JP2015079587A - Sealing apparatus, sealing method, and functional material device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealing apparatus which makes possible to manufacture a functional material device of a three-dimensional panel form having a functional material thin-film layer with air removed therefrom.SOLUTION: A sealing apparatus A for sealing the surface of a molded substrate of a three-dimensional form having a functional material thin-film layer in a vacuum chamber comprises a stage 2 having a jig 5 fixed thereon for setting a molded substrate in the vacuum chamber. The sealing apparatus A also includes; a holding unit 20 having an elasticity sheet 22 for holding a sealing substrate disposed to cover an upper surface of the vacuum chamber; and a sealing unit 30 having an elastic diaphragm 31, which are disposed in the vacuum chamber to be movable in a vertical direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device that enables a sealing substrate to be surface-bonded onto a molded substrate having a three-dimensional shape including a thin film layer of a functional material such as a light emitting functional material, a photoelectric conversion functional material, and a conductive functional material. The present invention relates to a method and a functional material device formed by the sealing method.

  In recent years, a thin film layer of a functional material is formed on a molded substrate, and as a functional material device encapsulating this, development of, for example, an organic EL display, an organic EL light emitting panel, a dye-sensitized solar cell, or an organic thin film solar cell is remarkable. In particular, the organic EL display does not have the phenomenon that the gradation changes depending on the viewing direction as in a liquid crystal display, and has a feature that the contrast is low and the viewing angle is as close as 180 degrees. The organic EL light-emitting panel emits light by excitons generated by recombination of electrons and holes injected into an organic compound, and is expected as a next-generation lighting technology similar to LED lighting. The battery is expected to be smaller and lighter.

  By the way, organic EL materials are susceptible to degradation reactions such as oxidation reaction and hydrolysis reaction due to oxygen and moisture in the air, and thus have a drawback of short emission life. Therefore, air is completely excluded from the thin film layer of the organic EL material, and a moisture barrier layer is formed when a synthetic resin substrate is employed. Therefore, when manufacturing an organic EL light emitting panel, the applicant of the present application proposes a sealing device for bonding a pair of upper and lower substrates in a vacuum chamber so that no air remains in the thin film layer of the organic EL material. (See Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2012-168386 A JP 2012-230255 A

  The sealing device disclosed in the above patent document seals an organic EL material between glass substrates, and adhesion between the substrates is performed by irradiating an ultraviolet curable sealing material by irradiating ultraviolet rays. Such an apparatus enables automatic production with improved productivity even for a large organic EL light-emitting panel.

  On the other hand, in the organic EL light emitting panel, since the deterioration reaction due to air is remarkable as described above, it is necessary to completely exclude air and prevent air from entering even after the molding is completed. Further, when there is an error in the degree of adhesion between the substrates, there is a problem that temperature unevenness or current unevenness occurs depending on the position, thereby causing brightness unevenness.

  Since the organic EL light-emitting panel includes such a problem, when it is enlarged, dot defects are generated, the homogeneity of light emission cannot be improved, the yield is deteriorated, and it is difficult to cope with the increase in size and price. Further, when a glass substrate is employed, it is possible to increase the size to some extent, but there is a problem in that the weight increases proportionally and hinders weight reduction.

  Further, a display panel or a light emitting panel on which a conventional functional material thin film layer is formed is simply a flat panel, and it is difficult to form it into a three-dimensional shape. This can be thought of as post-processing by pressure molding with heating to form a flat panel into a desired shape, for example, a dome shape or a tray-shaped panel with curved sides, Due to the external force applied to the molded substrate and the sealing substrate, delamination occurs, causing problems such as uneven brightness, or the inability to maintain a stable and uniform shape due to internal stress remaining in the molded part.

  However, a display panel or a light-emitting panel is not a simple flat panel having an inorganic shape, but has a three-dimensional shape. This is because, for example, when a light emitting panel is molded, if it is a dome shape, the decorativeness can be further improved, and an improvement in rigidity can be expected.

  The present invention has been made to meet such demands, and it is possible to manufacture a functional material device having a three-dimensional shape that is sealed by excluding air from the functional material thin film layer using a synthetic resin molded substrate. The purpose is to do so.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above problems by means described below. That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a sealing device that seals the surface of a three-dimensional shaped molded substrate having a functional material thin film layer in a vacuum chamber, and the molded substrate is placed in the vacuum chamber. A holding unit including an elastic sheet for holding a sealing substrate disposed in a state of covering the opening on the upper surface of the vacuum chamber, and a sealing unit including an elastic diaphragm. A stop unit is arranged on the vacuum chamber so as to be movable up and down.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, a heating means is provided inside the sealing unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, a heating means is provided on the back surface of the vacuum chamber jig.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, the cooling means is provided on the top plate surface of the sealing unit.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, an electrostatic chuck sheet is provided on the surface of the vacuum chamber jig.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, an electrostatic chuck sheet is provided on the back surface of the elastic sheet of the holding unit.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, an adhesive is applied to the back surface of the elastic sheet of the holding unit.

  According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the sealing device according to the seventh aspect, the adhesive is made conductive.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, the holding unit can be attached to and detached from the sealing unit.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first aspect, an alignment camera is provided for adjusting the alignment between the molded substrate and the sealing substrate.

  The invention according to claim 11 is a sealing method for sealing the surface of a three-dimensional molded substrate provided with a functional material thin film layer in a vacuum chamber, and the molded substrate is mounted on a jig of a stage of the vacuum chamber. A step of holding the molded substrate on the jig, a step of loading the sealing substrate under the holding unit disposed in the sealing unit, and holding the sealing substrate with an elastic sheet, A step of simultaneously lowering the holding unit holding the sealing substrate in the process and the sealing unit to form an airtight state between the vacuum chamber and a step of exhausting air in the vacuum chamber to form a vacuum state And a step of supplying air into the sealing unit, extending the elastic sheet together with the elastic diaphragm, and pressing the sealing substrate in surface contact with the molded substrate.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the sealing method according to the eleventh aspect includes a step of heating the sealing substrate by the heating means of the sealing unit.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the sealing method according to the eleventh aspect includes a step of heating the molded substrate by a heating means of a jig on the stage of the vacuum chamber.

  According to the invention described in claim 14, in the sealing method according to claim 11, the method includes the step of adjusting the alignment between the molded substrate and the sealing substrate.

  The invention according to claim 15 is a functional material device molded by the sealing method according to claim 11.

  According to the present invention, since the sealing substrate is surface-bonded in a vacuum to the surface of the molded substrate having the functional material thin film layer preformed in a three-dimensional shape, air is completely removed from the functional material thin film layer. It is possible to manufacture functional material devices with the excluded three-dimensional shape.

It is sectional drawing which shows the basic composition of this invention sealing device. It is a perspective view which shows the basic composition of this invention sealing device. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the holding | maintenance unit of this invention sealing device. It is a perspective view which shows the other structure of the holding | maintenance unit of this invention sealing device. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the empty housing | casing of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the empty housing | casing of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the empty housing | casing of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the structure of the air supply / exhaust circuit of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the shaping | molding board | substrate shape | molded with this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the sealing substrate shape | molded with this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device. It is a figure explaining the operation | movement aspect of this invention sealing device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on examples based on the premise of forming an organic EL light emitting panel for sealing a functional material thin film layer. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a basic configuration of a sealing device A of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof. In each of the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes an empty casing whose inside is a vacuum chamber CH1, an opening 1a is formed on the upper surface, and a loading window 1b for loading the molded substrate W1 is formed on the side surface. Air supply and exhaust pipes P1 and P2 are disposed.

  A stage 2 containing a mechanism that can be finely moved in the X direction, Y direction, and θ direction is disposed on a pedestal 3 in the center of the vacant casing 1. 1 is fixed to the bottom surface. The stage 2 has a bottomed concave bay shape having a standing wall 2a on the outer periphery, and an inclined surface 2a-1 for supporting an elastic sheet 22 and an elastic diaphragm 31 described later is formed on the standing wall 2a. Furthermore, a jig 5 for supporting a preformed three-dimensional shaped substrate W1 is disposed at the center of the stage 2. The jig 5 can be attached to or detached from the stage 2 by a fastening means such as a bolt, so that the irregularly shaped jig can be replaced.

  A transparent electrostatic chuck sheet 6 is stretched on the surface of the jig 5, and an electric heater 7 is disposed on the bottom surface. A vent hole 8 for exhaust passing through the jig 5, the electric heater 7, the stage 2, and the pedestal 3 and a see-through hole 9 for securing the field of view of the alignment camera 10 through the see-through plate 11 are formed. . Further, below the bottom surface of the vacant housing 1, in order to carry out the completed organic EL panel C, support rods 12 a that support four diagonal positions of the functional material device C from the lower surface are provided on the stage 2. A fluid pressure cylinder 12 for moving up and down in the hole 2b is arranged and fixed.

  Next, on the upper surface of the vacant housing 1, a holding unit 20 disposed so as to cover the opening and a sealing unit 30 covering the upper surface of the holding unit 20 are arranged. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the holding unit 20 has an elastic sheet 22 side end portion that is elastically deformed fixedly stretched to a frame body 21 having a shape that matches the outer shape of the vacant housing 1. The elastic sheet 22 is preferably a tough and breathable material such as a screen mesh used in the printing technology field. Further, the elastic sheet 22 is tensioned to the frame body 21, and the tension is set according to the shape of the molded product.

  At the center of the elastic sheet 22, an electrostatic chuck sheet 23 having a size corresponding to the sealing range of the organic thin film layer of the molded substrate W1 is stretched. The electrostatic chuck sheet 23 stretched in this way is flexible and includes transparent or translucent metal electrodes 23a, 23b made of copper, nickel ITO, silver nanoparticles, carbon nanoparticles, or the like. The metal electrodes 23a and 23b are formed so as to have a comb-teeth shape. When a direct current is applied from the end portions 23c and 23d of the metal electrodes 23a and 23b, static electricity is generated on the surface, and the electrostatic chuck of the sealing substrate It is made possible. The electrostatic chuck sheet 6 of the stage 2 has basically the same configuration as the electrostatic chuck sheet 23.

  In the above example, the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 is disposed on the elastic sheet 22. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the adhesive 24 is formed by a comb-like stripe pattern or a dot pattern as shown in the figure. You may make it apply | coat. In this case, it is desirable to apply a rough surface treatment to the application position of the adhesive 24 on the elastic sheet 22 so that the fixing of the adhesive 24 is stabilized. In addition, when the adhesive 24 is made of a conductive material and is energized in the same manner as the electrostatic chuck sheet 23, an electrostatic chuck function can be provided.

  Screw holes 21a are formed at a plurality of locations in the frame body 21 of the holding unit 20, and the frame body 21 can be attached to and detached from the flange of the opening portion of the sealing unit 30 by screwing. The holding unit 20 having the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 having a different shape can be exchanged so that the production of organic EL light emitting panels having different sizes and shapes can be handled, and cleaning maintenance can also be handled. Further, since the hermetic seal 25 is disposed on the entire periphery of the end portion of the frame body 11, airtightness between the frame body 11 and the flange of the vacant housing 1 can be ensured.

  Next, the configuration of the sealing unit 30 will be described. The inside of the opening of the lower surface of the sealing unit 30 is a vacant chamber, and the vacant chamber is configured as a pressurizing chamber CH2. A side end portion of the elastic diaphragm 31 made of synthetic rubber or the like that is elastically deformed is fixed to the flange portion 30 a on the outer periphery of the sealing unit 30. The elastic diaphragm 31 is preferably thicker than the elastic sheet 22 and has a heat storage effect.

  A cooling plate 32 is fixed to the top plate surface in the pressurizing chamber CH2, and the cooling water is circulated through the water passages 33 formed so as to meander through the inside through the water supply / drainage pipes P3 and P4. Heat transmitted from the electric heater 35 is absorbed to prevent the sealing unit 30 from generating heat. The electric heater 35 is provided with a diaphragm fixing plate 36 that covers the entire surface of the electric heater 35. Heat generated by the electric heater 35 is transmitted to the elastic diaphragm 31 through the diaphragm fixing plate 36.

  An air supply / exhaust pipe P5 to which pressurized air is supplied is disposed at the center of the sealing unit 30. The air discharge port faces the surface of the elastic diaphragm 31, and the supplied pressure is supplied. The elastic diaphragm 31 and the elastic sheet 22 are extended downward by air.

  When the sealing unit 30 configured in this way is integrated with the holding unit 20 by screwing, the frame of the holding unit 20 is provided by an airtight seal 37 disposed around the end of the flange portion of the sealing unit 30. The airtightness with the body 21 is maintained. The integrated holding unit 20 and sealing unit 30 are configured to be lifted and lowered by a lifting device (not shown). When the holding unit 20 and the sealing unit 30 are lowered, the hermetic seal 24 of the frame 21 of the holding unit 20 is closed. When the airtightness of the vacuum chamber CH1 is maintained by being in close contact with the flange of the body 1 and is raised, the completed organic EL light emitting panel C can be carried out.

  The sealing device A of the present invention is configured as described above. However, in order to achieve automation of the device, it is necessary to provide an opening / closing window for carrying the molded substrate W1 into the empty housing 1. FIG. 5 shows an example of such a configuration. As shown in FIG. 5, an opening / closing door 40 covering the entire surface of the carry-in window 1b is arranged so that the power is transmitted by the gear mechanism of the elevating device 41 so as to move up and down. Yes.

  On the other hand, a fluid pressure tube 42 is disposed on the entire circumference of the flange portion of the carry-in window 1b. When the open / close door 40 is lowered as shown in FIG. 6, the fluid in the fluid pressure tube 42 is sucked. To avoid contact with the door 40. When the carry-in window 1b is thus opened, the molded substrate W1 can be carried in by the robot arm as shown in FIG. Then, when the molded substrate W1 has been carried in, the door 40 is raised as shown in FIG. 7, and a pressurized fluid is injected into the fluid pressure tube 42 to be expanded so that an airtight state is obtained.

  Next, the configuration of the air supply / exhaust circuit of the sealing device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the exhaust pipes P1 and P2 connected to the vacant casing 1 are connected to the atmosphere via a valve 50a, and are connected to a vacuum pump 51 via valves 50b and 50c. The valve 50c is a valve for adjusting the vacuum pressure, and is provided for controlling the ultimate vacuum pressure after exhaust. On the other hand, the top plate of the sealing unit 30 is connected to the water supply / drainage pipes P3 and P4 of the cooling water W and the air supply pipe P5, and pressurized air is supplied from the pressure pump 52 into the pressure chamber CH2. To be.

  The sealing device A of the present invention is configured as described above, and the processing steps until the molded substrate W1 and the sealing substrate W2 are carried into the device and the organic EL light-emitting panel C having the cell structure is completed. However, since the molded substrate W1 and the sealing substrate W2 must be prepared in advance, first, the molding process of the preformed molded substrate W1 and the sealing substrate W2 is performed. Is described below.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the organic thin film layer W1a is formed in the light emission range where the electrode on the upper surface of the molded substrate W1 is formed, and the sealing material W1b is applied to the outer periphery thereof. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, a transparent adhesive W2a is applied to the lower surface of the sealing substrate W2 by a dispenser so as to have a tree shape, for example. Alignment marks W1c, W1d, W2b, and W2c are provided at fixed positions of the molded substrate W1 and the sealing substrate W2. In addition, when the optical adhesive film is employ | adopted for the sealing film, the application | coating process of transparent adhesive W2a can be abbreviate | omitted.

  The molded substrate W1 and the sealing substrate W2 preformed as described above are carried into the sealing device A in the carry-in standby state shown in FIG. That is, as shown in the figure, the holding unit 20 and the sealing unit 30 are both lifted by the lifting device, and a space is formed between the empty housing 1 and the holding unit 20.

  In this state, the end of the molded substrate W1 is supported by the robot arm from the open loading window 1b of the vacant housing 1 as shown in FIG. 6, and the interior of the vacant housing 1 is shown in FIG. Then, the molded substrate W1 is electrostatically chucked by being placed on the jig 5 and starting energization of the electrostatic chuck sheet 6.

  On the other hand, the sealing substrate W2 is similarly supported by the robot arm and carried under the holding unit 20, brought into surface contact with the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 as shown in FIG. 12, and energization of the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 is started. As a result, the sealing substrate W2 is electrostatically chucked.

  When the molded substrate W1 and the sealing substrate W2 are electrostatically chucked in this manner, the holding unit 20 and the sealing unit 30 are both lowered by the lifting device as shown in FIG. An airtight state of the vacuum chamber CH1 is obtained by closely contacting the flange of the empty housing 1. When this state is reached, the alignment camera W detects the alignment marks W1c, W1d of the molded substrate W1 and the alignment marks W2b, W2c of the sealing substrate W2, and if there is an error, the stage 2 is finely moved to align both substrates. To do.

  Next, when the airtight state of the vacuum chambers CH1 and CH2 is obtained, the pressure pump 52 is driven in the exhaust direction in the state shown in FIG. 13 to evacuate the vacuum chamber CH2, and the inside of the vacuum chamber CH2 is evacuated. Thus, the elastic diaphragm 31 is prevented from being sucked downward when the vacuum chamber CH1 is evacuated in a subsequent process.

  When the evacuation of the vacuum chamber CH2 is completed, the air supply / exhaust circuit shown in FIG. 8 is activated. At this time, the valve 50a is closed and the valve 50b is opened to start driving the vacuum pump 51, as shown in FIG. In addition, a vacuum state (for example, about 1 Pascal) necessary for molding arbitrarily determined by the valve 50c is obtained in the vacuum chamber CH1 by evacuating the exhaust pipes P1 and P2. Since this evacuation is performed also through the elastic sheet 22 having air permeability, the air staying on the elastic sheet 22 is also exhausted at the same time.

  When the evacuation of the vacuum chambers CH1 and CH2 is completed in this way, the inside of the apparatus becomes a static pressure state, and the pressurizing pump 52 is driven in the air feeding direction so that the pressurized air is fed into the vacuum chamber CH2 from the air feeding / exhausting pipe P5. To be supplied. Then, the pressure inside the vacuum chamber CH2 gradually increases due to the supplied pressurized air, and the elastic sheet 22 and the elastic diaphragm 31 are extended into a shape corresponding to the molded substrate W1, as shown in FIG. The two substrates are bonded together by pressing against the molded substrate W1.

  In the above process, the elastic diaphragm 31 stores the heat from the diaphragm fixing plate 36 heated by the electric heater 35 until the pressurizing process is started, thereby softening the sealing substrate W2 and without resistance. It can be made to have a shape that conforms to the outer shape of the molded substrate W1, so that no internal stress is latent after the molding is completed. A synergistic effect can be obtained by heating the jig 5 with the electric heater 7. The heating by the electric heaters 7 and 35 determines the heating temperature in consideration of the material, thickness, etc. of the sealing substrate W2. Moreover, by providing such a heat treatment function, a thermosetting material can be employed for the molded substrate W1 sealing substrate W2.

  When the bonding of the sealing substrate W2 to the molded substrate W1 is completed by the above process, the energization of the electrostatic chuck sheet 6 is maintained, the energization of the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 is interrupted, and the electrostatic chuck is released. Then, the closed valve 50a is opened to release the vacuum state inside the vacuum chamber CH1, and the pressurized state inside the pressure chamber CH2 is released. As a result, the elastic sheet 22 and the elastic diaphragm 31 that have been extended return to the initial state as shown in FIG. Note that the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 is released from the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 to release the electrostatic chuck sheet 23 from the sealing substrate W2, but the holding unit shown in FIG. When 20 is employed, the adhesive 24 is peeled off from the sealing substrate W2 by the restoring force of the elastic sheet 22 and the elastic diaphragm 31.

  When the organic EL light emitting panel C is completed in this way, as shown in FIG. 17, the holding unit 20 and the sealing unit 30 are both lifted by the lifting device, and the energization to the electrostatic chuck sheet 6 is interrupted. As shown in the figure, the fluid pressure cylinder 12 is operated, and the support rod 12a enables the organic EL light emitting panel C to be carried out by the robot arm.

  As described above in detail, according to the sealing device of the present invention, since it is possible to form a functional material device having a three-dimensional shape in which air is completely eliminated in a vacuum, it is suitable for forming an organic EL light emitting panel. However, it is also possible to mold an organic thin film solar cell or other functional material thin film layer to mold a functional material device, and without considering that it is in a vacuum like a matrix touch panel It can also cope with a good panel bonding process.

A: Sealing device C: Organic EL light-emitting panel (functional material device)
CH1 ... Vacuum chamber CH2 ... Pressure chamber W1 ... Molded substrate W2 ... Sealing substrate 1 ... Vacant housing 2 ... Stage 3 ...・ Pedestal 4 ... Staff 5 ... Jig 6 ... Electrostatic chuck sheet 7 ... Electric heater 8 ... Vent 9 ... See through Hole 10 ... Alignment camera 11 ... Perspective plate 12 ... Fluid pressure cylinder 20 ... Holding unit 21 ... Frame body 22 ... Elastic sheet 23 ... Static Electric chuck sheet 25 ... Airtight seal 30 ... Sealing unit 31 ... Elastic diaphragm 32 ... Cooling panel 33 ... Water passage 34 ... Heat insulation material 35 ...・ Electric heater 36 ・ ・ ・ ・ Diaphragm fixing plate 40 ・ ・ ・ ・ Open / close door 4 .... lifting device 42 ... hydraulic tube 50a · · · valve 50b · · · valve 50c · · · valves 51 .... vacuum pump 52 .... pressure pump

Claims (15)

It is a sealing device that seals the surface of a three-dimensional molded substrate provided with a functional material thin film layer in a vacuum chamber,
The vacuum chamber includes a stage on which a jig for mounting the molded substrate is fixed, and an elastic sheet that holds a sealing substrate disposed in a state of covering the opening on the upper surface of the vacuum chamber. A sealing device comprising a sealing unit having a holding unit and an elastic diaphragm arranged on a vacuum chamber so as to be movable up and down.   The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein heating means is provided inside the sealing unit.   The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein a heating unit is provided on a back surface of the jig of the vacuum chamber.   The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein cooling means is provided on a top plate surface of the sealing unit.   The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein an electrostatic chuck sheet is provided on a surface of the vacuum chamber jig.   The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein an electrostatic chuck sheet is provided on a back surface of the elastic sheet of the holding unit.   The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive is applied to a back surface of the elastic sheet of the holding unit.   The sealing device according to claim 7, wherein the adhesive material is conductive.   The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit is detachable from the sealing unit.   The sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment camera for adjusting alignment between the molded substrate and the sealing substrate. It is a sealing method for sealing the surface of a three-dimensional molded substrate provided with a functional material thin film layer in a vacuum chamber,
Carrying the molded substrate into a jig on the stage of the vacuum chamber, and holding the molded substrate on the jig;
Carrying the sealing substrate under the holding unit disposed in the sealing unit, and holding the sealing substrate with an elastic sheet;
A step of simultaneously lowering the holding unit holding the sealing substrate by the step and the sealing unit to form an airtight state between the vacuum chamber; and
Evacuating the air in the vacuum chamber to form a vacuum state;
Supplying air into the sealing unit to extend the elastic sheet together with the elastic diaphragm, and pressing the sealing substrate in surface contact with the molded substrate;
A sealing method comprising:   The sealing method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of heating the sealing substrate by a heating unit of the sealing unit.   The sealing method according to claim 11, further comprising a step of heating the molded substrate by a heating means of a jig of the stage of the vacuum chamber.   The sealing method according to claim 11, comprising a step of adjusting alignment between the molded substrate and the sealing substrate.   A functional material device formed by the sealing method according to claim 11.

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