KR20180033596A - Substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing display element - Google Patents

Abstract

The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing section for performing a predetermined process on a substrate and a substrate holding section for moving the substrate with respect to the processing section and holding the substrate while forming a surface to be processed of the substrate.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus,

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a method of manufacturing a display element.

The present application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-268789, filed on November 26, 2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As a display element constituting a display device such as a display device, for example, an organic electroluminescence (organic EL) element is known. The organic EL element has a configuration in which an anode and a cathode are provided on a substrate, and an organic light-emitting layer sandwiched between the anode and the cathode. In the organic EL element, holes (positive holes) are injected from the anode into the organic light-emitting layer to combine holes and electrons in the organic light-emitting layer, and display light (display light) is obtained by the emitted light have. In the organic EL element, for example, an electric circuit or the like connected to the anode and the cathode is formed on the substrate.

As a method of manufacturing an organic EL device, a method called a roll-to-roll method (hereinafter simply referred to as a "roll method") is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In the roll method, a single sheet-like substrate wound on a roller on a substrate feed side is fed, a substrate is fed while the fed substrate is wound on a roller on a substrate return side, and the substrate is fed A light emitting layer, an anode, a cathode, an electric circuit or the like constituting the organic EL element are sequentially formed on a substrate in a processing apparatus.

Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2006/100868 pamphlet

However, in such a roll system, there is a problem that it is difficult to ensure the flatness of the substrate when a substrate having a small thickness is used, for example. For this reason, improvement in the processing precision in the formation process of the light emitting layer, the electrode, and the like, and the alignment process has been hindered.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a method of manufacturing a display element which are excellent in processing accuracy.

A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processing section for performing a predetermined process on a substrate and a substrate holding section for holding the substrate while moving relative to the processing section and forming an object surface And a holding portion.

A method of manufacturing a display device in the aspect of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a display device including a process of performing a predetermined process on a surface to be processed of a substrate and a process of forming a surface to be processed And a moving step of moving the substrate holding unit, which is disposed on an endless supporting member, in a carrying direction of the substrate.

According to the aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus and a method of manufacturing a display element that have high processing accuracy.

1A is a configuration diagram of an organic EL device.
Fig. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line b-b of the organic EL element in Fig. 1A. Fig.
1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line c-c of the organic EL element in FIG. 1A; FIG.
2 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus;
3 is a view showing a configuration of a substrate processing section;
4 is a view showing a configuration of a droplet applying device;
5 is a view showing a configuration of a transport mechanism;
6 is a view showing a configuration of a transport mechanism;
7 is a view showing a configuration of a transport mechanism;
8 is a view showing a configuration of a transport mechanism;
9 is a view showing a configuration of a transport mechanism;
10 is a view showing a process of forming a partition wall of a substrate processing section;
11 is a view showing the shape and arrangement of partitions formed on a sheet substrate;
12 is a sectional view of a partition wall formed on a sheet substrate;
13A is a diagram showing an application operation of a droplet.
13B is a cross-sectional view of a droplet applied between the partitions.
14A is a cross-sectional view of a thin film formed between partition walls.
Fig. 14B is a view showing a structure of a thin film formed between partition walls; Fig.
15 is a view showing a step of forming a gate insulating layer on a sheet substrate;
16 is a view showing a step of cutting the wiring of the sheet substrate;
17 is a view showing a step of forming a thin film in a source-drain formation region;
18 is a view showing a step of forming an organic semiconductor layer;
19 is a view showing an example of alignment.
20 is a view showing the operation of the transport mechanism;
21 is a view showing a modification of the transport mechanism;

[First Embodiment]

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Organic EL device)

1A is a plan view showing the structure of an organic EL device. Fig. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line b-b in Fig. 1A. Fig. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line c-c in Fig. 1A.

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

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

As shown in Figs. 1B and 1C, for example, a partition board BA (bank layer) is formed on the sheet substrate FB. As shown in Fig. 1C, the source bus line SBL is formed between the partitions BA. As described above, the presence of the barrier rib BA allows the source bus line SBL to be formed with high accuracy, and the pixel electrode P and the light-emitting layer IR are also accurately formed. Although not shown in Figs. 1B and 1C, the gate bus line GBL is formed between the partition BA similarly to the source bus line SBL.

The organic EL element 50 is very preferably used, for example, from a display device such as a display device to a display portion of an electronic device. In this case, for example, an organic EL element 50 having a panel shape is used. In manufacturing such an organic EL device 50, it is necessary to form a thin film transistor (TFT) and a substrate on which the pixel electrode is formed. In order to precisely form one or more organic compound layers (light emitting element layers) including a light emitting layer on the pixel electrodes on the substrate, it is preferable to easily and accurately form the partition walls (BA, bank layer) in the boundary region of the pixel electrodes .

(Substrate processing apparatus)

2 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 that performs processing using a sheet substrate FB having flexibility.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus for forming the organic EL elements 50 shown in Figs. 1A to 1C using a band-shaped sheet substrate FB. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate supply unit 101, a substrate processing unit 102, a substrate recovery unit 103, and a control unit 104. [ The sheet substrate FB is conveyed from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate recovery unit 103 via the substrate processing unit 102. [ The control unit 104 controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 in a general manner.

In the following description, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of the respective members is described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The transport direction of the sheet substrate FB in the horizontal plane is referred to as the X axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X axis direction in the horizontal plane is defined as the Y axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X axis direction and the Y axis direction Z axis direction. The directions of rotation (inclination) about the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis are the? X,? Y, and? Z directions, respectively.

As the sheet substrate FB, for example, a heat-resistant resin film, stainless steel, or the like can be used. For example, the resin film may be formed of a resin such as polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyester resin, ethylene vinyl copolymer resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, cellulose resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, polycarbonate resin, polystyrene resin, A resin or the like can be used. The dimension of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction is, for example, about 1 m to 2 m, and the dimension in the X direction is, for example, 10 m or more. Of course, this dimension is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the size of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction may be 50 cm or less, and it may be 2 m or more. The size of the sheet substrate FB in the X direction may be 10 m or less. The flexibility in the present embodiment refers to a property that, for example, even when a predetermined force of at least its own weight is applied to the substrate, the substrate can be bent without breaking or breaking. The flexibility varies depending on the material, size, thickness, temperature, etc. of the substrate, and the like.

It is preferable that the sheet substrate FB has a small coefficient of thermal expansion so that the dimension thereof does not change even if it receives heat of, for example, about 200 캜. For example, an inorganic filler may be mixed with a resin film to reduce the thermal expansion coefficient. Examples of the inorganic filler include titanium oxide, zinc oxide, alumina, silicon oxide and the like.

The substrate supply unit 101 is connected to the supply side connection unit 102A provided in the substrate processing unit 102. [ The substrate supply unit 101 supplies the substrate processing unit 102 with a sheet substrate FB wound, for example, in a roll shape. The substrate recovery unit 103 recovers the sheet substrate FB after being processed by the substrate processing unit 102. The substrate supply unit 101 is not limited to the configuration in which the sheet substrate FB is accommodated in a roll-wound state, but may be a structure in which, for example, the sheet substrates FB are stacked . The stacked state also includes a state in which wrinkles are not generated and the substrate is not broken or broken even when a predetermined force of at least its own weight is applied.

3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the substrate processing section 102. As shown in Fig.

3, the substrate processing section 102 has a carrying section 105, an element forming section 106, an alignment section 107, and a substrate cutting section 108. The substrate processing section 102 forms the constituent elements of the organic EL element 50 on the sheet substrate FB while conveying the sheet substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply section 101 and supplies the organic EL elements 50 50 to the substrate-returning unit 103. The sheet-

The element forming portion 106 has a partition forming portion 91, an electrode forming portion 92, and a light emitting layer forming portion 93. The partition wall forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 are formed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet substrate FB, 92 and a light emitting layer forming portion 93 are arranged in this order. Each constitution of the element forming portion 106 will be described below.

The partition wall forming portion 91 has an imprint roller 110 and a thermal transfer roller 115. The partition wall forming portion 91 forms a partition BA with respect to the sheet substrate FB fed out from the substrate supply portion 101. [ In the partition wall forming portion 91, the sheet substrate FB is pressed by the imprint roller 110 and the sheet substrate FB is held by the thermal transfer roller 115 so that the pressurized partition BA maintains its shape. It heats above the previous point. Therefore, the shape of the frame formed on the roller surface of the imprint roller 110 is transferred to the sheet substrate FB. The sheet substrate FB is heated to, for example, about 200 DEG C by the heat transfer roller 115. [

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

The imprint roller 110 forms an alignment mark AM on the sheet substrate FB by using the mold 111 for fine imprinting. In order to form alignment marks AM on both sides in the Y-axis direction of the sheet substrate FB in the width direction, the mold 111 for fine imprint has a stamper for an alignment mark AM. The electrode forming portion 92 is provided on the + X side of the partition forming portion 91 and forms a thin film transistor using, for example, an organic semiconductor. Specifically, after forming the gate electrode G, the gate insulating layer I, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D and the pixel electrode P as shown in Figs. 1A to 1C, To form a layer (OS).

As the thin film transistor (TFT), a thin film transistor (system) may be used, or an organic semiconductor may be used. Though the inorganic semiconductor thin film transistor is of the amorphous silicon type, it may be a thin film transistor using an organic semiconductor. When the organic semiconductor is used to form a thin film transistor, a thin film transistor can be formed by utilizing a printing technique or a droplet coating technique. Among the thin film transistors using an organic semiconductor, a field effect transistor (FET) as shown in Figs. 1A to 1C is particularly preferable.

The electrode forming portion 92 has a droplet applying device 120 (collectively referred to as 120G, 120I, 120SD and 120OS), a heat treatment device BK, a cutting device 130 and the like.

In the present embodiment, as the droplet applying device 120, for example, a droplet applying device 120G used for forming the gate electrode G, a droplet applying device 120C used for forming the gate insulating layer I A liquid droplet applying device 120SD used for forming the source electrode S, the drain electrode D and the pixel electrode P, a liquid droplet applying device 120OS used for forming the organic semiconductor OS, And so on.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the configuration of the droplet applying device 120. Fig. Fig. 4 shows the structure when the droplet applying device 120 is viewed from the + Z side. The droplet applying device 120 is elongated in the Y-axis direction. A driving device (not shown) is provided in the droplet applying device 120. The droplet applying device 120 is movable, for example, in the X direction, the Y direction, and the? Z direction by the drive device.

In the droplet applying device 120, a plurality of nozzles 122 are formed. The nozzle 122 is provided on a surface of the droplet applying device 120 facing the sheet substrate FB. The nozzles 122 are arranged along, for example, the Y-axis direction, and two rows of the nozzles 122 (nozzle rows) are formed, for example. The control unit 104 may apply the droplets collectively to all the nozzles 122 and adjust the timing for applying the droplets to the nozzles 122 individually.

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

Returning to Fig. 3, the droplet applying device 120G applies metal ink to the partition BA of the gate bus line GBL. The droplet applying device 120I applies a polyimide resin or a urethane resin-based electrical insulating ink to the switching portion. The liquid application device 120SD applies metal ink in the partition BA of the source bus line SBL and in the partition BA of the pixel electrode P. [ The liquid application device 120OS applies the organic semiconductor ink to the switching portion between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D.

The metal ink is a liquid in which a conductor having a particle diameter of about 5 nm is stable and disperses in a solvent at room temperature, and carbon, silver (Ag), gold (Au), or the like is used as the conductor. The compound forming the organic semiconductor ink may be either a single crystal material, an amorphous material, or a low molecular material or a high molecular material. Particularly preferred among the compounds forming the organic semiconductor ink are monocrystalline or π-conjugated systems of condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbon compounds represented by pentacene, triphenylene, anthracene, (Conjugated system) polymer, and the like.

The heat treatment apparatus BK is disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate transport direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 120. The heat treatment apparatus BK can radiate, for example, hot air or far-infrared rays to the sheet substrate FB. The heat treatment apparatus BK uses these radiation heat to cure the liquid droplets applied to the sheet substrate FB by drying or baking (baking).

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

As a kind of laser light, a laser having a wavelength to be absorbed is preferable for a metal film to be cut, and 2, 3 or 4 times higher harmonics such as YAG are preferable as a wavelength conversion laser. In addition, by using a pulsed laser, thermal diffusion can be prevented and damage other than the cut portion can be reduced. When the material is aluminum, a femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 760 nm is preferred.

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

In this embodiment, since the femtosecond laser is used, the submicron order can be processed, and the distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D, which determine the performance of the field effect transistor, . The distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is, for example, about 3 mu m to about 30 mu m.

In addition to the femtosecond laser described above, for example, a carbon dioxide gas laser or a green laser may be used. In addition to laser, it may be cut mechanically by a dicing saw or the like.

The galvanometer mirror 131 is disposed in the optical path of the laser beam LL. The galvanometer mirror 131 reflects the laser light LL from the light source onto the sheet substrate FB. The galvanometer mirror 131 is rotatably provided in the? X direction, the? Y direction, and the? Z direction, for example. As the galvanometer mirror 131 rotates, the irradiation position of the laser light LL is changed.

It is possible to form a thin film transistor or the like by using a printing technique or a droplet coating technique without using a so-called photolithography process by using both the partition forming portion 91 and the electrode forming portion 92 Respectively. For example, when only the electrode forming portion 92 using the printing technique, the droplet applying technique, or the like is used, the thin film transistor or the like can not be obtained with high precision due to ink spread and spread.

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

The light emitting layer forming portion 93 is disposed on the + X side of the electrode forming portion 92. The light emitting layer forming section 93 forms a light emitting layer IR and a pixel electrode ITO which are components of the organic EL device on the sheet substrate FB on which the electrodes are formed. The light emitting layer forming portion 93 has a droplet applying device 140 (140Re, 140Gr, 140BI, 140I, 140IT collectively) and a heat treatment device BK.

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

A liquid droplet applying device 140Re for forming a red luminescent layer, a liquid droplet applying device 140Gr for forming a green luminescent layer, a droplet applying device 140B1 for forming a blue luminescent layer, A droplet applying device 140I for forming an insulating layer, and a droplet applying device 140IT for forming a pixel electrode ITO are used.

As the droplet applying device 140, an ink jet method or a dispenser method may be employed, similarly to the droplet applying device 120 described above. When a hole transporting layer (a hole transporting layer) and an electron transporting layer (electron transporting layer) are provided as constituent elements of the organic EL element 50, an apparatus for forming these layers (for example, Device, etc.) are provided separately.

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

The droplet applying device 140Gr applies the G solution onto the pixel electrode P. As the G solution, for example, a solution obtained by dissolving a rust (dopant) dopant in 1, 2-dichloroethane in a host material (PVK) is used.

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

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

The liquid application device 120IT applies ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) ink onto the red, green and blue light emitting layers. As the ITO ink, a compound in which indium oxide (In ₂ O ₃ ) is added with a few percent tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) is used. It is also possible to use a material capable of forming a transparent conductive film with an amorphous state such as IDIXO (In ₂ O ₃ -ZnO). The transparent conductive film preferably has a transmittance of 90% or more.

The heat treatment apparatus BK is disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate transport direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 140. The heat treatment apparatus BK is capable of radiating hot air or far-infrared rays, for example, to the sheet substrate FB in the same manner as the heat treatment apparatus BK used in the electrode forming section 92. [ The heat treatment apparatus BK uses these radiation heat to cure the liquid droplets applied to the sheet substrate FB by drying or baking (baking).

The carry section 105 has a plurality of rollers RR and a transport mechanism TR disposed at positions along the X direction. By rotating the roller RR, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed in the X-axis direction. The roller RR may be a rubber roller sandwiched between the both sides of the sheet substrate FB and may be a roller RR equipped with a ratchet if the sheet substrate FB has a perforation. Some of the rollers RR of the plurality of rollers RR are movable in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the carrying direction. The transport mechanism TR is disposed at a position corresponding to the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93 in the element forming portion 106 in the X direction.

The alignment section 107 has a plurality of alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8) provided along the X direction. The alignment camera CA is capable of capturing an image with a CCD or CMOS under visible light illumination and processing the captured image to detect the position of the alignment mark AM and irradiates the alignment mark AM with laser light, The position of the alignment mark AM may be detected.

The alignment camera CA1 is arranged on the + X side of the thermal transfer roller 115. [ The alignment camera CA1 detects the position of the alignment mark AM formed by the thermal transfer roller 115 on the sheet substrate FB. The alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 are disposed on the + X side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, respectively. The alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 detect the positions of the alignment marks AM of the sheet substrate FB via the heat treatment apparatus BK.

The sheet substrate FB may extend and contract in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by passing through the heat transfer roller 115 and the heat treatment apparatus BK. By positioning the alignment camera CA on the + X side of the heat transfer roller 115 that performs heat treatment or on the + X side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, the positional deviation of the sheet substrate FB due to thermal deformation is detected .

The results of detection by the alignment cameras CA1 to CA8 are transmitted to the control unit 104. [ The control unit 104 adjusts the application positions and timing of the ink in the droplet applying apparatus 120 or the droplet applying apparatus 140 based on the detection results of the alignment cameras CA1 to CA8, The adjustment of the feed speed of the sheet substrate FB and the conveying speed of the roller RR from the conveyance direction of the sheet S and the adjustment of the movement in the Y direction by the roller RR and the adjustment of the cutting position and timing of the cutting device 130 .

(Conveying mechanism)

Next, the configuration of the transport mechanism TR provided in the substrate processing section 102 will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the transport mechanism TR. The plurality of transport mechanisms TR shown in Fig. 3 have the same configuration. Therefore, in Fig. 5, a transport mechanism TR arranged corresponding to the droplet applying device 120 among the plurality of transport mechanisms TR will be described as an example.

5, the transport mechanism TR has a belt mechanism 10, a belt drive mechanism 20, and an air pad mechanism 40. As shown in Fig. The belt mechanism 10 and the belt driving mechanism 20 are arranged on the -Z side with respect to the sheet substrate FB. The air pad mechanism 40 is disposed on the + Z side with respect to the sheet substrate FB.

The belt mechanism 10 is disposed around the belt driving mechanism 20 along the? Y direction. The belt mechanism 10 has a rotating portion 11 and a suction holding plate (substrate holding portion) 12. The rotary part 11 is constituted by connecting a plurality of support members 13 in an endless manner. Concretely, the support members 13 adjacent in the &thetas; Y direction are rotatably connected by a single common shaft member 14. [ This configuration is provided continuously in the &thetas; Y direction, and the rotating portion 11 is formed in an endless manner. The belt mechanism 10 is rotatably provided in the &thetas; Y direction by a belt driving mechanism 20. [

The adsorption holding plate 12 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of each support member 13. The adsorption holding plate 12 is, for example, a plate-shaped member formed in a rectangular shape. The suction holding plate 12 has a suction holding surface 12a for holding and holding the sheet substrate FB. The suction-sustaining surface 12a is provided outside the belt mechanism 10.

6 is a view showing the transport mechanism TR as viewed from the + Z side. As shown in Fig. 6, the suction holding plate 12 is formed so as to protrude in the Y direction with respect to the sheet substrate FB. 5 and 6, the transport mechanism TR holds the sheet substrate FB by the four adsorption holding plates 12 (S) at the center in the X direction.

Figs. 7 and 8 are views showing the structure of one adsorption holding plate 12. Fig. Fig. 7 is a view of the suction holding plate 12 viewed from the + Z side, and Fig. 8 is a view showing the configuration of a cross section taken along the line A-A 'in Fig.

7 and 8, the adsorption holding plate 12 is configured such that the holding member 15 and the adsorption pad 16 are disposed on the support plate 17, respectively. The holding member 15 has a substantially Y-directional arrangement of the support plate 17 and a dimension covering the to-be-treated portion FBA of the sheet substrate FB shown in Fig. 7 in the Y direction Respectively. Therefore, at least the to-be-processed portion (FBA) of the sheet substrate FB is held by the holding member 15.

The + Z side surface of the holding member 15 in Figs. 7 and 8 serves as a holding surface 15a for holding the sheet substrate FB. The holding member 15 is formed such that the holding surface 15a is flat. Therefore, the portion to be treated FBA of the sheet substrate FB held on the holding surface 15a is held flat by the holding surface 15a.

The adsorption pads 16 are arranged on both ends of the holding member 15 in the Y direction. The adsorption pad 16 is disposed at a position (for example, a position other than the to-be-processed portion (FBA) of the sheet substrate FB) deviating from the target portion FBA of the sheet substrate FB toward the short- As shown in Fig.

The adsorption pad 16 is held by the pad supporting member 17b and configured to be a negative pressure on the + Z side adsorption surface 16a in FIGS. The adsorption pad 16 is adapted to vacuum adsorb the sheet substrate FB from the adsorption surface 16a. The -Z side of the adsorption pad 16 is connected to the piping 16b formed in the pad supporting member 17b and the support plate 17 and the piping 16b is connected to the outer piping 16c . The piping 16c is connected to the pump mechanism 18 shown in Fig. 9, and the suction surface 16a is formed by the pump mechanism 18 with a negative pressure.

The adsorption face 16a is formed so as to be free from a step between the holding face 15a of the holding member 15 and the holding face 15a. Therefore, the suction holding surface 12a by the suction holding plate 12 is formed by the holding surface 15a and the suction surface 16a which are formed in a state in which there is no step difference from each other. The sheet substrate FB is adsorbed on the adsorption face 16a provided at both ends in the Y direction of the adsorption sustaining surface 12a and is not adsorbed on the Y direction central sustaining face 15a.

The pad supporting member 17b is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction by the Y-direction actuator 17a. With this configuration, the Y-direction position of the adsorption pad 16 can be moved in the Y-direction.

With this configuration, for example, the sheet substrate FB is adsorbed on the two adsorption pads 16, the adsorption pad 16 on the + Y side is moved in the + Y direction and the adsorption pad 16 on the -Y side 16 in the -Y direction, tension can be applied to the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction while the holding state on the holding surface 15a is maintained.

9 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a pump mechanism 18 connected to the adsorption pad 16. Fig.

9, the pump mechanism 18 has a fixed cylinder shaft 30, a rotary cylinder 31, and a suction pump 32. [

The fixed cylindrical shaft 30 is formed into a cylindrical shape when viewed in the Y direction, and is held in a fixed position. The fixed cylindrical shaft 30 has a convex portion 30a, a suction supply port 30b, and an air discharge port 30c. Two convex portions 30a are provided on the + Z side of the outer surface of the fixed cylindrical shaft 30. The convex portion 30a is provided along the Y direction across the both ends of the fixed cylindrical shaft 30 in the Y direction.

The suction supply port 30b is an opening formed in the fixed cylindrical shaft 30 along the Y direction and connected to the suction pump 32. [ The suction port 30b is provided with a branched portion 30d formed in the + Z direction in the figure. The branched portion 30d is formed to be connected between the two convex portions 30a. Therefore, the suction action of the suction pump 32 is made to pass between the two convex portions 30a through the suction supply port 30b and the branched portion 30d. The atmospheric release port 30c is formed between both ends of the fixed cylindrical shaft 30 in the Y direction, and is connected to the atmosphere at both ends thereof. The atmospheric release port 30c has a branching section 30e. The branched portion 30e is connected to a position deviated from the space between the two convex portions 30a.

The rotary cylinder 31 is provided so as to surround the fixed cylindrical shaft 30. The rotary cylinder 31 is disposed with a certain gap between the rotary cylinder 31 and the fixed cylinder shaft 30 via a spacer 33 provided at, for example, both ends in the Y direction. The inner surface of the rotary cylinder 31 is in contact with the two convex portions 30a of the fixed cylindrical shaft 30 with no gap between them with the spacer 33 therebetween. The space between the outer surface of the fixed cylinder shaft 30 and the inner surface of the rotary cylinder 31 is divided into the space S1 and the space S2 by the two convex portions 30a have. Among them, the space S1 is in a state of being sucked by the suction pump 32, and the space S2 is always in an atmospheric release state.

The rotary cylinder 31 is provided with a plurality of openings 31a along the? Y direction. Each of the openings 31a is connected to the pipe 16c. The opening portion 31a of the plurality of openings 31a connected to the space S1 is configured such that the inner portion thereof is sucked by the suction pump 32. [ The rotating cylinder 31 is rotated in accordance with the rotational speed of the belt mechanism 10 by a rotating mechanism (not shown), and the opening 31a to be sucked is switched with rotation. In this embodiment, the suction action is exerted on the opening 31a connected to the four rotary portions 11 for supporting the sheet substrate FB.

In order to smoothly transfer the sheet substrate FB, the pump mechanism 18 is configured such that the absorption-sustaining plate 12 on the most-Y side of the four absorption-sustaining plates 12 holds the sheet substrate FB It is preferable that the suction is started before reaching the position, and the suction holding plate 12 at the most + Y side is released from the position holding the sheet substrate FB and the suction is released (atmospheric release).

5, the belt driving mechanism 20 has a base portion 21, a belt pressing portion 22, and a belt pressing actuator 23. The base portion 21 is fixed to another portion of the substrate processing portion 102 (for example, a bottom portion, a surface plate portion, or the like), and its position is not changed. A plurality of belt pressing portions 22 are arranged along the θY direction with respect to the base portion 21 so that the rotating portion 11 corresponding to each suction holding plate 12 of the belt mechanism 10 is rotated by a rotation path The outer circumference of the rotating belt mechanism 10, and the like). The belt mechanism 10 is supported by the plurality of belt pressing portions 22. The leading end of the belt pressing portion 22 is in contact with the belt mechanism 10 via a roller rotatable in the? Y direction.

A plurality of belt pressing portions 22 are provided along the rotational direction of the belt mechanism 10. [ The plurality of belt pressing portions 22 are arranged to match the pitch of the suction holding plate 12. For example, four belt pressing portions 22 are disposed on the + Z side of the base portion 21 so as to press the belt pressing portions 22 one by one with respect to the four suction holding plates 12 holding the sheet substrate FB. In addition, four belt pressing portions 22 are arranged on the + X side and the -X side of the base portion 21 so as not to warp the belt mechanism 10. Of the plurality of belt pressing portions 22, for example, four belt pressing portions 22 disposed on the + Z side of the base portion 21 are connected to the belt pressing actuator 23, respectively. These belt pressing portions 22 are provided movably in the Z direction in the figure by a belt pressing actuator 23. [ Therefore, the four suction holding plates 12 arranged on the + Z side of the base portion 21 are pressed to the + Z side. The four adsorption holding plates 12 are arranged at a position where the adsorption holding plate 12 is processed by the liquid application device 120 and in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, at least at the processing position of the liquid application device 120, the suction holding plate 12 is pressed by the belt pressing portion 22. The eight belt pressing portions 22 disposed on the + X side and the -X side of the base portion 21 are fixed to the base portion 21, respectively. As an example, the belt pressing portion 22 may be made of a member having high rigidity and may be made of an elastic member such as a spring.

The air pad mechanism 40 (base layer forming portion) has a pad member 41, an airflow adjusting mechanism 42, and a pipe 43. One pad member 41 is provided on the upstream side (+ X side) and the downstream side (-X side) of the droplet applying device 120, for example. Each of the pad members 41 is provided with a plurality of gas ejection openings 41a for ejecting a gas (for example, an inert gas such as air or nitrogen) and a gas suction port 41b for sucking the gas on the -Z side . The gas ejection port 41a and the gas suction port 41b are connected to the airflow adjusting mechanism 42 through the pipe 43, respectively. The airflow adjusting mechanism 42 adjusts the ejection amount of the gas ejection port 41a and the suction amount of the gas suction port 41b. (Gas layer or receiving portion) is formed on the -Z side of the pad member 41 with a constant layer thickness in the Z direction by adjusting the jetting amount and the suction amount by the airflow adjusting mechanism 42. [

3, the transport mechanism TR is disposed across the droplet applying devices 140R, 140G, and 140B in the light emitting layer forming portion 93. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, The transport mechanism TR may be provided separately for each of the droplet applying devices 140R, 140G, and 140B, or may be disposed over two of the three droplet applying devices 140 .

3, the transport mechanism TR is provided separately for the droplet applying devices 120G, 120I, and 120SD. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, The liquid droplet applying device TR may be disposed over the droplet applying devices 120G, 120I, and 120SD, or may be disposed over two of the three droplet applying devices 120. [

(Operation of substrate processing apparatus)

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 configured as described above will be described.

2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is configured to supply the sheet substrate FB to the substrate processing unit 102 from the substrate supply unit 101, The device is formed. In the substrate processing section 102, as shown in Fig. 3, the sheet substrate FB is carried by the roller RR and the transport mechanism TR.

The control unit 104 controls the rotation speed of each roller RR in the substrate processing unit 102 and the rotation speed of the belt mechanism of the transport mechanism TR in accordance with the feeding speed of the sheet substrate FB fed from the substrate feeding unit 101 10 and the like. In addition, the control unit 104 detects whether the roller RR is shifted in the Y-axis direction, and shifts the roller RR to correct the position if the roller RR is shifted. The control unit 104 also performs the positional correction of the sheet substrate FB by moving the roller RR.

The sheet substrate FB fed from the substrate feeding section 101 to the substrate processing section 102 is first conveyed to the partition forming section 91. [ In the partition wall forming portion 91, the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched between the imprint rollers 110 and the thermal transfer rollers 115 and pressed, and partition walls BA and alignment marks AM are formed on the sheet substrate by thermal transfer do.

10 is a view showing a state in which the partition BA and the alignment mark AM are formed on the sheet substrate FB. 11 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. Fig. 12 is a view showing a configuration along the section D-D 'in Fig. 11. Fig. 10 and 11 show the state when the sheet substrate FB is viewed from the + Z side.

As shown in Fig. 10, the partition BA is formed in the element formation region 60 in the Y-direction central portion of the sheet substrate FB. 11, by forming the partition BA, the element formation region 60 is provided with a region (gate formation region 52) in which the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are formed (gate formation region 52) The region SBL, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D, and the region for forming the anode P (source-drain forming region 53) are partitioned. As shown in Fig. 12, the gate forming region 52 is formed in a trapezoidal shape when viewed in section. Although not shown, the source drain forming region 53 has the same shape. The width (W, 占 퐉) in the partition BA is the line width (line width) of the gate bus line GBL. The width W is preferably about 2 to 4 times the droplet diameter (占 퐉) applied from the droplet applying device 120G.

The cross sectional shapes of the gate forming region 52 and the source drain forming region 53 are such that the fine imprint mold 111 presses the sheet substrate FB and then the sheet substrate FB is easily peeled off It is preferable to use a V-shape or U-shape. The other shape may be, for example, rectangular in cross section.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 10, a pair of alignment marks AM are formed in the edge regions 61 of both ends of the sheet substrate FB in the Y direction. The partition BA and the alignment mark AM are formed at the same time because the mutual positional relationship is important. 11, a predetermined distance PY between the alignment mark AM and the gate forming area 52 is defined in the Y-axis direction, and a predetermined distance PY between the alignment mark AM and the source- And a predetermined distance PX between the drain forming region 53 and the drain forming region 53 are defined. Therefore, the deviation of the X-axis direction of the sheet substrate FB, the deviation in the Y-axis direction, and the rotation of? Can be detected based on the positions of the pair of alignment marks AM.

10 and 11, a pair of alignment marks AM is provided for each of the double-row barrier ribs BA in the X-axis direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, (AM) may be provided. If there is a space in the sheet substrate FB, the alignment mark AM may be provided in the element formation region 60 as well as the edge region 61 of the sheet substrate FB. 10 and 11, the alignment mark AM has a cross shape, but other mark shapes such as a circular mark and an inclined straight line mark may be used.

Subsequently, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the electrode forming portion 92 by the conveying roller RR. In the electrode forming portion 92, the droplets are applied by the respective droplet applying devices 120, and electrodes are formed on the sheet substrate FB.

The control unit 104 operates the air pad mechanism 40 of the transport mechanism TR and operates the pump mechanism 18 before the sheet substrate FB is transported to the transport mechanism TR. This operation forms an air layer AR (see Fig. 20) having a constant thickness on the -Z side of the pad member 41 and also starts the suction operation of the rotating portion 11 on the suction pad 16.

When the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the conveying mechanism TR in this state, the sheet substrate FB is attracted to the attracting surface 16a by the attracting pad 16 and is attracted to the holding surface 15a . Therefore, the sheet substrate FB is held by the suction holding surface 12a. The control section 104 applies tension to the sheet substrate FB by moving the pad supporting member 17b in the Y direction as necessary to increase the flatness of the sheet substrate FB.

The control unit 104 moves the belt pressurizing unit 22 to the + Z side to apply the tension to the base plate FB formed on the -Z side of the pad member 41 AR) by pressing the sheet substrate FB. In this operation, the sheet substrate FB is also pressed against the -Z side on the side of the pad member 41 by the reaction. As described above, the -Z side surface ARc of the base layer AR is used as a reference surface, and the sheet substrate FB is sandwiched between the base layer AR and the adsorption holding surface 12a, And the flatness on the surface to be treated (FBc) is maintained. The control unit 104 conveys the sheet substrate FB in the + X direction by rotating the belt mechanism 10 while maintaining the flatness on the surface to be processed FBc of the sheet substrate FB. Hereinafter, the control unit 104 performs the same operation in the transport mechanism TR on the downstream side of the substrate processing unit 102 as well.

In this state, the controller 104 starts the operation of the droplet applying device 120 while maintaining the flatness of the surface FBc of the sheet substrate FB. For example, first, on the sheet substrate FB, the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are formed by the droplet applying device 120G. 13A and 13B are views showing the state of a sheet substrate FB on which droplet application is performed by the droplet applying device 120G.

As shown in Fig. 13A, the droplet applying apparatus 120G applies metal ink to the gate forming region 52 of the sheet substrate FB on which the partition BA is formed, for example, in the order of 1 to 9. This order is a sequence in which the metal inks are applied in a straight line with the tension of each other. 13B is a diagram showing a state in which one drop of metal ink is applied, for example. As shown in Fig. 13B, since the partition wall BA is provided, the metal ink applied to the gate formation region 52 is maintained without diffusion. Thus, the liquid application device 120G applies the metal ink to the entire gate formation region 52. [

After the metal ink is applied to the gate forming region 52, the sheet substrate FB is transported so that the coated portion of the metal ink is positioned on the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK. The heat treatment apparatus BK applies heat treatment to the metal ink coated on the sheet substrate FB to dry the metal ink. 14A is a diagram showing the state of the gate forming region 52 after the metal ink is dried. As shown in Fig. 14A, by drying the metal ink, the conductor included in the metal ink is laminated in a thin film form. Such a thin film conductor is formed over the whole gate forming region 52 and the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are formed on the sheet substrate FB as shown in Fig.

Next, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the droplet applying device 120I. In the droplet applying device 120I, the electrically insulating ink is applied to the sheet substrate FB. In the droplet applying device 120I, for example, as shown in Fig. 15, an electrically insulating ink is applied on the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G that pass through the source / drain formation region 53. [

After the electric insulating ink is applied, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and heat treatment is performed on the electric insulating ink by the heat treatment apparatus BK. By this heat treatment, the electrically insulating ink dries, and the gate insulating layer I is formed. Although FIG. 15 shows a state in which the gate insulating layer I is formed in a circular shape so as to extend over the partition BA, it need not be formed beyond the partition BA.

After the gate insulating layer I is formed, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the droplet applying device 120SD. In the droplet applying apparatus 120SD, the metal ink is applied to the source / drain forming region 53 of the sheet substrate FB. Metal inks are discharged in the order of 1 to 9 shown in FIG. 16, for example, for the portion of the source / drain forming region 53 that extends over the gate insulating layer I. FIG.

After ejection of the metal ink, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and the metal ink is subjected to the drying treatment. After the drying process, the conductive material contained in the metal ink is laminated in the form of a thin film, and the source bus line SBL, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D and the anode P are formed. In this step, however, the source electrode S and the drain electrode D are connected to each other.

Next, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the -Z side of the cutting apparatus 130. [ The sheet substrate FB is cut between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D in the cutting apparatus 130. [ 17 is a view showing a state in which the gap between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is cut by the cutting device 130. Fig. The cutting device 130 cuts the laser beam LL while adjusting the irradiation position of the laser beam LL to the sheet substrate FB using the galvanometer mirror 131.

After the source electrode S and the drain electrode D are cut off, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the droplet applying apparatus 120OS. In the liquid application device 120OS, the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed on the sheet substrate FB. The organic semiconductor ink is discharged over the source electrode S and the drain electrode D in the region overlapping with the gate electrode G on the sheet substrate FB.

After the discharge of the organic semiconductor ink, the sheet substrate FB is transported to the -Z side of the heat treatment apparatus BK, and the organic semiconductor ink is dried. After the drying process, the semiconductor included in the organic semiconductor ink is laminated in the form of a thin film, and an organic semiconductor (OS) is formed as shown in Fig. Through the above process, the field effect transistor and the connection wiring are formed on the sheet substrate FB.

Subsequently, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed to the light emitting layer forming portion 93 by the conveying roller RR (see Fig. 3). In the light-emitting layer forming unit 93, red, green and blue light-emitting layers IR are formed by a droplet applying device 140Re, a droplet applying device 140Gr, a droplet applying device 140B1 and a heat treatment device BK . The barrier ribs BA are formed on the sheet substrate FB so that even when the red, green and blue light emitting layers IR are successively applied without heat treatment with the heat treatment apparatus BK, By overflowing, the color mixture does not occur.

After the formation of the light-emitting layer IR, the sheet substrate FB is formed with the insulating layer I via the droplet applying device 140I and the heat treatment device BK, and the droplet applying device 140IT and the heat treatment device BK A transparent electrode layer (ITO) is formed. Through such a process, the organic EL element 50 shown in Figs. 1A to 1C is formed on the sheet substrate FB.

In the element forming operation, in order to prevent the sheet substrate FB from shifting in the X direction, the Y direction, and the? Z direction in the process of forming the organic EL element 50 while conveying the sheet substrate FB as described above, An alignment operation is performed. The alignment operation will be described below with reference to Fig.

In the alignment operation, a plurality of alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8) provided in respective units detect alignment marks AM formed on the sheet substrate FB appropriately, and transmit the detection results to the control unit 104. [ The control unit 104 performs an alignment operation on the basis of the transmitted detection result.

For example, the control unit 104 detects the transfer speed of the sheet substrate FB based on the imaging intervals of the alignment marks AM detected by the alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8) For example, at a predetermined speed. When it is determined that the roller RR is not rotating at a predetermined speed, the control unit 104 issues a command to adjust the rotational speed of the roller RR to feed back.

For example, the control unit 104 detects whether or not the position of the alignment mark AM in the Y-axis direction is shifted based on the imaging result of the alignment mark AM, The presence or absence of a positional deviation in the direction is detected. When the positional deviation is detected, the control unit 104 detects how long the positional deviation continues for the state in which the sheet substrate FB is conveyed.

When the positional deviation time is short, it corresponds to switching the nozzles 122 for applying the droplets among the plurality of nozzles 122 of the droplet applying device 120. [ If the deviation of the sheet substrate FB in the Y-axis direction is likely to continue for a long time, the positional correction in the Y-axis direction of the sheet substrate FB is performed by the movement of the roller RR.

For example, the control unit 104 determines whether or not the sheet substrate FB is shifted in the? Z direction based on the position of the alignment mark AM detected by the alignment camera CA in the X-axis and Y-axis directions . When the positional deviation is detected, the control unit 104 detects how long the positional deviation continues in the state in which the sheet substrate FB is conveyed, as in the case of the detection of the positional deviation in the Y-axis direction.

When the positional deviation time is short, it corresponds to switching the nozzles 122 for applying the droplets among the plurality of nozzles 122 of the droplet applying device 120. [ The two rollers RR provided at the positions between the alignment cameras CA that detect the shift are moved in the X direction or the Y direction so that the X direction or the Y direction of the sheet substrate FB Is corrected.

In this embodiment, when the control unit 104 controls the air pad mechanism 40, for example, the base layer AR is controlled to be a layer having a uniform thickness, and an alignment operation or an electrode forming operation The layer thickness and the forming range of the base layer AR and the thickness of the substrate 41 from the pad member 41 in accordance with the processing of the substrate processing section 102 in the above embodiment, It is preferable to control the supply speed or supply amount of the exhaust gas.

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes the droplet applying devices 120 and 140 for performing a predetermined process on the sheet substrate FB, and the droplet applying devices 120 and 140 And a suction holding plate 12 for holding the sheet substrate FB while forming an object side surface FBc of the sheet substrate FB. According to the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform processing on the sheet substrate FB while ensuring the flatness of the processed surface FBc of the sheet substrate FB. Thereby, it is possible to provide the substrate processing apparatus 100 capable of forming a high-precision pattern on the flexible substrate.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be appropriately changed within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the transport mechanism TR is formed to have a length that is long in the transport direction (X direction) with respect to the bottom portion of the substrate processing apparatus 100 and has a short length in the transport direction However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, it may be configured to have a long length in the Z direction. In this case, the sheet substrate FB is conveyed along the Z direction, and the process for the sheet substrate FB is performed in the X direction or the Y direction.

In the above embodiment, the conveying and the surface to be processed FBc are formed using only the + Z-side suction holding plate 12 of the base portion 21 in the conveying mechanism TR. However, The configuration may be adopted in which the carrying and the surface to be treated FBc are formed by using the suction holding plate 12 on the -Z side of the base portion 21 as shown in Fig. 21, for example. In this case, for example, the droplet applying device 120 of the electrode forming portion 92 performs the above-described processing on the sheet substrate FB by using the absorption holding plate 12 on the + Z side of the base portion 21 And the droplet applying device 140 of the light emitting layer forming portion 93 performs the above processing on the sheet substrate FB by using the suction holding plate 12 on the -Z side of the base portion 21. [ As a result, the size of the apparatus itself of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is reduced, and the space for disposing the substrate processing apparatus 100 is saved.

In the above embodiment, the transport mechanism TR is provided only at the position corresponding to the droplet applying devices 120 and 140, but the transport mechanism TR may be disposed at another position.

FB ... Sheet PCB TR ... The conveying mechanism
FBA ... Part S1 to be processed ... space
S2 ... Space 10 ... Belt mechanism
12 ... The absorption sustaining plate 12a ... Absorption surface
13 ... The support member 14 ... Shaft member
15 ... The holding member 16 ... Absorption pad
16a ... Absorption surface 17 ... Support plate
17a ... Y-direction actuator 18 ... Pump mechanism
20 ... The belt drive mechanism 22 ... Belt pressing portion
23 ... Belt pressure actuator 30 ... Fixed cylinder axis
31 ... Rotating cylinder 40 ... Air pad mechanism
41 ... The pad member 43 ... pipe
100 ... The substrate processing apparatus 104 ... The control unit
105 ... [0050]

Claims (4)

A substrate processing apparatus for forming a pattern on an object surface of a band-shaped sheet substrate having flexibility,
A conveying unit including a rotating roller for supporting the sheet substrate and carrying it flat at a predetermined speed in a belt-
A plurality of flat adsorption holding plates provided on the surface side of the sheet substrate opposite to the surface to be treated and arranged along the conveying direction are connected and supported endlessly by support members, A substrate holding portion for holding the sheet substrate by the suction holding plate whose flat sustaining surface is parallel to the sheet substrate,
A driving unit for rotatingly moving the plurality of absorption sustaining plates connected in an endless manner at the same predetermined speed as that of the sheet substrate;
Wherein the holding surface is held by the suction holding plate parallel to the sheet substrate, the holding surface being opposed to the substrate holding portion with the sheet substrate interposed therebetween, A processing unit for performing processing,
Wherein a suction action for adsorbing the sheet substrate is given to a holding surface of the suction holding plate at a position for holding the sheet substrate flatly among the plurality of suction holding plates rotating in an endless manner and rotated, Wherein the holding surface of the suction holding plate deviates from a position where the suction holding plate is kept flat. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the plurality of adsorption and holding plates is provided at two positions in the width direction orthogonal to the band-shaped direction of the sheet substrate, the two positions being deviated from the target portion where the pattern is formed, And a holding member provided between the two adsorption pads with respect to the width direction and having the flat sustaining surface, wherein the adsorption surface of the adsorption pad and the holding member Wherein the holding surface is formed in a planar state. The method of claim 2,
The pump mechanism includes a fixed cylindrical shaft having a convex portion formed at two positions on the outer surface thereof and a fixed cylindrical shaft rotatable around the fixed cylindrical shaft in accordance with the rotational movement of the plurality of adsorption and holding plates connected in an endless manner, And a cylindrical rotating cylinder having an inner surface having a predetermined clearance with an outer surface of the fixed cylindrical shaft,
Wherein one of the two spaces divided by the two convex portions of the clearance is set to a negative pressure state and the other space is set to a state of atmospheric release. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the rotary cylinder is provided with an opening for connecting the inner surface and the outer surface at a plurality of positions in the rotating direction of the rotary cylinder,
Wherein the pump mechanism includes a plurality of pipes each connecting the plurality of openings of the outer surface of the rotating cylinder to the adsorption pad of each of the plurality of adsorption and holding plates.

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