WO2011030607A1

WO2011030607A1 - Drying device

Info

Publication number: WO2011030607A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/061314
Authority: WO
Inventors: 貴翁斉藤
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2009-09-10
Filing date: 2010-07-02
Publication date: 2011-03-17

Abstract

Disclosed is a drying device that prevents the dry state of coating liquids such as resist solutions from losing uniformity due to the influence of a plurality of support pins when a mother substrate for holding a plurality of display panels is supported by the support pins, even in cases which the support pins are disposed in sections that become display regions. The drying device is equipped with a closed container (2) in which the plurality of support pins (9, 10) that support the underside of the mother substrate (100) have been disposed in the interior, an exhaust pump (P1) for evaporating a solvent from a coating liquid upon the mother substrate (100) by making the interior of the closed container (2) a decompressed state at atmospheric pressure or lower, and a gas supply pump (P2) that returns the interior of the decompressed closed container (2) to an atmospheric pressure state by supplying gas to the interior of the closed container (2); and from among the plurality of support pins (9, 10), the support pins (9) that are disposed in sections that become display regions formed on the mother substrate (100) are provided with a pin heating means (31) and a pin cooling means (21) that heat and cool the support pins (9).

Description

Drying equipment

The present invention relates to an apparatus for drying a coating solution such as a resist coated on a mother substrate such as a large glass substrate for obtaining a plurality of display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel, and more specifically, a predetermined number of mother substrates. The present invention relates to a drying apparatus that dries while being supported by a support pin.

In recent years, liquid crystal display panels have been widely used as display units for home appliances such as computers and televisions. In general, a liquid crystal display panel has a pair of glass substrates, each of which is a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate and a color filter (CF) substrate, arranged in parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and the liquid crystal is sealed between the glass substrates. The configuration is made. A plurality of pixel electrodes are formed in a matrix on the TFT array substrate, and a plurality of color filters are formed in a matrix on the CF substrate, and a common electrode is formed on almost the entire surface. The orientation of the liquid crystal can be controlled by changing the voltage.

In manufacturing such a liquid crystal display panel, a manufacturing process such as forming a portion to be a display area of a plurality of liquid crystal display panels on a large mother substrate (a large glass substrate for obtaining a plurality of liquid crystal display panels). Until the middle of the process, various processes are performed with the mother substrate.

For example, in the case of a TFT array substrate provided in a liquid crystal display panel, the TFT array substrate is usually manufactured through a plurality of photolithography processes including film formation on the substrate surface, resist film formation, resist exposure, resist development, etching, resist stripping, and the like. .

Specifically, in order to form an electrical circuit such as a TFT on the surface of the substrate, a metal film is formed on the surface of the substrate by a film forming process, and then the metal film is etched into a predetermined pattern to thereby form a predetermined electrical circuit. Is formed. A resist film, which is a photosensitive resin, is used as a mask for the etching, and the resist film is peeled off and removed after the etching.

In the resist film formation in such a photolithography process, a resist coating process, a resist drying process, and a resist baking process are performed.

In the resist coating process, a resist solution is applied to the entire surface of the substrate by spin coating or slit coating. Further, in the resist drying process, prior to the resist baking process, the resist liquid is evaporated to volatilize a solvent such as thinner contained in the resist liquid applied to the substrate to a certain stage.

In the resist baking process, prior to resist exposure, the resist solution is heated to form an altered layer (hard layer) on the surface of the resist solution in order to improve the adhesion of the resist solution to the substrate. A desired resist film is formed on the substrate.

Usually, in the resist drying process after the resist coating process, the substrate coated with the resist solution is carried into a sealed container, the inside of the sealed container is evacuated to a reduced pressure state below atmospheric pressure, and the solvent contained in the resist solution is volatilized. Then, the resist solution is dried (depressurization step), and then the inside of the sealed container is returned to the atmospheric pressure state (return pressure step), and the substrate is carried out of the sealed container.

Conventionally, as a drying apparatus for drying a resist solution applied to a substrate, for example, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the drying device as viewed from the side, and FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the drying device as viewed from above.

As shown in the figure, the drying apparatus 201 is provided with a hermetic container 202 that can keep the inside airtight. The sealed container 202 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped, and has a space in which the mother substrate 90 can be accommodated horizontally. In this case, the mother substrate 90 is a large glass substrate for obtaining a plurality of liquid crystal display panels having a rectangular shape with a thickness of about 0.7 mm.

In this case, a resist solution is applied in advance to the upper surface of the mother substrate 90 by a resist coating device (not shown). This resist solution contains a solvent such as volatile thinner, and the internal pressure of the sealed container 202 is reduced to an atmospheric pressure or lower, and the mother substrate 90 is exposed to the depressurized state for a certain period of time. Then, the resist solution can be appropriately dried by volatilizing the solvent.

In the sealed container 202, a support device 208 for supporting the mother substrate 90 horizontally and raising and lowering it is provided. In the support device 208, a plurality of support pins 209 extending in the vertical direction are arranged on the support base 211 in a lattice shape. The support pins 209 are moved up and down together with the support base 211 by the operation of the lifting mechanism 213. In this case, the support pin 209 has a pin tip between an elevated position where the pin tip is higher than the substrate conveyance path by the plurality of conveyance rollers 207 arranged in the horizontal direction and a lowered position where the pin tip is lower than the substrate conveyance path. Moved up and down.

The operation procedure of the drying apparatus 201 having such a configuration will be described. First, the mother substrate 90 on which the resist solution is applied on the upper surface by a resist coating device (not shown) is loaded from the substrate loading port 203 opened by the operation of the gate valve 204 and placed on the conveying roller 207. 207 is moved to the right by the rotational movement.

At this time, all the support pins 209 are on standby at a lowered position where the pin tips are lower than the substrate transport path. When the mother substrate 90 arrives at a predetermined position substantially in the center of the sealed container 202, the rotation of the transport roller 207 is stopped. Next, the gate valve 204 is actuated to close the substrate carry-in port 203 that has been opened, and the sealed container 202 is hermetically sealed.

Next, all the support pins 209 are lifted to a lift position where the pin tips are higher than the substrate transport path. By such an upward movement of the support pins 209, the mother substrate 90 placed on the transport roller 207 is transferred to the tip end of the support pin 209 while being in a horizontal posture, and is lifted to a predetermined position above the transport roller 207.

Next, when the exhaust pump P1 is activated and the exhaust valve 215 is opened, the exhaust pressure is exhausted so that the internal pressure of the sealed container 202 becomes a predetermined degree of vacuum. As a result, the mother substrate 90 is placed in a reduced pressure state below the atmospheric pressure in the sealed container 202. Thus, when the inside of the sealed container 202 is in a reduced pressure state and the mother substrate 90 is exposed in the reduced pressure state, a volatile solvent such as thinner contained in the resist solution is volatilized and the upper surface of the mother substrate 90 is exposed. The resist solution applied to the substrate is appropriately dried.

Such a decompression process ends when a certain time has elapsed and the exhaust valve 215 is closed and the exhaust by the exhaust pump P1 is stopped. Thereafter, the gas supply valve 218 is opened, and an inert gas such as nitrogen is supplied from the gas supply pump P2 through the purge nozzle 216 into the sealed container 202 in a reduced pressure state, thereby increasing the internal pressure of the sealed container 202. A return pressure process for returning to the atmospheric pressure state is performed.

Thereafter, when the inside of the sealed container 202 returns to the atmospheric pressure state, the gas supply valve 218 is closed, the supply of the inert gas from the purge nozzle 216 is stopped, and the decompression process ends. Next, the support pins 209 supporting the mother substrate 90 are lowered to a standby position lower than the substrate conveyance path. By such a downward movement of the support pins 209, the mother substrate 90 placed on the support pins 209 is transferred onto the transport roller 207. Thereafter, when the gate valve 206 is operated to open the substrate carry-out port 205, the mother substrate 90 placed on the transfer roller 207 is moved to the right side by the rotation of the transfer roller 207 and sealed from the substrate carry-out port 205. It is carried out of the container 202. The drying of the mother substrate 90 is completed through the decompression process and the decompression process.

Usually, the portion of the motherboard 90 where the support pins 209 are in contact and the temperature in the vicinity thereof are affected by the support pins 209. For this reason, the temperature of the portion of the mother substrate 90 where the support pins 209 are in contact and the vicinity thereof and the other portions (= portions where the support pins 209 are not in contact and are floating in the air) are different. In addition, the resist solution applied to the upper surface of the mother substrate 90 is locally scattered with unevenness (dry unevenness) in a non-dry state.

The resist solution at the location where such drying unevenness is generated has a reduced exposure sensitivity, and the resist film pattern shape after the resist exposure / resist development is distorted or the film remains. When etching is performed using such a resist film as a mask, for example, defects such as short-circuiting of adjacent pixel electrodes and disconnection of wiring, which are to be formed at a place where drying unevenness has occurred, occur. There is a problem in that display unevenness occurs due to non-uniformity of characteristics of a thin film transistor (TFT) to be formed at the generated location.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, a portion 92 that becomes a panel frame region (a portion that is provided so as to surround the portion 91 that becomes the display region) after the substrate for the liquid crystal display panel is completed in the mother substrate 90. A configuration is employed in which the support pin 209 is not in contact with the portion 91 that is supported by the support pin 209 and serves as a display area in which pixel electrodes and the like are arranged. According to such a configuration, the temperature of the portion 91 serving as the display region is not affected by the support pins 209, and the temperature distribution in the surface direction can be made uniform. As a result, the dry state of the resist solution applied to the portion 91 to be the display area can be made uniform, and a resist film having a uniform film thickness can be formed.

JP 2008-124366 A

However, as described above, since a plurality of liquid crystal display panel substrates are manufactured from a single mother substrate, the position and range of the portion that becomes the display region and the portion that becomes the panel frame region formed on the mother substrate are: Depending on the size of the substrate (screen size) for the liquid crystal display panel manufactured from the mother substrate and the arrangement of the portion that becomes the display region and the portion that becomes the panel frame region, it may differ for each type of mother substrate. .

For this reason, when different types of mother boards are dried by a common drying apparatus, all types of mother boards are supported so that the support pins do not come into contact with the display area. Can be difficult. In other words, the position and range of the display area and the panel frame area formed on the mother board vary depending on the type of the mother board. Even if the display area is arranged so as to avoid the part that becomes the display area, some support pins may be arranged in the part that becomes the display area for other specific mother boards.

For example, all the support pins 209 are arranged in a portion other than the portion 91 that becomes the display region of the mother substrate 90 for taking eight liquid crystal display panels as shown in FIG. 14, that is, the portion 92 that becomes the panel frame region. However, in the case of the mother substrate 100 for six liquid crystal display panels as shown in FIG. 15, not all the support pins 209 can be arranged in the portion 102 which becomes the panel frame region, and some The support pins 209 may be disposed in the portion 101 that becomes the display area.

While the mother substrate 100 is supported by the support pins 209 arranged in the portion 101 serving as such a display area, the internal pressure of the sealed container 202 is reduced from the atmospheric pressure state to the atmospheric pressure or lower by the exhaust by the exhaust pump P1 described above. In the depressurization step, the inside of the sealed container 202 is in a state close to adiabatic shrinkage, so the temperature in the sealed container 202 is lowered, and the temperature of the support pin 209 is lowered accordingly. For this reason, a temperature difference occurs between a portion where the support pin 209 that supports the portion 101 serving as the display region is in contact with the other portion, and the dry state of the resist solution changes due to this temperature difference, thereby causing unevenness.

Further, in the return pressure step of returning the inside of the sealed container 202 from the reduced pressure state below atmospheric pressure to the atmospheric pressure state by the inert gas ejected from the purge nozzle 216, the inside of the sealed container 202 is in a state close to adiabatic expansion. The temperature in 202 rises, and the temperature of the support pin 209 rises accordingly. Then, when the next mother substrate 100 before drying is carried into the hermetic container 202 in a state where the temperature of the support pins 209 is increased, the dry state of the resist solution is caused by the temperature difference between the mother substrate 100 and the support pins 209. Changes and unevenness occurs.

In particular, if the time interval (substrate input interval) from when the previous mother substrate 100 is discharged from the sealed container 202 to when the next mother substrate 100 is carried into the sealed container 202 is short, the previous The temperature of the support pins 209 whose temperature has increased in the re-pressure process of the mother substrate 100 is not lowered to the same room temperature as that of the next mother board 100 to be carried in, and a temperature difference from the mother substrate 100 is generated. As a result, a temperature difference occurs between the portion where the support pin 209 contacts and the other portion, and the dry state of the resist solution changes due to this temperature difference, and unevenness occurs remarkably.

As shown in FIG. 15, the unevenness of drying of the resist solution in the decompression process and the decompression process due to the influence of the support pins 209 arranged in the portion 102 which becomes the panel frame region of the mother substrate 100 is a liquid crystal display panel. Although there is no problem because it is a portion that does not affect the display of the display, such drying unevenness of the resist solution due to the influence of the support pins 209 arranged in the portion 101 that becomes the display region is formed in the portion where the drying unevenness occurs. This may cause defects such as short-circuiting of adjacent pixel electrodes and disconnection of wiring, and display unevenness due to non-uniformity of characteristics of thin film transistors (TFTs) to be formed in places where uneven drying occurs. This is a problem because it affects the display of the liquid crystal display panel.

As described above, it is difficult to support all of a plurality of types of mother boards with a common drying apparatus so that the support pins do not come into contact with the display area formed on the mother board. In addition, depending on the type of the mother substrate, the thickness of the resist film formed in the portion that becomes the display region may be non-uniform. In addition, when the position and range of the part that becomes the display area and the part that becomes the panel frame area are changed due to the design change of the mother board, the arrangement of the support pins provided in the drying device based on this It is necessary to change the aspect.

Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to support a mother board for obtaining a plurality of display panels with a plurality of support pins, even when the support pins are arranged in a portion serving as a display area. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drying apparatus in which the drying state of a coating solution such as a resist solution is prevented from being uneven due to the influence of the above.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a drying device for drying a coating liquid containing a solvent applied to the upper surface of a mother substrate for obtaining a plurality of display panels, and a plurality of support pins for supporting the lower surface of the mother substrate. An airtight container provided inside, an exhaust means for causing the inside of the airtight container to be in a reduced pressure state equal to or lower than atmospheric pressure and volatilizing the solvent from the coating solution on the mother substrate, and supplying gas into the airtight container. A gas supply means for returning the inside of the sealed container in a reduced pressure state to an atmospheric pressure state is provided, and the support pin disposed in a portion of the plurality of support pins serving as a display region formed on the mother substrate includes the support pin. The gist of the invention is that pin heating means and pin cooling means for heating and cooling are provided.

In this case, the pin heating means serves as a display area formed on the mother substrate as the temperature in the sealed container is lowered when the inside of the sealed container in the atmospheric pressure state is depressurized by the exhaust means. It is preferable that the support pins are heated so that the temperature of the support pins arranged in the portion does not decrease.

Further, the pin cooling means becomes a display area formed on the mother substrate as the temperature in the sealed container rises when the decompressed sealed container is returned to the atmospheric pressure state by the gas supply means. It is preferable that the support pins be cooled so that the temperature of the support pins arranged in the portion does not rise.

Further, the pin heating means has a heater wound around the support pin, and the pin heating means has a heater arranged inside the support pin. Good.

The pin cooling means may be configured to have a cooling water passage that passes through the inside of the support pin, or the pin cooling means may be configured to have an air nozzle that blows air to the support pin.

Further, a substrate temperature measuring means for measuring a temperature of a portion to be a display area formed on the mother substrate, and a control means for controlling the pin cooling means and the pin heating means according to the measurement result of the substrate temperature measuring means It is preferable to further comprise the above.

In this case, the substrate temperature measuring means has a configuration having a thermocouple installed at the tip of a support pin arranged in a portion that becomes a display area formed on the mother substrate, or the substrate temperature measuring means is In order to detect the temperature of the portion that becomes the display area formed on the mother substrate, it is preferable to have a radiation thermometer disposed in the sealed container.

According to the drying apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, among the plurality of support pins that support the lower surface of the mother substrate, the support pins that are disposed in the portion that becomes the display region formed on the mother substrate are the support pins. The pin heating means and the pin cooling means for heating and cooling are provided. For example, the temperature of the inside of the sealed container when the pin heating means is depressurized by the exhaust means is reduced to the atmospheric pressure. Accordingly, the support pins disposed in the display area formed on the mother substrate are heated so that the temperature of the support pins does not decrease, or the pin cooling means is placed in a sealed container in a decompressed state by the gas supply means. In order to prevent the temperature of the support pins arranged in the portion of the display area formed on the mother substrate from increasing as the temperature in the sealed container rises when the pressure is returned to the atmospheric pressure state. Pin can be a or cooling.

As described above, even when the support pins are arranged in the portion to be the display area formed on the mother substrate, such support pins are heated and cooled according to the temperature change in the sealed container and the temperature change of the mother substrate. Thus, it is possible to prevent the drying state of the coating liquid such as the resist liquid from becoming non-uniform due to the influence of the temperature difference between the mother substrate and the support pins. Therefore, the thickness of a film such as a resist film formed in a portion serving as a display region of the mother substrate can be made uniform, and as a result, a display panel free from defects such as display unevenness can be manufactured. In addition, it is possible to correspond to a plurality of types of mother boards in which the position and range of the display area portion and the panel frame area portion are different with a single drying apparatus, and the arrangement of the support pins is changed. There is no need.

In this case, if the configuration in which the pin heating means has a heater wound around the support pin, or the configuration in which the pin heating means has a heater disposed inside the support pin, it is simple. The support pin can be heated. Also, if the pin cooling means has a cooling water passage passing through the inside of the support pin or a structure in which the pin cooling means has an air nozzle that blows air to the support pin, the support pin can be easily cooled. be able to.

Further, a substrate temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of a portion to be a display area formed on the mother substrate, and a control means for controlling the pin cooling means and the pin heating means according to the measurement result of the substrate temperature measuring means are further provided. If the structure is provided, it is possible to heat and cool the support pins arranged in the part according to the temperature change of the part to be a display area formed on the mother substrate, and to change the temperature difference between the mother board and the support pin. Can be small.

In this case, a configuration in which the substrate temperature measuring means has a thermocouple installed at the tip of a support pin arranged at a portion to be a display area formed on the mother substrate, or the substrate temperature measuring means is formed on the mother substrate. If the configuration has a radiation thermometer disposed in the sealed container in order to detect the temperature of the portion to be the display area, the temperature of the mother substrate can be easily measured. Can be managed. Further, according to such a configuration, it is possible to measure the temperature of the support pins alone, and it is possible to manage the temperature of the support pins even when the mother substrate is not in the sealed container.

It is sectional drawing which looked at the drying apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention from the side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the drying apparatus of FIG. 1 from upper direction. It is the side view which expanded and showed the support pin provided with the pin heating means and pin cooling means with which the drying apparatus of FIG. 1 is provided. It is sectional drawing which looked at the state in which the board | substrate was carried in to the drying apparatus of FIG. 1 from the side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the state by which the board | substrate was supported by the support pin with which the drying apparatus of FIG. 1 is provided from the side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the state by which the board | substrate was supported by the support pin with which the drying apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing which looked at the drying apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention from the side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the drying apparatus of FIG. 7 from upper direction. It is the side view which expanded and showed the support pin provided with the pin heating means and pin cooling means with which the drying apparatus of FIG. 7 is provided. It is sectional drawing which looked at the state in which the board | substrate was carried in to the drying apparatus of FIG. 7 from the side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the state by which the board | substrate was supported by the support pin with which the drying apparatus of FIG. 7 is provided from the side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the state by which the board | substrate was supported by the support pin with which the drying apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing which looked at the drying apparatus used conventionally from the side. It is sectional drawing which looked at the drying apparatus of FIG. 13 from upper direction. It is sectional drawing which looked at the drying apparatus of FIG. 13 from upper direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a drying apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, a first embodiment of a drying apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the drying apparatus 1 includes a sealed container 2 that can keep the inside airtight. The internal pressure of the sealed container 2 can be reduced to a degree of vacuum of about 10 to 50 Pa by an exhaust pump P1 such as a vacuum pump.

The sealed container 2 is formed in a flat rectangular parallelepiped, and has a space in which the mother substrate 100 can be horizontally accommodated as shown in FIG. In this case, the mother substrate 100 is a large glass substrate for taking a plurality of liquid crystal display panels having a rectangular shape with a thickness of about 0.7 mm, for example.

A resist solution is preliminarily applied to the upper surface of the mother substrate 100 accommodated in the sealed container 2 by a resist coating device (not shown). This resist solution contains a solvent such as volatile thinner, and the inside of the sealed container 2 is brought into a reduced pressure state below atmospheric pressure, and the solvent is volatilized by being exposed for a certain time in the reduced pressure state. The resist solution can be dried appropriately.

The left side wall 2a of the sealed container 2 is provided with a substrate carry-in port 3 for carrying the mother substrate 100 into the sealed container 2 and a gate valve 4 for opening and closing the same. Further, the right side wall 2b of the sealed container 2 is provided with a substrate unloading port 5 for unloading the mother substrate 100 out of the sealed container 2 and a gate valve 6 for opening and closing the same. The opening / closing operation of the

gate valves

4 and 6 is controlled by the control means 19. The substrate carry-in port 3 and the substrate carry-out port 5 are provided so as to face each other, and a substrate carrying path for carrying the mother substrate 100 in the horizontal direction is formed between the substrate carry-in port 3 and the substrate carry-out port 5. Has been.

In the substrate transport path between the substrate carry-in port 3 and the substrate carry-out port 5, a plurality of transport rollers 7 are arranged at equal intervals along the direction in which the mother substrate 100 is transported. . Each transport roller 7 is rotated by a roller rotation driving unit (not shown) provided outside the sealed container 2.

Further, a support device 8 for supporting the mother substrate 100 horizontally and raising and lowering it is provided in the sealed container 2. The support device 8 includes a plurality of support pins 9 provided with pin heating means and pin cooling means described later, a plurality of support pins 10 provided with no such means, and the support pins 9 and 10. A support base 11 arranged in a lattice shape and an elevating mechanism 13 composed of a cylinder or the like for moving the support base 11 up and down via an elevating shaft 12 are provided. In this case, the elevating mechanism 13 is moved up and down between the rising position where the pin tip of each

support pin

9, 10 is higher than the substrate transport path and the lowered position where it is lower than the substrate transport path. It is controlled by the control means 19.

When the mother substrate 100 carried in from the substrate carry-in port 3 is placed on the carrying roller 7 and carried to the upper position of the support device 8, the carrying is stopped and the support base 11 and the support pins 9 and 10 are raised. As a result, it is lifted to a predetermined height above the conveying roller 7. In this state, when the later-described decompression process and decompression process in the sealed container 2 are completed, the mother substrate 100 is again placed on the transport roller 7 by the lowering of the support pins 9 and 10, and the transport roller 7. And is carried out from the substrate discharge port 5.

In the sealed container 2, an exhaust pipe 14 that connects the inside of the sealed container 2 and the exhaust pump P1 is connected to the lower wall 2c. The exhaust pipe 14 is provided with an exhaust valve 15, and the exhaust valve 15 is opened and closed by a control means 19.

Also, a purge nozzle 16 is provided inside the sealed container 2. The purge nozzle 16 is connected to a gas supply pump P2 through a gas supply pipe 17. A gas supply valve 18 is provided in the gas supply pipe 17, and the gas supply valve 18 can be opened and closed by a control means 19. The gas supply pump P <b> 2 supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen to the purge nozzle 16 through the gas supply pipe 17.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the purge nozzle 16 is formed of a hollow tube having a cylindrical shape having substantially the same length as the short side 100 a of the mother substrate 100, and the

short nozzles

100 a and 100 a on both sides of the mother substrate 100. They are arranged so as to be separated by a predetermined distance. A plurality of gas ejection holes (not shown) are formed on the outer periphery of the purge nozzle 16 so that the inert gas is ejected from the entire peripheral surface of the pipe. The inert gas supplied from the gas supply pump P2 is purged from the purge nozzle 16. When ejected from 16, the sealed container 2 is filled with an inert gas. In this case, the

purge nozzles

16, 16 are located at both ends of the hermetic container 2, that is, near the substrate carry-in port 3 and the substrate carry-out port 5, at a position lower than the substrate transfer path, at the

short sides

100 a, 100 a of the mother substrate 100. It arrange | positions so that it may extend along a longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the support pins 9 arranged to support the lower surface of the portion 101 that becomes the display area of the mother substrate 100 include pin cooling means for cooling and heating the support pins 9 and Pin heating means are provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support pin 9 is attached to a stainless steel base 9a having a cylindrical shape, a stainless steel post 9b having an outer diameter smaller than that of the base 9a, and a tip of the post 9b. The front end portion 9c is made of resin such as PEEK (polyetheretherketone) resin. In this case, a cooling water channel 21 as pin cooling means for cooling the support pins 9 is formed inside the base portion 9a.

A temperature controller 23 as shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the cooling water passage 21 formed inside the base portion 9a via a cooling water supply pipe 22 arranged inside the support base 11. Cooling water whose temperature is controlled to a predetermined temperature by the adjuster 23 is supplied. In this case, the cooling water supplied from the temperature controller 23 and supplied to the cooling of each support pin 9 through the cooling water passage 21 inside the base portion 9a of each support pin 9 is returned to the temperature controller 23 and given a predetermined value. The temperature is controlled to the temperature, and the temperature controller 23 is supplied again to the cooling water passage 21 inside the base portion 9a of each support pin 9. The supply / stop of the cooling water from the temperature controller 23, the set temperature of the cooling water, and the like are controlled by the control means 19.

Further, a heater 31 as a pin heating means for heating the support pin 9 is wound around the outer periphery of the base portion 9a. The heater 31 is composed of a resistor that generates heat when energized, and is connected to a heater power source 33 as shown in FIG. 1 via a heater power source line 32 disposed inside the support base 11. The support pin 9 is heated to a predetermined temperature by power feeding from the power source 33. The energization of the heater 31, its stop, energization time, and the like are controlled by the control means 19.

Furthermore, the support pin 9 is provided with a thermocouple 41 as a substrate temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the mother substrate 100 in contact with the tip 9c at the top of the tip 9c. In this case, the thermocouple 41 is installed so that the tip of the thermocouple 41 slightly protrudes laterally from the top of the tip portion 9c of the support pin 9, and the adhesiveness when contacting the lower surface of the mother substrate 100 is improved. At the same time, the contact portion with the mother substrate 100 is not damaged.

The thermocouple 41 is connected to a measuring instrument 43 as shown in FIG. 1 via an electric wire 42 disposed inside the support base 11, and an output signal from the thermocouple 41 is input to the measuring instrument 43. It has come to be. Further, the measurement result from the measuring device 43 is outputted to the control means 19, and the control means 19 controls the temperature controller 23 and the heater power source 33 described above according to the measurement result, and supports them. The pin 9 is cooled and heated to control its temperature. In addition, since the thermocouple 41 is installed in the front-end | tip part 9c of the support pin 9, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.4, the state which does not support the mother board | substrate 100, ie, does not contact the mother board | substrate 100. In the state, it is possible to measure the temperature of the support pin 9 alone (tip portion 9c).

Note that the support pins 10 that are not provided with the pin cooling means and the pin heating means described above are portions other than the portion 101 that becomes the display region of the mother substrate 100, that is, the panel frame region, as shown in FIGS. It is arranged so as to support the lower surface of the portion 102, and like the support pin 9, a stainless steel column 10 a and a PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin attached to the tip of the column 10 a A resin tip 10b is provided. In this case, the height of the tip of the support pin 10 is set to be the same as the height of the tip of the support pin 9.

Next, the operation procedure of the drying apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, first, the mother substrate 100 on which the resist solution is applied on the upper surface by a resist coating device (not shown) is carried from the substrate carry-in port 3 opened by the operation of the gate valve 4, and is carried by the carrying roller. 7 is moved to the right side by the rotational movement of the conveying roller 7.

At this time, all the support pins 9 and 10 are on standby at a lowered position where the pin tips are lower than the substrate transport path. Then, when the mother substrate 100 arrives at a predetermined position substantially in the center of the sealed container 2, the rotation of the transport roller 7 is stopped. Next, the gate valve 4 is operated, the substrate carry-in port 3 that has been opened is closed, and the inside of the sealed container 2 is hermetically sealed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, all the support pins 9 and 10 are raised to a raised position where the tip ends of the pins are higher than the substrate conveyance path. By such an upward movement of the support pins 9 and 10, the mother board 100 placed on the transport roller 7 is transferred to the tip end of the support pins 9 and 10 in a horizontal position, and a predetermined position above the transport roller 7. Can be lifted up.

Next, when the exhaust pump P1 is activated and the exhaust valve 15 is opened, the exhaust pressure is exhausted so that the internal pressure of the sealed container 2 becomes a predetermined degree of vacuum. As a result, the mother substrate 100 is placed in a reduced pressure state equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure in the sealed container 2. Thus, when the inside of the sealed container 2 is in a reduced pressure state and the mother substrate 100 is exposed in the reduced pressure state, a volatile solvent such as thinner contained in the resist solution is volatilized and the upper surface of the mother substrate 100 is exposed. The resist solution applied to the substrate is appropriately dried.

Such a decompression process ends when the exhaust valve 15 is closed and the exhaust by the exhaust pump P1 is stopped after a certain time has elapsed. After that, the gas supply valve 18 is opened, and the inert gas is supplied from the gas supply pump P2 through the gas supply pipe 17 and the purge nozzle 16 into the sealed container 2 in a reduced pressure state. A return pressure process for returning to the atmospheric pressure state is performed.

Thereafter, when the inside of the sealed container 2 returns to the atmospheric pressure state, the gas supply valve 18 is closed, the supply of the inert gas from the purge nozzle 16 is stopped, and the decompression process is completed. Next, the support pins 9 and 10 supporting the mother substrate 100 are lowered to a standby position lower than the substrate conveyance path. By such a downward movement of the support pins 9 and 10, the mother substrate 100 placed on the support pins 9 and 10 is transferred onto the transport roller 7.

Thereafter, when the gate valve 6 is actuated to open the substrate carry-out port 5, the mother substrate 100 placed on the transfer roller 7 is moved to the right side by the rotational movement of the transfer roller 7 and sealed from the substrate carry-out port 5. It is carried out of the container 2. The drying of the mother substrate 100 is completed through the decompression process and the decompression process.

In the depressurization process in which the internal pressure of the sealed container 2 is reduced from the atmospheric pressure state to the reduced pressure state below the atmospheric pressure by exhausting by the exhaust pump P1 described above, the inside of the sealed container 2 is in a state close to adiabatic shrinkage. The temperature decreases, and the temperature of the support pins 9 and 10 decreases accordingly. For this reason, a temperature difference occurs between the portion where the support pins 9 and 10 are in contact with the mother substrate 100 and the other portions, and the dry state of the resist solution changes due to this temperature difference, thereby causing unevenness.

As shown in FIG. 6, such uneven drying of the resist solution due to the influence of the support pins 10 arranged in the portion 102 which becomes the panel frame region of the mother substrate 100 is a place where the display of the liquid crystal display panel is not affected. There is no problem because there is, but such drying unevenness of the resist solution due to the influence of the support pins 9 arranged in the portion 101 serving as the display region is caused by the adjacent pixels to be formed at the place where the drying unevenness occurs. Display defects such as electrode short-circuits and wiring breaks, and display unevenness due to non-uniform characteristics of thin film transistors (TFTs) that are formed in areas where uneven drying has occurred. This is a problem because it affects the display.

Therefore, the support pins 9 arranged in the display area 101 are heated by the heater 31 in accordance with the temperature drop in the decompression process, that is, by the heater 31 so as to eliminate the temperature difference from the mother substrate 100. As a result, a temperature difference does not occur between the portion where the mother substrate 100 and the support pin 9 are in contact with each other, and as a result, the dried state of the resist solution in the portion 101 which becomes the display region can be made uniform. .

In this case, the heating of the support pin 9 by the heater 31 is controlled by the control means 19 based on the temperature measurement result by the thermocouple 41 provided at the tip of the support pin 9 that is in contact with the mother substrate 100. Is heated to a predetermined temperature (a temperature equivalent to the temperature of the mother substrate 100 in the contacted portion).

Further, in the return pressure step of returning the inside of the sealed container 2 from the reduced pressure state below the atmospheric pressure to the atmospheric pressure state by the inert gas ejected from the purge nozzle 16, the inside of the sealed container 2 is in a state close to adiabatic expansion. The temperature inside 2 rises, and the temperature of the support pins 9 and 10 rises accordingly. Then, when the mother substrate 100 to be dried next is carried into the hermetic container 2 while the temperature of the support pins 9 and 10 remains elevated, a portion where the mother substrate 100 and the support pins 9 and 10 come into contact with each other. A temperature difference occurs between the portions other than, and the dry state of the resist solution changes due to this temperature difference, resulting in unevenness.

In particular, if the time interval (substrate input interval) from when the dried mother substrate 100 is discharged from the hermetic container 2 to when the next dried mother substrate 100 is carried in is short, the previous time within that time. The temperature of the support pins 9 and 10 whose temperature has increased in the pressure-recovering process of the mother substrate 100 does not drop to the same room temperature as the next mother board 100 to be carried in, and the temperature difference from the mother substrate 100 becomes large. As a result, the dry state of the resist solution changes, and unevenness occurs remarkably.

Therefore, a thin film transistor (such as a short-circuit between adjacent pixel electrodes or a disconnection of wiring, which is formed at a place where such drying unevenness occurs, or a thin film transistor (where the drying unevenness occurs). This is a problem because the display of the liquid crystal display panel is affected, such as display unevenness due to non-uniform characteristics of the TFT).

Therefore, the support pins 9 arranged in the portion 101 serving as the display area are cooled by the cooling water flowing in the cooling water passage 21 so as to reach the normal temperature until the mother board 100 to be loaded next is supported. Thus, the temperature difference from the carried-in mother board 100 at room temperature can be eliminated. As a result, a temperature difference does not occur between the portion where the mother substrate 100 and the support pin 9 are in contact with the other portions, and as a result, the dry state of the resist solution in the portion 101 which becomes the display region can be made uniform. Become.

In this case, the cooling of the support pin 9 by the cooling water passage 21 is controlled by the control means 19 based on the temperature measurement result by the thermocouple 41 provided at the tip of the support pin 9 that is in contact with the mother substrate 100. 9 is cooled to a predetermined temperature (a temperature equivalent to that of the normal temperature mother substrate 100).

When the mother substrate 100 is the mother substrate 90 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the support pin 9 provided with the pin heating means and the pin cooling means described above is a portion 92 that becomes a panel frame region. Therefore, it is not necessary to heat and cool the support pins 9. Therefore, the drying apparatus 1 described above can correspond to a plurality of types of

mother boards

90 and 100 having different positions and ranges of the display area and the panel frame area, and the arrangement of the support pins can be changed. Without changing, it is possible to make the resist dry state of the

portions

91 and 101 to be the display areas of the mother substrates 90 and 100 uniform.

Next, a second embodiment of the drying apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the same structure as the drying apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted and it demonstrates centering on a different point.

As shown in FIG. 7, a support device 52 for supporting the mother substrate 100 horizontally and raising and lowering it is provided in the sealed container 2 of the drying device 51 according to the second embodiment. The support device 52 includes a plurality of support pins 53 provided with pin heating means and pin cooling means having a configuration different from that of the first embodiment described above, and a plurality of support pins provided with no such means. 10, a support base 11 in which the support pins 53 and 10 are arranged in a lattice shape, and an elevating mechanism 13 including a cylinder that moves the support base 11 up and down via an elevating shaft 12.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the support pins 53 arranged to support the lower surface of the portion 101 that becomes the display area of the mother substrate 100 include pin cooling means for cooling and heating the support pins 53 and Pin heating means are provided.

As shown in FIG. 9, the support pin 53 is attached to a stainless steel base 53a having a cylindrical shape, a stainless steel post 53b having an outer diameter smaller than that of the base 53a, and a tip of the post 53b. The front end portion 53c is made of resin such as PEEK (polyetheretherketone) resin.

In this case, an air nozzle 61 as a pin cooling means for cooling the support pin 53 is disposed on the support base 11. The end of the air nozzle 61 is bent obliquely upward from below, and the air blown out from the opening 61 a is mainly blown to the base 53 a and the support column 53 b of the support pin 53, so that the support pin 53 is It is possible to cool.

An air supply source 63 is connected to the air nozzle 61 via an air supply pipe 62 as shown in FIG. 7 so that air (cooling air) having a temperature of normal temperature or lower than normal temperature is supplied. Yes. In this case, the supply / stop of air from the air supply source 63 and the flow rate thereof are controlled by the control means 19. Note that an inert gas such as nitrogen may be used as a fluid such as air blown to the support pins 53.

Further, a heater 71 as a pin heating means for heating the support pin 53 is disposed inside the base portion 53a. The heater 71 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is composed of a resistor that generates heat when energized. The heater 71 is connected to a heater power source 73 as shown in the figure via a heater power source line 72 disposed in the support base 11. The support pin 53 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the power supply from the heater power source 73. The energization of the heater 71, its stop, energization time, etc. are controlled by the control means 19.

Furthermore, a radiation thermometer 81 as a substrate temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the mother substrate 100 is disposed on the upper wall 2d of the sealed container 2. As this radiation thermometer 81, for example, an optical fiber is provided inside a metal protective tube, and the tip side of the metal protective tube is a light receiving opening for receiving infrared rays, and a lens is provided at the tip of the light receiving opening. The one with the arranged configuration is applied. The radiation thermometer 81 is configured to sequentially transmit a measured temperature based on the detected infrared rays to a measuring device 82 as shown. The measurement result from the measuring device 82 is output to the control means 19, and the control means 19 controls the air supply source 63 and the heater power source 73 described above according to the measurement result, thereby supporting pins. 53 is cooled and heated to control its temperature.

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11, a plurality of radiation thermometers 82 are disposed on the upper wall 2d of the sealed container 2 so as to face the support pins 53, and the support pins 53 come into contact with each other. The surface temperature of a portion of the mother substrate 100 can be measured. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the surface temperature of the portion 101 that becomes the display region of the mother substrate 100 and the vicinity of the portion where the support pins 53 are in contact can be measured. As shown in FIG. 7, the radiation thermometer 81 can measure the temperature of the support pin 53 alone (tip portion 53 c) when the mother substrate 100 is not in the sealed container 2. .

Note that the support pins 10 that are not provided with the pin cooling means and the pin heating means described above are portions other than the portion 101 that becomes the display region of the mother substrate 100, that is, the panel frame region, as shown in FIGS. It is arranged so as to support the lower surface of the portion 102, and like the support pin 53, a stainless steel column 10a and a PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin attached to the tip of the column 10a, etc. A resin tip 10b is provided. In this case, the height of the tip of the support pin 10 is set to be the same as the height of the tip of the support pin 53.

Next, the operation procedure of the drying device 51 according to the second embodiment described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, first, the mother substrate 100 on which the resist solution is coated on the upper surface by a resist coating device (not shown) is carried from the substrate carry-in port 3 opened by the operation of the gate valve 4, and is carried by the carrying roller. 7 is moved to the right side by the rotational movement of the conveying roller 7.

At this time, all the support pins 53 and 10 are on standby at the lowered position where the pin tips are lower than the substrate conveyance path. Then, when the mother substrate 100 arrives at a predetermined position substantially in the center of the sealed container 2, the rotation of the transport roller 7 is stopped. Next, the gate valve 4 is operated, the substrate carry-in port 3 that has been opened is closed, and the inside of the sealed container 2 is hermetically sealed.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, all of the support pins 53 and 10 are raised to a raised position where the tip ends of the pins are higher than the substrate conveyance path. As a result of the upward movement of the support pins 53 and 10, the mother substrate 100 placed on the transport roller 7 is transferred to the pin tips of the support pins 53 and 10 while maintaining a horizontal posture, and a predetermined position above the transport roller 7. Can be lifted up.

Thereafter, when the inside of the sealed container 2 returns to the atmospheric pressure state, the gas supply valve 18 is closed, the supply of the inert gas from the purge nozzle 16 is stopped, and the decompression process is completed. Next, the support pins 53 and 10 supporting the mother substrate 100 are lowered to a standby position lower than the substrate conveyance path. The mother substrate 100 placed on the support pins 53 and 10 is transferred onto the transport roller 7 by the lowering operation of the support pins 53 and 10.

In the depressurization process in which the internal pressure of the sealed container 2 is reduced from the atmospheric pressure state to the reduced pressure state below the atmospheric pressure by exhausting by the exhaust pump P1 described above, the inside of the sealed container 2 is in a state close to adiabatic shrinkage. The temperature decreases, and the temperature of the support pins 53 and 10 decreases accordingly. For this reason, a temperature difference occurs between the part where the support pins 53 and 10 are in contact with the mother substrate 100 and the other part, and the dry state of the resist solution changes due to this temperature difference, and unevenness occurs.

As shown in FIG. 12, such uneven drying of the resist solution due to the influence of the support pins 10 arranged in the portion 102 which becomes the panel frame region of the mother substrate 100 is a place where the display of the liquid crystal display panel is not affected. There is no problem because there is, but such drying unevenness of the resist solution due to the influence of the support pins 53 arranged in the portion 101 serving as the display region is caused by the adjacent pixels to be formed at the place where the drying unevenness occurs. Display defects such as electrode short-circuits and wiring breaks, and display unevenness due to non-uniform characteristics of thin film transistors (TFTs) that are formed in areas where uneven drying has occurred. This is a problem because it affects the display.

Accordingly, the support pins 53 arranged in the display area 101 are heated by the heater 71 in accordance with the temperature drop in the decompression process, that is, by the heater 71 so as to eliminate the temperature difference from the mother substrate 100. The temperature difference does not occur between the portion where the mother substrate 100 and the support pin 53 are in contact with the other portion, and as a result, the dried state of the resist solution in the portion 101 which becomes the display region can be made uniform.

In this case, the heating of the support pin 53 by the heater 71 is controlled by the control means 19 based on the temperature measurement result by the radiation thermometer 81 of the surface temperature of the mother substrate 100 in the part where the support pin 53 is in contact, and the support pin 53 53 is heated to a predetermined temperature (a temperature equivalent to the temperature of the mother substrate 100 in the contacted portion).

Further, in the return pressure step of returning the inside of the sealed container 2 from the reduced pressure state below the atmospheric pressure to the atmospheric pressure state by the inert gas ejected from the purge nozzle 16, the inside of the sealed container 2 is in a state close to adiabatic expansion. The temperature in 2 rises, and the temperature of the support pins 53 and 10 rises with this. Then, when the mother substrate 100 to be dried next is carried into the hermetic container 2 while the temperature of the support pins 53 and 10 is still increased, a portion where the mother substrate 100 and the support pins 53 and 10 come into contact with each other. A temperature difference occurs between the portions other than, and the dry state of the resist solution changes due to this temperature difference, resulting in unevenness.

In particular, if the time interval (substrate input interval) from when the dried mother substrate 100 is discharged from the hermetic container 2 to when the next dried mother substrate 100 is carried in is short, the previous time within that time. The temperature of the support pins 53, 10 whose temperature has increased in the pressure-recovering process of the mother substrate 100 does not drop to the same room temperature as the next-loaded room temperature mother substrate 100, and the temperature difference from the mother substrate 100 becomes large. As a result, the dry state of the resist solution changes, and unevenness occurs remarkably. Therefore, a thin film transistor (such as a short-circuit between adjacent pixel electrodes or a disconnection of wiring, which is formed at a place where such drying unevenness occurs, or a thin film transistor (where the drying unevenness occurs). This is a problem because the display of the liquid crystal display panel is affected, such as display unevenness due to non-uniform characteristics of the TFT).

Therefore, the support pins 53 arranged in the portion 101 serving as the display area are cooled by blowing air from the air nozzle 61 so that the support pins 53 are at room temperature until the mother substrate 100 to be loaded next is supported. Thus, the temperature difference from the carried-in mother board 100 at room temperature can be eliminated. As a result, a temperature difference does not occur between the portion where the mother substrate 100 and the support pin 53 are in contact with the other portions, and as a result, the dried state of the resist solution in the portion 101 which becomes the display region can be made uniform. Become.

In this case, the cooling of the support pin 53 by the air nozzle 61 is performed by the temperature measurement result by the radiation thermometer 81 of the surface temperature of the mother substrate 100 at the portion where the support pin 53 is in contact, or the mother substrate 100 is unloaded and the inside of the sealed container 2. The control pin 19 controls the temperature of the tip 53c of the support pin 53 without the mother substrate 100 based on the temperature measurement result by the radiation thermometer 81, so that the support pin 53 has a predetermined temperature (the mother substrate 100 at room temperature). And the same temperature).

When the mother substrate 100 is the mother substrate 90 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the support pin 53 provided with the pin heating means and the pin cooling means described above is a portion 92 that becomes a panel frame region. Therefore, it is not necessary to heat and cool the support pins 53. Therefore, the drying device 51 described above can correspond to a plurality of types of

mother boards

90 and 100 having different positions and ranges of the display area portion and the panel frame area portion. Without changing, it is possible to make the resist dry state of the

portions

91 and 101 to be the display areas of the mother substrates 90 and 100 uniform.

According to the drying

apparatuses

1 and 51 described above, the support pins 9 and 53 arranged in the portion that becomes the display area 101 formed on the mother substrate 100 among the plurality of support pins that support the lower surface of the mother substrate 100 are provided. Since the pin heating means 31 and 71 and the pin cooling means 21 and 61 for heating and cooling the support pins 9 and 53 are provided, for example, the pin heating means 31 and 71 are brought into an atmospheric pressure state by the exhaust pump P1. The support pins 9 and 53 are heated so that the temperature of the support pins 9 and 53 does not decrease with the temperature drop in the closed vessel 2 when the inside of the closed vessel 2 is decompressed, or the pin cooling means 21 and 61, so that the temperature of the support pins 9 and 53 does not rise with the temperature rise in the sealed container 2 when the decompressed sealed container 2 is returned to the atmospheric pressure state by the gas supply pump P2. It can be the support pins 9,53 or cooled.

As described above, even when the support pins 9 and 53 are arranged in the portion 101 which is a display area formed on the mother substrate 100, such a change is caused according to the temperature change in the hermetic container 2 and the temperature change of the mother substrate 100. By heating and cooling the support pins 9 and 53, it is possible to prevent the drying state of the coating liquid such as the resist liquid from becoming uneven due to the influence of the temperature difference between the mother substrate 100 and the support pins 9 and 53. . Therefore, the thickness of a film such as a resist film formed in the portion 101 which becomes the display area of the mother substrate 100 can be made uniform, and as a result, a display panel free from defects such as display unevenness can be manufactured. . Further, with such a single drying apparatus, it is possible to correspond to a plurality of types of mother boards having different positions and ranges of the display area portion and the panel frame area portion, and the arrangement of the support pins No need to change.

In this case, the pin heating means includes a heater 31 wound around the support pin 9, or the pin heating means includes a heater 71 disposed inside the support pin 53. Thus, the support pins 9 and 53 can be easily heated. If the pin cooling means has a cooling water passage 21 that passes through the inside of the support pin 9 or the pin cooling means has an air nozzle 61 that blows air to the support pins 53, the pin cooling means can be easily supported. The

pins

9 and 53 can be cooled.

Further, a substrate temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the portion 101 which is a display area formed on the mother substrate 100, and a control means 19 for controlling the pin cooling means and the pin heating means according to the measurement result of the substrate temperature measuring means. The support pins 9 and 53 disposed in the portion 101 can be heated and cooled in accordance with the temperature change of the portion 101 serving as a display area formed on the mother substrate 100. The temperature difference between 100 and the support pins 9 and 53 that support it can be reduced.

In this case, a configuration in which the substrate temperature measuring means has a thermocouple 41 installed at the tip of the support pin 9 disposed in the portion 101 which is a display area formed on the mother substrate 100, or the substrate temperature measuring means If the radiation thermometer 81 disposed in the hermetically sealed container 2 is used to detect the temperature of the portion 101 that is the display area formed on the mother substrate 100, the temperature of the mother substrate 100 can be simplified. Therefore, the temperature of the mother board 100 can be managed. In addition, according to such a configuration, the temperature of the support pins 9 and 53 alone can be measured, and the temperature of the support pins 9 and 53 is managed even when the mother substrate 100 is not in the sealed container 2. It becomes possible.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to such embodiment at all, Of course, in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can implement in various aspects.

For example, in the first embodiment, as the pin heating means and pin cooling means of the support pin 9, the heater 31 wound around the outer periphery of the base portion 9 a and the cooling water channel 21 disposed inside the base portion 9 a are used. In the second embodiment, the configuration using the heater 71 disposed inside the base 53a and the air nozzle 61 for blowing air to the support pin 53 as the pin heating means and pin cooling means of the support pin 53 has been described. The pin heating unit and the pin cooling unit of the second embodiment of the first embodiment can be rearranged, and are not limited to the above-described embodiments.

Claims

A drying apparatus for drying a coating liquid containing a solvent applied to the upper surface of a mother substrate for removing a plurality of display panels, wherein a sealed container provided with a plurality of support pins for supporting the lower surface of the mother substrate; An evacuation means for volatilizing the solvent from the coating solution on the mother substrate by setting the inside of the sealed container to a reduced pressure of atmospheric pressure or less, and supplying the gas into the sealed container to reduce the atmospheric pressure inside the sealed container A gas supply means for returning to a state, and a support pin disposed in a portion of the plurality of support pins that serves as a display area formed on the mother substrate includes a pin heating means and a pin for heating and cooling the support pin A drying apparatus provided with a cooling means.
The pin heating means is disposed in a portion to be a display region formed on the mother substrate as the temperature in the sealed container is reduced when the inside of the sealed container in the atmospheric pressure state is depressurized by the exhaust means. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support pin is heated so that the temperature of the support pin is not lowered.
The pin cooling means is a portion that becomes a display region formed on the mother substrate as the temperature in the sealed container rises when the reduced pressure inside the sealed container is returned to the atmospheric pressure state by the gas supply means. The drying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support pins are cooled so that the temperature of the support pins to be arranged does not rise.
The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pin heating means includes a heater wound around the support pin.
The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pin heating means includes a heater disposed inside the support pin.
The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pin cooling means includes a cooling water passage that passes through the inside of the support pin.
The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pin cooling means includes an air nozzle that blows air onto the support pins.
Substrate temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of a portion to be a display area formed on the mother substrate, and control means for controlling the pin cooling means and the pin heating means according to the measurement result of the substrate temperature measuring means. The drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:
9. The drying according to claim 8, wherein the substrate temperature measuring means has a thermocouple installed at a tip of a support pin disposed in a portion to be a display area formed on the mother substrate. apparatus.
The said substrate temperature measurement means has a radiation thermometer arrange | positioned in the said airtight container in order to detect the temperature of the part used as the display area formed in the said mother board | substrate. The drying apparatus according to 8 or 9.