Substrate coating device and substrate coating method

A substrate coating device comprising:

• a stage having a horizontal placement surface for placing a substrate thereon and configured to be reciprocable within a predetermined range in a conveying direction;
• a nozzle having a slit for delivering a coating liquid downwardly which extends perpendicular to the conveying direction, the nozzle being vertically reciprocable above the stage;
• a conveyor configured to convey the substrate in the conveying direction via the placement surface in such manner that a surface of the substrate is positioned in a horizontal plane, the conveyor including a liftable intermediate portion having at least a length of the predetermined range;
• stage moving means configured to reciprocate the stage between an upstream end and a downstream end in the predetermined range;
• a conveyor lifting means configured to lift up and down the intermediate portion of the conveyor between a conveying position where a conveying surface of the intermediate portion is coincident with the placement surface and a non-conveying position where the conveying surface is positioned below the placement surface;
• a control section configured to control operations of the stage moving means and the conveyor lifting means in such a manner as to allow the nozzle to deliver the coating liquid onto the surface of the substrate during movement of the stage carrying the substrate having been conveyed and placed onto the placement surface thereof by the conveyor from the upstream end to the downstream end;
• nozzle lifting means configured to lift up and down the nozzle between an optimal delivery position for delivering the coating liquid onto the surface of the substrate placed on the placement surface and a retreated position above the delivery position;
• a cleaning member as cleaning means configured to clean the slit of the nozzle, the cleaning member being reciprocable in the conveying direction;
• and
• cleaning member moving means configured to move the cleaning member between a cleaning position where the cleaning member abuts against the nozzle and a standby position where the cleaning member fails to abut against the nozzle;
• wherein:
• the control section controls the operation of the stage moving means to cause the stage carrying the substrate placed on the placement surface to move forward from the upstream end toward the downstream end and then cause the stage carrying no substrate on the placement surface to move backward from the downstream end toward the upstream end while controlling the operation of the conveyor lifting means to cause the intermediate portion of the conveyor to descend into the non-conveying position when the substrate reaches a position above the stage positioned at the upstream end and then cause the intermediate portion to ascend into the conveying position when the stage carrying the substrate placed on the placement surface reaches the downstream end;
• the control section controls an operation of the nozzle lifting means to cause the nozzle to descend into the delivery position after the intermediate portion of the conveyor has descended into the non-conveying position and then cause the nozzle to ascend into the retreated position when the stage carrying the substrate placed on the placement surface reaches the downstream end;
• and
• the control section operates the cleaning member moving means to cause the cleaning member to move into the cleaning position when the nozzle ascends from the coating position to the retreated position and then cause the cleaning member to move into the standby position before the nozzle moves from the retreated position to the coating position.