JP5743005B2 - Manufacturing method of display element - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a display element.

  As a display element constituting a display device such as a display device, for example, an organic electroluminescence (organic EL) element is known. The organic EL element has an anode and a cathode on a substrate and an organic light emitting layer sandwiched between the anode and the cathode. In the organic EL element, holes are injected from an anode into an organic light emitting layer to combine holes and electrons in the organic light emitting layer, and display light can be obtained by emitted light at the time of the combination. In the organic EL element, an electric circuit connected to, for example, an anode and a cathode is formed on a substrate.

  As one of methods for producing an organic EL element, for example, a method called a roll-to-roll method (hereinafter simply referred to as “roll method”) is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the roll method, a single sheet-like substrate wound around a substrate supply side roller is sent out, and the substrate is transported while being wound up by a substrate recovery side roller. In the processing apparatus, a light emitting layer, an anode, a cathode, an electric circuit, and the like constituting an organic EL element are sequentially formed on a substrate in a processing apparatus.

  In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, for example, a substrate feeding roller and a substrate winding roller are detachable from the processing apparatus. The removed roller is conveyed to, for example, another processing apparatus, and can be used by being attached to the other processing apparatus.

International Publication No. 2006/100868 Pamphlet

  However, it is difficult to determine to what extent processing is performed on, for example, a substrate wound up by a roller with a configuration in which the processing device is simply detachable as described above. For this reason, it is necessary to check the substrate by some means every time the roller is attached, which is troublesome.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, the present invention provides a substrate cartridge, a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing method, a control apparatus, and a display element manufacturing method that enable efficient processing on a substrate. The purpose is to provide.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cartridge main body that stores the substrate, the information holding unit that holds at least one of the identification information for identifying the cartridge main body and the processing information of the substrate stored in the cartridge main body, A substrate cartridge is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes a substrate processing unit that processes a substrate, a substrate carry-in unit that carries a substrate into the substrate processing unit, and a substrate carry-out unit that carries out the substrate from the substrate processing unit. A substrate processing apparatus in which the substrate cartridge of the present invention is used as at least one of the substrate carry-in portion and the substrate carry-out portion is provided.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, the substrate cartridge of the present invention connected to the substrate processing apparatus, and information received from the information holding unit of the substrate cartridge, A substrate processing system is provided that includes a main controller that controls the substrate processing apparatus based on the information.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method for processing a substrate while supplying the substrate and collecting the processed substrate, wherein the substrate supply and substrate are performed using the substrate cartridge of the present invention. There is provided a substrate processing method for performing at least one of the recovery operations and processing the substrate using information obtained through the substrate cartridge.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device comprising a main control unit for controlling a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate and the substrate cartridge of the present invention connected to the substrate processing apparatus.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a step of processing a substrate in the substrate processing unit, and a step of supplying a substrate to the substrate processing unit or collecting a substrate from the substrate processing unit using the substrate cartridge of the present invention. , A method for manufacturing a display element is provided.

  According to the present invention, efficient processing can be performed on a substrate.

1 is a configuration diagram of an organic EL element according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the board | substrate process part which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the droplet application apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of the board | substrate cartridge which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a substrate cartridge according to the embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of a part of sheet substrate which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the accommodation operation | movement of the board | substrate cartridge which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the accommodation operation | movement of the board | substrate cartridge which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the connection operation | movement of the board | substrate cartridge which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the connection operation | movement of the board | substrate cartridge which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the process of the partition formation of the substrate processing part which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the shape and arrangement | positioning of the partition formed in the sheet | seat board | substrate which concerns on this embodiment. Sectional drawing of the partition formed in the sheet | seat board | substrate which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the application | coating operation | movement of the droplet which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the thin film formed between the partition walls concerning this embodiment. The figure which shows the process of forming a gate insulating layer in the sheet | seat board | substrate which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the process of cut | disconnecting the wiring of the sheet | seat board | substrate which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the process of forming a thin film in the source-drain formation area concerning this embodiment. The figure which shows the process of forming the organic-semiconductor layer concerning this embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the alignment which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the removal operation | movement of the board | substrate cartridge which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure explaining collection | recovery operation | movement of the sheet | seat board | substrate FB which concerns on this embodiment. The figure explaining collection | recovery operation | movement of the sheet | seat board | substrate FB which concerns on this embodiment. The figure explaining collection | recovery operation | movement of the sheet | seat board | substrate FB which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the substrate processing system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the process information which concerns on this embodiment.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Organic EL device)
FIG. 1A is a plan view showing the configuration of the organic EL element. FIG.1 (b) is bb sectional drawing in Fig.1 (a). FIG.1 (c) is cc sectional drawing in Fig.1 (a).

  As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the organic EL element 50 includes a sheet substrate FB on which a gate electrode G and a gate insulating layer I are formed, and a source electrode S, a drain electrode D, and a pixel electrode P. After the formation, the bottom contact type in which the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, a gate insulating layer I is formed on the gate electrode G. A source electrode S of the source bus line SBL is formed on the gate insulating layer I, and a drain electrode D connected to the pixel electrode P is formed. An organic semiconductor layer OS is formed between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D. This completes the field effect transistor. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the light emitting layer IR is formed on the pixel electrode P, and the transparent electrode ITO is formed on the light emitting layer IR.

  As shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C, for example, a partition BA (bank layer) is formed on the sheet substrate FB. As shown in FIG. 1C, source bus lines SBL are formed between the barrier ribs BA. Thus, the presence of the partition BA allows the source bus line SBL to be formed with high accuracy, and the pixel electrode P and the light emitting layer IR to be accurately formed. Although not shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the gate bus line GBL is also formed between the partition walls BA in the same manner as the source bus line SBL.

  This organic EL element 50 is suitably used for a display device such as a display device and a display unit of an electronic device. In this case, for example, an organic EL element 50 formed in a panel shape is used. In manufacturing such an organic EL element 50, it is necessary to form a substrate on which a thin film transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode are formed. In order to accurately form one or more organic compound layers (light-emitting element layers) including a light-emitting layer on the pixel electrode on the substrate, a partition BA (bank layer) is easily and accurately formed in the boundary region of the pixel electrode. It is desirable.

(Substrate processing equipment)
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 that performs processing using a flexible sheet substrate FB.
The substrate processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus that forms the organic EL element 50 shown in FIG. 1 using a strip-shaped sheet substrate FB. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate supply unit 101, a substrate processing unit 102, a substrate collection unit 103, and a control unit 104. The sheet substrate FB is transported from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate recovery unit 103 via the substrate processing unit 102. The control unit 104 controls the overall operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The control unit 104 includes a database 104DB that is a storage unit that stores information.

  In the following description, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. In the horizontal plane, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed in the X-axis direction, in the horizontal plane the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction is the Y-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (that is, the vertical direction) is Z. Axial direction. Further, the rotation (inclination) directions around the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis are the θX, θY, and θZ directions, respectively.

  As the sheet substrate FB, for example, a heat-resistant resin film, stainless steel, or the like can be used. For example, the resin film is made of polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyester resin, ethylene vinyl copolymer resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, cellulose resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, polycarbonate resin, polystyrene resin, vinyl acetate resin, etc. Can be used. The dimension of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction is, for example, about 1 m to 2 m, and the dimension in the X direction is, for example, 10 m or more. Of course, this dimension is only an example and is not limited thereto. For example, the dimension in the Y direction of the sheet substrate FB may be 50 cm or less, or 2 m or more. Moreover, the dimension of the X direction of the sheet | seat board | substrate FB may be 10 m or less. Note that the flexibility in the present embodiment refers to the property that the substrate can be bent without being broken or broken even when a predetermined force of at least its own weight is applied to the substrate. The flexibility varies depending on the material, size, thickness, environment such as temperature, etc. of the substrate. In addition, as the sheet | seat board | substrate FB, you may use the sheet | seat-like board | substrate of 1 sheet, However, It is good also as a structure formed by connecting a some unit board | substrate and forming in a strip | belt shape.

  The sheet substrate FB preferably has a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion so that, for example, the size does not change even when the sheet substrate FB receives heat of about 200 ° C. For example, an inorganic filler can be mixed with a resin film to reduce the thermal expansion coefficient. Examples of the inorganic filler include titanium oxide, zinc oxide, alumina, silicon oxide and the like.

  The substrate supply unit 101 is connected to a supply side connection unit 102 </ b> A provided in the substrate processing unit 102. The substrate supply unit 101 supplies, for example, the sheet substrate FB wound in a roll shape to the substrate processing unit 102. The substrate recovery unit 103 recovers the sheet substrate FB that has been processed by the substrate processing unit 102.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the substrate processing unit 102.
As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate processing unit 102 includes a transport unit 105, an element forming unit 106, an alignment unit 107, and a substrate cutting unit 108. The substrate processing unit 102 forms each component of the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB while conveying the sheet substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply unit 101, and the sheet on which the organic EL element 50 is formed. This is the part that sends out the substrate FB to the substrate recovery unit 103.

  The transport unit 105 has a plurality of rollers RR arranged at positions along the X direction. The sheet substrate FB is also transported in the X-axis direction by the rotation of the roller RR. The roller RR may be a rubber roller that sandwiches the sheet substrate FB from both sides, or may be a roller RR with a ratchet as long as the sheet substrate FB has perforation. Among the plurality of rollers RR, some of the rollers RR are movable in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  The element forming unit 106 includes a partition forming unit 91, an electrode forming unit 92, and a light emitting layer forming unit 93. The partition wall forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92, and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 are arranged in the order of the partition wall forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92, and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the sheet substrate FB. ing. Hereinafter, each structure of the element formation part 106 is demonstrated.

  The partition forming unit 91 includes an imprint roller 110 and a thermal transfer roller 115. The partition forming unit 91 forms the partition BA on the sheet substrate FB sent from the substrate supply unit 101. In the partition wall forming unit 91, the sheet substrate FB is pressed by the imprint roller 110, and the sheet substrate FB is heated to the glass transition point or more by the thermal transfer roller 115 so that the pressed partition wall BA maintains its shape. Therefore, the mold shape formed on the roller surface of the imprint roller 110 is transferred to the sheet substrate FB. The sheet substrate FB is heated to, for example, about 200 ° C. by the thermal transfer roller 115.

  The roller surface of the imprint roller 110 is mirror-finished, and a fine imprint mold 111 made of a material such as SiC or Ta is attached to the roller surface. The fine imprint mold 111 forms a thin film transistor wiring stamper and a color filter stamper.

  The imprint roller 110 uses the fine imprint mold 111 to form the alignment mark AM on the sheet substrate FB. In order to form alignment marks AM on both sides in the Y-axis direction, which is the width direction of the sheet substrate FB, the fine imprint mold 111 has a stamper for the alignment marks AM.

  The electrode forming portion 92 is provided on the + X side of the partition wall forming portion 91, and for example, a thin film transistor using an organic semiconductor is formed. Specifically, after forming the gate electrode G, the gate insulating layer I, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D, and the pixel electrode P as shown in FIG. 1, the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed.

  The thin film transistor (TFT) may be an inorganic semiconductor type or an organic semiconductor type. As an inorganic semiconductor thin film transistor, an amorphous silicon type is known, but a thin film transistor using an organic semiconductor may be used. If a thin film transistor is formed using this organic semiconductor, the thin film transistor can be formed by utilizing a printing technique or a droplet coating technique. Of the thin film transistors using organic semiconductors, the field effect transistor (FET) as shown in FIG. 1 is particularly preferable.

The electrode forming unit 92 includes a droplet applying device 120, a heat treatment device BK, a cutting device 130, and the like.
In this embodiment, as the droplet applying device 120, for example, a droplet applying device 120G used when forming the gate electrode G, a droplet applying device 120I used when forming the gate insulating layer I, the source electrode S, A droplet applying device 120SD used when forming the drain electrode D and the pixel electrode P, a droplet applying device 120OS used when forming the organic semiconductor OS, and the like are used.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of the droplet applying apparatus 120. FIG. 4 shows a configuration when the droplet applying device 120 is viewed from the + Z side. The droplet applying device 120 is formed long in the Y-axis direction. The droplet applying device 120 is provided with a driving device (not shown). The droplet applying device 120 can be moved, for example, in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θZ direction by the driving device.

  A plurality of nozzles 122 are formed in the droplet applying device 120. The nozzle 122 is provided on the surface of the droplet applying device 120 that faces the sheet substrate FB. The nozzles 122 are arranged, for example, along the Y-axis direction, and two rows (nozzle rows) of the nozzles 122 are formed, for example. The control unit 104 can apply the droplets to all the nozzles 122 at once, and can individually adjust the timing of applying the droplets to each nozzle 122.

  As the droplet applying device 120, for example, an ink jet method or a dispenser method can be adopted. Examples of the inkjet method include a charge control method, a pressure vibration method, an electromechanical conversion method, an electrothermal conversion method, and an electrostatic suction method. In the droplet coating method, the use of the material is less wasteful, and a desired amount of the material can be accurately disposed at a desired position. The amount of one drop of metal ink applied by the droplet application method is, for example, 1 to 300 nanograms.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the droplet applying device 120 </ b> G applies metal ink in the partition BA of the gate bus line GBL. The droplet applying device 120I applies an electrically insulating ink of polyimide resin or urethane resin to the switching unit. The droplet applying device 120SD applies metal ink in the partition BA of the source bus line SBL and in the partition BA of the pixel electrode P. The droplet applying device 120OS applies the organic semiconductor ink to the switching unit between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D.

  Metal ink is a liquid in which a conductor having a particle diameter of about 5 nm is stably dispersed in a solvent at room temperature, and carbon, silver (Ag), gold (Au), or the like is used as the conductor. The compound forming the organic semiconductor ink may be a single crystal material family or an amorphous material, and may be a low molecule or a polymer. Particularly preferred among the compounds forming the organic semiconductor ink include a single crystal or π-conjugated polymer of a condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbon compound typified by pentacene, triphenylene, anthracene and the like.

  The heat treatment apparatus BK is disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate transport direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 120. The heat treatment apparatus BK can radiate, for example, hot air or far infrared rays to the sheet substrate FB. The heat treatment apparatus BK uses these radiant heats to dry or bake (bake) the droplets applied to the sheet substrate FB and harden them.

  The cutting device 130 is provided on the + X side of the droplet applying device 120SD and on the upstream side of the droplet applying device 120OS. The cutting device 130 cuts the source electrode S and the drain electrode D formed by the droplet applying device 120SD using, for example, laser light. The cutting device 130 includes a light source (not shown) and a galvanometer mirror 131 that irradiates the laser light from the light source onto the sheet substrate FB.

  The type of laser light is preferably a laser having a wavelength to be absorbed with respect to the metal film to be cut. Further, by using a pulsed laser, thermal diffusion can be prevented and damage other than the cut portion can be reduced. When the material is aluminum, a femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 760 nm is preferable.

  In this embodiment, for example, a femtosecond laser irradiation unit using a titanium sapphire laser as a light source is used. The femtosecond laser irradiation unit irradiates the laser beam LL with a pulse of 10 KHz to 40 KHz, for example.

  In this embodiment, since a femtosecond laser is used, processing on the order of submicron is possible, and the distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D that determines the performance of the field effect transistor can be accurately cut. ing. The distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is, for example, about 3 μm to about 30 μm.

  In addition to the femtosecond laser described above, for example, a carbon dioxide laser or a green laser can be used. Moreover, it is good also as a structure cut | disconnected mechanically with a dicing saw etc. besides a laser.

  The galvanometer mirror 131 is disposed in the optical path of the laser beam LL. The galvanometer mirror 131 reflects the laser beam LL from the light source onto the sheet substrate FB. The galvanometer mirror 131 is provided to be rotatable in the θX direction, the θY direction, and the θZ direction, for example. As the galvano mirror 131 rotates, the irradiation position of the laser beam LL changes.

  By using both the partition wall formation portion 91 and the electrode formation portion 92, a thin film transistor or the like can be formed by utilizing a printing technique or a droplet coating method technique without using a so-called photolithography process. Yes. For example, when only the electrode forming portion 92 using a printing technique, a droplet coating technique, or the like is used, there is a case where a thin film transistor or the like cannot be accurately performed due to ink bleeding and spreading.

  On the other hand, since the partition wall BA is formed by using the partition wall forming portion 91, the ink is prevented from bleeding and spreading. The distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D that determines the performance of the thin film transistor is formed by laser processing or machining.

  The light emitting layer forming portion 93 is disposed on the + X side of the electrode forming portion 92. The light emitting layer forming unit 93 forms, for example, the light emitting layer IR and the pixel electrode ITO which are components of the organic EL device on the sheet substrate FB on which the electrodes are formed. The light emitting layer forming unit 93 includes a droplet applying device 140 and a heat treatment device BK.

  The light emitting layer IR formed by the light emitting layer forming portion 93 contains a host compound and a phosphorescent compound (also referred to as a phosphorescent compound). The host compound is a compound contained in the light emitting layer. A phosphorescent compound is a compound in which light emission from an excited triplet is observed and emits phosphorescence at room temperature.

  In the present embodiment, as the droplet applying device 140, for example, a droplet applying device 140Re that forms a red light emitting layer, a droplet applying device 140Gr that forms a green light emitting layer, a droplet applying device 140Bl that forms a blue light emitting layer, an insulating material. A droplet applying device 140I that forms a layer, a droplet applying device 140IT that forms a pixel electrode ITO, and the like are used.

  As the droplet applying device 140, an ink jet method or a dispenser method can be employed as in the case of the droplet applying device 120 described above. When providing, for example, a hole transport layer and an electron transport layer as components of the organic EL element 50, a device for forming these layers (for example, a droplet applying device) is separately provided.

  The droplet applying device 140Re applies the R solution onto the pixel electrode P. In the droplet applying device 140Re, the discharge amount of the R solution is adjusted so that the film thickness after drying becomes 100 nm. As the R solution, for example, a solution in which a red dopant material is dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane in polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) as a host material is used.

  The droplet applying device 140Gr applies the G solution onto the pixel electrode P. As the G solution, for example, a solution in which a green dopant material is dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane in a host material PVK is used.

  The droplet applying device 140B1 applies the B solution onto the pixel electrode P. As the B solution, for example, a solution in which a blue dopant material is dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane in a host material PVK is used.

  The droplet applying device 120I applies an electrically insulating ink to a part of the gate bus line GBL or the source bus line SBL. As the electrically insulating ink, for example, polyimide resin or urethane resin ink is used.

The droplet applying device 120IT applies ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) ink on the red, green, and blue light emitting layers. As the ITO ink, a compound in which several percent of tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) is added to indium oxide (In ₂ O ₃ ) is used. Alternatively, an amorphous material such as IDIXO (In ₂ O ₃ —ZnO) capable of forming a transparent conductive film may be used. The transparent conductive film preferably has a transmittance of 90% or more.

  The heat treatment apparatus BK is disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate transport direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 140. The heat treatment apparatus BK can emit hot air, far-infrared rays, and the like to the sheet substrate FB, similarly to the heat treatment apparatus BK used in the electrode forming unit 92. The heat treatment apparatus BK uses these radiant heats to dry or bake (bake) the droplets applied to the sheet substrate FB and harden them.

  The alignment unit 107 includes a plurality of alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8) provided along the X direction. The alignment camera CA may pick up an image with CCD or CMOS under visible light illumination, process the picked-up image to detect the position of the alignment mark AM, or irradiate the alignment mark AM with the laser light and scatter the light. Even if light is received, the position of the alignment mark AM may be detected.

  The alignment camera CA1 is disposed on the + X side of the thermal transfer roller 115. The alignment camera CA1 detects the position of the alignment mark AM formed by the thermal transfer roller 115 on the sheet substrate FB. Alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 are respectively arranged on the + X side of heat treatment apparatus BK. The alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 detect the position of the alignment mark AM on the sheet substrate FB that has passed through the heat treatment apparatus BK.

  The sheet substrate FB may expand and contract in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction through the thermal transfer roller 115 and the heat treatment apparatus BK. By disposing the alignment camera CA on the + X side of the thermal transfer roller 115 that performs heat treatment or on the + X side of the heat treatment apparatus BK in this way, it is possible to detect the positional deviation of the sheet substrate FB due to thermal deformation or the like. Yes.

  The detection results by the alignment cameras CA1 to CA8 are transmitted to the control unit 104. Based on the detection results of the alignment cameras CA <b> 1 to CA <b> 8, the control unit 104 adjusts the ink application position and timing of the droplet application device 120 and the droplet application device 140, and supplies the sheet substrate FB from the substrate supply unit 101. Adjustment of the speed and the conveyance speed of the roller RR, adjustment of movement in the Y direction by the roller RR, adjustment of the cutting position and timing of the cutting device 130, and the like are performed.

(Substrate cartridge)
In the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101 and the substrate recovery unit 103. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system common to FIG. 2 is set, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The following XYZ orthogonal coordinate system will be described by taking as an example a case where the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101 in a state where the substrate supply unit 101 is connected to the substrate processing unit 102.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the substrate cartridge 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration along the section AA ′ in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the substrate cartridge 1 has a cartridge body 2 and a mount portion 3.

  The cartridge body 2 is a part that accommodates the sheet substrate FB. The cartridge main body 2 includes a storage unit 20, a transfer unit (transfer mechanism) 21, a substrate guide unit 22, a second substrate transfer unit 36, and a second substrate guide unit 37. The mount 3 is provided on the cartridge body 2. For example, the cartridge body 2 is made of aluminum or duralumin.

  The accommodating portion 20 is a portion that accommodates the sheet substrate FB. The accommodating part 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape so that, for example, the sheet substrate FB wound in a roll shape can be accommodated, and is provided so as to partially protrude toward the + X side (protruding part 23). In the present embodiment, they are arranged in a state extending in the Y direction in the drawing. The accommodating part 20 has a lid part 25 and a substrate driving mechanism 24.

  The lid portion 25 is provided at the + Y side end portion or the −Y side end portion of the accommodating portion 20. The lid portion 25 is provided so as to be detachable from the housing portion 20. By detaching the lid portion 25 from the housing portion 20, the inside of the housing portion 20 can be directly accessed. As an opening / closing mechanism of the lid portion 25, for example, the lid portion 25 and the accommodating portion 20 may be provided with threads that engage with each other, and the lid portion 25 and the accommodating portion 20 are connected by a hinge mechanism. It does not matter as a structure to do. The lid part 25 has a window part 28 and a display part 29.

  The window portion 28 is formed of, for example, a material that can transmit visible light, such as glass or plastic. The inside of the accommodating portion 20 can be observed through the window portion 28. The display unit 29 is a part that displays information such as the state of the sheet substrate FB. On the display unit 29, for example, the length dimension of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the accommodating unit 20, the remaining length of the sheet substrate FB, and the like are displayed.

  The substrate driving mechanism 24 is a part that performs an operation of winding the sheet substrate FB and an operation of feeding the sheet substrate FB. The substrate driving mechanism 24 is provided inside the housing part 20. The substrate driving mechanism 24 includes a roller part (shaft part) 26 and a guide part 27. As shown in FIG. 6, the roller part 26 has a rotating shaft member 26a, a diameter-expanded part 26b, and an adhesive part 26c.

  The rotary shaft member 26a is a columnar member made of a highly rigid metal such as aluminum. The rotating shaft member 26a is rotatably supported through an opening 25a and a bearing member 25b provided at the center of the lid 25, for example. In this case, the central axis of the rotating shaft member 26a is in a state parallel to the Y direction, for example, and the rotating shaft member 26a rotates in the θY direction.

  The rotation shaft member 26a is connected to a rotation drive mechanism (not shown). The rotary shaft member 26a is rotated about the central axis by drive control of the rotary drive mechanism. As shown in FIG. 6, the rotation drive mechanism can rotate the rotary shaft member 26a in, for example, both the + θY direction and the −θY direction.

  The enlarged diameter portion 26b is formed with a uniform thickness on the surface of the rotary shaft member 26a. The enlarged diameter portion 26b is formed so as to rotate integrally with the rotary shaft member 26a. The bonding portion 26c is formed with a uniform thickness on the surface of the enlarged diameter portion 26b in a sectional view. The adhesion part 26c is formed using a material having a degree of adhesiveness to which the sheet substrate FB is adhered.

  The guide portion 27 includes a rotating member (first guide member) 27a and a tip member (first guide member) 27b. For example, one end of the rotating member 27a is attached to the accommodating portion 20 via a shaft portion 27c, and is provided to be rotatable in the θY direction around the shaft portion 27c. The rotation member 27a is connected to a rotation drive mechanism (not shown).

  The tip member 27b is connected to the other end of the rotating member 27a in a sectional view. For example, the tip member 27b is formed to have an arcuate curved surface in cross-sectional view. The sheet substrate FB is guided to the roller portion 26 through a curved surface on the + Z side having a circular arc shape in cross section provided on the tip member 27b. The tip member 27b rotates integrally with the rotation member 27a. For example, when the rotating member 27 a rotates in a direction away from the roller portion 26 (outward direction in the radial direction of the roller portion 26), the rotating member 27 a comes into contact with the inner periphery of the accommodating portion 20. For this reason, the contact between the tip member 27b and the sheet substrate FB wound around the roller portion 26 is avoided.

  The mount unit 3 is a part connected to the substrate processing unit 102. The mount part 3 is provided, for example, at the + X side end of the protrusion 23 provided in the housing part 20. The mount part 3 has an insertion part 3 a for connection with the substrate processing part 102. A terminal 3c that is electrically connected to the substrate processing unit 102 is provided on the end surface 3b on the substrate processing unit 102 side of the insertion unit 3a.

  When the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101, the mount unit 3 is connected to the supply side connection unit 102 </ b> A of the substrate processing unit 102. When the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate collection unit 103, the mount unit 3 is connected to the collection side connection unit 102B of the substrate processing unit 102. The mount unit 3 is detachably connected regardless of whether the mount unit 3 is connected to either the substrate supply unit 101 or the substrate recovery unit 103 of the substrate processing unit 102.

  The mount 3 is provided with an opening 34 and a second opening 35. The opening 34 is an opening provided on the + Z side, and is a portion where the sheet substrate FB is taken in and out of the cartridge body 2. The cartridge main body 2 accommodates the sheet substrate FB via the opening 34. The sheet substrate FB accommodated in the cartridge main body 2 is sent out of the cartridge main body 2 through the opening 34.

  The second opening 35 is an opening provided on the −Z side, and is a portion into which the belt-shaped second substrate SB different from the sheet substrate FB is taken in and out of the cartridge body 2. Examples of the second substrate SB include a protective substrate that protects the element formation surface of the sheet substrate FB. As the protective substrate, for example, a slip sheet or the like can be used. For example, the second opening 35 is disposed with a space from the opening 34. The second opening 35 is formed in the same size and shape as the opening 34, for example. In addition, as the second substrate SB in the present embodiment, a conductive material such as a stainless steel thin plate (eg, a thickness of 0.1 mm or less) may be used. In this case, if the second substrate SB is electrically connected to the cartridge body 2 when the second substrate SB is accommodated in the cartridge body 2 together with the sheet substrate FB, the sheet substrate FB can be prevented from being charged.

  The transfer unit 21, the substrate guide unit 22, the second substrate transfer unit 36, and the second substrate guide unit 37 are provided, for example, inside the protrusion 23. The substrate guide part 22 is provided between the opening 34 and the transport part 21. The substrate guide portion 22 is a portion that guides the sheet substrate FB between the opening 34 and the transport portion 21. The substrate guide 22 has substrate guide members 22a and 22b. The board guide members 22a and 22b are arranged to face each other so as to leave a gap 22c in the Z direction, and are provided so that the facing surfaces are substantially parallel to the XY plane. The gap 22c is connected to the opening 34, and the sheet substrate FB moves through the opening 34 and the gap 22c.

  The second substrate guide portion 37 is a portion that guides the second substrate SB between the mount portion 3 and the transport portion 21. The second substrate guide portion 37 includes second substrate guide members 37a, 37b, and 37c. The second substrate guide members 37a and 37b are arranged to face each other so as to leave a gap 37d in the Z direction, and the facing surfaces are provided so as to be substantially parallel to the XY plane, respectively. The second substrate guide member 37c is arranged to be inclined so that the second substrate SB is guided to the + Z side. Specifically, the −X side end portion of the second substrate guide member 37c is arranged in a state inclined to the + Z side with respect to the + X side end portion.

  The second substrate transport unit 36 transports the second substrate SB between the mount unit 3 and the transport unit 21. The second substrate transport unit 36 is disposed between the second substrate guide members 37a and 37b and the second substrate guide member 37c. The second substrate transport unit 36 includes a main driving roller 36a and a driven roller 36b. The main driving roller 36a is provided so as to be rotatable in the θY direction, for example, and is connected to a rotation driving mechanism (not shown). The driven roller 36b is arranged with a gap between the driven roller 36a and the main driven roller 36a so that the second substrate SB is sandwiched between the driven roller 36b.

  The transport unit 21 transports the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB between the mount unit 3 and the storage unit 20. The conveyance unit 21 includes a tension roller (tension mechanism) 21a and a measurement roller (measurement unit) 21b. The tension roller 21 a is a roller that applies tension to the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate between the roller unit 26. The tension roller 21a is provided to be rotatable in the θY direction. For example, a rotation drive mechanism (not shown) is connected to the tension roller 21a. The tension roller 21a and the measurement roller 21b may be provided so as to be movable in the Z direction in FIG.

  The measuring roller 21b is a roller having a smaller diameter than the tension roller 21a. The measuring roller 21b is disposed with a predetermined gap between the measuring roller 21b and the tension roller 21a so that the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB can be sandwiched between the measuring roller 21b. Even when only the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched and when the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB are sandwiched together, the size of the gap between the measurement roller 21b and the tension roller 21a can be adjusted. I do not care. The measuring roller 21b is a driven roller that rotates as the tension roller 21a rotates.

  By rotating the tension roller 21a while the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched between the tension roller 21a and the measurement roller 21b, tension is applied to the sheet substrate FB, and the sheet substrate FB is taken up and sent out, respectively. The sheet substrate FB can be conveyed.

  The conveyance unit 21 includes a detection unit 21c that detects, for example, the rotation number and rotation angle of the measurement roller 21b. For example, an encoder or the like is used as the detection unit 21c. The detection unit 21c can measure, for example, the transport distance of the sheet substrate FB via the measurement roller 21b.

  For example, when the sheet substrate FB is inserted through the opening 34 and the second substrate SB is inserted through the second opening 35, the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB are respectively connected to the substrate guide unit 22 and the second substrate SB. By being guided by the substrate guide portion 37, the junction portion 39 joins. The sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB merged at the merge unit 39 are conveyed by the conveyance unit 21 in a merged state. At this time, the transport unit 21 presses the sheet substrate FB and the second substrate SB in close contact with each other. For this reason, the conveyance unit 21 also serves as a pressing mechanism that presses the second substrate SB against the sheet substrate FB.

  The cartridge body 2 is provided with an information holding unit IC (see FIG. 5). The information holding unit IC is composed of, for example, an IC chip (eg, a type that can only be read, a type that can be read and written), and the like, and is embedded in the cartridge body 2, for example. The information holding unit IC includes, for example, a storage unit MR that stores information such as processing information of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the cartridge body 2 and identification information for identifying the cartridge body 2, and information stored in the storage unit MR. And a communication unit CR for communicating. The storage unit MR is configured to store information including two of processing information and identification information in the present embodiment, but may be configured to store information including only one of them. . The communication unit CR is not limited to the configuration provided in the information holding unit IC as in the present embodiment, and may be configured to be provided independently of the information holding unit IC, for example.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration in which one information holding unit IC is provided is shown as an example. However, for example, a plurality of information holding units IC may be provided in the cartridge body 2. As such an example, for example, a configuration in which the above information is held as a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode, and a sticker on which the barcode is formed is attached to a location different from the above information holding unit IC Etc. Further, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the information holding unit IC is embedded in the cartridge main body 2, and for example, the information holding unit IC may be mounted so as to be separable from the cartridge main body 2. Examples of such a configuration include a configuration in which an IC chip or the like is detachably mounted. Further, for example, when a seal on which the above barcode is formed is used, the seal can be separated from the cartridge body 2 because the seal can be peeled off from the cartridge body 2. The information holding unit IC may be configured to be electrically connected to the display unit 29, and the information held in the information holding unit IC may be displayed on the display unit 29. Further, at least a part of the information held by the information holding unit IC may be held on the sheet substrate FB. Examples of such a configuration include a configuration in which a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode is formed on the sheet substrate FB, a configuration in which an IC tag or the like is embedded in the sheet substrate FB, and the like.

  As an example, the processing information in the present embodiment includes defect information on the sheet substrate FB. This defect information includes the position information of the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB, the degree of the defect whether or not the defect can be repaired, the type of defect such as a pattern defect or pattern protrusion, and the defect on the sheet substrate FB. And at least one of the repair status (eg, presence / absence of repair). The position information of the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB may be, for example, the position coordinates of the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB, or may be the distance from the end portion of the sheet substrate FB to the defective portion. I do not care.

  The defect information on the sheet substrate FB is transmitted from the information holding unit IC to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 via the communication unit CR. The control unit 104 to which the defect information is transmitted controls each process of the electrode forming unit 92 and the like based on the defect information. As an example, when it is determined that the defect portion cannot be repaired from the degree of the defect included in the defect information, the control unit 104 performs an electrode formation process on the defect portion or the element formation region 60 including the defect portion. Information not to be transmitted is transmitted to the droplet applying device 120 together with the position information of the defective portion. As another example, when the repair of the defective portion included in the defect information has been completed, the control unit 104 applies droplet application information for performing an electrode forming process on the defective portion or the element forming region 60 including the defective portion. Communicate to device 120. As described above, the control unit 104 can select a process for the defective portion based on the defect information described above, and can transmit the selected process to the droplet applying apparatus 120 or the like in advance.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, for example, a pattern PTN such as a mark serving as a reference position is formed along the X direction at a position along the edge in the Y direction of the sheet substrate FB, and the pattern PTN is formed. It is possible to detect the position of the defective portion P1 and use the detection result as position information of the defective portion P1. In the example shown in FIG. 7A, an encoder pattern of an encoder (position information detection device) is formed as a pattern PTN on the sheet substrate FB. The encoder pattern is, for example, a pattern that can determine the position of the sheet substrate FB in the X direction. Even when the positional information of the defective part P1 is the position of the sheet substrate FB in the X direction, the positional coordinates of the defective part P1 are arranged in the Y direction based on the position of the defective part P1 in the X direction. It can be specified by detecting the position of the defective portion P1 in the Y direction using a line sensor or a camera movable in the Y direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7A, the position information of the defective portion P1 is an area number (for example, a defective area) assigned to each of the areas (for example, defective areas) divided in the X direction in the sheet substrate FB. For example, A110, A111, A112, etc.).

  Note that the processing information in this embodiment includes positional information regarding a predetermined portion on the sheet substrate FB, processing progress information on the sheet substrate FB, and formation layers (eg, each electrode layer, TFT layer, light emission) formed on the sheet substrate FB. Layer information), shape information related to the shape of the sheet substrate FB, and the like. Here, examples of the predetermined portion on the sheet substrate FB include the above-described defect portion, a portion on which the alignment reference mark is formed, and a portion on which the reference mark serving as an index of the length and interval of the sheet substrate FB is formed. It is done. Further, in the case where the sheet substrate FB is formed by connecting a plurality of unit substrates, the processing information includes information regarding the connection positions (joint positions) between the unit substrates.

  The progress information includes information indicating how far the process has progressed with respect to the sheet substrate FB. The progress information includes, for example, a stage in which only the partition walls BA are formed on the sheet substrate FB, a stage in which the partition walls and electrodes are formed on the sheet substrate FB, and a stage in which the partition walls, electrodes, and light emitting layers are formed on the sheet substrate FB. For example, it is information indicating the stage of processing. Further, the progress information may include a stage in which pre-processing (for example, lyophilic processing, liquid repellent processing, protective film formation processing, etc.) is performed on the sheet substrate FB, the gate electrode, the source electrode, A step of forming an electrode such as a drain electrode may be included. This progress information is transmitted from the information holding unit IC to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 via the communication unit CR, and is used as one piece of information for selecting processing to be performed on the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing unit 102. It is done.

  The form information includes the shape of the formation layer (eg, electrode layer or light-emitting layer) formed on the sheet substrate FB, positional displacement of the formation layer, dimensions of the formation layer (eg, size, layer thickness, etc.), and formation range of the formation layer. , Information such as the position of the formation layer is included. This form information is transmitted from the information holding unit IC to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 via the communication unit CR. For example, such configuration information is used as one piece of information for setting a processing start position when processing on the sheet substrate FB is stopped midway due to system down of the apparatus or maintenance of the apparatus. Further, as an example, the positional deviation of the formation layer, which is the above-described form information, is one piece of information for notifying the maintenance time of the apparatus and the abnormality of the apparatus based on the information on the number and ratio of the positional deviations in the sheet substrate FB. Used as one.

The shape information includes information related to the overall shape of the sheet substrate FB. For example, when a part of the sheet substrate FB is cut out or the sheet substrate FB is configured to have an opening in the sheet substrate FB, the shape information is information on the notch or the opening (eg, shape type). And location information). This shape information is transmitted from the information holding unit IC to the control unit 104 of the substrate processing unit 102 via the communication unit CR. For example, such shape information is used to grasp the wear frequency and the degree of scratches on the sheet substrate FB by the transport unit 21, and the control unit 104 determines the maintenance time of the apparatus and the abnormality of the apparatus based on the shape information. Outputs information that informs

  The information holding unit IC is electrically connected to the terminal 3c, for example. When the substrate cartridge 1 is connected to the substrate processing unit 102, the terminal 3c is connected to a device side terminal 102C (see FIG. 2) provided in the supply side connection unit 102A of the substrate processing unit 102. Yes. In this case, the information holding unit IC is electrically connected to the substrate processing unit 102 through the terminal 3c, and can transmit information to and from the substrate processing unit 102 through the terminal 3c. The information holding unit IC can communicate information with the communication unit 104CR (see FIG. 2) provided in the control unit 104 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 via the communication unit CR. In this case, transmission of information between the substrate cartridge 1 and the substrate processing unit 102 is controlled by the control unit 104.

  In addition to the above information, for example, information such as the tact and throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 100, the transport speed of the substrate cartridge 1, the winding / feeding speed of the roller section 26 are stored in the storage section MR of the information holding section IC. Various reference information such as such information and information on the sheet substrate FB may be held. As for “tact”, processing per unit processing region (for example, a region where the above-described liquid droplet coating apparatuses 120 and 140 can be processed at once, a screen region around one panel of the organic EL element 50, or a whole panel region). Point to time. “Throughput” refers to the amount of sheet substrate FB that can be processed per unit time (for example, the length, the number of panels, the number of substrate cartridges 1, etc.). The reference information is transmitted to the control unit 104 via the communication unit CR, like the identification information and the processing information.

  In the present embodiment, for example, a forming device 109A that forms a pattern PTN on the sheet substrate FB, a detection device 109B that detects the pattern PTN, a cutting and removing device 109C that cuts and removes part of the sheet substrate FB, and a sheet substrate An abnormality detection device 109D for detecting an abnormality including defect information on the FB is provided in the substrate processing unit 102 (see FIG. 3).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, when a defect portion or the like on the sheet substrate FB is detected by the abnormality detection device 109D, position information of the defect portion can be detected by the detection device 109B. For example, the detected position information of the defective portion is transmitted as defect information of the sheet substrate FB by the control unit 104 to the information holding unit IC of the substrate collection unit 103 (substrate cartridge 1).
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, when defect information is stored in the information holding unit IC of the substrate supply unit 102, the defect portion included in the defect information is cut based on the position information of the defect portion. It is cut and removed by the removing device 109C. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7B, a notch CH is formed in a part of the sheet substrate FB.

(Accommodating sheet substrate in substrate cartridge)
Next, an accommodating operation for accommodating the sheet substrate FB in the substrate cartridge 1 configured as described above will be described. 8 and 9 are views showing the state of the substrate cartridge 1 during the accommodating operation. 8 and 9, the outer shape of the substrate cartridge 1 is indicated by a broken line in order to make it easy to distinguish the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the sheet substrate FB is accommodated in the substrate cartridge 1, the substrate cartridge 1 is held on the holder HD. In this state, the sheet substrate FB is inserted from the opening 34. When inserting the sheet substrate FB, the tension roller 21a and the rotating shaft member 26a (roller portion 26) are rotated.

  The sheet substrate FB inserted through the opening 34 is guided to the transport unit 21 by the substrate guide unit 22. In the transport unit 21, the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched between the tension roller 21a and the measurement roller 21b and transported to the storage unit 20 side. Along with the rotation of the measurement roller 21b, for example, the detection length of the sheet substrate FB is detected by the detection unit 21c.

  The sheet substrate FB that has passed through the transport unit 21 toward the storage unit 20 is guided while being bent in the −Z direction by its own weight. In the present embodiment, since the guide portion 27 is provided on the −Z side of the sheet substrate FB, the sheet substrate FB is guided to the roller portion 26 along the rotating member 27a and the tip member 27b of the guide portion 27. It will be.

  When the leading edge of the sheet substrate FB reaches the bonding portion 26c of the roller portion 26, the leading edge of the sheet substrate FB and the bonding portion 26c are bonded. When the roller portion 26 rotates in this state, the sheet substrate FB is gradually bonded to the bonding portion 26c, and the sheet substrate FB is wound around the roller portion 26. After the sheet substrate FB is bonded to the bonding portion 26c, for example, the rotation speed of the tension roller 21a and the rotation speed of the rotation shaft member 26a are set so that the sheet substrate FB does not bend between the roller portion 26 and the conveyance portion 21. Then, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed.

  After the sheet substrate FB is wound around the roller portion 26, for example, by one rotation, the guide portion 27 is retracted as shown in FIG. By rotating the roller unit 26 in this state, the sheet substrate FB is gradually wound around the roller unit 26. Although the thickness of the wound sheet substrate FB is gradually increased, since the guide portion 27 has already been retracted, the sheet substrate FB and the guide portion 27 do not come into contact with each other.

  After winding up the sheet substrate FB having a desired length, for example, a portion of the sheet substrate FB outside the opening 34 is cut. In this way, the sheet substrate FB is accommodated in the substrate cartridge 1. During the accommodation operation of the sheet substrate FB, for example, the total length of the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the substrate cartridge 1 may be calculated based on the measured length of the sheet substrate FB measured by the detection unit 21c. Further, the calculation result may be displayed on the display unit 29. Further, the calculation result may be displayed on the display unit 29, or may be stored in the storage unit MR or communicated using the communication unit CR.

  Further, for example, the operator may take up the sheet substrate FB while observing the inside of the accommodating portion 20 from the window portion 28. In this case, for example, the winding operation is performed while checking whether or not the sheet substrate FB is wound in a bent state, and whether or not the wound shape (roll shape) of the sheet substrate FB is distorted. In the event of an abnormality, the winding can be stopped immediately.

(Operation of substrate processing equipment)
Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described.
In the present embodiment, a connection operation for connecting the substrate cartridge 1 containing the sheet substrate FB to the supply side connection unit 102A as the substrate supply unit 101, an operation for supplying the sheet substrate FB by the substrate cartridge 1 by the substrate supply unit 101, and a substrate processing unit The element forming operation by 102 and the removing operation of the substrate cartridge 1 are sequentially performed.

First, the connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1.
As shown in FIG. 10, the supply side connection portion 102 </ b> A has an insertion port formed in a shape corresponding to the mount portion 3.

  In the connection operation, the mounting unit 3 and the supply-side connection unit 102A are aligned with the substrate cartridge 1 held by a holder (for example, the same configuration as the holder HD shown in FIGS. 8 and 9). After alignment, the mount unit 3 is moved to the + X side and inserted into the substrate processing unit 102.

  At this time, the terminal 3C of the mount unit 3 and the device side terminal 102C of the supply side connection unit 102A are brought into contact with each other. Information is communicated between the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 and the control unit 104 by contacting the terminal 3C with the device-side terminal 102C. Through this communication operation, the processing information and reference information held in the information holding unit IC are transmitted to the control unit 104. Prior to the connection operation of the cartridge 1, the information holding unit IC transmits the information to the control unit 104 by wireless communication performed between the communication unit CR of the information holding unit IC and the communication unit 104 CR of the control unit 104. You may make it.

  Next, the supply operation will be described. When the sheet substrate FB is supplied to the substrate processing unit 102, for example, the rotating shaft member 26a (roller unit 26) and the tension roller 21a of the substrate cartridge 1 are rotated in the opposite direction to that in the accommodating operation, and shown in FIG. As described above, the sheet substrate FB is sent out through the opening 34.

  Next, an element forming operation will be described. In the element forming operation, as shown in FIG. 2, while the sheet substrate FB is supplied from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate processing unit 102, the substrate processing unit 102 forms elements on the sheet substrate FB. In the substrate processing unit 102, as shown in FIG. 3, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed by a roller RR.

  The control unit 104 may control the operation of the substrate processing unit 102 based on the reference information supplied from the substrate cartridge 1. For example, the control unit 104 may adjust the rotation speed of each roller RR in the substrate processing unit 102 in accordance with the supply speed of the sheet substrate FB from the substrate cartridge 1. In addition, the control unit 104 detects whether or not the roller RR is displaced in the Y-axis direction, and when it is displaced, moves the roller RR to correct the position. Further, the control unit 104 also performs position correction of the sheet substrate FB.

  The sheet substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate processing unit 102 is first transported to the partition wall forming unit 91. In the partition forming part 91, the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched and pressed between the imprint roller 110 and the thermal transfer roller 115, and the partition BA and the alignment mark AM are formed on the sheet substrate by thermal transfer.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state where the partition walls BA and the alignment marks AM are formed on the sheet substrate FB. FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration along a DD section in FIG. 13. 12 and 13 show a state when the sheet substrate FB is viewed from the + Z side.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the partition wall BA is formed in the element formation region 60 at the center in the Y direction of the sheet substrate FB. As shown in FIG. 13, by forming the partition wall BA, the element forming region 60 includes a region for forming the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G (gate forming region 52), the source bus line SBL, the source electrode S, A region for forming the drain electrode D and the anode P (source / drain formation region 53) is partitioned. As shown in FIG. 14, the gate formation region 52 is formed in a trapezoidal shape in a cross-sectional view. Although not shown, the source / drain formation region 53 has the same shape. The width W (μm) in the partition wall BA is the line width of the gate bus line GBL. The width W is preferably about 2 to 4 times the droplet diameter d (μm) applied from the droplet applying apparatus 120G.

  The cross-sectional shapes of the gate formation region 52 and the source / drain formation region 53 are V-shaped or U-shaped in cross-section so that the sheet substrate FB can be easily peeled after the fine imprint mold 11 presses the sheet substrate FB. It is preferable to have a shape. As other shapes, for example, a rectangular shape in a sectional view may be used.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, a pair of alignment marks AM is formed in the edge regions 61 at both ends in the Y direction of the sheet substrate FB. The partition wall BA and the alignment mark AM are formed at the same time because the mutual positional relationship is important. As shown in FIG. 13, a predetermined distance PY between the alignment mark AM and the gate formation region 52 is defined in the Y-axis direction, and the alignment mark AM and the source / drain formation region 53 are defined in the X-axis direction. A predetermined distance PX is defined. Therefore, based on the positions of the pair of alignment marks AM, it is possible to detect the deviation in the X-axis direction, the deviation in the Y-axis direction, and the θ rotation of the sheet substrate FB.

  12 and 13, a pair of alignment marks AM is provided for each of the plurality of rows of barrier ribs BA in the X-axis direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the alignment mark AM is provided for each row of barrier ribs BA. Anyway. If there is a space, the alignment mark AM may be provided not only in the edge region 61 of the sheet substrate FB but also in the element forming region 60. 12 and 13, the alignment mark AM has a cross shape, but may have another mark shape such as a circular mark or an oblique straight mark.

  Subsequently, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the electrode forming unit 92 by the conveyance roller RR. In the electrode forming section 92, droplets are applied by each droplet applying device 120, and electrodes are formed on the sheet substrate FB.

  On the sheet substrate FB, the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are first formed by the droplet applying device 120G. FIGS. 15A and 15B are views showing a state of the sheet substrate FB on which droplet application is performed by the droplet applying apparatus 120G.

  As shown in FIG. 15A, the droplet applying device 120G applies metal ink to the gate forming region 52 of the sheet substrate FB on which the partition walls BA are formed, for example, in the order of 1-9. This order is, for example, the order in which the ink is applied linearly with the tension between the metal inks. FIG. 15B is a diagram illustrating a state in which, for example, one drop of metal ink is applied. As shown in FIG. 15B, since the partition wall BA is provided, the metal ink applied to the gate formation region 52 is held without being diffused. In this way, the metal ink is applied to the entire gate formation region 52.

  After the metal ink is applied to the gate forming region 52, the sheet substrate FB is transported so that the applied portion of the metal ink is positioned on the −Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK. The heat treatment apparatus BK performs heat treatment on the metal ink applied on the sheet substrate FB, and dries the metal ink. FIG. 16A is a diagram showing a state of the gate formation region 52 after the metal ink is dried. As shown in FIG. 16A, by drying the metal ink, the conductor contained in the metal ink is laminated in a thin film shape. Such a thin-film conductor is formed over the entire gate formation region 52, and as shown in FIG. 16B, the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are formed on the sheet substrate FB.

  Next, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the −Z side of the droplet applying apparatus 120I. In the droplet applying device 120I, the electrically insulating ink is applied to the sheet substrate FB. In the droplet applying device 120I, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, electrically insulating ink is applied onto the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G passing through the source / drain formation region 53.

  After the electrical insulating ink is applied, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the −Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and the heat treatment apparatus BK heat-treats the electrical insulation ink. By this heat treatment, the electrically insulating ink is dried, and the gate insulating layer I is formed. FIG. 17 shows a state in which the gate insulating layer I is formed in a circular shape so as to straddle the partition BA, but it is not particularly necessary to form it beyond the partition BA.

  After the gate insulating layer I is formed, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the −Z side of the droplet applying apparatus 120SD. In the droplet applying device 120SD, metal ink is applied to the source / drain formation region 53 of the sheet substrate FB. For the portion of the source / drain formation region 53 that straddles the gate insulating layer I, for example, metal ink is ejected in the order of 1 to 9 shown in FIG.

  After discharging the metal ink, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the −Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and the metal ink is dried. After the drying process, the conductor contained in the metal ink is laminated in a thin film shape, and the source bus line SBL, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D, and the anode P are formed. However, at this stage, the source electrode S and the drain electrode D are connected.

  Next, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the −Z side of the cutting device 130. The sheet substrate FB is cut between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D by the cutting device 130. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the gap between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is cut by the cutting device 130. The cutting device 130 performs cutting while adjusting the irradiation position of the laser beam LL onto the sheet substrate FB using the galvanometer mirror 131.

  After the space between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is cut, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the −Z side of the droplet applying apparatus OS. In the droplet applying apparatus OS, the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed on the sheet substrate FB. Organic semiconductor ink is ejected across the source electrode S and the drain electrode D into a region overlapping the gate electrode G on the sheet substrate FB.

  After discharge of the organic semiconductor ink, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the −Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and the organic semiconductor ink is dried. After the drying treatment, semiconductors included in the organic semiconductor ink are laminated in a thin film shape, and an organic semiconductor OS is formed as shown in FIG. Through the above steps, the field effect transistor and the connection wiring are formed on the sheet substrate FB.

  Subsequently, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the light emitting layer forming unit 93 by the transport roller RR (see FIG. 3). In the light emitting layer forming section 93, red, green, and blue light emitting layers IR are formed by the droplet applying device 140Re, the droplet applying device 140Gr, the droplet applying device 140Bl, and the heat treatment device BK, respectively. Since the barrier ribs BA are formed on the sheet substrate FB, even when the red, green, and blue light emitting layers IR are continuously applied without heat treatment by the heat treatment apparatus BK, the solution is applied to the adjacent pixel regions. Overflow does not cause color mixing.

  After the formation of the light emitting layer IR, the sheet substrate FB is formed with the insulating layer I through the droplet applying device 140I and the heat treatment device BK, and the transparent electrode IT is formed through the droplet applying device 140IT and the heat treatment device BK. Through such steps, the organic EL element 50 shown in FIG. 1 is formed on the sheet substrate FB.

  In the element forming operation, in order to prevent the sheet substrate FB from shifting in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θZ direction in the process of forming the organic EL element 50 while transporting the sheet substrate FB as described above, an alignment operation is performed. Is going. Hereinafter, the alignment operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the alignment operation, a plurality of alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8) provided in each unit appropriately detect the alignment mark AM formed on the sheet substrate FB, and transmit the detection result to the control unit 104. The control unit 104 causes the alignment operation to be performed based on the transmitted detection result.

  For example, the control unit 104 detects the feeding speed of the sheet substrate FB based on the imaging interval of the alignment mark AM detected by the alignment camera CA (CA1 to CA8), and whether or not the roller RR is rotating at a predetermined speed, for example. Determine whether. When it is determined that the roller RR is not rotating at a predetermined speed, the control unit 104 issues an instruction for adjusting the rotation speed of the roller RR and applies feedback.

  For example, the control unit 104 detects whether or not the position of the alignment mark AM in the Y-axis direction is shifted based on the imaging result of the alignment mark AM, and detects whether or not the sheet substrate FB is displaced in the Y-axis direction. To do. When the misregistration is detected, the control unit 104 detects how long the misregistration continues in a state where the sheet substrate FB is conveyed.

  If the positional deviation time is short, it can be dealt with by switching the nozzle 122 that applies droplets among the plurality of nozzles 122 of the droplet applying apparatus 120. If the deviation of the sheet substrate FB in the Y-axis direction continues for a long time, the position of the sheet substrate FB in the Y-axis direction is corrected by the movement of the roller RR.

For example, the control unit 104 detects whether or not the sheet substrate FB is displaced in the θZ direction based on the positions of the alignment marks AM detected by the alignment camera CA in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. When the positional deviation is detected, the control unit 104 detects how long the positional deviation continues while the sheet substrate FB is conveyed, as in the case of detecting the positional deviation in the Y-axis direction.
If the positional deviation time is short, it can be dealt with by switching the nozzle 122 that applies droplets among the plurality of nozzles 122 of the droplet applying apparatus 120. If the deviation continues for a long time, the two rollers RR provided at a position sandwiching the alignment camera CA that has detected the deviation are moved in the X direction or the Y direction to correct the position of the sheet substrate FB in the θZ direction.

  Next, the removal operation will be described. For example, after forming the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB and collecting the sheet substrate FB, the substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate supply unit 101 is removed from the substrate processing unit 102.

  Prior to performing the above operations, the control unit 104 can perform processing using information transmitted from the substrate cartridge 1. For example, the control unit 104 determines the processing state of the sheet substrate FB according to the processing information read from the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 (substrate supply unit 101), and performs the following operations ( Supply operation, element formation operation, etc.) may be performed. For example, the control unit 104 determines whether or not the defective portion of the sheet substrate FB needs to be repaired, whether or not an element can be formed in the region including the defective portion of the sheet substrate FB, or excision of the defective portion of the sheet substrate FB by the cutting and removing device 109C. Is determined based on the defect information read from the information holding unit IC of the substrate supply unit 101. When it is determined that the defective portion of the sheet substrate FB cannot be repaired, the control unit 104 can perform control so as not to process the defective portion. Thereby, the substrate processing apparatus 100 can reduce the cost (for example, the amount of material used, the application time of the material, etc.) used for each processing. When the defective portion on the sheet substrate FB can be repaired, the control unit 104 performs a process of repairing the defective portion in the partition formation operation, the electrode formation operation, and the light emitting layer formation operation. You may control. Note that the control unit 104 may perform control so that the repair history related to the repair of the defective portion processed in the substrate processing unit 102 is stored in the information holding unit IC of the substrate recovery unit 103 as processing information. Here, the repair history includes the type of defect, the success or failure of repair of the defective portion, the repair content (for example, repair method or procedure) of what repair has been performed, the repair date and time, and the like. The control unit 104 performs control so that the defective portion is repaired based on the repair history when the defective portion is repaired. For example, the control unit 104 sets the optimal repair content for the defective portion to be repaired based on a combination of the type of defect, the success or failure of repair, and the repair content included in the repair history.

  Further, the control unit 104 applies, for example, a liquid droplet to a portion where an abnormality is detected in a part of the sheet substrate FB (eg, a defective portion) or a portion determined to be abnormal based on information from the substrate cartridge 1. It is also possible to control to directly form a pattern that can be distinguished from other parts by using the coating device 120, the droplet coating device 140, or the like. In this case, the abnormality detection device 109D only needs to detect the pattern, so that the detection accuracy is improved.

  Further, when performing each of the above operations, if a defect portion is detected in a part of the sheet substrate FB by the abnormality detection device 109D provided on the upstream side of the substrate processing unit 102 shown in FIG. Then, the defect information regarding the defective portion is transmitted to the information holding unit IC of the substrate collecting unit 103. Therefore, the control unit 104 can store processing information such as defect information obtained in the process of each operation in the information holding unit IC of the substrate collection unit 103. As described above, the control unit 104 can cause the substrate collection unit 103 to store processing information obtained by each process in the substrate processing unit 102. Note that the processing information accumulated in the substrate recovery unit 103 is used as information as described above in the next production line or the like.

Further, prior to performing each of the above operations, the control unit 104 determines that the partition wall BA has already been formed on the sheet substrate FB based on the processing information read from the information holding unit IC of the substrate supply unit 101. The control unit 104 can omit the partition forming operation and perform the next electrode forming operation. Then, the control unit 104 updates the information holding unit IC of the substrate recovery unit 103 as the processing information, which omits the partition forming operation as described above and causes the next electrode forming operation to be performed.

  Note that the control unit 104 may transmit the processing information of the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate collection unit 103 after performing the above operations. In such a case, the control unit 104 transmits the processing information based on each process performed on the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing unit 102 and the processing information of the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate recovery unit 103. The unit 103 can hold processing progress information such as what processing has been performed on the sheet substrate FB as processing information.

  Further, when cutting the sheet substrate FB in the substrate cutting unit 108, the substrate cutting unit 108 is provided with the defect or notch by cutting so as to avoid a portion where a defect or notch is formed. The part can be removed efficiently. Of the removed portion, a portion that can be used as an element can be reused separately.

  Next, the removal operation will be described. For example, after forming the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB and collecting the sheet substrate FB, the substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate supply unit 101 is removed from the substrate processing unit 102.

FIG. 22 is a view showing the removal operation of the substrate cartridge 1.
As shown in FIG. 22, in the removal operation, the mount unit 3 is removed by moving the mount unit 3 in the −X direction and removing it from the supply side connection unit 102 </ b> A. In this operation, the mount portion 3 comes off along the guide of the supply side connection portion 102A.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 includes the cartridge body 2 that houses the sheet substrate FB, the identification information that identifies the cartridge body 2, and the processing information of the sheet substrate FB that is housed in the cartridge body 2. The substrate processing unit 102 can perform appropriate processing on the sheet substrate FB based on the identification information or the processing information. .

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate processing unit 102 that processes the sheet substrate FB, a substrate supply unit 101 that carries the sheet substrate FB into the substrate processing unit 102, and the substrate processing unit 102. Since the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101, the substrate processing unit 102 applies the information from the substrate cartridge 1 to the sheet substrate FB. Optimal processing can be performed. Thereby, the process with respect to the sheet | seat board | substrate FB in the board | substrate process part 102 can be performed efficiently.

  According to the present embodiment, in the process of manufacturing the display element, the process of processing the sheet substrate FB in the substrate processing unit 102 and the substrate cartridge 1 is used to supply the sheet substrate FB to the substrate processing unit 102 or the substrate. And the step of recovering the sheet substrate FB from the processing unit 102. Therefore, the display element can be efficiently manufactured under a high level of information management.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 104 can update information such as processing information held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1, so that the substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate supply unit 101 can be recycled. Is possible.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 23, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes a substrate supply unit 201, a substrate processing unit 202, a substrate recovery unit 203, and a control unit 204. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the substrate cartridge 1 is used for each of the substrate supply unit 201 and the substrate recovery unit 203.

  The substrate processing unit 202 has a configuration in which the substrate cutting unit 108 is not provided in the substrate processing unit 102 of the first embodiment, for example. For this reason, the sheet substrate FB processed by the substrate processing unit 202 is recovered by the substrate recovery unit 203 in a sheet form without being cut.

  Further, for example, the configuration in which the identification information and processing information of the sheet substrate FB are held, the configuration in which the information holding unit IC and the control unit 204 can communicate with each other have been described in the first embodiment. It is the same as the configuration.

24 to 26 are diagrams illustrating how the sheet substrate FB is recovered by the substrate recovery unit 103. FIG. 24 to 26, a part of the configuration is omitted in order to make it easy to distinguish the diagrams.
In the collecting operation, as shown in FIG. 24, the sheet substrate FB is inserted into the opening 34 of the substrate cartridge 1 and at the same time, the protective substrate PB is inserted from the second opening 35. The protection substrate PB is supplied from, for example, a protection substrate supply unit (not shown).

  The inserted sheet substrate FB and protective substrate PB are guided by the substrate guide 22 and the second substrate guide 37, respectively, and merge at the junction 39, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 26, the sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB that have joined at the joining unit 39 are transported by the transport unit 21 in a joined state, and are pressed and adhered to the tension roller 21a and the measuring roller 21b. The sheet substrate FB and the protective substrate PB are wound and collected by the roller unit 26 in a close contact state.

  When the sheet substrate FB is collected by the substrate collection unit 203, the control unit 204 transmits the processing information of the processed sheet substrate FB to the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate collection unit 203. . The information holding unit IC receives the transmitted information and stores it in the storage unit MR.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes the substrate processing unit 202 that processes the sheet substrate FB, the substrate supply unit 201 that carries the sheet substrate FB into the substrate processing unit 202, and the substrate processing unit. 202, the substrate collection unit 203 for carrying out the substrate from the substrate 202, and the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 201 and the substrate collection unit 203. Therefore, the processing information from the substrate cartridge 1 is the collection destination substrate. It is transmitted to the cartridge 1. Thus, the substrate processing apparatus 200 uses the above information even when managing the collection destination substrate cartridge 1 or when processing the sheet substrate FB accommodated in the collection destination substrate cartridge 1. Can do. Thereby, the information management capability of the substrate processing apparatus 200 can be improved, and the processing efficiency is significantly improved.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the substrate processing unit 202 has the same configuration as the substrate processing unit 102 described in the first embodiment has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the substrate processing unit 202 may have a configuration in which only a part of the partition wall forming unit 91, the electrode forming unit 92, and the light emitting layer forming unit 93 included in the substrate processing unit 102 described in the first embodiment is provided. I do not care.

  For example, as the substrate processing unit 202, a configuration in which only the partition wall forming unit 91 is provided and the electrode forming unit 92 and the light emitting layer forming unit 93 are not provided will be described as an example. In this case, in the substrate processing unit 202, the sheet substrate FB is recovered by the substrate recovery unit 203 in a state where only the partition walls BA are formed. The sheet substrate FB collected by the substrate collection unit 203 is subjected to electrode formation processing and light emitting layer formation processing in another substrate processing unit.

  Since the substrate cartridge 1 is detachably attached to the substrate processing unit 202, in such a case, the substrate cartridge 1 is removed from the substrate processing unit 202, and the substrate cartridge 1 is transported to another substrate processing unit. Can be connected. Since the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 holds the identification information of the substrate cartridge 1 and the processing information of the sheet substrate FB, the connected substrate processing unit can also perform processing using the information. it can. As described above, the information on the sheet substrate FB is transmitted through the substrate cartridge 1 even when the substrate processing units straddle a plurality of substrate processing units in one production line and information communication is not performed between the substrate processing units. Can communicate. Even in this case, the information management capability can be improved, and the processing efficiency is remarkably improved.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, a case where information communication is performed in a plurality of substrate processing units will be described as an example.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a configuration of the substrate processing system SYS according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 27, the substrate processing system SYS has a first substrate processing apparatus 300, a second substrate processing apparatus 310, and a main controller CONT. The first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 are installed in, for example, the same site or the same factory.

  The first substrate processing apparatus 300 is an apparatus that forms the partition BA of the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB, for example. The second substrate processing apparatus 310 is an apparatus that forms, for example, an electrode (such as the gate electrode G), the light emitting layer IR of the organic EL element 50, and the transparent electrode ITO on the sheet substrate FB. As described above, the substrate processing system SYS has a configuration in which the apparatus for forming the organic EL element 50 is divided into two types of apparatuses, the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310.

  The first substrate processing apparatus 300 includes a substrate supply unit 301, a substrate processing unit 302, and a substrate recovery unit 303. In the present embodiment, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 301 and the substrate recovery unit 303.

  The substrate processing unit 302 has the same configuration as the partition wall forming unit 91 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, and a supply side connection unit 302A is provided at a connection part with the substrate supply unit 301. Yes. The configuration of the supply side connection portion 302A is the same as that of the supply side connection portion 102A in the first embodiment. Thus, the first substrate processing apparatus 300 has the same configuration as the configuration from the substrate supply unit 101 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the partition wall forming unit 91 of the substrate processing unit 102 in the first embodiment.

  In the substrate processing unit 302, a connection side with the substrate recovery unit 303 is provided with a recovery side connection unit 302 </ b> B connected to the mount unit 3 of the substrate cartridge 1. The collection side connection unit 302B has the same configuration as the supply side connection unit 302A.

  The second substrate processing apparatus 310 includes a substrate supply unit 311, a substrate processing unit 312, and a substrate collection unit 313, and each unit has the same configuration as the first substrate processing apparatus 300. The substrate processing unit 312 has the same configuration as the electrode forming unit 92 and the light emitting layer forming unit 93 in the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the first embodiment.

  In the second substrate processing apparatus 310, the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 311 and the substrate recovery unit 313. Further, the substrate recovery unit 303 (substrate cartridge 1) removed from the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and transported to the second substrate processing apparatus 310 is used as the substrate supply unit 311 of the second substrate processing apparatus 310. ing. Therefore, the substrate cartridge 1 also functions as a relay device that relays the sheet substrate FB from the first substrate processing apparatus 300 to the second substrate processing apparatus 310.

  The main controller CONT is connected to each of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310 via a wired or wireless communication mechanism, and the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus. The apparatus 310 is generally controlled. For this reason, the main controller CONT can comprehensively manage information held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 used in the first substrate processing apparatus 300 and the second substrate processing apparatus 310. .

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the main controller CONT comprehensively manages the information held in the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1, the information management capability of the substrate processing system SYS is improved. As a result, the processing efficiency of the substrate processing system SYS is significantly improved.

  For example, when the production line of the organic EL element 50 is collectively managed by the control unit 104 or the main control unit CONT as in the present embodiment, the information holding unit IC of the substrate cartridge 1 holds only the identification information. It does not matter. When the production line of the organic EL element 50 is collectively managed by the main controller CONT, for example, the main memory MMR (see FIG. 27) of the main controller CONT has processing information corresponding to the identification information, and the main controller The CONT can recognize the processing information based on the identification information of the substrate cartridge 1 and can perform processing based on the processing information. As a specific example, when the processing information includes defect information of the sheet substrate FB as shown in FIG. 28, the main control unit CONT reads defect information corresponding to the identification information read from the information holding unit IC from the main storage unit MMR. Then, a processing signal is transmitted to the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the second substrate processing apparatus 310 in order to perform processing based on the defect information (for example, repair of the defective portion). The processing signal is, for example, a command signal such as a setting value for causing the first substrate processing apparatus 300 to perform each processing. For example, when the production line of the organic EL element 50 is collectively managed by the control unit 104, the control unit 104 may be used instead of the main control unit CONT. Thereby, the processing efficiency of the first substrate processing apparatus 300 or the second substrate processing apparatus 310 is improved.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, the forming apparatus 109A, the detection apparatus 109B, the cutting / removing apparatus 109C, and the abnormality detection apparatus 109D shown in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment are merely examples, and may be arranged differently from the arrangement shown in FIG. Of course, a configuration in which some devices are not provided may be employed.

  For example, when the cutting / removing device 109C is not provided, the substrate processing unit 102 may be configured to remove a part of the sheet substrate FB using the substrate cutting device 108. A plurality of forming devices 109A, detecting devices 109B, and cutting / removing devices 109C may be provided. The abnormality detection device 109 </ b> D is not limited to a configuration in which the abnormality detection device 109 </ b> D is disposed on each downstream side of the partition wall formation unit 91, the electrode formation unit 92, and the light emitting layer formation unit 93.

  Further, the pattern PTN or the like is formed using, for example, the imprint roller 110 or the thermal transfer roller 115 of the partition wall forming unit 91, the droplet applying device 120 of the electrode forming unit 92, the droplet applying device 140 of the light emitting layer forming unit 93, or the like. It may be formed on the sheet substrate FB. Note that the pattern PTN may be formed in advance on the sheet substrate FB.

  Moreover, the structure which forms the encoder pattern which shows the position of a X direction as the pattern PTN in the said description is an example, Comprising: The encoder pattern may be previously formed in the sheet | seat board | substrate FB. For example, when detecting the position of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction, the substrate processing apparatus 102 measures, for example, the distance from the edge in the Y direction of the sheet substrate FB or the pattern PTN (distance in the Y direction). A configuration in which the position in the Y direction is detected using an apparatus or the like may be used. Further, a detection device that detects grid-like position coordinates in the XY directions set on the sheet substrate FB may be separately provided in the substrate processing unit 102.

  In the first and second embodiments, the substrate cartridge 1 is used only for the substrate supply unit of the substrate processing unit, and the substrate cartridge 1 is used for both the substrate supply unit and the substrate recovery unit of the substrate processing unit. However, for example, the substrate cartridge 1 may be used only for the substrate recovery unit.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 ... Organic EL element FB ... Sheet substrate IC ... Information holding unit SYS ... Substrate processing system CONT ... Main controller 1 ... Substrate cartridge 2 ... Cartridge main body 100, 200 ... Substrate processing device 300 ... First substrate processing device 310 ... Second Substrate processing device 320 ... Processing device 101, 201, 301, 311 ... Substrate supply unit 102,202,302,312 ... Substrate processing unit 103,203,303,313 ... Substrate recovery unit 104,204 ... Control unit

Claims (7)

A display element manufacturing method for forming a display element including a thin film transistor on a flexible belt-shaped sheet substrate,
A shaft member that winds up the sheet substrate, a housing portion that can be housed in a state in which the sheet substrate is wound around the shaft member, and a processing device for forming the display element on the sheet substrate. A mount portion that is detachably connectable to an external connection portion; and an opening portion that is provided on the mount portion and allows the sheet substrate to be taken in and out of the processing device from the storage portion or from the processing device to the storage portion. Preparing a plurality of substrate cartridges including a cartridge body and an information holding unit capable of storing processing information including position information of a predetermined portion of the sheet substrate housed in the cartridge body;
A substrate cartridge for supply in which an unprocessed sheet substrate is accommodated in one of the plurality of substrate cartridges over a predetermined length and the processing information is stored in the information holding unit is interposed via the mount unit. Connecting to the supply side connection part of the processing apparatus, and connecting the substrate cartridge not accommodated in the sheet substrate as a recovery substrate cartridge to the recovery side connection part of the processing apparatus via the mount part;
The display element is applied to the sheet substrate supplied from the supply substrate cartridge under processing conditions set in the processing apparatus based on the processing information stored in the information holding unit of the supply substrate cartridge. A process for forming the sheet substrate, storing the processed sheet substrate in the recovery substrate cartridge,
The processing information stored in the information holding unit of the supply substrate cartridge and the processing progress information performed on the sheet substrate by the processing apparatus are stored in the information holding unit of the collecting substrate cartridge. And
A manufacturing method of a display element including: The sheet substrate accommodated in the supply substrate cartridge is formed by connecting a plurality of sheet substrates in a strip direction, and the position information of the predetermined portion held as the processing information is the plurality of sheets. Represents the position of the connection part of the board,
The manufacturing method of the display element of Claim 1. The position information of the predetermined portion held as the processing information represents a defective portion on the sheet substrate.
The manufacturing method of the display element of Claim 1. The processing information includes a defect history of the defective portion on the sheet substrate.
The manufacturing method of the display element of Claim 3. The position information includes a distance between an end portion of the sheet substrate and the predetermined portion, or a distance between a mark formed on the sheet substrate and the predetermined portion.
The manufacturing method of the display element as described in any one of Claims 1-3. The processing information further includes defect information related to the sheet substrate, progress information of processing performed on the sheet substrate, form information related to a formation layer formed on the sheet substrate, and shape information related to the shape of the sheet substrate. Including at least one,
The manufacturing method of the display element of Claim 1 or Claim 2. The processing apparatus includes a detection unit that detects an abnormal portion generated on the sheet substrate, and information regarding the position on the sheet substrate of the abnormal portion detected by the detection unit is used as position information of the predetermined portion. Send to the information holding part of the substrate cartridge for collection;
The manufacturing method of the display element of Claim 1 or Claim 2.

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