Patent Publication Number: US-2021162432-A1

Title: Spray device

Description:
FIELD OF DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of microelectronic processing equipment technologies, and in particular, to a spray device used in a production process of a liquid crystal display. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the field of display technologies, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display devices have gradually replaced cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. 
     The LCD is formed by laminating a thin film transistor array substrate (TFT array substrate) and a color filter (CF) substrate, and liquid crystal molecules are injected between the TFT substrate and the CF substrate, and the liquid crystal molecules are controlled to change direction by whether those are energized or not, and light emitted by a backlight module is refracted to generated an image. 
     In a TFT-LCD manufacturing process, indium tin oxide (ITO) has been widely used to form a transparent display electrode, due to its excellent property. During a process for fabricating an ITO transparent display electrode, an ITO film is firstly formed by a magnetron sputtering process, and then a pattern of photoresist is formed by photolithography. Finally, the ITO film is patterned by a wet etching process to form the transparent display electrode. 
       FIG. 1  is a flowchart of spraying and etching an ITO film in the prior art. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a surface of a substrate is covered with an ITO film, and the substrate enters an input unit (IN CV). Organic matter on the surface is removed in a cleaning chamber (EUV), and then substrate enters an etching chamber (ETCH). In the etching chamber, a portion the ITO film which is not required to remain (i.e., a portion of the ITO film which is not covered by a photoresist pattern) on the substrate is removed by an etchant. The substrate then leaves and is cleaned by a water washing unit (SWR) to remove the etchant remaining on the surface of the substrate. Finally, the substrate is dried and transferred out of a spray device by a transfer unit (NT) and an outlet unit (OUT CV). 
     However, in the cleaning chamber (EUV), the etching chamber (ETCH), and the water washing unit (SWR), the substrate is sprayed by using fixedly mounted spray devices. The cleaning chamber (EUV) and the water washing unit (SWR) wash the substrate to remove impurities, and crystals of the etching liquid are generated in the etching chamber (ETCH). Therefore, nozzles on the spray devices may be clogged during the production process, or an offset of the spray may occur for other reasons, so that the substrate is unevenly sprayed, and eventually the product is defective. 
     SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE 
     In view of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a spray device. By driving a spray rack for spraying with a reciprocating motion, a substrate is evenly sprayed, and an offset of the spray is reduced. The substrate is sprayed evenly, and a production efficiency and product quality are improved. 
     In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides a spray device capable of using in a production process of a liquid crystal display and disposed in a spray chamber. The spray device includes an upper rack, a connector, an eccentric wheel, and a motor. Specifically, the upper rack is movably mounted on a top of the spray chamber, and a plurality of nozzles are evenly arranged below the upper rack. The connector is disposed on one side of the upper rack, and is rotatably connected to the eccentric wheel through a rocker. The motor is configured to drive the eccentric wheel to rotate. The eccentric wheel includes a enter hole, a plurality of eccentric holes, and a connecting rod. The center hole is fixedly connected to the eccentric wheel. The eccentric holes are disposed on the eccentric wheel. The connecting rod is fixedly mounted on one of the eccentric holes. The rocker is sleeved on the connecting rod to realize a rotatable connection. The connecting rod is configured to rotate with the eccentric wheel to drive the rocker to realize a reciprocating motion of the upper rack. 
     Furthermore, between the eccentric wheel and the motor, the spray device further includes a gearbox. One end of the gearbox is rotatably connected to a center shaft of the eccentric wheel by a first gear, and another end of the gearbox is rotatably connected to the motor by a second gear. 
     Furthermore, the spray device further includes a lower rack. The plurality of nozzles are evenly arranged on an upper surface of the lower rack. The lower rack is fixedly connected to the upper rack. In response to the lower rack being synchronized with the upper rack to perform the reciprocating motion, a substrate between the lower rack and the upper rack is sprayed. 
     Furthermore, the upper rack further includes a plurality of pipes and a main pipe. One ends of the pipes are connected to inlet ports of the nozzles in one-to-one correspondence, and another ends of the plurality of pipes are connected to the main pipe. 
     Furthermore, the upper rack further includes at least one roller disposed on a surface of the upper rack to enable the upper rack to slide in a direction of the reciprocating motion with respect to the top of the spray chamber. 
     Furthermore, the roller is located at a lower surface of the upper rack and extends to both sides of the upper rack in the direction of the reciprocating motion. 
     Furthermore, the roller is located at an upper surface of the upper rack and disposed at a center position of the upper rack in the direction of the reciprocating motion, and the roller is slidably mounted on the top of the spray chamber. 
     Furthermore, the upper rack further includes a hinge bar. One end of the hinge bar is rotatably disposed on an upper surface of the upper rack, and another end of the hinge bar is rotatably disposed on the top of the spray chamber so that the upper rack is capable of performing the reciprocating motion relative to the top of the spray chamber. 
     Furthermore, a hinge bar is rotatably disposed at a center line of an upper surface of the upper rack. The center line is in accordance with a direction of the reciprocating motion. 
     Furthermore, the nozzles are configured to spray a pure water or an etching liquid. 
     Advantages of the present disclosure are as follows. A spray device is provided, and by driving a spray rack for spraying with a reciprocating motion, the spray rack can swing from 30° to 60°, which can effectively avoid a substrate being subjected to an uneven spray caused by an individual nozzle is clogged. Therefore, the substrate is sprayed evenly, and an offset of the spray is reduced. The substrate is sprayed evenly, and a production efficiency and product quality are improved. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a flowchart of spraying and etching an ITO film in the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of a spray device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the spray device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a right side view of the spray device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of an eccentric wheel according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing a swing principle of the eccentric wheel according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a right side view of the spray device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Reference numerals of components in the drawings are as follow. upper rack  1 ; connector  2 ; eccentric wheel  3 ; motor  4 ; rocker  5 ; gearbox  6  lower rack  7 ; spray device  10 ; nozzle  11 ; pipe  12 ; roller  13  hinge bar  14 ; main pipe  15 ; spray chamber  20 ; substrate  30 ; center shaft  31  center hole  32 ; eccentric hole  33 ; connecting rod  34 ; first gear  61 ; second gear  62   
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the specification of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that terms such as “central”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, and “counterclockwise” should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the present disclosure be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” are used herein for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance or to imply the number of indicated technical features. Thus, the feature defined with “first” and “second” may include one or more of this feature. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” means two or more than two, unless specified otherwise. 
     In the present disclosure, unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “coupled”, and “fixed” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass such as mechanical or electrical mountings, connections and couplings, also can be inner mountings, connections and couplings of two components, and further can be direct and indirect mountings, connections, and couplings, which can be understood by those skilled in the art according to the detail embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a surface of a substrate is covered with an ITO film, and the substrate enters an input unit (IN CV). Organic matter on the surface is removed in a cleaning chamber (EUV), and then substrate enters an etching chamber (ETCH). In the etching chamber, a portion the ITO film which is not required to remain (i.e., a portion of the ITO film which is not covered by a photoresist pattern) on the substrate is removed by an etchant. The substrate then leaves and is cleaned by a water washing unit (SWR) to remove the etchant remaining on the surface of the substrate. Finally, the substrate is dried and transferred out of a spray device by a transfer unit (NT) and an outlet unit (OUT CV). 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 4 , the present disclosure provides a spray device  10  which is capable of using in a production process of a liquid crystal display and disposed in a spray chamber  20  (e.g., an etching chamber or a water washing unit). The spray device  10  includes an upper rack  1 , a connector  2 , an eccentric wheel  3 , and a motor  4 . Specifically, the upper rack  1  is movably mounted on a top of the spray chamber  20 . A plurality of nozzles  11  are evenly arranged under the upper rack  1 . The connector  2  is disposed on one side of the upper rack  1 , and is rotatably connected to the eccentric wheel  3  through a rocker  5 . The motor  4  is configured to drive a center shaft  31 of the eccentric wheel  3  to rotate. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the eccentric wheel  3  is provided with a center hole  32 , a plurality of eccentric holes  33 , and a connecting rod  34 . The center hole  32  is disposed at a center of the eccentric wheel  3 , and the center shaft  31  extends through the center hole  32  and is fixedly connected to the eccentric wheel  3 . Distances between each of the eccentric holes  33  and the center hole  32  are different. The connecting rod  34  is fixedly mounted on one of the eccentric hole  33 , and the rocker  5  is sleeved on the connecting rod  34  to performer a rotatable connection. The connecting rod  34  is configured to rotate with the eccentric wheel  3  to drive the rocker  5  to realize a reciprocating motion of the upper rack  1 . When the connecting rod  34  selects a different eccentric hole  33  that is different in distance from the center hole, the upper rack  1  performs the reciprocating motion of different amplitudes. 
     Specifically, in operation, the motor  4  is configured to drive the eccentric wheel  3  to rotate. By the connecting rod  34  and the connector  2 , the upper rack  1  is driven to perform the reciprocating motion. If the connecting rod  34  is assembled with an eccentric hole  33  having a different distance from the center hole, the upper rack  1  is swung with different amplitudes. That is, the upper rack  1  performs the reciprocating motion. A swing angle of a center line of the upper rack  1  ranges from 30° to 60°, preferably 30°, 45°, or 60°. As shown in  FIG. 6 , relevant factors affecting the magnitude of the swing angle  0  of the center line (dashed line in  FIG. 6 ) of the upper rack  1  include: a distance R 1  of the eccentric hole  33  and the center hole  32 , a length L of the rocker  5 , and a radius R 2  of a circle of a swinging arc of the upper rack  1 . A swing distance of the upper rack  1  in the reciprocating motion is (L+R 1 )−√{square root over (L 2 +R 1   2 )}. The swing distance of the upper rack  1  in the reciprocating motion is equal to an arc length corresponding to the swing angle θ. According to a formula of the arc length, (L+R 1 )−√{square root over (L 2 +R 1   2 )}=θ×R 2 , a value of the angle θ can be obtained. 
     In the first embodiment, the eccentric holes  33  are preferably arranged in a straight line to facilitate installation and aesthetics. Setting the plurality of eccentric holes  33  in this way can easily adjust a deflection angle of the upper rack  1  when performing the reciprocating motion, i.e., amplitude of the reciprocating motion of the upper rack  1 . Thus, the substrate  30  located below the upper rack  1  can be uniformly sprayed, so that a water receiving area per unit time is increased, and the spraying speed and uniformity are greatly improved. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the first embodiment, a gearbox  6  is further provided between the eccentric wheel  3  and the motor  4 . One end of the gearbox  6  is rotatably connected to the center shaft  31  of the eccentric wheel  3  via a first gear  61 , and the other end of the gearbox  6  is rotatably connected to the motor  4  via a second gear  62 . A speed can be changed by adjusting outer diameters of the first gear  61  and the second gear  62 , which can achieve both acceleration and deceleration. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  to  FIG. 6 , in the first embodiment, the spray device  10  further includes a lower rack  7 . An upper surface of the lower rack  7  is evenly arranged with the plurality of nozzles  11 . The lower rack  7  is fixedly connected to the upper rack  1 . The lower rack  7  performs the reciprocating motion in synchronization with the upper rack  1 , so the substrate between the lower rack  7  and the upper rack  1  is sprayed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , in the first embodiment, the upper rack  1  further includes a plurality of pipes  12  and a main pipe  15 . The pipes  12  are connected to liquid inlets of the nozzles  11  in one-to-one correspondence. The other ends of the plurality of pipes  12  are connected to the main pipe  15  of the upper rack  1  to simplify the structure. The spraying of all of the pipes  12  can be achieved just by supplying the main pipe  15  with a certain pressure of the spray liquid. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in the first embodiment, the upper rack  1  further includes at least one roller  13  disposed on a surface of the upper rack  1  to enable the upper rack  1  to slide in a direction of the reciprocating motion with respect to the top of the spray chamber  20 . 
     In the first embodiment, the roller  13  is located on a lower surface of the upper rack  1  extends to both sides of the upper rack  1  in the direction of the reciprocating motion. In other embodiments, the roller  13  is located at an upper surface of the upper rack  1  and disposed at a center position of the upper rack  1  in the direction of the reciprocating motion. The roller  13  is slidably mounted on the top of the spray chamber  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , in the second embodiment, the upper rack  1  also includes a hinge bar  14 . One end of the hinge bar  14  is rotatably disposed on an upper surface of the upper rack  1 . The hinge bar  14  is preferably located at a center line of the upper surface of the upper rack  1 . The center line is parallel with the direction of the reciprocating motion. The other end of the hinge bar  14  is rotatably disposed on the top of the spray chamber  20 , so that the reciprocating motion of the upper rack  1  relative to the top of the spray chamber  20  can be achieved. 
     In the second embodiment, the hinge bar  14  is rotatably disposed at the center line of the upper surface of the upper rack  1 , and the center line is substantially parallel to the direction of the reciprocating motion, that is, the center line is in accordance with the direction of the reciprocating motion. 
     In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the nozzles  11  spray pure water (i.e., deionized water) or etching liquid. If the nozzles  11  spray the pure water, the spray device  10  of the present disclosure serves as a cleaning device, in which case the spray chamber  20  is a water washing unit. If the nozzles  11  spray the etching liquid, the spray device  10  of the present disclosure serves as an etching device, in which case the spray chamber  20  is an etching chamber. 
     Advantages of the present disclosure are as follows. A spray device is provided, and by driving a spray rack for spraying with a reciprocating motion, the spray rack can swing from 30° to 60°, which can effectively avoid a substrate being subjected to an uneven spray caused by an individual nozzle is clogged. Therefore, the substrate is sprayed evenly, and an offset of the spray is reduced. The substrate is sprayed evenly, and a production efficiency and product quality are improved. 
     The foregoing is only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that modifications and adaptations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the present disclosure, and should be considered to be within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.