Patent · US Expired

Droplet jet method for coating flat substrates with resist or similar materials

US5885661A · kind A · utility

12Cited by
7References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 26, 1995
Grant dateMar 23, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 26, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F7/164
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for efficiently and effectively coating a substantially flat surface, i.e., a substrate, with a high-viscosity chemical such as photoresist. The chemical is dispensed through a piezo electrically controlled droplet jet cartridge on to the surface. The thickness of the chemical coating is controlled by controlling the rate at which chemical is dispensed through the droplet jet cartridge. A number of droplet jet cartridges are aligned such that gaps in chemical dispensed by one droplet jet cartridge are filled by chemical dispensed by other droplet jet cartridges. An array of droplet jet cartridges which spans the width of the surface moves across the surface to coat the surface with chemical in a single pass. To coat a circular surface, the surface is spun while a droplet jet cartridge is moved from the center of the surface to the outer edge of the surface. Chemical is dispensed on to the surface in a helical pattern.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.