KR20150114415A - Substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention has a purpose of efficiently forming an organic layer of an organic LED on a substrate. The present invention comprises: a curing device (132), a temperature adjusting device (34), and a substrate transferring device respectively having processing containers (200, 300, 400) maintaining an atmosphere, wherein an inside atmosphere is maintained to have a predetermined oxygen concentration which is lower than an air, and a predetermined dew point temperature which is lower than the air; gas supplying units (240, 320, 420) supplying an inert gas into the processing containers (200, 300, 400); exhausting units (250, 330, 430) discharging the air inside the processing containers (200, 300, 400); refiners (263, 341, 441) eliminating the oxygen and moisture of the atmosphere in the processing containers (200, 300, 400); gas circulation systems (260, 340, 440) returning the atmosphere refined by the refiners (263, 341, 441) to the processing containers (200, 300, 400).

Description

[0001] SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM [0002]

The present invention relates to a substrate processing system for forming an organic layer of an organic light emitting diode on a substrate.

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are light emitting diodes that emit light from organic EL (Electroluminescence). In recent years, organic EL displays using such organic light emitting diodes have advantages such as being thin and lightweight, low power consumption, and excellent in terms of response speed, viewing angle and contrast ratio. Therefore, as a next generation flat panel display (FPD) It is attracting attention.

The organic light emitting diode has a structure in which a hole injecting layer, a hole transporting layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, and an electron injecting layer, which are organic layers, are stacked in this order from the anode side, for example, between the anode and the cathode on the substrate. In the production of such an organic light emitting diode, a specific organic layer is required to be treated in a low-oxygen and low-dew point atmosphere in order to suppress the deterioration of the organic layer, such as lowering the luminous efficiency of the organic layer or shortening the luminescent lifetime.

Thus, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL display for the purpose of maintaining such a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere. Specifically, the manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes an organic EL manufacturing line provided inside the sealing chamber, means for supplying nitrogen gas into the sealing chamber, nitrogen gas supplied into the sealing chamber through the filter, And has means for returning it to the inside.

[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2013-140721

However, in the production apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere is maintained in all the processes of the organic EL production line, the low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere is maintained even for such a process that does not require the atmosphere control. For this reason, for example, a large amount of nitrogen gas is required at the time of starting the manufacturing apparatus, and the manufacturing cost of the organic EL display becomes high. Particularly, with the recent enlargement of the organic EL display, the size of the chamber becomes larger, and the influence of the consumption amount of the nitrogen gas becomes remarkable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to efficiently form an organic layer of an organic light emitting diode on a substrate.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a substrate processing system for forming an organic layer of an organic light emitting diode on a substrate, comprising: a substrate processing system for applying the organic layer on a substrate, drying the organic layer, A temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the substrate after the organic layer is baked with the baking device; and a substrate transporting device for transporting the substrate to the baking device and the temperature regulating device, wherein the baking device, The adjusting device and the substrate carrying device each include a processing vessel in which an atmosphere inside is maintained in an atmosphere having a predetermined oxygen concentration lower than the atmosphere and a predetermined dew point temperature lower than the atmosphere, A gas supply part, an exhaust part for exhausting the inside of the processing container, And a gas circulation system having a purifier for removing water and returning an atmosphere purified by the purifier to the processing vessel.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventors have found that a low-oxygen atmosphere and a low-dew point atmosphere are required when a specific organic layer such as a hole transporting layer and a light-emitting layer is coated on a substrate and then the substrate is heat-treated. In the substrate processing system of the present invention, a gas circulation system is provided in a substrate transfer device for transferring substrates to a firing device and a temperature control device for performing heat treatment, and a firing device and a temperature control device. Then, in these devices, after the atmosphere of the processing vessel is replaced with an inert gas, for example, by using a gas supply unit, the atmosphere of the processing vessel can be recycled by using the gas circulation system. While the atmosphere in the processing vessel is being recycled, the substrate can be appropriately heat-treated in a state in which the atmosphere in the processing vessel is maintained at a predetermined dew-point temperature at a predetermined oxygen concentration.

In addition, the inert gas is supplied from the gas supply unit to the processing container only when the firing apparatus, the temperature adjusting apparatus, and the substrate transfer apparatus are started, that is, when the atmosphere in the processing chamber is started from the atmosphere. On the other hand, at normal operation, the atmosphere of the processing vessel is recycled, and the supply of the inert gas from the gas supply unit can be stopped. Therefore, the consumption amount of the inert gas can be suppressed to a small amount, and the heat treatment of the substrate can be performed efficiently.

The atmosphere control in the processing vessel in the firing apparatus, the atmosphere control in the processing vessel in the temperature control apparatus, and the atmosphere control in the processing vessel in the substrate transfer apparatus may be separately performed.

The pressure in the processing container of the firing device and the pressure in the processing container of the temperature regulating device may be respectively positive pressure than air and negative pressure than the pressure in the processing container of the substrate transfer device.

Wherein the substrate processing system further comprises a control section for controlling an atmosphere in the processing container of the firing device, an atmosphere in the processing container of the temperature adjusting device, and an atmosphere in the processing container of the substrate transfer device, And an atmosphere in the processing vessel is replaced with an inert gas to produce an atmosphere having a lower oxygen concentration than the atmosphere and a lower dew point temperature than the atmosphere, And a second step of stopping the supply of the inert gas from the gas supply unit and returning the atmosphere purified by the purifier to the processing vessel by using the gas circulation system, And a second step of maintaining the oxygen concentration at a predetermined dew point temperature , The gas supply unit, the exhaust unit, and the gas circulation system may be controlled.

Wherein the gas circulation system further comprises a piping connecting the processing vessel and the purifier, wherein the control unit is operable, in the first step, to purify the atmosphere in the piping by an inert gas supplied from the gas supply unit The atmosphere may be controlled to have an oxygen concentration lower than that of the atmosphere and a dew point temperature lower than that of the atmosphere.

The control unit may control the atmosphere in the processing container not to pass through the purifier in the first step.

Wherein the purifier includes a plurality of purifier passages for removing oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere in the processing container, another gas supplier for supplying a regeneration gas containing hydrogen gas to the purifier bar, and another exhaust part for exhausting the inside of the purifier container Wherein the control unit supplies the regeneration gas from the other gas supply unit to the other purifier while purifying the atmosphere in the processing container in one purifier in the second process, The inside of the purifier may be evacuated so as to regenerate the other purifier, and the other gas supplier and the other purifier may be controlled.

 Wherein the substrate processing system further comprises an oxygen concentration meter for measuring the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel and a dew point temperature meter for measuring the dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel, The atmosphere in the processing container may be controlled based on the measurement result of the dew point thermometer.

The substrate processing system may further include a door for opening and closing the inside of the processing container with respect to the outside, and the control section may control opening and closing of the door based on the measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter.

The gas circulation system provided in the firing apparatus may further include a cooler for cooling the atmosphere before being purified by the purifier and a filter for removing foreign substances in the atmosphere after being cooled by the cooler and before purification by the purifier .

The gas circulation system provided in the temperature regulating device may further include a temperature regulator for regulating the temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel.

According to the present invention, an organic layer of an organic light emitting diode can be appropriately and efficiently formed on a substrate.

1 is a flow chart showing a main process of a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting diode.
2 is a side view showing an outline of the configuration of the organic light emitting diode.
3 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a partition wall of an organic light emitting diode.
4 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a substrate processing system according to the present embodiment.
5 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a firing apparatus.
Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of the configuration of the firing apparatus, the temperature control apparatus, and the third substrate transfer apparatus.
7 is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the configuration of the purifier.
8 is an explanatory diagram showing the atmosphere control in the first operation mode.
Fig. 9 is an explanatory view showing the atmosphere control in the first operation mode. Fig.
Fig. 10 is an explanatory view showing the atmosphere control in the second operation mode. Fig.
Fig. 11 is an explanatory view showing the atmosphere control in the second operation mode. Fig.
12 is an explanatory diagram of the airflow generated in the substrate processing system.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. On the other hand, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

<1. Manufacturing Method of Organic Light Emitting Diode>

First, a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting diode will be described. FIG. 1 shows a main processing flow of a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting diode.

 2, an anode (anode) 10 is formed on a glass substrate G as a substrate (step S1 in FIG. 1). The anode 10 is formed using, for example, a vapor deposition method. On the other hand, for the anode 10, a transparent electrode made of, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is used.

Thereafter, a partition 20 is formed on the anode 10 as shown in Fig. 3 (step S2 in Fig. 1). The barrier ribs 20 are patterned in a predetermined pattern by, for example, a photolithography process and an etching process. In the partition 20, a plurality of slit-shaped openings 21 are formed side by side in the column direction (X direction) and the row direction (Y direction). In the inside of the opening 21, a plurality of organic layers 30 to 34 and a cathode 40 are stacked to form pixels as described later. On the other hand, for the partition 20, for example, photosensitive polyimide resin is used.

Subsequently, a plurality of organic layers 30 to 34 are formed on the anode 10 in the opening 21 of the partition 20 as shown in Fig. Specifically, a hole injection layer 30, which is an organic layer, is formed on the anode 10 (step S3 in FIG. 1), and a hole transport layer 31 as an organic layer is formed on the hole injection layer 30 The electron transporting layer 33 as an organic layer is formed on the light emitting layer 32 (step S5 of FIG. 1), and the light emitting layer 32 is formed on the light emitting layer 32 S6), and an electron injection layer 34 as an organic layer is formed on the electron transporting layer 33 (step S7 in Fig. 1).

Thereafter, a cathode (cathode) 40 is formed on the electron injection layer 34 (step S8 in Fig. 1). The cathode 40 is formed using, for example, a vapor deposition method. On the other hand, for the cathode 40, for example, aluminum is used.

In the organic light emitting diode 1 thus manufactured, a predetermined amount of holes injected from the hole injecting layer 30 is injected through the hole transporting layer 31 into the light emitting layer 30 by applying a voltage between the anode 10 and the cathode 40, And a predetermined number of electrons injected from the electron injecting layer 34 are transported to the light emitting layer 32 through the electron transporting layer 33. [ Then, holes and electrons are recombined in the light emitting layer 32 to form molecules in an excited state, and the light emitting layer 32 emits light.

<2. Substrate processing system>

Next, the substrate processing system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of the configuration of the substrate processing system 100. Fig. On the other hand, an anode 10, a partition wall 20 and a hole injection layer 30 are formed in advance on a glass substrate G to be processed in the substrate processing system 100. In the substrate processing system 100, 31 are formed.

The substrate processing system 100 includes a loading and unloading station 101 for loading and unloading a plurality of glass substrates G from the outside in units of cassettes from the outside and a predetermined processing for the glass substrate G And a processing station 102 having a plurality of processing apparatuses connected to each other.

In the loading / unloading station 101, a cassette placement table 110 is provided. The cassette placement table 110 is capable of arranging a plurality of cassettes C in a row in the X direction. In other words, the loading / unloading station 101 is configured to be able to hold a plurality of glass substrates G.

In the loading and unloading station 101, a substrate carrying body 112 movable on a carrying path 111 extending in the X direction is provided. The substrate carrying body 112 is also movable in the vertical direction and the vertical direction and is capable of transporting the glass substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 102. On the other hand, the substrate carrying body 112 holds, for example, the glass substrate G and conveys it.

In the processing station 102, the first substrate transfer device 120, the second substrate transfer device 121 and the third substrate transfer device 122 are arranged in this order in the Y direction from the carry-in / out transfer station 101 side It is placed side by side. Each of the substrate transfer devices 120, 121, and 122 is provided with a substrate transfer body (not shown) for transferring the glass substrate G. The substrate carrying body can also be moved in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the vertical direction, and can transport the glass substrate G to each of the devices provided adjacent to the substrate carrying devices 120, 121, and 122.

On the other hand, a firing device 132, a temperature control device 134, and a buffer device 136, which will be described later, are provided adjacent to the third substrate transfer device 122. The inside of these devices 132, The hypoxic state is also maintained in an atmosphere of low dew point (hereinafter referred to as a low oxygen low dew point atmosphere). Therefore, also in the third substrate transfer device 122, the inside thereof is maintained in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere. In the following description, the low-oxygen atmosphere refers to an atmosphere having an oxygen concentration lower than that of the atmosphere, for example, an oxygen concentration of 10 ppm or less. An atmosphere having a lower dew point temperature than the atmosphere, . As such a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is used.

Between the loading and unloading station 101 and the first substrate transfer apparatus 120 and between the first and second substrate transfer apparatuses 120 and 121, (123, 124) are provided. A load lock device 125 capable of temporarily holding the glass substrate G is provided between the second substrate transfer device 121 and the third substrate transfer device 122. The load lock device 125 is configured so that the internal atmosphere can be switched, that is, the atmospheric environment and the low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere can be switched. The load lock device 125 is connected to the third substrate transfer device 122 via the gate valve 126. In the processing station 102 (substrate processing system 100), the glass substrate G is processed and transported in an air atmosphere on the upstream side (on the negative direction side in the Y direction) of the load lock device 125, On the downstream side (the Y direction plus direction side) of the load lock device 125, the glass substrate G is processed and transported in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere.

A coating device 130 for coating an organic material for forming the hole transport layer 31 on the glass substrate G (the hole injection layer 30) is provided on the positive direction side of the first substrate transport device 120 in the X direction Is installed. In the application device 130, an organic material is applied to a predetermined position on the glass substrate G, that is, inside the opening 21 of the partition 20 by an ink jet method. On the other hand, the organic material of the present embodiment is a solution in which a predetermined material for forming the hole transporting layer 31 is dissolved in an organic solvent.

A plurality of vacuum drying apparatuses 131 for drying the organic material applied by the coating apparatus 130 under reduced pressure are stacked on the positive direction side in the X direction and the minus direction side in the X direction of the second substrate transport apparatus 121, Five are installed. The decompression drying apparatus 131 has, for example, a turbo molecular pump (not shown), and reduces the internal atmosphere thereof to, for example, 1 Pa or less to dry the organic material.

A firing device 132 as a heat treatment device for heating and firing the organic material dried in the reduced pressure drying device 131 is provided through the gate valve 133 on the positive direction side of the third substrate transfer device 122 have. The interior of the firing unit 132 is maintained in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere. The configuration of the firing apparatus 132 will be described later. On the other hand, a shutter may be used instead of the gate valve 133.

The temperature of the glass substrate G heat-treated in the firing apparatus 132 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, for example, a normal temperature (23 DEG C +/- 1 DEG C) on the minus direction side in the X direction of the third substrate transfer device 122, A regulator 134 is installed through the gate valve 135. The inside of the temperature adjusting device 134 is maintained in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere. The temperature regulating device 134 is provided with a plurality of stages of arrangement plates (not shown) for arranging the glass substrates G therein, and the glass substrate G on the arrangement plates is adjusted to a predetermined temperature do. Instead of the gate valve 135, a shutter may be used.

A buffer device 136 for temporarily holding a plurality of glass substrates G is provided through a gate valve 137 on the Y direction plus side of the third substrate transfer device 122. [ The inside of the temperature adjusting device 134 is maintained in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere. Instead of the gate valve 137, a shutter may be used.

On the other hand, in the processing station 102, the number or the arrangement of the coating device 130, the reduced-pressure drying device 131, the baking device 132, the temperature regulating device 134 and the buffer device 136 can be arbitrarily selected have.

In the above substrate processing system 100, a control unit 140 is provided. The control unit 140 is, for example, a computer and has a program storage unit (not shown). In the program storage unit, a program for controlling the processing of the glass substrate G in the substrate processing system 100 is stored. On the other hand, the program is recorded on a computer-readable storage medium H such as a computer readable hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnet optical disk (MO) And may be installed in the control unit 140 from the storage medium H.

Next, a processing method of the glass substrate G performed using the substrate processing system 100 configured as described above will be described.

First, a cassette C containing a plurality of glass substrates G is carried into the loading / unloading station 101, and placed on the cassette placement table 110. Thereafter, the glass substrate G is sequentially taken out from the cassette C on the cassette placement table 110 by the substrate transfer body 112.

The glass substrate G taken out from the cassette C is transferred to the transition device 123 of the processing station 102 by the substrate carrying body 112 and is transferred by the first substrate carrying apparatus 120 to the coating device (130). In the coating device 130, an organic material for the hole transport layer 31 is coated on the glass substrate G (hole injection layer 30) by an inkjet method. The coating treatment in the coating device 130 need not be performed in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere.

The glass substrate G is transported to the transition device 124 by the first substrate transport apparatus 120 and transported to the reduced pressure drying apparatus 131 by the second substrate transport apparatus 121. [ In the vacuum drying apparatus 131, the internal atmosphere is reduced, and the organic material coated on the glass substrate G is dried. The coating treatment in the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 131 does not need to be performed in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere.

Next, the glass substrate G is transported to the load lock device 125 by the second substrate transport device 121. When the glass substrate G is carried into the load lock device 125, the interior thereof is switched to a low-oxygen and low-dew point atmosphere. Thereafter, the inside of the load lock device 125 is communicated with the inside of the third substrate transfer device 122, which is likewise maintained at a low oxygen concentration and a low dew point atmosphere.

Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the firing apparatus 132 by the third substrate transfer device 122. [ The interior of the firing device 132 is also maintained in a low-oxygen and low-dew point atmosphere. In the firing apparatus 132, the glass substrate G disposed on the heating plate is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 200 ° C to 250 ° C, and the organic material of the glass substrate G is fired.

Next, the glass substrate G is transported to the temperature regulating device 134 by the third substrate transport device 122. The interior of the temperature regulator 134 is also maintained in a low-oxygen and low-dew point atmosphere. In the temperature controller 134, the temperature of the glass substrate G is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, for example, a normal temperature. Thus, the hole transport layer 31 is formed on the glass substrate G (the hole injection layer 30).

The glass substrate G on which the hole transport layer 31 is formed is transported to the load lock device 125 by the third substrate transport device 122. When the glass substrate G is carried into the load lock device 125, the inside thereof is switched to the atmosphere. Then, the inside of the load lock device 125 and the inside of the second substrate transfer device 121 are communicated with each other.

The glass substrate G is sequentially transported by the second substrate transport device 121, the first substrate transport device 120 and the substrate transport device 112 to transport the cassette C on the cassette placement table 110, Respectively. Thus, the processing of the series of glass substrates G in the substrate processing system 100 is completed.

The glass substrate G on which the hole transport layer 31 is formed does not return to the cassette C of the loading and unloading station 101 and the buffer device 136 (Not shown) to the outside of the substrate processing system 100.

<3. Control of low-oxygen low dew point atmosphere>

Next, the atmosphere control in a device on the downstream side of the load lock device 125, that is, in an apparatus requiring a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere, will be described. In explaining this atmosphere control, the configuration of the firing apparatus 132 that requires a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere will be described.

As shown in Fig. 5, the firing apparatus 132 has a processing vessel 200 capable of sealing the inside thereof. Inside the processing vessel 200, a processing unit 210 for receiving and heat-treating the glass substrate G is formed. In the processing section 210, a plurality of arrangement plates 211 for arranging the glass substrates G are provided in a plurality of stages, for example, 15 stages in the vertical direction. A plurality of, for example, two, heaters 212 for heating the glass substrate G on the arrangement plate 211 are provided on the side of the processing section 210 in the vertical direction.

A supply portion 220 for supplying a predetermined gas to the processing portion 210 is formed inside the processing vessel 200. [ The supply unit 220 is provided with a plurality of, for example, three filters 221 for removing foreign substances in the gas in the vertical direction. As the filter 221, for example, a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Filtration Air Filter) is used. A fan 222 for blowing gas to the processing unit 210 from the air supply unit 220 through the filter 221 is installed on the side of the air supply unit 220.

On the other hand, in the processing container 200, the number and arrangement of the arrangement plate 211, the heater 212, the filter 221, and the fan 222 can be arbitrarily selected.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, an air supply unit 230 for supplying clean dry air is installed in the processing vessel 200 through a feed duct 231. [ The air supply unit 230 stores dry air at a room temperature (23 DEG C +/- 1 DEG C) with an oxygen concentration of 21%, for example, equal to that of the atmosphere, and a moisture concentration of 1.029 ppm or less, . The air supply unit 231 is connected to the air supply unit 220 through a purifier 263 to be described later. The dry air supplied from the air supply unit 230 to the air supply unit 220 is supplied to the processing unit 210 by the fan 222 after the foreign substance is removed through the filter 221. On the other hand, the connection point of the air supply tube 231 is not limited to the present embodiment, and for example, the air supply tube 231 may be directly connected to the supply portion 220.

The processing vessel 200 is provided with a gas supply unit 240 for supplying nitrogen gas, which is an inert gas, through a gas supply pipe 241. The gas supply unit 240 stores nitrogen gas having an oxygen concentration of 10 ppm or less and a water concentration of 1.029 ppm or less, that is, a dew point temperature of -76 ° C or less and a normal temperature (23 ° C ± 1 ° C). On the other hand, in the present embodiment, nitrogen gas is used as the inert gas, but other inert gas such as argon gas may be used as long as a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere can be realized. The air supply tube 241 is connected to the air supply unit 220 through a purifier 263 to be described later. The nitrogen gas supplied from the gas supply unit 240 to the supply unit 220 is supplied to the processing unit 210 by the fan 222 after the foreign substance is removed through the filter 221. On the other hand, the connection point of the air supply tube 241 is not limited to this embodiment, and for example, the air supply tube 241 may be directly connected to the air supply unit 220.

The processing vessel 200 is provided with an exhaust unit 250 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200, more specifically, the atmosphere in the processing unit 210. As the exhaust part 250, for example, a negative pressure generating device such as a vacuum pump is used. The exhaust unit 250 and the processing unit 210 are connected through an exhaust pipe 251.

The processing vessel 200 is provided with a gas circulation system 260 for purifying and returning the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200, more precisely, the atmosphere in the processing section 210. Since the atmosphere circulated in the gas circulation system 260 is mainly nitrogen gas, in the following description, the gas circulation system 260 is described as purifying and returning the nitrogen gas. The gas circulation system 260 has a cooler 261, a filter 262, and a purifier 263. The cooler 261, the filter 262 and the purifier 263 are arranged in this order from the processing unit 210 side (upstream side) in the pipe 264 connecting the processing unit 210 and the supply unit 220 Is installed.

The cooler 261 cools the nitrogen gas from the processing unit 210 to a predetermined temperature, for example, a normal temperature. The predetermined temperature is a temperature at which the filter 262 and the purifier 263 are not damaged by heat. The filter 262 removes foreign matters such as organic solvents in the nitrogen gas cooled by the cooler 261.

The purifier 263 removes oxygen and moisture in the nitrogen gas from which the foreign substance has been removed by the filter 262. 7, the air supply unit 231 of the air supply unit 230 and the air supply unit 241 of the gas supply unit 240 are connected to the purifier 263. These air supply pipes 231 and 241 are connected to the upstream side of the piping 264 in the purifier 263, respectively. Valves 232 and 242 are provided in the respective branch pipes 231 and 241, respectively.

The piping 264 is branched to the piping 264a and the piping 264b on the downstream side of the air supply pipes 231 and 241. [ Valves 265 and 265 for controlling the flow of nitrogen gas are provided in the respective pipes 264a and 264b, respectively. The nitrogen gas flowing to the piping 264a side is refined and supplied to the supply unit 220. On the other hand, the nitrogen gas flowing to the pipe 264b side is supplied to the supply unit 220 as it is without refining.

The pipe 264a is also branched to the two pipes through the valves 266 and 266 and is connected to the two purifiers 267 and 267. [ A catalyst for removing oxygen and moisture is filled in the inside of the purifier tank 267. Then, when the nitrogen gas passes through the purifier 267, oxygen and moisture in the nitrogen gas are removed, and the nitrogen gas is purified. In the present embodiment, the nitrogen gas is purified by the purifier 267 to the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen gas before entering the purifier 267. On the other hand, when a predetermined amount of nitrogen gas is refined in the refiner 267, the catalyst deteriorates. Therefore, the catalyst in the other refiner 267 is exchanged while purifying the nitrogen gas in the one refiner 267 . Therefore, two purifiers 267 and 267 are provided.

The two pipes 264a are provided with a gas supply section 268 through a gas supply pipe 269 for supplying a regeneration gas containing hydrogen gas on the downstream side of the purifier 267. [ Valves 270 and 270 for controlling the flow of the regeneration gas are provided in the air supply source 269. The regeneration gas supplied from the gas supply unit 268 is supplied to the purifier tank 267 through the air supply pipe 269 and the pipe 264a. The regenerated gas regenerates the deteriorated catalyst in the purifying column 267, and the purifying column 267 is regenerated.

The two piping 264a is provided with an exhaust portion 271 through which the regeneration gas in the purifier 267 is recovered and exhausted on the upstream side of the purifier 267. [ The exhaust pipe 272 is provided with valves 273 and 273 for controlling the flow of the regeneration gas. As the exhaust part 271, for example, a negative pressure generating device such as a vacuum pump is used. The regeneration gas supplied from the gas supply unit 268 regenerates the purifier 267 and then is exhausted to the exhaust unit 271 through the pipe 264a and the exhaust pipe 272. [

On the other hand, the purifier 263 may be provided with a gas supply unit (not shown) for supplying a new nitrogen gas. For example, when the oxygen concentration of the new nitrogen gas supplied from the gas supply unit is 10 ppm or less, the gas supply unit is connected to the pipe 264a on the downstream side of the purifier tank 267. Nitrogen gas having a predetermined oxygen concentration is supplied into the processing container 200 by adding a new nitrogen gas having an appropriate oxygen concentration to the purified nitrogen gas in the purifier 267. On the other hand, for example, when the oxygen concentration of the new nitrogen gas supplied from the gas supply unit is larger than 10 ppm, the gas supply unit is connected to the pipe 264a on the upstream side of the purifier tank 267. Nitrogen gas of a predetermined oxygen concentration is supplied into the processing vessel 200 by purifying the nitrogen gas in the processing vessel 200 and the new nitrogen gas from the gas supply unit in the purifier vessel 267.

6, the firing apparatus 132 is provided with oxygen concentration meters 280 and 281 for measuring the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 and a dew point system for measuring the dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 A thermometer 282 is provided. One oxygen concentration meter 280 and the dew point thermometer 282 are respectively installed in the piping 264 on the downstream side of the purifier 263 of the gas circulation system 260, for example. Further, another oxygen concentration meter 281 is installed in the door 290 provided in the processing vessel 200, for example. On the other hand, the number and arrangement of the oxygen concentration meter and the dew point thermometer can be arbitrarily selected.

The measurement results of the oxygen concentration meters 280 and 281 and the measurement results of the dew point thermometer 282 are transmitted to the control unit 140, respectively. The control unit 140 controls the gas supply unit 240 and the gas supply unit 240 so that the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 is set to a predetermined oxygen concentration (10 ppm or less) and a predetermined dew point temperature (-70 캜 or less) An exhaust unit 250, and a gas circulation system 260. On the other hand, when the measurement results are different from each other in the oxygen concentration meters 280 and 281, the measurement results of both of them are controlled so as to be the predetermined oxygen concentration.

Further, for example, at the time of maintenance of the firing apparatus 132, the low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 is replaced with the atmosphere, and then the door 290 is opened. That is, the control unit 140 controls the door 290 to be opened when the measurement results of both of the oxygen concentration meters 280 and 281 reach 21%. In this case, since the door 290 is not opened while the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 does not reach 21%, the maintenance of the burning apparatus 132 can be safely performed. On the other hand, the door 290 may be provided with a display (not shown) in which the measurement results of the oxygen concentration meters 280 and 281 are displayed.

On the other hand, the operation of each part in the firing apparatus 132 is controlled by the control unit 140 described above.

Next, the temperature regulating device 134 will be described. As shown in Fig. 6, the temperature regulating device 134 has a processing container 300 capable of sealing the inside thereof. A plurality of stages of disposing plates (not shown) for disposing the glass substrate G are provided in the processing vessel 300 and a filter (not shown) for removing foreign substances in the gas supplied into the processing vessel 300 And a fan (not shown) for sending the gas into the processing vessel 300 are provided. On the other hand, the internal structure of the processing vessel 300 is arbitrary, and a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

The processing vessel 300 is provided with an air supply unit 310 for supplying clean dry air through the air supply unit 311. The air supply unit 310 and the air supply unit 311 are the same as the air supply unit 230 and the air supply unit 231 of the firing unit 132 described above. On the other hand, the branching tube 311 is connected to the processing vessel 300 through a purifier 341 to be described later, but the connection point of the branching tube 311 is not limited to this embodiment, Or may be directly connected to the processing vessel 300. [

The processing vessel 300 is provided with a gas supply unit 320 for supplying nitrogen gas, which is an inert gas, through a gas supply pipe 321. Since the gas supply unit 320 and the gas supply unit 321 are the same as the gas supply unit 240 and the gas supply unit 241 of the firing unit 132 described above, their description is omitted. On the other hand, the branching tube 321 is connected to the processing vessel 300 through a purifier 341 to be described later, but the connection point of the branching tube 321 is not limited to this embodiment, Or may be directly connected to the processing vessel 300. [

On the other hand, an ionizer for dry air or an ionizer for nitrogen gas may be provided in the processing vessel 300.

An exhaust part 330 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing container 300 is installed in the processing container 300 through an exhaust pipe 331. [ Since the exhaust part 330 and the exhaust pipe 331 are the same as the exhaust part 250 and the exhaust pipe 251 of the firing device 132 described above, the description is omitted.

The processing vessel 300 is provided with a gas circulation system 340 for purifying and returning the atmosphere in the processing vessel 300. Since the atmosphere circulated in the gas circulation system 340 is mainly nitrogen gas, in the following description, the gas circulation system 340 is described as purifying and returning the nitrogen gas. The gas circulation system 340 has a purifier 341 and a temperature regulator 342. The purifier 341 and the temperature regulator 342 are provided in this order from the upstream side in the pipe 343 connected to the processing vessel 300. On the other hand, the arrangement of the temperature regulator 342 is not limited to this embodiment, and the temperature regulator 342 may be provided on the upstream side of the purifier 341.

The purifier (341) removes oxygen and moisture in the nitrogen gas exhausted from the processing vessel (300). Since the configuration of the purifier 341 is the same as that of the purifier 263 of the firing apparatus 132 shown in Fig. 7 described above, a description thereof will be omitted. The air supply unit 311 of the air supply unit 310 and the air supply unit 321 of the gas supply unit 320 are connected to the purifier 341. [ The purifier 341 is also provided with a gas supply portion 344 for supplying a regeneration gas for regenerating the purifier of the purifier 341 through a feed pipe 345 and a regeneration gas And an exhaust pipe 346 for exhausting the exhaust gas is installed through an exhaust pipe 347. The gas supply unit 344, the gas supply unit 345, the exhaust unit 346, and the exhaust pipe 347 are also connected to the gas supply unit 268, the gas supply unit 269, the exhaust unit 271 ) And the exhaust pipe 272, the description is omitted.

The temperature regulator 342 regulates the nitrogen gas that has passed through the purifier 341 to a predetermined temperature, for example, normal temperature (23 占 폚 占 1 占 폚).

Oxygen concentration meters 350 and 351 for measuring the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 300 and a dew point thermometer 352 for measuring the dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 300 are installed in the temperature controller 134 . The configuration and arrangement of the oxygen concentration meters 350 and 351 and the dew point thermometer 352 are the same as those of the oxygen concentration meters 280 and 281 and the dew point thermometer 282 of the firing apparatus 132 described above . The control of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 300 and the control of the door 360 provided in the processing vessel 300 using these oxygen concentration meters 350 and 351 and the dew point thermometer 352 is also performed by the above- And the description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the operation of each part in the temperature regulator 134 is controlled by the control unit 140 described above.

Next, the third substrate transport apparatus 122 will be described. The third substrate carrying apparatus 122 has a processing container 400 capable of sealing the inside thereof, as shown in Fig. A substrate carrying body (not shown) for carrying the glass substrate G is provided in the processing vessel 400.

The processing container 400 is provided with an air supply unit 410 for supplying clean dry air through the air supply duct 411. The air supply unit 410 and the air supply unit 411 are the same as the air supply unit 230 and the air supply unit 231 of the firing unit 132 described above. On the other hand, the air supply unit 411 is connected to the processing vessel 400 through a purifier unit 441 to be described later, but the connection point of the air supply unit 411 is not limited to this embodiment, May be directly connected to the processing vessel 400.

The processing vessel 400 is provided with a gas supply unit 420 through which a nitrogen gas, which is an inert gas, is supplied through a gas supply pipe 421. The gas supply unit 420 and the air supply unit 421 are the same as the gas supply unit 240 and the air supply unit 241 of the firing unit 132 described above. On the other hand, the air supply unit 421 is connected to the processing vessel 400 through a purifier unit 441 to be described later. However, the connection point of the air supply unit 421 is not limited to this embodiment, May be directly connected to the processing vessel 400.

An exhaust part 430 for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing container 400 is installed in the processing container 400 through an exhaust pipe 431. The exhaust part 430 and the exhaust pipe 431 are the same as the exhaust part 250 and the exhaust pipe 251 of the firing device 132 described above.

The processing vessel 400 is provided with a gas circulation system 440 for purifying and returning the atmosphere in the processing vessel 400. Since the atmosphere circulated in the gas circulation system 440 is mainly nitrogen gas, in the following description, the gas circulation system 440 will be described as purifying and returning the nitrogen gas. The gas circulation system 440 has a purifier 441. The purifier 441 is provided in a pipe 442 connected to the processing vessel 400.

The purifier 441 removes oxygen and moisture in the nitrogen gas exhausted from the processing vessel 400. Since the configuration of the purifier 441 is the same as that of the purifier 263 of the firing apparatus 132 shown in Fig. 7 described above, a description thereof will be omitted. The air supply unit 411 of the air supply unit 410 and the air supply unit 421 of the gas supply unit 420 are connected to the purifier 441. The purifier 441 is also provided with a gas supply portion 443 for supplying a regeneration gas for regenerating the purifier of the purifier 441 through a feed pipe 444, Is installed through an exhaust pipe (446). These gas supply unit 443, the air supply unit 444, the exhaust unit 445 and the exhaust pipe 446 are also connected to the gas supply unit 268, the air supply unit 269, the exhaust unit 271 ) And the exhaust pipe 272, the description is omitted.

On the other hand, in the gas circulation system 440, a filter (not shown) for removing foreign substances in the nitrogen gas before purification by the purifier 441 is provided in the same manner as the filter 262 of the firing device 132 described above do.

The third substrate transfer device 122 is provided with an oxygen concentration meter 450 for measuring the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 400 and a dew point thermometer 451 for measuring the dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 300 . The configuration and arrangement of the oxygen concentration meter 450 and the dew point thermometer 451 are the same as those of the oxygen concentration meter 280 and the dew point thermometer 282 of the firing apparatus 132 described above. The atmosphere control in the processing vessel 400 using the oxygen concentration meter 450 and the dew point thermometer 451 is also the same as that in the above-described firing apparatus 132, and a description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the operation of each part in the third substrate carrying apparatus 122 is controlled by the control unit 140 described above. In the buffer device 136, the same atmosphere control as that of the third substrate transfer device 122 is performed. That is, the air supply part 410, the gas supply part 420, A base 430, and a gas circulation system 440 are installed.

Next, the atmosphere control performed in the firing apparatus 132, the temperature control apparatus 134, and the third substrate transfer apparatus 122 constructed as described above will be described. The atmosphere control is performed in two steps of a first operation mode and a second operation mode. The first operation mode is, for example, an operation mode performed at the start of each of the devices 132, 134, and 122. More specifically, the atmosphere in the processing vessels 200, 300, 134, and 122, respectively. The second operation mode is a normal operation mode.

First, the first operation mode will be described. As shown in Fig. 8, in the firing apparatus 132, nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 240 into the processing vessel 200, and the inside of the processing vessel 200 is exhausted by the exhaust unit 250. [ Then, the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 is replaced with nitrogen gas from an atmospheric atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of 21%.

Similarly, in the gas circulation system 260, the atmosphere in the pipe 264 is replaced with nitrogen gas. At this time, as shown in Fig. 9, in the gas circulation system 260, nitrogen gas flows to the pipe 264b side, and does not pass through the purifier case 267. [ Since the catalyst in the purifier 267 is soon deteriorated by passing an atmosphere having a high oxygen concentration through the purifier 267, the nitrogen gas from the gas supplier 240 is used in the first operation mode 264 are replaced with nitrogen gas.

The first operation mode is performed until the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 and the atmosphere in the pipe 264 becomes, for example, 100 ppm, respectively. Here, the nitrogen gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 240 in the first operation mode, but the supply of the nitrogen gas from the gas supply unit 240 is stopped in the second operation mode. Then, in order to reduce the consumption amount of the nitrogen gas as much as possible, it is preferable to make the operation time of the first operation mode as short as possible. Thus, the first operation mode is not performed until the oxygen concentration reaches the target value of 10 ppm or less, and the oxygen concentration in the second operation mode is set to 10 ppm or less, which is the target value. On the other hand, where the oxygen concentration is lowered in the first operation mode can be arbitrarily set.

On the other hand, by performing the first operation mode, the dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 and the atmosphere in the pipe 264 becomes -70 ° C or less, which is the target dew point temperature, respectively.

In the first operation mode, the same atmosphere control as in the above-described atmosphere control for the firing apparatus 132 is performed also in the temperature control device 134 and the third substrate transfer device 122, ) Is 100 ppm. The dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessels 300 and 400 also becomes -70 DEG C or less.

Next, the second operation mode will be described. As shown in Fig. 10, in the firing apparatus 132, the supply of nitrogen gas from the gas supply unit 240 and the discharge by the exhaust unit 250 are stopped, respectively.

Further, the gas circulation system 260 is used to purify the nitrogen gas in the processing vessel 200 and return the purified nitrogen gas into the processing vessel 200. Specifically, the nitrogen gas exhausted from the processing vessel 200 is cooled by the cooler 261 to a predetermined temperature. Subsequently, the cooled nitrogen gas passes through the filter 262, and foreign substances such as organic solvents in the nitrogen gas are removed. Then, as shown in Fig. 11, in the purifier 263, nitrogen gas flows to the pipe 264a side, and is passed through the purifier 267. In the purifier 267, oxygen and moisture of the nitrogen gas are removed, and the nitrogen gas is purified. The oxygen concentration of the purified nitrogen gas in the purifying tank 267 is lower than the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen gas before entering the purifying tank 267. [ The thus purified nitrogen gas is returned to the processing vessel 200. The nitrogen gas is continuously purified in the gas circulation system 260, and the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 is 10 ppm or less that is the target.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the nitrogen gas exhausted from the processing vessel 200 is purified through one purification vessel 267, but when purifying the nitrogen gas, the two purification vessels 267 and 267 are used simultaneously . The oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 becomes 100 ppm in the first operation mode and the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 becomes 10 ppm or less in the second operation mode as described above. The nitrogen gas can be efficiently purified by, for example, passing nitrogen gas through the two purifiers 267 and 267 while the oxygen concentration is changed from 100 ppm to 10 ppm.

Further, in the second operation mode, while the nitrogen gas is being purified in the one purifier 267, the other deteriorated purifier 267 may be regenerated. The regeneration gas supplied from the gas supply unit 268 is supplied to the purifier tank 267 through the air supply pipe 269 and the pipe 264a as shown by the dotted lines in Figs. The regenerated gas regenerates the deteriorated catalyst in the purifying column 267, and the purifying column 267 is regenerated. The regeneration gas after regenerating the purifier 267 is exhausted to the exhaust portion 271 through the pipe 264a and the exhaust pipe 272. [ In this case, for example, when the purifier 267 deteriorates, nitrogen gas can be purified by using another purifier 267 while the purifier 267 is being regenerated. In other words, it is not necessary to stop the operation even during the regeneration of the purifier 267, and the throughput of the substrate processing can be improved.

In the second operation mode, the firing process of the glass substrate G is appropriately performed in a state in which the atmosphere in the processing container 200 is maintained at the predetermined oxygen concentration and the predetermined dew point temperature.

In the second operation mode, the same atmosphere control as in the above-described atmosphere control for the firing apparatus 132 is performed also in the temperature control device 134 and the third substrate transfer device 122, ) Is 10 ppm or less, which is the target. Therefore, temperature control of the glass substrate G in the temperature regulating device 134 and conveyance of the glass substrate G in the third substrate transfer device 122 are appropriately performed, respectively.

The second operation mode is continuously performed after the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200, 300, 400 reaches the target oxygen concentration and the target dew point temperature. That is, during normal operation, the second operation mode is continuously performed.

On the other hand, when the second operation mode is ended and the firing apparatus 132 is to be maintained, for example, the gas circulation system 260 stops recycling of the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200. Dry air is supplied from the air supply unit 230, and the inside of the processing vessel 200 is exhausted by the exhaust unit 250. Then, the atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 is replaced with dry air having an oxygen concentration of 21% from nitrogen gas (low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere). Thereafter, the firing apparatus 132 is maintained in an atmospheric environment. When the maintenance is completed, the first operation mode and the second operation mode are performed again to return the inside of the processing vessel 200 to a predetermined low-oxygen low- . On the other hand, the atmosphere control after the end of the second operation mode is performed in the same manner for the temperature control device 134 and the third substrate transfer device 122.

According to the present embodiment, the atmosphere in the processing vessels 200, 300, and 400 is replaced with nitrogen gas in the first operation mode to lower the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere to some extent. Subsequently, in the second operation mode, the atmosphere in the processing vessels 200, 300, and 400 is refined using the gas circulation systems 260, 340, and 440, and the atmosphere is adjusted to a predetermined oxygen concentration and a predetermined dew- . Therefore, in the second operation mode, the atmosphere in the processing vessels 200, 300, and 400 is maintained at a suitable low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere and the temperature of the glass substrate G in the processing vessels 200, Heat treatment or transportation can be appropriately performed.

In the first operation mode and the second operation mode, the atmosphere in the processing vessels 200, 300, and 400 is controlled based on the measurement results of the oxygen concentration meters 280 and 281 and the measurement results of the dew point thermometer 282 Therefore, the atmosphere is more reliably maintained in the low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere.

In addition, for example, only when each of the devices 132, 134, and 122 is activated, that is, when the atmosphere in the processing vessels 200, 300, and 400 starts the devices 132, The first operation mode is executed to supply the nitrogen gas from the gas supply units 240, 320 and 420 to the processing vessels 200, 300 and 400. During normal operation, the second operation mode is executed to supply the gas supply units 240 and 320 , 420 are stopped. Therefore, the consumption amount of the nitrogen gas can be suppressed to a small amount, and the heat treatment and transportation of the glass substrate G can be performed efficiently.

In the firing apparatus 132, the temperature regulating apparatus 134, and the third substrate transfer apparatus 122, the above-described atmosphere control of the first operation mode and the second operation mode is performed separately. Therefore, even when only the firing apparatus 132 is maintained, normal operation can be continued in the other temperature regulating apparatus 134 and the third substrate transfer apparatus 122, for example. Therefore, the throughput of the substrate processing in the substrate processing system 100 can be improved.

In the substrate processing system 100, only the firing apparatus 132, the temperature control apparatus 134, and the third substrate transfer apparatus 122 are in a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere. No nitrogen gas is supplied to the first substrate transfer device 120, the second substrate transfer device 121, the application device 130, and the reduced pressure drying device 131, which are other devices, and are maintained in a low oxygen low- . Since the nitrogen gas is used only in the heat treatment (transportation) in which the low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere is required, the consumption amount of the nitrogen gas can be suppressed to a smaller amount and the formation treatment of the hole transport layer 31 And can be performed efficiently.

Next, the air flow in the above-described second operation mode will be described with reference to Fig. The arrows in FIG. 12 indicate the direction of the airflow. 12, the pressure in the processing container 200 of the firing unit 132 is more positive than that in the atmosphere, and is lower than the pressure in the processing vessel 400 of the third substrate transfer apparatus 122 It is the sound pressure. That is, an air flow from the third substrate transfer device 122 to the firing device 132 is generated. Similarly, the pressure in the processing container 300 of the temperature regulating device 134 is also positive than that in the atmosphere, and is lower than the pressure in the processing container 400 in the third substrate transfer device 122. That is, an air flow from the third substrate transfer device 122 to the temperature regulating device 134 is generated.

On the other hand, nitrogen gas supplied from the gas supply units 268, 344, and 443 is used to maintain the pressure in the processing vessels 200, 300, The pressure may be fine-tuned. The atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 may be exhausted by the exhaust unit 250 or the exhaust unit 271 or the atmosphere flowing through the gas circulation system 260 may be exhausted from the processing vessel 300 and the processing vessel 400. [ .

In this case, it is possible to prevent the uncleaned atmosphere in the processing vessel 200 of the firing unit 132 and the processing vessel 300 of the temperature control unit 134 from flowing into the third substrate transfer apparatus 122, respectively have. Then, this unclean atmosphere can be prevented from flowing to the upstream side of the third substrate transfer device 122 through the third substrate transfer device 122. Therefore, the glass substrate G in the substrate processing system 100 can be appropriately processed.

On the other hand, since the atmosphere in the third substrate transport apparatus 122 is at a normal temperature, if the atmosphere flows into the firing apparatus 132 in a large amount, the temperature of the atmosphere in the firing apparatus 132 is lowered. Therefore, the pressure difference between the pressure in the processing container 200 of the firing device 132 and the pressure in the processing container 400 of the third substrate transfer device 122 is preferably a little.

<4. Other Embodiments>

The substrate processing system 100 described above has performed the process of forming the hole transporting layer 31 on the glass substrate G. However, the substrate processing system 100 may be used to form the light emitting layer 32 on the glass substrate G . A low oxygen low dew point atmosphere is required in the heat treatment of the glass substrate G (firing treatment of the light emitting layer 32 and temperature control treatment of the glass substrate G). Therefore, when the substrate processing system 100 is used, the formation process of the light emitting layer 32 for the glass substrate G can be appropriately and efficiently performed.

The substrate processing system 100 for forming the hole transport layer 31 on the glass substrate G and the substrate processing system 100 for forming the light emitting layer 32 on the glass substrate G may be connected and integrated. The substrate processing system for forming the hole injection layer 30 may be connected to the glass substrate G to be integrated. On the other hand, the processing for forming the hole injection layer 30 does not require a low-oxygen low-dew point atmosphere, and the substrate processing system for forming the hole injection layer 30 is not limited to the supply of the nitrogen gas in the substrate processing system 100 The recycle of the nitrogen gas is omitted.

The electron transport layer 33 and the electron injection layer 34 may be formed on the glass substrate G by an evaporation method outside the substrate processing system 100 and may be formed on the glass substrate G in the same manner as the hole transport layer 31, Or may be formed on the glass substrate G in the substrate 100.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1: organic light emitting diode 10: anode
30: Hole injection layer 31: Hole transport layer
32: light emitting layer 33: electron transporting layer
34: electron injection layer 40: cathode
100: substrate processing system 101: carry-in / take-out station
102: processing station 120: first substrate carrying device
121: second substrate carrying device 122: third substrate carrying device
130: Coating device 131: Decompression drying device
132: firing device 134: temperature control device
140: control unit 200, 300, 400: processing vessel
230, 310, 410: air supply part 240, 320, 420: gas supply part
250, 330, 430:
260, 340, 440: gas circulation system 261: cooler
262: filters 263, 341, 441: purifier
264, 343, 442: piping 267:
268, 344, 443: gas supply units 271, 346, 445:
280, 281, 350, 351, 450: oxygen concentration meter
282, 352, 451: Dew point thermometer 290, 360: Door
342: Temperature controller G: Glass substrate

Claims (22)

1. A substrate processing system for forming an organic layer of an organic light emitting diode on a substrate,
A baking device for applying the organic layer on a substrate, drying the organic layer, and then baking the organic layer;
A temperature control device for controlling the temperature of the substrate after the organic layer is fired with the firing device,
And a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate to the firing device and the temperature control device,
Wherein the firing apparatus, the temperature control apparatus, and the substrate transfer apparatus each have a processing vessel in which an atmosphere inside is maintained in an atmosphere of a predetermined oxygen concentration lower than the atmosphere and a predetermined dew-point temperature lower than the atmosphere,
A gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas into the processing vessel,
An exhaust unit for exhausting the interior of the processing vessel,
And a gas circulation system having a purifier for removing oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere in the processing vessel and returning the purified atmosphere into the processing vessel by the purifier. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: controlling the atmosphere in the processing container in the firing apparatus;
The atmosphere control in the processing container in the temperature control device,
Wherein the atmosphere control in the processing container in the substrate transfer apparatus is performed individually. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressure in the processing container of the firing apparatus and the pressure in the processing container of the temperature regulating apparatus are respectively positive pressure than air and negative pressure than the pressure in the processing container of the substrate transfer apparatus The substrate processing system comprising: 3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a control section for controlling an atmosphere in the processing container of the firing device, an atmosphere in the processing container of the temperature adjusting device, and an atmosphere in the processing container of the substrate transfer device,
Wherein,
Wherein an inert gas is supplied from the gas supply unit to the processing vessel, the processing vessel is evacuated by the evacuation unit, and the atmosphere in the processing vessel is replaced with an inert gas so that the oxygen concentration is lower than that of the atmosphere, A first step of making an atmosphere having a low temperature,
The purifier is returned to the processing vessel by using the gas circulation system, and the atmosphere in the processing vessel is set to a predetermined oxygen concentration and a predetermined dew point temperature The second process
And the gas circulation system to control the gas supply unit, the exhaust unit, and the gas circulation system. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a control section for controlling an atmosphere in the processing container of the firing device, an atmosphere in the processing container of the temperature adjusting device, and an atmosphere in the processing container of the substrate transfer device,
Wherein,
Wherein an inert gas is supplied from the gas supply unit to the processing vessel, the processing vessel is evacuated by the evacuation unit, and the atmosphere in the processing vessel is replaced with an inert gas so that the oxygen concentration is lower than that of the atmosphere, A first step of making an atmosphere having a low temperature,
The purifier is returned to the processing vessel by using the gas circulation system, and the atmosphere in the processing vessel is set to a predetermined oxygen concentration and a predetermined dew point temperature The second process
And the gas circulation system to control the gas supply unit, the exhaust unit, and the gas circulation system. The gas circulation system according to claim 4, further comprising a pipe connecting the purifier with the processing vessel,
The control unit controls the atmosphere in the pipe by inert gas supplied from the gas supply unit so that the atmosphere is lower than the atmosphere and the dew point temperature is lower than the atmosphere And the substrate processing system. The gas circulation system according to claim 5, further comprising a pipe connecting the purifier with the processing container,
The control unit controls the atmosphere in the pipe by inert gas supplied from the gas supply unit so that the atmosphere is lower than the atmosphere and the dew point temperature is lower than the atmosphere And the substrate processing system. The substrate processing system according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls, in the first step, such that the atmosphere in the processing container does not pass through the purifier. 5. The purifier according to claim 4,
A plurality of purifier passes through which oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere in the processing vessel are removed,
Another gas supply unit for supplying a regeneration gas containing hydrogen gas to the purifier,
And another exhaust part for exhausting the inside of the purifier,
Wherein the control unit supplies the regeneration gas from the other gas supply unit to the other purifier while purifying the atmosphere in the processing container in one purifier in the second step,
Wherein the control unit controls the other gas supply unit and the other exhaust unit to exhaust the inside of the purifier tank by the other exhaust unit to regenerate the other purifier tank. 6. The purifier according to claim 5,
A plurality of purifier passes through which oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere in the processing vessel are removed,
Another gas supply unit for supplying a regeneration gas containing hydrogen gas to the purifier,
And another exhaust part for exhausting the inside of the purifier,
Wherein the control unit supplies the regeneration gas from the other gas supply unit to the other purifier while purifying the atmosphere in the processing container in one purifier in the second step,
Wherein the control unit controls the other gas supply unit and the other exhaust unit to exhaust the inside of the purifier tank by the other exhaust unit to regenerate the other purifier tank. The purifier according to claim 8,
A plurality of purifier passes through which oxygen and moisture in the atmosphere in the processing vessel are removed,
Another gas supply unit for supplying a regeneration gas containing hydrogen gas to the purifier,
And another exhaust part for exhausting the inside of the purifier,
Wherein the control unit supplies the regeneration gas from the other gas supply unit to the other purifier while purifying the atmosphere in the processing container in one purifier in the second step,
Wherein the control unit controls the other gas supply unit and the other exhaust unit to exhaust the inside of the purifier tank by the other exhaust unit to regenerate the other purifier tank. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: an oxygen concentration meter for measuring an oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel;
And a dew point thermometer for measuring a dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel,
Wherein the control unit controls the atmosphere in the processing container based on a measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter and a measurement result of the dew point thermometer. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: an oxygen concentration meter for measuring the oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel;
And a dew point thermometer for measuring a dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel,
Wherein the control unit controls the atmosphere in the processing container based on a measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter and a measurement result of the dew point thermometer. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: an oxygen concentration meter for measuring an oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel;
And a dew point thermometer for measuring a dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel,
Wherein the control unit controls the atmosphere in the processing container based on a measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter and a measurement result of the dew point thermometer. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: an oxygen concentration meter for measuring an oxygen concentration of the atmosphere in the processing vessel;
And a dew point thermometer for measuring a dew point temperature of the atmosphere in the processing vessel,
Wherein the control unit controls the atmosphere in the processing container based on a measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter and a measurement result of the dew point thermometer. 13. The processing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a door for opening and closing the inside of the processing container with respect to the outside,
Wherein the control unit controls opening and closing of the door based on the measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter. 4. The gas circulation system according to claim 3,
A cooler for cooling the atmosphere before being purified by the purifier,
Further comprising a filter for removing foreign substances in the atmosphere after being cooled by the cooler and before being purified by the purifier. 5. The gas circulation system according to claim 4,
A cooler for cooling the atmosphere before being purified by the purifier,
Further comprising a filter for removing foreign substances in the atmosphere after being cooled by the cooler and before being purified by the purifier. 10. The gas circulation system according to claim 9,
A cooler for cooling the atmosphere before being purified by the purifier,
Further comprising a filter for removing foreign substances in the atmosphere after being cooled by the cooler and before being purified by the purifier. The substrate processing system according to claim 3, wherein the gas circulation system provided in the temperature regulating device further comprises a temperature regulator for regulating the temperature of the atmosphere in the processing container. The substrate processing system according to claim 4, wherein the gas circulation system provided in the temperature regulating device further comprises a temperature regulator for regulating the temperature of the atmosphere in the processing container. 10. The substrate processing system according to claim 9, wherein the gas circulation system provided in the temperature regulating device further comprises a temperature regulator for regulating the temperature of the atmosphere in the processing container.

Images