TWI590369B - A transfer device, an electronic device forming method, and an element forming device - Google Patents

Description

Transport device, electronic component forming method, and component forming device

The present invention relates to a conveying device.

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-084819, filed on Apr.

As a display element constituting a display device such as a display device, for example, a liquid crystal display element, an organic electroluminescence (organic EL) element, an electrophoretic element used for electronic paper, and the like are known. As one of the methods for producing an electronic component such as a display panel in which such components are mounted, for example, a method called a roll to roll method (hereinafter, abbreviated as "reel method") is widely known (for example, reference) Patent Document 1).

In the reel method, one sheet-like substrate that is wound around the supply roller on the substrate supply side is sent out, and the substrate to be fed is taken up on the substrate-receiving side, and the substrate is conveyed, and the substrate is sent to be wound up. During this period, patterns for electronic components (display pixel circuits, driver circuits, wiring, etc.) are sequentially formed on the substrate. In recent years, a processing apparatus for forming a pattern of high precision has been proposed.

Advanced technical literature

Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2006/100868

However, the higher precision of the corresponding pattern or the high definition of the display panel In the case of the situation, it is required to improve the transport accuracy of the substrate. For example, during processing by the processing device, it is required to transport the surface of the substrate in a constant state.

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a conveying apparatus capable of conveying a surface of a substrate while maintaining a constant state.

Further, another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of forming an electronic component on the surface of the substrate while being transported while maintaining the surface of the substrate in a constant state.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a conveying apparatus is provided, comprising: a supporting member having a support surface that supports one surface of the substrate, and a plurality of through holes penetrating the support surface and the back surface of the support surface; and a holding mechanism Providing a gas suction portion disposed opposite to the first region including the plurality of through holes in the back surface of the support member, and a gas supply portion disposed opposite to the second region different from the first region on the back surface of the support member By supplying and sucking gas to the back surface of the support member, the back surface of the support member is held in a non-contact state, and the substrate is attracted to the support surface through a plurality of through holes.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming an electronic component, which is a method of transporting a long flexible substrate in a longitudinal direction to form an electronic component on a surface of the substrate, which comprises: The material is formed on a surface of the support member having a thin plate shape and having a plurality of through holes penetrating through the front surface and the back surface; and the gas is disposed opposite to the first region including the plurality of through holes in the back surface of the support member. a portion that adsorbs the substrate to the surface of the support member through a plurality of through holes; a gas supply portion disposed opposite to the second region of the first region in the back surface of the support member, the back surface of the support member is supported by the gas layer; the substrate is adsorbed on the surface of the support member, and the back surface of the support member is supported on the gas layer In this state, the support member is moved in the longitudinal direction by the driving portion, and the pattern for the electronic component is formed in the predetermined region of the surface of the substrate conveyed by the movement of the supporting member by the pattern forming device.

According to the aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide a transport device capable of transporting the substrate in a fixed state.

Moreover, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic component forming method capable of transporting a substrate while maintaining a predetermined state, thereby forming a high-precision, high-definition electronic component on the substrate.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 100 has a substrate supply unit 2 that supplies a substrate (for example, a strip-shaped film member) S formed in a strip shape (long strip shape), and a surface (processed surface) Sa of the counter substrate S. The substrate processing unit 3 that performs the processing, the substrate collection unit 4 that collects the substrate S, and the control unit (control device) CONT that controls the respective units. The substrate processing unit (pattern forming apparatus) 3 performs various processes on the surface of the substrate S while the substrate S is fed from the substrate supply unit 2 and after the substrate S is recovered by the substrate collecting unit 4. This substrate processing apparatus 100 can be used to form, for example, an organic EL element, a liquid crystal display element, and the like on the substrate S. The case of a display element (electronic component) in the form of a moving matrix.

Further, in the present embodiment, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set as shown in Fig. 1, and the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system will be appropriately described below. The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system, for example, sets the X axis and the Y axis along the horizontal plane, and sets the Z axis upward in the vertical direction. Further, the substrate processing apparatus 100 entirely transports the substrate S from the negative side (−X side) to the positive side (+X side) along the X-axis. At this time, the width direction (short side direction) of the strip-shaped substrate S is set in the Y-axis direction.

As the substrate S to be processed by the substrate processing apparatus 100, a foil such as a resin film or stainless steel can be used. As the resin film, for example, a polyethylene resin, a polypropylene resin, a polyester resin, an ethylene vinyl copolymer resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, a cellulose resin, a polyamide resin, a polyimide resin, or the like may be used. Materials such as polycarbonate resin, polystyrene resin, and vinyl acetate resin.

It is preferable that the substrate S has a small thermal expansion coefficient which is not affected by the heat of, for example, about 200 ° C. For example, an inorganic filler may be mixed in the resin film to lower the coefficient of thermal expansion. Examples of the inorganic filler include titanium oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, and the like. Further, the substrate S may be a single layer of extremely thin glass having a thickness of about 100 μm produced by a floating method or the like, or a laminate obtained by laminating the above-mentioned resin film or aluminum foil with the ultra-thin glass.

The dimension in the width direction (short side direction) of the substrate S is formed, for example, to about 1 m to 2 m, and the dimension in the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction) is formed to be, for example, 10 m or more. Of course, this size is only an example and is not limited thereto. For example, the dimension of the substrate S in the Y-axis direction may be 1 m or less or 50 cm or less, or may be 2 m or more. Further, the dimension of the substrate S in the X-axis direction may be 10 m or less.

The substrate S is formed to have flexibility. Here, the term "flexibility" refers to a property of imparting a degree of self-weight to a substrate without breaking or cracking, and the substrate can be bent. Moreover, the property of being bent by the force of the degree of self-weight is also included in the flexibility. Further, the flexibility may vary depending on the material, size, thickness, temperature, and the like of the substrate. Further, the substrate S may be a strip-shaped substrate, or a plurality of unit substrates may be connected to form a strip.

The substrate supply unit 2 supplies and supplies the substrate S wound in a roll shape to the substrate processing unit 3, for example. In this case, the substrate supply unit 2 is provided with, for example, a shaft portion for winding the substrate S or a rotation driving device for rotating the shaft portion. In addition to this, for example, a cover portion or the like for covering the substrate S wound in a roll state may be provided. Further, the substrate supply unit 2 is not limited to a mechanism for feeding the substrate S wound in a reel shape, and includes a mechanism for sequentially feeding the strip-shaped substrate S in the longitudinal direction thereof (for example, a grip type driving roller or the like). can.

The substrate collecting unit 4 collects the substrate S that has passed through the substrate processing apparatus 100, for example, in a roll shape. Similarly to the substrate supply unit 2, the substrate collection unit 4 is provided with a shaft portion for winding the substrate S, a rotation drive source for rotating the shaft portion, and a cover portion for covering the recovered substrate S. In the case where the substrate processing unit 3 cuts the substrate S into a flat shape, for example, the substrate S may be collected in a state in which the substrate S is collected in a stacked state or the like in a state of being wound into a reel. Composition.

The substrate processing unit 3 transports the substrate S supplied from the substrate supply unit 2 to the substrate collection unit 4, and performs the transfer process on the processed surface Sa of the substrate S. deal with. The substrate processing unit 3 includes, for example, a processing device 10 and a transfer device 20.

The processing apparatus 10 has various means for forming, for example, an organic EL element on the processed surface Sa of the substrate S. As such a device, for example, a partition wall forming device for forming a partition wall on the surface to be processed Sa, an electrode forming device for forming an electrode, and a light-emitting layer forming device for forming a light-emitting layer can be used.

More specifically, there are a droplet applying device (for example, an inkjet coating device), a film forming device (for example, a plating device, a vapor deposition device, a sputtering device, and the like), an exposure device, a developing device, and a surface modifying device. Washing device, etc. Each of these devices is appropriately disposed along the transport path of the substrate S.

The transport device 20 includes a plurality of guide rollers (transport mechanisms, only two rollers 5 and 6 are illustrated in FIG. 1 ) and a substrate support mechanism (holding mechanism) 30 that supports the substrate S in the substrate processing unit 3 . The guide roller 5 (transport mechanism) is disposed on the upstream side of the processing apparatus 10 on the transport path of the substrate S, and the transport path of the guide roller (transport mechanism) 6 on the substrate S is disposed on the downstream side of the processing apparatus 10. A rotation drive mechanism (not shown) is attached to at least a part of the guide rollers of the plurality of guide rollers (transport mechanisms). In the present embodiment, the length of the substrate S of the transport device 20 in the transport path is, for example, several hundred meters in total length.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the conveying device 20.

As shown in Fig. 2, the conveying device 20 has a guide roller 5 (see Fig. 1) and a nip roller (transport mechanism) R1 and R2, which are sequentially washed from the upstream side in the transport direction of the elongated substrate S. Portion 21, tension adjustment roller (transport mechanism) R3, static electricity removal unit (removal device) 22, substrate support mechanism 30, and static electricity The removal unit (removal device) 23, the substrate adsorption roller (transport mechanism) R4, the nip rollers (transport mechanisms) R5 and R6, and the guide roller 6 (see FIG. 1). The guide roller 5, the clamping rollers R1 and R2, the tension adjusting roller R3, the substrate adsorption roller R4, the clamping rollers R5 and R6, and the guiding roller 6 are disposed along the transport path of the substrate S, and are included in the plurality of The composition of the guide roller.

First, the holding rolls R1 and R2 of the substrate S, the tension adjusting roll R3, the substrate suction roll R4, and the nip rolls R5 and R6 will be described. The central axes of the respective rollers R1 to R6 (the rotating shafts in the case of a rotatable drum) are arranged in parallel with each other in the Y-axis direction.

The holding rollers R1 and R2 are rotated in a state in which the substrate S conveyed by the guide roller 5 of FIG. 1 is nipped, and the substrate S is transferred to the downstream side (+Z-axis side) in the conveyance direction. By sandwiching the substrate S between the nip rolls R1 and R2, it is possible to suppress vibration transmitted through the substrate S from the upstream side of the nip rolls R1 and R2.

The tension adjustment roller R3 rotates while adjusting the tension in the short-side direction (width direction) of the substrate S, and transfers the substrate S to the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The tension adjusting roller R3 is formed, for example, such that the diameter gradually decreases from the both end portions in the central axis direction toward the central portion. The length of the short side direction of the substrate S is adjusted by the tension adjusting roller R3. Further, the tension adjusting roller R3 converts the conveying direction of the substrate S conveyed in the +Z-axis direction into the +X-axis direction.

The substrate adsorption roller R4 is formed by a porous material through which gas can pass. The outer peripheral surface of the substrate adsorption roller R4 functions as a guide surface R4a for guiding the back surface of the substrate S. The substrate adsorption roller R4 has a suction portion 25 that sucks gas from the guide surface R4a toward the inside of the drum. The attraction portion 25 has a connection to the substrate for adsorption A suction path 25b inside the drum R4. A suction pump 25a is provided in the suction path 25b. By the suction operation of the suction pump 25a, the pressure inside the substrate adsorption roller R4 is lowered, whereby the gas around the substrate adsorption roller R4 is attracted to the inside from the guide surface R4a. The substrate adsorption roller R4 can adsorb, for example, the substrate S to the guide surface R4a by the attraction force.

The substrate adsorption roller R4 has a driving portion 26. The drive unit 26 rotationally drives the substrate suction roller R4 under the control of the control unit CONT. The control unit CONT can control the timing, driving force, and the like of the driving of the driving unit 26. The substrate adsorption roller R4 can be rotated clockwise in the state in which the substrate S is attracted to the guide surface R4a, and the substrate S is transferred to the +X axis side. In this way, the substrate suction roller R4 functions as a tension applying mechanism that applies a predetermined tension to the substrate S by actuating the suction portion 25 and the driving portion 26. Further, the tension applied to the substrate S can be adjusted by adjusting the driving force of the driving unit 26 by the control unit CONT. Therefore, the substrate adsorption roller (first roller) R4, the suction portion 25, the driving portion 26, and the control portion CONT function as adjustment portions for adjusting the tension applied to the substrate S.

The nip rollers R5 and R6 are rotated in a state where the substrate S conveyed by the substrate suction roller R4 is nipped, and the substrate S is transferred to the downstream side in the transport direction. By sandwiching the substrate S between the nip rolls R5 and R6, it is possible to suppress vibration transmitted through the substrate S from the downstream side of the nip rolls R5 and R6. Further, the substrate adsorption roller R4 and the nip rollers R5 and R6 transport the substrate S such that the portion between the substrate adsorption roller R4 and the nip rollers R5 and R6 in the substrate S is in a relaxed state. Therefore, the nip rollers (second rollers) R5 and R6 serve as a part of the adjustment portion for adjusting the tension applied to the substrate S. The function.

Further, the substrate cleaning unit 21 is provided at a position between the nip rollers R1 and R2 and the tension adjusting roller R3. The substrate cleaning unit 21 includes, for example, an ultrasonic generating device (not shown), a suction device, and the like. The substrate cleaning unit 21 can remove the foreign matter on the substrate S on the processed surface Sa of the substrate S conveyed from the nip rolls R1 and R2 to the tension adjusting roller R3 by a dry cleaning device such as an ultrasonic wave. Further, as the substrate cleaning unit 21, a cleaning device having a liquid blowing and drying function can also be used.

The static electricity removing unit 22 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the substrate S of the tension adjusting roller R3, for example, above the substrate S between the tension adjusting roller R3 and the substrate supporting mechanism 30. The static electricity removing unit 22 removes static electricity (charge) from the substrate S transported by the substrate supporting mechanism 30. Further, the static electricity removing portion 23 is provided on the upstream side of the substrate suction drum R4, for example, above the substrate S between the substrate supporting mechanism 30 and the substrate suction roller R4. The static electricity removing unit 23 removes static electricity (charge) carried by the substrate S transported from the substrate supporting mechanism 30 to the downstream side.

The substrate supporting mechanism 30 is disposed between the tension adjusting roller R3 and the substrate suction roller R4. Further, a processing region 10p of the processing device 10 is set in a portion between the tension adjusting roller R3 and the substrate adsorption roller R4 in the substrate S. The substrate supporting mechanism 30 supports the back surface of the substrate S at a speed synchronized with the conveying speed of the substrate S between the tension adjusting roller R3 and the substrate suction roller R4 while supporting the portion of the substrate S that passes through the processing region 10p.

The substrate supporting mechanism 30 has a belt portion (support member) 31 and belt conveyance The portion 32 and the guide stage 33. Further, the substrate supporting mechanism 30 has a belt washing portion 37 for washing the surface of the belt portion 31 and an electrostatic removing portion 38 for removing static electricity from the belt portion 31.

The belt portion 31 is formed into an endless shape by using a material having a higher rigidity than the substrate S, and a member made of a metal material such as stainless steel into a thin plate shape. The belt portion 31 supports the supported surface (back surface to the processing surface) Sb of the substrate S by the support surface 31a provided on the outer peripheral surface. A plurality of through holes 31h arranged in the circumferential direction are provided around the belt portion 31. Each of the through holes 31h is formed to penetrate between the support surface 31a of the belt portion 31 and the back surface 31b provided on the back side of the support surface 31a. In the present embodiment, the plurality of through holes 31h are formed in five rows in the Y-axis direction. One portion of the belt portion 31 is disposed to face the supported surface Sb of the substrate S.

The belt portion 31 supports the supported surface Sb of the substrate S. Further, the number of the plurality of through holes 31h in the Y-axis direction is not limited to five columns, and may be several columns. Further, the number of the through holes 31h provided around one circumference may be arbitrary.

The belt conveyance unit 32 has four conveyance rollers (drive units) 32a to 32d. The belt portion 31 is wound around the transport rollers 32a to 32d. That is, the four transfer rollers 32a to 32d are in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt portion 31. Two of the four rollers, the transport roller 32a and the transport roller 32b, are disposed on the upstream side (the -X-axis side) of the substrate S in the transport direction of the guide stage 33. The other two transport rollers 32c and the transport roller 32d are disposed on the downstream side (+X-axis side) of the substrate S in the transport direction of the guide stage 33. Therefore, the belt portion 31 is configured to traverse the processing region 10p of the processing apparatus 10 in the X-axis direction.

The conveyance roller 32a and the conveyance roller 32b are arranged such that their axial directions are parallel to Y Axis direction. Moreover, the conveyance drum 32a and the conveyance drum 32b are arrange|positioned by the space|interval in the Z-axis direction. Similarly. The conveyance drum 32c and the conveyance drum 32d are arranged such that the axial direction thereof is parallel to the Y-axis direction. Moreover, the conveyance drum 32c and the conveyance drum 32d are arrange|positioned by the space|interval in the Z-axis direction arrangement.

The conveyance rollers 32a to 32d are adjusted in position to be rotationally moved in a state where the belt portion 31 has a tension. Between the transport roller 32b and the transport roller 32c, and between the transport roller 32d and the transport roller 32a, the belt portion 31 is moved in parallel with the X-axis direction in a state where the positions in the X-axis direction are aligned.

At least one of the transport rollers (drive portions) 32a to 32d is a drive roller that drives the belt portion 31. A drive unit 32e is provided in the transfer drum 32d. In the present embodiment, for example, the transport drum (drive unit) 32d drives the drum, and the remaining transport drums 32a to 32c are driven rollers. In addition, the conveyance roller 32d for driving the drum may be formed of, for example, a porous material, and then connected to a suction device (not shown), and the belt portion 31 is attracted to the outer peripheral surface to transmit the power to the belt portion 31.

The guide stage 33 is formed by, for example, combining a porous material through which a plurality of gases can pass. The shape of the guide stage 33 is a rectangular plate shape. The surface (guide surface) 33a on the +Z-axis side of the guide stage 33 is formed to be parallel to the XY plane. The guide stage 33 guides the substrate S to move in the longitudinal direction of the substrate S and the direction in which the belt portion 31 moves (X-axis direction).

The guide stage 33 is disposed between the conveyance drum 32b and the conveyance drum 32c in the X-axis direction. Further, the guide stage 33 is disposed in the Y-axis direction with the belt portion 31 overlap. The guide stage 33 is disposed inside the belt portion 31. The guide surface 33a of the guide stage 33 is disposed opposite to the back surface (inner peripheral surface) 31b of the belt portion 31. The position of the guide stage 33 is fixed by a fixing mechanism (not shown).

Fig. 3 is a view showing a configuration when the substrate supporting mechanism 30 is viewed from the +Z-axis side. In FIG. 3, the guide stage 33 is arrange|positioned below the belt part 31.

The gas suction portion 33s is formed of a porous material extending in the X-axis direction, and is disposed to face the first region AR1 in which the through holes 31h are formed in the back surface of the belt portion 31. Therefore, after the belt portion 31 is rotationally moved, the through holes 31h of the respective rows move on the gas suction portion 33s.

Similarly to the gas suction portion 33s, the gas supply portion 33t is formed by a porous material extending in the X-axis direction, and the gas suction portion 33s and the gas supply portion 33t are alternately disposed in the Y-axis direction (width direction). The gas suction portion 33s and the gas supply portion 33t are partitioned by the partition member 34. The partition member 34 is disposed to traverse the guide stage 33 in the X-axis direction from the end portion of the guide stage 33 on the -X-axis side to the end portion on the +X-axis side.

The gas supply portion 33t is disposed to face the second region AR2 different from the first region AR1 in the back surface of the belt portion 31. That is, the gas supply portion 33t is disposed to face the row of the through holes 31h in the back surface of the belt portion 31. Further, the second region AR2 is formed between the first regions AR1 formed at five places with respect to the Y-axis direction of the belt portion 31. Therefore, in the belt portion 31, the second region AR2 and the first region AR1 are alternately arranged in the Y-axis direction, and the second region AR2 is disposed at both ends of the belt portion 31 in the Y-axis direction.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the configuration of the A-A cross section of Fig. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the gas suction portion 33s is connected to the suction system 35. attract The system 35 has a suction pump 35a and a suction path 35b. The gas suction portion 33s is connected to the suction pump 35a through the suction path 35b. The suction path 35b is connected to the bottom surface (surface on the -Z-axis side) 33b side of the guide stage 33. Therefore, the gas suction portion 33s sucks the gas from the guide surface 33a through the gas suction portion 33s and away from the bottom surface 33b.

Further, the gas supply unit 33t is connected to the supply system 36. The supply system 36 has a gas supply source 36a and a supply path 36b. The gas supply unit 33t is connected to the gas supply source 36a through the supply path 36b. The supply path 36b is connected to the bottom surface 33b side of the guide stage 33. Therefore, in the gas supply unit 33t, the gas is supplied from the bottom surface 33b in the direction in which the guide surface 33a is separated by the gas supply portion 33t.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a position reference portion 31c is formed in the belt portion 31. The position reference portion 31c is formed, for example, in the circumferential direction on the Y-axis side end portion of the belt portion 31.

The position reference portion 31c displays a reference for detecting the position of the substrate S in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. An encoder EC that detects the position reference portion 31c is provided on the +Z-axis side of the belt portion 31. The detection result of the encoder EC is sent to the control unit CONT.

By the control of the control unit CONT, for example, the rotation speed of the conveyance drum 32d and the conveyance speed of the substrate S are adjusted in accordance with the detection result of the encoder EC.

In the substrate processing apparatus 100 configured as described above, a display element (electronic element) such as an organic EL element or a liquid crystal display element is manufactured by a reel method under the control of the control unit CONT.

Hereinafter, a procedure of manufacturing a display element using the substrate processing apparatus 100 having the above configuration will be described.

First, the tape substrate S wound around a roller (not shown) is attached to the substrate supply unit 2.

By the control of the control unit CONT, the drum (not shown) is rotated to feed the substrate S from the substrate supply unit 2 in this state. Then, the substrate S passing through the substrate processing unit 3 is taken up by a roller (not shown) provided in the substrate collecting portion 4. By controlling the substrate supply unit 2 and the substrate collection unit 4, the processed surface Sa of the substrate S can be continuously conveyed to the substrate processing unit 3.

By the control of the control unit CONT, the substrate S is placed in the substrate processing unit 3 by the transfer device 20 of the substrate processing unit 3 after the substrate S is fed from the substrate supply unit 2 to the time of the substrate recovery unit 4 being wound up. The internal components are transported, and the components of the display elements are sequentially formed on the substrate S by the processing device 10.

When the processing of the processing apparatus 10 is performed, when the substrate S is transported by the substrate supporting mechanism 30 of the transporting apparatus 20, the control unit CONT controls the state in which the substrate S is sandwiched by the holding rollers R1 and R2. . By this action, the vibrations from the upstream sides of the nip rollers R1 and R2 are not easily transmitted to the substrate S.

The substrate S is conveyed to the tension adjusting roller R3 by the grip rollers R1 and R2 under the control of the control unit CONT. By the control of the control unit CONT, the substrate S is cleaned by the substrate cleaning unit 21 while the substrate S reaches the tension adjustment roller R3. When the substrate S reaches the tension adjusting roller R3 and is hung on the tension adjusting roller R3, the substrate is given a sheet in the Y-axis direction. force.

The substrate S is transported to the substrate suction roller R4 by the tension adjusting roller R3 under the control of the control unit CONT. Further, the belt portion 31 is rotated by the control of the control unit CONT. At this time, by the control of the control unit (control device) CONT, the rotation of the substrate suction roller R4 and the rotation of the transfer drum 32d are synchronized so that the moving speed of the substrate S and the moving speed of the belt portion 31 become equal. Before the substrate S reaches the substrate supporting mechanism 30, the static electricity removed by the substrate S is removed by the static electricity removing portion 22 under the control of the control portion CONT. By the control of the control unit CONT, static electricity is removed while the substrate S is placed on the upstream side of the substrate supporting mechanism 30.

Thereafter, the substrate S is conveyed to the +X-axis side by the control of the control unit CONT, and the substrate supporting mechanism 30 passes in the +X-axis direction. At this time, the static electricity of the substrate S is removed by the static electricity removing unit 23 under the control of the control unit CONT. The substrate S is biased in the X-axis direction by the substrate adsorption roller R4 under the control of the control unit CONT.

After the tension in the X-axis direction is applied to the substrate S, the gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 33t under the control of the control unit CONT, and the gas suction unit 33s attracts the gas, whereby the substrate S is attracted to the support surface 31a of the belt portion 31. . Further, the control unit CONT controls that the conveyance speed of the substrate S is higher than the rotation speed of the belt portion 31 at the time when the substrate S is attracted to the support surface 31a of the belt portion 31.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the configuration along the A-A section of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view showing a state in which the gas supply of the gas supply portion 33t and the gas suction of the gas suction portion 33s have been performed.

As shown in FIG. 5, after the gas is supplied from the gas supply portion 33t, the gas system forms a gas layer between the guide surface 33a of the guide stage 33 and the back surface 31b of the belt portion 31. Further, after the suction by the gas suction portion 33s, a part of the gas constituting the gas layer is attracted by the gas suction portion 33s. At this time, the control unit CONT can maintain the gas layer at a constant thickness by adjusting the supply amount of the gas and the amount of suction. At this time, the amount of adjustment of the control unit CONT can be obtained by performing an experiment, simulation, or the like in advance.

By the suction of the gas suction portion 33s, the through-holes 31h of the belt portions 31 facing the gas suction portions 33s are transmitted, and the supported surface Sb of the substrate S is adsorbed on the support surface 31a.

As described above, in the substrate supporting mechanism 30, the guide stage 33 supports the back surface 31b of the belt portion 31 in a non-contact state, and the belt portion 31 supports the substrate S by being attracted to the support surface 31a. In this case, the substrate S is biased in the X-axis direction by the substrate adsorption roller R4, and the tension in the Y-axis direction is applied to the substrate S by the tension adjustment roller R3. Therefore, wrinkles or the like are not generated on the substrate S. The flat state is maintained. In this state, the processed surface Sa of the substrate S is processed by the processing device 10 under the control of the control unit CONT.

Further, by the control of the control unit (control device) CONT, in this state, the substrate suction roller R4 rotates and the transport roller 32d rotates, whereby the transport speed of the substrate S and the moving speed of the belt portion 31 can be made constant. Synchronize. Therefore, the substrate S and the belt portion 31 are moved in the +X-axis direction while maintaining the flat state of the substrate S. Moreover, the support surface formed on the belt portion 31 is detected by the encoder EC by the control of the control unit (position adjustment unit) CONT. The position reference portion 31c of 31a adjusts the positional relationship between the substrate S and the belt portion 31 based on the detection result. Further, by the control of the control unit CONT, the belt cleaning unit 37 is used to appropriately clean the belt portion 31, and the static electricity removing unit 38 is used to remove the static electricity from the belt portion 31.

As described above, the transport device 20 of the present embodiment includes the substrate support mechanism 30, and includes a belt portion 31 having a support surface 31a for supporting the supported surface Sb of the substrate S, and a through-support surface 31a and the support are formed. a plurality of through holes 31h of the back surface 31b of the surface 31a; the gas suction portion 33s is disposed opposite to the first region AR1 including the plurality of through holes 31h on the back surface 31b of the belt portion 31; and the gas supply portion 33t and the belt portion 31 The second surface AR2 of the back surface 31b is different from the second area AR2 of the first area AR1, and the back surface 31b of the belt portion 31 is held in a non-contact state by supplying and attracting gas to the back surface 31b of the belt portion 31. Since the plurality of through holes 31h adsorb the substrate S on the support surface 31a, the substrate S can be held in a flat state, and the substrate S can be transported in a flat state.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the shape of the processing region 10p of the processing apparatus 10 is a rectangular shape has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the exposure apparatus EX having a plurality of projection optical systems (PL1 to PL5) is provided as the processing apparatus 10, the projection areas of the projection optical systems PL1 to PL5 are the processing areas 10p.

In Fig. 6, the projection optical systems PL1, PL3, and PL5 are along the Y-axis direction. The substrate S is arranged in a row on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the projection optical systems PL2 and PL4 are arranged in a row on the downstream side in the transport direction of the substrate S in the Y-axis direction. As described above, the exposure apparatus EX has a configuration in which the projection optical systems PL1, PL3, and PL5 and the projection optical systems PL2 and PL4 are arranged to be shifted in the X-axis direction. Further, each of the projection regions 10p of the projection optical systems PL1 to PL5 is disposed so as to partially overlap in the Y-axis direction between the projection regions 10p adjacent to each other when viewed from the X-axis direction.

Further, the number and arrangement of the projection optical systems are not limited to the examples shown in FIG. 6. For example, the projection optical system may be configured to have four or less or six or more configurations. Further, a configuration in which a plurality of projection optical systems are arranged in a single row or a plurality of projection optical systems may be arranged in three or more rows may be employed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a configuration in which a plurality of processing heads H are arranged may be arranged. In this case, one processing head H is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate S, and two processing heads H are provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the substrate S. Therefore, the processing region 10p is formed at three places on the substrate S. In this case as well, the processing head H may be configured in two or more configurations, or may be configured differently from the configuration of FIG.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the partition member 34 for blocking the gas is provided between the gas suction portion 33s and the gas supply portion 33t in the guide stage 33 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration in which the partition member 34 is not provided may be employed.

In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the static electricity removing portions 22 and 23 and the substrate cleaning portion 21 are provided is described. However, either or both of the static electricity removing portions 22 and 23 and the substrate cleaning portion 21 may be omitted.

10‧‧‧Processing device

20‧‧‧Transporting device

21‧‧‧Substrate Cleaning Department

22, 23‧‧‧Electrostatic removal department

25‧‧‧Attraction

26‧‧‧ Drive Department

30‧‧‧Substrate support mechanism

31‧‧‧Belt Department

31a‧‧‧bearing surface

31b‧‧‧Back

31c‧‧‧Location reference

31h‧‧‧through hole

32‧‧‧Belt Transport Department

32a~32d‧‧‧Transport roller

33‧‧‧ Guided stage

33a‧‧‧Guide

33b‧‧‧ bottom

33s‧‧‧Gas suction department

33t‧‧‧Gas Supply Department

35‧‧‧Attraction

36‧‧‧Supply Department

AR1‧‧‧ first area

AR2‧‧‧ second area

CONT‧‧‧Control Department

EC‧‧‧Encoder

R‧‧‧ Guide roller

R1, R2‧‧‧ clamping roller

R3‧‧‧Tensile adjustment roller

R4‧‧‧Substrate adsorption roller

R4a‧‧‧ outer perimeter

R5, R6‧‧‧ clamping roller

S‧‧‧Substrate

Sa‧‧‧Processed

Sb‧‧‧ supported surface

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the conveying device of the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of the conveying device of the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the conveying apparatus of the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the operation of the conveying apparatus of the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a view showing another configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a view showing another configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of the embodiment.

3‧‧‧Substrate Processing Department

10‧‧‧Processing device

10p‧‧‧Processing area

20‧‧‧Transporting device

21‧‧‧Substrate Cleaning Department

22, 23‧‧‧Electrostatic removal department

25‧‧‧Attraction

25a‧‧‧Attraction pump

25b‧‧‧Attraction path

26‧‧‧ Drive Department

30‧‧‧Substrate support mechanism

31‧‧‧Belt Department

31a‧‧‧bearing surface

31b‧‧‧Back

31h‧‧‧through hole

32‧‧‧Belt Transport Department

32a~32d‧‧‧Transport roller

32e‧‧‧Driving Department

33‧‧‧ Guided stage

33s‧‧‧Gas suction department

33t‧‧‧Gas Supply Department

37‧‧‧Land Washing Department

38‧‧‧Electrostatic removal unit

R1, R2‧‧‧ clamping roller

R3‧‧‧Tensile adjustment roller

R4‧‧‧Substrate adsorption roller

R4a‧‧‧ outer perimeter

R5, R6‧‧‧ clamping roller

S‧‧‧Substrate

Sa‧‧‧Processed

Sb‧‧‧ supported surface

Claims (25)

A transport apparatus that transports a flexible long substrate in a longitudinal direction, and includes a support member that is formed in a plate shape with a material having a higher rigidity than the substrate, and has a support surface that supports one surface of the substrate. a plurality of through holes penetrating the support surface and the back surface of the support surface are formed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction; the drive unit drives the support member along a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and the holding mechanism includes: The back surface of the support member facing the guide surface and the gas suction portion disposed opposite to the first region including the plurality of through holes in the guide surface, and the back surface of the support member are different from the foregoing The gas supply portion disposed in the second region of the region is provided with the supply and suction of the gas to the back surface of the support member, and the back surface of the support member is held in a non-contact state with respect to the guide surface, and Passing one surface of the substrate to the support surface of the support member through the plurality of through holes; and the substrate transfer mechanism along the front The support surface of the substrate support member in the transport direction of the long side, and the substrate in the direction of conveyance of the holding means of the upstream side or downstream side, of the substrate to impart tension in the widthwise direction of the longitudinal direction. A conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control device that controls the conveying mechanism and the driving unit to synchronize a moving speed of the substrate with a moving speed of the support member. For example, the transport device of the second application of the patent scope, wherein the aforementioned control The apparatus is controlled such that a moving speed of the substrate is higher than a moving speed of the supporting member at a moment when the substrate is attracted to the supporting surface of the supporting member through the plurality of through holes of the holding mechanism. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support member includes the first region including the plurality of through holes formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction. A plurality of the substrates are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the substrate. The transfer device of the fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the gas suction portion of the holding mechanism is in a width direction of the substrate so as to correspond to each of the plurality of first regions disposed in the support member There are a plurality of predetermined intervals. The conveying device of the fifth aspect of the invention, wherein the gas supply unit of the holding mechanism is configured to correspond to each of the second regions formed between the plurality of first regions of the support member The width direction of the substrate is arranged at a predetermined interval. The conveying device of the sixth aspect of the invention, wherein the driving unit that drives the support member has a plurality of roller members that are disposed apart from each other in a conveying direction of the substrate; and the supporting member is wound around the driving portion The plurality of roller members are formed in the form of an endless belt portion. The transfer device according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein the substrate transfer mechanism has a tension that is disposed on an upstream side of the holding mechanism in a transfer direction of the substrate and adjusts a tension in a width direction of the substrate 1 tension adjustment mechanism, and in the direction of transport of the aforementioned substrate A second tension adjusting mechanism that is placed on the downstream side of the holding mechanism and that adjusts the tension in the longitudinal direction of the substrate. The conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a static electricity removing unit that removes electric charge from one of the substrate or the support member. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a washing portion that washes the support surface of the support member or the substrate. A method of forming an electronic component by transferring a long flexible substrate to a longitudinal direction and forming an electronic component on a surface of the substrate, comprising: forming a thin plate in a material having a higher rigidity than the substrate, and a step of arranging the substrate on a surface of the support member having a plurality of through holes penetrating the front surface and the back surface; and applying a tension in the width direction to the substrate upstream or downstream of the support member in the transport direction of the substrate a step of tensioning with the longitudinal direction; and the substrate is adsorbed to the support through the plurality of through holes by a gas suction portion disposed to face the first region including the plurality of through holes in the back surface of the support member a step of supporting a surface of the member; a step of supporting a back surface of the support member by a gas layer by a gas supply portion disposed opposite to a second region different from the first region of the back surface of the support member; and the support member The surface of the substrate is adsorbed by the gas a step of moving the support member in the longitudinal direction by a driving portion while the layer supports the back surface of the support member; and forming a pattern for the electronic component by the pattern forming device by the movement of the support member The step of transporting a predetermined area of the surface of the substrate. The method of forming an electronic component according to claim 11, wherein the step of moving the support member in the longitudinal direction includes: controlling, by the control unit, a transport mechanism provided to transport the substrate in the longitudinal direction a step of synchronously driving the substrate and the support member by moving the support member to the driving portion. The method of forming an electronic component according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the support member is formed as a belt portion formed in an endless shape, and the drive portion includes a plurality of rotations in such a manner that the belt portion is transferred to the longitudinal direction. Roller members. An electronic component forming method is a method of forming a long flexible substrate in a longitudinal direction and forming an electronic component on a surface of the substrate, comprising: forming a material having a higher rigidity than the substrate into a plate shape, and forming a step of arranging the surface of the support member having a plurality of through holes penetrating the front surface and the back surface opposite to the back surface of the substrate; and applying a predetermined tension to each of the substrate in the width direction and the longitudinal direction; The plurality of through holes and the negative pressure supplied from the back surface of the support member adsorb the back surface of the substrate to the support member a step of supplying the pressurized gas to a portion of the back surface of the support member that avoids the plurality of through holes, a step of supporting the front surface of the support member by a gas layer, and a substrate The step of adsorbing on the surface of the support member while being tensioned, and forming a pattern for the electronic component on a predetermined region of the surface of the substrate while supporting the back surface of the support member with the gas layer. The method of forming an electronic component according to claim 14, wherein the support member is formed into a belt shape by processing the metal material into a thin plate shape. The method of forming the electronic component according to the fifteenth aspect of the invention, wherein the step of forming the pattern is performed by moving the substrate adsorbed on the surface of the support member together with the support member in the longitudinal direction; The plurality of through holes are formed in the support member so as to be aligned along the longitudinal direction of the substrate. The electronic component forming method according to claim 16, wherein the support member is formed such that the plurality of through holes arranged in the longitudinal direction of the substrate are arranged in a plurality of rows in the width direction of the substrate. An element forming apparatus that forms an electronic component on a surface of the substrate while transporting a flexible elongated substrate in a longitudinal direction, and includes: The support member is formed in a plate shape with a material having a higher rigidity than the substrate, and has a support surface for supporting one surface of the substrate, and a plurality of through holes penetrating the support surface and the back surface of the support surface at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction a driving unit that drives the support member along a longitudinal direction of the substrate; the holding mechanism has a guiding surface that faces the back surface of the supporting member, and includes a plurality of through holes in the guiding surface a gas supply portion disposed opposite to the first region and a gas supply portion disposed to face the second region different from the first region of the support member by performing the gas on the back surface of the support member Supply and suction, holding the back surface of the support member in a non-contact state with respect to the guiding surface, and transmitting the one surface of the substrate to the supporting surface of the supporting member through the plurality of through holes; and the substrate conveying mechanism The support surface of the support member transports the substrate in the longitudinal direction and in the transport direction of the substrate Holding means upstream side or downstream side of the width direction to impart tension to the longitudinal direction of the substrate. The component forming apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising: a control device that controls the substrate transfer mechanism and the drive unit to synchronize a moving speed of the substrate with a moving speed of the support member. The component forming apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the control device controls the moment before the substrate is adsorbed to the support surface of the support member through the plurality of through holes of the holding mechanism The moving speed of the substrate is higher than the moving speed of the support member. The element forming apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the support member is the first region including the plurality of through holes formed at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction A plurality of these are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the substrate. The component forming apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the gas suction portion of the holding mechanism is in a width direction of the substrate so as to correspond to each of the plurality of first regions disposed in the support member Configure multiples at regular intervals. The component forming apparatus of claim 22, wherein the gas supply portion of the holding mechanism corresponds to each of the second regions formed between the plurality of first regions of the support member The method is arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the substrate. The component forming apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the driving unit that drives the support member has a plurality of roller members that are disposed apart from each other in a conveying direction of the substrate; and the supporting member is wound around the driving portion. The plurality of roller members are formed in the form of an endless belt portion. The element forming apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the substrate transfer mechanism includes a first tension adjusting mechanism that is disposed on an upstream side of the holding mechanism in a conveying direction of the substrate. The tension in the width direction of the substrate is adjusted, and the second tension adjusting mechanism is disposed on the downstream side of the holding mechanism in the conveying direction of the substrate to adjust the tension in the longitudinal direction of the substrate.