Summary of the invention
For this reason, the purpose of this invention is to provide a kind of applying device that can produce high-quality organic EL display.
The present invention addresses the above problem to have adopted following structure.
Promptly, first aspect, it is the applying device that on substrate, applies the treatment fluid of organic EL Material or hole transporting material, have: the objective table of mounting substrate, be installed in the objective table and heat the heating arrangements of this objective table, the mode that is heated to the temperature of the conveyance after being suitable for applying with the substrate that will be loaded in objective table is controlled the controlling organization of heating arrangements, to being loaded in the applying mechanism that the objective table upper substrate sprays treatment fluid.
In addition, the applying device of second aspect also has with objective table and is connected, and the objective table mobile device that objective table is moved.Objective table comprises: first plate with loading surface of mounting substrate; Heat sink; Second plate that is connected with objective table travel mechanism; Connect the face of opposition side of the loading surface in first plate and the first adiabatic material of heat sink; Connect the heat sink and second plate, and to have a plurality of second adiabatic material that mode at interval disposes respectively.The heating arrangements and the first adiabatic material sky are opened predetermined distance ground configuration, and heat first plate from the face of the opposition side of loading surface.
In addition, in the third aspect, controlling organization control heating arrangements is so that the scope that the temperature of substrate is spent at 30 degree~100.
Also have, in fourth aspect, controlling organization control heating arrangements is so that the temperature of substrate is about 80 degree.
Aspect the 5th, it is the base plate processing system of the applying device that has on substrate the treatment fluid of coating organic EL Material or hole transporting material, carrying device, drying device, applying device has: the objective table of mounting substrate is installed in the objective table and heats the heating arrangements of this objective table; Control the controlling organization of heating arrangements will be loaded in mode that substrate on the objective table is heated to the temperature of the conveyance after being suitable for applying; The substrate that is loaded in objective table is sprayed the applying mechanism of treatment fluid.Carrying device will apply the substrate transferring of treatment fluid to drying device by applying device.Drying device makes the processing by the drying substrates of carrying device conveyance.
According to first aspect, can promote to be coated in drying, the evaporation of the solvent of the treatment fluid on the substrate, and can make treatment fluid be cured to immobilising degree.Therefore, even conveyance is heated to the substrate that is suitable for handling in coating the temperature of back conveyance, the thickness of coating liquid can not change yet, and therefore can make high-quality organic EL display.
According to second aspect, the heat of heating arrangements is not transmitted to second plate, so can not give and harmful effect objective table travel mechanism by the heat of heating arrangements.Therefore, the precision that can prevent objective table travel mechanism reduces and operates bad.
According to the third aspect, can make treatment fluid be suitable for the conveyance of substrate and be cured.In addition, have at applying device under the situation of objective table travel mechanism, can solidify treatment fluid, and can not give and harmful effect objective table travel mechanism.
According to fourth aspect,,, can make coating liquid be cured to immobilising degree in short time (about 5 seconds) even use the situation of the high boiling solvent of so-called tetrahydronaphthalene or mesitylene.Therefore, the coating processing can the conveyance substrate in the short time after finishing.Therefore, according to second aspect, can improve the production efficiency of applying device.
In addition, according to the 5th aspect, can make the treatment fluid that is coated on the substrate be cured to immobilising degree.Therefore, even conveyance is heated to the substrate that is suitable for handling in coating the temperature of back conveyance, the thickness of coating liquid can not change yet, thereby can make high-quality organic EL display.
These and other purpose of the present invention, feature, situation, effect are with reference to accompanying drawing, from following detailed description further as can be known.
The specific embodiment
Figure 1A and Figure 1B are the figure of summary of the applying device of expression an embodiment of the invention.Figure 1A is the figure that sees applying device 10 from upside, and Figure 1B is the figure that sees applying device 10 from the side to the Y-axis positive direction.Shown in Figure 1A and Figure 1B, applying device 10 has: ways 1, nozzle unit 2, liquid acceptance division 3, objective table 4 and portion of objective table travel mechanism 5.In addition, as described later shown in Figure 3, applying device 10 has control part 6.Nozzle unit 2 has: spray the nozzle 21 of red organic EL Material, spray the nozzle 22 of green organic EL Material, spray the nozzle 23 of blue organic EL Material.This applying device 10 is coated on the substrate 7 by the treatment fluid with organic EL Material and makes organic EL display.
Shown in Figure 1A and Figure 1B, the substrate 7 that will become the object of coating processing is loaded on the objective table 4.Substrate 7 is in X-direction and the Y direction size bigger slightly than objective table 4.The inside of portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 has motor, and objective table 4 is moved.In present embodiment, portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 can make objective table 4 move along Y direction is parallel, can make it to rotate in the θ direction simultaneously.The action of portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 is controlled by control part 6.
Fig. 2 decomposes the internal structure of the objective table shown in Figure 1A 4 and the figure of demonstration.As shown in Figure 2, objective table 4 has: heater 41, soaking plate 42, the first adiabatic material 43, heat sink 44, second adiabatic material 45 and the pedestal 46.In the inside of objective table 4, be provided with heater 41.Heater 41 uses as the heating arrangements that heating is loaded in the substrate 7 on the objective table 4.In the present embodiment, by with these heater 41 heated substrates 7, substrate 7 is heated to the temperature of the conveyance after being suitable for applying, just makes the coating liquid that is coated on the substrate 7 be cured to immobilising degree.That is, in the present embodiment, apply the drying of the solvent of liquid, the processing of evaporation by using heater 41 in applying device, to promote.
In addition, when objective table 4 is provided with heater 41, need to consider influence to the heat of the heater 41 that is used to make the portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 that objective table 4 moves.That is, in portion of objective table travel mechanism 5, comprise the mechanism of align substrates 7 or make substrate 7 to mechanism that Y direction moves.If the heat of heater 41 is transmitted to these mechanisms, then may produce harmful effect to the action and the precision of portion of objective table travel mechanism 5.Therefore, in present embodiment, objective table 4 is set to as shown in Figure 2 structure.Soaking plate 42 for example is made of aluminium, and has the loading surface 42a that is used for mounting substrate 7.The loading surface 42a of soaking plate 42 has the structure of vacuum suction substrate 7, and on loading surface 42a mounting substrate 7.Heater 41 is provided with in the mode that the opposition side (is downside at Fig. 2) at loading surface 42a contacts with soaking plate 42.Heater 41 preferably becomes roughly with the surface of soaking plate that the mode of even temperature heats, and for example heats in the mode of the scopes of ± 2 degree with equal temperature.In addition, though do not illustrate,, the temperature sensor that is used to detect its temperature is installed in soaking plate 42.The first adiabatic material 43 is same with heater 41, is provided with the mode that soaking plate 42 contacts with the opposition side at loading surface 42a.The first adiabatic material 43 is shapes of annular, is provided with in the mode of opening the interval of regulation with heater 41 skies and surrounding heater 41.In addition, the first adiabatic material 43 for example is made of polyimides.The downside of the first adiabatic material 43 is connected with heat sink 44.Heat sink 44 for example is made of aluminium.The downside of heat sink 44 is connected with a plurality of (is 6 at Fig. 2) second adiabatic material 45.The second adiabatic material is also identical with the first adiabatic material, for example is made of polyimides.The downside of each second adiabatic material 45 is connected with pedestal 46.In addition, have portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 at the downside of pedestal 46, portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 directly is connected with pedestal 46.
As shown in Figure 2, a plurality of second adiabatic material 45 intermittently disposes to have mode at interval respectively.Therefore, by in the applying device flow downward or objective table 4 move the space generation air-flow between pedestal 46 and the heat sink 44.By this air-flow from heat sink 44 heat that sheds continuously.Thus, become the mechanism of the heat non-conducting of heater 41 to pedestal 46.That is, according in structure shown in Figure 2, can prevent that the temperature of the pedestal 46 that the heating of heater 41 causes from rising.In addition, have more effect prevent that temperature from rising the time, also can the air-supply arrangement of air-supply energetically be set at heat sink 44.In addition, because heat radiation becomes evenly in heat sink 44, so the equal temperature of soaking plate 42 is not had influence.
Return the explanation of Figure 1A and Figure 1B, configuration ways 1 above objective table 4.Ways 1 has the track 11 that extends to X-direction, with along track 11 movably mode nozzle unit 2 is connected with ways 1.Each nozzle 21~23 of nozzle unit 2 is configured in the downside of nozzle unit 2 for mode vertically downward with the direction of inject process liquid.Also have, each nozzle 21~23 is configured in the position of skew slightly in Y direction.Here, ways 1 is configured longer than substrate 7 in X-direction, can move in the scope of the width of being wider than substrate 7 at X-direction nozzle unit 2.Therefore move to the other end by nozzle unit 2 from an end of track 11, thereby can apply organic EL Material to the other end from an end of substrate 7 along X-direction.But, if nozzle unit 2 from an end of track 11 during the other end moves, spray organic EL Materials from each nozzle 21~23, then become not only at substrate 7 coating organic EL Materials, also spray organic EL Material in the outside of substrate 7.Therefore, the organic EL Material that sprays with the outside that is received in substrate 7 is that purpose is provided with liquid acceptance division 3.In addition, the organic EL Material of liquid acceptance division 3 receptions is to discharge from the outlet (not shown) of liquid acceptance division 3.
Fig. 3 is the each several part of expression applying device 10 and the figure of the annexation between the control part.As shown in Figure 3, control part 6 is connected with nozzle unit 2, heater 41 and portion of objective table travel mechanism 5.The action of control part 6 control nozzle units 2.Specifically, control part 6 in the moving of the X-direction of control nozzle unit 2, is controlled the injection of the organic EL Material of each nozzle 21~23.In addition, in each nozzle of nozzle unit 2, have: organic EL Material is delivered to the pump of nozzle, and the flowmeter of measuring the flow of the organic EL Material of sending at nozzle.In addition, control part 6 is based on the measurement result of flowmeter, and the FEEDBACK CONTROL pump thus, is controlled the amount of the organic EL Material that is gone out by nozzle ejection.In addition, the temperature of the heater 41 in the control part 6 control objective tables 4.And then control part 6 is controlled objective table 4 moving at Y-axis and θ axle by portion of control objective table travel mechanism 5.
Below, the action of applying device 10 is described.In addition, below, the situation of the organic EL Material of the luminescent layer of the coating striated parallel with X-axis on substrate 7 is described.Fig. 4 is the figure of structure of the manufacturing system of expression organic EL display.This manufacturing system comprises this applying device 10, also has protractor 20, drying unit 30, the first conveyance path 40, the second conveyance path 50, first carrying manipulator 60 and second carrying manipulator 70.The substrate that protractor 20 is accommodated the substrate of moving into from the outside and should be moved outside end process to.In addition, on the substrate of moving into protractor 20, anode and hole transporting layer have been formed.Be housed in the substrate of protractor 20, take out of first carrying manipulator 60 after, be handed off to second carrying manipulator 70.Received second carrying manipulator 70 of substrate, this substrate has been moved into applying device 10.The substrate of moving into applying device 10 is loaded on the preposition of objective table 4.
On the other hand, the control part 6 of applying device 10 adds hot heater 41 before moving into substrate 7.In addition, control part 6 also can heat control heater 41 after moving into substrate 7, if but consider output, the then best control heater of heating in advance 41 as present embodiment.In addition, though do not illustrate,, be provided with the temperature sensor of the temperature of measuring the soaking plate 42 of having loaded substrate 7 at objective table 4.Thus, control part 6 can be monitored the temperature of soaking plate 42.Also have, can predict the relation of the temperature of the temperature of soaking plate 42 and substrate 7.Control part 6 is according to this relation, becomes the temperature of mode control heater 41 of the target temperature of regulation when being loaded in substrate 7 on the soaking plate 42 with the temperature of substrate 7.This target temperature is the temperature of the conveyance after the coating that is suitable for being loaded in the substrate 7 on the soaking plate 42 is handled.In other words, target temperature is when substrate 7 is loaded in soaking plate 42, makes the organic EL Material that is coated on the substrate 7 be cured to the temperature of immobilising degree.For example, target temperature can be set to more than the boiling point of the solvent that applies liquid.In addition, the concrete value back for target temperature repeats.
Be loaded on the objective table 4 if will move into the substrate 7 of applying device 10, then control part 6 makes objective table 4 and nozzle unit 2 move to primary position.Here, if substrate 7 is loaded into by on the heater 41 warmed-up objective tables 4, then the temperature of substrate reaches above-mentioned target temperature between the several seconds.Therefore, though controller 6 with substrate 7 be loaded on the objective table 4 back carry out the mobile control of objective table 4 and nozzle unit 2 at once also no problem.Specifically, control part 6, when making objective table 4 move to predetermined primary position together with substrate 7, nozzle unit 2 moves to an end of ways 1.Here, the primary position of objective table 4 is the position shown in Figure 1A.If objective table 4 is configured to primary position with nozzle unit 2, then control part 6 begins the coating processing.In coating was handled, the shift action of the X-direction of nozzle unit 2 (first action) carried out repeatedly with the shift action (second action) of the Y direction of objective table 4.Specifically, as first action, nozzle unit 2 moves to the other end from an end of ways 1 when spraying organic EL Materials from each nozzle 21~23 of nozzle unit 2.Thus, three coatings that are listed as to substrate 7 finish.Below, as second action, objective table 4 is only sent the spacing of the length that has applied 3 row along the Y-axis positive direction.Afterwards, by carrying out first action and second action repeatedly, the per 3 row ground of the coating of substrate are carried out.Thus, at substrate 7 striateds coating organic EL Material.
Here, to substrate 7 apply during, the temperature of substrate 7 keeps above-mentioned target temperature.In addition, this target temperature also depends on solvent types and the air pressure that applies liquid, but is set in the scope of 30 degree~100 degree.This is because in the material that uses as solvent in as organic EL Material that applies liquid or hole transporting material, and the material that solidifies at 30 degree is also arranged.In addition, can enumerate water, but the boiling point of water is 100 degree as the material that boiling point among solvent is high.In addition,,, also portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 is transmitted the heat of heaters 41, can produce harmful effect the action of portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 even then carry out heat insulationly according to the structure of above-mentioned objective table 4 if make the temperature of substrate 7 be higher than 100 degree.On the other hand, through test as can be known,, be 80 degree also by the temperature that makes substrate 7 even use the situation of the high boiling solvent of so-called tetrahydronaphthalene or mesitylene, with about 5 seconds, just coating liquid can be cured to immobilising degree.In addition, the temperature of the motor of portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 at this moment is below 40 degree, can work normally as can be known.As known from the above, if the afore mentioned rules temperature is set at 80 degree, even then the solvent of coating liquid is a high boiling solvent, the short time (about 5 seconds) substrate 7 is heated to be suitable for after the temperature of conveyance of operation, and to portion of objective table travel mechanism 5 also can to and harmful effect.
Finish when the coating of substrate 7 is handled one, control part 6 just stops above-mentioned first action and second action.That is, stop, and the X-direction that stops nozzle unit 2 moves and the moving of the Y direction of objective table 4 from the injection of the organic EL Material of each nozzle 21~23 of nozzle unit 2.After stopping first action and second action, the 6 standby stipulated times of control part.This official hour is the time that the organic EL Material of coating at last is cured to immobilising degree.For example, the solvent of organic EL Material is tetrahydronaphthalene or mesitylene, and the temperature of substrate 7 is made as 80 when spending, and this stipulated time is about 5 seconds.Stop after the process stipulated time from first action and second action, control part 6 stops the heating of heater 41.More than, the processing of the applying device 10 of 1 substrate is finished.In addition, when continuous treatment substrate, also can not stop heater 41.
The be through with substrate of the processing in the applying device 10 is taken out of by second carrying manipulator, and is moved into drying unit 30.And the thickness of the organic EL Material by this conveyance operation substrate 7 can be even.Moved into the drying unit 30 of substrate, this substrate has been carried out drying handle (oven dry is handled).The substrate that the oven dry that is through with is handled is taken out of from drying unit 30 by the 2nd carrying manipulator 70, and after being handed off to first carrying manipulator 60 from second manipulator 70, accommodates protractor 20 by first carrying manipulator 60.For the substrate of above such formation luminescent layer, by on luminescent layer, forming cathode electrode, and make organic EL display by for example vacuum vapour deposition.
Like this, in the present embodiment, when the coating organic EL Material, use 41 pairs of substrates of heater to heat, thus organic EL Material is cured to immobilising degree.That is to say,, dry before the processing, preheat having applied the substrate of organic EL Material.In addition, preheat in the temperature that will be coated with the viscosity that can not flow when application is dried to conveyance and carry out.Like this, by in applying device 10, being heated to the temperature of the conveyance after being suitable for applying, can prevent to be coated to thickness change when the conveyance substrate of the organic EL Material on the substrate.
In addition, in present embodiment, applying device 10 describes the organic EL Material that coating is used to form the luminescent layer of organic EL display as an example, but applying device also can apply the hole transporting material that is used to form hole transporting layer.Even the situation of coating hole transporting material also can be used the applying device identical with above-mentioned embodiment, and can obtain the effect identical with above-mentioned embodiment.
The present invention in the manufacturing installation of making organic EL display, will form luminescent layer or hole transporting layer etc. and can utilize for purpose on substrate.
More than, describe the present invention in detail, but example of the present invention is only represented in above-mentioned explanation, and be not to be used for limiting its scope.In not departing from the scope of the present invention, can carry out various improvement or distortion.