JP2009076228A - Drying method and drying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drying method and a drying device in which a membrane is solidified while a solidified condition of the membrane can simply be detected. <P>SOLUTION: The drying method of a membrane formed on a substrate 15 includes a barrier rib forming process in which barrier ribs 60 are formed on the substrate, a coating process in which a liquid body 62 is coated on a coating region 61 surrounded by the barrier ribs 60, and a solidifying process in which the coated liquid body 62 is dried and solidified. The solidifying process has a detecting process in which light 40 is irradiated from a diagonal direction against a surface of the liquid body 62 and detects a light volume of the light 40 reflected from the surface of the liquid body 62 and a solidification judgement process in which a solidifying condition of the liquid 62 is judged by using the light volume of the reflected light 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drying method and a drying apparatus, and more particularly to a method for easily and simply determining a dry state.

  In a color filter of a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL (electroluminescence) light emitting element, or the like, a method of forming a film using an inkjet method is utilized. In the step of forming this film, first, a bank is formed so as to surround a film forming region for forming the film. Next, a liquid material for forming a film is applied to the film forming region. The liquid material is dried and solidified to form a film.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a method for improving the optical characteristics by making the film thickness uniform. According to this, after applying the organic EL material, it is irradiated with ultraviolet light and imaged with a fluorescent camera. Then, the film thickness of the organic EL material is measured by analyzing the captured image to automatically adjust the drying conditions.

JP 2004-228006 A

  However, since the conventional method emits ultraviolet rays, there is a risk of causing harm to the human body. Moreover, there is a problem that it is not a simple method because a special camera for imaging fluorescence is used.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1]
The drying method according to this application example is a drying method in which a liquid applied to a substrate is solidified to form a film, and is surrounded by the partition wall forming step of forming a partition wall on the substrate and the partition wall An application step of applying the liquid material to an application region; and a solidification step of drying and solidifying the applied liquid material, wherein the solidification step irradiates the liquid material with light from an oblique direction. And a detection step of detecting a light amount of the reflected light from the liquid material and a solidification determining step of determining a solidified state of the liquid material using the light amount of the reflected light.

  According to this drying method, the liquid material is applied to the application region surrounded by the partition wall and solidified by drying. At this time, the surface shape is deformed as the liquid is dried. When a higher amount of the liquid material is applied than the partition wall, surface tension acts on the liquid material, so that the shape of the liquid material becomes convex. Then, as the liquid material is dried, a part of the liquid material evaporates and approaches a flat surface from the convex shape. Further, when drying is continued, the surface may change from a substantially flat surface to a concave surface.

  Then, the liquid is irradiated with light from an oblique direction, and the reflected light reflected on the surface of the liquid and the reflected light that travels into the liquid and reflects from the substrate are detected. At this time, the distribution of reflected light also changes as the shape of the liquid changes. And the solidification state of a liquid can be judged by detecting reflected light. As a result, since the solidified state can be determined by irradiating the liquid with light and detecting the reflected light, the solidified state can be determined by a simple method.

[Application Example 2]
In the drying method according to the application example, in the detection step, light that is specularly reflected among the reflected light from the liquid material is detected, and in the solidification determination step, the light amount of the reflected light decreases after increasing. The solidification state is judged using the change point of time.

  According to this drying method, specularly reflected light is detected. When the surface of the liquid material is convex or concave, even if the liquid material is irradiated with light from an oblique direction, the light is hardly reflected regularly. When the surface of the liquid material is substantially flat, the liquid material can be regularly reflected by irradiating light from an oblique direction. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the surface of the liquid is in a substantially flat state by detecting the specularly reflected light.

[Application Example 3]
In the drying method according to the application example, in the detection step, at least a part of light other than specularly reflected light from the reflected light from the liquid material is detected, and in the solidification determination step, the reflected light The solidification state is determined using the amount of light.

  According to this drying method, light other than specularly reflected light is detected. When the surface of the liquid material is convex or concave, the reflected light of the light irradiated from the oblique direction to the liquid material has a light distribution with weak directivity. And as the surface of the liquid material approaches flat, the light distribution has a strong directivity. And light other than the specularly reflected light becomes weaker as the surface of the liquid body approaches flatness. Next, as it progresses from flat to concave, light other than specularly reflected light becomes stronger. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the surface of the liquid material is in a convex or concave state by detecting light other than specularly reflected light.

[Application Example 4]
In the drying method according to the application example, in the detection step, in addition to the detection of the specularly reflected light, at least a part of the reflected light from the liquid material other than the specularly reflected light is detected. In the solidification determination step, the solidification state is determined using the light amount of the specularly reflected light and the light amount of light other than the specularly reflected light.

  According to this drying method, the solidified state of the liquid material is determined using light that is regularly reflected and light other than the light that is regularly reflected. When detecting specularly reflected light, it is possible to determine whether the surface of the liquid material is substantially flat. Then, when detecting light other than specularly reflected light, it is possible to determine the state when the surface of the liquid is convex or concave. Therefore, when using light that is specularly reflected and light other than specularly reflected light, it is possible to determine whether the surface of the liquid is substantially flat and convex or concave.

[Application Example 5]
In the drying method according to the application example, in the partition formation step, a plurality of the application regions are formed, in the application step, different amounts of the liquid material are applied to the plurality of application regions, and in the detection step, The amount of the reflected light in the plurality of application regions is detected, and in the solidification determination step, the solidified state of the liquid material is determined using the plurality of amounts of the reflected light.

  According to this drying method, reflected light is detected in a plurality of application regions. Therefore, the solidified state in a plurality of application regions can be determined.

[Application Example 6]
In the drying method according to the application example described above, the application regions to which different amounts of the liquid material are applied are mixedly arranged.

  According to this drying method, a plurality of application areas are arranged, and different amounts of liquid material are applied to the application areas. There is a difference in molecular partial pressure of the evaporation solvent locally between the application area where a large amount of liquid is applied and the application area where a small amount of liquid is applied, causing unevenness in the drying speed. And since the application region where a large amount of liquid material is applied and the application region where a small amount of liquid material is applied are mixedly arranged, the molecular partial pressure difference of the evaporation solvent is unlikely to occur locally. It has become. Therefore, the solidified state can be determined without being affected by unevenness in the drying speed.

[Application Example 7]
In the drying method according to the application example described above, a larger amount of the liquid material is applied to the outer application region than to the inner side of the plurality of application regions.

  According to this drying method, the application region having a small application amount is arranged so as to be surrounded by the application region having a large application amount. That is, the place where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporation solvent is low is surrounded by the place where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporation solvent is high. Therefore, the location where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporating solvent is small is affected by the location where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporating solvent is high, and the molecular partial pressure of the evaporating solvent tends to increase. As a result, the molecular partial pressure difference of the evaporation solvent is hardly generated locally, and the solidified state can be determined without being affected by unevenness in the drying rate.

[Application Example 8]
In the drying method according to the application example described above, the area of the coating region and the height of the partition wall portion are formed substantially the same in at least a part of the coating region among the plurality of coating regions. To do.

  According to this drying method, when the amount of the liquid material is increased, the surface of the liquid material becomes convex, and when it is decreased, the surface can be concave. And the magnitude | size of a convex shape can be changed by changing the quantity of a liquid. That is, by adjusting the amount of the liquid material to be applied, the amount of the liquid material until the liquid material evaporates and becomes substantially flat can be controlled.

[Application Example 9]
In the drying method according to the application example, the solidification step includes a solidification condition adjustment step, and the solidification condition adjustment step includes an air flow that flows around the liquid according to the solidification state determined in the solidification determination step. And adjusting at least one of the speed and the atmospheric pressure around the liquid material.

  According to this drying method, the drying conditions are changed according to the solidified state of the liquid. Therefore, the drying speed can be changed according to the solidified state of the film.

[Application Example 10]
In the drying method according to the application example described above, the solidification determination step performs a determination to end the solidification step.

  According to this drying method, the solidification state is confirmed and the solidification step is completed. Usually, the solidification process is often managed using the time required for solidification. And in order to solidify reliably, it is necessary to dry for a time longer than the time required for solidification. In this method, it is not necessary to perform drying longer than the time required for solidification. Therefore, it can be solidified with high productivity as compared with the method of managing the drying time.

[Application Example 11]
In the drying method according to the application example described above, the solidification step includes a maintenance necessity determination step of measuring a time during which the liquid body solidifies and performing a maintenance using the time during which the liquid body solidifies. Features.

  According to this drying method, it is determined whether or not maintenance work is necessary using the time required for solidification. When the solvent contained in the liquid is vaporized, a part of the vaporized solvent may not be discharged but may adhere to the inner wall or the like in the drying apparatus and cause condensation. When the condensed solvent evaporates, it becomes a factor that inhibits the liquid applied to the substrate from drying. In this method, it is determined that maintenance is performed when the time during which the liquid is solidified is longer than a predetermined time, so that the time during which the liquid is solidified can be maintained. Therefore, it can dry with high productivity.

[Application Example 12]
The drying method according to the application example is characterized in that, in the detection step, light applied to the liquid material is intermittently irradiated.

  According to this drying method, since the liquid is not always irradiated with light, the liquid is hardly heated by light. Therefore, since the dry state of the liquid is not easily affected by the irradiated light, the dry state can be accurately determined.

[Application Example 13]
In the drying method according to the application example, in the solidification step, an air flow is formed around the liquid material, and in the detection step, light is applied to the application region located at a place where the flow velocity of the air flow is fast, The light quantity of the reflected light from the liquid material is detected.

  According to this drying method, when there are a place where it is easy to dry and a place where it is difficult to dry, the dry state of the liquid material in the place where it is easy to dry is determined. And since the change of solidification is quicker in the place which is easy to dry compared with the place which is hard to dry, the drying condition can be adjusted corresponding to the solidification state of the place where change is quick.

[Application Example 14]
In the drying method according to the application example, in the solidification step, an air flow is formed around the liquid body, the solidification step includes a solidification condition adjustment step, and in the detection step, light is applied to a plurality of the application regions. Irradiating and detecting the amount of reflected light from the liquid material; determining the solidification state in the plurality of application areas in the solidification determining step; and determining the solidification state determined in the solidification determining step in the solidification condition adjusting step The speed distribution of the plurality of application regions is adjusted according to the state.

  According to this drying method, the solidified state of the liquid is judged, and the velocity distribution of the airflow is adjusted according to the solidified state. Since it can be solidified quickly in a place where the velocity of the air current is high, the distribution of the liquid material solidifying in the substrate can be controlled by controlling the air flow. And it can dry so that solidification may be complete | finished substantially simultaneously in the application | coating area | region in a board | substrate. When a part is dried with a delay, the drying time takes longer for the part to dry. Compared with this case, it is possible to dry with high productivity.

[Application Example 15]
In the drying method according to the application example, in the detection step, light that is regularly reflected is detected from the reflected light from the liquid material, and in the solidification determination step, the solidification state is determined by comparing the light amount with a threshold value. It is characterized by judging.

  According to this drying method, the threshold value for determining the solidified state is set by examining the correlation between the amount of reflected light and the solidified state in advance. Then, the solidification state is determined by comparing the threshold value with the light amount. This method can easily determine the solidified state as compared with a method of detecting a change point of increase / decrease in the amount of light.

[Application Example 16]
A drying apparatus according to this application example is a drying apparatus that solidifies and forms a film by drying a liquid material applied to an application region of a substrate, and irradiates light on the liquid material from an oblique direction. An irradiation unit, a detection unit that detects a light amount of reflected light from the liquid material, and a solidification determination unit that determines a solidified state of the liquid material using the light amount of the reflected light.

  According to this drying apparatus, the liquid is irradiated with light obliquely, and the reflected light reflected on the surface of the liquid and the reflected light that travels into the liquid and reflects from the substrate are detected. At this time, the distribution of reflected light also changes as the shape of the liquid changes. And the solidification state of a liquid can be judged by detecting reflected light. As a result, since the solidification determination unit can determine the solidification state from the outputs from the irradiation unit and the detection unit, the solidification state can be determined by a simple method.

[Application Example 17]
In the drying apparatus according to the application example, the irradiation unit irradiates light that travels substantially in parallel, and the detection unit detects light that is regularly reflected among the reflected light from the liquid material, and the solidification is performed. The determination unit is characterized by determining a solidified state using a change point when the light amount decreases after increasing.

  According to this drying device, light that is regularly reflected is detected. When the surface of the liquid material is convex or concave, even if the liquid material is irradiated with light from an oblique direction, the light is hardly reflected regularly. When the surface of the liquid material is substantially flat, the liquid material can be regularly reflected by irradiating light substantially parallel from an oblique direction. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the surface of the liquid is in a substantially flat state by detecting the specularly reflected light.

[Application Example 18]
In the drying apparatus according to the application example, the detection unit detects at least a part of light other than specularly reflected light from the reflected liquid, and the solidification determination unit uses the light amount. It is characterized by determining a solidified state.

  According to this drying apparatus, light other than specularly reflected light is detected. When the surface of the liquid material is convex or concave, the reflected light of the light irradiated from the oblique direction to the liquid material has a light distribution with weak directivity. And as the surface of the liquid material approaches flat, the light distribution has a strong directivity. Therefore, light other than the specularly reflected light becomes weaker as the surface of the liquid body approaches flatness. Next, as it progresses from flat to concave, light other than specularly reflected light becomes stronger. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the surface of the liquid material is in a convex or concave state by detecting light other than specularly reflected light.

[Application Example 19]
In the drying apparatus according to the application example, in addition to the detection of the specularly reflected light, the detection unit detects at least a part of the reflected light from the liquid material other than the specularly reflected light. The solidification determination unit determines the solidification state using the light amount of the specularly reflected light and the light amount of light other than the specularly reflected light.

  According to this drying apparatus, the solidified state of the liquid material is determined using light that is regularly reflected and light other than the light that is regularly reflected. When detecting specularly reflected light, it is possible to determine whether the surface of the liquid material is substantially flat. Then, when detecting light other than specularly reflected light, it is possible to determine the state when the surface of the liquid is convex or concave. Therefore, when using light that is specularly reflected and light other than specularly reflected light, it is possible to determine whether the surface of the liquid is substantially flat and convex or concave.

[Application Example 20]
In the drying apparatus according to the application example described above, the air conditioner includes an air blowing unit that forms an air current around the application region, and a solidification condition adjusting unit that controls the air blowing unit to adjust the speed of the air flow, and the solidification condition adjustment The unit adjusts the speed of the airflow flowing around the liquid material according to the solidification state determined by the solidification determination unit.

  According to this drying apparatus, the solidification condition adjusting unit controls the blowing unit according to the solidified state of the liquid. And the drying conditions are changed by adjusting the speed of the airflow. Therefore, the drying speed can be changed according to the drying state.

[Application Example 21]
In the drying apparatus according to the application example, a drying chamber in which the substrate is disposed, a decompression unit that decompresses the atmospheric pressure in the drying chamber, and a solidification condition adjustment unit that regulates the atmospheric pressure by controlling the decompression unit. And the solidification condition adjustment unit adjusts the atmospheric pressure in the drying chamber according to the solidification state determined by the solidification determination unit.

  According to this drying apparatus, the solidification condition adjusting unit controls the decompression unit according to the solidified state of the liquid. And drying conditions are changed by adjusting the atmospheric pressure in the drying chamber. Therefore, the drying speed can be changed according to the drying state.

[Application Example 22]
In the drying apparatus according to the application example, the irradiation unit irradiates light from a slanting direction on a liquid material applied to a location different from the substrate, and the detection unit applies the liquid applied to a location different from the substrate. The light quantity of the reflected light from a body is detected.

  According to this drying apparatus, the solidified state of the liquid applied to a location different from the inside of the substrate is detected. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a coating region for observing the solidified state in the substrate. Therefore, the substrate can be used efficiently.

[Application Example 23]
In the drying apparatus according to the application example, the detection unit includes a plurality of light detection elements arranged in a wide range.

  According to this drying apparatus, the detection unit includes a plurality of light detection elements, and each light detection element can detect the distribution of reflected light reflected from the liquid material applied to the application region. Therefore, a wide range of reflected light can be detected.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
In addition, each member in each drawing is illustrated with a different scale for each member in order to make the size recognizable on each drawing.
(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, a drying device and a characteristic example when a film is formed using the drying device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Fig.1 (a) is a schematic sectional side view which shows the structure of a drying apparatus, FIG.1 (b) is a schematic plane sectional view which shows the structure of a drying apparatus. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the drying apparatus 1 is an apparatus that performs a reduced pressure drying method in which a substrate coated with a liquid material is accommodated in a drying chamber, and a solvent of the liquid material is evaporated and dried under reduced pressure.

  The drying apparatus 1 includes an outer wall 2 whose outer shape is surrounded by a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and includes a drying chamber 3 whose inside is formed into a cavity by the outer wall 2. The drying chamber 3 is provided with a partition wall portion 4 in a substantially vertical center, and the partition chamber portion 4 divides the drying chamber 3 into an upper first chamber 5 and a lower second chamber 6. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped base 7 is formed at the center of the partition wall portion 4 in the plane direction. The longitudinal direction of the base 7 is defined as the X direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X direction is defined as the Y direction. And let the up-down direction be a Z direction.

  The partition wall portion 4 is provided with eight communication ports 8 that communicate the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 along the periphery of the base 7. Each communication port 8 is provided with a rotation shaft 9 that rotates in conjunction with a motor shaft (not shown), and a communication valve 10 that rotates in conjunction with the rotation shaft 9. Each communication valve 10 is formed to be approximately the same size as the communication port 8, and the communication valve 10 rotates so that the flow of air flowing between the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 can be blocked and switched. It has become.

  A pair of guide rails 11 are arranged on the upper surface of the base 7 so as to extend in the Y direction. A moving table 12 is disposed above the guide rail 11, and the moving table 12 can be moved in the Y direction by a linear motion mechanism (not shown). A guide rail 11 is disposed through the outer wall 2 opposite to the Y direction. The guide rail 11 protrudes from the outer wall 2. And the part which the guide rail 11 protrudes is supported by the rail support part 2a. A discharge material door 13 is formed in the outer wall 2 in the vicinity of the guide rail 11 so as to be openable and closable. The discharge material door 13 includes an opening / closing device (not shown). When the moving table 12 moves along the guide rail 11 and passes through the discharge material door 13, the discharge material door 13 opens. Next, after the movable table 12 passes through the discharge material door 13, the discharge material door 13 is closed, so that the air current does not flow in and out from the discharge material door 13.

  A mounting surface 14 is formed on the upper surface of the moving table 12, and a suction-type substrate chuck mechanism (not shown) is provided on the mounting surface 14. When the substrate 15 is placed on the placement surface 14, the substrate 15 is positioned and fixed at a predetermined position on the placement surface 14 by the substrate chuck mechanism.

  Four support portions 16 are erected on the upper side of the base 7 near the four corners of the moving table 12, and a bridging portion 17 is formed at the upper end of each support portion 16 to bridge between the support portions 16. Yes. In the bridging portion 17, eight liquid level detection devices 18 are arranged. A liquid level detection device 18 is disposed at a location facing the substrate 15 around the substrate 15, one liquid level detection device above each of the substrate 15 in the X direction and three liquid level detection devices above each of the substrate 15 in the Y direction. 18 is arranged.

  A rectifier 19 is arranged in the first chamber 5 and above the moving table 12, and the rectifier 19 distributes and flows the airflow passing through the rectifier 19 in multiple directions. A supply port 20 is provided near the upper center of the outer wall 2 and is connected to an intake valve 23 via a pipe 21. The intake valve 23 is connected to a gas adjusting device 25 via a pipe 24. The gas adjusting device 25 is a device that adjusts the humidity and temperature of the passing gas and removes dust contained in the gas. The gas adjustment device 25 is connected to a nitrogen gas supply device 27 via a pipe 26. And from the supply port 20, nitrogen gas from which dust was removed and temperature and humidity were adjusted is supplied.

  An exhaust port 28 is provided near the center of the lower part (bottom surface) of the second chamber 6, and the exhaust port 28 is connected to an exhaust valve 30 via a pipe 29. The exhaust valve 30 is connected to an exhaust device 32 via a pipe 31. The exhaust device 32, the intake valve 23, the exhaust valve 30, the communication valve 10, etc. constitute a blower unit and a decompression unit.

  Pressure gauges 33 are provided on the side walls of the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 so that the reduced pressure state in the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 can be measured. In the vicinity of the communication port 8 of the first chamber 5, a velocimeter 34 is arranged on the outer wall 2 and the base 7 so that the velocity of the airflow passing through the communication port 8 can be measured.

  Nitrogen gas supplied by the nitrogen gas supply device 27 is supplied to the first chamber 5 of the drying chamber 3 through the pipe 24, the intake valve 23, the pipe 21, and the supply port 20. When the nitrogen gas flow passes through the rectifier 19, the air flow is dispersed and passes near the substrate 15. Thereafter, the airflow passes through the communication port 8 and flows into the second chamber 6. The airflow passes through the exhaust port 28, the pipe 29, the exhaust valve 30, and the pipe 31 and is discharged by the exhaust device 32. The atmospheric pressure in the drying chamber 3 is measured using a pressure gauge 33, and the flow velocity near the communication port 8 is measured using a flow meter 34. Then, by controlling the air pressure sucked by the exhaust device 32, the intake valve 23, the communication valve 10, and the exhaust valve 30, the air pressure in the drying chamber 3 and the flow velocity of the airflow flowing through the interior are controlled. The drying speed of the liquid applied to the substrate 15 can be controlled by adjusting the atmospheric pressure and the flow rate of the airflow.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the liquid level detection device. As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid level detection device 18 includes an irradiation unit 37, a first detection unit 38 as a detection unit, and a second detection unit 39 as a detection unit. The irradiation unit 37 irradiates the substrate 15 with the light 40, and the first detection unit 38 and the second detection unit 39 detect the light 40 reflected by the substrate 15. The angle 42 formed by the optical axis 41 of the light 40 irradiated by the irradiation unit 37 and the substrate 15 and the angle 44 formed by the optical axis 43 of the first detection unit 38 by the substrate 15 are set to substantially the same angle. In this embodiment, it is set to 30 degrees. When the light 40 emitted from the irradiation unit 37 is regularly reflected by the substrate 15, the first detection unit 38 can detect the amount of the light 40 that has been regularly reflected. The angle 46 formed by the optical axis 45 of the second detection unit 39 and the substrate 15 is set to be larger than the angle 44 formed by the optical axis 43 of the first detection unit 38 and the substrate 15. For example, in this embodiment, the angle 46 is 60 degrees. Is set. When the light 40 emitted from the irradiation unit 37 is irregularly reflected by the substrate 15, the second detection unit 39 can detect a part of the irregularly reflected light 40.

  The irradiation unit 37 includes a light source 47. The light source 47 may be any light source that stably emits the same amount of light, and a laser diode, a fluorescent tube, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an incandescent lamp, a cold cathode tube, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, for example, LEDs are employed. A condensing lens 48, a diaphragm plate 49, and a collimating lens 50 are disposed on the optical axis 41 of the light source 47. The light 40 emitted from the light source 47 is collected by the condenser lens 48. And the pupil part 49a of the aperture plate 49 is arrange | positioned in the condensing place. The collimating lens 50 is arranged so that the focal point of the collimating lens 50 is located at the pupil 49a. At this time, the light 40 irradiated from the collimating lens 50 becomes a substantially parallel light beam.

  The first detection unit 38 includes a condenser lens 51, a light detection unit 52, and the like. Then, the light 40 reflected by the substrate 15 is condensed by the condenser lens 51 and irradiates the light detection unit 52. The light detection unit 52 has a function of converting an increase / decrease in the amount of light 40 into an electric signal, and a phototube, a photodiode, or the like can be used for the light detection unit 52. In this embodiment, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera is employed. Since a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements are arranged in the CCD camera, it is possible to detect light 40 reflected from a plurality of locations. The second detection unit 39 is also composed of a condenser lens 53, a light detection unit 54, and the like, and has the same function as the first detection unit 38.

  FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view for explaining the measurement location of the substrate. As shown in FIG. 3A, the substrate 15 has a functional region 57 disposed at the center, and a spare region 58 disposed around the functional region 57. The functional area 57 is an area for forming a functional film having a specific function, and the spare area 58 is an area used for purposes other than the formation of the functional film. In the preliminary area 58, eight liquid level detection areas 59 are set at a position approximately halfway between the four corners and the four sides of the substrate 15.

  FIG. 3B is a schematic plan view illustrating the liquid level detection region, and FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the liquid level detection region. FIG. 3C shows a cross section taken along the line B-B ′ of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C, the partition wall portions 60 are arranged in a lattice pattern in the liquid level detection region 59. The plurality of application regions 61 surrounded by the partition wall 60 are formed in substantially the same area, and the partition wall 60 is formed in substantially the same height. A liquid material 62 is applied to the partition wall 60, and the amount of application of the liquid material 62 is formed in three levels of large, medium, and small. A large area 63 where the application amount is large, a middle area 64 where the application amount is medium, and a small area 65 where the application amount is small are mixed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the behavior of light applied to the liquid material. In FIG. 4A, the liquid material 62 is convex, in FIG. 4B, the liquid material 62 is planar, and in FIG. 4C, the liquid material 62 is concave. As shown in FIG. 4A, the liquid material 62 is applied in a convex shape to the application region 61. When the liquid 40 is irradiated with the light 40, a part of the light 40 is reflected by the surface of the liquid 62 and a part of the light 40 enters the liquid 62. Reflection and incidence are switched according to the incident angle of the light 40 with respect to the surface of the liquid material 62 and the refractive index of the liquid material 62. Since the surface shape of the liquid 62 is a curved surface, the direction in which the reflected and incident light 40 travels proceeds in multiple directions. The light 40 incident on the inside of the liquid material 62 irradiates the substrate 15, and the light 40 is reflected by the substrate 15 and then passes through the liquid material 62. That is, when the liquid material 62 is convex, the light 40 reflected and transmitted by the liquid material 62 travels in multiple directions. And the light 40 irradiated from the irradiation part 37 shown in FIG. 2 advances to the direction of the 2nd detection part 39 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 4B, the liquid material 62 is applied to the application region 61 in a planar shape. When the liquid 40 is irradiated with the light 40, a part of the light 40 is reflected by the surface of the liquid 62 and a part of the light 40 enters the liquid 62. Since the surface shape of the liquid material 62 is flat, the direction in which the reflected light 40 travels is approximately one direction. The light 40 incident on the inside of the liquid material 62 irradiates the substrate 15, and the light 40 is reflected by the substrate 15 and then passes through the liquid material 62. At this time, since the surface of the liquid material 62 is parallel to the bottom surface, the traveling direction of the light 40 reflected by the surface of the liquid material 62 and the traveling direction of the light 40 passing through the liquid material 62 are substantially the same. The same direction. And the light 40 irradiated from the irradiation part 37 advances to the direction of the 1st detection part 38 shown in FIG. At this time, an angle 42 formed between the light 40 irradiating the liquid 62 and the substrate 15 is substantially the same as an angle 44 formed between the reflected light 40 and the substrate 15.

  In FIG. 4C, the liquid material 62 is applied in a concave shape in the application region 61. When the liquid 40 is irradiated with the light 40, a part of the light 40 is reflected by the surface of the liquid 62 and a part of the light 40 enters the liquid 62. Since the surface shape of the liquid 62 is a curved surface, the direction in which the reflected and incident light 40 travels proceeds in multiple directions. The light 40 incident on the inside of the liquid material 62 irradiates the substrate 15, and the light 40 is reflected by the substrate 15 and then refracts and passes through the liquid material 62. That is, when the liquid material 62 is concave, the light 40 reflected and passed by the liquid material 62 travels in multiple directions.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the shape of the liquid material and the amount of reflected light. FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the shape of the liquid material. FIG. 5B is a graph showing the relationship between the shape of the liquid and the amount of light detected by the first detector, and FIG. 5C is the relationship between the shape of the liquid and the amount of light detected by the second detector. It is a graph which shows. As shown in FIG. 5A, the liquid material 62 is applied to the application region 61 surrounded by the partition wall 60. A difference in the Z direction (the thickness direction of the liquid material 62) between the partition wall upper surface 60 a of the partition wall 60 and the central portion 62 a of the liquid material 62 is defined as a protrusion amount 66. When the liquid material 62 is convex, the value of the protrusion 66 is a positive number, and when the liquid material 62 is concave, the value of the protrusion 66 is a negative number. And when the center part 62a of the liquid body 62 becomes the same surface as the partition part upper surface 60a, the value of the protrusion 66 becomes zero, and the liquid body 62 becomes substantially planar.

  In FIG. 5B, the horizontal axis indicates the protrusion amount 66, and the left side is large and the right side is small. The vertical axis represents the amount of light 67 received by the first detection unit 38 shown in FIG. 2, with the upper side being larger and the lower side being smaller. The received light amount curve 68 shows the transition of the change in the light amount 67 with respect to the change in the protrusion amount 66. As shown by the light reception amount curve 68, the light amount 67 is small when the protrusion amount 66 is large. At this time, the light incident on the liquid material 62 is in a state of irregular reflection. The light amount 67 increases as the protruding amount 66 approaches the zero point 66a. When the protruding amount 66 reaches the zero point 66a, the extreme value 68a is obtained as the changing point. At this time, the liquid material 62 has a planar shape, and the light 40 irradiating the liquid material 62 is regularly reflected, so that the light amount 67 detected by the first detection unit 38 is increased. When the protrusion 66 is in the vicinity of the zero point 66a, the area of the specularly reflected area changes abruptly, so that the change in the received light amount curve 68 increases. When the protrusion 66 is further reduced, the liquid body 62 becomes concave, and the light 40 that irradiates the liquid body 62 is irregularly reflected, so the light amount 67 detected by the first detection unit 38 is reduced.

  In FIG.5 (c), the horizontal axis shows the protrusion amount 66, the left side is large and the right side is small. The vertical axis indicates the amount of light 67 received by the second detector 39 shown in FIG. 2, with the upper side being larger and the lower side being smaller. The received light amount curve 69 shows the transition of the change in the light amount 67 with respect to the change in the protrusion amount 66. As shown by the light reception amount curve 69, the light amount 67 is large when the protrusion amount 66 is large. At this time, the light incident on the liquid material 62 is in a state of irregular reflection. And since the 2nd detection part 39 has received a part of light 40 diffusely reflected, the light quantity 67 is large. Next, as the protrusion amount 66 approaches the zero point 66a, the light amount 67 decreases, and when the protrusion amount 66 reaches the zero point 66a, an extreme value 69a is obtained as a changing point. At this time, the liquid material 62 has a planar shape, and the light 40 irradiating the liquid material 62 is regularly reflected, so that the light amount 67 detected by the second detection unit 39 is reduced. When the protrusion 66 is further reduced, the liquid body 62 becomes concave, and the light 40 that irradiates the liquid body 62 is irregularly reflected, so that the amount of light 67 detected by the second detector 39 increases. As described above, it is possible to recognize the state of the liquid surface of the liquid 62 by detecting the amount of light 67 received by the first detector 38 and the second detector 39.

  FIG. 6 is an electric control block diagram of the drying apparatus. In FIG. 6, the control device 70 of the drying device 1 includes a CPU (arithmetic processing device) 71 that performs various arithmetic processes as a processor, and a memory 72 that stores various types of information.

  The valve drive device 73, the exhaust device 32, the table drive device 74, the communication valve drive device 75, the velocimeter 34, and the pressure gauge 33 are connected to the CPU 71 via the input / output interface 76 and the data bus 77. Further, the input device 78 and the display device 79 are also connected to the CPU 71 via the input / output interface 76 and the data bus 77.

  The valve drive device 73 is a device that controls the opening and closing of each valve by driving the intake valve 23 and the exhaust valve 30. When the valve driving device 73 closes the intake valve 23, the amount of gas supplied to the drying chamber 3 decreases. Since the amount of gas supplied to the drying chamber 3 increases when the valve driving device 73 opens the intake valve 23, the valve driving device 73 can control the amount of gas supplied to the drying chamber 3.

  When the valve driving device 73 closes the exhaust valve 30, the amount of gas exhausted from the drying chamber 3 decreases. Since the amount of gas exhausted from the drying chamber 3 increases when the valve driving device 73 opens the exhaust valve 30, the valve driving device 73 can control the amount of gas exhausted from the drying chamber 3. The exhaust device 32 is a device that exhausts gas from the drying chamber 3 and has a function of controlling the exhaust flow rate. The amount of gas exhausted from the drying chamber 3 can be controlled by controlling the exhaust device 32 and the exhaust valve 30.

  The table driving device 74 is a device that drives the movement table 12 to move and stop and to open and close the discharge material door 13. The communication valve drive device 75 is a device that drives the communication valve 10 and has a function of controlling the flow rate of the airflow that passes through the communication valve 10.

  The anemometer 34 has a function of measuring the flow velocity of the air flow in the vicinity of the communication valve 10 and is only required to be able to measure without affecting the air flow. A meter or the like can be used. In this embodiment, for example, a hot-wire anemometer is employed.

  The pressure gauge 33 is arrange | positioned in the 1st chamber 5 and the 2nd chamber 6, and measures the atmospheric pressure of each chamber. The pressure gauge 33 may be a dialam that expands and contracts due to a difference in atmospheric pressure or a gauge that measures the displacement of the Bourdon tube with a strain gauge. In addition, it is possible to use a semiconductor pressure sensor or the like in which a thin part is formed on a silicon substrate, a wiring is formed on the thin part, and a displacement amount of the thin part that changes due to pressure is measured using a change in wiring resistance. . In this embodiment, for example, a semiconductor pressure sensor is employed.

  The input device 78 is a device for inputting various processing conditions relating to drying such as atmospheric pressure and airflow velocity. The display device 79 is a device that displays processing conditions and work status, and an operator performs an operation using the input device 78 based on information displayed on the display device 79.

  The memory 72 is a concept including a semiconductor memory such as a RAM and a ROM, and an external storage device such as a hard disk and a CD-ROM. Functionally, a storage area is set for storing the program software 80 in which the operation control procedure in the drying apparatus 1 is described. Furthermore, a storage area for storing drying condition data 81 indicating conditions for drying the substrate 15 is also set. In addition, a storage area is set for storing determination threshold value data 82 that is a threshold value for determining switching of the drying conditions in accordance with the output of the liquid level detection device 18. Furthermore, a storage area for storing measurement condition data 83 which is a measurement condition for measuring the liquid level and measured liquid level measurement data 84 is set. In addition, a work area for the CPU 71, a storage area that functions as a temporary file, and other various storage areas are set.

  The CPU 71 performs control for drying the substrate 15 according to the program software 80 stored in the memory 72. As a specific function realization part, it has the discharge material control calculating part 87 which controls the opening / closing of the discharge material door 13 and the movement of the moving table 12, and performs the calculation for performing the discharged material of the board | substrate 15. Furthermore, it has the solidification condition adjustment part 88 which adjusts drying conditions, such as atmospheric pressure and the flow velocity of airflow. Furthermore, a valve control calculation unit 89 that calculates the opening / closing amount of the intake valve 23 and the exhaust valve 30 and a communication valve control calculation unit 90 that calculates the opening / closing amount of the communication valve 10 are provided. In addition, a drying time calculation unit 91 that measures the time required for drying, a solidification determination unit 92 that determines the degree of solidification from the output of the liquid level detection device 18, and the like are provided.

  The solidification determination unit 92 determines the degree of solidification of the liquid level using the output value of the liquid level detection device 18. Then, the solidification determination unit 92 instructs the solidification condition adjustment unit 88 to continue or change the drying conditions. The solidification condition adjusting unit 88 receives the measurement values of the pressure gauge 33 and the velocimeter 34, calculates the change amount of the drying condition, and outputs the instruction information to the valve control calculation unit 89 and the communication valve control calculation unit 90. Next, the valve control calculation unit 89 calculates the opening / closing amounts of the intake valve 23 and the exhaust valve 30 and outputs the valve opening / closing amount information to the valve driving device 73. After receiving the valve opening / closing amount information, the valve driving device 73 changes the opening / closing amounts of the intake valve 23 and the exhaust valve 30.

  Similarly, the communication valve control calculation unit 90 calculates the opening / closing amount of the communication valve 10 and outputs valve opening / closing amount information to the communication valve driving device 75. After receiving the valve opening / closing amount information, the communication valve driving device 75 changes the opening / closing amount of the communication valve 10. According to the above procedure, the drying conditions can be changed according to the solidified state of the liquid surface.

(Film formation method)
Next, the manufacturing method which dries and solidifies the liquid body apply | coated to the board | substrate using the drying apparatus 1 mentioned above is demonstrated in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing process for forming a film on a substrate, and FIGS. 8 to 12 are diagrams for explaining a manufacturing method for forming a film on the substrate.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 7, step S <b> 1 corresponds to a partition formation process, and is a process of forming a partition on the substrate. Next, the process proceeds to step S2. Step S2 corresponds to an application process, and is a process of applying a liquid material to a region surrounded by the partition walls. Next, the process proceeds to step S3. Step S3 corresponds to a detection step, and is a step of detecting the state of the applied liquid surface. Next, the process proceeds to step S4. Step S4 corresponds to a wind speed change determination step, and is a step of determining whether to change the wind speed in the apparatus according to the state of the liquid level. When the wind speed is changed, the process proceeds to step S5. When the wind speed is not changed, the process proceeds to step S6. Step S5 corresponds to a solidification condition adjusting step, and is a step of adjusting the valve and the communication valve. Next, the process proceeds to step S3. Step S6 corresponds to a solidification determination step and is a step of determining whether the solidification of the liquid has been completed. When solidification is not completed (when not solidified), the process proceeds to step S3. When solidification is completed (when solidified), the process proceeds to step S7. Steps S3 to S6 are combined to form a solidification step of Step S11. At this time, the drying time calculation unit measures the time required for step S11. Step S7 corresponds to a maintenance necessity determination step, and is a step of determining whether or not to maintain the drying apparatus. When the drying time calculation unit determines that maintenance is necessary (when necessary), the process proceeds to step S8. When the drying time calculation unit determines that maintenance is not necessary (when unnecessary), the manufacturing process ends. Step S8 corresponds to a maintenance process and is a process of removing the liquid material condensed on the inner wall of the drying device. The film forming method is completed through the above steps.

  Next, the manufacturing method will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 in association with the steps shown in FIG. FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D are diagrams corresponding to step S1. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, a substrate 15 is prepared, and a partition wall forming material 95 that is a material of the partition wall is applied to the substrate 15. The partition wall forming material 95 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use an organic photosensitive material that can be made Teflon (registered trademark) by fluorocarbon gas plasma treatment and has high durability for the liquid 62 applied to the partition wall 60. . For example, a photosensitive acrylic resin, a photosensitive epoxy resin, a photosensitive polyimide, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, for example, photosensitive polyimide is employed. Then, the partition wall forming material 95 is applied on the substrate 15 by a method such as spin coating, spray coating, roll coating, die coating, dip coating, or the like. Next, the partition wall film 96 is formed by drying and solidifying the applied partition wall forming material 95.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, a mask 97 is placed on the substrate 15 and irradiated with ultraviolet light 98. A pattern of the partition wall 60 is formed on the mask 97, and the ultraviolet light 98 passing through the mask 97 irradiates the partition film 96. Then, the irradiated partition film 96 is formed with an altered portion that has been altered by ultraviolet rays. Next, the substrate 15 is developed. The substrate 15 is immersed in an alkaline developer to remove the altered portion. As the alkaline developer, for example, TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide), choline, sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or the like can be used. In this embodiment, TMAH is adopted. After removing the altered portion, the substrate is rinsed with pure water and dried. As shown in FIG. 8D, the partition wall 60 is formed on the substrate 15 by development. Next, the surfaces of the substrate 15 and the partition wall 60 are modified. First, atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is performed to improve the lyophilicity of the partition wall bottom surface 60b. Specifically, for example, a plasma atmosphere is formed by applying a high voltage to a mixed gas in which 20% oxygen is added to helium. The substrate 15 is cleaned by passing the substrate 15 through the plasma atmosphere. This cleaning improves the surface energy and improves the lyophilicity of the partition wall bottom surface 60b.

Next, surface modification is performed to make the partition wall 60 liquid repellent. As the surface modification, for example, a gas containing fluorine or a fluorine compound is used as the introduced gas, and a low pressure plasma treatment or an atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is performed in which plasma irradiation is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere or an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. When plasma treatment is performed in a gas containing a fluorine compound, the surface of the organic material becomes nonpolar due to a mixing phenomenon in which fluorine compound molecules enter the surface of the organic material. Therefore, when the organic material is plasma-treated under the condition that the fluorine-based compound is excessive, the partition wall portion 60 has an affinity for a fluid containing polar molecules and has an affinity for a fluid containing nonpolar molecules. Will come to show. As the gas containing fluorine or a fluorine compound, for example, a halogen gas such as CF ₄ , SF ₆ , or CHF ₃ can be used. In the present embodiment, for example, CF ₄ is employed.

  FIG. 8E and FIG. 8F are diagrams corresponding to step S2. As shown in FIGS. 8E and 8F, the liquid material 62 is applied using a droplet discharge device. This droplet discharge device is a device that includes a droplet discharge head 100 in which a nozzle 99 is formed and discharges droplets 101 using an inkjet method. The droplet 101 is discharged from the nozzle 99 to the application region 61 surrounded by the partition wall 60. At this time, since the partition wall portion 60 has been subjected to surface modification to be liquid repellent, even if a large amount of the liquid material 62 is applied, it is difficult to exceed the partition wall upper surface 60a. The region 61 is convex.

  FIG. 8G to FIG. 9 correspond to step S3. As shown in FIG. 8G, the liquid 40, the partition wall 60, and the substrate 15 are irradiated with light 40. The irradiated light 40 is reflected to irradiate the first detection unit 38 and the second detection unit 39. The amount of light 40 received by the first detection unit 38 and the second detection unit 39 varies depending on the shape of the liquid material 62.

  FIG. 9A is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of light received by the second detector and the measurement interval. In FIG. 9A, the vertical axis indicates the amount of light 102 received by the second detector 39, with the amount of light 102 being smaller on the upper side than on the lower side. The horizontal axis shows the measurement interval 103 measured by the first detection unit 38 and the second detection unit 39, and the measurement interval 103 is longer on the right side than on the left side. A measurement interval curve 104 indicates the correlation of the measurement interval 103 set with respect to the light quantity 102 received by the second detection unit 39. The measurement interval curve 104 is a substantially exponential function curve, and the measurement interval 103 is set shorter as the light quantity 102 is smaller. Conversely, the larger the light quantity 102, the longer the measurement interval 103 is set. When the liquid 40 is irradiated with the light 40, the amount of light 102 received by the second detector 39 is small when the amount of diffusely reflected light 102 is small. That is, the measurement interval 103 is set to be short when the amount of irregularly reflected light 102 is small. The data of the measurement interval curve 104 is stored in the memory 72 as one of the measurement condition data 83. Moreover, since the irradiation part 37 irradiates the light 40 only when measuring, this irradiation is intermittent irradiation.

  FIG. 9B is a graph showing the transition of the amount of light received by the second detector. FIG. 9C is a graph showing the transition of the measurement interval in the detection unit. In FIG. 9B, the vertical axis indicates the amount of light 102 received by the second detection unit 39, and the amount of light 102 is greater on the upper side than on the lower side. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. The light quantity transition curve 106 shows how the light quantity 102 received by the second detector 39 changes with time. Then, the time 105 corresponding to the lower limit point 106a at which the light quantity 102 falls most in the light quantity transition curve 106 is set as a flat time 105a. At this time, the liquid 62 becomes flat as shown in FIG. 4B and the irradiated light 40 is difficult to diffusely reflect, so the light 40 irradiating the second detector 39 is small.

  In FIG. 9C, the vertical axis indicates the measurement interval 103 measured by the first detection unit 38 and the second detection unit 39, and the measurement interval 103 is shorter on the upper side than on the lower side. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. The measurement interval transition curve 107 shows how the measurement interval 103 measured by the first detection unit 38 and the second detection unit 39 changes with time. Then, as shown by the measurement interval transition curve 107, when the flat time 105a is close, the amount of light 102 received by the second detector 39 is small, so the measurement interval 103 is set short. And since the light quantity 102 which the 2nd detection part 39 light-receives when it leaves | separates from the flat time 105a, the measurement interval 103 is set long.

  FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are diagrams corresponding to step S4 and step S5. FIG. 10A is a graph showing transition of light amount data measured by the second detection unit. In FIG. 10A, the vertical axis indicates the amount of light 102 received by the second detection unit 39, and the amount of light 102 is greater on the upper side than on the lower side. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. And the measurement data 108 measured three times and the average light quantity 109 which is the average value of the measurement data 108 at each time are shown. As shown in FIG. 1, since eight liquid level detection devices 18 are arranged in the drying device 1, light quantity 102 data at eight locations is acquired by one measurement.

  FIG. 10B is a graph showing the correction amount of the wind speed with respect to the difference from the average light amount. In FIG. 10B, the vertical axis represents the difference 110 from the average light amount, and shows a calculated value obtained by subtracting the average light amount 109 from the measurement data 108. The upper side of the vertical axis shows a positive value, and the lower side shows a negative value. The upper side has a larger light quantity 102 than the lower side. The horizontal axis indicates the correction amount 111 of the wind speed, the right side of the horizontal axis indicates a positive value, and the left side indicates a negative value. The right side has a larger wind speed correction amount 111 than the left side. A wind speed correction line 112 indicates the correlation between the difference 110 from the average light quantity and the correction amount 111 of the wind speed. Data indicated by the wind speed correction line 112 is stored in the drying condition data 81 of the memory 72.

  As indicated by the wind speed correction line 112, in a place where the measurement data 108 of the second detection unit 39 is large, the wind speed correction amount 111 is increased to increase the wind speed. On the contrary, in the place where the measurement data 108 of the second detection unit 39 is small, the wind speed correction amount 111 is decreased to decrease the wind speed. That is, in the eight measurement locations, the wind speed is increased by adjusting the communication valve 10 at a location where the protrusion amount 66 of the liquid 62 is large, and the wind speed is reduced where the projection amount 66 is small. And since the drying of the liquid body 62 progresses quickly in the place where the wind speed is high, the projection amount 66 decreases quickly. Therefore, the light quantity 102 detected by the second detection unit 39 is reduced. That is, in a place where the amount of light 102 measured by the second detection unit 39 is large, the protruding amount 66 is easily reduced by increasing the wind speed by controlling the communication valve 10. Accordingly, the amount of light 102 measured by the second detection unit 39 becomes smaller faster than other places. On the contrary, in a place where the light quantity 102 measured by the second detection unit 39 is small, the projection amount 66 is hardly reduced by controlling the communication valve 10 to reduce the wind speed. And the change of the light quantity 102 which the 2nd detection part 39 measures is made small. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10A, the dispersion of the measurement data 108 becomes smaller as time 105 elapses. That is, it can be solidified at substantially the same speed in each place of the substrate 15.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to steps S4 to S6. FIG. 11A is a graph showing the change in the amount of light received by the first detector, and FIG. 11B is a graph showing the change in the flow rate in the drying chamber. In FIG. 11A, the vertical axis indicates the light quantity 102 received by the first detection unit 38, and the light quantity 102 is larger on the upper side than on the lower side. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. The first light quantity transition curve 113, the second light quantity transition curve 114, and the third light quantity transition curve 115 show how the light quantity 102 received by the first detector 38 changes with time. The first light quantity transition curve 113 shows the transition of the light quantity 102 that is regularly reflected from the small area 65 shown in FIG. The second light quantity transition curve 114 shows the transition of the light quantity 102 specularly reflected from the middle area 64, and the third light quantity transition curve 115 shows the transition of the light quantity 102 specularly reflected from the large area 63.

  Since the liquid material 62 in the small region 65 has a smaller capacity than the middle region 64, the liquid material 62 is dried and becomes flat from the convex shape before the other regions. When the liquid material 62 in the small area 65 is dried and becomes flat from the convex shape, the first light quantity transition curve 113 is maximized. At this time, the time when the first light quantity transition curve 113 exceeds the extreme value 113a as the changing point is defined as the first flat time 105b. Next, the liquid material 62 in the middle region 64 is dried and becomes convex to flat, and finally, the liquid material 62 in the large region 63 is dried and becomes convex to flat. The time when the liquid material 62 in the middle region 64 and the large region 63 becomes flat and the second light amount transition curve 114 exceeds the extreme value 114a as the change point, the third light amount transition curve 115 is the extreme value 115a as the change point. The time required to exceed the second time is defined as the second flat time 105c and the third flat time 105d, respectively.

  In FIG. 11B, the vertical axis indicates the flow velocity 116 measured by the flowmeter 34 of the drying chamber 3, and the upper flow velocity 116 is larger than the lower flow velocity 116. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. And the solidification condition adjustment part 88 calculates the average of the flow velocity which all the anemometers 34 measure, and the transition of the calculated average value is shown in the average flow velocity curve 117.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, the solidification process is continued with the average flow velocity curve 117 at the initial speed 117a. Then, the flow velocity 116 is increased to the first velocity 117b at the first flat time 105b. At this time, film formation is started on the surface of the liquid 62, and the liquid 62 is difficult to flow. Next, at the second flat time 105c, the flow velocity 116 is increased to the second velocity 117c. At this time, the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the liquid material 62 is increased, and the liquid material 62 is more difficult to flow. Then, it is determined that the liquid material 62 is solidified at the time of the third flat time 105d, the flow velocity 116 is decreased, and Step S6 is ended.

  FIG. 12 is a graph corresponding to step S7 and is a graph showing the transition of the time required for drying. In FIG. 12, the vertical axis indicates the time required for drying 118, which is the time until solidification in step S11, and the upper side is longer than the lower side. The horizontal axis indicates the number of times the apparatus has been operated 119, which is the number of times the apparatus has been operated since the previous maintenance, and the right side is more frequent than the left side. And the transition of the drying required time 118 in each time has shown the drying time transition curve 120. FIG. When the drying apparatus 1 is continuously driven, the liquid material 62 may be condensed on the inner wall of the drying chamber 3. When the amount of the condensed liquid 62 increases, the liquid 62 applied to the substrate 15 becomes difficult to dry, and thus the drying time 118 tends to be long. Therefore, as the drying time transition curve 120 shows, the required drying time 118 becomes longer as the number of times the drying device is driven 119 increases.

  The control device 70 has a maintenance determination threshold value 121 as a threshold value in one of the determination threshold value data 82 stored in the memory 72. In step S11, the required drying time 118 is measured, and in step S7, the drying time calculation unit 91 compares the required drying time 118 with the maintenance judgment threshold value 121. When the time required for drying 118 exceeds the maintenance determination threshold 121, it is determined that maintenance is necessary. In step S8, the liquid material 62 attached to the inner wall of the drying chamber 3 is removed. The manufacturing process for forming a film is completed by the above process.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the liquid 40 is irradiated with the light 40 from an oblique direction, and the light 40 reflected from the surface of the liquid 62 and the light 40 that travels inside the liquid 62 and is reflected from the substrate 15. Detected. At this time, since the shape of the liquid material 62 changes, the distribution of the reflected light 40 also changes. Since the solid state can be determined by irradiating the liquid material 62 with the light 40 and detecting the reflected light 40, the solid state can be determined by a simple method.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, the specularly reflected light 40 is detected. When the liquid material 62 is convex or concave, the light 40 is difficult to be regularly reflected even if the liquid 40 is irradiated with light 40 from an oblique direction. When the liquid material 62 is substantially flat, regular reflection can be achieved by irradiating the liquid material 62 with light 40 from an oblique direction. Therefore, it can be determined that the surface of the liquid 62 is substantially flat by detecting the specularly reflected light 40.

  (3) According to this embodiment, the second detector 39 detects the light 40 other than the light 40 that is regularly reflected. When light 40 is irradiated from an oblique direction to the convex liquid body 62 and the concave liquid body 62, the reflected light 40 has a light distribution with weak directivity. Then, as the liquid 62 approaches flatness, the light distribution has a strong directivity. And light other than the light 40 which specularly reflects becomes weak as the liquid body 62 approaches flatness. Next, as it progresses from flat to concave, the light 40 other than regular reflection becomes stronger. Therefore, it can be determined that the surface of the liquid 62 is convex or concave by detecting the light 40 other than the light 40 that is regularly reflected by the second detector 39.

  (4) According to the present embodiment, the solidified state of the liquid material 62 is determined using the light 40 that is regularly reflected and the light 40 other than the light 40 that is regularly reflected. When the specularly reflected light 40 is detected, it is possible to determine whether the liquid 62 is substantially flat. When detecting the light 40 other than the specularly reflected light 40, it is possible to determine the state when the liquid material 62 is convex or concave. Therefore, when using the light 40 that is specularly reflected and the light other than the light 40 that is specularly reflected, the liquid material 62 can determine both a substantially flat state and a convex or concave state.

  (5) According to the present embodiment, reflected light is detected in the plurality of liquid level detection regions 59. Therefore, the solidified state in the plurality of liquid level detection regions 59 can be determined.

  (6) According to the present embodiment, a plurality of application regions 61 are arranged in the liquid level detection region 59, and different amounts of liquid material 62 are applied to the application region 61. In the vicinity of the large area 63 where a large amount of the liquid material 62 is applied and in the vicinity of the small area 65 where the small amount of the liquid material 62 is applied, a molecular partial pressure difference of the evaporation solvent is locally generated, resulting in a drying speed. Unevenness occurs. Since the large region 63, the middle region 64, and the small region 65 are mixedly arranged, it is difficult for the molecular partial pressure difference of the evaporation solvent to be locally generated. Therefore, the solidified state can be determined without being affected by unevenness in the drying speed.

  (7) According to the present embodiment, the size of the convex shape can be changed by changing the amount of the liquid material 62 applied to the application region 61. Then, by adjusting the amount of the liquid material 62 to be applied, it is possible to detect when the liquid material 62 evaporates and becomes substantially flat for a predetermined amount of the liquid material.

  (8) According to the present embodiment, the drying conditions are changed by controlling the communication valve 10, the intake valve 23, and the exhaust valve 30 according to the solidified state of the liquid material 62. Therefore, the drying speed can be changed according to the drying state.

  (9) According to the present embodiment, the solidification state is confirmed, and the solidification step of Step S11 is completed. Usually, the solidification process is often managed using the time required for solidification. And in order to solidify reliably, it is necessary to dry for a time longer than the time required for solidification. This method does not require drying for longer than the time required for solidification. Therefore, it can be solidified with high productivity as compared with the method of managing the time required for drying.

  (10) According to the present embodiment, since the maintenance is determined when the required drying time 118 of the liquid 62 is longer than the maintenance determination threshold value 121, the required drying time 118 can be maintained so as not to become longer. Therefore, it can be solidified with high productivity.

  (11) According to the present embodiment, the measurement interval 103 is changed according to the amount of light 102 received by the second detector 39. At this time, since the liquid 40 is not always irradiated with the light 40, the liquid 62 is hardly heated by the light 40. Therefore, since the dry state of the liquid 62 is hardly affected by the light 40 irradiated, the dry state can be accurately determined.

  (12) According to the present embodiment, the liquid level detection region 59 is arranged on the outer periphery of the substrate 15 and determines the dry state of the liquid material 62 in a place where it is easy to dry. And since the change of solidification is quicker in the place which is easy to dry compared with the place which is hard to dry, the drying condition can be adjusted corresponding to the solidification state of the place where change is quick.

  (13) According to the present embodiment, the solidified state of the liquid material 62 is determined, and the velocity distribution of the airflow is adjusted according to the solidified state. Since it can be quickly solidified in a place where the velocity of the air current is high, the distribution in which the liquid material 62 is solidified in the substrate 15 can be controlled. Therefore, the coating region 61 in the substrate 15 can be dried so that solidification is completed almost simultaneously. When a part is dried with a delay, the drying time takes longer for the part to dry. Compared to this case, it can be solidified with high productivity.

(Second Embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an embodiment of a characteristic drying method of the present embodiment in which a liquid is dried to form a film will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the arrangement of the large area 63, the middle area 64, and the small area 65 in the liquid level detection area 59 is different. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 13A is a schematic plan view illustrating the liquid level detection region, and FIG. 13B is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the liquid level detection region. FIG. 13B shows a cross section taken along line C-C ′ of FIG. And the liquid level detection area | region 124 shown in FIG. 13 is an area | region corresponded to the liquid level detection area | region 59 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the partition wall portions 60 are arranged in a 6 × 6 grid in the liquid level detection region 24, and the coating region 61 surrounded by the partition wall portions 60 has a coating region 61. A liquid 62 is applied. The liquid material 62 is applied in three levels of large, medium and small. A large area 63 where the application amount is large, a middle area 64 where the application amount is medium, and a small area 65 where the application amount is small are arranged.

  A large area 63 is arranged on the outermost periphery of the liquid level detection area 124, and a medium area 64 is arranged on the inner rows and columns of the large area 63. A small area 65 is arranged at the center. In other words, the outer coating area 61 is disposed so that the coating amount is larger than the inner coating area 61 of the liquid level detection area 124. A film is formed in the state of the liquid level detection region 124 as in the first embodiment.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the small area 65 with a small coating amount is disposed so as to be surrounded by the large area 63 with a large coating amount. That is, the place where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporation solvent is low is surrounded by the place where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporation solvent is high. Therefore, the location where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporating solvent is small is affected by the location where the molecular partial pressure of the evaporating solvent is large, and the molecular partial pressure of the evaporating solvent tends to increase. As a result, the molecular partial pressure difference of the evaporation solvent is hardly generated locally, and the solidified state can be determined without being affected by unevenness in the drying rate.

(Third embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an embodiment of a characteristic drying apparatus and substrate for drying a liquid material to form a film will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the liquid level detection region is arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the substrate 15. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 14A is a schematic plan sectional view showing the structure of the drying apparatus. As shown in FIG. 14A, the drying device 125 includes a base 7, and four support portions 16 are erected on the base 7, and between the support portions 16 at the upper end of each support portion 16. A cross-linked portion 17 to be cross-linked is formed. A long first liquid level detection device 126 is disposed in the bridging portion 17 extending in the X direction, and a short second liquid level detection device 127 is disposed in the bridging portion 17 extending in the Y direction. ing. The first liquid level detection device 126 and the second liquid level detection device 127 are arranged in a rectangular frame shape, and are arranged at a location facing the periphery of the substrate 15. The internal structures of the first liquid level detection device 126 and the second liquid level detection device 127 are the same as those of the liquid level detection device 18 shown in FIG. The first liquid level detection device 126 and the second liquid level detection device 127 are different from the liquid level detection device 18 in that the respective optical elements are arranged long and detect the state of the liquid material 62 in the long range. It is possible.

  FIG. 14B is a schematic plan view for explaining the measurement location of the substrate, and FIG. 14C is a schematic plan view for explaining the liquid level detection region. As shown in FIG. 14B, the functional region 57 is disposed in the center of the substrate 15, and a spare region 58 is disposed around the functional region 57. A liquid level detection area 128 is set around the functional area 57 in the spare area 58.

  As shown in FIG. 14C, rectangular application areas 61 are arranged and arranged in the liquid level detection area 128, and a partition wall 60 is formed surrounding each application area 61. A liquid material 62 is applied to the application region 61 surrounded by the partition wall 60. The liquid material 62 is applied in three levels of large, medium and small. A large area 63 where the application amount is large, a middle area 64 where the application amount is medium, and a small area 65 where the application amount is small are arranged in this order.

  When driving the drying device 125, the first liquid level detection device 126 and the second liquid level detection device 127 detect the state of the liquid material 62 arranged side by side in the liquid level detection region 128. Then, drying can be performed while detecting the distribution of the solidified state on the outer periphery of the substrate 15.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the first liquid level detection device 126 and the second liquid level detection device 127 are arranged with a plurality of optical elements arranged long, and the first liquid level detection device 126 and the second liquid level are arranged. The detection device 127 can detect the distribution of the reflected light reflected from the liquid material 62 applied to the application region 61. Therefore, a wide range of reflected light can be detected.

(Fourth embodiment)
In this embodiment, an embodiment of a characteristic drying apparatus and substrate of this embodiment for drying a liquid material to form a film will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the liquid level detection region is arranged at a location different from the substrate 15. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 15A is a schematic sectional side view showing the structure of the drying device, and FIG. 15B is a schematic plan sectional view showing the structure of the drying device. FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along D-D ′ of FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the drying device 129 includes a moving table 12, and the substrate 15 is disposed at the center of the moving table 12. A detection substrate 130 is disposed around the substrate 15. Similar to the substrate 15, the detection substrate 130 is fixed by a substrate chuck mechanism.

  A liquid level detection region 59 shown in FIG. 3 is formed at a location facing the liquid level detection device 18 on the detection substrate 130. In the liquid level detection region 59, the liquid material 62 is applied to the large region 63, the medium region 64, and the small region 65. Then, drying can be performed while detecting the distribution of the solidified state on the detection substrate 130.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the detection substrate 130 is disposed at a different location from the substrate 15, and the solidified state of the liquid 62 applied to the detection substrate 130 is detected. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the coating region 61 for observing the solidified state in the substrate 15. Therefore, the substrate 15 can be used efficiently.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an embodiment of a characteristic drying method of the present embodiment in which a liquid is dried to form a film will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the solidification state is determined by comparing the amount of light received by the detection unit with a threshold value. Note that description of the same points as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 16A is a graph showing the transition of the amount of light detected by the first detector, and FIG. 16B is a graph showing the transition of the amount of light detected by the second detector. In FIG. 16A, the vertical axis indicates the amount of light 67 received by the first detector 38 shown in FIG. 2, with the upper side being larger and the lower side being smaller. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. A received light amount curve 131 shows a change in the amount of light 67 with respect to the passage of time 105. Then, the solidification determination threshold value 132 as a threshold value is stored in one of the determination threshold value data 82 of the memory 72. In step S <b> 6, the solidification determination unit 92 compares the light amount 67 received by the first detection unit 38 with the solidification determination threshold value 132. When the light quantity 67 exceeds the solidification determination threshold value 132, the solidification is finished. This time is set as a solidification end time 105e.

  In FIG. 16B, the vertical axis indicates the amount of light 67 received by the second detector 39 shown in FIG. 2, with the upper side being larger and the lower side being smaller. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. The received light amount curve 133 shows the change in the amount of light 67 over time 105. Then, the solidification determination threshold value 134 as a threshold value is stored in one of the determination threshold value data 82 of the memory 72. In step S <b> 4, the solidification determination unit 92 compares the light amount 67 received by the second detection unit 39 with the solidification determination threshold value 134. When the amount of light 67 exceeds the solidification determination threshold value 134, it is determined that solidification has progressed and the liquid 62 has reached a stage where it is difficult for it to flow. This time is defined as a non-fluidization time 105f.

  FIG. 16C is a graph showing the transition of the flow velocity in the drying chamber. In FIG. 16C, the vertical axis indicates the flow velocity 116 measured by the flow meter 34 of the drying chamber 3, and the upper flow velocity 116 is larger than the lower flow velocity 116. The horizontal axis shows the passage of time 105. The solidification condition adjusting unit 88 calculates the average of the flow velocities measured by all the anemometers 34, and the transition of the calculated average value is shown in the average flow velocity curve 135.

  As shown in FIG. 16 (c), the solidification process is continued with the average flow velocity curve 135 at the initial velocity 135a. Then, the flow velocity 116 is increased to the first velocity 135b during the non-fluidization time 105f. At this time, film formation is started on the surface of the liquid 62, and the liquid 62 is difficult to flow. Then, it is determined that the liquid 62 has been solidified at the solidification end time 105e, the flow velocity 116 is decreased, and Step S6 is completed. Subsequently, the subsequent steps are performed, and the step of forming a film is completed.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, the solidification determination threshold value 132 and the solidification determination threshold value 134 for determining the solidification state by checking the correlation between the light amount 67 of the reflected light and the solidification state are set in advance. And a solidification state can be judged easily by comparing with a threshold value.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of manufacturing an organic EL device by applying the above film forming method will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, an organic EL device that is one of electro-optical devices will be described. FIG. 17 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing the structure of the organic EL device.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the organic EL device 137 as an optical element substrate and an electro-optical device includes a substrate 138. An insulating film 139 is formed on the upper side of the substrate 138. On the insulating film 139, contact electrodes 140 are formed in a matrix, and TFT elements 141 serving as a semiconductor having a switching function are formed at positions adjacent to the contact electrodes 140. A contact electrode 140 is connected to the drain terminal of the TFT element 141.

  Scanning lines 142 as wirings and data lines 143 as wirings are formed in a grid pattern so as to surround each contact electrode 140 and TFT element 141. The scanning line 142 is connected to the gate terminal of the TFT element 141, and the data line 143 is connected to the source terminal of the TFT element 141.

  An element layer 144 including the contact electrode 140, the TFT element 141, the scanning line 142, the data line 143, and the like is formed. An insulating film 145 is formed on the upper side of the element layer 144, and partition walls 146 are formed on the upper side of the insulating film 145 in a lattice shape.

  A pixel electrode 147 as an electrode is formed at each bottom of the concave region formed by the partition wall 146, and the pixel electrode 147 is electrically connected to the contact electrode 140. A hole transport layer 148 as a light emitting element is formed on the upper surface of the pixel electrode 147, and light emitting layers 149 R, 149 G, and 149 B as light emitting elements are formed on the upper surface of the hole transport layer 148. The hole transport layer 148 and the light emitting layers 149R, 149G, and 149B form a functional layer 150 as a light emitting element.

  The light emitting layer 149R is a light emitting layer made of an organic light emitting material that emits red light, and the light emitting layer 149G as a light emitting element is a light emitting layer made of an organic light emitting material that emits green light. Similarly, the light emitting layer 149 </ b> B as a light emitting element is a light emitting layer made of an organic light emitting material that emits blue light.

  A cathode 151 as an electrode made of a light-transmitting conductive material or the like is formed over the entire upper surface of the functional layer 150 and the partition wall 146. In the present embodiment, the cathode 151 employs, for example, ITO.

  A sealing film 152 made of a light-transmitting material or the like is formed on the upper surface of the cathode 151 to prevent the cathode 151 and the functional layer 150 from being oxidized by oxygen in the air.

  When a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 147 and the cathode 151, the hole transport layer 148 flows only holes. The light emitting layers 149R, 149G, and 149B have a property of emitting light by energy when the holes supplied from the hole transport layer 148 and the electrons supplied from the cathode 151 are combined. The TFT element 141 performs a switching operation and controls the amount of light emitted from the light emitting layers 149R, 149G, and 149B by controlling the voltage applied to the functional layer 150. In this manner, by controlling the amount of light emitted from the light emitting layers 149R, 149G, and 149B, the amount of light is controlled for each pixel, and the image can be displayed by blinking the pixel.

  The pixel electrode 147 is electrically connected to the drain terminal of the TFT element 141, and the pixel signal supplied from the data line 143 is supplied to each pixel electrode 147 at a predetermined timing by turning on the TFT for a certain period. Supplied in. The voltage level of the pixel signal of the predetermined level supplied to the pixel electrode 147 in this way is held between the cathode 151 and the pixel electrode 147, and the light emitting layers 149R, 149G, and 149B according to the voltage level of the pixel signal. The amount of light emitted changes.

  In the step of forming the scanning lines 142 and the data lines 143 in the element layer 144, the drying method according to the first embodiment is used. Specifically, after the partition wall portion is formed of the insulating film, the material liquid of the wiring is discharged and applied to the concave portion formed between the partition wall portions using a droplet discharge device. Then, the cathode 151 is formed by drying and solidifying the wiring material liquid under reduced pressure using the drying apparatus 1.

  At this time, a process similar to the solidification process in the first embodiment is used. That is, the wiring material liquid is solidified while confirming the solidified state and adjusting the drying conditions. Thereafter, after confirming solidification, the scanning line 142 and the data line 143 are formed by finishing the drying.

  Further, in the step of forming the TFT element 141 on the element layer 144, the drying method in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, after the partition wall portion is formed of an insulating film, a material liquid of a TFT element such as silicon is discharged and applied to the recesses formed between the partition wall portions using a droplet discharge device. Then, the cathode 151 is formed by drying and solidifying the wiring material liquid under reduced pressure using the drying apparatus 1.

  At this time, a process similar to the solidification process in the first embodiment is used. That is, the solidification state of the material liquid of the TFT element is confirmed and solidified while adjusting the drying conditions. Then, after confirming that it solidified, the material liquid of a TFT element is crystallized by finishing drying. Then, after ion doping, the TFT element 141 is formed by forming an insulating film and a terminal.

  Further, in the step of forming the pixel electrode 147 on the surface of the insulating film 145, the drying method in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, after the partition portion is formed of an insulating film, the liquid material for the pixel electrode is discharged and applied to the recesses formed between the partition portions using a droplet discharge device. Thereafter, the pixel electrode material 147 is formed by drying and solidifying the pixel electrode material liquid under reduced pressure using the drying apparatus 1.

  At this time, a process similar to the solidification process in the first embodiment is used. That is, the solidification state of the material liquid of the pixel electrode is confirmed and solidified while adjusting the drying conditions. Then, after confirming that it has solidified, the pixel electrode 147 is formed by finishing drying.

  Further, in the step of forming the hole transport layer 148 on the surface of the pixel electrode 147, the drying method in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, the liquid material for the hole transport layer is discharged onto the surface of the pixel electrode 147 and applied using a droplet discharge device. Thereafter, the hole transport layer 148 is formed by drying and solidifying the material liquid of the hole transport layer under reduced pressure using the drying apparatus 1.

  At this time, a process similar to the solidification process in the first embodiment is used. That is, the solidification state of the material liquid of the hole transport layer is confirmed and solidified while adjusting the drying conditions. Then, after confirming that it solidified, the positive hole transport layer 148 is formed by complete | finishing drying.

  Further, in the step of forming the light emitting layers 149R, 149G, and 149B on the surface of the hole transport layer 148, the drying method in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, the material liquid of the light emitting layer is discharged onto the surface of the hole transport layer 148 and applied using a droplet discharge device. Then, the light emitting layer 149R, 149G, and 149B are formed by drying and solidifying the material liquid of a light emitting layer using the drying apparatus 1 under reduced pressure.

  At this time, a process similar to the solidification process in the first embodiment is used. That is, it solidifies, confirming the solidification state of the material liquid of a light emitting layer, adjusting drying conditions. Then, after confirming that it solidified, light emitting layer 149R, 149G, 149B is formed by complete | finishing drying.

  Further, in the step of forming the cathode 151 on the upper surfaces of the functional layer 150 and the partition wall portion 146, the drying method in the first embodiment is used. Specifically, the cathode material liquid is discharged and applied to the upper surfaces of the functional layer 150 and the partition wall 146 using a droplet discharge device. Thereafter, the cathode 151 is formed by drying and solidifying the cathode material liquid under reduced pressure using the drying apparatus 1.

  At this time, a process similar to the solidification process in the first embodiment is used. That is, the solidification state of the cathode material liquid is confirmed and solidified while adjusting the drying conditions. Then, after confirming that it solidified, the cathode 151 is formed by complete | finishing drying.

As described above, this embodiment has the following effects.
(1) According to the present embodiment, in the process of manufacturing the scanning line 142 and the data line 143, by using the ejection method in the first embodiment, the wiring material is solidified with high productivity and the scanning line 142 and the data line are solidified. Line 143 can be manufactured.

  (2) According to the present embodiment, in the process of manufacturing the TFT element 141, the TFT element 141 is manufactured by solidifying the material of the TFT element with high productivity by using the ejection method in the first embodiment. Can do.

(3) According to this embodiment, in the process of manufacturing the pixel electrode 147 and the cathode 151,
By using the ejection method according to the first embodiment, the pixel electrode 147 and the cathode 151 can be manufactured by solidifying the electrode material with high productivity.

  (4) According to the present embodiment, in the process of manufacturing the functional layer 150, the functional layer 150 is manufactured by solidifying the light emitting element forming material with high productivity by using the ejection method according to the first embodiment. Can do.

In addition, this embodiment is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A various change and improvement can also be added. A modification will be described below.
(Modification 1)
In the first embodiment, the application region 61 of the large region 63, the middle region 64, and the small region 65 is formed in the same area, but the area of each region may be set to a different area. Moreover, you may set the height of a partition part to a different height. In any of the methods, the solidified state can be easily detected by setting the surface curvature of the liquid 62 within a range of curvature that is easy to detect.

(Modification 2)
In the first embodiment, the flow velocity 116 of the airflow flowing in the drying chamber 3 is controlled, but the air pressure in the first chamber 5 and the second chamber 6 may be controlled. Furthermore, both the flow velocity 116 and the atmospheric pressure may be detected and controlled. Of the flow velocity 116 and the atmospheric pressure, the one that is easier to measure and control may be used. It is possible to control with higher accuracy by adopting an easy-to-control method.

(Modification 3)
In the first embodiment, the application region 61 is formed in a rectangular shape, but is not limited thereto. A shape such as a parallelogram or an ellipse that can be easily arranged may be employed. The board | substrate 15 can be utilized efficiently.

(Modification 4)
In the first embodiment, CCD cameras are used for the light detection unit 52 and the light detection unit 54. The CCD camera is an area sensor, but is not limited to an area sensor, and may be a sensor having only one detection unit or a line sensor arranged in a straight line. You may switch according to the form of the liquid level detection area | region 59 to detect. The simpler the sensor, the simpler the device.

(Modification 5)
In the third embodiment, the first liquid level detecting device 126 and the second liquid level detecting device 127 are arranged by arranging the respective optical elements long, but the present invention is not limited to this. A long light emitting element may be used as the light source. For example, a fluorescent tube, a cold cathode tube, or the like may be employed. The lens may be a columnar lens. Further, a line sensor may be employed for the light detection unit. The first liquid level detection device 126 and the second liquid level detection device 127 can be easily manufactured as compared with the method in which the optical elements are individually arranged.

(Modification 6)
In the sixth embodiment, the manufacturing method of the organic EL device is manufactured using the first embodiment. However, the manufacturing method may be performed using the second to fifth embodiments. Similar effects can be obtained.

(Modification 7)
An optical lens may be manufactured using the first to fifth embodiments. After the partition wall is formed in the planar shape of the lens, a lens forming material is applied in the partition wall. Thereafter, the lens forming material is solidified using the first to fifth embodiments. Also in this case, a lens can be formed with high productivity.

(Modification 8)
A color filter may be manufactured using the first embodiment to the fifth embodiment. After the partition walls are formed in a lattice shape, a color filter forming material is applied in the partition walls. Thereafter, the color filter forming material is solidified by using the first to fifth embodiments. Also in this case, the color filter can be formed with high productivity.

(Modification 9)
In the first embodiment, the application amount applied to the application region 61 is three levels, but is not limited to the number of levels. One level may be used, and at this time, it can be easily determined. Moreover, the solidification state can be detected finely by increasing the number of levels.

(Modification 10)
In the first embodiment, the liquid level detection device 18 includes the first detection unit 38 that detects specular reflection light and the second detection unit 39 that detects a part of the irregular reflection light. May be installed. A simple apparatus can be obtained by reducing the number of detection units.

(Modification 11)
In the first embodiment, a filter such as an infrared cut filter or an ultraviolet cut filter may be provided between the light source 47 and the substrate 15. The measurement accuracy can be improved by reducing the influence of the light 40 on the liquid material 62.

(Modification 12)
In the first embodiment, eight liquid level detection regions 59 are arranged on the substrate 15, but the number of liquid level detection regions 59 is not limited to the number. When the number of the liquid level detection regions 59 is small, a simple apparatus can be obtained. When the number of the liquid level detection regions 59 is large, the distribution of the progress of the solidified state can be accurately detected.

(Modification 13)
In the first embodiment, the liquid level detection region 59 is arranged around the substrate 15. However, the liquid level detection region 59 is not limited to this and may be arranged at a place other than the periphery such as the center of the substrate 15. By disposing the liquid level detection region 59 in a place where the distribution of the flow velocity 116 is different, it is possible to control the drying conditions in each place and form a film with little film thickness unevenness.

(Modification 14)
In the first embodiment, the liquid level detection region 59 is arranged on the substrate 15 on the moving table 12. However, the liquid level detection region 59 is not limited to this and may be arranged in various places such as the inner wall of the drying chamber 3. Since the drying conditions can be controlled in consideration of the state of each place, a film with little film thickness unevenness can be formed.

(Modification 15)
In the first embodiment, the flow rate of the drying chamber 3 is increased from the initial speed 117a to the second speed 117c, but the present invention is not limited to this. The initial speed 117a may have a high flow rate 116 and the second speed 117c may be low. Switching may be performed in accordance with the properties of the liquid material 62.

(Modification 16)
In the first embodiment, the pressure gauge 33 and the velocimeter 34 are arranged inside the drying chamber 3, but a thermometer may be added. And according to a solidification state, you may control the temperature of the airflow which flows through the inside of the drying chamber 3. FIG. Since the drying speed can be changed depending on the temperature, it can be solidified with high productivity.

(Modification 17)
In the first embodiment, the air pressure in the drying chamber 3 is reduced to form a flow of airflow, and drying is performed. However, either one of the method of reducing pressure or the method of utilizing the flow of airflow may be used. It is preferable to select according to the property of the liquid 62 to be solidified. A film with little film thickness unevenness can be formed.

(Modification 18)
In the first embodiment, the pressure in the drying chamber 3 is reduced to form a stream of airflow, and drying is performed. However, the temperature in the drying chamber 3 may be increased to dry. The method of arranging the heater can be a simpler apparatus than the method of forming the reduced pressure and the air flow.

1A is a schematic side cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of a drying apparatus, and FIG. The schematic cross section which shows the structure of a liquid level detection apparatus. (A) is a schematic plan view explaining the measurement place of a board | substrate, (b) is a schematic plan view explaining a liquid level detection area | region, (c) is a schematic cross section explaining a liquid level detection area | region. The figure explaining the behavior of the light irradiated to a liquid. The figure explaining the relationship between the shape of a liquid material and the light quantity of reflected light. The electric control block diagram of a drying apparatus. The flowchart which shows the manufacturing process which forms a film | membrane. The figure explaining the manufacturing method which forms a film | membrane. (A) is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of light received by the second detector and the measurement interval, (b) is a graph showing the transition of the amount of light received by the second detector, and (c) is in the detector. The graph which shows transition of a measurement interval. (A) is a graph which shows transition of the light quantity data which a 2nd detection part measures, (b) is a graph which shows the correction amount of the wind speed with respect to the difference with average light quantity. (A) is a graph which shows transition of the light quantity which a 1st detection part receives, (b) is a graph which shows transition of the flow velocity in a drying chamber. The graph which shows transition of the time required for drying. (A) is a schematic plan view explaining a liquid level detection area | region, (b) is a schematic cross section explaining a liquid level detection area | region regarding 2nd Embodiment. According to the third embodiment, (a) is a schematic plan view showing a structure of a drying apparatus, (b) is a schematic plan view for explaining a measurement location of a substrate, and (c) is a liquid level detection region. The schematic plan view to explain. FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing the structure of a drying apparatus according to a fourth embodiment, and FIG. According to the fifth embodiment, (a) is a graph showing a change in the amount of light detected by the first detector, (b) is a graph showing a change in the amount of light detected by the second detector, and (c) is a drying chamber. The graph which shows transition of the flow velocity of. (A) is a graph which shows transition of the light quantity which a 1st detection part detects, FIG.16 (b) is a graph which shows transition of the light quantity which a 2nd detection part detects. The schematic exploded perspective view which shows the structure of the organic electroluminescent apparatus concerning 6th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Drying device, 3 ... Drying chamber, 15 ... Board | substrate, 32 ... Exhaust device as a ventilation part and pressure reduction part, 37 ... Irradiation part, 38 ... 1st detection part as a detection part, 39 ... 2nd as a detection part Detection unit, 40 ... light, 60 ... partition wall part, 61 ... application region, 62 ... liquid, 67 ... light quantity, 88 ... solidification condition adjustment unit, 92 ... solidification judgment unit, 116 ... flow velocity, 121 ... maintenance judgment as threshold Threshold, 132, 134... Solidification determination threshold as a threshold.

Claims (23)

A drying method for solidifying a liquid applied to a substrate to form a film,
A partition wall forming step of forming a partition wall on the substrate;
An application step of applying the liquid material to an application region surrounded by the partition;
A solidifying step of drying and solidifying the applied liquid material,
In the solidification step, the liquid body is irradiated with light from an oblique direction to detect the amount of reflected light from the liquid body, and the solid state of the liquid body is determined using the amount of reflected light. And a solidifying judgment step. The drying method according to claim 1,
In the detection step, the specularly reflected light from the reflected light from the liquid material is detected,
In the solidification determining step, the solidification state is determined by using a changing point when the light amount increases and then decreases. The drying method according to claim 1,
In the detection step, at least a part of light other than specularly reflected light is detected from the reflected light from the liquid,
In the solidification determining step, the solidification state is determined using the amount of the reflected light. The drying method according to claim 2,
In the detection step, in addition to detecting the specularly reflected light,
Detecting at least part of the reflected light from the liquid other than the specularly reflected light,
In the solidification determining step, the solidification state is determined using the light amount of the specularly reflected light and the light amount of light other than the specularly reflected light. The drying method according to claim 1,
In the partition forming step, a plurality of the application regions are formed,
In the application step, different amounts of the liquid material are applied to a plurality of the application regions,
In the detection step, the amount of the reflected light in the plurality of application areas is detected,
In the solidification determining step, the solidification state of the liquid material is determined using a plurality of light amounts of the reflected light. The drying method according to claim 5,
The drying method, wherein the application areas where different amounts of the liquid material are applied are mixedly arranged. The drying method according to claim 5,
A drying method, wherein a larger amount of the liquid material is applied to the outer application region than to the inner side of the plurality of application regions. The drying method according to claim 5,
The drying method, wherein an area of the coating region and a height of the partition wall are formed substantially the same in at least a part of the coating region among the plurality of coating regions. A drying method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The solidification step includes a solidification condition adjustment step,
In the solidification condition adjustment step, according to the solidification state determined in the solidification determination step,
A drying method comprising adjusting at least one of a speed of an airflow flowing around the liquid material and an atmospheric pressure around the liquid material. A drying method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The drying method according to claim 1, wherein the solidification determining step performs a determination to end the solidifying step. A drying method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
In the solidification step, the time for the liquid to solidify is measured,
A drying method comprising a maintenance necessity judgment step of judging maintenance using the time during which the liquid material solidifies. The drying method according to claim 1,
In the detecting step, the light applied to the liquid material is intermittently irradiated. The drying method according to claim 1,
In the solidification step, an air flow is formed around the liquid material,
In the detecting step, the coating region located at a place where the flow velocity of the air current is fast is irradiated with light, and the amount of the reflected light from the liquid material is detected. The drying method according to claim 1,
In the solidification step, an air flow is formed around the liquid material,
The solidification step includes a solidification condition adjustment step,
In the detection step, a plurality of the application areas are irradiated with light, and the amount of the reflected light from the liquid material is detected,
In the solidification determination step, determine the solidification state in the plurality of application areas,
In the solidification condition adjustment step, according to the solidification state determined in the solidification determination step,
A drying method comprising adjusting a speed distribution of a plurality of the application regions. The drying method according to claim 1,
In the detection step, the specularly reflected light from the reflected light from the liquid material is detected,
In the solidification determining step, the solidification state is determined by comparing the light amount with a threshold value. A drying apparatus that solidifies and forms a film by drying a liquid applied to an application region of a substrate,
An irradiation unit for irradiating the liquid with light from an oblique direction;
A detection unit for detecting the amount of reflected light from the liquid,
A drying apparatus comprising: a solidification determining unit that determines a solidified state of the liquid using the light amount of the reflected light. The drying apparatus according to claim 16, wherein
The irradiation unit irradiates light traveling in substantially parallel,
The detection unit detects specularly reflected light from the reflected light from the liquid,
The solidification determination unit determines a solidification state using a change point when the light amount increases and then decreases. The drying apparatus according to claim 16, wherein
The detection unit detects at least a part of light other than specularly reflected light among the reflected light from the liquid material,
The drying apparatus, wherein the solidification determining unit determines a solidified state using a light amount. 18. A drying device according to claim 17,
In addition to detecting the specularly reflected light, the detection unit,
Detecting at least part of the reflected light from the liquid other than the specularly reflected light,
The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solidification determination unit determines a solidified state using the light amount of the specularly reflected light and the light amount of light other than the specularly reflected light. The drying device according to any one of claims 16 to 19,
An air blower that forms an airflow around the application region;
A solidification condition adjusting unit that controls the air blowing unit to adjust the speed of the airflow;
According to the solidification state determined by the solidification determination unit, the solidification condition adjustment unit,
A drying apparatus that adjusts a speed of the airflow that flows around the liquid material. The drying device according to any one of claims 16 to 19,
A drying chamber in which the substrate is disposed;
A decompression section for reducing the pressure in the drying chamber;
A solidification condition adjusting unit that controls the pressure reducing unit to adjust the atmospheric pressure,
According to the solidification state determined by the solidification determination unit, the solidification condition adjustment unit,
A drying apparatus that adjusts the atmospheric pressure in the drying chamber. The drying apparatus according to claim 16, wherein
The irradiation unit irradiates light from an oblique direction with respect to a liquid material applied to a place different from the substrate,
The said detection part detects the light quantity of the said reflected light from the said liquid body apply | coated to the place different from the said board | substrate, The drying apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The drying device according to claim 16 or 21,
The drying device, wherein the detection unit includes a plurality of light detection elements arranged in a wide range.

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