JP2006095427A - Carrying method and carrying apparatus for liquid material-coating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means solving the problems that, in a manufacturing process of a thin film-coating substrate, in spite of vaporing at a uniform speed a coating film on the substrate in a dry process so as to get the substrate high in flatness, a liquid material dries naturally during the carrying from a thin film-forming process by applying the liquid material on the substrate to a drying process of the thin film of the applied liquid material, and the flatness of the substrate after drying decreases. <P>SOLUTION: The subject carrying method comprises maintaining and carrying the substrate under the atmosphere capable of suppressing the drying of the thin film from the process of forming the thin film by applying the liquid material on the substrate to the process of drying the thin film of the applied liquid material, in the manufacturing process of the thin film-coating substrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transporting a substrate coated with a liquid material. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of transporting a substrate that has undergone a step of forming a thin film by applying a liquid material onto the substrate to the drying step while suppressing drying of the thin film on the substrate, and an apparatus therefor About.

  The present invention also relates to a method and a system for manufacturing a substrate having a thin film coated with a liquid material and dried using the above method or apparatus.

  In manufacturing a substrate having a thin film on which a liquid material has been applied and dried, unevenness in drying of the thin film and unevenness in film thickness are fatal. For example, in the manufacture of a color filter, if there is uneven drying of a thin film applied on a glass substrate, the color shade produced by passing through the filter is affected, and as a result, the display quality of the color filter is degraded. In addition, the film thickness unevenness may cause interference with other parts in the subsequent paneling process. Therefore, high flatness is required for the color filter thin film after drying.

  Therefore, the drying process is performed under reduced pressure or locally heated so as not to cause drying unevenness and film thickness unevenness without depending on natural drying.

  However, even when the drying process is performed under the controlled conditions as described above, there are still cases where drying unevenness and film thickness unevenness occur in the thin film after drying. This was due to drying that progressed during conveyance from the end of the liquid material application process to the start of the drying process. Under normal conditions, drying starts immediately after completion of the coating process. Therefore, in the normal substrate manufacturing process, the process proceeds even while the substrate is transported from the liquid material coating process to the drying process. For this reason, if the drying during this time progresses unevenly on the coating film, there is a problem that the flatness of the coating film is lost.

In order to solve this problem, attention has been paid to the temperature difference on the substrate surface caused by the contact between the substrate holding means and the substrate during transport. In the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the substrate is held for transporting, the temperature difference caused by the contact is affected by holding the outside of the region used as a product on the substrate as much as possible. It is intended to reduce as much as possible to cover the part used as. This method may be effective when the application process to the drying process is a short distance and / or a short time.
JP-A-11-254374 JP 2002-289664 A

  However, the use of the above method has a problem in that the liquid material application device and the drying device need to be installed adjacent to each other, which limits the arrangement of the devices. For this reason, the problem of the drying nonuniformity during conveyance when conveyance takes time, such as the application | coating process and the drying process being located away, is not solved. The above method does not fundamentally solve the problem of occurrence of drying unevenness during conveyance, but merely prevents the occurrence of drying unevenness in a necessary region.

  Therefore, there is no method for transporting the substrate without causing unevenness in drying and film thickness, which can be easily used without being restricted by the distance arrangement or the time arrangement between the coating process and the drying process.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a process for forming a thin film by applying a liquid material on a substrate to a process for drying the thin film of the applied liquid material in the manufacturing process of the thin film coated substrate. Provided is a method for transporting a substrate, wherein the substrate is transported while being held in an atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film.

  For example, when a liquid material is applied by inkjet in order to form a thin film with a film thickness of about several μm as in the case of manufacturing a color filter, the amount of liquid material applied is very small. On the other hand, the surface area of the coated surface is large, and if the amount of liquid is small, it is difficult to be affected by gravity and the distribution of the liquid material tends to be non-uniform. The influence on the film thickness distribution of the thin film after drying is large. Therefore, it is considered that a thin film surface with good flatness can be obtained by suppressing drying during transportation (in most cases, natural drying) and preventing non-uniform drying.

In the present invention, the “atmosphere that suppresses drying” of the coating film or thin film means an atmosphere in which the vapor partial pressure of the main solvent of the coating material is in a range substantially equal to the saturated vapor pressure at the temperature of the atmosphere. Say. In general, in order to suppress drying of the thin film, it is desirable that the solvent vapor partial pressure in the atmosphere around the thin film (that is, around the substrate) does not fall below the saturated vapor pressure at the temperature of the atmosphere. However, if the solvent vapor partial pressure is equal to the saturated vapor pressure, depending on the conditions, condensation of the solvent may occur on the substrate (regardless of the region where the coating film is present or not), and as a result after drying Since a thin film with high flatness may not be obtained, it may be temporarily lowered to avoid condensation. Here, “temporarily” means that the time (t ₁ ) when the solvent vapor partial pressure falls below the saturated vapor pressure is not longer than the time (t ₂ ) equal to the saturated vapor pressure (t ₁ ≦ t ₂ ). Good, preferably short (t ₁ <t ₂ ). For example, the ratio of t _{1 to} the total time (t ₁ + t ₂ ) in which the substrate is held in the atmosphere is 50% or less, 45% or less, 40% or less, 35% or less, 30% or less, 25% Hereinafter, it is 20% or less, 10% or less, and 5% or less.

  In this specification, “a range substantially equal to the saturated vapor pressure” means that the lower limit of the vapor pressure is 90% of the saturated vapor pressure, preferably 95%, more preferably 97%, still more preferably 98%, and still more. Preferably, it is 99%, and the upper limit is usually 100%.

  The saturated vapor pressure of the solvent depends on the type and temperature of the solvent, and is experimentally determined by a method known in the art. The saturated vapor pressure of the main solvent is described in documents such as technical textbooks.

  In one embodiment of the transport method of the present invention, the atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film is an atmosphere saturated with solvent vapor of a liquid material.

  “Atmosphere saturated with solvent vapor” means that solvent vapor is applied to the atmosphere so that the partial pressure of solvent vapor in the atmosphere is substantially equal to the saturated vapor pressure. In the method of the present invention, a substantial portion of the applied solvent vapor comes from a source other than the liquid material (or thin film) applied on the substrate.

  In one embodiment of the transport method of the present invention, the atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film is a pressurized atmosphere.

  “Pressurized atmosphere” refers to an atmosphere in which the pressure is increased compared to the atmosphere around the conveyance path from the coating process to the drying process, and preferably the vapor partial pressure is substantially equal to the saturated vapor pressure. An atmosphere in which the pressure is increased to a range equal to.

  In one embodiment of the transport method of the present invention, the atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film is a cooled atmosphere.

  “Cooled atmosphere” means an atmosphere in which the temperature is lower than the atmosphere around the conveyance path from the coating process to the drying process, and preferably the vapor partial pressure is substantially equal to the saturated vapor pressure. It means an atmosphere in which the temperature is lowered until it is equal to the range.

  In the transfer method of the present invention, the solvent vapor partial pressure, temperature, and / or pressure of the atmosphere in which the substrate is held is preferably detected. More preferably, the detected solvent vapor partial pressure, temperature, and / or pressure information is used to maintain the atmosphere around the substrate in an atmosphere that inhibits the drying of the thin film.

  The present invention is also an apparatus for transporting a substrate from a step of forming a thin film by applying a liquid material on a substrate in a method of manufacturing a thin film-coated substrate, from the step of drying the thin film of the applied liquid material, There is provided a transfer device including means for accommodating a substrate, and the substrate accommodating means includes a drying suppression mechanism for suppressing drying of the thin film.

  During transport, the substrate is held in an atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film generated by a mechanism for suppressing drying of the thin film in a means for accommodating the substrate. Therefore, the means for accommodating the substrate is confidential so that the atmosphere around the accommodated substrate is not affected by the external environment (especially, the vapor partial pressure or the atmospheric pressure of the main solvent of the liquid material) during transport. The structure must be capable of providing a space having a property (for example, a chamber). The space having confidentiality may be further covered with a heat insulating material so as not to be affected by the temperature of the external environment. The means for accommodating the substrates can accommodate one or more substrates without contacting each other. The means for accommodating the substrate may have a mechanism for holding each substrate in an appropriate position, and the substrate is kept horizontal so that the liquid material applied on the substrate does not move due to the inclination. You may have further the mechanism to do. As the holding mechanism, a holding method known in the art such as gripping, placing, and adsorption can be used. In the case of mounting, the entire bottom surface of the substrate may be supported, but only a plurality of locations on the bottom surface of the substrate may be supported by a plurality of columnar structures such as pins. The holding mechanism must hold the substrate so as not to divide the atmosphere holding the substrate.

  In one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the drying suppression mechanism is a mechanism that imparts the vapor of the main solvent of the liquid material. The atmosphere in which the substrate is accommodated by the solvent vapor application mechanism is an atmosphere saturated with the solvent vapor. In the apparatus of the present invention, a substantial portion of the solvent vapor is applied to the atmosphere from a source other than the liquid material (or thin film) applied on the substrate.

  As the mechanism for applying the solvent vapor, a vapor applying apparatus known in the art can be used. You may carry out by sending in the gas previously saturated with the solvent vapor | steam. It may be given to the atmosphere around the substrate from a plurality of locations inside the substrate housing means. For example, solvent vapor may be supplied through a tube and ejected from a plurality of small holes on the side of the tube into the atmosphere around the substrate.

  In another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the drying suppression mechanism is a pressure mechanism. The atmosphere in which the substrate is accommodated by the pressure mechanism is a pressurized atmosphere.

  As the pressurizing mechanism, a pressurizing apparatus known in the art, for example, a compressor can be used.

  In yet another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the drying suppression mechanism is a cooling mechanism. By the cooling mechanism, the atmosphere in which the substrate is accommodated is changed to a cooled atmosphere.

  As a mechanism for cooling, a cooling means known in the art can be used. Examples include those that utilize the Peltier effect and refrigerant circulation types.

  In this invention, in order to produce | generate the atmosphere which suppresses drying, you may combine two or three of a solvent vapor | steam provision mechanism, a pressurization mechanism, and a cooling mechanism.

  The apparatus of the present invention may be provided with a mechanism for detecting the degree of thin film drying suppression action (for solvent vapor partial pressure, temperature, and / or pressure) in the substrate housing means. The detection mechanism may be in the form of a sensor. Preferably, the apparatus of the present invention sets the atmosphere in which the substrate is held to an atmosphere that suppresses the drying of the thin film based on a signal from the detection mechanism (a solvent vapor application mechanism, a pressure mechanism, and And / or a mechanism for controlling the cooling mechanism. In addition, the apparatus of the present invention includes an exhaust mechanism, a decompression mechanism, and / or a heating mechanism that is controlled based on a signal from the detection mechanism in order to suppress condensation of the solvent due to excessive vapor application, pressurization, and cooling. You may have. Furthermore, the apparatus of the present invention may include a mechanism for circulating the atmosphere in order to keep the atmosphere around the substrate uniform.

  As the solvent vapor partial pressure sensor, those known in the art can be used. The vapor pressure sensor is, for example, an electric resistance sensor.

  As the atmospheric pressure (pressure) sensor, those known in the art can be used, and preferably, piezoelectric, elastic, electrical resistance, and capacitance pressure sensors can be used. For example, a piezoelectric sensor of lead zirconate titanate, an electric resistance sensor of manganin wire or gold nichrome wire can be used.

  As the temperature sensor, those known in the art can be used, and a thermocouple thermometer, a resistance thermometer (for example, a thermistor thermometer), and a radiation thermometer can be preferably used.

  The transport device may include moving means. As the moving means, any means known in the art (for example, rubber tire, metal or synthetic resin wheel) can be used.

  The present invention further includes a step of coating a liquid material on the substrate to form a thin film; a step of drying the thin film; and a step of transporting the substrate from the coating step to the drying step. Provided is a method for producing a thin film-coated substrate, wherein the substrate is conveyed while being held in an atmosphere that suppresses drying.

  In one embodiment of the production method of the present invention, the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is an atmosphere saturated with a solvent vapor of a liquid material.

  In another embodiment of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film is a pressurized atmosphere.

  In yet another embodiment of the production method of the present invention, the atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film is cooling.

  In the production method of the present invention, the solvent vapor pressure, temperature, and / or pressure of the atmosphere may be detected.

  In the manufacturing method of the present invention, preferably, the above-described transport device of the present invention is used in the transport process.

  The present invention further includes a coating device that forms a thin film by applying a liquid material onto a substrate, a drying device that dries the thin film of the applied liquid material, and a transport device that transports the substrate from the coating device to the drying device. A thin film coated substrate manufacturing system is provided, in which a transfer device holds and transfers a substrate in an atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film.

  Coating apparatuses are known in the art, and a thin film having a thickness of about several μm can be formed on a substrate by placing a predetermined liquid material at a predetermined location on the substrate. Any device can be used as long as it is a simple device. Such an apparatus includes, for example, an inkjet method, a dispenser method, a dipping method, and a screen printing method.

  Drying devices are known in the art. For example, a vacuum drying apparatus, a hot plate, a local solvent vapor application apparatus, an infrared heating apparatus, hot air or hot air blowing apparatus, or a combination thereof is used.

  In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the atmosphere that inhibits drying of the thin film is an atmosphere saturated with solvent vapor of a liquid material.

  In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the atmosphere that inhibits drying of the thin film is a pressurized atmosphere.

  In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the atmosphere that inhibits drying of the thin film is a cooled atmosphere.

  In the system of the present invention, the above-described transport device of the present invention is preferably used as the transport device.

  In one embodiment of the system of the present invention, the atmospheric solvent vapor pressure, temperature, and / or pressure are sensed.

  In the method and apparatus of the present invention, drying (or evaporation) proceeds in the ambient environment from the liquid material application process to the drying process as a main solvent in the liquid material applied on the substrate to form a thin film. It is used in the manufacturing process of a thin film coated substrate in which a liquid is used. If the main solvent in the liquid material is a volatile liquid, a more remarkable effect of the present invention can be expected.

  According to the present invention, in the manufacturing process of the thin film coated substrate, the liquid material is applied onto the substrate and the thin film is formed on the substrate during the transfer from the step of forming the thin film to the step of drying the thin film of the applied liquid material. Since the coating film is restrained from inappropriate (or non-uniform) progress of drying, the flatness of the coating film after drying in the subsequent drying step is improved.

  Through the use of the method or apparatus of the present invention, the drying of the thin film proceeds substantially only in the drying process, so that it is easy to manage, and as a result, there is very little variation between products, and the production of coated film substrates is reduced. Yield is improved.

  A schematic diagram of an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, (a) an external front view (hereinafter, for convenience, a surface having a board insertion opening is referred to as “front surface”), (b) an internal front view, and (c) an internal side view. The transfer apparatus 10 of the present invention includes means 12 for storing a substrate, and the substrate storage means includes a drying suppression mechanism 22 for suppressing drying of the thin film. The substrate 14 is accommodated in the substrate accommodating means 12 through the substrate insertion opening 18 and is held in an atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film generated by the internal drying suppression mechanism 20. The conveyance device of the present invention may include a sensor 22 for detecting the state of the atmosphere as necessary.

  The invention will now be described by reference to specific embodiments.

  One embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 corresponds to (b) of FIG. The transfer device 110 according to the present invention includes a substrate storage box 112 for storing substrates. The substrate storage box 112 has an internal space separated from the outside by a surrounding wall. A substrate mounting table 116 for mounting the substrate 114 is horizontally provided in the internal space of the substrate storage box 112. The substrate mounting table 116 has a size that is necessary and sufficient for stably mounting the substrate 114. The substrate mounting table 116 is installed so as not to divide the space inside the substrate container 112 into two or more spaces in order to keep the atmosphere inside the substrate container 112 uniform. That is, only one side of the substrate mounting table 116 is fixed to the front inner wall of the substrate storage box 112, and both ends of the opposite side are fixed to the two columns (128a and 128b). Each of the two struts (128a and b) is located at a position sufficiently separated from the rear inner wall and the rear inner walls, with one end on the bottom inner wall of the substrate storage box 112 and the other end on the upper inner wall. (For this reason, the inside of the substrate storage box 112 is blown out between the three sides that are not fixed to the front inner wall of the substrate mounting table 116 and the rear inner wall and the inner walls on both sides). . In order to place the substrate 114 on the substrate mounting table 116 from the outside of the substrate storage box 112, one side wall of the substrate storage box 112 corresponds to each substrate mounting table, and the side wall from the outside of the substrate storage box 112. A substrate insertion port 118 is provided that passes through the inside of the substrate storage box 112. The board insertion port 118 is provided with a door. The substrate container 112 is airtight so that the internal atmosphere is not affected by the external environment at least while the door of the substrate insertion port 118 is closed.

  A steam generator 122 is provided at the bottom of the substrate storage box 112. A main solvent in the liquid material applied on the substrate 114 is stored in the steam generator 122, and the main solvent vapor is generated by heating or the like. A fan 124 for circulating the atmosphere is provided above the substrate container 112 so that the solvent vapor is uniformly distributed in the substrate container 112. The generated vapor is uniformly diffused into the substrate housing 112 through the blow-through portion between the substrate mounting table 116 and the three inner walls (rear surface and side surface) of the substrate housing 112 or by the fan 124. To do. In a state where the door of the substrate insertion port 118 is closed, the substrate container 112 has airtightness, so that the atmosphere is saturated with solvent vapor.

  The conveying apparatus of the present invention 110 is moved by a conveying means usually used in a factory such as a cart.

  Prior to substrate insertion, the solvent vapor generator 122 is activated in advance to saturate the atmosphere in the substrate container 112 with solvent vapor. The substrate 114 that has undergone the coating process is placed on the substrate platform 116 in the substrate storage 112 of the transfer apparatus 110 from the substrate insertion port 118. Immediately after that, the door of the board insertion opening 118 is closed. In this way, since the substrate 112 is held in an atmosphere saturated with the vapor of the main solvent of the liquid material, drying of the liquid material applied on the substrate is suppressed during transport.

  Another embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 3 corresponds to (b) of FIG. The transfer device 210 of the present invention includes a substrate storage 212 for storing substrates. The substrate storage 212 has an internal space separated from the outside by a surrounding wall. A substrate mounting table 216 for mounting the substrate 214 is horizontally provided in the internal space of the substrate storage 212. The substrate mounting table 216 has a size that is necessary and sufficient for stably mounting the substrate 214. The substrate mounting table 216 is installed so as not to divide the space inside the substrate container 212 into two or more spaces in order to keep the atmosphere inside the substrate container 212 uniform. That is, the substrate mounting table 216 is fixed to two support columns (228a and 228) that are horizontally installed with one end fixed to the front inner wall and the other end fixed to the rear inner wall. At this time, a sufficient space exists between the three sides (rear part and both side parts) of the substrate mounting table 216 and the rear inner wall and the both inner walls, so that a blow-by state is obtained. In order to mount the substrate 214 on the substrate mounting table 216 from the outside of the substrate storage cabinet 212, one wall of the substrate storage cabinet 212 has a side wall from the outside of the substrate storage cabinet 212 corresponding to each substrate mounting table. A substrate insertion opening 218 that passes through the inside of the substrate storage box 212 is provided. The board insertion port 218 is provided with a door. The substrate storage 212 is airtight so that the internal atmosphere is not affected by the external environment at least while the door of the substrate insertion port 218 is closed.

  A compressor 220 for pressurizing the internal atmosphere is provided at the bottom of the substrate housing 212, and a piezoelectric sensor 222 for detecting the atmospheric pressure of the internal atmosphere is provided at the top. The compressor 220 is electrically connected to the piezoelectric sensor 222 and its operation is controlled depending on the pressure of the internal atmosphere detected by the sensor 222.

  The transport device 210 includes a rubber tire 226, which can move from the coating process to the drying process.

  The substrate 214 that has undergone the coating process is mounted on the substrate mounting table 216 in the substrate container 212 of the transport apparatus 210 from the substrate insertion port 218. After the accommodation, the atmosphere inside the substrate housing 212 is pressurized by the compressor 220. The atmospheric pressure inside the substrate storage 212 is monitored by the piezoelectric sensor 222, and the compressor 220 stops when the atmospheric pressure reaches a predetermined value. When the internal pressure of the substrate container 212 decreases due to opening / closing of the door of the substrate insertion port 218, the compressor 220 is activated and pressurized to a predetermined value. In this way, since the substrate 214 is held in a pressurized atmosphere, drying of the liquid material applied on the substrate is suppressed during conveyance.

  Yet another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 4 corresponds to (b) of FIG. The transport apparatus 310 of the present invention includes a substrate storage 312 for storing substrates. The substrate storage 312 has an internal space separated from the outside by a surrounding wall. A substrate mounting table 316 for mounting the substrate 314 is horizontally provided in the internal space of the substrate storage 312. The substrate mounting table 316 has a size that is necessary and sufficient to stably mount the substrate 314. The substrate mounting table 316 is installed so as not to divide the space inside the substrate container 312 into two or more spaces in order to keep the atmosphere inside the substrate container 312 uniform. That is, the substrate mounting table 316 is fixed to two columns (328a and b) installed horizontally, with one end fixed to the front inner wall and the other end fixed to the rear inner wall. At this time, a sufficient space exists between the three sides (rear part and both side parts) of the substrate mounting table 316, the rear inner wall, and the both inner walls, so that a blow-by state is obtained. In order to place the substrate 314 on the substrate mounting table 316 from the outside of the substrate container 312, one wall of the substrate container 312 has a side wall from the outside of the substrate container 312 corresponding to each substrate mounting table. A substrate insertion port 318 is provided that passes through the inside of the substrate storage box 312. The board insertion port 318 is provided with a door. The substrate container 312 is airtight so that the atmosphere in the substrate container is not affected by the external environment at least while the door of the substrate insertion port 318 is closed. Further, the outer periphery of the inner wall of the substrate container is covered with a heat insulating material 330 so that the temperature of the atmosphere in the substrate container is not affected by the ambient temperature outside the substrate container through the wall.

  The substrate storage 312 is provided with a cooling device 320 on the upper wall and a thermocouple thermometer 322 on the lower wall. The cooling device 320 is electrically connected to a thermocouple thermometer 322, and the operation is controlled depending on the temperature of the internal atmosphere detected by the thermometer 322.

  The substrate 314 that has undergone the coating process is placed on the substrate placement 316 in the substrate storage 312 of the transfer device 310 from the substrate insertion port 318. The atmosphere inside the substrate container 312 is cooled by the cooling device 320. The temperature of the atmosphere inside the substrate container 312 is monitored by a thermocouple thermometer 322, and the cooling device 320 stops when the temperature reaches a predetermined value. When the temperature rises due to opening / closing of the door of the board insertion port 318, etc., the cooling device 320 operates to cool to a predetermined value. In this way, since the substrate 314 is held in a cooled atmosphere, drying of the liquid material applied on the substrate is suppressed during transport.

Example 1
The transport device of the present invention was used in a method for manufacturing a color filter (hereinafter referred to as “CF”) in which three color inks were applied to a color filter substrate and then dried to evaporate the solvent. The manufacturing method of the color filter is roughly divided into the following three steps. The first is a step of applying red (R), green (G), and blue (B) inks to a CF glass substrate by an inkjet production apparatus. The second is a transporting process for transporting the CF substrate coated with ink to a drying apparatus, and the third is a drying process by a drying apparatus.

  A schematic plan view of the CF glass substrate used in this example is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A ′ in FIG. 5) of the glass substrate 2. As shown in FIG. 6, a large number of ink arrangement areas 4 and banks 6 are arranged adjacent to each other on the CF substrate 2. The area surrounded by the bank 6 is the ink arrangement area 4, and the color filter liquid material is arranged in the ink arrangement area 4. The bank 6 prevents the liquid material in a liquid state from flowing out of the ink placement area 1a. The color filter liquid material disposed in the ink placement region 4 is dried to form a color filter.

  In both the examples and the comparative examples, in the ink application process, the same ink application apparatus was used to arrange an amount of ink that would give a film thickness of about 1 μm as a color filter after drying in the ink arrangement region 4 on the glass substrate. . Next, the substrate of the example is held and transported from the coating process to the drying process in an atmosphere saturated with the vapor of the main solvent of the liquid material applied on the substrate in the transport apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. did. In contrast, the substrate of the comparative example was transported from the coating process to the drying apparatus while being exposed to the ambient atmosphere (transport time: 10 minutes). In the drying process, both the examples and the comparative examples were dried under the same conditions using the same drying apparatus.

  After the drying process, the film thickness of the formed color filter was examined. Conventionally, it has been known that the effect of drying on the flatness is that the film thickness at the end is significantly larger than the film thickness at the center in the longitudinal direction of the ink placement region. Measured and compared. As a result, in the examples, it was confirmed that the film thickness of the filter end portion was 1.4 μm on average, which was about 30% lower than that of the comparative example (average 2 μm).

(Example 2)
The same procedure as in Example 1 was performed except for the conveying step in the example. The substrate of the example was transported from the coating process to the drying process while being held in an atmosphere (20 ° C., 3 atm) pressurized by a compressor in the transport apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG.

  As a result, in this example, it was confirmed that the film thickness of the color filter in the longitudinal direction was about 1.6 μm, which was about 20% lower than that of the comparative example (average 2 μm).

(Example 3)
Except for the conveyance process of the example, the process is the same as that of the example 1. The substrate of the example was transported from the coating process to the drying process while being held in an atmosphere (10 ° C.) cooled by a cooling water circulation device in the transport apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG.

  As a result, in this example, it was confirmed that the film thickness at the end portion in the longitudinal direction of the filter was 1.7 μm on average, which was about 15% lower than that of the comparative example (average 2 μm).

  The above embodiments and examples are described as examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is limited to the specific configurations and arrangements described in this specification or the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that it is not limited. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the specific configurations, means, methods, and apparatus described herein can be replaced with many others known in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Should be understood and easily recognized.

It is the schematic of the conveying apparatus of this invention. (A) is a front view of an external appearance, (b) is a front sectional view, and (c) is a side sectional view. It is a figure corresponding to Drawing 1 (b) of one embodiment of the conveyance device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1B of another embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1B of still another embodiment of the transport apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of a CF substrate used in Examples. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the A-A 'line | wire of CF substrate shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2 Substrate on which coating film is formed 4 Ink placement area 6 Bank 10, 110, 210, 310 Transport device 12 Substrate accommodating means 14, 114, 214, 314 Substrate 16 Substrate holding mechanism 18, 118, 218, 318 Substrate insertion port 20 Drying Suppression mechanism 22 Sensor 112, 212, 312 Substrate storage 116, 216, 316 Substrate mounting table 120 Steam generator 124 Fan 128, 228, 328 Post 220 Compressor 320 Cooling device 222 Pressure sensor 322 Temperature sensor 226 Tire 330 Thermal insulation

Claims (20)

In a manufacturing process of a thin film coated substrate, a method of transporting a substrate from a step of forming a thin film by applying a liquid material on the substrate to a step of drying the thin film of the applied liquid material, A method for transporting a liquid material-coated substrate, wherein the substrate is transported while being held in an atmosphere that inhibits drying. The transport method according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is an atmosphere saturated with a solvent vapor of a liquid material. The transport method according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film is a pressurized atmosphere. The conveying method according to claim 1, wherein the atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film is a cooled atmosphere. The method according to claim 1, wherein the solvent vapor partial pressure, temperature and / or pressure of the atmosphere are sensed. An apparatus for transporting a substrate from a step of forming a thin film by applying a liquid material on the substrate to a step of drying the thin film of the applied liquid material in the manufacture of a thin film coated substrate, for accommodating the substrate And a substrate accommodating means includes a drying suppression mechanism for suppressing drying of the thin film. The transport apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the drying suppression mechanism is a mechanism that applies solvent vapor of the liquid material. The transport apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the drying suppression mechanism is a pressure mechanism. The transport apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the drying suppression mechanism is a cooling mechanism. 10. The mechanism according to claim 6, further comprising: a mechanism for detecting a degree of a thin film drying suppression effect in the substrate housing means; and a mechanism for controlling the drying suppression mechanism based on a signal from the detection mechanism. The conveying apparatus as described in one. Applying a liquid material on a substrate to form a thin film;
A thin film coated substrate comprising: a step of drying a thin film; and a step of transporting the substrate from the coating step to the drying step, wherein the transporting step holds and transports the substrate in an atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film. Production method. The method for producing a thin film coated substrate according to claim 11, wherein the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is an atmosphere saturated with a solvent vapor of a liquid material. The method for producing a thin film coated substrate according to claim 11, wherein the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is a pressurized atmosphere. The method for producing a thin film coated substrate according to claim 11, wherein the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is a cooled atmosphere. The method for producing a thin film coated substrate according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein a solvent vapor pressure, a temperature, and / or a pressure of the atmosphere are detected. A coating apparatus that applies a liquid material on a substrate to form a thin film, a drying apparatus that dries the thin film of the applied liquid material, and a transport apparatus that transports the substrate from the coating apparatus to the drying apparatus, A thin film coated substrate manufacturing system, wherein a substrate is transported while being held in an atmosphere that suppresses drying of the thin film. The thin film coated substrate manufacturing system according to claim 16, wherein the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is an atmosphere saturated with a solvent vapor of a liquid material. The thin film coated substrate manufacturing system according to claim 16, wherein the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is a pressurized atmosphere. The thin film coated substrate manufacturing system according to claim 16, wherein the atmosphere for suppressing the drying of the thin film is a cooled atmosphere. 21. The thin film coated substrate manufacturing system according to claim 16, wherein the solvent vapor pressure, temperature, and / or pressure of the atmosphere are detected.

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