KR101802025B1 - Cutting mechanism, joining mechanism, substrate processing system, substrate processing device, and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The substrate processing system includes a first processing unit that continuously performs a first process on a substrate conveyed at a speed V1, a second processing unit that conveys the substrate processed in the first processing unit at a speed V2, When the relationship of the speeds can be set to V1 > V2 according to the performance of each of the first and second processing units, a plurality of second processing units are provided, In the case where the relationship of speed can be set to V1 < V2 according to the performance of each of the first and second processing units, it is preferable that a plurality of first processing units are provided, Further comprising a bonding mechanism for bonding a plurality of substrates to be subjected to the first process by the first processing unit of the first processing unit to the second processing unit.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a cutting mechanism, a bonding mechanism, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method,

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a cutting mechanism, a bonding mechanism, a substrate processing system, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method.

This application claims priority based on US Provisional Application No. 61 / 650,712, filed May 23, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 654,500, filed June 1, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In a large-screen display device such as a liquid crystal display device, a transparent electrode such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or a semiconductor material such as Si is deposited on a flat glass substrate, a metal material is deposited thereon, and a photoresist ) To transfer the circuit pattern. Thereafter, the photoresist is developed and then etched to form a circuit pattern or the like. However, since the size of the glass substrate is increased in accordance with the increase in the size of the display element, the substrate transportation becomes difficult. Therefore, a roll-to-roll system (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "roll-to-roll system") in which a display element is formed on a flexible substrate (for example, a film member such as polyimide, PET, metal foil, Quot; roll type ") (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of disposing a flexible long (long) sheet (substrate) wound around a conveying roller in close proximity to an outer peripheral portion of a rotatable cylindrical mask, Is continuously exposed to a substrate.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technique in which a pattern formation area of a flexible long sheet (substrate) sent in a roll manner is temporarily held on a plane stage, and a pattern image of a mask, which is projected via an enlarged projection lens, And a technique of scanning exposure on the pattern formation region has been proposed.

[Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2008/129819 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-019037 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-22584

However, the above-described conventional techniques have the following problems.

When a plurality of processes are successively performed on a long sheet-like substrate, the conveying speed of the substrate suitable for the process is different for each unit (for each process content), depending on the performance of each process unit. For example, in the case of the exposure process as in Patent Document 2, the transfer speed (tact) of the substrate is limited by the sensitivity of the photosensitive layer coated on the substrate surface and the brightness of the illumination light for exposure. In addition, in the wet process such as etching or plating, or in the drying / heating process after the wet process, the substrate can be transported slowly to advantageously miniaturize the liquid tank and the drying / heating furnace.

In addition, even in the deposition process of the functional material, the process of the printing, the inkjet printing, etc., there is an optimum substrate conveying speed in order to secure the productivity while maintaining the high definition (fineness). However, the optimum substrate transfer speeds are different depending on the processing units.

In the case of constructing a roll-type production line (processing system) in which a plurality of processing units are combined and a long sheet-like substrate is successively passed to continue a series of processing, the substrate transfer speed (the speed of the production line) The substrate transfer speed during processing is adjusted to the lowest processing unit.

For this reason, the processing unit having a high processing speed has a performance margin, but the substrate is transported at a slow speed. Therefore, there is a possibility that the efficiency of the processing unit is deteriorated and the productivity of the entire manufacturing line is not improved.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cutting mechanism, a bonding mechanism, a substrate processing system, and a substrate processing method that can contribute to improvement in productivity.

Further, in Patent Document 1, an electronic device is formed on a sheet substrate by mainly using a printing (inkjet) method while conveying a flexible sheet substrate in a roll system. However, in a general printing site, when the remaining amount of the sheet substrate wound around the supply roll becomes small, the printing apparatus is temporarily stopped to cut the sheet substrate between the printing apparatus and the recovery roll, The sheet substrate is sent to the next process. In this case, in the printing path from the entrance to the exit of the printing apparatus, the sheet substrate in the middle of printing remains, and this is all discarded as a defective product. When printing with color ink on a paper or film, the printing cost is very low. However, in the case of forming an electronic device by a roll method, the manufacturing cost per unit length (m) of the sheet substrate is still high, and when the sheet substrate remaining in the apparatus is discarded as in a general printing field, .

Particularly, in the case of forming a medium-sized or large-sized display panel by an organic EL on a sheet substrate, the sheet substrate may be a plurality of processing apparatuses such as a photosensitive layer printing apparatus, an exposure apparatus such as Patent Document 3, , A drying device, and the like, and then wound up on a recovery roll. Therefore, it is considered that the sheet substrate hanging in a plurality of processing apparatuses (processing steps) from the supply roll to the recovery roll becomes very long, and once the sheet substrate is stopped to be transported, the sheet substrate is wasted over a considerably long distance do.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method in which productivity is increased by suppressing an increase in cost.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a first processing unit that continuously performs a first process with respect to a substrate that is transported at a speed V1 in a long (longitudinal) direction; And a second processing unit for continuously carrying out a second process on the substrate, wherein the relationship between the speeds is V1 > V2, a plurality of second processing units are provided, a cutting mechanism for cutting the substrate subjected to the first processing to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction after the first processing unit, and a plurality of When the relationship of the speed can be set to V1 < V2 according to the performance of each of the first and second processing units, the first processing unit A plurality of units are provided. And a bonding mechanism for bonding a plurality of substrates to which a first process is carried out by each of the plurality of first processing units in order in the longitudinal direction and putting them in the second processing unit in front of the second processing unit A substrate processing system is provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a first process is continuously performed by the first processing unit with respect to the substrate conveyed at the speed V1 in the longitudinal direction, and the substrate processed in the first processing unit is conveyed at the speed V2 And a second processing unit that continuously performs a second processing on the substrate by the second processing unit, wherein the relationship of the speeds can be set to V1 > V2 according to the performances of the first and second processing units A step of cutting the substrate on which the first process has been carried out to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction after using the plurality of second processing units and after the first processing unit, When the relationship between the performance and the speed of each of the first and second processing units can be set as V1 < V2, it is possible to use a plurality of the first processing units, 2 processing Further comprising a joining step of joining a plurality of substrates to which a first process is carried out by each of the plurality of first processing units in the longitudinal direction sequentially in front of the unit and putting the substrates into the second processing unit / RTI >

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a cutting section that cuts a substrate on which a predetermined process has been performed; a cutting section that varies a stock amount of the substrate, And a buffer unit for adjusting the height of the wafer.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a bonding portion for bonding a substrate to be subjected to a predetermined process; a substrate to which a predetermined amount of substrate is to be deposited, And a buffer unit for adjusting the amount of conveyance of the recording medium.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing system for passing a substrate, which is transported in a long direction, through a first processing unit and then passing the substrate through a second processing unit, A cutting mechanism for cutting the substrate to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction is provided between the first processing unit and the second processing unit when the conveying speed of the substrate in the second processing unit is reduced, When the conveying speed of the substrate in the second processing unit is increased with respect to the conveying speed of the substrate in the unit, a bonding mechanism for bonding the substrate in the longitudinal direction is provided between the first processing unit and the second processing unit Is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet processing apparatus comprising a first mounting portion for mounting a first roll on which a long first substrate is wound, a second mounting portion for mounting a second roll on which a long second substrate is wound, And a second substrate, which is disposed between the processing mechanism and the first mounting portion, and which is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, A buffer mechanism for temporarily storing the first substrate and the second substrate in a predetermined longest accumulation range and then sending the buffer mechanism to the processing mechanism; And a substrate joining replacement mechanism for joining the front end portion of the second substrate supplied from the second roll to the end portion of the substrate and for sending out the wafer to the buffer mechanism.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising a first mounting portion for mounting a first roll on which a long first substrate is wound, a second mounting portion for mounting a second roll on which a long second substrate is wound, And a second substrate, which is disposed between the processing mechanism and the first mounting portion, and which is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, And a buffer mechanism for temporarily cutting the first substrate between the buffer mechanism and the first mounting section and for cutting the first substrate between the buffer mechanism and the first mounting section, And a substrate connection mechanism for connecting the tip end of the second substrate supplied from the second roll to a predetermined portion of the substrate transfer mechanism and sending out the substrate to the buffer mechanism.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus comprising a first mounting portion for detachably mounting a first roll on which a long first substrate is wound, a holding portion for holding a second substrate of the same size as the first substrate at a predetermined length, A processing mechanism for performing a predetermined process while sending either one of the first substrate and the second substrate in a longitudinal direction as a processing substrate and a processing mechanism arranged between the processing mechanism and the first mounting section, A buffer mechanism for temporarily storing the first substrate, which is temporarily stored in a predetermined longest accumulation range, and then sending out the processed first substrate to a processing mechanism, and a second substrate which is cut off from the first substrate between the buffer mechanism and the first mounting portion, There is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising a substrate joining replacement mechanism for connecting a front end portion of a second substrate supplied from a holding section to a predetermined portion of a buffer mechanism side of the substrate holder and sending out the wafer to a buffer mechanism.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process in a processing mechanism while feeding a long substrate in a long direction as a processing substrate, wherein the first roll, A second roll loaded with a long substrate is mounted on a second roll mounting portion and a buffer mechanism disposed between the processing mechanism and the first mounting portion is used to mount the first substrate supplied from the first roll to a predetermined The first substrate is temporarily stored in the longest accumulation range of the first substrate and then sent out to the processing mechanism and the first substrate is temporarily cut between the buffer mechanism and the first mounting section And connecting a front end portion of a second substrate supplied from a second roll to a predetermined portion of the buffer mechanism side of the first substrate to be cut off .

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method for performing a predetermined process in a processing mechanism while feeding a long substrate into the processing substrate in a long direction, comprising the steps of: A second substrate having the same size as that of the first substrate is held at a predetermined length in the holding section and a buffer mechanism disposed between the processing mechanism and the first mounting section, The substrate is temporarily stored in a predetermined longest accumulation range, and then the substrate is sent out to the processing mechanism. While the first substrate, which has temporarily been accumulated, is sent out to the processing mechanism, A substrate processing method comprising cutting a substrate and connecting a distal end portion of a second substrate supplied from a holding portion to a predetermined portion of a first substrate to be cut, This method is provided.

According to the aspect of the present invention, the processing units used in each of the plurality of processing steps can be efficiently operated, and the productivity of the entire manufacturing line related to the substrate processing can be improved.

According to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to greatly reduce the waste of the substrate and effectively suppress the cost increase.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a substrate processing system according to the first embodiment.
2 is a schematic perspective view of a cutting mechanism according to the first embodiment.
3 is a schematic external perspective view of a first splice portion according to the first embodiment.
4 is a schematic external perspective view of a second splice portion according to the first embodiment.
5 is a control block diagram of the substrate processing system according to the first embodiment.
6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a part of the device manufacturing system according to the first embodiment.
Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of the model arrangement of a plurality of processing units constituting the manufacturing line according to the first embodiment. Fig.
8 is a time chart explaining the tact improvement by the manufacturing line according to the first embodiment.
9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a part of a device manufacturing system as a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment.
10 is a view showing a schematic structure of a first splice portion and a first buffer mechanism according to the second embodiment.
11 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a second splice portion and a second buffer mechanism according to the second embodiment.
12 is a view showing a bonding / cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment.
13 is a view showing bonding and cutting operations of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment.
14 is a view showing a bonding and cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment.
15 is a view showing a bonding and cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment.
16 is a view showing a bonding and cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment.
17 is a view showing bonding and cutting operations of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment.
18 is a view showing bonding and cutting operations of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment.
Fig. 19 is a view showing bonding and cutting operations of the substrate on the substrate supply side according to the second embodiment. Fig.
20 is a view showing a bonding and cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate recovery side according to the second embodiment.
21 is a view showing bonding and cutting operations of the substrate on the substrate recovery side according to the second embodiment.
22 is a view showing a bonding and cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate recovery side according to the second embodiment.
23 is a view showing the bonding and cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate recovery side according to the second embodiment.
24 is a view showing a bonding and cutting operation of the substrate on the substrate recovery side according to the second embodiment.
25 is a view showing bonding and cutting operations of the substrate on the substrate recovery side according to the second embodiment.

First Embodiment

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a cutting mechanism, a bonding mechanism, a substrate processing system, and a substrate processing method of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

1 schematically shows a roll-type substrate processing system (SYS) in which a sheet-shaped substrate P is passed through three processing steps A, B, and C in order.

The substrate processing system includes a processing unit UA (first processing unit) for performing processing A (first processing) as processing A on the substrate P, processing B (first processing and second processing) as processing B, A processing unit UC (second processing unit) for performing processing C (second processing) as the processing C, a cutting unit CU10 (second processing unit) The connection mechanism PU10, the selection input mechanisms ST1 and ST2, and the control section CT (see Fig. 5).

The processing unit UA has a roll mounting portion RSA on which the supply roll RRA is mounted and feeds the substrate P subjected to the processing A to the cutting mechanism CU10. The processing unit UB is constituted by processing units UB1 to UB3 each of which performs the same processing B and includes three processing units UB1 to UB3 arranged vertically in three stages or horizontally on the downstream side in the substrate transfer direction of the processing unit UA, In three rows.

Each of the processing units UB1 to UB3 has a mounting portion RSB11 to RSB31 on which the roll of the substrate P on which the process A has been mounted and a mounting portion RSB12 to RSB32 on which the roll of the substrate P on which the process B has been mounted And the substrate P from the rolls RRB11 to RRB31 (hereinafter, referred to as "child rolls RRB11 to RRB31") mounted on the mounting portions RSB11 to RSB31 is moved to the processing B Rolls RRB12 to RRB32 (hereinafter referred to as "rollers RRB12 to RRB32") mounted on the mounting portions RSB12 to RSB32 are wound up.

1, a roll RR1 for winding the substrate P on which the processing A has been carried out is provided behind the cutting mechanism CU10 at the rear end of the processing unit UA. When a predetermined length of the substrate P is wound on the roll RR1, the substrate P is cut there and the roll RR1 is wound around the mounting portions RSB11 to UB3 of the processing units UB1 to UB3, RSB31, or any one of the rulers RRB11 to RRB31.

The processing unit UC can be mounted as one of the rolls RRB12 to RRB32 to which the processing B has been applied in the processing units UB1 to UB3 as the roll RR2. The substrate P wound on the roll RR2 (the intermediate product subjected to the processes A and B) is carried into the processing unit UC via the bonding mechanism PU10, and the process C is carried out. The substrate P which has been subjected to the process C is taken up on the recovery roll RRC mounted on the roll mounting portion (RSC) and recovered.

The processing speed VA (the conveying speed of the substrate P) of the processing A in the processing unit UA in the present embodiment, the processing speed VB of the processing B in the processing units UB1 to UB3 And the processing speed VC of the processing C in the processing unit UC (the conveying speed of the substrate P) are as follows.

VA? VC> VB

Between the processing unit UA and one of the processing units UB1 to UB3, since the transfer speed of the substrate P is VA &gt; VB, the processing unit UA has a high transfer speed V1 One of the processing units UB1 to UB3 corresponds to the first processing unit and corresponds to the second processing unit in which the transfer speed V2 is low. On the other hand, since any one of the processing units UB1 to UB3 and the processing unit UC has the conveying speed of the substrate P of VB <VC, any one of the processing units UB1 to UB3 Corresponds to the first processing unit in which the conveying speed V1 is low and the processing unit UC corresponds to the second processing unit in which the conveying speed V2 is high.

In the present embodiment, the processing rates VA and VC can be set to about three times the processing speed VB. When a single processing unit UB for carrying out the processing step B as in the prior art is used, the substrate P connected from the supply roll RRA to the recovery roll RRC is connected to the processing units UA, UB and UC in order The conveying speed is adjusted to the latest processing speed VB. That is, the tact (line speed, productivity) of the entire manufacturing line is regulated by the processing unit which is the latest.

In the present embodiment, the processing units UB whose processing speed is slow can be configured in a double line (in this case, three units are provided in parallel) so that the configuration is not limited to the restrictions. It is possible to cut the substrate P without temporarily stopping the processing steps A and B when the substrate P is wound on the roll RR1 by a predetermined length A mechanism CU10 is required.

The cutting mechanism CU10 mainly cuts the substrate P on which the process A has been carried out to a predetermined length and has a first buffer mechanism BF1 and a second buffer mechanism BF2 as shown in Figs. And a first splice portion (CSa) (cut portion). The cutting mechanism CU10 further includes an interlocking control portion for interlocking the operation of the first splice portion CSa (cutting portion) with the accumulation amount of the substrate P in the first buffer mechanism BF1 (buffer portion) do.

The first buffer mechanism BF1 is provided between the unit UA for performing the processing A as the first processing and the first splice portion CSa and is configured to fold the substrate P with a plurality of rollers, The substrate P is carried in and out while adjusting the accumulation length of the substrate P by vertically moving the dancer roller or the like. The first buffer mechanism BF1 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the processing unit UA in the conveying direction of the substrate P and controls the amount of conveyance of the substrate P conveyed to the first splice portion CSa (See FIG. 5) that adjusts the nip driving speed NR1 (or conveying speed). The driving of the dancer roller mechanism DR1 and the driving of the nip driving roller NR1 are controlled by the control unit CT.

The configuration of the first splice portion CSa will now be described with reference to FIG. 3 which shows a schematic perspective view of the first splice portion CSa.

The first splice portion CSa has an adsorption pad 1 formed on the upper surface thereof and formed of a porous material and is movable in the conveying direction of the substrate P (hereinafter simply referred to as " (3), a drive unit (4) for lifting and lowering the platform (3), and a drive unit (4) for lifting and lowering the platform (3) A cutter portion 5 that moves in the width direction of the substrate P and cuts the substrate P sucked by the suction pad 1 of the slider 2 when the substrate P is in contact with the substrate P, A take-up shaft 6 for raising the tape TP and a take-up shaft 7 for the roll RR1 provided on the top of the platform 3 for winding the substrate P on which the process A has been carried out, And a holding portion (8) capable of moving up and down.

The winding shaft 7 has a resin film or a material having a high adhesive strength adhered to a part (or an entire circumferential surface) of the outer circumferential surface thereof. After the distal end of the substrate P is brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the winding shaft 7, By rotating the take-up shaft 7, the substrate P can be automatically wound.

The slider 2, the platform 3, the drive section 4, the cutter section 5, the attaching section 6, and the holding section 8 are configured as an integrated station section SN, And can be transported, and can be positioned at a predetermined position.

Each drive of the slider 2, the drive section 4, the cutter section 5 and the attaching section 6 is controlled by the control section CT (see FIG. 5).

The station section SN is movable in the longitudinal direction while holding the substrate P and includes a moving section including the slider 2, the platform 3, the driving section 4, And a movement control part for moving the movable part to the bonding area by the bonding mechanism PU10.

The adhesive 6 in the present embodiment is to bond the substrate P with the adhesive tape TP, but it may be any other attaching method (mechanism). For example, a method in which the adhesive is applied in a belt shape in the transverse direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the substrate P, and the substrate P is bonded by pressurization; in the case where the substrate P is a resin film or the like, A method in which a desired portion is heated and pressed, or an ultrasonic bonding method may be used.

Although the suction pad 1 provided on the upper surface of the slider 2 holds the substrate P by the vacuum pressure, the substrate P is held by a mechanical clamp mechanism (clamp band, etc.) other than vacuum pressure. May be hooked on the upper surface of the slider 1.

The selection input mechanism ST1 shown in Fig. 1 is configured such that under the control of the controller CT, the substrate P on which the processing A has been carried out is placed on the roll RR1 wound on the take- RR1) 'is selectively inserted into any one of the mounting portions RSB11 to RSB31 as any one of the spools RRB11, RRB21, and RRB31, and the first spool RR1 is taken out, Up shaft 7 to the holding portion 8 of the western portion CSa.

In the present embodiment, since the processing speeds VA and VC are about three times the processing speed VC and three processing units UB are provided, the cholesterol RR1 (that is, the cholols RRB11 to RRB31, RRB12 to RRB32, The length of the substrate P rolled by the rollers RR1 and RR2 is set to about 1/3 of the length of the substrate P wound around the supply roll RRA serving as a master roll.

Therefore, the cutting mechanism CU10 cuts the substrate P by a predetermined length that substantially divides the entire length of the substrate P wound around the supply roll RRA.

The selecting and inputting mechanism ST2 of Fig. 1 is a processing unit for selecting one of the processing units UB1 to UB3 in which the substrate P on which the process B has been carried is wound by a predetermined length, RRB12 to RRB32 under the control of the controller CT and feeds the rollers RRB12 to RRB32 to the joining mechanism PU10 so that any one of the rulers RRB12 to RRB32 is conveyed to the empty mounting portion RSB12 to RSB32 of the first embodiment.

The joining mechanism PU10 is mainly for joining one of the conveyed rolls RRB12 to RRB32 conveyed with the process B as the milling roll RR2 in the vicinity of the end of the substrate that has been first inserted and cut, , A second splice portion CSb (junction) and a second buffer mechanism (second buffer portion) BF2 are provided. The joining mechanism PU10 has a second splice portion CSb (joining portion) joining the substrate on which the process B is carried out, and an accumulation amount of the substrate is variable according to the conveying amount of the substrate on which the process B is performed. (Buffer unit) BF2 for adjusting the amount of transfer of the substrate to be charged into the process B from the second buffer mechanism (buffer unit) BF2.

The second splice portion CSb is provided with the station portion SN provided in the first splice portion CSa described above as shown in Fig. 4 in a state in which the conveying direction of the substrate P is reversed have. That is, the second splice portion CSb includes a slider 2 having an adsorption pad 1 on its upper surface and movable in the carrying direction, and a guide rail for movably supporting the slider 2 in the carrying direction And a driving unit 4 for moving the platform 3 in the widthwise direction of the substrate P so as to be movable in the width direction of the substrate P when the platform 3 is lifted, A cutter portion 5 capable of cutting the substrate P adsorbed on the substrate P and a sticking portion 6 attaching an adhesive tape TP to the substrate P, And a holding portion 8 for holding the take-up shaft 7 for the chuck roll RR2 for winding the substrate P on which the process B is carried out from both sides.

The second buffer mechanism BF2 is constituted in the same manner as the first buffer mechanism BF1 and variably accumulates the substrate P to be brought into the processing unit UC in the adjustable length range, On the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate P in the transport direction.

The second buffer mechanism BF2 includes a dancer roller mechanism DR2 capable of variably adjusting the accumulation amount of the substrate P by raising and lowering a plurality of rollers adjacent to each other in the conveying direction of the substrate P in mutually opposite directions, And a nip drive roller NR2 (see Fig. 5) for adjusting the conveyance amount (conveyance speed) of the substrate P conveyed from the two splice portions CSb to the dancer roller mechanism DR2. The driving of the dancer roller mechanism DR2 and the driving of the nip driving roller NR2 are controlled by the control unit CT.

Fig. 5 is a control block diagram of the substrate processing system shown in Figs. 1 to 4. Fig.

5, the control unit CT controls the operation of the processing units UA and UB (UB1 to UB3) and UC, and is provided in each of the cutting mechanism CU10 and the bonding mechanism PU10 The slider 2, the driving section 4, the cutter section 5, the attaching section 6, the selection input mechanisms ST1 and ST2, the dancer roller mechanisms DR1 and DR2, the nip driving rollers NR1 and NR2 As shown in FIG. In addition, the control section CT controls the rotation of the supply roll RRA, the recovery roll RRC, and the conveying length of the substrate P in each process (each processing unit) It is possible to count and manage the substrate remaining amount of each roll serving as the supply side of the substrate P and the substrate winding amount of each roll to be the recovery side of the substrate P or to manage the entire tact up to the processing steps A to C, And also manages information such as the presence or absence of a processing problem or the degree and location when a defect occurs. The control section CT includes an interlocking control section for interlocking the operation of the cutting mechanism CU10 with the accumulation amount of the substrate P in the first buffer section BF1. Similarly, the control section CT includes an interlocking control section for interlocking the operation of the bonding mechanism PU10 with the accumulation amount of the substrate P in the second buffer section BF2.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing system having the above configuration will be described.

Here, as shown in Fig. 1, immediately after the processing B is completed in the processing unit UB1, the ruler RRB12 is moved by the selection input mechanism ST2 to the holding portion 8 of the second splice portion CSb . In the processing unit UB2, the processing B is performed on the substrate P drawn out from the ruling RRB21 mounted on the mounting portion RSB21. In the processing unit UB3, it is assumed that the processing unit UB3 waits until the next processing target chuck RRB31 is mounted on the mounting portion RSB31.

In the following description, the operation of each constituent device is controlled by the control section CT, and thus description thereof is omitted.

First, in the first buffer mechanism BF1, when the substrate P on which the processing A has been carried is wound on the ruled line RR1 held in the holding portion 8 of the first splice portion CSa by a predetermined length, The nip driving roller NR1 stops driving and stops supplying the substrate P to the first splice portion CSa. At this time, in the processing unit UA, the processing A is continuously performed, and the substrate P is sent to the first buffer mechanism BF1. Therefore, the dancer roller mechanism DR1 in the first buffer mechanism BF1 is driven in the direction to increase the accumulation amount of the substrate P.

The cutting of the substrate P is performed in the first splice portion CSa in conjunction with the stop of the supply of the substrate P from the first buffer mechanism BF1.

Concretely, first, after the slider 2 moves to the position facing the cutter portion 5, the platform 3 rises together with the slider 2 by the operation of the driving portion 4. [ The adsorption pad 1 sucks and holds the substrate P from the back surface (lower surface) by the rise of the slider 2 and positions the substrate P at the cutting position by the cutter portion 5. [ Thereafter, the cutter portion 5 moves in the width direction of the substrate P to cut the substrate P. When the substrate P is cut, the selection input mechanism ST1 feeds the molar RR1 into the mounting portion RSB31 of the processing unit UB3 as the chuck roll RRB31. The selection input mechanism ST1 also loads the preliminary winding shaft 7 to the holding portion 8 of the first splice portion CSa where the ruler RR1 is discharged and becomes vacant.

When the take-up shaft 7 is mounted on the holding portion 8 in the first splice portion CSa, the leading end portion of the substrate P sucked and held on the upper surface of the slider 2 comes into contact with the take- The rotation of the slider 2 is synchronized with the rotation of the nip drive roller NR1 by a predetermined amount so that the holding portion 8 supporting the take-up shaft 7 is lowered by a certain distance So that the front end portion of the substrate P comes into close contact with the adhered portion of the outer peripheral surface of the take-up shaft 7. Thus, when the leading end portion of the substrate P extending from the first buffer mechanism BF1 side is connected to the new take-up shaft 7, after the adsorption holding by the adsorption pad 1 is released, 8 are returned to the original height position and the platform 3 descends together with the slider 2 by the operation of the driving unit 4. [

The rotation of the nip drive roller NR1 and the rotation of the new take-up shaft 7 is resumed and the supply of the substrate P from the first buffer mechanism BF1 is resumed, (7). After the supply of the substrate P is resumed, the nip driving roller NR1 rotates the substrate P in accordance with the feeding speed of the substrate P in accordance with the processing speed VA in the processing unit UA ) Is transmitted at a speed slightly higher than the speed at which it is transmitted. In the dancer roller mechanism DR1, in accordance with the driving of the nip driving roller NR1, the dancer roller mechanism DR1 is driven in a direction to reduce the accumulation amount of the substrate P. [

The nip driving roller NR1 is driven at the same speed as the feeding speed of the substrate P in the processing unit UA after the length of the substrate P accumulated in the first buffer mechanism BF1 becomes almost minimum do.

On the other hand, the substrate P is taken out from the chuck roll RRB31 mounted on the mounting portion RSB31 of the processing unit UB3 and is sent at a speed corresponding to the processing speed VB to perform the process B, And is wound around the ruling RRB32.

While the processing B for the substrate P drawn out from the ruler RRB31 is being performed in the processing unit UB3, the processing unit UB2 performs the processing B for the substrate P drawn out from the ruling RRB21 And the chuck roll RRB2 on which the substrate P is wound is waiting in the mounting portion RSB22.

When the processing C by the processing unit UC is completed with respect to the substrate P from the chuck roll RRB12 mounted on the joining mechanism PU10 as the ruling RR2 first by the selection inserting mechanism ST2, The driving of the nip driving roller NR2 in the second buffer mechanism BF2 of the mechanism PU10 is stopped and the supply of the substrate P to the dancer roller mechanism DR2 is stopped.

At this time, in the processing unit (UC), the processing C is continuously performed. Therefore, the dancer roller mechanism DR2 is operated and is driven by the substrate (for example, the second buffer mechanism BF2) which has been stored in the second buffer mechanism BF2 at a constant speed corresponding to the feed amount (processing speed VC) of the substrate P in the processing unit UC P are sent to the processing unit UC.

In the second splice portion CSb, after the slider 2 moves to the position facing the cutter portion 5 as in the cutting process in the first splice portion CSa, the operation of the drive portion 4 So that the platform 3 rises together with the slider 2. The adsorption pad 1 sucks and holds the substrate P from the backing roll RRB12 from the back surface by the rise of the slider 2 and positions the substrate P at the cutting position by the cutter portion 5. [ Thereafter, the cutter portion 5 moves in the width direction of the substrate P to cut the substrate P. When the substrate P is cut, the selection and insertion mechanism ST2 takes out the take-up shaft 7 on which the ruler RR2 (RRB12) is wound from the holding portion 8, The ruling RRB22 waiting in the RSB 22 is mounted as the ruling RR2.

When the ruling RRB22 as the ruling RR2 is mounted on the holding portion 8 in the second splice portion CSb, the leading end portion of the substrate P pulled out from the ruling RR2 is divided into the first Is aligned with the rear end of the substrate P on the buffer mechanism BF2 side so that the two substrates P are simultaneously held on the adsorption pad 1. [ In this state, the two substrates P are bonded together by the adhesive tape TP. After the substrate P is bonded, the lifting base 3 is lowered together with the slider 2 by the operation of the driving unit 4 after releasing the suction holding by the adsorption pad 1. Thereafter, the supply of the substrate P from the second splice portion CSb to the second buffer mechanism BF2 is resumed by driving the nip drive roller NR2.

After the supply of the substrate P is resumed, the nip driving roller NR2 is rotated at a speed slightly higher than the feeding speed of the substrate P in accordance with the processing speed VC in the processing unit UC. In the dancer roller mechanism DR2, in accordance with the driving of the nip driving roller NR2, the dancer roller mechanism DR2 is driven in the direction of increasing the accumulation amount of the substrate P. [

The nip driving roller NR2 is driven at the same speed as the feeding speed of the substrate P in the processing unit UC after the length of the substrate P accumulated in the second buffer mechanism BF2 becomes almost maximum do. The substrate P pulled out from the chill roll RRB22 (the ruling RR2) sent to the processing unit UC via the second buffer mechanism BF2 is subjected to the processing C at the processing speed VC.

As described above, the substrate P subjected to the processing A in the processing unit UA is wound on the processing units UB1 to UB3 after being wound as a ruled line RR1 having a length corresponding to the number of the processing units UB After the process B is carried out in turn, the process B is put into the processing unit UC from the processing units UB1 to UB3 as the chuck roll RR2, and the process C is carried out. Three processing units UB1 to UB3 apparently have processing speeds VB of 3 to 3 because processing units UB whose processing speeds VB are later than processing speeds VC are provided in accordance with the ratio of processing speeds. The ruling RR2 is put into the processing unit VC at the same cycle as that in the case where the processing B is performed at the processing speed of the abdomen.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the processing speed VA> the processing speed VB can be set according to the performance of each of the processing units UA and UB, the logarithm n of the processing units UA and the processing units UB The substrate P is cut into a roll having a length corresponding to the logarithm m and is selectively put into one of m processing units UB1 to UBm. Therefore, it is possible to process the substrate P at the processing speed VA in the entire production line without being regulated at a low processing speed VB.

In the case where the processing speed VB can be set at the processing speed VC in accordance with the performance of each of the processing units UB and UC, a plurality of processing units UB1 to UBm, RR2 are successively joined to the n processing units UC (n &lt; m). Therefore, the waiting time until the substrate P is brought into the processing unit UC from the processing unit UB can be substantially suppressed.

Therefore, also in this case, it is possible to process the substrate P at the processing speed VC (? VA) without being regulated to the low processing speed VB.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, productivity can be improved even when a plurality of processes A to C having different processing speeds are sequentially performed. In the present embodiment, the number of processing units UB is set in accordance with the ratio of the processing speed. Therefore, it is possible to realize efficient substrate processing without installing facilities excessively. In addition, in the present embodiment, when the processing units UB1 to UB3 for doubling are installed in multiple stages in the vertical direction, efficient substrate processing can be performed without increasing the installation area (footprint).

In the present embodiment, the cutting mechanism CU10 with a buffer mechanism and the bonding mechanism PU10 with a buffer mechanism can be used for both cutting and bonding, SN). As a result, it is not necessary to provide different types of apparatuses individually, and it is also possible to reduce the cost associated with the production equipment.

That is, if the processing speed of the processing unit on the downstream side is lower than that of the processing units on the upstream side in the carrying direction of the substrate P among the adjacent processing units among the plurality of series of processing units, The stationary portion SN may be provided as the cutting mechanism CU10 and the station portion SN may be provided as the joining mechanism PU10 between adjacent processing units when the relationship of the processing speed is opposite.

In other words, the substrate processing system of the present embodiment is a system in which, among the series of processing units, the substrate P (P) in the processing unit (first processing unit) on the upstream side in the carrying direction of the substrate P The substrate P is transferred between the first processing unit and the second processing unit when the conveying speed of the substrate P in the downstream processing unit (second processing unit) And a cutting mechanism CU10 for cutting the substrate P to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction so as to increase the conveying speed of the substrate P in the second processing unit with respect to the conveying speed of the substrate P in the first processing unit A bonding mechanism PU10 for bonding the substrate P in the longitudinal direction can be provided between the first processing unit and the second processing unit.

(Device Manufacturing System)

Next, a device manufacturing system to which the substrate processing system is applied will be described with reference to FIG.

6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a part of a device manufacturing system (a flexible display manufacturing line) as a substrate processing system. Here, the flexible substrate P (sheet, film, etc.) drawn out from the supply roll RR1 passes through n processing units U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, ..., And is wound up on the roll RR2. The upper level control device CONT (control section) collectively controls the processing devices U1 to Un that constitute the production line.

The processing units U1 to Un shown in Fig. 6 may be any of the processing units UA to UC shown in Fig. 1 and may be a combination of two or more continuous processing units in the processing units U1 to Un, It may be possible to correspond to any one of the units UA to UC.

6, the orthogonal coordinate system XYZ is set so that the front side (or back side) of the substrate P is perpendicular to the XZ plane and the width direction orthogonal to the carrying direction (longitudinal direction) of the substrate P is the Y axis direction . The surface of the substrate P may be modified by a predetermined pretreatment beforehand, or may be formed by forming a fine partition structure (concave-convex structure) for precision patterning on the surface .

The substrate P wound on the supply roll RR1 is transported to the processing unit U1 drawn out by the nipped driving roller DR10. The center of the substrate P in the Y-axis direction (width direction) is servo-controlled by the edge position controller EPC1 so as to fall within a range of about 10 mu m to about 10 mu m with respect to the target position.

The processing apparatus U1 is provided with a photosensitive functional liquid (a photoresist, a photosensitive silane coupling agent, a photosensitive coupling agent, a photosensitive liquid repellency modifier, a photosensitive liquid developer A plating reducing agent, a UV curable resin liquid, or the like) continuously or selectively with respect to the carrying direction (longitudinal direction) of the substrate P. In the processing apparatus U1, a cylinder roller DR20 on which the substrate P is wound, a coating roller for uniformly coating the surface of the substrate P with the photosensitive functional liquid on the cylinder roller DR20, A coating mechanism Gp1 including a plate body roller of a concave plate or the like which prints a pattern using the functional liquid as ink or a solvent contained in the photosensitive functional liquid applied to the substrate P A drying mechanism Gp2 for rapidly removing moisture, and the like.

The processing apparatus U2 is configured to heat the substrate P conveyed from the processing apparatus U1 to a predetermined temperature (for example, several tens to 120 degrees Celsius) to stably fix the photosensitive functional layer . In the processing apparatus U2, a plurality of rollers and air-turn bars for folding and conveying the substrate P, a heating chamber section HA1 for heating the carried-in substrate P, A cooling chamber portion HA2 for lowering the temperature to match the environmental temperature of the subsequent process (processing device U3), a nipped driving roller DR3, and the like.

The processing apparatus U3 is an exposure apparatus that irradiates the photosensitive functional layer of the substrate P transported from the processing apparatus U2 with ultraviolet patterning light corresponding to a circuit pattern for display or a wiring pattern. An edge position controller (EPC) for controlling the center of the substrate P in the Y-axis direction (width direction) to a predetermined position, a nipped driving roller DR4, and a substrate P are fixed to the processing apparatus U3 by a predetermined tension A rotary drum DR5 which partially winds the pattern P on the substrate P and supports the pattern exposed portion on the substrate P in the same cylindrical surface shape and a pair of sets DR1 and DR2 that give a predetermined slack (DL) And drive rollers DR6 and DR7 of the drive roller DR.

In the processing apparatus U3, a transmissive cylindrical mask DM, a lighting device IU provided in the cylindrical mask DM for illuminating a mask pattern formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical mask DM, In order to relatively align (align) an image of a part of the mask pattern of the cylindrical mask DM with the substrate P on a part of the substrate P supported in the shape of a cylinder by the projection optical system DR5, And alignment microscopes AM1 and AM2 for detecting alignment marks and the like formed in advance on the substrate P are provided.

The processing device U4 is a device for transferring at least one of various types of wet processes such as a development process by a wet process or an electroless plating process to the photosensitive functional layer of the substrate P transported from the process device U3 To the wet processing apparatus. The processing apparatus U4 includes three processing tanks BT1, BT2, and BT3 layered in the Z-axis direction, a plurality of rollers for bending and conveying the substrate P, ) And the like.

The processing apparatus U5 is a heating and drying apparatus for warming the substrate P transported from the processing apparatus U4 to adjust the moisture content of the substrate P wetted in the wet process to a predetermined value. do. Thereafter, the substrate P having passed through the last processing unit Un of the series of processes via several processing units is wound up on the recovery roll RR2 via the nipped driving roller DR10. The edge position controller EPC2 drives the edge position controller EPC2 such that the base of the substrate P in the Y axis direction (width direction) or the base determination in the Y axis direction does not deviate in the Y axis direction The relative positions of the roller DR10 and the recovery roll RR2 in the Y-axis direction are sequentially corrected and controlled.

In the device manufacturing system shown in Fig. 6, the processing units whose processing speed is slow according to the processing speed of each of the processing units U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, ..., Un are doubled and a plurality of units are arranged in parallel A cutting mechanism CU10 is provided in front of the processing apparatus, and a selection input mechanism ST1 for inputting the substrate to any one of the plurality of processing apparatuses is provided.

Further, behind the plurality of processing apparatuses whose processing speed is slow, by providing the bonding mechanism PU10 for sequentially joining the plurality of substrates carried out from the respective processing apparatuses, even when a plurality of processes having largely different processing speeds are sequentially performed , It is possible to improve the productivity without being restricted by the treatment process with the lowest processing speed.

In the case of the production line shown in Fig. 6, the processing unit U2 for performing the heating process can reduce the volume of the chamber portions HA1 and HA2 by suppressing the conveying speed of the substrate P to be as low as possible, , The power used can be reduced, and the footprint of the device installation can be reduced.

On the other hand, in the case where the photosensitive functional liquid is pattern-printed on the surface of the substrate P in the processing apparatus U1 immediately before the processing apparatus U2, a plate body (concave or convex plate) roller for pattern printing is used, After the photosensitive functional liquid is applied to the roller as ink, the pattern is transferred by pressing the substrate P against the plate body roller. In this case, in order to improve the pattern transfer characteristic from the plate body roller to the substrate P, it is necessary to send the substrate P at a certain high speed.

As described above, in the processing units U1 and U2, there is a possibility that the required substrate transfer speed (processing speed) varies greatly depending on the performance of the apparatus. Therefore, in this case, when the processing unit U1 is the processing unit UA in Fig. 1 and the processing unit U2 is in the same manner as the processing units UB1 to UB3 in Fig. 1, You can build a line.

Here, in the case of the processing system (manufacturing line) shown in FIG. 1, how much tact is expected to be improved as compared with the processing by the conventional line drawing, is based on the model example shown in FIG. This will be described with reference to the time chart.

Fig. 7A shows an example of a model in the case where the processing units UA, UB, and UC for each of the three processes A, B, and C are subjected to the linearization processing. Here, it is assumed that the substrate P having a total length of 1200 m is wound around the supply roll RRA. It is assumed that each of the processing units UA to UC has the following processing capability as the performance of the apparatus. That is, the processing unit UA has the ability to send and process the substrate P at a maximum of 15 cm / s, and the processing unit UB has the ability to send and process the substrate P at a maximum of 5 cm / The processing unit UC is assumed to have the ability to process and process the substrate P at a maximum of 15 cm / s.

Since the conveying speed of the substrate P in the entire line is adjusted to 5 cm / s of the latest processing unit UB in the case of such shortening, the production tact time (process processing A, B, C ) Is 400 minutes (6 hours and 40 minutes).

On the other hand, Fig. 7 (b) shows an example of a model of a manufacturing line which is double-lineed as shown in Fig. Each performance of each of the processing units UA and UB (UB1 to UB3) and UC is the same as that described in Fig. 7 (a). 1, the processing unit UB in charge of the processing step B is doubled to provide three units UB1 to UB3 and the cutting unit CU10 behind the processing unit UA is cut The preparation time including the processing time and the replenishment time by the selection inserting mechanism ST1 is set to 3 minutes and the joining processing time in the joining mechanism PU10 in front of the processing unit UC, ), And the preparation time including the replacement time of the self-replenishment by 3 minutes.

7 (b), the processing units UA and UC are arranged at a maximum speed of 15 cm / s, which is ensured according to their respective performances, because the processing units UB, P).

The time chart in Fig. 8 assumes a tact by the model example of Fig. 7 (b), and the lines S1, S2, and S3 are virtually associated with each of the three processing units UB1 to UB3 , And each processing time. At the commencement of the processing, the substrate P from the supply roll RRA is processed in the processing unit UA, but the substrate P is divided by 1/3 of the total length 1200m in the cutting mechanism CU10. Therefore, the first 400 m of the substrate to be charged into the processing unit UA is processed to about 44.4 minutes, as shown in the line S1, and then, after a preparation time of 3 minutes in the cutting mechanism CU10 , And is sent to the processing unit UB1.

The tact time for the processing unit UB1 to process the substrate P of 400 m is 133.3 minutes. Thereafter, after about 3 minutes have elapsed as a predetermined preparation time (such as mounting of a cholrol), the first 400-m substrate is put into the processing unit UC and processed at a conveying speed of 15 cm / s. The tact time of the substrate of 400m by the processing unit (UC) is 44.4 minutes.

Meanwhile, as shown in line S2, the processing unit UA continues the processing of the second 400-m substrate for about 44.4 minutes. Subsequently, as shown in line S3, The treatment is continued for about 44.4 minutes at a conveying speed of 15 cm / s. The second 400-m-long substrate is sent to the processing unit UB2 after a preparation time of 3 minutes by the cutting mechanism CU10, where processing takes about 133.3 minutes.

In the processing unit UC, the processing of the first 400-m substrate is completed after 228.1 minutes from the start time. However, before that, the processing of the second 400-m substrate is completed in the processing unit UB2, and the second 400-m substrate is transferred via the joining mechanism PU10 and the selection input mechanism ST2C, After about 3 minutes of preparation time, it is bonded to the end portion of the first 400 m substrate.

Thereafter, the processing unit UC continuously processes the second 400-m substrate bonded to the first 400-m substrate at a transporting speed of 15 cm / s.

Similarly, as shown in line S3, the third (last) 400-m substrate cut by the cutting mechanism CU10 is put into the processing unit UB3 when the processing in the processing unit UA is completed , And after 133.3 minutes, it is wound on the roll (RRB32). The processing in the processing unit UC is completed also in the third 400m-long substrate before the processing of the second 400m-long substrate is completed.

While the second 400-m substrate is being processed in the processing unit UC, the third 400-m substrate is transferred through the bonding mechanism PU10, the selection input mechanism ST2C, And then bonded to the end portion of the second 400-m substrate. Thereafter, the processing unit (UC) continuously processes the third 400-m substrate bonded to the second 400-m substrate at a conveying speed of 15 cm / s.

As described above, the processing of the substrate P in the amount of 1200 m is completed in 317 minutes (5 hours 17 minutes) by doubling the units in the processing step B. This results in a tact improvement of about 20% (shortening of the production time) as compared with the model example of the shortening process shown in Fig. 7 (a).

In the model example shown in Fig. 7 (b), the entire length of the substrate P wound around the supply roll RRA as the master roll is 1200 m, but even if the length is longer than that, When the substrate is divided every 400 m, the substrate to be introduced into the production line can be continuously transferred to the final processing step C.

Although the three processing units UB1 to UB3 are operated at the same processing speed (5 cm / s) in the model example shown in Fig. 7 (b), in the adjustable range, the units UB1 to UB3 ) May be different by a small amount.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the related examples. All shapes, combinations, and the like of each structural member shown in the above-described example are merely examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like within a range not departing from the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the three processing units UB1 to UB3 are provided. However, if the processing units UB1 to UB3 are set according to the processing speed ratio, four or more processing units may be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, a part of the manufacturing lines constituted by a single line is made to be a double line. However, even when the original manufacturing line (producing the same product or a variety of products) is doubled from the first process to the last process, a configuration applying the above-described embodiment is possible.

For example, in the case where two production lines of the monotonization process as shown in Fig. 7A are arranged in parallel, a cutting mechanism (Fig. 7A) is provided behind each of the two processing units UA (UA1 and UA2) The processing units UB of the two low tacts subsequent thereto are provided with three units to be doubled as five units UB1 to UB5, Two processing units UC (UC1, UC2) may be provided after the connecting mechanisms PU10 (PU101, PU102).

In such a configuration, selection is made so that the substrate of a unit length (for example, 400 m) cut in any one of the cutting mechanisms CU101 and CU102 is sent to any one of the five processing units UB1 to UB5 So that each of the bonding mechanisms PU101 and PU102 can receive a substrate having a unit length (for example, 400 m) processed by any one of the five processing units UB1 to UB5, Thereby constituting the selection input mechanism ST2.

When the processing unit UA1 processes the substrate from the supply roll RRA by a unit length (for example, 400 m) in the processing of the first processing units UA1 and UA2, It is preferable to give an intentional time difference in starting the processing of the substrate from the RRA.

In this way, it is possible to avoid a roll changing operation (a temporary interruption of production) in which a mother roll RRA is simultaneously mounted on each of the two processing units UA1 and UA2, The unit can be efficiently operated.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 25. Fig. In this embodiment, the same constituent elements as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is simplified or omitted.

9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a part of a device manufacturing system (flexible display manufacturing line) (SYS) as a substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. Here, the device manufacturing system SYS includes a first mounting portion RS1 for mounting a supply roll (first roll) RR1, a second mounting portion RS2 for mounting a supply roll (second roll) RR2, A third mounting portion RS3 for mounting the recovery roll (third roll) RR3 and a fourth mounting portion RS4 for mounting the recovery roll (fourth roll) RR4, A flexible substrate P (sheet, film or the like) taken out from any one of the first buffer units RR1 and RR2 is sequentially connected to the first splice portion (substrate joining replacement mechanism) CSa, the first buffer mechanism BF1, the second buffer mechanism BF2 and the second splice portion (the second substrate transfer mechanism) CSb via the n pieces of processing apparatuses U1, U2, U3, U4, U5, ... Un, RR3, and RR4, respectively.

In the present embodiment, the substrate inserted into the first and second buffer mechanisms BF1 and BF2 and the processing apparatuses U1 to Un as the processing substrate is appropriately referred to as the substrate P and is described. The substrate drawn out from the supply rolls RR1 and RR2 before the introduction is appropriately referred to as the substrates P1 and P2. The substrates recovered by the recovery rolls RR3 and RR4 after the processing by the processing units U1 ... Un are appropriately referred to as the substrates P3 and P4.

The upper control device CONT (control section, second control section) is connected to each of the processing devices U1 to Un and the first and second splice sections CSa and CSb constituting the manufacturing line, And controls the mechanisms BF1 and BF2 collectively. The upper control device CONT is configured to rotate the motor shaft MT1 mounted on the supply roll RR1 at the first mounting portion RS1 and to rotate the motor shaft MT1 mounted to the supply roll RR2 at the second mounting portion RS2 And controls the rotation drive of the motor shaft MT2. The upper control device CONT includes an interlocking control portion for interlocking the cutting operation of the substrate P1 (first substrate) with the accumulation amount of the substrate P1 in the first buffer mechanism BF1 (buffer mechanism) . The upper control device CONT includes an interlocking control section for interlocking the cutting operation of the substrate P (process substrate) with the accumulation amount of the substrate P in the second buffer mechanism BF2.

10, a supply sensor S1 for detecting the supply state of the substrate P1 in the supply roll RR1 is provided in the vicinity of the first mounting portion RS1. The supply sensor S1 outputs a termination signal to the host controller CONT when the supply end of the substrate P1 is detected. Similarly, in the vicinity of the second mounting portion RS2, a supply sensor S2 for detecting the supply state of the substrate P2 in the supply roll RR2 is provided. The supply sensor S2 outputs a termination signal to the host controller CONT when the supply end of the substrate P2 is detected.

9, the orthogonal coordinate system XYZ is set so that the front side (or back side) of the substrate P is perpendicular to the XZ plane and the width direction orthogonal to the carrying direction (longitudinal direction) of the substrate P is the Y axis direction . The substrate P may be one obtained by modifying the surface of the substrate P by a predetermined pretreatment beforehand, or by forming a fine barrier rib structure (concavo-convex structure) with precision patterning on the surface.

10 is a view showing a schematic configuration of the first splice portion CSa and the first buffer mechanism BF1.

The first splice portion CSa is a portion in which the substrate drawn out from one of the feed rolls RR1 and RR2 and fed out to the first buffer mechanism BF1 is fed to the feed rolls RR1 and RR2, And is provided with a nip driving roller NR1 and cutting and joining units CU1 and CU2. The first splice portion CSa (substrate joining replacement mechanism) is provided on a substrate (first substrate) supplied from the feed roll RR2 (second roll) at a position where the substrate P1 And a control section for controlling the cutting operation and the bonding operation so as to cut the substrate P1 (the first substrate) after the front ends of the substrates P1, P2 (second substrate) are bonded.

The nip driving roller NR1 holds the substrate P1 or the substrate P2 and sends it to the first buffer mechanism BF1 under the control of the host controller CONT or stops the feeding of the substrate P And is disposed at a substantially intermediate position between the first mounting portion RS1 and the second mounting portion RS2 in the Z-axis direction.

The cutting joining units CU1 and CU2 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the virtual joining surface VF1 parallel to the XY plane passing through the position of the nip driving roller NR1 in the Z axis direction in the Z axis direction. The cutting joining unit CU1 is provided with a suction pad 1A, a cutter 2A and a tension roller 3A at a position facing the virtual joining face VF1. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 10, the cutting joining unit CU1 is rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown) so that the cutting joining unit CU2 and the absorbing pad 1A are opposed to each other, (Swings) between the suction pad 1A and the mounting position where the suction pad 1A is opposed to the first mounting portion RS1, as indicated by dotted lines. In addition, the cutting and joining unit CU1 moves in the direction of approaching and approaching the virtual joining face VF1 (that is, the cut-and-connected unit CU2) by the moving mechanism not shown at the joining position. The adsorption pad 1A is disposed on the downstream side (+ X-axis side) of the substrate P (substrate P1) in the conveying direction with respect to the cutter 2A when the cutting and joining unit CU1 is at the joining position.

Likewise, the cut-and-connected unit CU2 includes a suction pad 1B, a cutter 2B, and a tension roller 3B at a position facing the fictitious bonding surface VF1. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 10, the cutting joining unit CU2 is rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown) so that the cutting joining unit CU1 and the absorbing pad 1B are opposed to each other, (Swings) between the suction pad 1B and the mounting position where the suction pad 1B faces the first mounting portion RS2, as indicated by dotted lines. In addition, the cutting and joining unit CU2 moves in the direction of approaching and approaching the virtual joining face VF1 (that is, the cut-and-connected unit CU1) by the moving mechanism not shown in the joining position. The adsorption pad 1B is disposed on the downstream side (+ X-axis side) of the substrate P (substrate P2) in the transport direction with respect to the cutter 2B, when the cutting and joining unit CU2 is at the bonding position.

The movement of these cutting and joining units CU1 and CU2 is controlled by the host controller CONT.

The first buffer mechanism BF1 is disposed between the processing apparatus (processing mechanism) U1 and the first splice section CSa and is provided with the substrate P sent from the first splice section CSa, And is provided with a dancer roller mechanism DR1 and a nip driving roller NR2, which is temporarily stored in the longest accumulation range of the dummy roller unit DR1 and then delivered to the processing unit U1.

The nip driving roller NR2 holds the substrate P stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1 and sends it to the processing unit U1 and is disposed downstream of the dancer roller mechanism DR1 in the conveying direction of the substrate P Axis position with respect to the nip driving roller NR1.

The dancer roller mechanism DR1 includes a plurality of upper roller RJ1 with the ascending and descending ranges being relatively upper and lower rollers RK1 with the ascending and descending range being relatively lower, , And the rollers RJ1 and RK1 are independently movable in the Z-axis direction. The top dead center position JU1 and the bottom dead center position JD1 of the upper roller RJ1 are set such that the top dead center position JU2 and the bottom dead center position JD2 of the lower roller RK1, As shown in Fig. The operation of these dancer roller mechanisms DR1 is also controlled by the host controller CONT.

11 is a view showing a schematic configuration of the second splice portion CSb and the second buffer mechanism BF2.

The second buffer mechanism BF2 is disposed between the processing apparatus Un processing unit Un and the second splicing unit CSb and holds the substrate P sent from the processing unit Un in a predetermined longest accumulation And the nip driving roller NR3 and the dancer roller mechanism DR2 are provided to the second splice portion CSb.

The dancer roller mechanism DR2 includes a plurality of upper rollers RJ2 with a lift range being relatively higher and a lower roller RK2 with a lower lift range being alternately arranged in the X- And the rollers RJ2 and RK2 are independently movable in the Z-axis direction. The top dead center position JU3 and bottom dead center position JD3 of the upper roller RJ2 are set at positions higher than the top dead center position JU4 and the bottom dead center position JD4 of the bottom roller RK2. The operation of these dancer roller mechanisms DR2 is also controlled by the host controller CONT.

The second splice portion CSb is a part of the recovery rolls RR3 and RRR4 which is sent from the second buffer mechanism BF2 and which is to be recovered in one of the recovery rolls RR3 and RRR4, And is provided with a nip driving roller NR4 and cutting and joining units CU3 and CU4.

The nip driving roller NR4 supplies the substrate P sent from the second buffer mechanism BF2 toward the cut bonding units CU3 and CU4 under the control of the host controller CONT, And the position in the Z axis direction is disposed at the position of the virtual joint surface VF2 parallel to the XY plane at a substantially intermediate position between the third and fourth mounting portions RS3 and RS4 .

The cutting and joining units CU3 and CU4 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the virtual joining face VF2 in the Z-axis direction. The cutting joining unit CU3 has a suction pad 1C, a cutter 2C, and a tension roller 3C at positions facing the virtual joining face VF2. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 11, the cutting joining unit CU3 is rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown) so that the cutting joining unit CU4 and the absorbing pad 1C are opposed to each other, (Swings) between the suction pad 1C and the position where the suction pad 1C is opposed to the third mounting portion RS3, as indicated by dotted lines. In addition, the cutting and joining unit CU3 moves in the direction of approaching and approaching the virtual joining face VF2 (that is, the cut-and-connected unit CU4) by the moving mechanism not shown at the joining position.

The adsorption pad 1C is arranged on the upstream side (-X-axis side) in the transport direction of the substrate P with respect to the cutter 2C when the cut-and-bonded unit CU3 is at the bonding position.

Similarly, the cut-and-connected unit CU4 has a suction pad 1D, a cutter 2D, and a tension roller 3D at a position facing the fictitious bonding surface VF2. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 11, the cutting joining unit CU4 is rotated by a rotation mechanism (not shown) at a joining position where the cut bonding unit CU3 and the absorption pad 1D face each other, And the absorption pad 1D rotates (oscillates) between the position at which the absorption pad 1D is opposed to the fourth mounting portion RS4, as indicated by dotted lines. In addition, the cutting and joining unit CU4 moves in the direction of approaching and approaching the virtual joining face VF2 (that is, the cut-and-connected unit CU3) by the moving mechanism not shown at the joining position. The suction pad 1D is disposed on the upstream side (-X-axis side) of the transport direction of the substrate P with respect to the cutter 2D, when the cut-and-bonded unit CU4 is at the bonding position.

The movement of these cutting and joining units CU3 and CU4 is controlled by the host controller CONT.

As shown in Fig. 11, in the third mounting portion RS3, the collection roller RR3 is mounted on the motor shaft MT3. In the fourth mounting portion RS4, the collection roller RR4 is mounted on the motor shaft MT4. The rotational drive of the motor shaft MT3 and the rotational drive of the motor shaft MT4 are controlled by the host controller CONT.

11, a roll-up sensor S3 for detecting the roll-up state of the substrate P3 on the collection roller RR3 is provided in the vicinity of the third mounting portion RS3. The roll-up sensor S3 outputs an end signal to the host controller CONT when the roll-up end of the substrate P3 is detected. Similarly, in the vicinity of the fourth mounting portion RS4, a take-up sensor S4 for detecting the roll-up state of the substrate P4 on the collection roller RR4 is provided. The roll-up sensor S4 outputs an end signal to the host controller CONT when the roll-up end of the substrate P4 is detected.

The withdrawal rollers RR3 and RR4 are connected to a roll core at the front end and are provided with a lead-in board (third board) PK (also referred to as a lead board) PK 11, only the substrate PK of the collection roller RR4 is shown). The substrate PK may be made of the same material as that of the substrate P on which the processing by the processing devices U1 to Un is performed or may be made of material having substantially the same thickness as that of the substrate P.

The processing apparatus U5 of the present embodiment warms up the substrate P transported from the processing apparatus U4 to adjust the moisture content of the substrate P wetted in the wet process to a predetermined value, (200 DEG C or less) for crystallization or removal of solvent of the ink containing metal nanoparticles, but the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Subsequently, the substrate P having passed through the last processing unit Un of the series of processes via several processing units is temporarily stored in the second buffer mechanism BF2, and the second splice portion CSb ), And is wound up on the recovery roll RR3 or the recovery roll RR4.

12 to 19 for the operation of the first splice portion CSa and the first buffer mechanism BF1 during the processing of the substrate P in the device manufacturing system SYS having the above configuration . The operation of various processing apparatuses, constituent devices, and the like constituting the device manufacturing system SYS is controlled by the host controller CONT. In the following description, the description related to the control by the host controller CONT It is omitted.

12 shows a state in which the substrate P1 pulled out from the supply roll RR1 passes through the roller 3A of the cut bonding unit CU1 and the nip drive roller NR1 to form a first buffer mechanism BF1 and is temporarily stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1. 12, in the first buffer mechanism BF1, the upper roller RJ1 is located at the top dead center position JU1 and the bottom roller RK1 is positioned at the bottom dead center position JD2, P have a length that is closest to the longest in the first buffer mechanism BF1.

In the second mounting portion RS2, when the supply roll RR2 wound around the substrate P2 on which the substrate P1 of the supply roll RR1 is loosened is mounted on the motor shaft MT2, The unit CU2 is rotated to move the adsorption pad 1B to the set position. For the suction pad 1B at the mounting position, the front end portion of the substrate P2 is sucked (connected or connected) to be fixed, and then the double-sided tape T is attached to the side opposite to the suction side.

The adsorption of the substrate P2 to the adsorption pad 1B and the attachment of the double-sided tape T are performed by an operator or by using a robot or the like.

When the substrate P2 on which the double-sided tape T is attached is fixed to the suction pad 1B by suction, as shown in Fig. 13, the cutting and joining unit CU2 is rotated to move the substrate P2 to the bonding position The supply roll RR2 is rotated in the direction opposite to the feeding direction of the substrate P2 (counterclockwise in FIG. 13) by the rotational drive of the motor shaft MT2, ) Is given a predetermined tension.

On the other hand, when the supply sensor S1 detects the supply end of the substrate P1 from the supply roll RR1, the drive of the nip drive roller NR1 is stopped and the motor shaft MT1 is driven to the substrate P1 The substrate P 1 between the nip drive roller NR 1 and the supply roll RR 1 is given a weak tension.

The nip driving roller NR2 continues driving even after stopping the driving of the nip driving roller NR1. Therefore, the dancer roller mechanism DR1 operates, and the lowering of the upper roller RJ1 and the lowering of the lower roller RK1 are appropriately performed in accordance with the driving of the nip driving roller NR2. As a result, the substrate P stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1 is continuously fed to the processing unit U1 by the nip driving roller NR2 at a constant speed.

Next, as shown in Fig. 14, the cut bonding units CU1 and CU2 are moved in a direction approaching each other and the substrates P1 and C2 are sandwiched between the adsorption pads 1A and 1B with the double- P2) for a certain period of time. Thereby, the substrate P2 is adhered to and adhered to the substrate P1 via the double-faced tape T at a position where the substrate P1 is terminated by being cut in a subsequent step.

The nip driving roller NR2 and the dancer roller mechanism DR1 are continuously driven and the substrate P (P) stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1 is continuously driven while the bonding processing of the substrates P1 and P2 is being performed Is continuously fed to the processing device U1 at a constant speed by the nip driving roller NR2.

After the substrate P1 and the substrate P2 are bonded to each other, the adsorption pad 1B is opened in the cut bonding unit CU2 and then the cut and bonded unit CU2 is cut (+ Z-axis direction) from the joining unit CU1. Thus, the leading end portion of the substrate P2 pulled out from the supply roll RR2 is joined (connected or connected) to the substrate P1 by the double-faced tape T, (1A).

Thereafter, in a state in which tension is applied to the substrate P1 between the cut-and-bonded unit CU1 and the feed roll RR1, the cutter 2A in the cut-and-bonded unit CU1 presses the opposing substrate P1 ). As the cutter 2A, for example, a structure may be adopted in which the substrate P1 is cut by sliding a cutting edge in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the substrate P1.

The nip driving roller NR2 and the dancer roller mechanism DR1 are continuously driven and the substrate P stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1 is moved to the nip And is continuously fed to the processing unit U1 at a constant speed by the drive roller NR2.

After the substrate P1 is cut off, the suction pad 1A of the cut bonding unit CU1 is opened to the atmosphere and then the cut bonding unit CU1 is bonded to the cut bonding unit CU2 (The -Z-axis direction) from the plane VF1. Thereby, the substrate P1 pulled out from the supply roll RR1 is wound around the supply roll RR1 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the supply roll RR1.

With respect to the supply roll RR2, the substrate P2 is rotated by the rotation of the rotary roll RR2 and the nip drive roller NR1 (and the roller 3B) by the rotation torque in the direction opposite to the feed direction of the supply roll RR2, The tension is imparted between the two ends. As a result, the substrate connected to the substrate P stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1 is switched to the substrate P2 as the second substrate taken out from the supply roll RR2. The substrate P2 as the second substrate may have the same dimensions as the substrate P1 (the first base).

Thereafter, the nip driving roller NR1 rotates at a slightly higher speed than the nip driving roller NR2. In the dancer roller mechanism DR1, as shown in Fig. 17, as the nip driving roller NR1 is driven, The upper roller RJ1 is raised, and the lower roller RK1 is lowered appropriately. The substrate P2 drawn out from the supply roll RR2 is sent by the rotation of the motor shaft MT2 in the transporting direction and the accumulation length of the substrate P in the first buffer mechanism BF1 is .

Then, when the accumulation length of the substrate P in the first buffer mechanism BF1 becomes substantially maximum, the nip driving roller NR1 rotates at the same speed as the nip driving roller NR2, so that the first buffer mechanism BF1 The accumulation length of the substrate P is balanced. As shown in Fig. 18, the supply roll RR1 in which the substrate P1 is almost completely removed from the first mounting portion RS1 can be removed from the other supply rolls RR5).

18, when the supply roll RR5 is mounted, based on the detection result of the supply sensor S2, before the substrate P2 in the supply roll RR2 comes to an end, And the adsorption pad 1A is moved to the set position. The adsorption pad 1A at the point of installation is fixed (connected or connected) by sucking the leading end of the substrate P5, and then the double-sided tape T is attached to the surface opposite to the adsorption side.

Thereafter, the supply roll RR5 is rotated in the direction opposite to the supply direction of the substrate P5 (in the counterclockwise direction in Fig. 18) by the rotational drive of the motor shaft MT1, The cutting and joining unit CU1 is rotated while being shifted to the joining position as shown in Fig.

Then, when the supply sensor S2 detects the supply end of the substrate P2 in the supply roll RR2, the driving of the nip driving roller NR1 is stopped, and in the same manner as described above, The substrates P2 and P5 are pressed and bonded between the adsorption pads 1A and 1B for a predetermined time while the double-sided adhesive tape T is interposed between the adsorption pads 1A and 1B, The substrate P2 is cut by the cutter 2B in the cutter CU2. As a result, the substrate connected to the substrate P stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1 is switched to the substrate P5 drawn out from the supply roll RR5.

Thus, the substrate P sequentially switched is subjected to the coating treatment of the photosensitive functional liquid in the treatment unit U1, the heating treatment in the treatment unit U2, the pattern exposure treatment in the treatment unit U3, U4 and the heating and drying process in the treatment apparatus U5 are carried out and then sent to the second buffer mechanism BF2 and the second splice section CSb in sequence and the recovery roll RR3 or And recovered to the recovery roll RR4.

Next, with respect to the operations of the second splice portion CSb and the second buffer mechanism BF2 on the recovery roll side during the processing of the substrate P in the device manufacturing system SYS having the above-described configuration, 25, respectively.

20 shows a state in which the substrate P to be processed is sent to and stored in the second buffer mechanism BF2 via the nip drive roller NR3 and is fed from the second buffer mechanism BF2 to the nip drive roller NR4, (Withdrawn) of the substrate P is recovered to the recovery roll RR3 mounted on the third mounting portion RS3 via the roller 3C of the cut-and-bonded unit CU3 to be. 20, in the second buffer mechanism BF2, the upper roller RJ2 is located at the bottom dead center position JD3 and the lower roller RK2 is located at the top dead center position JU4, The substrate P has a length nearest to the shortest in the second buffer mechanism BF2.

When the recovery roll RR4 for recovering the substrate P is mounted on the motor shaft MT4 after the winding roll of the recovery roll RR3 is completed in the fourth mounting portion RS4, And the adsorption pad 1D is moved to the set position. The adsorption pad 1D at the mounting position is attracted to the end portion of the incoming board PK (hereinafter, simply referred to as "board PK") whose distal end is connected to the recovery roll RR4, Then, a double-faced tape T is attached to a surface opposite to the adsorption side. When the double-sided tape T is attached to the substrate PK, the cutting and joining unit CU4 is rotated to move to the joining position, and the recovery roll RR4 is rotated by the rotation of the motor shaft MT4, The substrate PK is given a predetermined tension by rotating the substrate PK in the recovery direction (clockwise rotation direction in Fig. 20) of the substrate PK (substrate P).

When the winding up sensor S3 detects the end of recovery of the substrate P by the recovery roll RR3, the driving of the nip driving roller NR4 is stopped, and the dancer roller mechanism DR2 is operated So that the upper roller RJ2 is raised and the lower roller RK2 is lowered properly. The substrate P fed from the processing device U5 by the nip driving roller NR3 is moved in the direction of the length of the second buffer mechanism BF2 by a predetermined amount The amount of feed according to the speed).

On the other hand, when the recovery of the substrate P by the recovery roll RR3 is completed, as shown in Fig. 21, the cut-and-bonded units CU3 and CU4 are moved in directions to approach each other, The substrates P and PK are squeezed between the adsorption pads 1C and 1D for a predetermined time. The end portion of the substrate PK is attached to the substrate P via the double-faced tape T at a position where the end portion of the substrate P is cut when the substrate P is cut in a subsequent process, Connection).

After the substrate P and the substrate PK are bonded to each other, the adsorption pad 1D in the cut bonding unit CU4 is opened to the atmosphere and then the cut and bonded unit CU4 is bonded to the cut bonding unit CU3) in a direction away from the main scanning direction (+ Z-axis direction). Thus, the leading end portion of the substrate PK is attracted and held by the adsorption pad 1C of the cutting and joining unit CU3 while being bonded to the substrate P by the double-faced tape T.

Thereafter, the cutter 2C in the cut-and-bonded unit CU3 cuts the opposite side of the substrate P (i.e., the cut-and-bonded unit CU2) with the tension applied to the substrate P between the cut bonding unit CU3 and the recovery roll RR3 ). After the substrate P is cut off, the adsorption pad 1C in the cut-and-bonded unit CU3 is opened to the atmosphere and then the cut-and-bonded unit CU3 is separated from the cut- Direction (-Z-axis direction). As a result, the recovery destination of the substrate P (that is, the substrate P processed by the processing units U1 to Un) sent from the second buffer mechanism BF2 is switched to the recovery roll RR4.

The elevation of the upper roller RJ2 and the lowering of the lower roller RK2 in the second buffer mechanism BF2 are appropriately performed while the joining processing and the cutting processing are performed in the second splicing portion CSb , The substrate P sent from the processing device U5 by the nip driving roller NR3 is accumulated while increasing the accumulation length in the second buffer mechanism BF2 by a certain amount.

When the recovery of the substrate P to the recovery roll RR4 is completed, the nip driving roller NR4 rotates at a slightly higher speed than the nip driving roller NR3. In the dancer roller mechanism DR2, The lower roller RJ2 and the lower roller RK2 are caused to rise properly in accordance with the drive of the drive roller NR4 and during the joining process and the cutting process at the second splice portion CSb, The length of the substrate P accumulated in the mechanism BF2 is reduced to the almost minimum accumulation length in the initial state (see FIG. 24). After the length of the substrate P accumulated in the second buffer mechanism BF2 is almost minimized, the nip driving roller NR4 is rotated at the same speed as the nip driving roller NR3.

On the other hand, the recovery roll RR3 is detached from the third mounting portion RS3 after the recovery of the substrate P is completed, and as shown in Fig. 24, the receiving board PK2 (hereinafter simply referred to as the board PK2) Is mounted on the motor shaft MT3 and the suction roll 1C of the cut bonding unit CU3 pivoted to the mounting position is mounted on the substrate PK2 is adsorbed and fixed, and then the double-faced tape T is attached to the surface opposite to the adsorption side.

When the double-faced tape T is attached to the board PK2, the cutting and joining unit CU3 is rotated to move to the joining position, and the recovery roll RR6 is rotated by the rotation of the motor shaft MT3, (Clockwise rotation direction in Fig. 25) of the pick-up roll RR3 (substrate R) by the take-up sensor S4 in a state in which a predetermined tension is given to the substrate PK2 ) Is detected.

As described above, in the present embodiment, while the substrate P is temporarily stored in the first buffer mechanism BF1 and sent to the processing apparatus U1, the substrate P is taken out from the new supply roll RR2 And is transferred to the first buffer mechanism BF1. Therefore, it is possible to change the roll as the supply source without stopping each processing by the processing units U1 to Un. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the substrate P which has been put into the processing apparatuses U1 to Un at the point of time when the supply roll is changed becomes wasteful and causes an increase in cost.

In addition, in this embodiment, while the substrate P sent from the processing unit Un is temporarily stored in the second buffer mechanism BF2, the recovery destination of the substrate is switched. Therefore, even when changing the collecting destination of the substrate P, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the substrate P that has been put into the processing apparatuses U1 to Un at the time of changing becomes wasteful and causes an increase in cost.

In the present embodiment, a new substrate is bonded to a substrate previously used in the first splice portion CSa and the second splice portion CSb, and then the conventional substrate is cut. Therefore, in the case where the cutting is performed first, stable substrate processing can be performed without causing problems such as separation of the substrate at the time of cutting with the applied tension, which may interfere with bonding.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the related examples. All shapes, combinations, and the like of each structural member shown in the above-described example are merely examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the processing mechanism includes a plurality of processing devices U1 to Un is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a structure in which the above substrate replacement mechanism is provided in one processing apparatus may be employed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the recovery roll to which the lead-in board PK is connected is separately provided. However, for example, a configuration in which the supply roll is used in which the substrate of the leading end is cut off after the end of use may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, two roll mounting portions are provided on the supply side and the roll side, respectively. However, three or more roll mounting portions may be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate from the other roll is automatically added before the substrate fed from one of the two supply rolls becomes the roll end, thereby continuing the processing without stopping the production line. If a defect is generated in a pattern formed on a substrate somewhere in a production line, or if a problem occurs in a manufacturing apparatus, a large number of defective products may be produced.

Therefore, in a manufacturing line until a final product is produced, a plurality of processes for carrying out a process while being a long substrate are divided into several blocks, and continuous processing by roll-to-roll is performed in each block. A manufacturing line (factory) configuration in which a substrate on which a semi-finished product is formed is transported in a wound roll unit and is set in a predetermined mounting portion RS1 or RS2. In this case, the substrate transport can be performed continuously in units of process blocks, and even when a problem (pattern defect, device defect, or the like) occurs in any process block, only the process block is temporarily stopped, Mass production can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the supply rolls RR1 and RR2 mounted on each of the two mounting portions RS1 and RS2 are formed such that a sheet-like substrate for manufacturing a product is wound by the same length, Immediately before the supply of the substrate from the feed roll RR1 (roll end) is interchanged to the substrate of the other feed roll RR2 to continue the processing until the end of the substrate of the feed roll RR2. However, the supply rolls mounted on one of the mounting portions RS1 and RS2 may be used to continuously supply the substrates to the processing units U1 to Un only while the other supply rolls serving as the roll ends are replaced with new rolls .

In this case, for example, the supply roll serving as the roll end is taken as RR2, the roll RR2 is removed from the mounting portion RS2, a new supply roll is mounted on the mounting portion RS2, (The manufacturing line) from the other supply roll RR1 to the state (FIG. 13) in which the preparation for bonding is completed P1 becomes 9 m when the feed rate of the substrate during processing is 50 mm / sec.

When the substrate P1 of about 9 m is fed from the other supply roll RR1, the first splice portion CSa immediately feeds the substrate W from the new supply roll RR2 mounted on the mounting portion RS2, (Connected or connected) to the position of the substrate P1 which has been inserted by approximately 9 m from the supply roll RR1 to the processing device U1 after the leading end of the substrate P2 is cut It is also possible to change the connection from the roll RR2 to the substrate P2.

When the substrate P1 from the supply roll RR1 mounted on the mounting portion RS1 is used as a temporary joint substrate (for example, about 9 m) as described above, The processing may be a pilot processing for condition setting or maintenance management of each of the processing units U1 to Un, and a device formed thereon may not be used as a final product.

In addition, when the substrate P1 is used as a temporary joint substrate (for example, about 9 m), it is not necessary to wind the substrate P1 around the supply roll RR1. For example, And the substrate 10m may be taken out one by one from the case and supplied to the first splice portion CSa.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, one or more of the elements described in the above embodiments may be omitted. The elements described in the above embodiments can be appropriately combined.

BF1 - first buffer mechanism (first buffer portion, buffer mechanism)
BF2 - second buffer mechanism (second buffer section)
CSa - 1st splice part (substrate joint replacement mechanism)
CSb - second splice portion (second substrate splice replacement mechanism)
CU - Cutting mechanism FS - Substrate
P - substrate
PK, PK2 - incoming substrate (third substrate)
PU10 - joining mechanism RR1 - feed roll (first roll)
RR2 - feed roll (second roll) RR3 - recovery roll (third roll)
RR4 - recovery roll (fourth roll) RS1 - first mounting portion
RS2 - second mounting portion RS3 - third mounting portion
RS4 - Fourth mounting part ST - Selection input mechanism
SYS - Device manufacturing system (substrate processing apparatus)
UA, UB, UB1 to UB3, UC - processing unit
U1 ~ Un-processing apparatus (processing apparatus)

Claims (31)

A first processing unit for continuously performing a first process on a substrate conveyed at a speed V1 in a long direction,
And a second processing unit that conveys the substrate processed in the first processing unit at a speed V2 and continuously performs a second process with respect to the substrate,
Wherein when the relationship of the speed can be set to V1 &gt; V2 according to the performance of each of the first and second processing units, a plurality of the second processing units are provided, A cutting mechanism for cutting the substrate subjected to the first processing to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction and a selection and insertion mechanism for putting the cut substrate into any one of the plurality of second processing units,
In the case where the relationship of the speed can be set to V1 &lt; V2 in accordance with the performance of each of the first and second processing units, a plurality of the first processing units are provided, Further comprising a bonding mechanism that sequentially joins a plurality of substrates to which the first process is performed by each of the plurality of first processing units in the longitudinal direction and puts the substrates into the second processing unit, . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein when the relationship of the speed is set to V1 &gt; V2, the accumulation amount of the substrate is variable according to the conveyance amount of the substrate subjected to the first processing, and the conveyance amount of the substrate conveyed toward the cutting mechanism is adjusted And a first buffer unit for performing a second process on the substrate. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising an interlocking control section for interlocking the operation of the cutting mechanism with the accumulation amount of the substrate in the first buffer section. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the relationship of the speed is set to V1 &lt; V2, the accumulation amount of the substrate is variable according to the amount of conveyance of the substrate on which the second process is performed, And a second buffer unit for adjusting a conveying amount of the substrate. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising a second interlocking control section for interlocking the operation of the bonding mechanism with the accumulation amount of the substrate in the second buffer section. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And a station unit provided between the first processing unit and the second processing unit and having a common configuration that can be used for either the cutting mechanism or the bonding mechanism. The method of claim 6,
Wherein the station unit includes: a moving unit that holds the substrate and is movable in the longitudinal direction;
And a movement control section for moving the moving section to a cutting region by the cutting mechanism or a joining region by the joining mechanism. The first processing is continuously performed by the first processing unit with respect to the substrate conveyed at the speed V1 in the longitudinal direction,
And a second processing unit for continuously carrying out a second process on the substrate by the second processing unit, wherein the substrate processing apparatus further comprises:
Wherein when the relationship of the speeds can be set to V1 &gt; V2 according to the performance of each of the first and second processing units, a plurality of the second processing units are used, Further comprising a step of cutting the substrate subjected to the first process to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction and a selective insertion step of putting the cut substrate into one of the plurality of second processing units,
Wherein when the relationship of the speed can be set to V1 &lt; V2 in accordance with the performance of each of the first and second processing units, a plurality of the first processing units are used, Further comprising a joining step of sequentially joining a plurality of substrates to which the first process is performed by each of the plurality of first processing units in the longitudinal direction and putting the substrates into the second processing unit. The method of claim 8,
Wherein when the relationship of the speed can be set to V1 &gt; V2, the accumulation amount of the substrate is adjusted in accordance with the conveyance amount of the substrate subjected to the first processing, and the conveyance of the substrate conveyed toward the region where the cutting is performed And the amount of the substrate is adjusted. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the cutting operation of the substrate and the adjustment of the accumulation amount of the substrate are interlocked. The method of claim 8,
When the relationship of the speed can be set to V1 &lt; V2, the accumulation amount of the substrate is adjusted in accordance with the conveyance amount of the substrate to which the second process is performed, And the amount of transfer of the substrate is adjusted. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the bonding operation of the substrate and the adjustment of the accumulation amount of the substrate are interlocked. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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