JP2002195755A - Heat treatment system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To fully dry a paste film by preventing a formation of a dried film on a surface of the paste film, in a state in which an organic solvent is retained in the film, when the film formed on a glass board is dried in the manufacturing process of a plasma display panel. SOLUTION: A heat treatment system comprises a heat treating zone for heat treating a material to be treated. The system further comprises a gas supply unit for supplying a gas into the zone, an exhaust unit for exhausting the gas from the zone and adjacent to the supply unit, in at least two combinations disposed in a supply and exhaust mechanism provided at the side of a surface opposite to the conveying surface of the material to be treated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for heat treating a raw material, an intermediate product, or a final product.
In particular, plasma display panels (hereinafter "PDPs")
Drying furnace used in the production of the drying furnace.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various heat treatments, for example, heating and cooling treatments, are used in the production process of various products such as plasma display panels, solar cell panels, resistance chips, and various devices and electronic components as final products. ing. Many effects achieved by heat treatment are known, and specifically, drying, dehydration, baking, reaction promotion, surface modification, sealing, evacuation, annealing, and the like are known. Of these, drying means that a material containing a vaporizable component (also simply referred to as a vaporized component) is heated to vaporize and remove a vaporizable component (eg, an organic solvent or water) from the material. In addition, it refers to a process for changing the physical and / or chemical properties of components other than the vaporizable component as necessary.

[0003] Drying is carried out in the manufacturing process of various products. As a commonly performed drying treatment, for example, after a solid (dispersed or dissolved) in a solvent such as an organic solvent or water is applied to the surface of a plate-shaped base material (for example, a paste or a solution), a gas is applied. There is a process of removing a solvent which is a component that can be converted to leave only solid content on the surface. One example where such a drying process particularly affects product quality is in the manufacture of plasma display panels. In the production of a plasma display panel, a drying process removes an organic solvent from a paste film such as a cathode formation paste film, a barrier formation paste film, and a phosphor paste film formed by printing or coating on a glass substrate. Will be implemented for

[0004] In the drying treatment carried out in the production of PDP, it is required to substantially completely remove the organic solvent from the paste. If the organic solvent remains after the drying treatment, when the organic solvent evaporates in a later step, the evaporated organic solvent takes in the dust floating in the device and condenses to form a tar-like substance, which is used as a tar-like material. May adhere to the inside. Tar-like substances are also formed by heat-induced deterioration (eg, polymerization) of the organic solvent condensed in the apparatus. When the tar-like substance is heated and dried, the tar-like substance may peel off or fall off due to vibration or the like and adhere to the PDP, which adversely affects the quality of the PDP. Further, in the drying process performed in the production of PDP, 1) the surface of the glass substrate of the plasma display panel (particularly, the surface on which the paste is not applied) is not damaged, and 2) the surface on which the paste is applied is dusty. It is also required that they are not contaminated by the air.

[0005] In order to satisfy the above requirements, as a drying furnace for manufacturing a plasma display panel, an object to be processed, that is, a glass substrate for a PDP having a paste film formed on its surface (PDP having a paste film formed in this manner) A glass substrate is also referred to as a PDP substrate) by a walking beam from the lower surface of the substrate and transported, and the object to be processed is heated by a heating device provided above the object to be processed (that is, on the side of the paste forming surface). Heating drying ovens are commonly used.
Further, a mechanism for supplying and discharging gas (specifically, air) is provided in the drying furnace, and the evaporated organic solvent is discharged accompanying the gas.

JP-A-5-203364 and JP-A-5-203365 propose a heat treatment apparatus in which heat treatment chambers (or heat treatment zones) are stacked in multiple stages. These heat treatment apparatuses have an advantage that many heat treatment objects can be heat-treated at once.

[0007] Regardless of which heat treatment apparatus is used as a drying furnace, the heat treatment apparatus is provided with a mechanism for supplying and discharging gas (specifically, air) (this mechanism is also referred to as a "supply / exhaust mechanism"). . The supply / exhaust mechanism discharges a vaporized component (eg, an organic solvent) evaporated from a target to be dried (eg, a paste film of a PDP substrate) and released into the heat treatment apparatus to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus, and an amount of the discharged gas. Is supplied to the heat treatment apparatus in an amount corresponding to. In general, the gas is supplied from above the heat treatment zone and discharged below the heat treatment zone, where a gas flow through the heat treatment zone occurs in the heat treatment zone. Thus, in general, the gas supplied into the heat treatment zone is blown directly onto the surface of the object to be dried.

[0008]

In the drying process,
It is necessary to substantially completely remove vaporized components such as an organic solvent from an object to be dried (for example, a paste film of a PDP substrate). However, this requirement is not always sufficiently satisfied, and there is always a problem that the vaporized components remain even after the drying treatment, which adversely affects the quality of the final product. This problem can also occur when the paste film of the PDP substrate is dried using the drying furnace described above.

[0009]

The inventors of the present invention have investigated the cause of the above problem, and found that when a dried film is formed on the surface of an object to be dried (for example, a paste) before the entire object (eg, paste) is dried, It has been found that the film serves as a barrier that prevents the evaporation of the vaporized components, so that the vaporized components remain inside the target, resulting in insufficient drying. Furthermore, when drying a film containing a vaporized component (for example, a paste film) formed on the surface of a plate-shaped substrate (also simply referred to as a substrate), the thicker the film, the more easily the film is formed, and the more the vaporized component is removed. It was also found that they tended to remain inside the film. Therefore, when drying a thick film such as a paste film (for example, several tens of μm (silver electrode) to one hundred and several tens of μm (dielectric and rib)) formed on the surface of a glass substrate for PDP, this film is used. There is a particular need to prevent the formation of

[0010] The present inventors have adopted a supply and exhaust mechanism which makes the gas flow formed by the supply and discharge of gas different from the conventional one, so that during the drying of the film,
The present invention has found that a film can be effectively prevented from being formed on the surface of the film, and that the vaporization of the vaporized component can be promoted by efficiently reducing the vapor pressure of the vaporized component in an atmosphere near the surface of the film. Was completed.

That is, the present invention is a heat treatment apparatus having a heat treatment zone for heat treating an object to be treated, wherein the heat treatment zone includes a supply / exhaust mechanism having at least two adjacent combinations of an intake unit and an exhaust unit, Provided is a heat treatment apparatus in which a supply / exhaust mechanism is provided on a side of the heat treatment zone opposite to a surface on which a workpiece is transported.

In the "heat treatment" performed by the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, at least one characteristic (for example, organic solvent content, water holding ratio, Weight, electrical resistance, transmittance, formed film thickness or its uniformity, internal stress or strain, strength, composition, etc.). In the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, as a heat treatment, a component that can be vaporized such as an organic solvent or water from a part of the object (for example, a film formed on one surface of the substrate) by heating the object. This is a device particularly suitable for performing a drying treatment for removing odor.

In the present specification, the "object to be treated" means an object to be subjected to heat treatment at least in part. An object to be heat-treated by the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is generally
A substrate having a film (for example, a film-like paste) containing a vaporizable component (for example, an organic solvent or water) formed on one surface, and the film is to be subjected to a drying treatment. Such an object to be processed is specifically a PDP substrate.

The "supply unit" constituting the supply / exhaust mechanism is a gas supply unit having one or a plurality of supply ports.
Is a gas exhaust unit having one or more exhaust ports. The exhaust unit is a place where the gas in the heat treatment zone is sucked and discharged outside the heat treatment apparatus, and is also called a gas suction unit.

A "supply / exhaust mechanism having at least two combinations of adjacent air supply / exhaust sections" means that when the air supply / exhaust mechanism is provided on the side opposite to the conveying surface of the workpiece, This means that the air supply unit and the air exhaust unit are arranged such that there are at least two combinations where one air supply unit and one air exhaust unit are adjacent to each other when viewed from the processing object. An air supply unit and / or an exhaust unit that constitutes one combination of an adjacent air supply unit and an exhaust unit may constitute a combination of another adjacent air supply unit and an exhaust unit. For example, when the air supply unit and the exhaust unit are arranged in the order of “air supply unit A-exhaust unit B-air supply unit C”, the exhaust unit B is connected to the air supply unit A and one adjacent air supply unit. In addition to forming the combination of the exhaust unit, the air supply unit C also forms one combination of the adjacent air supply unit and the exhaust unit. When the air supply unit and the exhaust unit are arranged in the order of “air supply unit A-exhaust unit B-exhaust unit C-air supply unit D”, the combination of the adjacent air supply unit and exhaust unit is “air supply unit A”. -Exhaust section B "and" exhaust section C-supply section D ".

The arrangement (arrangement) of the air supply unit and the exhaust unit is not limited to a specific one as long as there are at least two combinations of the adjacent air supply unit and the exhaust unit. For example, the air supply unit and the air exhaust unit may be arranged such that the order of “air supply unit-air supply unit-exhaust unit” is repeated in one direction. Alternatively, the air supply unit and the exhaust unit may be arranged at random.

Preferably, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention includes a supply / exhaust mechanism in which an intake unit and an exhaust unit are alternately arranged.
“The air supply unit and the air exhaust unit are alternately arranged” means that, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, when the air supply / exhaust mechanism is provided on the side opposite to the conveying surface of the workpiece, This means that the air supply unit and the exhaust unit are arranged alternately when viewed from the object to be processed.

The supply / exhaust mechanism is provided on the side opposite to the transporting surface of the workpiece. Therefore, the air supply / exhaust mechanism is provided in the heat treatment zone such that the air supply port and the air exhaust port face the surface opposite to the transfer surface of the workpiece carried into the heat treatment zone.

In the present specification, the "transfer surface" of the object to be processed
The term “surface” refers to a surface that comes into contact with a transport device (for example, a roller) when the workpiece is transported. Therefore, when a substrate on which a film containing a vaporized component (also simply referred to as a “film”) is formed on one surface is an object to be processed and this film is subjected to a heat treatment (for example, a drying process), Is the surface of the substrate on which no film is formed. The transfer surface is also referred to as the “back surface” of the workpiece. Therefore, the surface opposite to the transport surface of the workpiece is referred to as the “front surface” of the workpiece. When the object to be processed is a substrate having a film formed on one surface and the film is subjected to a heat treatment (for example, subjected to a drying treatment), the “surface” of the object to be processed is a side of the film which is not in contact with the substrate. Surface. This side of the membrane is also referred to as the “front side” of the membrane, and the side of the membrane that is in contact with the substrate is also referred to as the “back side” of the membrane.

In the present specification, “transporting” an object to be processed refers to moving the object to be processed in a predetermined direction (generally, a linear direction) in a heat treatment zone, and moving the object to be processed in a heat treatment zone. This includes loading and unloading the workpiece from the heat treatment zone. Therefore, the “transport direction” that is the direction in which the object is moved includes the direction in which the object is moved in the heat treatment zone, the direction in which the object is loaded, and the direction in which the object is unloaded.

[0021] The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the supply / exhaust mechanism provided in the heat treatment zone has at least two combinations of adjacent supply parts and exhaust parts. In this combination of the air supply and exhaust mechanism, the gas that enters the heat treatment zone from the air supply unit is supplied with the vaporized component evaporated from the object to be processed at the relatively early stage after the air supply to the adjacent exhaust unit. Because of the suction, spraying of the supplied gas to the surface of the processing object is prevented or reduced. Therefore, the larger the number of combinations of the adjacent air supply and exhaust portions in the air supply and exhaust mechanism, the more effectively the gas supplied from the air supply portion is prevented from being blown to the surface of the workpiece, or reduced. . Therefore, in the air supply / exhaust mechanism, it is preferable that the air supply unit and the air exhaust unit are alternately arranged.

In the combination of the adjacent air supply unit and exhaust unit, the distance between the air supply unit and the exhaust unit is preferably 30 to 150 mm. The distance between the adjacent air supply section and the exhaust section is the shortest of the line segments connecting the center of the air supply port formed in the air supply section and the center of the exhaust port formed in the exhaust section. Equivalent to length. When the air supply port is a fine hole made of a porous material as described later, it is considered that the center of the air supply port is at the end of the air supply section, and connects the center of the air exhaust port to the end of the air supply section. The length of the shortest line segment is defined as the distance between the adjacent air supply unit and exhaust unit. If the distance between the adjacent air supply unit and exhaust unit exceeds 150 mm, the object may not be heat-treated uniformly. Further, when the distance exceeds 150 mm, when drying the workpiece, it is difficult to reduce the vapor pressure of the vaporized component in the atmosphere on the surface of the workpiece,
As a result, uneven drying may occur. The distance of 30 mm is a practicable minimum value, and it is technically difficult to make the distance between the adjacent air supply part and exhaust part less than 30 mm.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is preferably capable of supplying and exhausting gas supplied from an air supply section so that the gas is not strongly blown onto the surface of the workpiece. Such a heat treatment apparatus does not generate a high-velocity gas flow (that is, wind) in any direction near the surface of the workpiece. Specifically, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention
The velocity of the gas near the surface of the object to be treated is preferably 0.3 m / sec or less, more preferably 0.1 m / sec or less.

The gas velocity near the surface of the object is measured by placing an anemometer having a probe (for example, an anemometer QB-5 manufactured by Honda Kogyo Co., Ltd.) on the surface of the object. According to this anemometer, the velocity of the gas is measured by the probe, so the velocity of the gas measured by the anemometer is the velocity of the gas at the position of the probe. Generally, the probe is located slightly away from the surface of the workpiece. For example, in the case of the anemometer QB-5 illustrated above, the probe is located at a height of 5 mm from the surface of the workpiece. Further, in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, the velocity of the gas decreases as it approaches the surface of the workpiece. That is, the velocity of the gas measured at a height of 5 mm from the surface of the object is 0.3 m /
If it is less than a second, the velocity of the gas on the surface of the object to be processed is smaller than that. Therefore, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is considered to be preferable if the velocity of the gas measured at a position 5 mm or less from the surface of the object to be treated is 0.3 m / sec or less. Use the term "."

Further, a heat treatment apparatus in which the gas velocity near the surface of the object to be treated is 0.3 m / sec or less is provided with an air supply / exhaust system regardless of where the anemometer is disposed on the surface of the object to be treated. Gas velocity measured during operation is 0.3m
Per second or less. Therefore, in such a heat treatment apparatus, for example, when a plurality of anemometers are arranged on the surface of the object to be processed, by any anemometer,
The velocity of the gas measured during supply and exhaust is less than 0.3 m / sec. Alternatively, in such a heat treatment apparatus, in a state where the anemometer is arranged at an arbitrary place or a plurality of places of the object to be processed, when the object to be processed is transported in the heat treatment zone while performing supply and exhaust, The gas velocity indicated by the anemometer does not exceed 0.3 m / s.

As a method of weakening the blowing of gas onto the surface of the processing object, that is, the method of reducing the velocity of gas near the surface of the processing object, the number of air supply ports formed in the air supply section is increased. There is a method of dispersing a gas. The number of air supply ports is determined depending on the relationship with the size of the heat treatment zone. For example, when heat-treating a PDP substrate of about 40 to 60 inches, the space between adjacent air supply ports must be 50
If a plurality of air inlets are provided in a row so as to be equal to or less than mm, the number of air inlets in the air supply section should be large enough to reduce the velocity of gas near the surface of the workpiece. Become. The space between the air supply ports is the distance between the centers of the air supply ports. The air supply ports may be formed over a plurality of rows, or may be formed randomly. In that case, the air supply port may be formed such that the distance between at least one of the air supply ports adjacent to each air supply port and the air supply port is 50 mm or less. preferable.

As another method for reducing the velocity of the gas near the surface of the workpiece, there is a method of reducing the opening area of a gas supply port formed in a gas supply section. In general, the smaller the opening area of the air inlet, the greater the velocity of the gas passing through the air inlet, but the greater the degree of the decrease in the velocity of the gas after passing through the air inlet. Therefore, when the opening area of the air supply port is sufficiently small, there is no problem that the velocity of the gas passing through the air supply port is high. Therefore, the opening area of the air supply port is preferably smaller. In particular,
The air supply port preferably has a hole diameter of 3 mm or less.
The non-circular air supply port preferably has an opening area such that when the diameter of a circle having the same area as the opening area is calculated, the diameter becomes 3 mm or less. If the hole diameter exceeds 3 mm, the gas after passing through the air supply port is not sufficiently decelerated, and the gas is strongly blown to the workpiece. Further, when the opening area of the air supply port is large, the flow rate of the gas supplied between the air supply ports varies, and it becomes difficult to uniformly supply the gas to the object to be processed. The hole diameter of the air supply port is more preferably 0.5 to 3 mm.

As described above, to reduce the velocity of the gas near the surface of the object to be processed and to uniformly supply the gas from the air supply section to the entire surface of the object to be processed, one air supply section includes: It is preferable to provide more air supply ports having a smaller opening area (a hole diameter when the air supply port is circular). Also,
The air supply port is preferably provided evenly over the entire air supply section.

As an air supply portion provided with a large number of air supply ports having a small opening area, all or a part thereof is formed of a porous material having a large number of fine pores (pores). May be used as the air supply. It is preferable that such an air supply unit is specifically made of a porous material having a porosity of 1 to 10%.

If an air supply / exhaust mechanism including an air supply section having a large number of air supply ports having a small opening area is used, even if the distance between the air supply port and the object to be processed is reduced, the gas can be applied to the object to be processed. Can not be blown strongly. For example, as described above,
mm or less, the distance between adjacent air supply ports is 50 mm or less, and further by adjusting the flow rate of the supplied gas, in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, the distance between the air supply port and the workpiece is (That is, the distance between the air supply port and the surface of the processing object) can be set to 70 mm or less. If the distance between the air supply port and the workpiece can be reduced, the height of the entire heat treatment apparatus can be reduced when the heat treatment apparatus is configured by stacking a plurality of heat treatment zones as described below. Becomes

In the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, in one heat treatment zone, the flow rate of gas discharged from the exhaust part to the outside of the heat treatment zone (also referred to simply as “exhaust flow rate”) is changed from the air supply part to the heat treatment part. Preferably, the gas is supplied and exhausted so as to be equal to or larger than the flow rate of the gas supplied into the zone (also simply referred to as “air supply flow rate”). This is for preventing the atmosphere in the heat treatment zone from leaking out of the heat treatment zone.

Instead of the exhaust gas flow rate and the air supply flow rate in one heat treatment zone, the exhaust gas flow rate and the air supply flow rate per workpiece may be adopted as the index of the air supply and exhaust. In that case, the supply / exhaust mechanism in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention supplies and exhausts gas such that the exhaust flow rate per one processing target is equal to or larger than the supply flow rate per single processing target. Preferably, it is

The present invention also provides a heat treatment apparatus in which the heat treatment zone including the above-described supply / exhaust mechanism includes a heating device provided on the side of the transfer surface of the workpiece.

By arranging the heating device on the side of the conveying surface of the object to be processed, the object to be processed can be preferentially heated not from the front surface but from the back surface. Thus, for example, PD
When the film formed on the surface of the base material is dried, such as when the paste film of the substrate for P is dried, the film is formed with a portion that is sequentially dried from the back surface, and the drying near the surface of the film is performed. Is prevented from proceeding faster than the other parts. That is, the heating device arranged on the side of the transfer surface of the object to be processed, in combination with the above-described supply / exhaust mechanism, forms a dried film on the surface of the film while the vaporized components remain inside the film. More effectively.

The heat treatment zone in which the heating device is disposed as described above preferably includes a roller as a means for transporting an object to be processed. The workpiece moves in a predetermined direction in the heat treatment zone according to the rotation of the roller. According to the transport system using the rollers, it is not necessary to provide a drive device (for example, a motor, a gear (gear) and a belt) for rotating the rollers on the side of the transport surface of the workpiece, and thus the drive device is not affected by heat. Works without receiving. That is, the transport method using the rollers is a transport method that enables a heating device to be provided on the transport surface side of the workpiece in the heat treatment zone.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention may be a heat treatment apparatus in which a plurality of heat treatment zones are overlapped in parallel with each other in a direction perpendicular to the transfer surface of the workpiece. Such a heat treatment apparatus is also referred to as a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus in this specification.
According to the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, it is possible to heat treat many objects at once. In general, a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus has a small surface area of a furnace body, and heat released from a heating apparatus is used in heat treatment zones in a vertical direction, and heat loss in a vertical direction between heat treatment zones except upper and lower ends is apparent. Therefore, the amount of heat radiation from the furnace body can be reduced.

When the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, it is preferable that the air supply section is close to a heating apparatus in an adjacent heat treatment zone. When the air supply unit is close to the heating device, the gas passing through the air supply unit is heated by the heating device, and the preheated gas is supplied to the vicinity of the surface of the object to be processed, thereby promoting heat treatment. And heat treatment can be performed.

When the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, it is preferable that the exhaust portion is not in contact with a heating device in an adjacent heat treatment zone. This is because, when the exhaust portion is in contact with the heating device, heat is transmitted to the exhaust portion that does not require heating, and heat loss increases.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention may be a heat treatment apparatus that performs heat treatment while conveying the object so that the object passes through the heat treatment zone during the heat treatment. Such a heat treatment apparatus is also referred to as a continuous heat treatment apparatus in this specification.

In another aspect, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention may be a heat treatment apparatus that performs a heat treatment with the object to be processed stopped in the heat treatment zone. Such a heat treatment apparatus is also referred to as a single-wafer heat treatment apparatus in this specification.

The continuous heat treatment apparatus may have only one heat treatment zone extending in the transport direction of the object to be treated, or may be a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus in which a plurality of such heat treatment zones are stacked. May be.

Similarly, a single-wafer heat treatment apparatus is a heat treatment apparatus provided with only one heat treatment zone, and after one or a plurality of objects to be processed are carried into a predetermined position in the heat treatment zone, The heat treatment may be performed in a state where the object is stopped, and thereafter, the object to be processed may be carried out from the heat treatment zone, or a plurality of heat treatment zones may be stacked,
After one or more objects to be processed are loaded into predetermined positions in each heat treatment zone, heat treatment is performed in a state where the objects are stopped, and then, the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus in which the objects are carried out of each heat treatment zone. May be. Since the single-wafer type multi-stage heat treatment apparatus does not require a region through which an object to be processed passes, the dimensions of each heat treatment zone can be reduced to such an extent that at least one object to be processed can be heat-treated. Is generally smaller than that of a continuous heat treatment apparatus.

Any of the heat treatment apparatuses described above is preferably used as a drying apparatus for drying an object to be processed. In particular, in the process of manufacturing a PDP, the surface of a glass substrate (another layer is formed on the surface of the glass substrate). In this case, the paste film formed on the surface of the layer) is preferably used as a drying furnace for PDP production for drying the paste film. The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is also preferably used in the production process of various products, such as solar cells and resistance chips, and various devices and electronic components as final products.

The present invention also relates to a heat treatment method for drying at least a part of an object to be treated in a heat treatment zone of a heat treatment apparatus, wherein vaporized components released from the object to be treated and evaporated are entrained in a gas in the heat treatment zone. Exhausting the heat treatment apparatus, supplying gas into the heat treatment zone, and supplying / exhausting gas in / from the heat treatment zone.
Provided is a heat treatment method implemented such that one supplied gas flow and one discharged gas flow are formed at at least two places on the side opposite to the conveying surface of the workpiece. .

The air supply and exhaust are respectively performed by using an air supply / exhaust mechanism having an air supply unit and an exhaust unit. In the heat treatment method of the present invention, "flow of supplied gas"
The “supply gas flow” and the “discharged gas flow” (also referred to as the “exhaust gas flow”) are the gas flows formed by one supply unit and one exhaust unit, respectively. When a plurality of air supply ports are formed in one air supply section, the flow formed by the gas from all the air supply ports as a whole is 1
It corresponds to two “flows of supplied gas”. Similarly, in the case where a plurality of exhaust ports are formed in one exhaust section, the flow formed as a whole by the gas toward all the exhaust ports is 1
One “emission gas flow”.

“The adjacent one supplied gas flow and one discharged gas flow are formed at at least two places” means that the combination of the adjacent supplied gas flow and the discharged gas flow is at least two. It means that there are two. The feed gas streams and / or exhaust gas streams that make up one adjacent supply gas stream and exhaust gas stream combination may constitute another adjacent supply gas stream and exhaust gas stream combination. The arrangement of the supply gas flow and the exhaust gas flow is not limited to a specific one as long as there are at least two combinations of the adjacent supply gas flow and the exhaust gas flow. For example,
The exhaust gas flow and the supply gas flow may be present such that the sequence "exhaust gas flow-exhaust gas flow-supply gas flow" is repeated in one direction.

In the heat treatment method of the present invention, air supply and exhaust are performed on the side of the conveying surface of the object to be processed, and one flow of the supplied gas and one flow of the discharged gas are adjacent to each other. Are formed at least at two locations on the side opposite to the transporting surface of the workpiece. When the air is supplied and exhausted in this manner, the heat treatment zone passes through the heat treatment zone in a direction perpendicular to the transfer surface of the processing object (that is, from the upper side of the heat processing zone to the lower side over the processing object). Since it is difficult to form a gas flow, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the gas is strongly blown to the surface of the processing object. When the vaporized components in the object to be vaporized by the heat treatment are supplied and exhausted in this manner, the vapor pressure of the vaporized components in the atmosphere near the surface of the object to be treated is effectively reduced, and the vaporization is performed. The vaporization of the components can be promoted. Therefore, the heat treatment method of the present invention is suitable for drying the object to be treated, and according to the heat treatment method of the present invention, when drying the film formed on the base material,
A dried film is hardly formed on the surface of the film, and the film can be sufficiently dried.

The heat treatment method of the present invention is preferably performed by the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention. That is, in the heat treatment zone, using a heat treatment apparatus in which a supply / exhaust mechanism having at least two combinations of an adjacent supply unit and exhaust unit is provided on a surface opposite to a transfer surface of the workpiece. Supply / exhaust is performed such that adjacent one flow of supplied gas and one flow of discharged gas are formed at at least two places on the side opposite to the conveyance surface of the object to be processed. Meanwhile, the heat treatment can be performed.

In the heat treatment method of the present invention, the supply and exhaust are
It is preferable that the supply gas flow and the exhaust gas flow are formed alternately on the side opposite to the conveying surface of the workpiece. By performing such supply and exhaust, the blowing of the gas to the object to be processed is alleviated, and the vapor pressure of the vaporized component in the atmosphere near the surface of the object to be processed is further reduced, and the evaporation of the vaporized component is further promoted. Is done.

The heat treatment method of the present invention is preferably carried out such that a gas is not strongly blown onto the surface of the object. Specifically, it is preferable to perform the heat treatment while supplying and exhausting gas so that the velocity of the gas near the surface of the object to be treated is 0.3 m / sec or less. The meaning of “velocity of gas near the surface of the object to be processed” is as described above in relation to the heat treatment apparatus.

In the heat treatment method of the present invention, the supply and exhaust are preferably performed in one heat treatment zone such that the flow rate of the discharged gas is equal to or greater than the flow rate of the supplied gas. This is for preventing the atmosphere in the heat treatment zone from leaking out of the heat treatment zone.

The heat treatment method of the present invention is suitable for the drying treatment as described above, and is particularly suitable for the drying treatment of the paste film formed on the PDP substrate. When a PDP is manufactured according to the manufacturing method including the heat treatment method of the present invention, a high-quality PDP can be obtained without quality deterioration due to insufficient drying of the paste film.

[0053]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. First, the supply / exhaust mechanism provided in the heat treatment zone of the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention will be described.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention employs a supply / exhaust mechanism having at least two adjacent combinations of an intake unit and an exhaust unit. The air supply and exhaust are each
It has a supply port and an exhaust port, and has a cavity as a passage communicating with the supply port and the exhaust port. The gas is supplied through a passage of an air supply unit, and is discharged out of the heat treatment apparatus through a passage of a discharge unit.

In the supply / exhaust mechanism, the supply unit and the exhaust unit can be arranged in various modes. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, a tubular body (round pipe) having a circular cross section (that is, a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) or a tubular body having a rectangular cross section in the horizontal direction. May be an air supply unit and an air exhaust unit, which may be alternately arranged such that the longitudinal direction thereof is orthogonal or parallel to the transport direction of the workpiece. Alternatively, the air supply unit and the exhaust unit, which are such tubular bodies, are arranged such that the longitudinal direction is perpendicular or parallel to the transport direction of the workpiece, and the “exhaust unit—
The arrangement may be such that the order of “exhaust part-air supply part”, “air supply part-air supply part-exhaust part” or “exhaust part-exhaust part-air supply part-air supply part” is repeated. Alternatively, the air supply unit and the exhaust unit may be arranged at random. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, a frame-like air supply portion and a gas exhaust portion having a pipeline may be arranged alternately.

The air supply / exhaust mechanism may be configured by combining one air supply unit and one air exhaust unit as one unit and arranging a plurality of units. The units may be separate or adjacent. In such a unit, the gas supplied from the supply unit of one unit is exclusively exhausted from the exhaust unit of the unit. When the distance between the units is small, the gas supplied from the air supply unit of one unit may be exhausted also from the exhaust unit of the adjacent unit.

It is preferable that the air supply portion and the exhaust portion are formed of a material having heat resistance, corrosion resistance, and deformation resistance. Such materials are specifically stainless steel, aluminum, Inconel, steel, ceramic, or a heat resistant resin such as Teflon.

The air supply section of the air supply / exhaust mechanism is configured so that the gas is not blown strongly to the surface of the processing object. As described above, the velocity of the gas in the vicinity of the surface of the object to be processed is adopted as an index indicating the strength of the blowing of the gas to the surface of the object to be processed. The air supply unit is configured such that the velocity of the gas near the surface of the object to be processed is preferably 0.3 m / sec or less, more preferably 0.1 m / sec or less. The velocity of the gas near the surface of the workpiece depends on the number and opening area of the air supply ports, the distance between the workpiece and the air supply port, and the flow rate of the gas supplied into the heat treatment zone (air supply Flow rate) and pressure (supply pressure). Therefore, when the distance between the processing object and the air supply port, and the air supply flow rate and the air supply pressure are set in advance, the number and the opening area of the air supply ports are determined in consideration of them. The number of air supply ports is somewhat represented by the space between adjacent air supply ports, and generally, the narrower the space, the larger the number of air supply ports.

It is preferable that the exhaust portion of the supply / exhaust mechanism be configured so that the resistance of the exhaust gas is as small as possible. Therefore, the number and opening area of the exhaust ports formed in the exhaust section of the supply / exhaust mechanism are selected according to the flow rate (exhaust flow rate) of the gas exhausted from the heat treatment zone.
In general, the larger the opening area of the exhaust port, the lower the resistance of the exhausted gas. The number of exhaust ports is also represented by the interval between adjacent exhaust ports, similarly to that of the air supply ports. As described above, in one heat treatment zone (that is, per workpiece), the exhaust flow rate is preferably equal to or greater than the supply air flow rate. Therefore,
It can be said that the number of exhaust sections and the opening area of the supply / exhaust mechanism are indirectly determined by the supply flow rate.

As described above, the preferable configuration of the air supply unit and the exhaust unit is determined according to the type of the object to be processed and the heat treatment conditions. For example, a PDP with a size of 42 to 60 inches
When the substrate for drying is used, 1) The tubular air supply and exhaust portions are arranged in a longitudinal direction of PD.
The PDP substrate is arranged in such a manner that the number of air supply units and the number of exhaust units that are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the substrate for PDP are 1 to 20, respectively. For one substrate, 10 to 50 Nl (normal liter) / min and 30 to 100 Nl / min. 3) When the distance between the air supply port and the object to be processed is 10 to 70 mm, one air supply unit Is provided with air supply ports with a hole diameter of 0.5 to 3 mm in a row at intervals of 4 to 30 mm along the longitudinal direction of the air supply section, and one exhaust section has an exhaust port with a hole diameter of 2 to 6 mm in the longitudinal direction. It is preferable to provide one line at intervals of 20 to 100 mm.

The air supply portion may be formed of a porous material having a large number of fine holes, and a part thereof may be formed, and the fine holes may function as an air supply port. The porous material that can constitute the air supply section is, specifically, a ceramic sintered material such as an alumina sintered material, or a foamed material made of aluminum. A foam material made of aluminum is sold, for example, as foam aluminum by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. When using a porous material, the porosity is preferably 1 to 10%.

The air supply / exhaust mechanism is arranged such that, in the combination of the adjacent air supply and exhaust sections, the distance between the air supply section and the exhaust section is 30 to 150 mm as described above, more preferably 50 to 10 mm.
It is preferable that the air supply unit and the exhaust unit are arranged so as to be 0 mm. This preferred distance applies regardless of the conditions under which the heat treatment is performed.

[0063] Preferably, the air supply section has a filter for collecting dust contained in the gas. If dust is collected by the filter, a dust-free clean gas is supplied into the heat treatment apparatus.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show forms of a supply / exhaust mechanism suitable for use in the present invention. FIG. 7A is a plan view of an air supply / exhaust mechanism (50) in which an air supply section (52) and an exhaust section (54) each having a cavity are alternately arranged in one direction, and shows a heat treatment zone. Corresponds to a plan view of a surface facing a workpiece carried into the heat treatment zone when attached to the heat treatment zone. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 7A taken along a line AA ′. In the illustrated embodiment, one air supply section (52) is provided with a large number of air supply ports (56) having a small opening area, so that the gas is uniformly supplied without being strongly blown onto the surface of the workpiece. Like that. One exhaust section (54) is provided with an exhaust port (58) having an opening area larger than the air supply port, so that the resistance of the exhausted gas is reduced. In FIG. 7, the air supply port (56) is provided in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the air supply section (52). Therefore, the distance between the adjacent air supply section (52) and the exhaust section (54) is the distance indicated by w.

The gas supplied into the heat treatment zone can be taken in at both ends or one of the ends of each air supply section (52), and the gas discharged from the heat treatment zone is supplied to each exhaust section (54). It can be discharged to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus from both ends or any one end. Alternatively, an air supply pipe extending to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus may be provided, the air supply pipe may be connected to the air supply section (52), and the gas taken in through the air supply pipe may be supplied into the heat treatment zone. Similarly, an exhaust pipe extending outside the heat treatment apparatus is provided, and the exhaust pipe and the exhaust section (54) are provided.
And the gas in the heat treatment zone sucked by the exhaust unit may be discharged to the outside via the exhaust pipe. The supply / exhaust mechanism shown in FIG. 7 is located on the side of the surface of the object when the object is carried into the heat treatment zone, and the air supply / exhaust port faces the surface of the object. May be provided on a wall (e.g., a ceiling) defining such that the air supply units and the exhaust units are alternately arranged along the transport direction of the workpiece. In the single-wafer heat treatment apparatus, it is preferable that the air supply unit is arranged so that the center thereof is located on the center of the workpiece, and the air supply unit and the exhaust unit are alternately arranged.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a supply / exhaust mechanism in which a frame-like air supply section (62) and an exhaust section (64) are alternately arranged. One adjacent air supply (62) and one exhaust (64)
In combination with the number of air inlets (66) and outlets (68)
Are the same (except for the central exhaust). Air supply unit (6
The air supply port (66) provided in 2) is smaller than the exhaust port (68) provided in the exhaust part (64). The inlet may be larger than the outlet if desired.

In the air supply / exhaust mechanism shown in FIG. 8, the air supply section and the exhaust section each have a cavity through which gas can pass. At least one of the air supply sections is connected to, for example, an air supply pipe leading to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus to take in gas from the outside and supply the gas into the heat treatment zone. At least one exhaust unit is connected to, for example, an exhaust pipe connected to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus, and discharges gas sucked from the heat treatment zone from the exhaust pipe to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus. The air supply / exhaust mechanism shown in FIG. 8 is, for example, a single unit, which is located on the surface side of the object when the object is carried into the heat treatment zone, and the air supply port and the exhaust port are The heat treatment zone may be provided so as to be laid on a wall (for example, a ceiling) facing the surface of the object.

FIG. 9 shows an example of another air supply / exhaust mechanism. FIG.
(A) is a plan view of a supply / exhaust mechanism (70) in which a pipe-shaped intake / exhaust unit (72) and an exhaust unit (74) each having a circular hollow section are alternately arranged. This corresponds to a plan view of a surface facing a workpiece carried into the heat treatment zone when attached to the zone. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 9A taken along a line AA ′. The air supply section (72) and the exhaust section (74) have circular air supply ports (76) and exhaust ports (78), respectively. One air supply section (72) is provided with a large number of air supply ports (76) having a small opening area (for example, air supply ports having a hole diameter of 3 mm), and one air exhaust section (74).
The outlet (7) has a larger opening area than the air inlet (76).
8) (for example, an exhaust port having a hole diameter of 6 mm) is provided. Further, the air supply section (72) and the exhaust section (74) are arranged at intervals so that the distance (w) between the air supply section and the exhaust section is 30 to 150 mm. Regarding the intake of gas into the air supply section (72) and the release of gas from the exhaust section (74), and the arrangement of the air supply and exhaust mechanism (70) in the heat treatment zone,
Since it is the same as the supply / exhaust mechanism (50) described above with reference to FIG. 7, its detailed description is omitted here.

The supply / exhaust using the supply / exhaust mechanism is preferably performed such that the exhaust flow rate in one heat treatment zone is equal to or larger than the supply air flow rate, as described above. This is for preventing the atmosphere in the heat treatment zone from leaking out of the heat treatment zone. In order to supply and exhaust gas in such a manner, for example, the exhaust gas is forcibly performed, and an amount of gas corresponding to the amount of gas discharged when the pressure in the heat treatment apparatus decreases with the exhaust gas is supplied from the air supply unit. It may be implemented to be supplied naturally. Alternatively, in order to more accurately control the supply flow rate and the exhaust flow rate, both supply and exhaust may be forcibly performed. When the heat treatment zone forms a closed space (when the carry-in and carry-out openings are closed), the supply and exhaust are forced so that the exhaust flow rate in one heat treatment zone is greater than the supply air flow. In this case, the heat treatment is performed under reduced pressure.

The supply flow rate and the exhaust flow rate are selected according to the type of the workpiece. For example, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention including the above air supply / exhaust mechanism is a drying furnace for PDP production,
In the case of drying a 50-inch size PDP substrate, the air supply flow rate per PDP substrate is set to 300 Nl /
Min and the exhaust flow rate is preferably 500 Nl / min or less. In order to save energy, supply air flow should be 1
More preferably, the flow rate is set to 00 Nl / min or less, and the exhaust flow rate is set to 150 Nl / min or less.

In the case where the heat treatment is a drying process, the gas discharged by the exhaust unit during the supply and exhaust is:
Includes vaporized components (eg, organic solvents) evaporated from the object to be dried. This vaporized component is preferably collected by a suitable trap means (for example, a cooler, a solvent adsorption filter, activated carbon, or the like) so that the gas released to the outside of the heat treatment apparatus does not contain the vaporized component.

The dimensions of the air supply section and the exhaust section are preferably selected so that the number of the air supply section and the exhaust section facing one workpiece in the heat treatment zone is as large as possible. Specifically, in the heat treatment zone, the air supply unit and the exhaust unit facing one workpiece are each 2.
It is preferable that it is above. In particular, in the heat treatment zone constituting the single-wafer heat treatment apparatus in which the object does not substantially move during the heat treatment, the number of the air supply unit and the number of the exhaust unit facing one object to be processed are 4 or more. Is preferred.

Further, in the single-wafer heat treatment apparatus, an air supply unit and an exhaust unit may be provided so that the flow of the supplied gas and the flow of the discharged gas are symmetrical with respect to the center of the surface of the object to be processed. preferable. Specifically, the air supply unit is arranged so that the center thereof is located on the center of the processing surface of the processing object, and the exhaust unit is arranged so as to be adjacent thereto,
Further, a desired number of air supply units and exhaust units may be alternately arranged. Alternatively, the exhaust unit may be arranged such that the center is located on the center of the surface of the object to be processed.

The supply / exhaust mechanism is arranged so that the distance between the air supply port and the exhaust port and the surface of the object to be treated is appropriate on the side of the surface of the object in the heat treatment zone. To be provided. Generally, in the heat treatment zone,
The shorter the distance between the air supply port of the air supply unit and the surface of the workpiece, the more strongly the gas is blown to the workpiece. Therefore, when drying a film formed on the surface of the base material, the surface of the film dries faster than other portions to form a film, and drying unevenness easily occurs. On the other hand, when the distance between the exhaust port of the exhaust unit and the surface of the workpiece is too far,
The gas supplied from the air supply port may be sucked and discharged to the exhaust port without accompanying the vaporized components. As a result, the concentration of a vaporized component (for example, an organic solvent) may increase on the surface of the object to be treated, and the drying speed may decrease or the drying may be insufficient. The distance between the air supply port and the exhaust port and the surface of the workpiece is selected according to the type of the workpiece. For example, when the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is used as a drying furnace for manufacturing a PDP, the supply / exhaust mechanism has a distance between the supply and exhaust ports and the surface of the workpiece of 10 to 70 mm.
It is preferable to provide the heat treatment zone in the heat treatment zone.

Other parts or elements included in the heat treatment zone including the above-described supply / exhaust mechanism may be configured in the same manner as those employed in the heat treatment zone of the conventional heat treatment apparatus. For example, in the heat treatment zone, a heating device such as a hot air heater is installed on the side of the surface of the object to be processed together with the air supply / exhaust mechanism so that the object to be processed is horizontally transferred.
A beam may be provided. In that case, the heating device, for example,
It is located between the air supply unit and the exhaust unit, or between the units composed of the air supply unit and the exhaust unit described above. Alternatively, the gas supplied from the air supply unit of the air supply / exhaust mechanism may be heated to a desired temperature, and the object to be processed may be heated by supplying the heated gas.

The heat treatment zone preferably includes a heating device provided on the side of the transfer surface of the workpiece. In such a heat treatment zone, since no heating device is located on the side of the surface of the workpiece, this heat treatment zone is convenient for mounting a supply / exhaust mechanism. Furthermore, since the heating device is on the back side of the object to be processed, especially when drying a film formed on the surface of the base material (for example, a paste film of a PDP substrate), the paste is sequentially dried from the back side, and drying on the front side is preceded. do not do. Therefore, if the heating device is provided on the back surface side of the object to be processed, when drying the film formed on the surface of the substrate, the synergistic effect of the arrangement of the heating device and the air supply / exhaust mechanism causes the surface of the film to dry. The formation of a film can be further prevented.

The heat treatment zone including the heating device provided on the side of the workpiece transfer surface may further include a heating device provided on the surface side of the workpiece. A heating device provided on the surface side of the object to be processed is, for example, for heating a gas supplied from an air supply unit of a supply / exhaust mechanism to a desired temperature, or for heating an object to be processed from the surface side thereof. Things.

When the heat treatment zone includes a heating device provided on the side of the transfer surface of the work, the heat treatment zone more preferably includes a roller as means for transferring the work. According to the transport system using rollers, it is not necessary to provide a driving device for rotating the rollers on the transport surface side of the workpiece,
Thus, the drive operates without being affected by heat. That is, the transport method using the rollers is a transport method that enables a heating device to be provided on the transport surface side of the workpiece in the heat treatment zone.

Hereinafter, the heat treatment zone in which the heating device is provided on the side of the transfer surface of the object to be processed and includes rollers as the transfer means will be described in further detail.

The heating apparatus can be arbitrarily selected from those conventionally used in heat treatment apparatuses such as a heating furnace and a drying furnace, depending on the type of the object to be processed. Specifically, an infrared heater (including a far infrared heater), a hot air heater, a contact hot plate heater, or the like can be used. Infrared heaters include elements that emit infrared radiation when heated by a suitable heat source (electricity, heat generated by the combustion of a gas, or convective heat transfer from hot steam or oil). The hot air heater blows gas heated by an appropriate heat source. The gas to be blown may be heated, for example, by exchanging heat with hot steam or oil, or may be heated by an electric heater. When the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is a drying furnace for PDP production, it is preferable to use an infrared heater as a heating apparatus.

The heating device is preferably arranged at a distance from the object. Therefore, for example, when the workpiece is transported in the horizontal direction, the heating device is disposed below the workpiece.

Since dust is likely to be generated in the vicinity of the heating device, if it is necessary to maintain a high degree of cleanliness in the heat treatment zone, a whole or part of the heating device may be replaced with a suitable dustproof member (for example, an aluminum plate or glass). (A plate or a stainless steel plate) to prevent dust from adhering to the object. Isolation of the heating device is particularly necessary, for example, in a drying furnace for PDP production. If the heating device cannot uniformly heat the object to be processed and the temperature of the surface of the object to be processed varies, the dustproof member may be entirely heated even when heated by such a heating device. Is preferably a soaking plate having a uniform temperature. If the soaking plate is interposed between the workpiece and the heating device, the workpiece is
The whole is uniformly heated by the soaking plate heated to a uniform temperature. The soaking plate is preferably made of a material having a high thermal conductivity, for example, an aluminum plate. When a soaking plate is provided, the soaking plate is, for example, a material that emits infrared rays by heating facing the object so that heat is sufficiently transmitted from the soaking plate heated by the heating device to the object. It is preferably applied to the surface to be treated.

In the heat treatment zone, rollers are arranged as means for transporting the object to be processed. The roller is specifically a cylindrical or cylindrical rod. In the heat treatment zone, such rollers are arranged at intervals in the transport direction such that their rotation axes are perpendicular to the transport direction on a plane parallel to the transport surface of the workpiece and are parallel to each other. The distance between the rollers is preferably equal.

Each roller is rotated by a suitable drive. The drive is preferably arranged outside the wall defining the heat treatment zone, so as to be insensitive to heat. When each roller is rotated in the same direction by the drive,
The workpiece on the roller is transported in a predetermined direction according to the rotation of the roller.

The conveyance of the object by the roller is performed by friction between the roller and the object when the roller rotates.
It is necessary to perform the processing so that the object to be processed is not damaged and dust is not generated. Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, 1) the roller is made of a heat-resistant resin such as a fluororesin (for example, Teflon (registered trademark)), stainless steel, aluminum or an alloy thereof, a titanium alloy, inconel, iron, glass (for example, quartz) Glass), ceramic materials (eg,
Silicon carbide, silicon nitride, or magnesia) or a material having heat resistance and solvent resistance, such as metal oxide, having a low coefficient of thermal expansion. 2) The object to be processed is transported as desired. The number of rollers should be reduced as much as possible, and the contact area between the rollers and the object to be processed should be reduced. 3) The rollers move the object to be processed so that its transport surface is parallel to the transport direction (specifically, horizontal). 2) forming and arranging the rollers so that they can be supported; 4) forming and arranging the rollers so as not to affect the temperature distribution of the workpiece; and 5) high mechanical strength of the rollers. And 6) It is preferable that the heat capacity of the roller is small.

For example, using the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention as a drying furnace for PDP production,
When a paste film formed on a glass substrate for a PDP having a thickness of 0 mm and a thickness of 3 mm is dried at a temperature of 100 to 150 ° C., a cylindrical or cylindrical roller made of stainless steel having a diameter of 20 to 30 mm is attached to the shaft. 3 per PDP glass substrate so that the direction matches the horizontal direction of the glass substrate
It is preferable to transport a glass substrate for PDP by arranging up to five at equal intervals. In order to reduce the heat capacity of the roller and reduce the heat loss, it is more preferable that the roller has a cylindrical shape. The material, size and number of the rollers are not limited to these, and can be arbitrarily changed according to the size of the glass substrate for PDP.

If the roller is a roller having a part protruding from another part, the object to be processed comes into contact with the roller only at the projecting portion when the object is conveyed. The contact area between the roller and the roller becomes smaller.

[0088] Such a roller is obtained, for example, by attaching a ring having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the roller around the roller. After attaching the ring,
The object to be processed contacts the rollers via the ring, and is conveyed while being supported by the ring. If the rollers are rods, preferably a plurality of rings are mounted at axially spaced intervals.

When the object to be processed is supported by the ring, a large force acts on a portion where the object to be processed contacts the ring, and the object to be processed may be deformed or damaged. Therefore, as long as the workpiece is not deformed or damaged, an appropriate number and / or shape can be selected and mounted around the roller. The ring depends on its shape, but is generally in the axial direction of the roller (ie, in the longitudinal direction).
Is preferably attached to the roller at intervals of 50 to 300 mm.

The ring is preferably formed of a material which has excellent heat resistance and does not damage the object to be processed. Specifically, the ring is preferably formed of a fluorine-based resin such as Teflon (registered trademark), or a heat-resistant resin such as butyl rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, phenol resin, or silicon rubber. It is more preferable that the ring has a shape in which the outer peripheral portion is curved so that the contact area between the ring and the object to be processed is as small as possible. One example of such a ring is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a part of a roller having a ring in a cross-sectional view, and a double-headed arrow in the drawing indicates a longitudinal direction of the roller. The ring (300) is fitted in a groove (34a) formed in the roller (34), and its outer peripheral portion is curved.

FIG. 6 shows an example of another ring. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of the roller in a cross-sectional view, and a double-headed arrow in the drawing indicates a longitudinal direction of the roller. In FIG. 6, a ring-shaped base (400) is formed in a groove (44) formed in a roller (44).
a), and the spherical body (4)
10) is embedded. When such a ring is used, the processing object comes into contact with the spherical body, and the contact area between the processing object and the ring is further reduced. The spheres may be arranged on the outer periphery of the ring-shaped substrate (400) at intervals as shown in FIG. 6, or may be arranged on the ring-shaped substrate so as to be in contact with each other. The spherical body is preferably made of a fluororesin such as Teflon (registered trademark) or butyl rubber.

Alternatively, the roller may be one in which a plurality of wheel-shaped objects are provided at intervals around the shaft. Such rollers are arranged at intervals in the conveyance direction such that the rotation axis is orthogonal to the conveyance direction on a plane parallel to the conveyance surface of the workpiece and the shaft is a rotation axis. When the object to be processed is transported by the roller, the object to be processed contacts only the wheel-shaped object, so that the contact area between the roller and the object to be processed is smaller than that of a roller having a cylindrical or columnar rod shape. .

When the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is of a continuous type, when the object to be processed passes through the heat treatment zone,
The part of the workpiece that contacts the roller changes sequentially. On the other hand, when the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is of a single-wafer type, the object to be processed is stopped in the heat treatment zone during the heat treatment. For this reason, the portion that comes into contact with the roller enters the “shadow” of the roller, and is not sufficiently heat-treated by the heating device located below the workpiece, and the state of the portion after the heat treatment may be different from other portions. . The same may occur when the conveyance of the object to be processed is stopped in the continuous heat treatment apparatus. Therefore, when heat treatment is performed by a single-wafer heat treatment apparatus, or when a state in which only a specific portion of a processing object is in contact with a roller for a long time because conveyance is stopped in a continuous heat treatment apparatus or the like continues for a long period of time, It is preferable that the processing object is swung to change a contact portion of the processing object with the roller.

The swinging of the object to be processed means repeating the forward and backward movement of the object by a small distance in the transport direction (that is, repeating the reciprocating linear movement of the object). . The workpiece can be swung by alternately rotating the rollers in two directions, that is, by alternately rotating the rollers in a forward direction and in a reverse direction. Therefore, in order to swing the workpiece, it is necessary to connect the roller to a driving device that rotates the roller in two directions, a forward direction and a reverse direction. The drive must also be able to rotate the roller slightly in one direction (eg, 〜 to 1) and then immediately rotate the roller slightly in the opposite direction.

The swing width of the object to be processed (that is, the distance between the position at which a part of the object is most advanced and the position at which it is most retracted during the oscillation) is determined by the type of heat treatment, It is determined according to the time required for rocking, the size of the roller, and the size and type of the workpiece. For example, when using a single wafer type heat treatment apparatus as a drying furnace for PDP production,
It is possible to make the width of the swing of the workpiece substantially equal to, for example, 1/2 to 1 times the distance between the rollers, and to swing the workpiece throughout the heat treatment. preferable.

The heat treatment zone has a carry-in port for putting the object into the heat treatment zone and a carry-out port for taking out the object from the heat treatment zone. When the heat treatment zone constitutes a continuous heat treatment apparatus, the carry-in port and the carry-out port are provided to face each other. When the heat treatment zone constitutes a single-wafer heat treatment apparatus, the carry-in and carry-out ports may be provided so as to face each other, so that the object to be treated moves only in one direction, or one opening is carried in. The opening and the exit may be combined. In any case, it is preferable that the opening areas of the entrance and the exit be as small as possible so that heat in the heat treatment zone does not easily leak.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is configured to have the heat treatment zone described above. For example,
The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention may be a heat treatment apparatus having only one heat treatment zone. In that case, the heat treatment zone is surrounded by a wall made of a heat insulating material except for the entrance and the exit. The wall surrounding the heat treatment zone is also called the furnace wall. In general, a heat treatment apparatus having only one heat treatment zone is a continuous heat treatment apparatus having a tunnel structure in which the heat treatment zone extends long in the transport direction of the workpiece. In the continuous heat treatment apparatus, the length of the heat treatment zone in the transport direction is selected so that a desired heat treatment can be performed in relation to the type of the object to be treated and the heating apparatus and the heat treatment temperature (heating temperature).

The heat treatment apparatus having only one heat treatment zone may be a single wafer type heat treatment apparatus. In that case, the dimensions of the heat treatment zone are determined according to the number of objects to be processed at one time. Alternatively, the number of objects to be processed at one time is determined according to the size of the heat treatment zone and the size of the object.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention may be a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus in which a plurality of heat treatment zones are overlapped in parallel with each other in a direction perpendicular to the transfer surface of the workpiece.

When the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus is of a single wafer type, each heat treatment zone is configured so that a predetermined number of workpieces can be arranged. For example, when a single-wafer multi-stage heat treatment apparatus is used as a drying furnace for manufacturing a PDP, the heat treatment apparatus may process one or more PDP substrates in each heat treatment zone.

When the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus is of a continuous type, each heat treatment zone has a sufficient length in the transport direction so that the object is sufficiently heat-treated while the object moves inside the zone. .

In the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, the above-described supply / exhaust mechanism is provided on the surface (that is, the front surface) opposite to the transfer surface of the object in each heat treatment zone. In the case where the heating device is provided on the back surface side of the object to be processed, the supply / exhaust mechanism comes close to the heating device in the adjacent heat treatment zone. Therefore, in the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, the zone in which the heating device is provided is used as an air supply pipe, and the air supply section of the air supply / exhaust mechanism is connected to the air supply pipe, and gas is taken in from the zone to supply gas into the heat treatment zone. Is also good.

In the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, it is preferable that the air supply section of the supply / exhaust mechanism described above is located as close as possible to the heating apparatus provided in the adjacent heat treatment zone. When the air supply unit is close to the heating device, the gas passing through the air supply unit is heated by the heating device, and the preheated gas is supplied to the vicinity of the surface of the object to be processed, thereby promoting heat treatment. And heat treatment can be performed. However, if the temperature of the preheated gas is too high, when the film formed on the substrate surface is dried (for example, when the paste film formed on a glass substrate for PDP is dried), the surface of the film may be dried. It may dry faster than other parts and form a film. Therefore, if the temperature of the gas supplied from the gas supply section becomes too high in relation to the target heat treatment, the gas supply section needs to be separated from the heating device to such an extent that the gas is appropriately heated. In the drying furnace for PDP production, the temperature of the gas supplied from the air supply unit is specifically from room temperature (about 25 ° C.) to 10 ° C.
The temperature is preferably about 0 ° C.

The multi-stage heat treatment apparatus is preferably one in which a heating device is provided on a furnace wall having a carry-in port and / or a furnace wall having a carry-out port among furnace walls defining a heat treatment zone. . This heating device prevents vaporized components from being condensed in the vicinity of the carry-in and carry-out ports of the heat treatment zone, and prevents the temperature in the vicinity of the carry-in and carry-out ports from decreasing, thereby making the temperature in the heat treatment zone uniform. I do.

Generally, the temperature of the furnace wall in which the carry-in port is formed tends to be lower than that of other parts of the heat treatment zone because the carry-in port communicates with the outside of the heat treatment zone. The same applies to the furnace wall where the carry-out port is formed. Therefore, for example, P
In a heat treatment apparatus that evaporates a vaporized component (for example, an organic solvent), such as a drying furnace for DP production, the vaporized component is easily condensed near the entrance and exit of the furnace wall.

When the vaporized components condense in the heat treatment zone,
The vaporized component takes in the dust floating in the apparatus and condenses it, so that a tar-like substance is easily formed. Tar-like substances are also formed by heat-induced deterioration (eg, polymerization) of the organic solvent condensed in the apparatus. When the tar-like substance is heated and dried, the tar-like substance may fall off from the furnace wall due to vibration or the like and adhere to the workpiece. This has an unfavorable effect on the quality of the workpiece. Therefore, in the heat treatment step involving the evaporation of the vaporized components, the operation of removing the vaporized components condensed in the heat treatment zone is periodically performed. Since heat treatment cannot be performed during this operation, this operation causes a reduction in the efficiency of the entire heat treatment.

The heating device provided on the furnace wall where the carry-in and / or carry-out ports are formed improves the problem of deterioration of the quality of the object to be treated and reduction in the efficiency of heat treatment caused by the condensation of vaporized components. The heating device also reduces the temperature difference between the part near the entrance and the exit and the other part, so that the heat treatment can be performed more uniformly. This heating device may also be provided in a heat treatment device having only one heat treatment zone (ie, not multi-stage).

The multi-stage heat treatment apparatus preferably has a carry-in device for carrying the object to be treated to the carry-in port of the heat treatment zone, and a carry-out device for receiving the treated object from the carry-out port and carrying it to a predetermined position. The carry-in device is, for example, a lifter that has a stage on which an object to be processed is mounted and moves the object to be processed up or down to a carry-in entrance of a desired stage. The loading of the workpiece from the lifter stage into the heat treatment zone can be performed, for example, by providing a roller on the lifter stage and rotating the roller to move the workpiece.
According to this method, the object to be processed is carried so as to slide from the stage to the heat treatment zone. Therefore, the entrance can be a slit-shaped opening having an area large enough to allow the object to pass through. The area of the slit-shaped opening is slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the workpiece. The unloading device may be a similar lifter, in which case the unloading port may also be a slit-shaped opening.

The mechanism for carrying the object to be processed into and out of the heat treatment zone may be other than the mechanism using the rollers and lifters described above. For example, a pin for placing an object to be processed is provided in a heat treatment apparatus, a fork carrying the object to be processed is moved forward to carry the object to be processed onto the pin, and the fork is lowered to move the object to be processed onto the pin. The object to be processed may be carried in by a method of mounting and then retracting the fork. Also, after the heat treatment is completed, the fork is advanced in the heat treatment zone to be positioned below the workpiece on the pin, the fork is raised, and the workpiece is transferred from the pin to the fork. The workpiece may be unloaded from the heat treatment zone by a method of retracting the fork. The fork is moved up and down by a suitable drive mechanism and is moved forward and backward.

In the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, the above-described carry-in and carry-out ports, a heating device, a transfer device such as a roller, and a heat treatment zone having a supply / exhaust mechanism are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the transfer surface of the workpiece. Become. In the multistage heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, each heat treatment zone is substantially separated by a heating device and a supply / exhaust mechanism, and four sides of the heat treatment zone are defined by furnace walls made of a heat insulating material.

Two or more multi-stage heat treatment apparatuses may be arranged in series, and an object heat-treated by one multi-stage heat treatment apparatus may be subsequently processed by another multi-stage heat treatment apparatus. In that case, the carry-out port of one multi-stage heat treatment apparatus is preferably close to the carry-in port of the next multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, and the workpiece is conveyed between the carry-out port and the carry-in port by, for example, driving a roller. A transfer passage may be provided as needed.

Next, an example of the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a continuous heat treatment apparatus having only one heat treatment zone.

The heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a PDP manufacturing drying furnace (10) including a supply / exhaust mechanism (70) composed of an air supply section (72) and an exhaust section (74). 12)
A paste film (12b) is formed on a glass substrate (12a). The workpiece (12) is conveyed in the heat treatment zone (11) in the direction of the white arrow in the drawing by the rotation of the roller (14). The roller (14) is a cylindrical rod-shaped member made of stainless steel. The rollers (14) are arranged in parallel at intervals in the transport direction of the workpiece so that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the transport direction of the workpiece. The rollers (14) are arranged at intervals so that one workpiece (12) is supported by the four rollers (14). Each roller (14) is a driving device (not shown)
Is rotated in the direction of the arrow. Roller (14)
For example, a chain belt is applied to a gear provided at one end of each roller (14), and power is transmitted from a motor to the chain belt to be driven and rotated simultaneously.

In the heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the heating devices are arranged on the front side and the back side of the glass substrate (12b). The heating device (16) arranged on the back side of the glass substrate (12b) is a panel-shaped electric infrared heater.
In order to prevent dust from the heating device (16) from adhering to the workpiece (12) and to reduce temperature unevenness in the heat treatment zone, the upper surface of the heating device (16) is made of aluminum soak. Covered with board (18).

The heating device (16 ') disposed on the surface side of the glass substrate (12b) is provided with the radiant heat from the gap between the air supply section (72) and the exhaust section (74). Is provided for heating the gas supplied from above and for heating the supplied gas, and assists the heating device (16). The heating device (16 ') is a panel-shaped electric infrared heater. Heating device (16 ')
The surface directed to the heat treatment zone is covered with a heat equalizing plate (18 ') made of aluminum to prevent dust from the heating device (16') from adhering to the workpiece (12).

While being transferred in the drying oven, the paste film (12b) dries. The paste film (12b) is sequentially dried from the side closer to the heating device (16) (that is, the back side), and accordingly, the organic solvent in the paste film (12b) evaporates from the surface of the paste film (12b).

In order to remove the evaporated organic solvent from the inside of the drying furnace, a supply / exhaust mechanism (70) shown in FIG. 9 is provided on the furnace wall (100) above the heating device. Air supply / exhaust mechanism (70)
Is a pipe-shaped air supply section with a circular hollow section (72)
And the exhaust unit (74) are alternately arranged in the transport direction such that the longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the transport direction of the workpiece (22). The air supply section (72) and the exhaust section (74) are both made of stainless steel. Each of the air supply sections (72) takes in gas from the outside of the heat treatment apparatus at both ends or one end in the longitudinal direction, and supplies the gas from the air supply port (76).
Each exhaust portion (74) exhausts the gas sucked from the exhaust port (78) from both ends or one end in the longitudinal direction. Each exhaust unit (74) is provided with a trap (not shown) for collecting the evaporated organic solvent. In the illustrated embodiment, three air inlets (72) and three air outlets (74)
Are arranged so as to face one workpiece (12).

The organic solvent evaporated from the paste is forcibly discharged from the drying furnace (10) from the exhaust part (74) of the supply / exhaust mechanism (70). In the heat treatment zone (11), an amount of gas equal to or less than the discharged gas is forcibly supplied from the air supply unit (72). Therefore, a gas flow indicated by an arrow in the figure is formed in the heat treatment zone (11). The gas supplied from the air supply section (72) is directed toward the surface of the processing object (12), but is immediately sucked by the adjacent exhaust section (74), so that it is strongly blown to the surface of the processing object (12). Absent.

The main body of the drying furnace is constituted and the heat treatment zone (1
The furnace wall (100) that defines 1) is made of a cotton fiberglass having heat insulation. The length of the continuous drying furnace for PDP production in the transport direction is generally 5 to 40 m. In the drying treatment of the object, the heat treatment temperature and the conveying speed of the object (that is, the rotation speed of the roller (14)) are set so that the drying is completed while the object passes through the drying furnace having this length. Is appropriately selected and implemented.

The air supply / exhaust mechanism is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 1, and may be, for example, a square pipe-shaped air supply / exhaust section having a rectangular hollow section as shown in FIG. May be. The number of air supply units and exhaust units facing one workpiece may be more than three or less. The supply / exhaust mechanism may be as shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing a part of a single-wafer multi-stage heat treatment apparatus. This multi-stage heat treatment equipment (20)
Is also a drying furnace for PDP production, and the object to be treated (22) is P
A paste film is formed on the surface of a glass substrate for DP. Each heat treatment zone (21) is defined by a furnace wall (200), a heating device (26) and a supply / exhaust mechanism (50),
A pair of furnace walls (200) facing each other are formed with a carry-in port (21a) and a carry-out port (21b).

Each heat treatment zone (21) has a roller (24) for transporting the object (22). The roller (24) is a cylindrical rod-shaped member made of stainless steel. The rollers (24) are arranged in parallel at intervals in the transport direction of the workpiece so that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the transport direction of the workpiece. The roller (24) is rotated in the forward direction (direction of arrow a) by a driving device (not shown),
An object to be processed (22) entering from the carry-in port (21a) is arranged at a predetermined position in the heat treatment zone. Further, while the object (22) is being heat-treated, the roller (24) is moved in the forward direction (arrow a) and in the reverse direction to change the contact point of the object (22) with the roller (24). The workpiece (22) is swung alternately (arrow b).

The heating device (26) is provided below the workpiece (22). The heating device (26) is shown in FIG.
The upper and lower surfaces are covered with a heat equalizing plate (28) made of aluminum so that dust does not adhere to the object (22).

Since the heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, the heating device (26) of the adjacent heat treatment zone is located above the workpiece (22), and the supply / exhaust mechanism (50) Is a heating device located above the workpiece (26)
In contact with the heat equalizing plate (28) that covers the lower part. Since the heating device of the adjacent heat treatment zone (that is, the heating device located above the workpiece) also heats the air supply / exhaust mechanism (50),
The object to be processed (2) is also heated by radiant heat from the air supply and exhaust mechanism (50).

A heating device (27) is provided on each of the furnace wall of the heat treatment zone (21) where the carry-in port (21a) is formed and the furnace wall where the carry-out port (21b) is formed. The heating device (27) heats the vicinity of the carry-in port (21a) and the carry-out port (21b) to prevent the organic solvent released from the paste film from being condensed on the furnace wall, and to reduce the temperature of the carry-in port (21a). Further, the temperature in the heat treatment zone is prevented from lowering near the carry-out port (21b).

The paste film of the object (22) dries while the object (22) stays in the heat treatment zone (21). While the object (22) is being dried, the roller (24) is rotated alternately in two directions to swing the object (22). The paste film is dried by evaporating the solvent contained in the paste film from the side near the heating device (26) (that is, the back side), and the evaporated organic solvent is released to the heat treatment zone. In order to remove the organic solvent released into the heat treatment zones from the inside of the drying furnace, a supply / exhaust mechanism shown in FIG. 7 is provided above each heat treatment zone.

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged cross section of a heat treatment zone constituting the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus of FIG. Air supply / exhaust mechanism (50)
The tubular air supply part (52) and the exhaust part (54) having a rectangular hollow section are alternately arranged in the transport direction such that the longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the transport direction of the workpiece (22). It is arranged in. In the illustrated embodiment, the air supply section (52) is disposed so as to be located above the center of the processing target (22), and the number of the exhaust section (54) is one more than the air supply section (52). The air supply section (52) and the exhaust section (54) are both made of stainless steel. Each air supply unit takes in gas from outside the heat treatment apparatus at both ends or one end in the longitudinal direction, and each exhaust unit discharges gas from both ends or one end in the longitudinal direction outside the heat treatment apparatus. . Each exhaust unit is provided with a trap (not shown) for collecting the evaporated organic solvent.

As described above, since the air supply section (52) is in contact with the soaking plate (28) covering the heating device in the adjacent heat treatment zone, heated gas is supplied from the air supply section (52). Is done. The gas passing through the exhaust part (54) is heated by the heating device (26) to such an extent that the organic solvent contained therein does not condense.

The organic solvent evaporated from the paste is forcibly discharged from the drying oven (20) from the exhaust part (54) of the supply / exhaust mechanism (50). Each heat treatment zone (21) of drying oven (20)
, An amount of gas equal to or less than the discharged gas is forcibly supplied from the air supply unit (52). Therefore, in the heat treatment zone (21), a gas flow indicated by an arrow in the figure is formed. The gas supplied from the air supply section (52) is directed toward the surface of the processing object (22), but is immediately sucked by the adjacent exhaust section (54), so that it is strongly blown to the surface of the processing object (22). Absent. In the illustrated embodiment, the air supply unit and the exhaust unit are arranged without a gap. However, the air supply unit and the exhaust unit may be arranged at intervals, and even in such a case, the effect of the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention can be obtained. Can be obtained sufficiently.

The transfer of the object (22) into the heat treatment zone (21) is performed by using a lifter (210) as shown in FIG. The lifter (210) moves in the direction of the arrow E-1 or E-2, and positions the workpiece (22) near the entrance (21a) of the predetermined heat treatment zone. Lifter (210)
It is moved by a ball screw (212) driven by a motor (216). Lifter (210) Stage (210
In a), a roller (214) is provided, and an object to be processed (indicated by a dashed line) placed on the lifter moves in the direction of arrow A by the rotation of the roller (214) and passes through the carry-in port (21a). Then, it is carried into the heat treatment zone (21) from the lifter (210). The workpiece (2
2) Heat treatment zone (21) by rotation of roller (24)
At a predetermined position.

The object (22) after the heat treatment is applied to a roller (2).
By rotating 4) in the forward direction (arrow a), it moves in the direction of arrow B and is placed on the lifter (220) via the carry-out port (21b). The movement of the workpiece (22) from the heat treatment zone (21) to the lifter (220) is performed by rotating rollers (24, 224) provided respectively. The workpiece is a lifter stage (220a)
The lifter (220) is moved in the direction of the arrow F-1 or F-2 by the ball screw (222) driven by the motor (226) to move the workpiece to the predetermined position. Carry.

The time during which the object is retained in each heat treatment zone is determined in consideration of the heat treatment temperature and the type of the object. For example, in a drying furnace for manufacturing a PDP as shown in FIG.
When the paste having a thickness of about 100 μm is dried at a heat treatment temperature of 30 to 200 ° C., the residence time may be about 10 to 30 minutes.

The oven wall (200) of the drying oven that defines the heat treatment zone (21) is a plate-like member made of cotton fiber glass having heat insulation. In the illustrated embodiment,
Each heat treatment zone (21) dries one PDP substrate.
Therefore, the installation area of the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus is slightly larger than the area of one PDP substrate, and is considerably smaller than that of the continuous heat treatment apparatus of FIG.

The supply / exhaust mechanism provided in the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus is not limited to the illustrated one, but may be of another type. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged cross section of a heat treatment zone of a heat treatment apparatus in which a supply / exhaust mechanism (70) as shown in FIG. 9 is arranged instead of the supply / exhaust mechanism (50) shown in FIG. In FIG.
The air supply section (72) and the exhaust section (74) are alternately arranged in the transport direction such that the longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the transport direction of the workpiece.

The heat treatment apparatuses described above with reference to the drawings are merely examples of one embodiment of the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, and other various arrangements can be considered. For example, in the heat treatment apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the rollers (14, 24, 214, 224) may be a roller to which a ring as shown in FIG. 5 or 6 is attached.
Heat equalizing plate (18, 18 ', 28) used to cover the heating device
May be a stainless steel plate or a glass plate. Also,
In the continuous heat treatment apparatus of FIG. 1, the heating device may be arranged only on the back side of the object to be processed. In the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 2, each heat treatment zone may have only one opening which also serves as a carry-in port and a carry-out port.
One is enough.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which the object to be processed is carried in and out by a fork in the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus, and the object to be processed is arranged on the pins in the heat treatment zone. In FIG. 10, the object (22) is placed on a fork (232). The fork (232) is moved by an arrow Z-1 by a lifter (230) operated by a hydraulic cylinder (not shown).
Alternatively, the workpiece (22) is moved in the direction of Z-2 to carry the workpiece (22) to the opening (21c) of the predetermined heat treatment zone. Fork (23
In 2), the workpiece (22) is maintained at a position higher than the top of the pin (25), and is advanced in the direction of arrow X to move the heat treatment zone (2).
When the object (22) reaches a predetermined position, the object (22) is lowered and the object (22) is placed on the pin (25). Then, the fork (232) retracts in the direction of arrow Y and exits the heat treatment zone (21). When the heat treatment is completed, the fork (232) advances again and is positioned below the workpiece (22). Then, the fork (232) is raised, whereby the workpiece (22) is moved from above the pin (25) to the fork (23).
2) Transferred to above. The fork (232) is the workpiece (22)
Is retracted in the direction of arrow Y with the
2) is unloaded from the heat treatment zone (21).

In the heat treatment apparatus shown in FIG.
c) is a loading / unloading port. The opening (21c) allows the fork (232) on which the workpiece (22) is placed to pass through,
The opening area is larger than the carry-in port (21a) and the carry-out port (21b) shown in FIG. Therefore, the heat treatment apparatus of FIG. 10 has a cover (21d). The cover (21d) is closed except when the workpiece (22) is carried in and out, and covers the opening (21c) so that heat in the heat treatment zone does not leak out. Prevent entry into the zone.

The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is particularly preferably used as a drying furnace. The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention can also be used, for example, as a firing furnace used for firing a paste in a PDP manufacturing process. The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is also a heat treatment apparatus for drying and firing after screen printing of a carbon electrode and a silver electrode in a solar cell manufacturing process, and drying after applying a lithium electrode material in a polymer secondary battery manufacturing process. Further, it can be used as a heat treatment apparatus for annealing and a heat treatment apparatus for drying and firing after printing a squeegee on a resistor in a manufacturing process of an electric resistance chip member.

[0139]

According to the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention, an air supply / exhaust mechanism having at least two combinations of an air supply unit and an exhaust unit adjacent to each other is provided in the heat treatment zone on the side opposite to the transporting surface of the workpiece. It is characterized by being provided. Due to this feature, the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention makes it possible to supply and discharge a gas into the heat treatment apparatus without strongly blowing the gas onto the surface of the workpiece during the heat treatment. Therefore, in particular, when the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention is used as a drying furnace for drying a film formed on the surface of a base material, particularly a drying furnace for manufacturing a PDP for drying a paste film formed on a glass substrate for PDP. During the drying process, the formation of a dried film on the surface of the film while the vaporized components remain in the film is effectively prevented, and the entire film can be sufficiently dried.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a continuous heat treatment apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view schematically showing a heat treatment zone constituting the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view schematically showing another aspect of the heat treatment zone constituting the multi-stage heat treatment apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a part of a roller which can be used in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention in a sectional view.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a part of a roller that can be used in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention in a sectional view.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a plan view and a sectional view of a supply / exhaust mechanism that can be used in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a supply / exhaust mechanism that can be used in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are a plan view and a sectional view of a supply / exhaust mechanism that can be used in the heat treatment apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a multi-stage heat treatment apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 20 ... heat treatment equipment (drying furnace for PDP production), 1
1,21 ... Heat treatment zone, 12,22 ... Workpiece (P
DP substrate), 14, 24 ... rollers, 16, 16 ',
26 ... Heating device, 18, 18 ', 28 ... Glass substrate,
100: furnace wall, 21a ... carry-in, 21b ... carry-out,
21c ... opening, 21d ... cover, 25 ... pin, 2
00: furnace wall, 210, 220 ... lifter, 212, 2
22 ... ball screw, 214, 224 ... roller, 21
6,226 ... motor, 230 ... lifter, 232 ...
Forks, 34, 44 ... rollers, 34a, 44a ...
Groove, 300 ... Ring, 400 ... Ring base, 41
0 ... spherical body, 50, 60, 70 ... air supply / exhaust mechanism, 52,
62, 72 ... air supply part, 54, 64, 74 ... exhaust part, 5
6, 66, 76 ... air supply port, 58, 68, 78 ... exhaust port.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) F27D 7/02 F27D 7/02 A H01J 9/38 H01J 9/38 A (72) Inventor Yuji Tsutsui Osaka Prefecture 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. BA16 CA09 CA13 CC10 CD17 CD22 CF06 CF16 CG04 EA08 4K063 AA09 AA11 BA12 CA03 DA06 DA13 DA15 DA26 5C012 BD05

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. A heat treatment apparatus having a heat treatment zone for heat treating an object to be processed, wherein the heat treatment zone includes a supply / exhaust mechanism having at least two adjacent combinations of an intake unit and an exhaust unit, wherein the supply / exhaust mechanism is provided. A heat treatment apparatus provided on the side of the heat treatment zone opposite to the surface on which the object is transported. 2. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supply / exhaust mechanism in which supply units and exhaust units are alternately arranged. 3. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the air supply unit and the exhaust unit is 30 to 150 mm in a combination of the adjacent air supply unit and the exhaust unit. 4. The velocity of the gas near the surface of the object to be treated is 0.
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat treatment rate is 3 m / sec or less. 5. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air supply section has a plurality of air inlets, and an interval between adjacent air inlets is 50 mm or less. 6. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air supply section has a plurality of air inlets, and the air inlet has a hole diameter of 3 mm or less. 7. A part or all of the air supply unit has a porosity of 1
5. The porous material according to claim 1, wherein the fine pores of the porous material act as air supply ports.
Item 6. The heat treatment apparatus according to item 1. 8. The distance between the air supply port and the object to be processed is 70 mm.
The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 9. The gas supply / exhaust mechanism according to claim 1, wherein in one heat treatment zone, the flow rate of gas discharged from the exhaust part to the outside of the heat treatment zone is equal to or higher than the flow rate of gas supplied from the supply part to the heat treatment zone. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the gas is supplied and exhausted so as to increase the pressure. 10. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment zone includes a heating device provided on the side of the transfer surface of the workpiece. 11. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the heat treatment zone includes a roller that conveys an object to be processed. 12. A ring is attached around the roller,
12. The processing object comes into contact with a roller via a ring.
3. The heat treatment apparatus according to item 1. 13. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of heat treatment zones are overlapped in parallel with each other in a direction perpendicular to a conveying surface of the workpiece. 14. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the air supply section is adjacent to a heating apparatus in an adjacent heat treatment zone. 15. A furnace wall defining a heat treatment zone,
The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein a heating device is provided on a furnace wall having a carry-in port and / or a furnace wall having a carry-out port. 16. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the heat treatment is performed while conveying the object so that the object passes through the heat treatment zone. 17. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the heat treatment is performed while the object to be processed is stopped in the heat treatment zone. 18. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the workpiece can be rocked by alternately rotating the rollers in two directions. 19. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat treatment apparatus is a drying apparatus for drying an object to be processed. 20. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, which is a drying furnace for manufacturing a plasma display panel. 21. A heat treatment method for drying at least a part of an object to be treated in a heat treatment zone of a heat treatment apparatus, wherein a vaporized component released from an object to be treated and evaporated is entrained in a gas in the heat treatment zone. Exhausting and supplying gas into the heat treatment zone, and supplying and exhausting gas within the heat treatment zone, wherein the supply and exhaust are performed with one flow of the supplied gas and one flow of the discharged gas adjacent to each other. Is performed at least at two locations on the side opposite to the transporting surface of the object to be processed. 22. An air supply / exhaust system according to claim 21, wherein the flow of the gas to be discharged and the flow of the gas to be supplied are alternately formed on the side of the surface opposite to the conveying surface of the workpiece. 3. The heat treatment method according to 1. 23. The heat treatment method according to claim 21, wherein the supply and exhaust are performed such that the velocity of the gas near the surface of the object to be processed is 0.3 m / sec or less. 24. The air supply and exhaust are performed in one heat treatment zone such that the flow rate of the discharged gas is equal to or greater than the flow rate of the supplied gas.
24. The heat treatment method according to any one of items 23 to 23. 25. The method of claim 1, wherein the heat treatment is performed on a plasma display.
The heat treatment method according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the heat treatment is a process of drying a paste film formed on the panel substrate.