Apparatus for coating substrate

Abstract

A substrate coating apparatus includes a stage, a coating liquid tank, and a moving mechanism. The stage holds the substrate to be vertical or inclined. The tank has a hollow body extending along the widthwise direction of the substrate, with opposing ends closed. The tank has a protruding front end surface which can be positioned facing the substrate surface to be coated. The tank has an outlet path having an opening over the width of the area to be coated, and an inlet opened in the tank below the outlet. The moving mechanism holds the tank such that the front end surface thereof faces the surface of the substrate, with a prescribed space, for example, 0.1 to 0.3 mm, therebetween. The moving mechanism moves the tank vertically relative to the substrate, from a start position to an end position, while the predetermined space between the tank and the surface is maintained. The front end surface of the tank has a lower edge positioned between the outlet and the inlet of the coating liquid outlet path. The upper edge of the front edge surface being between the outlet and a maximum height position reached by coating liquid in the gap by capillary action or, it may be formed above the maximum height, assuming that the front end surface of the coating liquid tank and the substrate surface to be coated extend infinitely upward to define the gap of said prescribed size therebetween.