-die coating method and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10006124-B2
Application number	US-201414908618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2014
Priority date	Jul 30, 2013
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A slot-die coating apparatus for manufacturing a patterned coating layer ( 3 ) on a substrate ( 1 ) comprises a substrate carrier ( 6 ), a coating device, a sensor facility ( 70 ) and a controller ( 80 ). The substrate carrier ( 6 ) is arranged on a support for providing the substrate ( 1 ). The coating device comprises a head-side unit and a support-side unit ( 50, 55; 52 resp.) that are mutually movable with respect to each other by a motor ( 52, 56 ). The head-side unit comprises a translator part ( 52 ) and a slot-die coating head ( 2 ). The support-side unit ( 55 ) comprises a stator part ( 56 ) of the motor. The controller ( 80 ) controls the motor ( 52 ) to position the slot-die coating head at a desired distance (Ds). The support-side unit ( 55 ) has a mass that is at least equal to the mass of the head-side unit ( 50 ), and the support-side unit ( 55 ) is flexibly coupled to the support ( 60 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Slot-die coating apparatus for manufacturing a patterned coating layer on a substrate, the slot-die coating apparatus comprising
a substrate carrier arranged on a support, arranged for providing the substrate comprising a substrate surface;
a coating device comprising at least a head-side unit and a support-side unit that are mutually movable with respect to each other by at least one motor, the head-side unit comprising a translator part of the at least one motor and a slot-die coating head, the slot-die coating head comprising an outflow opening from which flows a coating fluid, wherein the outflow opening forms a slit that is, in use, arranged in a slit direction over the substrate surface, the support-side unit comprising a stator part of the at least one motor,
a sensor facility for measuring a distance between the outflow opening and the surface of the substrate carrier or the substrate surface in a translation direction transverse to the slit direction and for providing a sense signal indicative for a measured value of said distance;
a controller configured to control the at least one motor in accordance with an input signal indicative for a desired value of said distance, in order to position the slot-die coating head at a distance having said desired value,
wherein the support-side unit has a mass that is at least equal to the mass of the head-side unit, and the support-side unit is flexibly coupled to the support.

2. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the translation direction is arranged in a horizontal plane.

3. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising at least a further support-side unit comprising a stator part of a second motor, the support-side unit and the further support-side unit together having a mass that is at least equal to the mass of the head-side unit, and the further support-side unit being flexibly coupled to the support, the head-side unit further comprising a translator part of the second motor and a central stage to which the coating head is mounted at a first end and to which the translator of the first and the second motor are arranged at a respective side.

4. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the flexible coupling of each of the support-side unit and the further support-side unit includes a respective first and second leaf spring arranged in a plane transverse to said translation direction, the support-side unit and the further support-side unit being coupled at a respective end with their respective first and second leaf spring to the support.

5. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the support-side unit and the further support-side unit each are provided with a damper plate that is slidingly arranged in a rail mounted on the support.

6. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the central stage is coupled at its first end via one or more leaf springs to the support, arranged in a plane transverse to said translation direction.

7. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the central stage is coupled at its second end to the support by a bar extending in a direction transverse to said slit direction and said translation direction, enabling said second end to translate in directions transverse to extension directions of the bar.

8. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a blocking member stiffly coupled to the support that protrudes in a direction transverse to the translation direction with play through an opening in the central stage.

9. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a damping facility for actively damping a movement of the support-side unit.

10. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the damping facility is deactivated while displacing the head-side unit.

11. Slot-die coating apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the damping facility includes a separate control unit for controlling a position of the support-side unit.

12. The slot die coating apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a further controller for controlling a coating fluid supply, the further controller being synchronized with the controller for controlling the at least one motor.

13. Method for manufacturing a patterned coating layer on a substrate, the method comprising flowing a coating fluid through the outflow opening of the slot-die coating apparatus of claim 1 to provide the patterned coating layer on the substrate.

Assignees

• TNO

Inventors

• De Vries Ike Gerke
• Van Lent Maarten
• Smeltink Jeroen Anthonius

Classifications

• B05C3/02

  the work being immersed in the liquid or other fluent material · CPC title

• B05C5/0254

  Coating heads with slot-shaped outlet (B05C5/0283 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C16/52 Primary

  Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B05C11/1018

  responsive to distance of target · CPC title

• B05C5/0258 Primary

  flow controlled, e.g. by a valve (B05C5/0262, B05C5/0266 take precedence) · CPC title