KR101678716B1 - Substrate cartridge, substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing system, substrate processing method, and method for manufacturing electric circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

The substrate cartridge 1 includes a main body 2 for accommodating a sheet substrate FB and an information holding portion IC for holding information. The holding portion (IC) may be an IC chip or a bar code. The information relates to the material (material, thickness, etc.) of the substrate FB. It also relates to a process for the substrate FB. It also relates to defects in the substrate FB. It is also information for identifying the main body 2. Information is displayed on the display unit 29 of the main body 2. [ The mounting portion 3 of the main body 2 is connected to the substrate processing apparatus. The mount portion 3 has a terminal 3C through which communication between the holding portion IC and the control portion 104 of the apparatus is performed. The substrate processing method includes acquiring information from the holding portion (IC) of the cartridge 1 and processing the substrate FB in accordance with this information. The substrate FB is a resin film on which an electroluminescence (EL) element is formed. The substrate FB wound in the main body 2 continues to be discharged through the opening portion 34.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate cartridge, a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing method, and a manufacturing method of an electric circuit. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002]

The present invention relates to a substrate cartridge, a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing method, a control apparatus, and a method of manufacturing a display element.

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-253975, filed on November 5, 2009, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-253976, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As a display element constituting a display device such as a display device, for example, an organic electroluminescence (organic EL) element is known. The organic EL element has a configuration in which an anode and a cathode are provided on a substrate, and an organic light-emitting layer sandwiched between the anode and the cathode. In the organic EL element, holes and holes are injected from the anode to the organic light-emitting layer to combine holes and electrons in the organic light-emitting layer, and display light (display light) is obtained by the luminescent color at the time of bonding. In the organic EL element, for example, an electric circuit or the like connected to the anode and the cathode is formed on the substrate.

As a method of manufacturing an organic EL device, a method called a roll-to-roll method (hereinafter simply referred to as a "roll method") is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In the roll method, a single sheet-like substrate wound on a roller on a substrate feed side is fed, a substrate is fed while the fed substrate is taken up by a roller on a substrate return side, and a substrate is fed A light emitting layer constituting the organic EL element, an anode, a cathode, an electric circuit and the like on the substrate sequentially in the processing apparatus.

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, for example, the substrate feeding roller and the substrate winding roller can be separated from the processing apparatus. The separated rollers are returned to a separate processing device, for example, and can be used by being mounted on the separate processing device.

Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2006/100868

However, it is difficult to discriminate which substrate is wound on the roller, for example, in a configuration in which only detachable with respect to the processing apparatus as described above. In addition, for example, it is difficult to determine to what stage the substrate is wound on the roller. For this reason, every time the roller is mounted, it becomes necessary to confirm the substrate by some means, which takes time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate cartridge, a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing method, a control apparatus, and a manufacturing method of a display element that enable efficient processing on a substrate.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate cartridge having a cartridge body for accommodating a substrate and an information holding portion for holding information including at least specification information about a specification value of the substrate received in the cartridge body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate cartridge including a cartridge body for accommodating a substrate, and an information holding portion for holding information including process information based on at least information on the specification of a substrate accommodated in the cartridge body, / RTI >

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate processing section for processing a substrate, a substrate loading section for loading the substrate into the substrate processing section, and a substrate loading / unloading section for loading / unloading the substrate from / There is provided a substrate processing apparatus in which the substrate cartridge of the present invention is used as at least one of the substrate carry-out units.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a substrate cartridge of the present invention connected to the substrate processing apparatus, and a control section for receiving information from the information holding section of the substrate cartridge, There is provided a substrate processing system having a main control device for controlling a processing apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method for processing a substrate while supplying the substrate, and recovering the processed substrate, wherein at least one of the supply of the substrate and the recovery of the substrate is performed using the substrate cartridge of the present invention And a substrate processing method for processing a substrate using information obtained through a substrate cartridge.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus including a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate and a main control section for controlling the substrate cartridge of the present invention connected to the substrate processing apparatus.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a display device having a substrate processing section for processing a substrate, and a process for supplying a substrate to the substrate processing section using the substrate cartridge of the present invention or recovering the substrate from the substrate processing section / RTI >

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate cartridge comprising: a cartridge main body that houses a substrate; and an information holding portion that holds information on at least one of identification information for identifying the cartridge main body and processing information of the substrate received in the cartridge main body / RTI >

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate processing section for processing a substrate, a substrate loading section for loading the substrate into the substrate processing section, and a substrate loading / unloading section for loading / unloading the substrate from the substrate processing section, And a substrate carry-out portion, wherein the substrate cartridge of the present invention is used.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, a substrate cartridge of the present invention connected to the substrate processing apparatus, and a control unit for receiving information from the information holding unit of the substrate cartridge, There is provided a substrate processing system having a main control device for controlling a substrate processing apparatus.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method for processing a substrate while supplying the substrate, and recovering the processed substrate, wherein at least one of supplying the substrate and recovering the substrate is performed using the substrate cartridge of the present invention And a substrate processing method for processing a substrate using information obtained through a substrate cartridge.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus including a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate and a main control unit for controlling the substrate cartridge of the present invention connected to the substrate processing apparatus.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a display device having a substrate processing section, a substrate processing section, and a substrate processing section / RTI >

According to the aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform efficient processing on the substrate.

1A is a configuration diagram of an organic EL element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
1B is a cross-sectional view of an organic EL element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
1C is a sectional view of an organic EL element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment;
3 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing section according to the embodiment;
4 is a view showing a configuration of a droplet applying device according to this embodiment;
5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a substrate cartridge according to the embodiment;
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a substrate cartridge according to the embodiment;
7A is a diagram showing a configuration of a control section according to the present embodiment.
7B is a diagram showing a configuration of a control section according to the present embodiment.
8 is a view showing a receiving operation of the substrate cartridge according to the embodiment;
9 is a view showing a receiving operation of the substrate cartridge according to the embodiment.
10 is a view showing a connection operation of the substrate cartridge according to the embodiment.
11 is a view showing a connection operation of the substrate cartridge according to the embodiment.
12 is a view showing a step of forming a partition wall of the substrate processing section according to the embodiment;
13 is a view showing the shape and arrangement of partitions formed on a sheet substrate according to the embodiment;
14 is a cross-sectional view of a partition formed on a sheet substrate according to the embodiment;
Fig. 15A is a view showing an application operation of a droplet according to the present embodiment; Fig.
Fig. 15B is a view showing an application operation of a droplet according to the present embodiment; Fig.
16A is a view showing a structure of a thin film formed between partition walls according to the embodiment;
16B is a view showing a structure of a thin film formed between partition walls according to the embodiment;
17 is a view showing a step of forming a gate insulating layer on a sheet substrate according to this embodiment.
18 is a view showing a step of cutting the wiring of the sheet substrate according to the present embodiment.
19 is a view showing a step of forming a thin film in a source drain formation region according to this embodiment.
20 is a view showing a step of forming an organic semiconductor layer according to the present embodiment.
21 is a view showing an example of an alignment according to the present embodiment.
22 is a view showing a separating operation of the substrate cartridge according to the embodiment;
23 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
24 is a view for explaining a recovery operation of the sheet substrate FB according to the embodiment;
Fig. 25 is a view for explaining the recovery operation of the sheet substrate FB according to the embodiment; Fig.
26 is a view for explaining the recovery operation of the sheet substrate FB according to the present embodiment.
27 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
28 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing section according to the fourth embodiment;
29A is a view showing a part of the configuration of the sheet substrate according to the embodiment.
29B is a view showing a part of the configuration of the sheet substrate according to the embodiment;
30 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;
31 is a diagram showing an example of processing information according to the present embodiment;

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Organic EL device)

1A is a plan view showing the structure of an organic EL element. Fig. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b in Fig. 1A. Fig. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line c-c in Fig. 1A.

1A to 1C, in the organic EL element 50, a gate electrode G and a gate insulating layer I are formed on a sheet substrate FB, and a source electrode S, A bottom contact type in which the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed after the pixel electrode D and the pixel electrode P are formed.

A gate insulating layer I is formed on the gate electrode G as shown in Fig. 1B. A source electrode S of a source bus line SBL is formed on the gate insulating layer I and a drain electrode D connected to the pixel electrode P is formed. An organic semiconductor layer (OS) is formed between the source electrode (S) and the drain electrode (D). This completes the field-effect transistor. 1B and 1C, a light-emitting layer IR is formed on the pixel electrode P and a transparent electrode ITO is formed on the light-emitting layer IR.

As shown in Figs. 1B and 1C, for example, a partition wall (BA, bank layer) is formed on the sheet substrate FB. As shown in Fig. 1C, the source bus line SBL is formed between the partitions BA. As described above, the presence of the barrier rib BA allows the source bus line SBL to be formed with high accuracy, and the pixel electrode P and the light-emitting layer IR are also accurately formed. Although not shown in Figs. 1B and 1C, the gate bus line GBL is also formed between the partition BA like the source bus line SBL.

The organic EL element 50 is preferably used, for example, in a display device such as a display device, a display portion of an electronic device, and the like. In this case, for example, an organic EL element 50 having a panel shape is used. In manufacturing such an organic EL device 50, it is necessary to form a thin film transistor (TFT) and a substrate on which the pixel electrode is formed. In order to precisely form one or more organic compound layers (light emitting element layers) including a light emitting layer on the pixel electrodes on the substrate, it is preferable to easily and accurately form the partition walls (BA, bank layer) in the boundary region of the pixel electrodes .

(Substrate processing apparatus)

2 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 that performs processing using a sheet substrate FB having flexibility.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus for forming the organic EL element 50 shown in Fig. 1 using a band-shaped sheet substrate FB. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate supply unit 101, a substrate processing unit 102, a substrate recovery unit 103, and a control unit 104. [ The sheet substrate FB is conveyed from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate recovery unit 103 via the substrate processing unit 102. [ The control unit 104 controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 in a general manner. In addition, the control unit 104 has a database 104DB which is a storage unit for storing information.

In the following description, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of the respective members is described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The transport direction of the sheet substrate FB in the horizontal plane is referred to as the X axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X axis direction in the horizontal plane is defined as the Y axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X axis direction and the Y axis direction Z axis direction. The directions of rotation (inclination) about the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are the? X,? Y, and? Z directions, respectively.

As the sheet substrate FB, for example, a heat-resistant resin film, stainless steel, or the like can be used. For example, the resin film may be formed of a resin such as polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyester resin, ethylene vinyl copolymer resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, cellulose resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, polycarbonate resin, polystyrene resin, A resin or the like can be used. The dimension of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction is, for example, about 1 m to 2 m, and the dimension in the X direction is, for example, 10 m or more. Of course, this dimension is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the size of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction may be 50 cm or less, and it may be 2 m or more. The size of the sheet substrate FB in the X direction may be 10 m or less. The flexibility in the present embodiment refers to a property that, for example, even when a predetermined force of at least its own weight is applied to the substrate, the substrate can be bent without breaking or breaking. Also, for example, the property of bending by the predetermined force is included in the flexibility. The flexibility depends on the material, size, thickness, temperature, etc. of the substrate, and the like. As the sheet substrate FB, one strip-shaped substrate may be used, but a configuration in which a plurality of unit substrates are connected and formed in a band shape may be employed.

It is preferable that the sheet substrate FB has a small coefficient of thermal expansion so that the dimension thereof does not change even if it receives heat of, for example, about 200 캜. For example, an inorganic filler may be mixed with a resin film to reduce the thermal expansion coefficient. Examples of the inorganic filler include titanium oxide, zinc oxide, alumina, silicon oxide and the like.

The substrate supply unit 101 is connected to the supply side connection unit 102A provided in the substrate processing unit 102. [ The substrate supply unit 101 supplies the substrate processing unit 102 with a sheet substrate FB wound, for example, in a roll shape. The substrate recovery unit 103 recovers the sheet substrate FB after being processed by the substrate processing unit 102.

3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the substrate processing section 102. As shown in Fig.

3, the substrate processing section 102 has a carrying section 105, an element forming section 106, an alignment section 107, and a substrate cutting section 108. The substrate processing section 102 forms the constituent elements of the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB while conveying the sheet substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply section 101 and supplies the organic EL elements 50 50 to the substrate-returning unit 103. The sheet-

The carry section 105 has a plurality of rollers RR disposed at positions along the X direction. The sheet substrate FB is conveyed in the X-axis direction even when the roller RR is rotated. The roller RR may be a rubber roller sandwiched between the both sides of the sheet substrate FB and may be a roller RR equipped with a ratchet if the sheet substrate FB has a perforation. Some of the rollers RR of the plurality of rollers RR are movable in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the carrying direction.

The element forming portion 106 has a partition forming portion 91, an electrode forming portion 92, and a light emitting layer forming portion 93. The partition wall forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 are formed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet substrate FB, 92 and a light emitting layer forming portion 93 are arranged in this order. Each constitution of the element forming portion 106 will be described below.

The partition wall forming portion 91 has an imprint roller 110 and a thermal transfer roller 115. The partition wall forming portion 91 forms a partition BA with respect to the sheet substrate FB fed out from the substrate supply portion 101. [ In the partition wall forming portion 91, the sheet substrate FB is pressed by the imprint roller 110 and the sheet substrate FB is held by the thermal transfer roller 115 so that the pressurized partition BA maintains its shape. It heats above the previous point. Therefore, the shape of the frame formed on the roller surface of the imprint roller 110 is transferred to the sheet substrate FB. The sheet substrate FB is heated to, for example, about 200 DEG C by the heat transfer roller 115. [

The roller surface of the imprint roller 110 is mirror-finished, and a mold 111 for a fine imprint made of a material such as SiC or Ta is mounted on the roller surface. The mold 111 for a fine imprint forms a wiring stamper for the thin film transistor and a stamper for the color filter.

The imprint roller 110 forms an alignment mark AM on the sheet substrate FB by using the mold 111 for a fine imprint. In order to form alignment marks AM on both sides in the Y-axis direction of the sheet substrate FB in the width direction, the mold 111 for fine imprint has a stamper for an alignment mark AM.

The electrode forming portion 92 is provided on the + X side of the partition forming portion 91 and forms a thin film transistor using, for example, an organic semiconductor. Specifically, after a gate electrode G, a gate insulating layer I, a source electrode S, a drain electrode D and a pixel electrode P as shown in Fig. 1 are formed, an organic semiconductor layer OS ).

As the thin film transistor (TFT), either a inorganic semiconducting system or an organic semiconductor may be used. Though the inorganic semiconductor thin film transistor is of the amorphous silicon type, it may be a thin film transistor using an organic semiconductor. When the organic semiconductor is used to form a thin film transistor, a thin film transistor can be formed by utilizing a printing technique or a droplet coating technique. Among the thin film transistors using organic semiconductors, a field effect transistor (FET) as shown in Fig. 1 is particularly preferable.

The electrode forming portion 92 has a droplet applying device 120, a heat treatment device BK, a cutting device 130, and the like.

In the present embodiment, as the droplet applying device 120, for example, a droplet applying device 120G used for forming the gate electrode G, a droplet applying device 120C used for forming the gate insulating layer I A liquid droplet applying device 120SD used for forming the source electrode S, the drain electrode D and the pixel electrode P, a liquid droplet applying device 120OS used for forming the organic semiconductor OS, And so on.

4 is a plan view showing a configuration of the droplet applying device 120. Fig. Fig. 4 shows the structure of the droplet applying device 120 when viewed from the + Z side. The droplet applying device 120 is elongated in the Y-axis direction. A driving device (not shown) is provided in the droplet applying device 120. The droplet applying device 120 is movable, for example, in the X direction, the Y direction, and the? Z direction by the drive device.

In the droplet applying device 120, a plurality of nozzles 122 are formed. The nozzle 122 is provided on a surface of the droplet applying device 120 facing the sheet substrate FB. The nozzles 122 are arranged along, for example, the Y-axis direction, and two rows of the nozzles 122 (nozzle rows) are formed, for example. The control unit 104 may apply the droplets collectively to all the nozzles 122 and adjust the timing for applying the droplets to the nozzles 122 individually.

As the droplet applying device 120, for example, an inkjet method, a dispenser method, or the like can be adopted. Examples of the inkjet method include a charge control method, a pressure vibration method, an electromechanical conversion method, an electrothermal conversion method, and an electrostatic suction method. The droplet coating method is less wasteful in the use of the material, and the desired amount of material can be accurately placed at a desired position. In addition, the amount of one drop of the metal ink applied by the droplet coating method is, for example, 1 to 300 nanograms.

Returning to Fig. 2, the droplet applying device 120G applies metal ink to the partition BA of the gate bus line GBL. The droplet applying device 120I applies a polyimide resin or a urethane resin-based electrical insulating ink to the switching portion. The liquid application device 120SD applies metal ink in the partition BA of the source bus line SBL and in the partition BA of the pixel electrode P. [ The liquid application device 120OS applies the organic semiconductor ink to the switching portion between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D.

The metal ink is a liquid in which a conductor having a particle diameter of about 5 nm is stable and disperses in a solvent at room temperature, and carbon, silver (Ag), gold (Au), or the like is used as the conductor. The compound forming the organic semiconductor ink may be either a single crystal material, an amorphous material, or a low molecular material or a high molecular material. Particularly preferred among the compounds forming the organic semiconductor ink are monocrystalline or π-conjugated systems of condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbon compounds represented by pentacene, triphenylene, anthracene, (Conjugated system) polymer, and the like.

The heat treatment apparatus BK is disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate transport direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 120. The heat treatment apparatus BK is capable of radiating, for example, hot air or far-infrared rays to the sheet substrate FB. The heat treatment apparatus BK uses these radiation heat to cure the liquid droplets applied to the sheet substrate FB by drying or baking (baking).

The cutting device 130 is provided on the upstream side of the droplet applying device 120OS to the + X side of the droplet applying device 120SD. The cutting apparatus 130 cuts the source electrode S and the drain electrode D formed by the droplet applying apparatus 120SD by using, for example, laser light or the like. The cutting apparatus 130 has a light source (not shown) and a galvano mirror 131 that irradiates the laser beam from the light source onto the sheet substrate FB.

As a kind of laser light, a laser having a wavelength to be absorbed is preferable for a metal film to be cut, and 2, 3 or 4 times higher harmonics such as YAG are preferable as a wavelength conversion laser. In addition, by using a pulsed laser, thermal diffusion can be prevented and damage other than the cut portion can be reduced. When the material is aluminum, a femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 760 nm is preferred.

In this embodiment, for example, a femtosecond laser irradiation unit using a titanium sapphire laser is used as a light source. The femtosecond laser irradiation unit irradiates the laser light LL with a pulse of, for example, 10 KHz to 40 KHz.

In this embodiment, since the femtosecond laser is used, the submicron order can be processed, and the distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D, which determine the performance of the field effect transistor, It is possible to do. The distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is, for example, about 3 mu m to about 30 mu m.

In addition to the femtosecond laser described above, for example, a carbon dioxide gas laser or a green laser may be used. In addition to laser, it may be cut mechanically by a dicing saw or the like.

The galvanometer mirror 131 is disposed in the optical path of the laser beam LL. The galvanometer mirror 131 reflects the laser light LL from the light source onto the sheet substrate FB. The galvanometer mirror 131 is rotatably provided in the? X direction, the? Y direction, and the? Z direction, for example. As the galvanometer mirror 131 rotates, the irradiation position of the laser light LL is changed.

It is possible to form a thin film transistor or the like by using a printing technique or a liquid droplet coating technique without using a so-called photolithography process by using both the partition forming portion 91 and the electrode forming portion 92 . For example, when only the electrode forming portion 92 using the printing technique, the droplet applying technique, or the like is used, the thin film transistor or the like can not be obtained with high precision due to ink spread and spread.

On the other hand, since the partition BA is formed by using the partition forming portion 91, the ink is prevented from spreading or spreading. The gap between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D for determining the performance of the thin film transistor is formed by laser machining or machining.

The light emitting layer forming portion 93 is disposed on the + X side of the electrode forming portion 92. The light emitting layer forming section 93 forms a light emitting layer IR and a pixel electrode ITO which are components of the organic EL device on the sheet substrate FB on which the electrodes are formed. The light-emitting layer forming unit 93 has a droplet applying device 140 and a heat treatment device BK.

The light emitting layer IR formed in the light emitting layer forming portion 93 contains a host compound and a phosphorescent compound (also referred to as a "phosphorescent compound"). The host compound is a compound contained in the light emitting layer. A phosphorescent compound is a compound in which luminescence from an excited triplet (triplet) is observed and phosphorescence is emitted at room temperature.

A liquid droplet applying device 140Re for forming a red luminescent layer, a liquid droplet applying device 140Gr for forming a green luminescent layer, a droplet applying device 140B1 for forming a blue luminescent layer, A droplet applying device 140I for forming an insulating layer, and a droplet applying device 140IT for forming a pixel electrode ITO are used.

As the droplet applying device 140, an ink jet method or a dispenser method may be employed, similarly to the droplet applying device 120 described above. When a hole transporting layer (a hole transporting layer) and an electron transporting layer (electron transporting layer) are provided as constituent elements of the organic EL element 50, an apparatus for forming these layers (for example, Device, etc.) are provided separately.

The droplet applying device 140Re applies the R solution onto the pixel electrode P. The droplet applying device 140Re adjusts the discharge amount of the R solution so that the film thickness after drying becomes 100 nm. As the R solution, for example, a solution obtained by dissolving a red dopant in 1, 2-dichloroethane in polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) as a host material is used.

The droplet applying device 140Gr applies the G solution onto the pixel electrode P. As the G solution, for example, a solution obtained by dissolving a rust (dopant) dopant in 1, 2-dichloroethane in a host material (PVK) is used.

The droplet applying device 140B1 applies the B solution onto the pixel electrode P. As the solution B, for example, a solution obtained by dissolving a blue dopant in 1, 2-dichloroethane in a host material (PVK) is used.

The droplet applying device 120I applies electric insulating ink to a part of the gate bus line GBL or the source bus line SBL. As the electrically insulating ink, for example, a polyimide resin or an ink of a urethane resin is used.

The liquid application device 120IT applies ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) ink onto the red, green and blue light emitting layers. As the ITO ink, a compound in which indium oxide (In ₂ O ₃ ) is added with a few percent tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) is used. It is also possible to use a material capable of forming a transparent conductive film with an amorphous state, such as IDIXO (In ₂ O ₃ -ZnO). The transparent conductive film preferably has a transmittance of 90% or more.

The heat treatment apparatus BK is disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate transport direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 140. The heat treatment apparatus BK is capable of radiating hot air or far-infrared rays, for example, to the sheet substrate FB in the same manner as the heat treatment apparatus BK used in the electrode forming section 92. [ The heat treatment apparatus BK cures the droplets applied to the sheet substrate FB by drying or baking (baking) the heat using the radiation heat.

The alignment section 107 has a plurality of alignment cameras CA, CA1 to CA8 provided along the X direction. The alignment camera CA may image the image with a CCD or CMOS under visible light illumination and process the image to detect the position of the alignment mark AM and irradiate the alignment mark AM with laser light, And the position of the alignment mark AM may be detected by receiving light.

The alignment camera CA1 is arranged on the + X side of the thermal transfer roller 115. [ The alignment camera CA1 detects the position of the alignment mark AM formed by the thermal transfer roller 115 on the sheet substrate FB. The alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 are disposed on the + X side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, respectively. The alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 detect the positions of the alignment marks AM of the sheet substrate FB via the heat treatment apparatus BK.

The sheet substrate FB may extend and contract in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by passing through the heat transfer roller 115 and the heat treatment apparatus BK. By positioning the alignment camera CA on the + X side of the heat transfer roller 115 that performs heat treatment or on the + X side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, the positional deviation of the sheet substrate FB due to thermal deformation is detected .

The results of detection by the alignment cameras CA1 to CA8 are transmitted to the control unit 104. [ The control unit 104 adjusts the application positions and timing of the ink in the droplet applying apparatus 120 or the droplet applying apparatus 140 based on the detection results of the alignment cameras CA1 to CA8, The adjustment of the feed speed of the sheet substrate FB and the conveying speed of the roller RR from the conveyance direction of the sheet S and the adjustment of the movement in the Y direction by the roller RR and the adjustment of the cutting position and timing of the cutting device 130 .

(Substrate cartridge)

In the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101 and the substrate recovery unit 103. [ In the following description, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system common to FIG. 2 is set for convenience of explanation, and the positional relationship of the respective members is described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The following XYZ orthogonal coordinate system will be described as an example in which the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101 in a state where the substrate supply unit 101 is connected to the substrate processing unit 102. [

5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the substrate cartridge 1. Fig. 6 is a view showing a configuration along a section A-A 'in Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the substrate cartridge 1 has a cartridge body 2 and a mount 3.

The cartridge main body 2 is a portion that accommodates the sheet substrate FB. The cartridge main body 2 has a receiving portion 20, a carrying portion (carrying mechanism) 21, a board guiding portion 22, a second board carrying portion 36 and a second board guiding portion 37. The mount portion 3 is provided in the cartridge main body 2. For example, the cartridge main body 2 is made of aluminum or made of duralumin.

The accommodating portion 20 is a portion that accommodates the sheet substrate FB. The receiving portion 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to accommodate, for example, a rolled-up sheet substrate FB, and a portion thereof is provided so as to protrude to the + X side (the projecting portion 23). In the present embodiment, they are arranged so as to extend in the Y direction in the figure. The accommodating portion 20 has a lid portion 25 and a substrate driving mechanism 24.

The lid portion 25 is provided on the + Y side end or the -Y side end of the accommodating portion 20. The lid part (25) is provided detachably with respect to the receiving part (20). The lid portion 25 is attached to and detached from the receiving portion 20 so that the lid portion 25 can be directly accessed to the inside of the receiving portion 20. [ The opening and closing mechanism of the lid portion 25 may be a structure in which the lid portion 25 and the accommodating portion 20 are provided with threads that mesh with each other. But may be connected by a mechanism. The lid portion 25 has a window portion 28 and a display portion 29.

The window portion 28 is formed of, for example, a material that can transmit visible light, for example, glass or plastic. So that the inside of the accommodating portion 20 can be observed through the window portion 28. The display portion 29 is a portion for displaying information such as the state of the sheet substrate FB. The length of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the accommodating portion 20 and the remaining length of the sheet substrate FB are displayed on the display portion 29, for example.

The substrate driving mechanism 24 is a portion that performs an operation of winding the sheet substrate FB and an operation of feeding the sheet substrate FB. The substrate driving mechanism 24 is provided inside the accommodating portion 20. The substrate driving mechanism 24 has a roller portion (shaft portion) 26 and a guide portion 27. The roller portion 26 has a rotating shaft member 26a, a diameter portion 26b, and an adhering portion 26c as shown in Fig.

The rotating shaft member 26a is a cylindrical member formed of a highly rigid metal such as aluminum. The rotating shaft member 26a is rotatably supported via an opening 25a and a bearing member 25b provided at the center of the lid 25, for example. In this case, the central axis of the rotating shaft member 26a is, for example, parallel to the Y direction, and the rotating shaft member 26a is rotated in the? Y direction.

The rotating shaft member 26a is connected to a rotation drive mechanism (not shown). By the drive control of the rotation drive mechanism, the rotation shaft member 26a is rotated around the central axis. As shown in Fig. 6, the rotation drive mechanism is capable of rotating the rotation shaft member 26a in any directions, for example, the + θY direction and the -θY direction.

The enlarged diameter portion 26b is formed on the surface of the rotating shaft member 26a with a uniform thickness. The enlarged diameter portion 26b is formed to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft member 26a. The adhesive portion 26c is formed to have a uniform thickness on the surface of the enlarged diameter portion 26b when viewed in section. The adhering portion 26c is formed using a material having adhesiveness enough to adhere the sheet substrate FB.

The guide portion 27 has a pivotal member (first guide member 27a) and a distal end member (first guide member 27b). One end of the pivoting member 27a is attached to the accommodating portion 20 via a shaft portion 27c and is rotatable about the shaft portion 27c in the? Y direction. The pivoting member 27a is connected to a rotation drive mechanism (not shown).

The distal end member 27b is connected to the other end of the pivoting member 27a when viewed in section. For example, the distal end member 27b is formed so as to have an arc-shaped curved surface when viewed in section. The sheet substrate FB is guided to the roller portion 26 via the curved surface on the + Z side of the circular arc when viewed from the corresponding end surface provided in the distal end member 27b. The tip end member 27b rotates integrally with the pivoting member 27a. When the pivoting member 27a rotates in the direction away from the roller portion 26 (outward in the radial direction of the roller portion 26), the pivoting member 27a is brought into abutment along the inner periphery of the accommodating portion 20 . Therefore, contact between the leading end member 27b and the sheet substrate FB wound around the roller portion 26 is prevented.

The mount portion 3 is a portion connected to the substrate processing portion 102. The mount portion 3 is provided, for example, on the + X side end portion of the projecting portion 23 provided in the accommodating portion 20. The mount portion 3 has an insertion portion 3a for connection with the substrate processing portion 102. [ A terminal 3C electrically connected to the substrate processing section 102 is provided on the end surface 3b of the insertion section 3a on the substrate processing section 102 side.

When the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply section 101, the mount section 3 is connected to the supply side connection section 102A of the substrate processing section 102. [ When the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate collecting section 103, the mount section 3 is connected to the collecting section connecting section 102B of the substrate processing section 102. [ The mount portion 3 is detachably connected even when it is connected to the substrate supply portion 101 and the substrate recovery portion 103 of the substrate processing portion 102. [

The mounting portion 3 is provided with an opening portion 34 and a second opening portion 35. The opening 34 is an opening provided on the + Z side, and is a portion in which the sheet substrate FB comes in and out with respect to the cartridge main body 2. The cartridge body 2 is adapted to receive a sheet substrate FB that has passed through the opening 34. [ The sheet substrate FB received in the main cartridge body unit 2 is fed to the outside of the main cartridge body unit 2 through the corresponding opening 34. [

The second opening 35 is an opening provided on the -Z side and is a portion in which the second substrate SB in a strip shape different from the sheet substrate FB enters and exits the cartridge body 2 with respect to the cartridge body 2. Examples of the second substrate SB include a protective substrate for protecting the element formation surface of the sheet substrate FB. As the protective substrate, for example, interleaf paper or the like can be used. The second openings 35 are spaced apart from the openings 34, for example. The second opening 35 is formed in the same size and shape as the opening 34, for example. As the second substrate SB in the present embodiment, a conductive material such as a thin plate (thin plate, for example, a thickness of 0.1 mm or less) of stainless steel may be used. In this case, when the second substrate SB is electrically connected to the cartridge body 2 when the second substrate SB is accommodated in the cartridge body 2 together with the sheet substrate FB, ) Can be prevented.

The transfer section 21, the substrate guide section 22, the second substrate transfer section 36 and the second substrate guide section 37 are provided inside the projecting section 23, for example. The substrate guide portion 22 is provided between the opening portion 34 and the carry section 21. The substrate guide portion 22 is a portion for guiding the sheet substrate FB between the opening portion 34 and the conveying portion 21. The substrate guide portion 22 has substrate guide members 22a and 22b. The substrate guide members 22a and 22b are arranged so as to face each other so as to have a gap 22c in the Z direction and are provided so that their opposite surfaces are substantially parallel to the XY plane. The clearance 22c is connected to the opening 34 and the sheet substrate FB is allowed to move through the opening 34 and the gap 22c.

The second substrate guide portion 37 is a portion for guiding the second substrate SB between the mount portion 3 and the carry portion 21. The second substrate guide portion 37 has second substrate guide members 37a, 37b, and 37c. The second substrate guide members 37a and 37b are arranged so as to face each other so as to have a gap 37d in the Z direction and are provided so that their opposed surfaces are substantially parallel to the XY plane. The second substrate guide member 37c is disposed obliquely so that the second substrate SB is guided to the + Z side. More specifically, the -X side end portion of the second substrate guide member 37c is disposed so as to be inclined to the + Z side with respect to the + X side end portion.

The second substrate transfer section 36 transfers the second substrate SB between the mount section 3 and the transfer section 21. [ The second substrate transfer section 36 is disposed between the second substrate guide members 37a and 37b and the second substrate guide member 37c. The second substrate carrying section 36 has a main moving roller 36a and a follower roller 36b. The main roller 36a is rotatably provided in the? Y direction, for example, and is connected to a rotation drive mechanism (not shown). The driven roller 36b is disposed with a clearance between the driven roller 36a and the main roller 36a so that the second substrate SB is sandwiched between the driven roller 36b and the driven roller 36a.

The carry section 21 conveys the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB between the mount section 3 and the accommodating section 20. The carrying section 21 has a tension roller (tension mechanism) 21a and a measuring roller (measuring section) 21b. The tension roller 21a is a roller that applies tension to the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB between the roller portion 26 and the roller portion 26. [ The tension roller 21a is rotatably provided in the? Y direction. To the tension roller 21a, for example, a rotation drive mechanism (not shown) is connected. The tension roller 21a and the measurement roller 21b may be movable in the Z direction in Fig. 6, respectively.

The measuring roller 21b is a roller having a smaller diameter than the tension roller 21a. The measuring roller 21b is disposed with a predetermined clearance between the tension roller 21a and the tension roller 21a so as to hold the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB therebetween. The size of the gap between the measuring roller 21b and the tension roller 21a can be adjusted so as to hold the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB together while sandwiching only the sheet substrate FB May be used. The measuring roller 21b is a driven roller that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the tension roller 21a.

The tension roller 21a is rotated with the sheet substrate FB sandwiched between the tension roller 21a and the measuring roller 21b so that tensile force is applied to the sheet substrate FB, The sheet substrate FB can be conveyed in the winding direction and the feeding direction, respectively.

The carry section 21 has, for example, a detection section 21c for detecting the number of revolutions or the rotation angle of the measurement roller 21b. As the detection unit 21c, for example, an encoder or the like is used. The detection unit 21c is capable of measuring the conveyance distance of the sheet substrate FB that has passed through the measuring roller 21b, for example.

When the sheet substrate FB is inserted through the opening 34 and the second substrate SB is inserted through the second opening 35, the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB And are guided by the substrate guiding portion 22 and the second substrate guiding portion 37, respectively, so as to merge at the joining portion 39. The sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB joined at the confluence portion 39 are conveyed by the conveying portion 21 in a joined state. At this time, the carry section 21 presses the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB in close contact with each other. Therefore, the carry section 21 also serves as a pressing mechanism for pressing the second substrate SB with the sheet substrate FB.

The cartridge main body 2 is provided with an information retaining unit (IC) (see Fig. 5). The information holding unit IC is composed of, for example, an IC chip (for example, a readable type, a readable and writable type, etc.), and is embedded in the cartridge body 2, for example. The information holding unit IC is used for storing information on the specification of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the cartridge main body 2 and process information based on the specification information, A storage unit MR for storing information such as information, and a communication unit CR for communicating information stored in the storage unit MR. In the present embodiment, the storage unit MR is configured to store information including two pieces of specification information and identification information, but the storage unit MR may be configured to store information including only one of them. The communication unit CR is not limited to the configuration provided in the information holding unit IC as in this embodiment, and may be configured to be provided independently of the information holding unit (IC), for example.

In the present embodiment, a configuration in which one information holding unit (IC) is provided is shown as an example. However, a configuration in which a plurality of information holding units (IC) are provided in the cartridge main body 2 is acceptable. As an example of such a case, there is a configuration in which the information is held as a one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code or the like, and a seal on which the bar code is formed is attached to a position different from the information holding unit (IC) . The present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the information retaining unit IC is built in the main cartridge body unit 2. For example, even when the information retaining unit IC is mounted so as to be detachable from the main cartridge body unit 2 Does not matter. Such a configuration includes, for example, a configuration in which an IC chip or the like is detachably mounted. Further, in the case of using, for example, a seal on which the barcode is formed, the seal can be detached from the cartridge body 2 because the seal can be removed from the cartridge body 2. [ The information holding unit IC may be electrically connected to the display unit 29 and the information held in the information holding unit IC may be displayed on the display unit 29. [ Also, at least a part of the information held by the information holding unit (IC) may be held on the sheet substrate FB. Such a configuration includes, for example, a configuration in which a one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar code or the like is formed on the sheet substrate FB, or a configuration in which an IC tag or the like is embedded in the sheet substrate FB.

Examples of the specification value include the material of the sheet substrate FB, flexibility, heat resistance, abrasion, thickness, friction coefficient, endurance, stretchability, tensile strength and expansion coefficient. The stretchability may be a value for heat or tension applied to the sheet substrate FB, and may be a value for heat and tension. The specification values include lyophilic property with a predetermined liquid adhered to the sheet substrate FB, dryness of the predetermined liquid on the sheet substrate FB, and the like. The predetermined liquid includes, for example, a droplet discharged from the droplet applying device 120, a metal ink, an electrically insulating ink, a solution discharged from the droplet applying device 140, and the like. The specification information also includes preprocessing information relating to the previous process performed on the sheet substrate FB. The pre-processing information is information on a process performed on the sheet substrate FB before being accommodated in the main cartridge body unit 2. [ Examples of such a pretreatment include a modification treatment (liquid repellency treatment, a lyophilic treatment, and the like) for the sheet substrate FB, a surface protective film forming treatment, and the like. Examples of the lyophilic process include a lyophilic process for ink ejected from the droplet applying devices 120 and 140, and the like.

The process information is information relating to a process performed on the sheet substrate FB, and is information including a process ID, a process name, and the like corresponding to the specification information. The process performed on the sheet substrate FB includes at least one unit process according to the specification information of the sheet substrate FB. As the unit processing, for example, the processing by each constituent element of the substrate processing apparatus 100 corresponds to the present embodiment. Such treatment includes various treatments performed on the substrate and includes, for example, heat treatment, cooling treatment, transportation treatment, press treatment, coating treatment, vapor deposition treatment, sputtering treatment, light irradiation treatment, , Chemical treatment (dissolution treatment, etc.), bonding treatment with other substrates, detection treatment, alignment treatment, and deformation treatment Treatment, reforming treatment, partition wall forming treatment, and the like.

The information holding unit IC is electrically connected to, for example, the terminal 3C. The terminal 3C is connected to the apparatus side terminal 102C (see Fig. 2) provided in the supply side connecting portion 102A of the substrate processing portion 102 when the substrate cartridge 1 is connected to the substrate processing portion 102 have. In this case, the information holding unit IC is electrically connected to the substrate processing unit 102 via the terminal 3C, and information can be transmitted to the substrate processing unit 102 through the terminal 3C. The information holding unit IC can perform information communication with the communication unit 104CR (see Fig. 2) provided in the control unit 104 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 via the communication unit CR. In this case, the transfer of information between the substrate cartridge 1 and the substrate processing unit 102 is controlled by the control unit 104.

The storage section MR of the information holding section IC stores information such as a tact and a throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 100, Information such as the conveying speed of the sheet conveying unit 1, the winding and conveying speed of the roller unit 26, information on the sheet substrate FB, and the like. The "tact" is a region that can be processed at one time by the unit processing region (for example, the droplet applying apparatuses 120 and 140 or the like), a screen region of about one panel of the organic EL element 50, Total area) area). The "throughput" refers to the amount of the sheet substrate FB that can be processed per unit time (for example, the length, the number of panels, the number of the substrate cartridges 1, and the like). Such process information is transmitted to the control unit 104 through the communication unit CR, as with the identification information, the specification information, the process information, and the like.

Figs. 7A and 7B are table diagrams of information stored in the control unit 104. Fig.

The control unit 104 includes a first table for mapping and storing the identification information, the specification information table, and the process information (process ID), and a second table for mapping and storing the combination information of the process ID and the unit process, A database 104DB having a table is provided.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a first table, and FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a second table. As shown in FIG. 7A, in the first table Tb1, the identification information is stored in, for example, N1, N2, N3, ... As shown in Fig. In the first table Tb1, the specification information of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the substrate cartridge 1 corresponding to the identification information is stored for each specification value. According to the example of Fig. 7A, three specification values of the material, flexibility, and heat resistance of the sheet substrate FB are given as the specification information of the sheet substrate FB. Of course, in order to simplify the explanation, the three values are used as representative examples of the specification values, but in practice, more specification values are stored. In this case, the material value of the material is, for example, " material M1, material M2, material M3, ... Quot ;, and the like, and the value of the flexibility is stored, for example, as " Flexible F1, Flexible F2, Flexible F3, ... Quot ;, etc., and the specification value of the heat resistance is, for example, " heat resistance HR1, heat resistance HR2, heat resistance HR3, &Quot; and the like. In the first table Tb1, a process ID corresponding to the combination of the corresponding specification values is stored. The process ID is, for example, " ID 1, ID 2, ID 3, ... &Quot; and the like. The process ID is linked to the second table shown in Fig. 7B.

As shown in Fig. 7B, the combination of the process unit process corresponding to the process ID is stored in the second table Tb2. 7B, the unit processing (A) in the carry section 105 of the substrate processing section 102, the unit process (B) in the partition forming section 91 of the element forming section 106, the electrode forming section 92 (C) and the unit process (D) in the light emitting layer forming unit 93 are shown as an example of a combination of unit processes. The unit processing may also be performed by, for example, the alignment unit 107, the substrate cutting unit 108, or the like.

7B, for example, a combination of unit processing (A1), unit processing (B3), unit processing (C2), unit processing (D3), ... &Quot; is stored. As the process corresponding to the process ID 2, the unit process (A2), the unit process (B1), the unit process (C3), the unit process (D2), ... &Quot; is stored. As a process corresponding to the process ID 3, "a unit process (A1), a unit process (B2), a unit process (C1), a unit process (D1) &Quot; is stored.

For example, the unit process A1 and the unit process A2 in the unit process (A) can be processed with a difference between the conveying speed and the pressing force of the roller RR. For example, the unit processes (B1 to B3) in the unit process (B) may be a process in which the kind, hardness, and pitch of the imprint mold 111 of the imprint roller 110 are different from each other, And the heating temperature by the yarn roller 115 may be different from each other. For example, the unit processes (C1 to C3) of the unit process (C) and the unit processes (D1 to D3) of the unit process (D) are processes for forming electrodes in the electrode forming unit Other than the coating process using the droplet applying device 120 or the droplet applying device 140 as in the embodiment, an electrode may be formed by vapor deposition, or an electrode may be formed by a sputtering method . In this case, in the configuration of the substrate processing unit 102, a vapor deposition apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, and the like are separately provided in addition to the droplet applying apparatuses 120 and 140, and the control unit 104 performs control so that processing corresponding to the process ID is performed . For example, in the case of using the droplet applying devices 120 and 140, the unit process may be different from the process depending on the type of droplet to be used. Likewise, in the case where the processing can be performed under different conditions in the unit processing, the unit processing may be stored as different processing for each condition.

(Accommodating operation of the sheet substrate in the substrate cartridge)

Next, the accommodating operation for accommodating the sheet substrate FB in the substrate cartridge 1 configured as described above will be described. 8 and 9 are views showing the state of the substrate cartridge 1 at the time of the receiving operation. 8 and 9, the outline of the substrate cartridge 1 is shown by a broken line in order to make it easier to distinguish the drawings.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, when the sheet substrate FB is received in the substrate cartridge 1, the substrate cartridge 1 is held on the holder HD. In this state, the sheet substrate FB is inserted from the opening portion 34. Then, When inserting the sheet substrate FB, the tension roller 21a and the rotating shaft member 26a (the roller portion 26) are rotated.

The sheet substrate FB inserted through the opening portion 34 is guided to the carry section 21 by the substrate guide section 22. In the conveying section 21, the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched between the tension roller 21a and the measuring roller 21b and is conveyed to the accommodating section 20 side. In addition to the rotation of the measuring roller 21b, for example, the detecting unit 21c detects the conveying length of the sheet substrate FB.

The sheet substrate FB that has passed from the carry section 21 to the storage section 20 side is guided while being bent in the -Z direction by its own weight. Since the guide portion 27 is provided on the -Z side of the sheet substrate FB in the present embodiment, the sheet substrate FB is guided along the pivotal member 27a and the distal end member 27b of the guide portion 27 And is guided to the roller portion 26.

When the leading end of the sheet substrate FB reaches the adhering portion 26c of the roller portion 26, the leading end of the sheet substrate FB adheres to the adhering portion 26c. When the roller portion 26 rotates in this state, the sheet substrate FB is gradually adhered to the adhering portion 26c, and the sheet substrate FB is wound around the roller portion 26. [ After the sheet substrate FB is adhered to the adhering portion 26c, for example, the rotation speed of the tension roller 21a is adjusted so that the sheet substrate FB does not bend between the roller portion 26 and the carry portion 21. [ And the rotating speed of the rotating shaft member 26a is adjusted.

The guide portion 27 is retracted as shown in Fig. 9 after the sheet substrate FB is wound around the roller portion 26, for example, for one rotation. By rotating the roller portion 26 in this state, the sheet substrate FB is gradually wound around the roller portion 26. [ The thickness of the wound sheet substrate FB gradually becomes thick. However, since the guide portion 27 is already retracted, the sheet substrate FB and the guide portion 27 are not in contact with each other.

After a desired length of the sheet substrate FB is wound, for example, the outer portion of the opening 34 in the sheet substrate FB is cut. In this manner, the sheet substrate FB is received in the substrate cartridge 1. The total length of the sheet substrate FB housed in the substrate cartridge 1 is calculated based on the measured length of the sheet substrate FB measured by the detecting unit 21c during the receiving operation of the sheet substrate FB It may be calculated. In addition, the calculation result may be displayed on the display unit 29. The calculation result may be displayed on the display unit 29, and may be stored in the storage unit MR or may be communicated using the communication unit CR.

It is also possible to wind the sheet substrate FB while the operator observes the inside of the accommodating portion 20 from the window portion 28, for example. In this case, for example, it is possible to perform the winding operation while confirming whether or not the sheet substrate FB is wound in a bent state or whether the wound form (roll shape) of the sheet substrate FB is in a state of being warped If an abnormality occurs, the winding can be stopped instantaneously.

(Operation of substrate processing apparatus)

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described.

The connection operation for connecting the substrate cartridge 1 accommodating the sheet substrate FB to the supply side connection portion 102A as the substrate supply portion 101 is performed by the substrate cartridge 1 by the substrate supply portion 101 The supply operation of the sheet substrate FB, the element formation operation by the substrate processing section 102, and the separation operation of the substrate cartridge 1 are performed in this order.

First, the connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1 will be described. 10 is a view showing the connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1. Fig.

As shown in Fig. 10, the supply side connection portion 102A is formed with an insertion hole in a shape corresponding to the mount portion 3. [

In the connection operation, the substrate cartridge 1 is held between the mount portion 3 and the supply side connection portion 102A in a state in which the substrate cartridge 1 is held in a holder (for example, a configuration like a holder HD shown in Figs. 8 and 9) Perform alignment. After positioning, the mount portion 3 is moved to the + X side and inserted into the substrate processing portion 102.

At this time, the terminal 3C of the mount portion 3 and the apparatus-side terminal 102C of the supply-side connecting portion 102A are brought into contact with each other. The terminal 3C and the apparatus side terminal 102C come into contact with each other to perform information communication between the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 and the communication unit 104CR of the control unit 104. [ By this communication operation, the control unit 104 reads information (for example, identification information or specification information) held in the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate supply unit 101. The control unit 104 determines a process ID in accordance with the specification information among the read information, selects a combination of unit processes corresponding to the process ID from the second table Tb2, Device formation operation, etc.). By this operation, since the unit process is switched according to the specification value of the sheet substrate FB to be processed, the optimum processing is performed on the sheet substrate FB. The control unit 104 writes the specification information of the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate collection unit 103 by writing the specification information read from the substrate supply unit 101 to the information storage unit IC of the substrate collection unit 103, (103). The control unit 104 may also transfer the information on the selected unit process to the substrate return unit 103 based on the above-mentioned specification information. In this case, the control unit 104 transfers the information based on each unit process performed on the sheet substrate FB to the substrate collecting unit 103 in the substrate processing unit 102, It is possible to maintain the process progress information such as which process has been performed on the sheet substrate FB as the specification information.

Prior to the connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1, the information holding unit IC is connected to the communication unit CR of the information holding unit IC and the communication unit 104CR of the control unit 104, The control unit 104 may transmit the information.

Next, the supply operation will be described. When the sheet substrate FB is supplied to the substrate processing unit 102, the rotation shaft member 26a (roller unit 26) and the tension roller 21a of the substrate cartridge 1 are rotated And the sheet substrate FB is fed out through the opening portion 34 as shown in Fig.

Next, the element forming operation will be described. In the element forming operation, as shown in Fig. 2, while the sheet substrate FB is supplied to the substrate processing section 102 from the substrate supply section 101, the substrate processing section 102 forms an element on the sheet substrate FB Form. In the substrate processing section 102, as shown in Fig. 3, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed by the roller RR.

The control unit 104 may control the operation of the substrate processing unit 102 based on the process information supplied from the substrate cartridge 1 separately from the combination of the unit processes. For example, the control unit 104 may adjust the rotation speed of each roller RR in the substrate processing unit 102 in accordance with the feeding speed of the sheet substrate FB from the substrate cartridge 1. [ In addition, the control unit 104 detects whether the roller RR is shifted in the Y-axis direction, and shifts the roller RR to correct the position if the roller RR is shifted. The control unit 104 also performs the positional correction of the sheet substrate FB.

The sheet substrate FB fed from the substrate feeding section 101 to the substrate processing section 102 is first conveyed to the partition forming section 91. [ In the partitioning wall forming portion 91, the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched between the imprint roller 110 and the thermal transfer roller 115, and partition walls BA and alignment marks AM are formed on the sheet substrate by thermal transfer do.

12 is a view showing a state in which the partition BA and the alignment mark AM are formed on the sheet substrate FB. 13 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 14 is a view showing a configuration along the section D-D in Fig. 12 and 13 show the state when the sheet substrate FB is viewed from the + Z side.

As shown in Fig. 12, the partition BA is formed in the element formation region 60 in the Y-direction central portion of the sheet substrate FB. 13, by forming the partition BA, the element formation region 60 is provided with a region for forming the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G (the gate formation region 52) The region SBL, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D, and the region for forming the anode P (source-drain forming region 53) are partitioned. As shown in Fig. 14, the gate forming region 52 is formed in a pedestal shape in cross section. Although not shown, the same applies to the source / drain formation region 53. The width (W, μm) in the partition BA is the line width (line width) of the gate bus line GBL. The width W is preferably about 2 to 4 times the droplet diameter (d, μm) applied from the droplet applying device 120G.

The cross sectional shapes of the gate forming region 52 and the source drain forming region 53 are such that the fine imprint mold 111 presses the sheet substrate FB and then the sheet substrate FB is easily peeled off It is preferable to use a V-shape or U-shape. The other shape may be, for example, rectangular in cross section.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 12, a pair of alignment marks AM is formed in the edge region 61 of both end portions of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction. The partition BA and the alignment mark AM are formed at the same time because the mutual positional relationship is important. 13, a predetermined distance PY between the alignment mark AM and the gate forming area 52 is defined in the Y-axis direction. In the X-axis direction, the alignment mark AM and the source And a predetermined distance PX between the drain forming region 53 and the drain forming region 53 are defined. Therefore, the deviation of the X-axis direction of the sheet substrate FB, the deviation in the Y-axis direction, and the rotation of? Can be detected based on the positions of the pair of alignment marks AM.

12 and 13, a pair of alignment marks AM is provided for each of the double-performance barrier ribs BA in the X-axis direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, (AM) may be provided. If there is a space, the alignment mark AM may be provided in the element formation region 60 as well as the edge region 61 of the sheet substrate FB. 12 and 13, the alignment mark AM has a cross shape, but other mark shapes such as a circular mark and an inclined straight line mark may be used.

Subsequently, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the electrode forming portion 92 by the conveying roller RR. In the electrode forming portion 92, the droplets are applied by the respective droplet applying devices 120, and electrodes are formed on the sheet substrate FB.

On the sheet substrate FB, the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are first formed by the liquid application device 120G. Figs. 15A and 15B are views showing a state of the sheet substrate FB on which droplet application is performed by the droplet applying device 120G. Fig.

As shown in Fig. 15A, the droplet applying apparatus 120G applies metal ink to the gate forming region 52 of the sheet substrate FB on which the partition BA is formed, for example, in the order of 1 to 9. This order is a sequence in which the metal inks are applied in a straight line with the tension of each other. 15B is a diagram showing a state in which a single drop of metal ink is applied, for example. As shown in Fig. 15B, since the partition BA is provided, the metal ink applied to the gate formation region 52 is maintained without diffusion. In this manner, the metal ink is applied to the entire gate forming region 52.

After the metal ink is applied to the gate forming region 52, the sheet substrate FB is transported so that the coated portion of the metal ink is positioned on the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK. The heat treatment apparatus BK applies heat treatment to the metal ink applied on the sheet substrate FB to dry the metal ink. 16A is a diagram showing the state of the gate forming region 52 after the metal ink is dried. As shown in Fig. 16A, by drying the metal ink, the conductor included in the metal ink is laminated in a thin film form. Such a thin film conductor is formed over the entire gate forming region 52 and the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are formed on the sheet substrate FB as shown in Fig.

Next, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the droplet applying device 120I. In the droplet applying device 120I, the electrically insulating ink is applied to the sheet substrate FB. In the droplet applying device 120I, for example, as shown in Fig. 17, an electrically insulating ink is applied on the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G passing through the source / drain forming region 53. [

After the electric insulating ink is applied, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and heat treatment is performed on the electric insulating ink by the heat treatment apparatus BK. By this heat treatment, the electrically insulating ink dries, and the gate insulating layer I is formed. 17 shows a state in which the gate insulating layer I is formed into a circular shape so as to extend over the partition BA, but it is not particularly necessary to form over the partition BA.

After the gate insulating layer I is formed, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the droplet applying device 120SD. In the droplet applying apparatus 120SD, the metal ink is applied to the source / drain forming region 53 of the sheet substrate FB. Metal inks are discharged in the order of 1 to 9 shown in Fig. 18, for example, for the portions of the source / drain formation regions 53 that extend over the gate insulating layer I. Fig.

After ejection of the metal ink, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and the metal ink is subjected to the drying treatment. After the drying process, the conductive material contained in the metal ink is laminated in the form of a thin film, and the source bus line SBL, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D and the anode P are formed. In this step, however, the source electrode S and the drain electrode D are connected to each other.

Next, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the -Z side of the cutting apparatus 130. [ The sheet substrate FB is cut between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D in the cutting apparatus 130. [ 19 is a view showing a state in which the gap between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is cut by the cutting device 130. Fig. The cutting device 130 cuts the laser beam LL while adjusting the irradiation position of the laser beam LL to the sheet substrate FB using the galvanometer mirror 131.

After the source electrode S and the drain electrode D are cut off, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the droplet applying apparatus 120OS. In the liquid application device 120OS, the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed on the sheet substrate FB. The organic semiconductor ink is discharged over the source electrode S and the drain electrode D in the region overlapping with the gate electrode G on the sheet substrate FB.

After the discharge of the organic semiconductor ink, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and the organic semiconductor ink is dried. After the drying process, the semiconductor included in the organic semiconductor ink is laminated in the form of a thin film, and the organic semiconductor layer (OS) is formed as shown in Fig. Through the above process, the field effect transistor and the connection wiring are formed on the sheet substrate FB.

Subsequently, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the light emitting layer forming portion 93 by the conveying roller RR (see Fig. 3). In the light-emitting layer forming unit 93, red, green and blue light-emitting layers IR are formed by a droplet applying device 140Re, a droplet applying device 140Gr, a droplet applying device 140B1 and a heat treatment device BK . The barrier ribs BA are formed on the sheet substrate FB so that even when the red, green and blue light emitting layers IR are successively applied without heat treatment with the heat treatment apparatus BK, By overflowing, the color mixture does not occur.

After the formation of the light-emitting layer IR, the sheet substrate FB is formed with the insulating layer I via the droplet applying device 140I and the heat treatment device BK, and the droplet applying device 140IT and the heat treatment device BK A transparent electrode IT is formed. Through such a process, the organic EL element 50 shown in Fig. 1 is formed on the sheet substrate FB.

In the element forming operation, in order to prevent the sheet substrate FB from shifting in the X direction, the Y direction, and the? Z direction in the process of forming the organic EL element 50 while conveying the sheet substrate FB as described above, An alignment operation is performed. Hereinafter, the alignment operation will be described with reference to Fig.

In the alignment operation, a plurality of alignment cameras CA, CA1 to CA8 provided in the respective units suitably detect the alignment mark AM formed on the sheet substrate FB and transmit the detection result to the control unit 104. [ The control unit 104 performs an alignment operation on the basis of the transmitted detection result.

For example, the control unit 104 detects the transfer speed of the sheet substrate FB on the basis of the imaging intervals of the alignment marks AM detected by the alignment cameras CA, CA1 to CA8, For example, whether it is rotating at a predetermined speed or not. When it is determined that the roller RR is not rotating at a predetermined speed, the control unit 104 issues a command to adjust the rotation speed of the roller RR and feeds back the command.

For example, the control unit 104 detects whether or not the position of the alignment mark AM in the Y-axis direction is shifted based on the imaging result of the alignment mark AM, The presence or absence of a positional deviation in the direction is detected. When the positional deviation is detected, the control unit 104 detects how long the positional deviation continues for the state in which the sheet substrate FB is conveyed.

If the positional deviation time is short, the nozzle 122 for applying the liquid droplet among the plural nozzles 122 of the droplet applying device 120 is changed. If the deviation of the sheet substrate FB in the Y-axis direction is likely to continue for a long time, the positional correction in the Y-axis direction of the sheet substrate FB is performed by the movement of the roller RR.

For example, the control unit 104 determines whether or not the sheet substrate FB is shifted in the? Z direction based on the position of the alignment mark AM detected by the alignment camera CA in the X-axis and Y-axis directions . When the positional deviation is detected, the control unit 104 detects how long the positional deviation continues in the state in which the sheet substrate FB is conveyed, as in the case of the detection of the positional deviation in the Y-axis direction.

If the positional deviation time is short, the nozzle 122 for applying the liquid droplet among the plural nozzles 122 of the droplet applying device 120 is changed. The two rollers RR provided at the positions where the alignment cam CA that detects the shift are inserted are moved in the X direction or the Y direction and the position of the sheet substrate FB in the &thetas; Z direction Perform calibration.

Next, the separating operation will be described. The substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate supply unit 101 is separated from the substrate processing unit 102 after the organic EL element 50 is formed on the sheet substrate FB and the sheet substrate FB is recovered do.

22 is a view showing the separating operation of the substrate cartridge 1. Fig.

As shown in Fig. 22, in the separating operation, the mount portion 3 is moved in the -X direction and removed from the supply side connecting portion 102A, thereby detaching the mount portion 3. Fig. In this operation, the mount portion 3 is detached along the guide of the supply side connection portion 102A.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 is mounted on the cartridge body 2 accommodating the sheet substrate FB and at least the value of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the cartridge body 2 For example, the control unit 104 uses information on the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the main cartridge body unit 2 and the like, for example, The specification value of the sheet substrate FB can be discriminated. Therefore, the substrate can be efficiently processed. Further, the information management capability of the entire manufacturing line including the sheet substrate FB can be improved.

According to the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes the substrate processing section 102 for processing the sheet substrate FB, and the substrate feeding section 102 for feeding the sheet substrate FB to the substrate processing section 102 And the substrate recovery unit 103 for carrying out the removal of the substrate from the substrate processing unit 102 and the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101, It is possible to perform the optimum process for the sheet substrate FB by switching using the information from the cartridge 1. [ Thus, problems such as breakage and deformation of the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing section 102 are reduced.

According to the present embodiment, in the manufacturing process of the display element, the process of processing the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing section 102 and the process of processing the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing section 102 FB or the sheet substrate FB from the substrate processing section 102, it is possible to efficiently manufacture the display device under a high level of information management.

According to the present embodiment, for example, since the control unit 104 can update information such as specification information to be held in the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate cartridge 1, the substrate supply unit 101 The used substrate cartridge 1 can be recycled.

[Second Embodiment]

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

23 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment.

23, the substrate processing apparatus 200 has a substrate supply unit 201, a substrate processing unit 202, a substrate collection unit 203, and a control unit 204. [ This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the substrate cartridge 1 is used for each of the substrate supply section 201 and the substrate recovery section 203. [

The substrate processing section 202 is configured such that the substrate cutting section 108 is not provided in the substrate processing section 102 of the first embodiment, for example. Therefore, the sheet substrate FB processed in the substrate processing unit 202 is recovered by the substrate recovery unit 203 while being in a sheet-like shape without being cut.

It is also possible to arrange the configuration in which the specification information of the sheet substrate FB, the process information and the identification information of the substrate cartridge 1 are held in the substrate cartridge 1 or the configuration in which the first table Tb1 is provided in the control unit 204, And the second table Tb2 are provided, and the configuration in which the information holding unit (IC) and the control unit 204 are communicable is similar to the configuration described in the first embodiment.

Figs. 24 to 26 are views showing the form of recovery of the sheet substrate FB in the substrate recovery unit 203. Fig. 24 to 26 are shown in a state in which a part of the configuration is omitted for easy identification of the drawings.

24, the sheet substrate FB is inserted into the opening portion 34 of the substrate cartridge 1 and the protective substrate PB is inserted from the second opening portion 35. At this time, The protective substrate PB is supplied from, for example, a protective substrate supply unit (not shown).

The inserted sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB are guided by the substrate guide portion 22 and the second substrate guide portion 37 as shown in Fig. do. The sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB joined at the confluence portion 39 are conveyed by the conveying portion 21 in the joined state as shown in Fig. 26, and the tension roller 21a and the measuring roller (21b). The sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB are wound and collected by the roller portion 26 in close contact with each other.

The control unit 204 controls the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate collecting unit 203 when the sheet substrate FB is collected by the substrate collecting unit 203, And transmits the specification information of the sheet substrate FB and the process information corresponding to the specification information. The information holding unit (IC) receives the transmitted information and stores it in the storage unit (MR).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes the substrate processing section 202 for processing the sheet substrate FB, the substrate processing section 202 for carrying the sheet substrate FB into the substrate processing section 202, And the substrate recovery section 203 for carrying out the removal of the substrate from the substrate processing section 202 and the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply section 201 and the substrate recovery section 203 , Information from the substrate cartridge 1 is transferred to the substrate cartridge 1 at the collection destination. Thereby, even when the substrate cartridge 1 to be collected is managed, or when the processing is performed on the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the substrate cartridge 1 at the collection destination, May use the information. As a result, the information management capability of the substrate processing apparatus 200 can be improved, and the processing efficiency is remarkably improved.

In the present embodiment, the substrate processing section 202 has been described as an example having the same configuration as the substrate processing section 102 of the first embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, even if only a part of the partition forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92, and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 constituting the substrate processing portion 102 of the first embodiment is provided in the substrate processing portion 202 none.

For example, a configuration in which only the partition forming portion 91 is provided as the substrate processing portion 202 and the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 are not provided will be described as an example. In this case, in the substrate processing unit 202, the sheet substrate FB is collected in the substrate collecting unit 203 in a state in which only the partition BA is formed. The sheet substrate FB collected by the substrate collecting section 203 is subjected to an electrode forming process and a light emitting layer forming process in another substrate processing section.

The substrate cartridge 1 is detachably attached to the substrate processing unit 202. In such a case, the substrate cartridge 1 is detached from the substrate processing unit 202, So that it can be connected. Since the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 holds the information including the specification information of the sheet substrate FB, the process information, and the identification information of the substrate cartridge 1, The processing can be performed using the information. As described above, even when a plurality of substrate processing units are disposed on one manufacturing line and information communication is not performed between the substrate processing units, information on the sheet substrate FB can be communicated through the substrate cartridge 1 have. Even in this case, the information management capability can be improved and the processing efficiency can be remarkably improved.

[Third embodiment]

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, a case where information is communicated in a plurality of substrate processing units will be described as an example.

Fig. 27 is a diagram showing a configuration of the substrate processing system SYS according to the present embodiment.

As shown in Fig. 27, the substrate processing system SYS has a first substrate processing apparatus 300, a second substrate processing apparatus 310, and a main control apparatus CONT. The first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 are provided, for example, on the same site or in the same factory.

The first substrate processing apparatus 300 is an apparatus for forming the partition BA of the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB, for example. The second substrate processing apparatus 310 is a substrate processing apparatus that forms an electrode (a gate electrode G and the like) on a sheet substrate FB and a light emitting layer IR and a transparent electrode ITO of the organic EL element 50 Device. As described above, the substrate processing system SYS is configured such that the apparatus for forming the organic EL element 50 is divided into two types of apparatuses, that is, the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 have.

The first substrate processing apparatus 300 has a substrate supply section 301, a substrate processing section 302, and a substrate recovery section 303. In the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 301 and the substrate collection unit 303. [

The substrate processing section 302 has the same configuration as that of the partition forming section 91 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment and a supply side connecting section 302A is provided at a connecting section with the substrate supplying section 301 have. The configuration of the supply side connection portion 302A is the same as that of the supply side connection portion 102A of the first embodiment. The first substrate processing apparatus 300 has the same configuration as the configuration from the substrate supply section 101 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the partition forming section 91 of the substrate processing section 102 in the first embodiment Have.

Side connection portion 302B connected to the mount portion 3 of the substrate cartridge 1 is provided at a connection portion of the substrate processing portion 302 with the substrate recovery portion 303. [ The recovery-side connecting portion 302B has the same configuration as the supplying-side connecting portion 302A.

The second substrate processing apparatus 310 has a substrate supply section 311, a substrate processing section 312 and a substrate recovery section 313 and has the same configuration as that of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 in each section. The substrate processing section 312 has the same configuration as the electrode forming section 92 and the light emitting layer forming section 93 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment.

In the second substrate processing apparatus 310, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 311 and the substrate recovery unit 313. [ The substrate recovery unit 303 (the substrate cartridge 1) separated from the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and transferred to the second substrate processing apparatus 310 is connected to the substrate supply unit (not shown) of the second substrate processing apparatus 310 311). The substrate cartridge 1 also functions as a relay device for relaying the sheet substrate FB from the first substrate processing apparatus 300 to the second substrate processing apparatus 310. [

The main control device CONT is connected to each of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 through a wired or wireless communication mechanism and these first substrate processing apparatuses 300 and And controls the second substrate processing apparatus 310 in a general manner. The main control device CONT has a first table Tb1 and a second table Tb2 in the first embodiment. Therefore, the main controller CONT controls the information held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 used in the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310, So that it can be managed as an enemy.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the main controller CONT manages the information held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 in a comprehensive manner, the information management capability of the substrate processing system SYS is improved And the processing efficiency of the substrate processing system SYS is improved.

When the production line of the organic EL element 50 is collectively managed by the control unit 104 or the main control unit CONT or the like as in the present embodiment, the information holding unit (IC) Or the like. For example, when the production line of the organic EL element 50 is collectively managed by the main control unit CONT, the main storage unit (MMR, see Fig. 27) With the specification information, the main control device CONT can recognize the specification information based on the identification information of the substrate cartridge 1, and perform the process (e.g., unit process) based on the specification information. In this way, the main control device CONT reads the specification information corresponding to the identification information read from the information holding section IC from the main storage section (MMR), and performs processing based on the specification information And transmits a processing signal to the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the second substrate processing apparatus 310. [ The processing signal is, for example, a command signal such as a set value for executing each processing to the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the like. Further, for example, when the control section 104 collectively manages the production line of the organic EL element 50, the control section 104 may be used instead of the main control device CONT. As a result, the processing efficiency of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the second substrate processing apparatus 310 can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the second substrate processing apparatus 310 is described as an example of the connection destination of the substrate cartridge 1 separated from the first substrate processing apparatus 300, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of processing apparatuses 320 (indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. 27) for performing a plurality of types of unit processing such as a coating apparatus, a vapor deposition apparatus, and a sputtering apparatus are disposed, ) To control each processing apparatus 320 collectively. In this case, the connection destination of the substrate cartridge 1 separated from the first substrate processing apparatus 300 may be controlled to be changed for each processing apparatus 320 by the main control apparatus CONT. With this control, processing according to the specification information of the sheet substrate FB is performed.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified appropriately within a range not deviating from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the substrate cartridge 1 may be configured to maintain the process ID without holding the specification information. According to this configuration, information management of the substrate processing system SYS becomes simpler.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 104 or the main control unit CONT performs the switching of the process based on the specification information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The switching control unit Control unit) may be separately provided. In this case, a table corresponding to the first table (Tb1) and the second table (Tb2) is provided in the switching control device, and information held in the information holding unit (IC) . The switching control device selects a process based on the information stored in the table and transmits the selection result to the control section 104 or the main control device CONT. Further, such a switching control device may be provided in the substrate cartridge 1, for example.

In the first and second embodiments, the configuration using the substrate cartridge 1 only in the substrate supply section of the substrate processing section and the configuration using the substrate cartridge 1 in both the substrate supply section and the substrate recovery section of the substrate processing section are shown as an example However, for example, the substrate cartridge 1 may be used in only the substrate collecting portion.

[Fourth Embodiment]

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or equivalent components to those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus for forming the organic EL element 50 shown in Fig. 1 using a band-shaped sheet substrate FB having flexibility . 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate supply unit 101, a substrate processing unit 102, a substrate recovery unit 103, and a control unit 104. [ The sheet substrate FB is conveyed from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate recovery unit 103 via the substrate processing unit 102. [ The control unit 104 controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 in a general manner. In addition, the control unit 104 has a database 104DB which is a storage unit for storing information.

28 is a diagram showing a configuration of the substrate processing section 102. Fig.

28, the substrate processing section 102 has a carrying section 105, an element forming section 106, an alignment section 107, and a substrate cutting section 108. As shown in Fig. The substrate processing section 102 forms each component of the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB while conveying the sheet substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply section 101 and supplies the organic EL element 50 to the substrate-returning unit 103. The sheet-

Also in this embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101 and the substrate collection unit 103. [ As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the substrate cartridge 1 has a cartridge body 2 and a mount 3.

The cartridge main body 2 is provided with an information retaining unit (IC) (see Fig. 5). The information holding unit IC is composed of, for example, an IC chip (for example, a readable type, a readable and writable type, etc.), and is embedded in the cartridge body 2, for example. The information holding unit IC stores information such as processing information of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the cartridge body 2 and identification information identifying the cartridge body 2 A storage unit MR and a communication unit CR for communicating information stored in the storage unit MR. In the storage unit MR, in the present embodiment, information including two pieces of processing information and identification information is stored. However, the storage unit MR may be configured to store information including only one of them. The communication unit CR is not limited to the configuration provided in the information holding unit IC as in the present embodiment, and may be configured to be provided independently of the information holding unit (IC), for example.

The process information in the present embodiment includes defect information on the sheet substrate FB as an example. This defect information includes information on the position of the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB, the degree of defect indicating whether or not the defect can be recovered or not, the types of defects such as pattern defects and pattern outbreaks, (For example, whether or not recovery is performed), and the like. The positional information of the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB may be, for example, the position coordinates of the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB, and may be the distance from the end portion of the sheet substrate FB to the defective portion Does not matter.

The defect information on the sheet substrate FB is transmitted from the information holding unit IC to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 via the communication unit CR. The control unit 104 to which the defect information is transferred controls each process of the electrode forming unit 92 and the like based on the defect information. For example, when it is determined that the defect portion can not be recovered from the degree of the defect included in the defect information, the control unit 104 controls the operation of the electrode for the element formation region 60 including the defect portion or the defect portion, Information that does not perform the forming process is transmitted to the droplet applying device 120 together with the positional information of the defective portion. As another example, when recovery of a defective portion included in the corresponding defect information is completed, the control unit 104 performs electrode formation processing on the element formation region 60 including the defective portion or the defective portion And transfers the information to the droplet applying device 120. In this way, the control unit 104 can select the process for the defective portion based on the above-described defect information, and deliver the selected process to the droplet applying apparatus 120 or the like in advance.

29A, a pattern (PTN) of a mark or the like serving as a reference position may be formed along the X direction at a position along a short side of the Y direction in the sheet substrate FB, The position of the defective portion P1 may be detected using the pattern PTN and the detection result may be used as the positional information of the defective portion P1. In the example shown in Fig. 29A, an encoder pattern of an encoder (positional information detecting apparatus) is formed as a pattern PTN on a sheet substrate FB. The encoder pattern is, for example, a pattern that can discriminate the position of the sheet substrate FB in the X direction. Even if the positional information of the defective portion P1 is the position in the X direction of the sheet substrate FB, the positional coordinates of the defective portion P1 are determined in the Y direction It is possible to specify the defective portion P1 by detecting the position of the defective portion P1 in the Y direction using a line sensor or a camera movable in the Y direction.

29A, the positional information of the defective portion P1 is the area number assigned to each of a plurality of regions (for example, defective areas) along the X direction in the sheet substrate FB , A111, A112, etc.).

The processing information in the present embodiment includes positional information on a predetermined portion on the sheet substrate FB, progress information on the processing on the sheet substrate FB, a forming layer formed on the sheet substrate FB , A TFT layer, a light emitting layer, and the like), shape information about the shape of the sheet substrate FB, and the like. Here, the predetermined portion on the sheet substrate FB includes the above-described defective portion, a portion where the reference mark for alignment is formed, and a portion where a reference mark serving as an index of the length or interval of the sheet substrate FB is formed. In the case where the sheet substrate FB is formed by connecting a plurality of unit substrates, the processing information also includes information about the connection position (position of the seam) between the unit substrates.

The progress information includes information indicating to which stage the process is proceeding with respect to the sheet substrate FB. The progress information includes, for example, a step of forming only a partition wall BA on the sheet substrate FB, a step of forming a partition wall and an electrode on the sheet substrate FB, a step of forming a partition wall, Is formed, and the like. The progress information may include a step of performing a pretreatment (for example, a lyophilic process, a lyophobic process, a protective film forming process, etc.) on the sheet substrate FB, and the step of forming the gate electrode, the source electrode, The electrode forming step of FIG. This progress information is transmitted from the information holding unit IC to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 through the communication unit CR and is selected by the substrate processing unit 102 for the process to be performed on the sheet substrate FB As shown in FIG.

The shape information includes at least one of a shape of a forming layer (e.g., an electrode layer or a light emitting layer) formed on a sheet substrate FB, a positional deviation of a forming layer, a dimension (e.g., And the like. This type information is transmitted from the information holding unit IC to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 via the communication unit CR. For example, such type information is used as one of information for setting the start position of processing when the processing on the sheet substrate FB is stopped during the system down of the apparatus or maintenance of the apparatus . As an example, the positional shift of the forming layer, which is the above-mentioned type information, is based on the information on the number and the ratio of the positional shifts on the sheet substrate FB, one of the information for notifying the maintenance time of the apparatus, .

The shape information includes information on the overall shape of the sheet substrate FB. For example, in the case where a part of the sheet substrate FB is notched or a structure having an opening portion in a part of the sheet substrate FB is used, the shape information is information of the notch or the opening (for example, Type and location information). This shape information is transferred from the information holding unit (IC) to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 via the communication unit CR. For example, such shape information is used to grasp the frequency of abrasion or damage of the sheet substrate FB by the carry section 21, and the control section 104 controls the maintenance of the apparatus Outputs information informing of maintenance time or device error.

The information holding unit IC is electrically connected to the terminal 3C, for example. The terminal 3C is connected to the apparatus side terminal 102C (see Fig. 2) provided in the supply side connecting portion 102A of the substrate processing portion 102 when the substrate cartridge 1 is connected to the substrate processing portion 102 have. In this case, the information holding unit IC is electrically connected to the substrate processing unit 102 via the terminal 3C, and information can be transmitted to the substrate processing unit 102 through the terminal 3C. The information holding unit IC can perform information communication with the communication unit 104CR (see Fig. 2) provided in the control unit 104 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 via the communication unit CR. In this case, the transfer of information between the substrate cartridge 1 and the substrate processing unit 102 is controlled by the control unit 104.

The storage unit MR of the information storage unit IC stores information such as the tact of the substrate processing apparatus 100 and the throughput and the transfer speed of the substrate cartridge 1, Information such as the winding and feeding speed of the roller portion 26, information on the sheet substrate FB, and the like may be held. The "tact" is a region in which the unit processing region (for example, the droplet applying apparatuses 120, 140 or the like can be processed at one time, a screen area of one panel of the organic EL element 50, ). The "throughput" refers to the amount of the sheet substrate FB that can be processed per unit time (for example, the length, the number of panels, the number of the substrate cartridges 1, and the like). These reference information is transmitted to the control unit 104 through the communication unit CR, as with the identification information and the process information.

In this embodiment, for example, a forming apparatus 109A for forming a pattern PTN on a sheet substrate FB, a detecting apparatus 109B for detecting the pattern PTN, a part of the sheet substrate FB And an abnormality detecting device 109D for detecting an abnormality including defect information on the sheet substrate FB are provided in the substrate processing section 102 (see FIG. 28).

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 28, when a defect portion or the like on the sheet substrate FB is detected by the anomaly detection device 109D, the position information of the defect portion can be detected by the detection device 109B . For example, the positional information of the detected defective portion is transmitted to the information holding unit IC of the substrate collecting unit 103 (substrate cartridge 1) by the control unit 104 as defect information of the sheet substrate FB .

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 28, when defect information is stored in the information holding unit IC of the substrate supply unit 102, the defect part included in the defect information is determined based on the position information of the defect part , And is cut and removed by the cut-off device 109C. In this case, for example, as shown in Fig. 29B, the notch portion CH is formed in a part of the sheet substrate FB.

(Operation of substrate processing apparatus)

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described.

The connection operation for connecting the substrate cartridge 1 accommodating the sheet substrate FB to the supply side connection portion 102A as the substrate supply portion 101 is performed by the substrate cartridge 1 by the substrate supply portion 101 The supply operation of the sheet substrate FB, the element formation operation by the substrate processing section 102, and the separation operation of the substrate cartridge 1 are performed in this order.

First, the connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 10, the inlet side connection portion 102A is formed with an insertion port in a shape corresponding to the mount portion 3. [

In the connecting operation, in the state in which the substrate cartridge 1 is held in a holder (for example, a structure similar to the holder HD shown in Figs. 8 and 9), alignment between the mount portion 3 and the supply side connecting portion 102A . After positioning, the mount portion 3 is moved to the + X side and inserted into the substrate processing portion 102.

At this time, the terminal 3C of the mount portion 3 and the apparatus-side terminal 102C of the supply-side connecting portion 102A are brought into contact with each other. The terminal 3C and the apparatus side terminal 102C come into contact with each other to perform information communication between the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 and the control unit 104. [ By this communication operation, the processing information and reference information held in the information holding unit (IC) are transmitted to the control unit (104). Prior to the connection operation of the cartridge 1, the information holding unit IC is connected to the information holding unit IC by radio communication between the communication unit CR of the information holding unit IC and the communication unit 104CR of the control unit 104 , And may transmit the information to the control unit 104.

Next, the supply operation will be described. When the sheet substrate FB is supplied to the substrate processing unit 102, the rotation shaft member 26a (roller unit 26) and the tension roller 21a of the substrate cartridge 1 are rotated The sheet substrate FB is fed out through the opening 34 as shown in Fig.

Next, the element forming operation will be described. In the element forming operation, as shown in Fig. 2, while the sheet substrate FB is supplied to the substrate processing section 102 from the substrate supply section 101, the substrate processing section 102 forms an element on the sheet substrate FB Form. In the substrate processing section 102, as shown in Fig. 28, the sheet substrate FB is carried by the roller RR.

The control unit 104 may control the operation of the substrate processing unit 102 based on the reference information supplied from the substrate cartridge 1. [ For example, the control unit 104 may adjust the rotation speed of each roller RR in the substrate processing unit 102 in accordance with the feeding speed of the sheet substrate FB from the substrate cartridge 1. [ In addition, the control unit 104 detects whether the roller RR is shifted in the Y-axis direction, and if it is shifted, moves the roller RR to correct the position. In addition, the control unit 104 performs the position correction of the sheet substrate FB at the same time.

The sheet substrate FB fed from the substrate feeding section 101 to the substrate processing section 102 is first conveyed to the partition forming section 91. [ In the partitioning wall forming portion 91, the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched between the imprint roller 110 and the thermal transfer roller 115, and partition walls BA and alignment marks AM are formed on the sheet substrate by thermal transfer do.

Next, the separating operation will be described. The substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate supply unit 101 is separated from the substrate processing unit 102 after the organic EL element 50 is formed on the sheet substrate FB and the sheet substrate FB is recovered do.

Prior to the above operations, the control unit 104 can perform processing using information transmitted from the substrate cartridge 1. [ For example, the control unit 104 determines the processing state of the sheet substrate FB in accordance with the processing information read from the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 (substrate supply unit 101) (Supply operation, element formation operation, and the like) may be performed in accordance with the following operations. For example, the control unit 104 determines whether or not recovery of a defective portion of the sheet substrate FB is possible, whether or not the element can be formed in a region including a defective portion of the sheet substrate FB, Based on the defect information read from the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate supply unit 101, whether or not the defect portion of the sheet substrate FB is required to be cut off by the defect management unit 109C. If it is determined that the defective portion of the sheet substrate FB is unrecoverable, the control unit 104 can control not to perform the process for the defective portion. Thereby, the substrate processing apparatus 100 can reduce the cost (for example, the amount of material used and the application time of the material) used for each processing. When the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB can be recovered, the control unit 104 may be controlled to perform a process of recovering the defective portion from among the above-described partition forming operation, electrode forming operation, and light emitting layer forming operation. The control unit 104 controls the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate collecting unit 103 to store the recovery history of the recovery of the corresponding defective portion processed by the substrate processing unit 102 It does not matter. Here, the recovery history includes types of defects, recoverable parts (defective parts) of defective parts, recovery contents (for example, recovery methods and procedures), recovery dates and the like of what kind of recovery has been performed. The control unit 104 controls the recovery of the defective portion based on the recovery history at the time of recovery of the defective portion. For example, the control unit 104 sets the optimum recovery content for the defective portion to be recovered based on the combination of the type of defect, the recoverability portion, and the recovery content included in the recovery history.

The control unit 104 determines whether or not a portion of the sheet substrate FB that is determined to be abnormal by a part (for example, a defective portion) in which an abnormality is detected or information from the substrate cartridge 1 The droplet applying device 120 or the droplet applying device 140 may be used to directly form an identifiable pattern with other parts. In this case, since the anomaly detection device 109D detects the pattern, the detection accuracy is improved.

In the case where a defective portion is detected in a part of the sheet substrate FB by the abnormality detecting device 109D provided on the upstream side of the substrate processing portion 102 shown in Fig. 104 transfers defect information relating to the defective portion to the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate collecting unit 103. Therefore, the control unit 104 can store processing information such as defect information obtained in the course of each operation in the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate collecting unit 103. [ In this manner, the control unit 104 can accumulate the process information obtained in each process in the substrate processing unit 102 in the substrate recovery unit 103. [ The processing information stored in the substrate recovery unit 103 is used as the above-described information in the next production line or the like.

It is to be noted that the control unit 104 determines that the partition BA is already formed on the sheet substrate FB based on the processing information read from the information holding unit IC of the substrate supply unit 101, The control unit 104 can perform the next electrode forming operation by omitting the corresponding partition forming operation, and the like. The control unit 104 then updates the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate collecting unit 103 as the process information in which the following electrode forming operation is performed by omitting the above-described partition forming operation.

After performing the above-described operations, the control unit 104 may transfer the process information of the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate collecting unit 103. [ In this case, the control unit 104 transfers the process information based on each process performed on the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing unit 102 and the process information of the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate collecting unit 103 , The substrate recovery unit 103 can retain the processing progress information such as what kind of processing has been performed on the sheet substrate FB as processing information.

When cutting the sheet substrate FB in the substrate cutting portion 108, the substrate cutting portion 108 cuts the portion provided with the defect or the notch by efficiently cutting the portion where the defect or the notch is formed, . Of the removed portions, portions usable as devices may be reused separately.

Next, the separating operation will be described. The substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate supply unit 101 is separated from the substrate processing unit 102 after the organic EL element 50 is formed on the sheet substrate FB and the sheet substrate FB is recovered do.

22 is a view showing the separating operation of the substrate cartridge 1. Fig.

As shown in Fig. 22, in the separating operation, the mount portion 3 is moved in the -X direction and removed from the supply side connecting portion 102A, thereby detaching the mount portion 3. Fig. In this operation, the mount portion 3 comes off along the guide of the supply side connecting portion 102A.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 includes the cartridge body 2 that houses the sheet substrate FB, identification information that identifies the cartridge body 2, The substrate processing unit 102 is provided with an information holding unit (IC) for holding information of at least one of the sheet information on the sheet substrate FB, Can be appropriately processed.

According to the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes the substrate processing section 102 for processing the sheet substrate FB, and the substrate feeding section 102 for feeding the sheet substrate FB to the substrate processing section 102 And the substrate recovery unit 103 for carrying out the removal of the substrate from the substrate processing unit 102 and the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101, It is possible to perform the optimum processing on the sheet substrate FB by using the information from the cartridge 1. [ As a result, the processing on the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing section 102 can be efficiently performed.

According to the present embodiment, in the manufacturing process of the display device, the process of processing the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing section 102 and the process of processing the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing section 102 using the substrate cartridge 1 ) Or the step of recovering the sheet substrate FB from the substrate processing section 102, it is possible to efficiently manufacture the display device under a high level of information management.

According to the present embodiment, the control unit 104 can update information such as processing information to be held in the information holding unit (IC) of the substrate cartridge 1, 1) can be recycled.

[Fifth Embodiment]

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

This embodiment is different from the fourth embodiment in that the substrate cartridge 1 is used for each of the substrate supply section 201 and the substrate recovery section 203. [ 23, the substrate processing apparatus 200 also includes a substrate supply unit 201, a substrate processing unit 202, a substrate recovery unit 203,

The substrate processing section 202 is configured such that the substrate cutting section 108 is not provided in the substrate processing section 102 of the fourth embodiment, for example. Therefore, the sheet substrate FB processed in the substrate processing unit 202 is recovered by the substrate recovery unit 203 while being in a sheet-like shape without being cut.

The configuration in which the identification information and the process information of the sheet substrate FB are held and the configuration in which the information holding unit (IC) and the control unit 204 can communicate with each other, for example, Is similar to the configuration described in the form.

24, the sheet substrate FB is inserted into the opening portion 34 of the substrate cartridge 1 and the protective substrate PB is inserted from the second opening portion 35. At this time, The protective substrate PB is supplied from, for example, a protective substrate supply unit (not shown).

The inserted sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB are guided by the substrate guide portion 22 and the second substrate guide portion 37 as shown in Fig. do. The sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB joined at the confluence portion 39 are conveyed by the conveying portion 21 in a joined state as shown in Fig. 26, and the tension roller 21a and the measurement roller (21b). The sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB are wound and collected by the roller portion 26 in close contact with each other.

The control unit 204 controls the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate collecting unit 203 when the sheet substrate FB is collected by the substrate collecting unit 203, And transmits processing information of the sheet substrate FB. The information holding unit (IC) receives the transmitted information and stores it in the storage unit (MR).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes the substrate processing section 202 for processing the sheet substrate FB, the substrate processing section 202 for carrying the sheet substrate FB into the substrate processing section 202, And the substrate recovery section 203 for carrying out the removal of the substrate from the substrate processing section 202 and the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply section 201 and the substrate recovery section 203 , Processing information from the substrate cartridge 1 is transferred to the substrate cartridge 1 at the collection destination. Thereby, even when the substrate cartridge 1 to be collected is managed, or when the processing is performed on the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the substrate cartridge 1 at the collection destination, May use the information. As a result, the information management capability of the substrate processing apparatus 200 can be improved, and the processing efficiency is remarkably improved.

In the present embodiment, the substrate processing section 202 has been described as an example having the same configuration as the substrate processing section 102 of the fourth embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, even if only the part of the partition forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 constituting the substrate processing portion 102 of the fourth embodiment is provided in the substrate processing portion 202 none.

For example, a configuration in which only the partition forming portion 91 is provided as the substrate processing portion 202 and the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 are not provided will be described as an example. In this case, in the substrate processing section 202, the sheet substrate FB is collected in the substrate collecting section 203 in a state in which only the partition BA is formed. The sheet substrate FB collected by the substrate collecting section 203 is subjected to an electrode forming process and a light emitting layer forming process in another substrate processing section.

The substrate cartridge 1 is detachably attached to the substrate processing unit 202. In such a case, the substrate cartridge 1 is detached from the substrate processing unit 202, So that it can be connected. Since the identification information of the substrate cartridge 1 and the process information of the sheet substrate FB are held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1, Can be performed. In this manner, information on the sheet substrate FB can be communicated through the substrate cartridge 1 even when a plurality of substrate processing units are provided on one manufacturing line and information communication between the substrate processing units is not performed . Even in this case, the information management capability can be improved, and the processing efficiency is remarkably improved.

[Sixth Embodiment]

Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In this embodiment, a case where information communication is performed by a plurality of substrate processing units will be described as an example.

30 is a diagram showing a configuration of the substrate processing system SYS according to the present embodiment.

30, the substrate processing system SYS has a first substrate processing apparatus 300, a second substrate processing apparatus 310, and a main control apparatus CONT. The first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 are provided in the same site or in the same factory, for example.

The first substrate processing apparatus 300 is an apparatus for forming the partition BA of the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB, for example. The second substrate processing apparatus 310 is a substrate processing apparatus that forms an electrode (a gate electrode G and the like) on a sheet substrate FB and a light emitting layer IR and a transparent electrode ITO of the organic EL element 50 Device. As described above, the substrate processing system SYS is configured such that the apparatus for forming the organic EL element 50 is divided into two types of apparatuses, that is, the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 have.

The first substrate processing apparatus 300 has a substrate supply section 301, a substrate processing section 302, and a substrate recovery section 303. In the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 301 and the substrate collection unit 303. [

The substrate processing section 302 has the same configuration as that of the partition forming section 91 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the fourth embodiment and a supply side connecting section 302A is provided at a connecting section with the substrate supplying section 301 have. The configuration of the supply side connection portion 302A is the same as that of the supply side connection portion 102A in the fourth embodiment. The first substrate processing apparatus 300 has the same configuration as the configuration from the substrate supply section 101 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the partition forming section 91 of the substrate processing section 102 in the fourth embodiment Have.

Side connection portion 302B connected to the mount portion 3 of the substrate cartridge 1 is provided at a connection portion of the substrate processing portion 302 with the substrate recovery portion 303. [ The recovery-side connecting portion 302B has the same configuration as the supplying-side connecting portion 302A.

The second substrate processing apparatus 310 has a substrate supply section 311, a substrate processing section 312 and a substrate recovery section 313 and has the same configuration as that of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 in each section. The substrate processing section 312 has the same configuration as the electrode forming section 92 and the light emitting layer forming section 93 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the fourth embodiment.

In the second substrate processing apparatus 310, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 311 and the substrate recovery unit 313. The substrate recovery unit 303 (the substrate cartridge 1) separated from the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and transferred to the second substrate processing apparatus 310 is connected to the substrate supply unit (not shown) of the second substrate processing apparatus 310 311). The substrate cartridge 1 also functions as a relay device for relaying the sheet substrate FB from the first substrate processing apparatus 300 to the second substrate processing apparatus 310. [

The main control device CONT is connected to each of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 via a wired or wireless communication mechanism and these first substrate processing apparatuses 300 and And controls the second substrate processing apparatus 310 in a general manner. Therefore, the main controller CONT controls the information held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 used in the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310, So that it can be managed as an enemy.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the main controller CONT manages the information held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 in a comprehensive manner, the information management capability of the substrate processing system SYS And the processing efficiency of the substrate processing system SYS is remarkably improved.

For example, in the case where the manufacturing line of the organic EL element 50 is collectively managed by the control unit 104, the main control unit CONT, or the like as in this embodiment, the information holding unit (IC) May be configured to retain only the identification information. When the production line of the organic EL element 50 is collectively managed by the main control unit CONT, the main storage unit (MMR, see Fig. 27) of the main control unit CONT, for example, And the main control device CONT can recognize the process information based on the identification information of the substrate cartridge 1 and perform the process based on the process information. 28, when the defect information of the sheet substrate FB is included in the process information, the main control device CONT judges whether the defect information corresponding to the defect information corresponding to the identification information read from the information holding unit (IC) From the main memory unit (MMR) and sends a processing signal to the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the second substrate processing apparatus 310 to perform processing based on the corresponding defect information (for example, recovery of a defective portion) . The processing signal is, for example, a command signal such as a set value for executing each processing to the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the like. Further, for example, when the control section 104 collectively manages the production line of the organic EL element 50, the control section 104 may be used instead of the main control device CONT. As a result, the processing efficiency of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the second substrate processing apparatus 310 can be improved.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified appropriately within a range not deviating from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the forming apparatus 109A, the detecting apparatus 109B, the cut-off removing apparatus 109C, and the abnormality detecting apparatus 109D shown in Fig. 28 of the fourth embodiment are merely an example, The arrangement may be different from the layout in which the apparatus is arranged, and the arrangement may be such that a part of the apparatus is not provided.

The substrate processing unit 102 may be configured to remove a part of the sheet substrate FB by using the substrate cutting apparatus 108 when the cutting and removing apparatus 109C is not provided. Further, a plurality of the forming apparatus 109A, the detecting apparatus 109B, and the cut-off removing apparatus 109C may be arranged respectively. The anomaly detection device 109D is not limited to the configuration in which it is disposed on each downstream side of the partition forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93. Even if the configuration is omitted, Does not matter.

The pattern (PTN) or the like may be formed on the imprint roller 110 or the thermal transfer roller 115 of the partition forming portion 91, the droplet applying device 120 of the electrode forming portion 92, Or may be formed on the sheet substrate FB by using the droplet applying device 140 of the droplet applying device 93. [ The pattern PTN may be formed on the sheet substrate FB in advance.

The configuration for forming the encoder pattern indicating the position in the X direction as the pattern (PTN) in the above description is merely an example, and the encoder pattern may be formed on the sheet substrate FB in advance. For example, when the position of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction is detected, the substrate processing apparatus 102 detects the position of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction or the distance from the pattern PTN The distance in the Y direction) may be used to detect the position in the Y direction. The substrate processing unit 102 may be provided with a detecting device for detecting the position coordinates of the grid in the XY direction set on the sheet substrate FB.

In the fourth embodiment and the fifth embodiment, the configuration using the substrate cartridge 1 only in the substrate supply section of the substrate processing section and the configuration using the substrate cartridge 1 in both the substrate supply section and the substrate recovery section of the substrate processing section are shown as an example However, for example, the substrate cartridge 1 may be used in only the substrate collecting portion.

50 ... Organic EL device FB ... Sheet substrate
IC ... Information Retention SYS ... Substrate processing system
CONT ... Main control device 1 ... Substrate cartridge
2… The cartridge body 100, 200 ... Substrate processing apparatus
300 ... The first substrate processing apparatus 310 The second substrate processing apparatus
320 ... The processing apparatuses 101, 201, 301, 311 ... The substrate-
102, 202, 302, 312 ... Substrate processing units 103, 203, 303, 313 ... The substrate-
104, 204 ... The control unit

Claims (65)

A substrate cartridge capable of winding a strip-shaped sheet substrate having flexibility over a predetermined length,
A cartridge main body having a shaft member for winding the sheet substrate therein, the cartridge main body having an opening for allowing the sheet substrate to come in and out,
A mount portion provided in the cartridge body and detachably connected to an external connection portion of the processing apparatus for processing the sheet substrate,
A substrate driving mechanism for performing at least one of pulling in and out of the sheet substrate,
A detection unit which is provided in the cartridge main body and measures a conveying distance of the sheet substrate by the substrate driving mechanism;
Wherein the substrate is made of the same material as the substrate, the material of the substrate accommodated in the cartridge body, flexibility, heat resistance, abrasion, stretchability, expansion coefficient, friction coefficient, endurance, Process information that defines specification information about at least one of drying property values of the predetermined liquid on the substrate, a combination of a plurality of unit processes set corresponding to the specification information, and a process information that is calculated based on the measurement by the detection unit And an information holding section for holding the entire length of the sheet substrate. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the information storage unit stores defect information of the sheet substrate. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the information storage unit stores positional information of a defective portion of the sheet substrate. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the information holding section stores a defect history of the defective portion of the sheet substrate. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the information holding section stores the distance between the end portion of the sheet substrate and the defective portion. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the position information includes a distance between a mark formed on the sheet substrate and the defective portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the information holding section stores progress information of a predetermined process on the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the information holding unit stores shape information of a forming layer formed on the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the specification information held in the information holding section includes shape information about a shape of the sheet substrate. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sheet substrate is formed by connecting a plurality of unit substrates,
Wherein the information storage unit stores information on a position of a connecting portion between the unit substrates. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the information holding portion is removably provided with respect to the cartridge body. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the information holding section is provided at a plurality of positions of the cartridge body. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the information holding section includes a communication section that performs at least one of transmission and reception of information to be held. 14. The method of claim 13,
The information holding unit holds the identification information,
And the communication unit receives the specification information and the process information in correspondence with the identification information. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the mounting portion has a terminal portion for electrically connecting the processing device and the information holding portion. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the information holding section has a display section that displays at least one of the specification information and the entire length of the sheet substrate. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the information holding section has a storage section that stores the specification information and the process information corresponding to the identification information. A processing section for processing the sheet substrate,
A substrate carrying section for carrying the sheet substrate into the processing section,
And a substrate carry-out section for carrying out the sheet substrate from the substrate processing section,
Wherein the substrate cartridge according to Claim 1 is used as at least one of the substrate carry-in portion and the substrate carry-out portion. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the process information held in the information holding section of the substrate cartridge is used in the processing in the processing section. The method according to claim 18 or 19,
And a device-side external connection portion electrically connected to the substrate cartridge. 19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the processing section has an apparatus-side communication section that performs at least one of transmission and reception of the specification information or the process information with the substrate cartridge. 19. The method of claim 18,
Further comprising a control unit for sending the process information to the information holding unit of the substrate cartridge. 23. The method of claim 22,
Wherein the processing section has a cutting section for cutting the sheet substrate,
Wherein the control unit sends information on the position of the sheet substrate cut by the cutting unit to the storage unit. The method of claim 22 or claim 23,
The processing section has a detection section for detecting an abnormal part on the sheet substrate,
Wherein the control unit sends information on the position of the sheet substrate detected by the detection unit to the information holding unit. 19. The method of claim 18,
Further comprising an information giving unit for giving the information to the sheet substrate,
Wherein the information providing unit applies the information to the sheet substrate in accordance with the information held in the information holding unit. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a sheet substrate,
A substrate cartridge according to claim 14 connected to said substrate processing apparatus;
And a main controller that receives the specification information or the process information from the information holding unit of the substrate cartridge and controls the substrate processing apparatus based on the process information. 27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein the main control device includes a main storage unit that stores the process information in association with the identification information held by the information holding unit. 1. A substrate processing method for supplying a flexible strip-like sheet substrate to a processing apparatus to process the same, and recovering the processed sheet substrate,
A cartridge body which is accommodated in the cartridge body by winding the sheet substrate over a predetermined length, an opening provided in the cartridge body for receiving the sheet substrate, a mount portion detachably connected to the external connection portion of the processing apparatus, A drive mechanism for carrying out at least one of pulling in and out of the sheet substrate and information holding portions capable of holding information of the sheet substrate received in the cartridge body or process information for processing the sheet substrate, Preparing,
Connecting the substrate cartridge containing the sheet substrate to an external connection portion of the processing apparatus as a supply substrate cartridge, supplying the sheet substrate to the processing apparatus,
Performing processing of the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus based on the specification information or the process information held in the information holding section of the supply substrate cartridge,
The other of the substrate cartridges is connected to an external connection portion of the processing apparatus as a recovery substrate cartridge, and the sheet substrate processed in the processing apparatus is recovered,
And transferring the progress information of the processing performed by the processing apparatus to the sheet substrate to the information storage unit of the collection board cartridge. 29. The method of claim 28,
Wherein the specification information held in the information retaining unit includes at least one of a material, a flexibility, a heat resistance, an abrasion, an elasticity, an expansion coefficient, a friction coefficient, an endurance property, Wherein the substrate is at least one of lyophilic property with respect to liquid, dry property of the predetermined liquid on the sheet substrate, and each specification value of the shape of the sheet substrate. 29. The method of claim 29,
Wherein the process information held in the information holding unit defines a combination of a plurality of unit processes set corresponding to the specification information. 29. The method of claim 28,
The substrate cartridge includes a detection unit for measuring a conveying distance of the sheet substrate by the driving mechanism,
Wherein the information holding section holds the entire length of the sheet substrate calculated based on the measurement by the detection section. 29. The method of claim 28,
Wherein the processing apparatus has a detecting section for detecting a position of an abnormal part formed on the sheet substrate,
Wherein the information holding unit holds the position of the abnormal part detected by the detecting unit. 29. The method of claim 28,
Wherein the information holding unit holds the progress information of a predetermined process performed on the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus or the type information of the layer formed on the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus. 29. The method of claim 28,
Wherein the information processing unit holds position information of a defective portion formed on the sheet substrate as a distance from an end of the sheet substrate or a distance from a mark formed on the sheet substrate in advance. A method of manufacturing an electric circuit for forming an electric circuit on a band-shaped sheet substrate having flexibility,
A receiving portion capable of receiving the sheet substrate in a state that the sheet substrate is wound around the shaft member and a receiving portion capable of being detachably attached to an external connecting portion of the processing device for forming the electric circuit on the sheet substrate A cartridge main body provided in the mount portion and having an opening for allowing the sheet substrate to be taken out of the accommodating portion or the processing device or the accommodating portion from the accommodating portion from the accommodating portion; Preparing a plurality of substrate cartridges each of which is constituted by information on the specification of the sheet substrate or a memory holding section capable of storing process information relating to the processing of the processing apparatus,
Wherein one of the plurality of substrate cartridges includes a supply substrate cartridge accommodating an unprocessed sheet substrate over a predetermined length dimension and storing the specification information in the information holding unit, One of the plurality of substrate cartridges is connected to the recovery-side connecting portion of the processing apparatus via the mounting portion as a recovery substrate cartridge,
Processing for forming the electric circuit on the sheet substrate supplied from the supply substrate cartridge based on processing conditions set in the processing apparatus in accordance with the specification information stored in the information storage unit of the supply substrate cartridge The sheet substrate after the processing is accommodated in the recovery substrate cartridge,
Transferring the process progress information carried out on the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus to the information storage unit of the recovery substrate cartridge in addition to the specification information stored in the information storage unit of the supply substrate cartridge Wherein the method further comprises the steps of: 36. The method of claim 35,
Wherein the electric circuit comprises a thin film transistor and a wiring connected to an electrode of the transistor. 37. The method of claim 36,
Wherein the processing apparatus controls conditions of processing the sheet substrate based on the specification information held in the information holding section of the supply substrate cartridge. 37. The method of claim 37,
As a process performed on the sheet substrate,
A coating treatment, a deposition treatment, a sputtering treatment, a light irradiation treatment, an electron beam irradiation treatment, an exposure treatment, a development treatment, an immersion treatment, a drying treatment, a physical treatment treatment, a chemical treatment Wherein, when each of the processing, the joining treatment with another substrate, the detection processing, the alignment processing, the modification processing, the modification processing, and the partition wall forming processing is a unit processing, A method of manufacturing an electric circuit for switching a condition of a unit process. 42. The method of claim 38,
Wherein the specification information stored in the information storage unit of the substrate cartridge includes at least one of material, flexibility, heat resistance, abrasion, stretchability, expansion coefficient, friction coefficient, A lyophilic property with a predetermined liquid to be adhered on the sheet substrate, and a dry property value of the predetermined liquid on the sheet substrate. 42. The method of claim 39,
The substrate cartridge includes:
A substrate driving mechanism that feeds the sheet substrate or feeds the sheet substrate based on the specification information;
A roller provided between the opening and the shaft member and rotating in accordance with the conveyance of the sheet substrate,
And a detection unit for detecting the number of revolutions or the rotation angle of the roller and measuring the conveying distance of the sheet substrate. A method of manufacturing an electric circuit for forming an electric circuit on a band-shaped sheet substrate having flexibility,
A receiving portion capable of receiving the sheet substrate in a state that the sheet substrate is wound around the shaft member and a receiving portion capable of being detachably attached to an external connecting portion of the processing device for forming the electric circuit on the sheet substrate A cartridge main body provided in the mount portion and having an opening for allowing the sheet substrate to be taken out of the accommodating portion or the processing device or the accommodating portion from the accommodating portion from the accommodating portion; Preparing a plurality of substrate cartridges each composed of an information holding section capable of storing process information including positional information of a predetermined portion of the sheet substrate,
Wherein one of the plurality of substrate cartridges includes a supply substrate cartridge accommodating an untreated sheet substrate over a predetermined length dimension and storing the processing information in the information holding unit, Side connecting portion and connecting the substrate cartridge not containing the sheet substrate to the recovery-side connecting portion of the processing apparatus via the mounting portion as a rotating substrate cartridge,
And a controller for controlling the supply of the electric circuit to the sheet substrate supplied from the supply substrate cartridge based on processing conditions set in the processing apparatus based on the processing information stored in the information storage unit of the supply substrate cartridge A process for storing the sheet substrate after the treatment in the recovery substrate cartridge,
The processing information stored in the information holding section of the supplying substrate cartridge and the processing progress information performed on the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus are stored in the information holding section of the recovery substrate cartridge Gt; to < / RTI > 42. The method of claim 41,
Wherein the sheet substrate received in the supply substrate cartridge is formed by connecting a plurality of sheet substrates in a strip-like direction, and position information of the predetermined portion held as the process information is formed by connecting the plurality of sheet substrates And the position of the portion. 42. The method of claim 41,
Wherein the positional information of the predetermined portion held as the processing information indicates a defective portion on the sheet substrate. 46. The method of claim 43,
Wherein the processing information includes a defect history of the defective portion on the sheet substrate. 43. The method of any one of claims 41-43,
Wherein the position information includes a distance between an end portion of the sheet substrate and the predetermined portion or a distance between a mark formed on the sheet substrate and the predetermined portion. 42. The method of claim 41 or claim 42,
Wherein the processing information includes at least one of defect information on the sheet substrate, progress information on a process performed on the sheet substrate, shape information on a forming layer formed on the sheet substrate, and shape information on the shape of the sheet substrate Further comprising the steps of: The method of claim 40 or claim 42,
The processing apparatus includes a detection section for detecting an abnormal part formed on the sheet substrate,
And information about a position on the sheet substrate of the abnormal portion detected by the detection portion is sent to the information holding portion of the recovery substrate cartridge as positional information of the predetermined portion. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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