TW201441568A - Drying apparatus and drying method - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a drying apparatus that can remove a solvent from an organic material film coated on a substrate in a short period of time with an excellent efficiency and allows for easy recovery of the members used for collecting the solvent. The drying apparatus comprises: a processing container that is evacuatable; a carrier platform serving as a support member for supporting a substrate inside the processing container; a solvent collection section, which is arranged in opposite to the substrate supported on the carrier platform and to collect solvent volatilized from an organic material film; and a control section. The solvent collection section comprises a temperature regulation device serving as a solvent separation device for separating the collected solvent. The solvent collection section comprises one or multiple metal-made collection boards that are arranged in opposite to the substrate carried on the carrier platform and are virtually parallel to a surface of the substrate. The collection boards are formed with multiple extending-through openings.

Description

Drying device and drying method (1)

The present invention relates to a drying apparatus and a drying processing method which can be used for drying an organic material film in the production process of an organic EL element, for example.

The organic EL (Electro Luminescence) element is a luminescent element that emits a cold light of an organic compound that emits light by a current, and is a laminated body in which a plurality of organic functional films are interposed between a pair of electrodes (hereinafter, this laminated body is referred to as an "EL layer"). "). Here, the EL layer has, for example, a positive hole transport layer/light emitting layer/electron transport layer, a positive hole injection layer/a positive hole transport layer/a light emitting layer/electron transport layer, or a positive hole injection. The layer/positive hole transport layer/light emitting layer/electron transport layer/electron transport layer] is sequentially laminated.

The formation of the EL layer is carried out by vapor deposition or coating of an organic material on the substrate of each layer. In the case of forming a fine pattern with high precision, it is considered to be advantageous as a coating method by the inkjet printing method.

Since the organic material film printed on the substrate by the inkjet printing method contains a large amount of solvent, it is dried under reduced pressure in order to remove the solvent (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). The dried organic material film is further baked in a low oxygen atmosphere. By this baking treatment, the organic material film becomes an organic functional film constituting the EL layer (for example, Patent Document 3).

There is proposed a drying apparatus for removing a solvent in an organic material film applied by an inkjet printing method, and an inorganic porous material provided to adsorb a solvent to a substrate is provided in a chamber in which a substrate is housed. Adsorption member (for example, Patent Document 4). Patent Document 4 describes that the aperture ratio at the center portion of the adsorption member is set to be larger than the aperture ratio of the outer peripheral portion in order to compensate for the difference in vapor concentration on the substrate. Further, Patent Document 4 also describes that the substrate is dried under reduced pressure, or the adsorption member is transferred to another chamber and regenerated by heating.

In the drying treatment, the solvent, moisture, and the like are largely volatilized from the organic material film on the substrate. therefore, If the volatile components are not quickly removed from the processing container of the drying device, the drying efficiency is lowered. The state of the organic material film after drying is known to affect the characteristics of the EL layer. For example, in the case of drying, when the concentration of the solvent in the organic material film is uneven in the surface of the substrate, the characteristics of the organic EL element in the surface of the substrate vary. For example, when the dry state is uneven in the surface of the substrate, when it is used as an organic EL display, it may cause a display failure or the like.

When the pressure in the chamber of the drying device is reduced, the amount of exhaust gas decreases as the pressure is lowered, so that the amount of exhaust gas is reduced in the high vacuum state. Further, in the high vacuum state, since the solvent volatilized from the organic material film forms a molecular flow in the processing container, there is a problem that the solvent stays in the chamber. To solve this problem, as disclosed in the above Patent Document 4, a method of adsorbing and collecting a gasifying solvent in a chamber is effective.

However, the drying apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4 uses a porous material adsorption member, and the collection efficiency when performing solvent collection mainly depends on the surface area of the porous material adsorption member, so in order to improve the collection efficiency, the pores must be fine. Chemical. However, the miniaturization of the pores has a limit, and thus there is a problem that the so-called collection efficiency is limited. Further, when the adsorption member used for the solvent collection is reused, it is necessary to carry out the regeneration treatment (recovery) for removing the adsorbed solvent. However, the finer the pores are, the more difficult the solvent is to be removed and the time consuming recovery is required. Further, since the drying device of Patent Document 4 regenerates by transferring the adsorption member to the chamber for exclusive use in the regeneration process, the steps or equipment for the regeneration process are complicated and lack practicality.

[Previous Technical Literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 3951162 (paragraph 0023, etc.)

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 4168968 (Request Item 2, etc.)

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent No. 4408933 (Request Item 1 and the like)

[Patent Document 4] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-169308 (Fig. 1, etc.)

An object of the present invention is to provide a drying apparatus which can efficiently remove a solvent which is applied to an organic material film coated on a substrate in a short time, and which is easy to recover a member used for collecting the solvent.

The drying device of the present invention is a drying device that removes a solvent applied to an organic material film on a surface of a substrate and dries it. The drying device of the present invention is provided with a vacuum-removable processing container; an exhaust port for exhausting the gas in the processing container; a supporting member for supporting the substrate in the processing container; and collecting the film from the organic material film A solvent collection unit for a volatile solvent.

The solvent collecting portion of the drying device of the present invention may be provided to the substrate supported by the supporting member, and may have one or a plurality of metal plates having a plurality of through openings.

In the solvent collecting portion of the drying device of the present invention, the plurality of metal plates may be arranged in a layered manner in parallel with the substrate supported by the supporting member in a state of being separated from each other. In this case, among the plurality of metal plates, at least two of the through holes of the metal plate may be disposed so as to be offset from each other so as not to overlap in the stacking direction.

The opening ratio of the through opening of the metal plate of the drying device of the present invention may also be in the range of 20 to 40%.

The arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the surface of the metal plate of the drying device of the present invention may also be in the range of 0.3 to 13 μm.

The thickness of the metal plate of the drying device of the present invention may also be in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm.

In the surface of the metal plate of the drying device of the present invention, the through opening may be formed non-uniformly.

The solvent collection unit of the drying device of the present invention may also have a solvent release device for detaching the collected solvent. In this case, the solvent release device may be a heating device that heats the metal plate, or may be a gas injection device that injects gas to the metal plate.

The solvent collecting unit of the drying device of the present invention may further have a collecting and promoting device for promoting the collection of the solvent. In this case, the collection facilitating device may also be a cooling device that cools the metal plate.

The solvent collecting portion of the drying device of the present invention and the exhaust port may further include a rectifying member.

The solvent collecting unit of the drying device of the present invention may have a solvent collecting member for a flow path through which the heat medium flows. In this case, a heating medium supply source for heating may be connected to the flow path, or a cooling heat medium supply source may be connected to the flow path. Moreover, the flow path can also separate the plurality of portions by allowing the independent heat medium to flow. In this case, the flow path may have a first flow path to which the heating heat medium supply source is connected and a second flow path to which the cooling heat medium supply source is connected.

The drying device of the present invention may have a first exhaust port disposed close to the solvent collecting portion, and The second exhaust port provided to the first exhaust port serves as the exhaust port.

The drying device of the present invention may further comprise a detector for measuring the concentration of the solvent vapor in the processing container.

The drying device of the present invention may have a flow path through which the heat medium flows in the wall constituting the processing container.

The support member of the drying device of the present invention may also have a heater.

In the drying container of the drying apparatus according to the present invention, the organic material film applied to the surface of the substrate is dried in the processing container.

The organic material film of the drying treatment method of the present invention may be applied to the substrate by an inkjet printing method in the production of an organic EL device.

According to the drying apparatus and the drying processing method of the present invention, the solvent in the organic material film coated on the substrate can be removed efficiently and in a short time. Moreover, the components used in the collection of the solvent can be easily recovered in a short time. Therefore, according to the present invention, for example, the productivity of the manufacturing process of the organic EL element can be improved.

1‧‧‧Processing container

3‧‧‧ mounting table

5, 5A‧‧‧Solvent Collection Department

6‧‧‧Control Department

7‧‧‧temperature adjustment device

8‧‧‧ gas injection device

11‧‧‧ bottom wall

13‧‧‧ side wall

15‧‧‧ top

15a‧‧‧Exhaust port

17‧‧‧Exhaust pipe

19‧‧‧Exhaust device

21‧‧‧ pillar

23‧‧‧APC valve

25‧‧‧ pressure gauge

31‧‧‧ deflector

33‧‧‧Support frame

50‧‧‧ collecting boards

50a‧‧‧through opening

61‧‧‧ Controller

62‧‧‧User interface

63‧‧‧Memory Department

71‧‧‧Refrigeration components

73‧‧‧Power Supply Department

75‧‧‧Power supply line

81‧‧‧ gas discharge department

81a‧‧‧Nozzle

83‧‧‧ gas supply

85‧‧‧Pipe

87‧‧‧Flow Controller

90‧‧‧ heat exchanger

91‧‧‧Assisted spit out

100, 101, 101A, 102‧‧‧ drying equipment

S‧‧‧Substrate

GV‧‧‧ gate valve

AF‧‧‧ airflow

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the solvent collecting portion of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the collection board.

Figure 4 is a plan view of another example of a collection plate.

Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing an outline of a manufacturing process of an organic EL element.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the solvent collecting portion of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a modification of the drying device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drying apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a configuration example of a flow path of a solvent collecting member in the drying device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a view showing another configuration example of a flow path of a solvent collecting member in the drying device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a timing chart showing an example of the drying processing sequence performed in the drying device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a leaf-type drying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the solvent collecting portion of Fig. 1. 3 and 4 are plan views showing preferred examples of the collecting plate. The drying device 100 of the present embodiment is used for removing a solvent applied to an organic material film coated on the surface of the substrate (for example, simply referred to as "substrate") S as a substrate to be processed, for example, an organic EL display. Drying is dried.

The drying apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes a vacuum-processable processing container 1, a mounting table 3 as a supporting member for supporting the substrate S in the processing container 1, and a substrate S supported to be supported by the mounting table 3 and collected. The solvent collecting unit 5 of the solvent volatilized from the organic material film, and the control unit 6. Further, the solvent collecting unit 5 includes a temperature adjusting device 7 as a solvent separating device that removes the collected solvent.

<processing container>

The processing container 1 is a vacuum-resistant pressure-resistant container. The processing container 1 is formed by a metal material. As the material forming the processing container 1, for example, aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel or the like is used. The processing container 1 is provided with a bottom wall 11 and four side walls 13 and a top portion 15 having a rectangular shape.

The side wall portion 13 is provided with a carry-out port 13a for carrying in and carrying out the substrate S in the apparatus. The carry-in/out port 13a is used to carry in and out the substrate S between the outside of the processing container 1. The carry-out port 13a is provided with a gate valve GV. The gate valve GV has a function of opening and closing the carry-in/out port 13a, and the processing container 1 is hermetically sealed in the closed state, and the substrate S can be transferred between the processing container 1 and the outside in the open state.

The top 15 is provided with an exhaust port 15a. The exhaust port 15a is connected to the external exhaust device 19 through the exhaust pipe 17. By operating the exhaust device 19, the inside of the processing container 1 can be evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum, for example, a pressure of about 0.1 Pa.

<Placement table>

The inside of the processing container 1 is equipped with a mounting table 3 as a supporting device. The mounting table 3 is supported by the pillars 21. The pillar 21 is fixed to the bottom wall 11. Although the illustration is omitted, the mounting table 3 has The mechanism for changing the position of the substrate S by raising and lowering, for example, a lift pin or the like, can adjust the height of the substrate S between the receiving position of the receiving substrate S and the processing position placed on the mounting table 3 to perform the drying process. position.

<Pressure Control Mechanism>

The drying device 100 of the present embodiment further includes an exhaust device 19. Further, the exhaust device 19 may be a part of the configuration of the drying device 100 or an external device different from the drying device 100. The exhaust unit 19 has a vacuum pump such as a turbo molecular pump or a dry pump. The drying device 100 further includes an exhaust pipe 17 connected to the exhaust port 15a and the exhaust device 19, an APC (Adaptive Pressure Control) valve 23 provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 17, and an on-off valve (not shown). The internal space of the processing container 1 can be evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum by operating the vacuum pump of the exhaust unit 19 and adjusting the degree of opening of the APC valve 23.

Further, the drying device 100 of the present embodiment further includes a pressure gauge 25 for monitoring the pressure in the processing container 1. The pressure gauge 25 transmits the measured pressure in the processing container 1 to the APC valve 23 by electrical signals.

In the present embodiment, the exhaust device 19, the exhaust pipe 17, the APC valve 23, and the pressure gauge 25 are configured as a pressure control mechanism that decompresses the inside of the processing container 1 and adjusts the pressure to a predetermined pressure.

<diffusion plate>

The drying device 100 of the present embodiment further includes a deflector 31 as a flow regulating member. The deflector 31 is formed of a material such as aluminum or stainless steel. The deflector 31 is disposed between the solvent collecting unit 5 and the exhaust port 15a. The deflector 31 has a plurality of through holes 31a. In the present embodiment, the deflector 31 is fixed in a state of being suspended from the support frame 33. The support frame 33 is formed in a square frame shape and fixed to the top portion 15 of the processing container 1. Further, the deflector 31 and the support frame 33 may be integrally formed. Further, the baffle 31 may be directly fixed to the side wall 13 or the top portion 15 of the processing container 1 without providing the support frame 33. The deflector 31 has a function of averaging the exhaust flow passing through the solvent collecting unit 5 toward the exhaust port 15a from the side of the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3. Therefore, by disposing the deflector 31 between the solvent collecting unit 5 and the exhaust port 15a, the exhaust gas flow containing the solvent in the solvent collecting unit 5 can be rectified, and the capturing efficiency of the solvent in the solvent collecting unit 5 can be increased upward.

<Solvent Collection Department>

The solvent collecting unit 5 collects a solvent which is volatilized from the organic material film formed on the substrate S. That is, the solvent collecting unit 5 is formed by dew condensation of a gaseous solvent vaporized from the organic material film. The trapping is performed, and the concentration of the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 is lowered.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the solvent collecting unit 5. The solvent collecting unit 5 is provided with a collecting plate 50 as one or a plurality of metal plates arranged to face the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3. The collecting plate 50 has a rectangular plate shape and is formed with a plurality of through openings 50a. Further, the collecting plate 50 is provided almost parallel to the substrate S. That is, the upper and lower surfaces of the collecting plate 50 are arranged almost in parallel with the surface of the substrate S.

The collecting plate 50 is detachably supported by being suspended from the support frame 33 fixed to the top portion 15. In addition, the collecting plate 50 can also be directly fixed to the side wall 13 or the top portion 15 of the processing container 1.

Although the collecting plate 50 may be one piece, in order to improve the collection efficiency of the solvent, it is preferably used in the range of, for example, 2 to 20 pieces. The contact area with the solvent vapor can be adjusted by changing the number of sheets of the collecting plate 50 to change the total surface area of the collecting plate 50 in the solvent collecting portion 5.

The collecting plate 50 is preferably made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or stainless steel. The thickness of the one-piece collecting plate 50 is such that the collection efficiency of the solvent is higher as the entire surface area of the solvent collecting unit 5 is larger, and thus it can be, for example, in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm. Further, in the case of stacking a plurality of collecting plates 50, in order to improve the collection efficiency of the solvent, the interval may be, for example, in the range of 1 to 20 mm.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of circular through-openings 50a having the same size are evenly arranged at regular intervals in the plane of the collecting plate 50. The through opening 50a of the collecting plate 50 is, for example, a hole having a circular shape in plan view. Further, the shape of the through opening 50a is not limited to a circular shape, and may be, for example, an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape such as a rectangular shape. The size or shape of the through openings 50a may be all the same or may be varied in the plane of the collecting plate 50. Further, in the inner surface of the collecting plate 50, the through openings 50a can be formed in an arbitrary arrangement.

Further, a plurality of through openings 50a may be formed unevenly distributed in the plane of the collecting plate 50. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the central region of the collecting plate 50 in the vicinity of the center in the vicinity of the substrate S having a large amount of solvent volatilization in the substrate S, the through opening 50a may be arranged so that the aperture ratio becomes large. In the edge region of the collecting plate 50 in the region near the edge where the amount of volatilization of the solvent in the surface of the substrate S is small, the through openings 50a and the like are arranged such that the opening ratio becomes small, and the difference is made in accordance with the difference in the amount of solvent volatilized from the substrate S. The in-plane through openings 50a of the collecting plate 50 are distributed. Further, contrary to the above, the aperture ratio in the central region of the collecting plate 50 may be reduced, and the aperture ratio in the edge portion region may be set to be large. Further, the diameter of the through opening 50a of each of the stacked collecting plates 50 can also be made larger. Small or shaped, such distributions, etc. vary. Preferably, the shape and arrangement of the through openings 50a are such that the circular through openings 50a are arranged in a staggered manner.

The aperture ratio of the through-opening 50a in the in-plane of the collecting plate 50 differs depending on the number of sheets of the collecting plate 50, and is preferably in the range of, for example, 20 to 80%. Here, the aperture ratio means that the total opening area of the through openings 50a is a single-sided area of the collecting plate 50 in the case where the through-opening 50a is not present. By setting the through-opening 50a in the in-plane of the collecting plate 50 within the above range, the contact area with the solvent vapor can be adjusted, and the exhaust gas guide of the volatilized vapor from the substrate S side to the exhaust port 15a can be adjusted.

The surface of the collecting plate 50 is preferably in the range of 0.3 to 13 μm from the viewpoint of facilitating the condensation of the vaporized solvent in the processing container 1 and easily adhering to the surface of the collecting plate 50. When the arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the surface of the collecting plate 50 is less than 0.3 μm, it becomes difficult to remove the dew condensation solvent, and when it exceeds 13 μm, dew condensation of the solvent is less likely to occur on the surface of the collecting plate 50, and the collection efficiency is lowered.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of collecting plates 50 are stacked in parallel with the substrate S in a state of being separated from each other. Further, in the plurality of collecting plates 50, it is preferable that at least two of the through openings 50a of the collecting plates 50 are disposed so as to be offset from each other so as not to overlap in the stacking direction, and more preferably at least laminated. The through openings 50a of all of the two collecting plates 50 adjacent in the direction are arranged in such a manner that they do not overlap each other in the stacking direction. Further, a part of the through opening 50a of the laminated plurality of sheet collecting plates 50 may be arranged to overlap in the stacking direction.

In this manner, in the present embodiment, the maze structure is formed by the plurality of collecting plates 50. The solvent vapor flow AF emitted from the substrate S is blocked by the labyrinth structure of the collecting plate 50, so that it is required to pass through the solvent collecting portion 5. In this way, the position of the solvent vapor passing through the solvent collecting portion 5 to contact the surface of the collecting plate 50 can be increased by shifting the position of the through opening 50a between the adjacent collecting plates 50, and the collecting efficiency can be improved upward. Further, the exhaust gas guide from the substrate S side to the exhaust port 15a can be easily adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of the collecting plates 50 having the plurality of through openings 50a.

<Control Department>

As shown in FIG. 1, each component of the drying apparatus 100 is configured to be connected to the control unit 6, and is controlled. The control unit 6 is equipped with a controller 61 including a CPU, a user interface 62, and a memory. Part 63. The controller 61 has a computer function, and each component is integrally controlled in the drying device 100. The user interface 62 is constituted by a keyboard that the process manager performs a command input operation for managing the drying device 100, or a display that visually displays the operation state of the drying device 100. The memory unit 63 stores a program (software) for realizing various processes performed by the drying device 100 by the control of the controller 61, or a recipe in which processing condition data or the like is recorded. The user interface 62 and the memory unit 63 are connected to the controller 61.

Then, if necessary, an arbitrary recipe is called from the memory unit 63 by an instruction from the user interface 62, and the controller 61 performs the processing on the drying device 100 under the control of the controller 61. The recipes such as the control program or the processing condition data can be stored in a computer readable memory medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a floppy disk, a flash memory, or the like. Alternatively, it may be used on-line from other devices, for example, through a dedicated line.

<Solvent detachment device>

In the drying apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the solvent collecting unit 5 is provided with a solvent separating device that is used to separate the solvent collected by each collecting plate 50 from the collecting plate 50, and is collected by an electrothermal converting element. Temperature-regulated temperature adjustment device 7 of plate 50.

The temperature adjustment device 7 includes a plurality of cooling elements 71, a power supply unit 73 that supplies a direct current to each of the cooling elements 71, and a plurality of power supply units 73 and cooling elements 71 that are electrically connected to each of the cooling elements 71. The electric wires 75 (only two are shown in Fig. 1). Each of the cooling elements 71 can be configured to have a control temperature in the range of, for example, -20 to 80 °C. In Fig. 1, the temperature adjusting device 7 other than the cooling element 71 is shown, and in Fig. 2, only the cooling element 71 in the configuration of the temperature adjusting device 7 is shown. In addition, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting position of the cooling element 71 is exemplified by a virtual line.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the refrigerating elements 71 are fixed to the plurality of positions of the collecting plates 50. Each of the refrigerating elements 71 is in such a manner as to be in heat exchange between the collecting plates, and thus is in surface contact with the collecting plate 50. The temperature adjusting device 7 can heat the lower side of the cooling element 71 by heating from the power supply unit 73 to the cooling element 71, and heat the collecting plate 50 by heat conduction. By heating the collecting plate 50, the solvent collected by each of the collecting plates 50 can be vaporized again and quickly detached from the collecting plate 50. Therefore, the recovery time of the solvent collecting unit 5 can be shortened by the temperature adjusting device 7.

Further, as the solvent detaching device, a heating device such as a resistance heating type heater or a heat pump may be used instead of the temperature adjusting device 7 of the cooling element 71.

<Collection and promotion device>

In the drying apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the solvent collecting unit 5 is provided with a collecting and promoting device that promotes adhesion of the solvent to the collecting plate 50 in order to increase the collection efficiency of the solvent in each of the collecting plates 50. Here, as the collection facilitating device, the temperature adjusting device 7 can be utilized. As described above, the temperature adjustment device 7 has the refrigeration element 71 which is an electrothermal conversion element. By reversing the polarity of the current supplied from the power supply unit 73 to each of the refrigerating elements 71, the lower side of the refrigerating element 71 can absorb heat to cool the collecting plate 50 in contact with the surface. By cooling the collecting plate 50, the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 can be easily condensed on the surface of the collecting plate 50, thereby increasing the collection efficiency of the solvent in the solvent collecting portion 5.

Further, unlike the heating cooling element 71 as the solvent removing device, a cooling-only cooling element may be provided as the collecting and accelerating device, and a cooling device such as a cooler or a heat pump may be provided instead of the cooling element.

[The order of drying treatment]

Next, the drying process sequence of the drying apparatus 100 configured as above will be described. First, as a pre-stage, an organic material film is printed on the substrate S in accordance with a predetermined pattern by an external inkjet printing apparatus (not shown). Then, the gate valve GV is opened, and the substrate S on which the organic material film is printed is taken up to the mounting table 3 of the drying device 100 by an external transfer device (not shown).

Next, the gate valve GV of the drying device 100 is closed, and the exhaust device 19 is operated to decompress and decompress the inside of the processing container 1. Then, the pressure inside the processing container 1 is monitored by the pressure gauge 25, and the opening degree of the APC valve 23 is controlled to decompress to a predetermined degree of vacuum. In this way, the drying treatment for removing the solvent contained in the organic material film formed on the substrate S can be performed. Before or after the drying process, the collecting plate 50 of the solvent collecting unit 5 can be cooled by, for example, using the temperature adjusting device 7 as the collecting and promoting device, and the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 can be efficiently collected.

Then, the exhaust device 19 is stopped, and after the inside of the processing chamber 1 is pressurized to a predetermined pressure, the gate valve GV of the processing apparatus 100 is turned on, and the substrate S is carried out from the processing container 1 by an external transfer device (not shown). By the above procedure, the drying process for one substrate S is ended.

After the drying process is completed, the collection device 50 of the solvent collecting unit 5 is heated by the temperature adjusting device 7 as the solvent removing device in a state where the exhaust device 19 is operated, and the recovery process is performed. By this recovery process, the solvent adhering to the collecting plate 50 can be vaporized and rapidly exhausted from the processing container 1.

[Application Example of Manufacturing Process of Organic EL Element]

The organic EL device is fabricated by forming a plurality of organic functional films between the anode and the cathode as an EL layer. The drying apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is applicable to the manufacture of an organic EL element having a laminated structure. Here, the EL layer is exemplified as a case where an organic EL element having a positive hole injection layer/a positive hole transport layer/a light emitting layer/electron transport layer/electron injection layer from the anode side toward the cathode side is produced, and the drying is explained. The specific processing of device 100.

FIG. 5 shows an outline of a manufacturing process of the organic EL element. In this example, the organic EL element is manufactured by the steps STEP1 to STEP8. In STEP 1, an anode (pixel electrode) is formed on a substrate S by a predetermined pattern such as a vapor deposition method. Next, in STEP 2, a partition wall (dike) is formed between the anodes by an insulator. As the insulating material for forming the partition wall, for example, a polymer material such as a photosensitive polyimide resin can be used.

Next, in STEP 3, a positive hole injection layer is formed on the anode formed in STEP 1. First, an organic material which becomes a material of the positive hole injection layer is printed on the anode partitioned by the partition walls by an inkjet printing method. Next, the organic material film to be printed is subjected to a vacuum drying treatment for removing the solvent using the drying device 100. Next, the dried substrate S is transferred to a baking apparatus, and a positive hole injection layer is formed by baking treatment in the atmosphere.

Next, in STEP 4, a positive hole transport layer is formed on the positive hole injection layer formed in STEP 3. First, an organic material which becomes a material of the positive hole transport layer is printed on the positive hole injection layer by an inkjet printing method. The organic material film thus printed is subjected to a vacuum drying treatment for removing the solvent using the drying device 100. Next, the dried substrate S is transferred to a baking apparatus, and a positive hole transport layer is formed by baking treatment in the atmosphere.

Next, in STEP 5, a light-emitting layer is formed on the positive hole transport layer formed in STEP 4. First, an organic material which becomes a material of the light-emitting layer is printed on the positive hole transport layer by an inkjet printing method. The organic material film thus printed is subjected to a vacuum drying treatment for removing the solvent using the drying device 100. Next, the dried substrate S is transferred to a baking apparatus, and a light-emitting layer is formed by baking treatment in the atmosphere. Further, in the case where the light-emitting layer is composed of a plurality of layers, the above processing is repeatedly operated.

Next, an organic EL element is obtained by sequentially forming an electron transport layer (STEP 6), an electron injection layer (STEP 7), and a cathode (STEP 8) on the light-emitting layer by, for example, a vapor deposition method.

In the manufacturing process of the organic EL element, the drying apparatus 100 can be preferably applied to STEP 3 (formation of a positive hole injection layer), STEP 4 (formation of a positive hole transport layer), and STEP 5 (light-emitting layer formation). that is, The organic material film can be dried under reduced pressure using the drying device 100 by the inkjet printing method after printing the organic material film in the previous stage of each layer. In this case, since the drying apparatus 100 is provided with the solvent collecting unit 5, the solvent in the processing container 1 can be liquefied and collected, so that excellent solvent collecting efficiency can be obtained in a short time even in a high vacuum state. Further, the drying device 100 can use the temperature adjusting device 7 as a collecting and promoting device, and the solvent collecting efficiency can be further increased, and the drying processing time can be further shortened.

Further, since the drying device 100 includes the temperature adjusting device 7 as the solvent removing device, the removal of the adhered solvent (recovery process) can be performed in a short time by heating the collecting plate 50 of the solvent collecting portion 5.

As described above, by using the drying device 100, the drying process necessary for forming the EL layer can be efficiently performed in a high yield and efficiently in the production process of the organic EL device.

[Second Embodiment]

Next, a drying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 8 . Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drying device 101 according to a second embodiment. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the solvent collecting portion of Fig. 6. The main difference from the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment is that the drying apparatus 101 of the present embodiment is provided with a gas injection device 8 in the solvent collecting unit. In the following description, the same components as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described.

The drying device 101 of the present embodiment includes a vacuum-processable processing container 1, a mounting table 3 as a supporting member for supporting the substrate S in the processing container 1, and a substrate S supported to be supported by the mounting table 3, and The solvent collecting portion 5 A of the solvent volatilized from the organic material film is collected. Further, the solvent collection unit 5A includes a gas injection device 8 as a solvent release device that removes the collected solvent.

In the drying apparatus 101 of the present embodiment, the configuration of the processing container 1, the mounting table 3, the pressure control mechanism, the deflector 31, and the control unit 6 is the same as that of the drying device 100 of the first embodiment.

<Solvent Collection Department>

The solvent collecting unit 5A collects a solvent which is volatilized from the organic material film formed on the substrate S. In other words, the solvent collecting unit 5A is collected by dew condensation of a gaseous solvent vaporized from the organic material film, so that the concentration of the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 is lowered. Solvent Collection Department 5A is available There is one or a plurality of metal collecting plates 50 arranged to face the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3 and being almost parallel to the substrate S. The configuration of the collecting plate 50 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

<Solvent detachment device>

As shown in Fig. 7, in the drying apparatus 101 of the present embodiment, the solvent collecting unit 5A is provided with a gas jet as a solvent removing means for re-gasifying the solvent collected by each collecting plate 50 and being separated from the collecting plate 50. Device 8.

The gas injection device 8 includes a plurality of gas discharge units 81 (only two are shown), a gas supply source 83 that supplies a gas to each of the gas discharge units 81, and a gas supply unit 83 and a gas discharge unit 81 that supply gas. The piping 85 to each gas discharge part 81. The gas discharge portion 81 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 81a. Further, the gas injection device 8 is provided with a mass flow controller (MFC) 87 that controls the flow rate of the gas, and one or a plurality of on-off valves 89 (only one shown) in the middle of the pipe 85. The gas flow rate, the injection speed, and the like injected from the gas discharge portion 81 are controlled by the mass flow controller 87 and the opening and closing valve 89.

A plurality of gas discharge portions 81 are provided at positions where gas can be ejected toward the respective collecting plates 50. For example, the gas discharge portion 81 is provided at four positions on the side so as to surround the collecting plate 50 which is rectangular.

As the gas supplied from the gas supply source 83, an inert gas such as nitrogen or helium or dry air or the like is preferably used. By ejecting gas from the nozzle 81a of the gas discharge portion 81 toward the collecting plate 50, the solvent collected by each of the collecting plates 50 can be vaporized again and quickly separated from the collecting plate 50. Therefore, the recovery time of the solvent collecting portion 5A can be shortened by the gas injection device 8. Further, by introducing the gas into the processing container 1 by using the gas injection device 8, an air flow is generated in the processing container 1, and the exhaust of the solvent remaining in the processing container 1 can be promoted.

<Modification>

Next, a modification of the drying apparatus 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8 . The drying device 101A of the present modification is provided with a heat exchanger 90 in the middle of the pipe 85 of the gas injection device 8A. The temperature of the gas supplied from the gas supply source 83 can be adjusted by the heat exchanger 90, for example, in the range of 0 to 50 °C.

In the drying apparatus 101A of the present modification, the temperature of the gas ejected from the gas discharge portion 81 can be made higher than room temperature (25 ° C) by the heat exchanger 90, for example. By ejecting the heated gas from the nozzle 81a of the gas discharge portion 81, the collecting plate 50 can be heated to remove the solvent from the collecting plate 50. Can be lifted up. That is, the effect of promoting vaporization is obtained by the ejection of the gas, and the effect of promoting vaporization is also obtained by heating of the collecting plate 50. In this case, the gas injection device 8A can be made to function as a heating means for heating the collecting plate 50.

Further, in the drying device 101A of the present modification, in addition to the gas discharge portion 81 of the gas injection device 8A, a plurality of auxiliary discharge portions 91 are provided. The auxiliary discharge unit 91 has a plurality of nozzles (not shown). The plurality of auxiliary discharge units 91 are connected to the gas supply source 83 via the respective pipes 85, and a mass flow controller (MFC) 87 that controls the flow rate of the gas and one or a plurality of on-off valves 89 are provided in the middle of each of the pipes 85. The auxiliary discharge unit 91 is a portion that can be easily dewed toward the solvent in the processing container 1, for example, eight corners of the processing container 1, the top portion 15, the side wall 13, the inside of the bottom wall 11, the inside of the gate valve GV, and the bellows (not shown). The method of locally injecting gas is constructed. By the auxiliary discharge unit 91, the solvent adhering to the portion other than the solvent collecting unit 5A can be vaporized quickly, and the discharge to the outside of the processing container 1 can be promoted. Therefore, the amount of the solvent in the processing container 1 can be lowered in a short time, so that the yield of the drying process of the substrate S is increased upward.

Further, in the drying apparatus 101A of the present modification, the gas supplied from the gas supply source 83 can be adjusted to a temperature lower than room temperature (25 ° C) by the heat exchanger 90. Thereby, in the present modification, the gas supply device 8A can be used as the collection and promotion device. In this case, the gas injection device 8A can be made to function as a cooling device for cooling the collecting plate 50. That is, in order to increase the collection efficiency of the solvent in each of the collection plates 50 of the solvent collection unit 5A, the cooling gas may be ejected from the gas discharge unit 81 to the collecting plate 50 to cool the collecting plate 50. For example, before the drying process, the collecting plate 50 is preliminarily cooled by ejecting the cooling gas from the nozzle 81a of the gas discharge portion 81, so that the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 is easily on the surface of the collecting plate 50 during the drying process. Condensation. Therefore, the collection efficiency of the solvent in the solvent collecting portion 5A can be increased upward.

[Drying process order]

Next, the drying process sequence of the drying apparatuses 101 and 101A configured as above will be described. First, as a pre-stage, an organic material film is printed on the substrate S in accordance with a predetermined pattern by an external inkjet printing apparatus (not shown). Next, the gate valve GV is opened, and the substrate S on which the organic material film is printed is taken up to the mounting table 3 of the drying apparatuses 100 and 101A by an external transfer device (not shown).

In the case of using the drying apparatus 101A of the modification, it is preferable that the discharge unit 81 from the gas injection device 8A as the collection and promotion device is carried before the substrate S is carried into the processing container 1. The cooling gas is injected into the solvent collecting unit 5A to cool the solvent collecting unit 5A in advance. By pre-cooling the solvent collecting unit 5A, the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 can be efficiently collected during the subsequent vacuum drying treatment.

Next, the gate valve GV of the drying devices 100, 101A is closed, and the exhaust device 19 is operated to decompress and decompress the inside of the processing container 1. Then, the pressure inside the processing container 1 is monitored by the pressure gauge 25, and the opening degree of the APC valve 23 is controlled to decompress to a predetermined degree of vacuum. In this way, the drying treatment for removing the solvent contained in the organic material film formed on the substrate S can be performed. Moreover, when the drying apparatus 101A of the modification is used, the cooling gas from the discharge part 81 of the gas injection apparatus 8A can be continuously ejected to the solvent collection part 5A during the drying process.

Then, the exhaust device 19 is stopped, and after the inside of the processing chamber 1 is pressurized to a predetermined pressure, the gate valve GV of the processing apparatuses 100 and 101A is opened, and the substrate S is carried out from the processing container 1 by an external transfer device (not shown). By the above procedure, the drying process for one substrate S is ended.

After the completion of the drying process, the gas is discharged from the gas discharge unit 81 of the gas injection devices 8 and 8A as the solvent release devices to the collecting plate 50 in a state where the exhaust device 19 is operated, and the recovery process is performed. By this recovery process, the solvent adhering to the collecting plate 50 can be vaporized and rapidly exhausted from the processing container 1. When the drying device 101A according to the modification is used, the temperature of the collecting plate 50 can be increased by heating the injection gas from the gas discharge unit 81 by the heat exchanger 90, so that it is more efficiently performed. Dissociation of the solvent.

Other configurations and effects in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. Further, the drying processing apparatuses 100 and 101A can be applied to the manufacturing process of the organic EL element as in the first embodiment.

[Third embodiment]

Next, a drying apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 11 . Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a drying device 102 according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are views showing a configuration example of a solvent collecting unit in the drying device 102 of the present embodiment. In the drying apparatus 102 of the present embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and will not be described.

The drying device 102 of the present embodiment includes a vacuum-processable processing container 1, a mounting table 3 as a supporting member for supporting the substrate S in the processing container 1, and is disposed opposite to the mounting table 3. The supported substrate S collects a solvent collecting portion 5B of a solvent volatilized from the organic material film.

<Solvent Collection Department>

In the drying device 102 of the present embodiment, the solvent collecting unit 5B collects a solvent which is volatilized from the organic material film formed on the substrate S. The solvent collecting unit 5B collects by dew condensation of a gaseous solvent vaporized from the organic material film, so that the concentration of the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 is lowered. In the present embodiment, the solvent collecting unit 5B has a solvent collecting member 110. The solvent collecting member 110 is formed in a thick plate shape as a whole, and is disposed so as to face the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3 and is almost parallel to the surface of the substrate S. The solvent collecting member 110 has a flow path 111 through which a heat medium is circulated inside. In the present embodiment, the solvent collecting unit 5B further has a supporting portion 112 that supports the solvent collecting member 110. The solvent collecting member 110 is supported by the top portion 15 of the processing container 1 by the support portion 112.

The material of the solvent collecting member 110 is preferably a thermally conductive material such as a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel having a large thermal conductivity (for example, a material having a thermal conductivity of 10 W/mK or higher at 25 ° C). The solvent collecting member 110 may have a structure in which a pipe as the flow path 111 is built in a hollow shallow tank. Further, the solvent collecting member 110 may be configured by laminating a plurality of metal plates, and is configured to form a flow path 111 by providing grooves or openings in the metal plate.

The flow path 111 is connected to the cooling unit 113. The cooling unit 113 has, for example, a heating medium supply source (HOT) 115 and a cooling heat medium supply source (COOL) 117. The cooling unit 113 is connected to the flow path 111 of the solvent collecting member 110 through a plurality of pipes. In FIG. 9 , the introduction pipe 119A that introduces the heat medium to the flow path 111 and the two branches of the circulation pipe 119B that circulates the heat medium from the flow path 111 are typically shown. Although not shown in the drawings, a plurality of on-off valves are provided in the middle of the pipes. The cooling unit 113 supplies the heated or cooled heat medium to the flow path 111 of the solvent collecting member 110 from the heating heat medium supply source (HOT) 115 or the cooling heat medium supply source (COOL) 117 through the introduction piping 119A. The heat medium is again circulated to the cooling unit 113 through the circulation pipe 119B. As the heat medium system, for example, a fluorine-based heat medium such as Calden (registered trademark), water, or the like can be used.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the flow path 111 formed by the solvent collecting member 110. In the present configuration example, a flow path 111 of one turn is formed inside the solvent collecting member 110. Both ends of the flow path 111 are provided with an introduction portion 121 connected to the introduction pipe 119A and a discharge portion 123 connected to the circulation pipe 119B. In this configuration example, the heating medium supply source (HOT) 115 is used for heating. The heat medium supply from the cooling unit 113 to the introduction unit 121 is switched between the cooling heat medium supply source (COOL) 117, and the solvent collecting member 110 can be rapidly heated or cooled.

In the solvent collecting member 110, the flow path 111 is not limited to one, and may be divided into plural portions. FIG. 11 shows another configuration example of the flow path 111 formed by the solvent collecting member 110. In the present configuration example, two flow paths 111A and 111B which are formed in a spiral shape are disposed in two places inside and outside. The inner channel 111A is a central portion of the solvent collecting member 110, and is formed in a central portion of the substrate S that is placed on the mounting table 3. Both ends of the inner channel 111A are provided with an introduction portion 121A connected to the heat medium introduction pipe, and a discharge portion 123A connected to the heat medium circulation pipe. The outer flow path 111B is an edge portion of the solvent collecting member 110, and is formed in an edge portion region of the substrate S placed on the mounting table 3. Both ends of the outer flow path 111B are provided with an introduction portion 121B connected to the heat medium introduction pipe, and a discharge portion 123B connected to the heat medium circulation pipe. The solvent collection can be controlled by supplying the heated or cooled heat medium to the flow path 111A from the heating heat medium supply source (HOT) 115 or the cooling heat medium supply source (COOL) 117 of the cooling unit 113 through the introduction portion 121A. The temperature of the central portion of member 110. Further, it is possible to control the supply of the heated or cooled heat medium to the flow path 111B from the heating heat medium supply source (HOT) 115 or the cooling heat medium supply source (COOL) 117 of the cooling unit 113 through the introduction portion 121B. The temperature of the edge portion of the solvent collecting member 110. As described above, in the configuration example shown in Fig. 11, the center of the solvent collecting member 110 can be independently controlled by supplying the independently adjusted temperature heat medium from the cooling unit 113 to the flow paths 111A and 111B which are formed both internally and externally. The temperature of the part and the edge part.

Further, the flow path 111 can be divided into three or more. Further, the shape or arrangement of the flow path 111 in the solvent collecting member 110 is not limited to the one illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 .

As shown in Fig. 9, the drying device 102 of the present embodiment has an exhaust port 15a as a first exhaust port provided in proximity to the solvent collecting portion 5B in the processing container 1, and as a pair of exhaust ports 15a. A plurality of exhaust ports 11a of the second exhaust port provided. The exhaust port 15a is formed at the top 15 of the processing container 1. The exhaust port 15a is connected to the external exhaust device 19 through the exhaust pipe 17. An APC valve 23 and an on-off valve (not shown) are provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 17. Since the exhaust port 15a is provided close to the solvent collecting portion 5B, the solvent collected by the solvent collecting portion 5B can be quickly exhausted toward the outside of the processing container 1 by operating the exhaust device 19.

A plurality of exhaust ports 11a are formed in the bottom wall 11 of the processing container 1. The drying device 102 further includes an exhaust pipe 131 that connects each of the exhaust ports 11a and the exhaust device 19, and is disposed in the middle of each of the exhaust pipes 131. The APC valve 133 is provided, and an on-off valve (not shown). In the drying device 102, a plurality of exhaust ports 11a are connected to the external exhaust device 19 through the exhaust pipe 131. Then, the drying device 102 is operated to operate the exhaust device 19, and the inside of the processing container 1 is decompressed to a predetermined degree of vacuum by adjusting the opening degree of the APC valves 23, 133, for example, a pressure of about 0.1 Pa. The way to make it.

In addition, the exhaust pipe 17 and the exhaust pipe 131 may also be connected to respective exhaust devices.

In the drying apparatus 102 of the present embodiment, flow paths 11b, 13b, and 15b through which the heat medium flows are formed on the inner walls of the bottom wall 11, the side wall 13, and the top portion 15 constituting the processing apparatus 1, respectively. Each of the flow paths 11b, 13b, and 15b is connected to the cooling unit 113 through a plurality of pipes. The flow path 11b of the bottom wall 11 is connected to an introduction pipe 135A that introduces a heat medium from the cooling unit 113, and a circulation pipe 135B that circulates the heat medium in the flow path 11b to the cooling unit 113. The flow path 13b of the side wall 13 is connected to an introduction pipe 137A that introduces a heat medium from the cooling unit 113, and a circulation pipe 137B that circulates the heat medium in the flow path 13b to the cooling unit 113. The flow path 15b of the top portion 15 is connected to the introduction pipe 139A that introduces the heat medium from the cooling unit 113, and the circulation pipe 139B that circulates the heat medium in the flow path 15b to the cooling unit 113.

In the drying apparatus 102 of the present embodiment, the heat medium that has been independently heated or cooled is supplied from the cooling unit 113 to the respective flow paths 11b, 13b, and 15b, and the processing container can be independently adjusted. The temperature of the bottom wall 11, the side wall 13, and the top 15 of 1. Thereby, the drying process of the organic material film of the substrate S can be efficiently performed, and the solvent can be removed from the processing container 1 containing the solvent collecting portion 5B (recovery treatment). For example, before the drying process of the organic material film of the substrate S is performed or during the drying process, the bottom wall 11, the side wall 13 and the top portion 15 can be cooled by supplying the cooled heat medium into the flow paths 11b, 13b, 15b. Promote adhesion of the solvent to the walls. As a result, the concentration of the solvent in the atmosphere in the processing container 1 can be lowered, and the solvent can be volatilized from the organic material film of the substrate S. Further, after the drying treatment, by supplying the heated heat medium to the flow paths 11b, 13b, and 15b during the recovery process, the bottom wall 11, the side wall 13, and the top portion 15 can be heated, and the adhesion to the walls can be promoted. The solvent is detached. As a result, the exhaust efficiency of the solvent in the processing container 1 containing the solvent collecting unit 5B can be increased, and the recovery processing time can be shortened.

Further, instead of supplying the heat medium to the flow paths 11b, 13b, and 15b, for example, the jacketed heat exchanger may be provided outside the processing container 1 so as to cover the processing container 1 from the outside.

Further, the drying device 102 of the present embodiment is provided with an inductor portion 141 that measures the temperature in the processing container 1 and the concentration of the solvent vapor. The sensor portion 141 has an atmosphere in the measurement processing container 1 A temperature sensor for the temperature, and a concentration sensor for measuring the concentration of the solvent in the atmosphere of the processing container 1. The concentration sensor may be any one that measures the concentration of the solvent in the gas phase. For example, an electrostatic capacitance type or a resistive type sensor may be used. The temperature in the processing container 1 and the concentration of the solvent can be monitored by the sensor portion 141. For example, during the drying process, by measuring the temperature in the processing container 1 and the concentration of the solvent vapor by the inductor portion 141, the degree of drying of the organic material film on the surface of the substrate S or the solvent in the solvent collecting portion 5B can be indirectly grasped. Collect status, etc. Further, after the drying process, by measuring the temperature in the processing container 1 and the concentration of the solvent vapor by the inductor portion 141, the residual amount of the solvent in the solvent collecting portion 5B after the recovery process or the solvent in the processing container 1 can be indirectly grasped. Residual amount. Further, it is effective to monitor the temperature and the solvent concentration in the processing container 1 by the inductor portion 141 for the purpose of maintaining the inside of the processing container 1 in the same state before and after the drying process. Therefore, under the control of the control unit 6, the temperature in the processing container 1 and the concentration of the solvent vapor are measured by the sensor unit 141, and the plurality of substrates S are sequentially replaced in the processing container 1 of the drying device 102. In the case of performing the drying treatment, the processing between the plurality of substrates S can be uniformized.

Further, the drying device 102 of the present embodiment has a heater 143 on a mounting table as a supporting member. The heater 143 is, for example, a resistance heating type heater, and can supply the mounting table 3 and the substrate S placed thereon to a predetermined temperature by supplying power from the power supply unit 145 outside the processing container 1. During the drying process, by heating the substrate S by the heater 143, the solvent in the organic material film applied on the surface of the substrate S can be efficiently evaporated, and the drying process time can be shortened.

In the drying device 102 of the present embodiment, the configuration of the control unit 6 is the same as that of the drying device 100 of the first embodiment.

[Drying process order]

Next, referring to Fig. 12, the drying process sequence of the drying device 102 will be described. FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing an example of the drying processing sequence performed for the plurality of substrates S in the drying processing apparatus 102. Fig. 12 shows the secondary drying process in which the substrate S is sequentially replaced in the processing container 1, and the recovery processing of the processing container 1 and the solvent collecting portion 5B which are performed during the drying processes. In FIG. 12, t1 to t7 on the horizontal axis indicate time, and the first drying process is performed on the first substrate S during the period from t1 to t2, and the second substrate S is performed in the second from t6 to t7. Sub-drying treatment. The recovery process is performed during t2 to t6 after the first drying process is suspended. In addition, in FIG. 12, the "upper exhaust" means that the exhaust is exhausted from the exhaust port 15a near the top 15 of the solvent collecting portion 5B, and the "lower exhaust" means the bottom wall. A plurality of exhaust ports 11a of 11 are exhausted.

First, as a pre-stage, an organic material film is printed on the substrate S in accordance with a predetermined pattern by an external inkjet printing apparatus (not shown). Then, the gate valve GV is opened, and the substrate S on which the organic material film is printed is taken up to the mounting table 3 of the drying device 102 by an external transfer device (not shown).

Next, the gate valve GV of the drying device 102 is turned off at t1, and the exhaust device 19 is operated to decompress and decompress the inside of the processing container 1. Then, the pressure inside the processing container 1 is monitored by the pressure gauge 25, and the opening degree of the APC valve 133 is controlled to decompress to a predetermined degree of vacuum. In this way, the drying treatment for removing the solvent contained in the organic material film formed on the substrate S can be performed. Before the drying process or the drying process, for example, the cooling heat medium can be cooled to the flow path 111 of the solvent collecting member 110 of the solvent collecting unit 5B, whereby the atmosphere in the processing container 1 can be efficiently performed. The solvent is attached to the solvent collecting member 110 and collected. Further, during the drying process from t1 to t2, by energizing the heater 143 of the mounting table 3 and heating the substrate S, the evaporation of the solvent in the organic material film can be promoted, and the drying time can be shortened. Alternatively, during the drying process from t1 to t2, the cooled heat medium may be supplied from the cooling unit 113 to the flow paths 11b, 13b, 15b of the bottom wall 11, the side wall 13, and the top portion 15 of the processing container 1. Cooling to promote adhesion of the solvent to the walls of the processing vessel 1. Further, during the drying process from t1 to t2, the temperature of the atmosphere in the processing container 1 and the concentration of the solvent can be monitored by the sensor unit 141, and based on the result, the control signal is transmitted from the control unit 6 to the exhaust device 19 or APC. The valve 133 is for instantaneously controlling the amount of exhaust gas from the processing vessel 1 or the pressure inside the processing vessel 1. Similarly, during the drying process from t1 to t2, the control signal can be transmitted from the control unit 6 to the power supply unit 145 based on the monitoring result of the sensor unit 141, and the heating temperature of the substrate S can be instantly controlled by the heater 143. .

Then, the exhaust device 19 is stopped at t2, and the inside of the processing chamber 1 is pressurized to atmospheric pressure, and then the gate valve GV of the drying processing device 102 is turned on, and the substrate S is carried out from the processing container 1 by an external transfer device (not shown). . By the above procedure, the drying process for one substrate S is ended.

After the completion of the drying process, the exhaust device 19 is operated from t2 to exhaust the upper portion of the exhaust port 15a, and the solvent collecting member 110 of the solvent collecting portion 5B is heated and the processing container 1 is subjected to recovery processing. By the recovery process, the solvent adhering to the solvent collecting member 110 or the wall of the processing container 1 can be vaporized efficiently and rapidly exhausted from the processing container 1. Specifically, during the period from t3 to t4 later than t2, the heated heat medium is supplied from the cooling unit 113 to the flow path 111 of the solvent collecting member 110 to be heated to promote adhesion to the solvent collecting member 110. of The solvent is vaporized and vented. Further, during the period from t3 to t5, heating of the heated heat medium from the cooling unit 113 to the bottom wall 11, the side wall 13, and the flow path 11b, 13b, 15b of the top portion 15 of the processing container 1 is promoted. The solvent adhered to the processing container 1 is vaporized and exhausted. In this case, the heating of the container 1 is continued after t4 to t5 at which the heating of the solvent collecting member 110 is completed. During the period from t4 to t5, the processing container 1 is heated, and the temperature and the solvent concentration in the processing container 1 are measured by the sensor unit 141, and the state in the processing container 1 is adjusted for the processing of the second substrate S. . In the same manner, during the period from t2 to t6, by performing the recovery process including the adjustment in the processing container 1, the conditions for sequentially drying the plurality of substrates S in the drying device 102 can be made uniform. The uniformity of the dry state is ensured between the plurality of substrates S.

After the recovery process is completed, the gate valve GV is opened, and the substrate S on which the organic material film is printed is taken up to the mounting table 3 of the drying device 102 by an external transfer device (not shown). Then, from t6 to t7, the second substrate S can be dried in the same manner as from t1 to t2.

As described above, the substrate S in the processing container 1 can be replaced, and the substrate S of a predetermined number of sheets can be sequentially dried.

Other configurations and effects in the present embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. Further, the drying device 102 can be applied to the manufacturing process of the organic EL element as in the first embodiment.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above for the purpose of illustration. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the manufacturing process of the organic EL element is not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 5. For example, even if there is an EL layer, there are sequential layers such as [perforation transport layer/light emitting layer/electron transport layer] or [positive hole injection layer/normal hole transport layer/light emitting layer/electron transport layer] from the anode side toward the cathode side. The drying apparatuses 100, 101, 101A, and 102 of the present invention can be similarly applied to the production of the organic EL element having the structure.

In the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment and the drying apparatuses 101 and 101A of the second embodiment, a plurality of exhaust ports can be provided in the processing container 1 in the same manner as the drying device 102 of the third embodiment. Further, in the drying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment and the drying apparatuses 101 and 101A of the second embodiment, the bottom wall 11, the side wall 13, and the top of the heating or cooling processing container 1 can be provided in the same manner as the drying apparatus 102 of the third embodiment. 15 institutions. Further, in the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment and the drying apparatuses 101 and 101A of the second embodiment, in the same manner as the drying apparatus 102 of the third embodiment, the temperature in the measuring processing container 1 and the concentration of the solvent vapor concentration can be set. Department. Further one In the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment and the drying apparatuses 101 and 101A of the second embodiment, a heater can be provided on the mounting table 3 as a supporting member in the same manner as the drying device 102 of the third embodiment.

1‧‧‧Processing container

3‧‧‧ mounting table

5‧‧‧Solvent Collection Department

6‧‧‧Control Department

7‧‧‧temperature adjustment device

11‧‧‧ bottom wall

13‧‧‧ side wall

13a‧‧‧ moving out of the entrance

15‧‧‧ top

15a‧‧‧Exhaust port

17‧‧‧Exhaust pipe

19‧‧‧Exhaust device

21‧‧‧ pillar

23‧‧‧APC valve

25‧‧‧ pressure gauge

31‧‧‧ deflector

31a‧‧‧through hole

33‧‧‧Support frame

61‧‧‧ Controller

62‧‧‧User interface

63‧‧‧Memory Department

73‧‧‧Power Supply Department

75‧‧‧Power supply line

100‧‧‧Drying device

GV‧‧‧ gate valve

Claims (25)

A drying device for removing a solvent applied to an organic material film on a surface of a substrate and drying the mixture, comprising: a processing container capable of evacuating; and an exhaust port for gas in the processing container Exhausting; a supporting member supporting the substrate in the processing container; and a solvent collecting portion collecting the solvent volatilized from the organic material film. The drying device according to claim 1, wherein the solvent collecting portion is provided for the substrate supported by the supporting member, and has one or a plurality of metal plates having a plurality of through openings. A drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of metal sheets are stacked in a state of being separated from each other in parallel with the substrate supported by the support member. A drying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein among the plurality of metal sheets, at least two of the through holes of the metal sheets are arranged in a staggered manner so as not to overlap each other in the stacking direction. The drying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the opening ratio of the through opening of the metal plate is in the range of 20 to 40%. The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the surface of the metal sheet is in the range of 0.3 to 13 μm. The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the thickness of the metal plate is in the range of 0.2 to 2 mm. A drying apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the through opening is formed in a non-uniform distribution in the plane of the metal sheet. The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the solvent collecting unit has a solvent detaching device for detaching the collected solvent. The drying device of claim 9, wherein the solvent release device is a heating device for heating the metal plate. The drying device of claim 9, wherein the solvent release device is a gas injection device that injects a gas against the metal plate. The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the solvent collecting portion further has a collecting and promoting device for promoting the collection of the solvent. The drying device of claim 12, wherein the collecting and promoting device is a cooling device that cools the metal plate. The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a rectifying member is further provided between the solvent collecting portion and the exhaust port. A drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solvent collecting unit has a solvent collecting member for a flow path through which the heat medium flows. A drying apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the flow path is connected to a heating medium supply source for heating. A drying apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the flow path is connected to a cooling medium supply source for cooling. The drying device of claim 15, wherein the flow path causes each of the independent thermal media to circulate to distinguish the plurality of portions. A drying apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the flow path has a first flow path to which a heating heat medium supply source is connected and a second flow path to which a cooling heat medium supply source is connected. A drying device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the exhaust port has a first exhaust port provided close to the solvent collecting portion, and a first exhaust port disposed opposite to the first exhaust port Second exhaust port. For example, the drying device of claim 15 or 16 further comprises a detector for measuring the concentration of the solvent vapor in the processing container. A drying apparatus according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the wall constituting the processing container has a flow path for circulating the heat medium. A drying device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the support member has a heater. A drying treatment method in which the organic material film coated on the surface of the substrate is subjected to a drying treatment in the treatment container of the drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 23. The drying treatment method according to claim 24, wherein the organic material film-based organic EL element is coated on the substrate by an inkjet printing method.