HK1172191B - Leader member, substrate, substrate cartridge, substrate process device, leader member connection method, display element manufacturing method, and display element manufacturing device - Google Patents

Description

Guide member, substrate cartridge, substrate processing apparatus, guide member connecting method, display element manufacturing method, and display element manufacturing apparatus

Technical Field

The invention relates to a guide member, a substrate tube, a substrate processing apparatus, a guide member connecting method, a display element manufacturing method, and a display element manufacturing apparatus.

The present application claims priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2009-263752, filed on 11/19/2009, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

As a display element constituting a display device such as a display device, for example, an organic electroluminescence (organic EL) element is known. An organic EL device has an anode and a cathode on a substrate, and has an organic light-emitting layer interposed between the anode and the cathode. The organic EL element is formed by injecting holes from an anode into an organic light emitting layer, recombining the holes and electrons in the organic light emitting layer, and obtaining display light by light emission at the time of recombination. The organic EL element has a circuit and the like formed on a substrate and connected to an anode and a cathode, for example.

As one of the methods for producing an organic EL element, a method called a roll-to-roll (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "roll method") is known (for example, see patent document 1). The roll system is a method of sequentially forming a light-emitting layer, an anode, a cathode, a circuit, and the like constituting an organic EL element on a substrate while feeding the substrate while discharging 1 sheet-like substrate wound on a roll on a substrate supply side and taking up the discharged substrate by a roll on a substrate recovery side, and while the substrate is being discharged and taken up from the substrate.

In the structure described in patent document 1, for example, the substrate feeding roller and the substrate winding roller are configured to be detachable from the manufacturing line. The detached roll can be transported to another manufacturing line, for example, and attached to another manufacturing line for use. In this configuration, the substrate is fed between the roller and the manufacturing line, and the feeding of the substrate in the manufacturing line is frequently performed.

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2006/100868 pamphlet

However, in the above configuration, countermeasures such as conveyance between the rollers and the manufacturing line and conveyance between the rollers in the manufacturing line are not taken, and there is a possibility that a problem arises from the viewpoint of conveyance accuracy of the substrate.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of substrate transfer.

A1 st aspect of the present invention provides a guide member including: a connection portion connected to the substrate; and a position reference portion used for at least alignment between the substrate and the connection portion.

A2 nd aspect of the present invention provides a substrate including: a substrate body that is transported in a predetermined direction, and a guide portion that is connected to an end portion of the substrate body, the guide member of the present invention is used as the guide portion.

The 3 rd aspect of the present invention provides a substrate cartridge including a cartridge main body for housing a substrate, the substrate cartridge housing the substrate of the present invention as the substrate.

A 4 th aspect of the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus including: the substrate processing section for processing a substrate, the substrate carry-in section for carrying a substrate into the substrate processing section, and the substrate carry-out section for carrying a substrate out of the substrate processing section use the substrate cartridge of the present invention as at least one of the substrate carry-in section and the substrate carry-out section.

A 5 th aspect of the present invention provides a guide member connecting method for connecting a guide member to a substrate, comprising: the method includes a positioning step of aligning the positions of the substrate and the guide member, and a connecting step of connecting the substrate and the guide member after the positioning step.

A 6 th aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a display element, including a step of processing a substrate in a substrate processing section, and a step of supplying the substrate to the substrate processing section using the guide member of the present invention.

A 7 th aspect of the present invention provides a display element manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the guide member of the present invention connected to the substrate; and a substrate processing unit that processes the substrate.

According to the aspect of the present invention, the substrate transfer accuracy can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a structure of a guide member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing a structure of the guide member according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the substrate tube according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of the substrate tube according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing a partial structure of the substrate tube according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the structure of the substrate tube according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 6A is a structural diagram of an organic EL element formed by the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 6B is a structural diagram of an organic EL element formed by the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 6C is a structural diagram of an organic EL element formed by the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a structure of a substrate processing section according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a droplet applying apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process of manufacturing the film substrate FB according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 11A is a diagram showing a substrate cartridge storing operation according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 11B is a diagram showing the operation of storing the substrate cartridge according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a connection operation of the substrate tube according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a connection operation of the substrate tube according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a partition wall forming process of the substrate processing section according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the shape and arrangement of partition walls formed on a film substrate (sheet substrate) according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a partition wall formed on a film substrate (sheet substrate) according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 17A is a diagram illustrating an application operation of the liquid droplets according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 17B is a diagram illustrating an application operation of the droplets according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 18A is a diagram showing a structure of a thin film formed between partition walls according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 18B is a diagram showing a structure of a thin film formed between partition walls according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating a step of forming a gate insulating layer on a thin film substrate (sheet substrate) according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 20 is a diagram showing a process of cutting the wiring of the film substrate (sheet substrate) according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 21 is a view showing a step of forming a thin film in the source/drain formation region according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 22 is a view showing a step of forming an organic semiconductor layer according to this embodiment.

Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of alignment according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 24 is a diagram showing the removal operation of the substrate tube according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 25 is a diagram showing another configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 26 is a diagram showing another configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 27 is a diagram showing another configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 28 is a diagram showing another configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 29 is a diagram showing another configuration of the thin film substrate according to the present embodiment.

Detailed Description

[ embodiment 1 ]

Hereinafter, embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(film substrate, guide Member)

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the structure of the film substrate FB. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a plan view configuration of the film substrate FB, and fig. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of the film substrate FB.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the film substrate (substrate) FB has a guide member (package member) LDR and a film (substrate body) F, and the guide member LDR and the film F are bonded and connected to each other.

The guide member LDR is a sheet-like member formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. Examples of the material constituting the guide member LDR include stainless steel and plastic. A step portion 201 is formed in a region of the guide member LDR along one side (the left side in the figure) 200 a. The step portion 201 is formed on, for example, one surface (lower surface in fig. 2) 200b of the guide member LDR. The portion of the guide member LDR where the step portion 201 is formed is thinner than the other portions.

The film substrate FB is formed by adhering the step portion 201 of the guide member LDR to the end Fa of the film F by, for example, heat welding or an adhesive. In this way, the step portion 201 of the guide member LDR is used as a connection portion to be connected to the flexible film F. The guide means LDR is affixed so as to slightly protrude from the film F in the direction of extension of the edge 200 a. Therefore, in the extending direction of the edge 200a, the whole of the end of the film F is covered by the guide means LDR.

In the present embodiment, the film F to be connected to the guide member LDR includes, for example, a tape-like film that is flexible and used by being wound in a roll shape. As a material constituting such a film, for example, a heat-resistant resin film, stainless steel, or the like can be used. For example, as the resin film, a polyethylene resin, a polypropylene resin, a polyester resin, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, a cellulose resin, a polyamide resin, a polyimide resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polystyrene resin, a vinyl acetate resin, or the like can be used. The film F is formed to have a dimension in the short side direction (vertical direction in fig. 1) of, for example, about 1 to 2m, and a dimension in the long side direction (horizontal direction in fig. 1) of, for example, 10m or more. Fig. 1 and 2 show a configuration in which the guide member LDR is connected to one end of the film F in the longitudinal direction, but in the present embodiment, the guide member LDR is actually connected to both ends of the film F in the longitudinal direction. The above dimensions are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. For example, the Y-direction dimension of the film substrate (sheet substrate) FB may be 50cm or less, or 2m or more. The size of the film substrate (sheet substrate) FB in the X direction may be 10m or less. The flexibility in the present embodiment means a property that, for example, even if a predetermined force of at least the degree of its own weight is applied to the substrate, the substrate can be bent without breaking or breaking. The flexibility varies depending on the material, size, thickness, or environment such as temperature of the substrate.

The film F preferably has a small coefficient of thermal expansion so that it does not change in dimension when subjected to heat of, for example, about 200 ℃. For example, an inorganic filler may be mixed in the resin film to reduce the thermal expansion coefficient. Examples of the inorganic filler include titanium oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicon oxide.

The guide member LDR according to the present embodiment is formed to have higher rigidity than the film F. Specific examples of such a configuration include a configuration in which the thickness of the guide member LDR is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the film F, a configuration in which a material having higher rigidity than the material constituting the film F is used as the material constituting the guide member LDR, and the like. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the thickness t1 of the guide member LDR is formed thicker than the thickness t2 of the film F.

By making the rigidity of the guide member LDR higher than the rigidity of the film F, for example, the end Fa of the film F is supported. Thus, when the film F is handled, for example, when the film F is conveyed, wound, or unwound, the end Fa of the film F is protected and can be prevented from being bent or deformed.

As shown in fig. 2, in a state where the film F is stuck to the step portion 201, for example, the lower surface (surface Fc) of the film F in the drawing and the lower surface (surface 200b) of the guide member LDR in the drawing are almost flush with each other. In order to obtain such a structure, for example, the thickness t2 of the film F (including the thickness of the adhesive when the adhesive is used) may be determined in advance, and the stepped portion 201 may be formed so that the thickness t2 is equal to the height of the stepped portion 201. In the configuration in which the guide member LDR and the film F are almost in the same plane as in the present embodiment, for example, when the film substrate FB is placed on a flat table, gapless placement can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 1, a position reference portion 202 serving as a reference for positioning with respect to the film F is provided in the vicinity of the step portion 201 in the guide member LDR. In the present embodiment, the position reference portion 202 is formed as a rectangular mark (3 lines in the drawing), for example. For example, 1 position reference portion 202 is provided at each of the edge portions of the opposing sides 200c and 200d in the guide member LDR.

A film-side position reference portion Fd is formed on the film F with respect to the position reference portion 202. The film-side position reference portion Fd is formed, for example, as the same mark (3-line mark) as the position reference portion 202. The film-side position reference portions Fd are provided, for example, 1 at each of both ends of the film F in the short-side direction. The distance in the short side direction between the 2 film-side position reference portions Fd is equal to the distance between the 2 position reference portions 202 in the same direction. In the present embodiment, the position of the position reference portion 202 provided on the guide member LDR and the position of the film-side position reference portion Fd provided on the film F are aligned with each other, so that the guide member LDR and the film F are aligned with each other. Therefore, the positioning between the guide member LDR and the film F can be performed with high accuracy.

A plurality of openings 203 are provided in the guide member LDR at positions away from the step portion 201 in a plan view, for example. The plurality of openings 203 are arranged in the same direction as the extending direction of the side 200a where the step portion 201 is formed. The plurality of openings 203 are arranged at a constant interval, for example. A part of a transport member or the like holding the guide member LDR is inserted into each opening 203 and hung thereon. Therefore, the guide member LDR can be easily conveyed. The configuration for facilitating the conveyance guide LDR is not limited to the plurality of openings 203, and may be a configuration in which only 1 opening 203 is provided. The shape of the opening 203 is not limited to the rectangular shape shown in fig. 1, and may be other shapes such as a circle, a triangle, and a polygon. The opening 203 may be used as the position reference portion 202.

The configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the opening 203 is provided in the guide member LDR, and may be, for example, a configuration in which a recess is provided so as not to penetrate through the front and back surfaces of the guide member LDR. When the recess is formed, a part of the conveying member or the like can be caught. Further, the guide member LDR may be configured to have a notch portion formed on the side other than the side 200a on which the step portion 201 is formed. In this case, a part of the conveying member or the like can be hooked in the cutout.

In the guide member LDR, for example, an information holding portion 204 is provided in a region between the position reference portion 202 and the opening portion 203. The information holding unit 204 has a one-dimensional barcode pattern as shown in fig. 1, for example, formed therein. The barcode pattern is a pattern that can be detected by, for example, an external barcode detection device. Examples of the information included in the barcode pattern include an ID of the guide member LDR, information on the film F to be connected to the guide member LDR (for example, processing information on the film F, a length of the film F, a specification value such as a material of the film F, and the like). In the present embodiment, for example, the information holding portion 204 is provided at the edge portion of each of the opposing sides 200c and 200d of the guide member LDR, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the information holding portion 204 may be formed at another position (for example, the center portion or the like) of the guide member LDR. The information holding unit 204 is not limited to the one-dimensional barcode pattern shown in fig. 1, and may be a two-dimensional barcode pattern, a pattern in which an IC tag or the like is embedded, or a pattern in which a memory element is formed, for example. Further, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the information holding portion 204 is provided at 2 positions, and for example, the configuration in which the information holding portion 204 is provided at 1 position or 3 or more positions may be employed.

(substrate cartridge)

Next, a structure of the substrate tube accommodating the film substrate FB will be described. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to this XYZ rectangular coordinate system.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the structure of the substrate tube 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a view showing a structure along a section a-a' in fig. 3. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the substrate cartridge 1 includes a cartridge main body 2 and a mounting portion 3.

The cartridge main body 2 is a portion that houses the film substrate FB. As shown in fig. 4, the cartridge body 2 includes a housing portion 20, a substrate transfer portion (transfer mechanism) 21, a substrate guide portion 22, a2 nd substrate transfer portion 36, and a2 nd substrate guide portion 37. The mounting portion 3 is provided in the tube main body 2. The tube main body 2 is made of aluminum or hard aluminum, for example.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the housing unit 20 is a portion that houses the film substrate FB. The housing section 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to be able to house the film substrate FB wound in a roll, for example, and is provided so that a part thereof protrudes toward the + X side (protruding section 23). In the present embodiment, the light source is disposed in a state of extending in the Y direction in the figure. The housing section 20 includes a lid 25 and a substrate drive mechanism 24.

The lid 25 is provided at the + Y side end or the-Y side end of the housing 20. The lid 25 is detachably provided to the housing 20. The cover 25 is attached to and detached from the housing 20, so that the cover can be directly inserted into the housing 20. The opening and closing mechanism of the lid 25 may be configured by providing screw threads that engage with each other on the lid 25 and the housing 20, or may be configured by connecting the lid 25 and the housing 20 by a hinge mechanism.

The substrate drive mechanism 24 is a part that performs an operation of winding up the film substrate FB and an operation of releasing the film substrate FB. The substrate drive mechanism 24 is provided inside the housing section 20. The substrate drive mechanism 24 includes a roller portion (shaft portion) 26 and a guide portion 27. As shown in fig. 4, the roller portion 26 includes a rotation shaft member 26a, an enlarged diameter portion 26b, and a cylindrical portion 26c.

The turning shaft member 26a is a columnar member formed of a metal having high rigidity such as aluminum, for example. The turning shaft member 26a is rotatably supported by, for example, an opening 25a provided in the center of the lid 25 and a bearing member 25 b. In this case, the central axis of the rotary shaft member 26a is, for example, parallel to the Y direction, and the rotary shaft member 26a rotates in the θ Y direction.

The turning shaft member 26a is connected to a turning drive mechanism not shown. The rotary shaft member 26a is rotated about the central axis by drive control of the rotary drive mechanism. As shown in fig. 4, the rotation driving mechanism can rotate the rotation shaft member 26a in any one direction of the + θ Y direction and the- θ Y direction, for example.

The diameter-enlarged portion 26b is formed with a uniform thickness on the surface of the rotating shaft member 26a. The diameter-enlarged portion 26b is formed to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft member 26a. The cylindrical portion 26c is formed on the surface of the enlarged diameter portion 26b with a uniform thickness in cross section. The cylindrical portion 26c is bonded so as to cover the periphery of the enlarged diameter portion 26b. Therefore, the cylindrical portion 26c rotates integrally with the rotating shaft member 26a and the enlarged diameter portion 26b.

Fig. 5A is a perspective view showing the structure of the roller portion 26, and fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the roller portion 26 in an enlarged manner. As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the cylindrical portion 26c has a recess 26e in an inner diameter portion. The concave portion 26e is formed along the rotation axis direction (Y direction in the drawing) of the cylindrical portion 26c from one end to the other end thereof, for example. An opening 26d is provided on the outer surface side of the portion of the cylindrical portion 26c where the recess 26e is provided. A plurality of openings 26d are arranged along the rotation axis direction. In the present embodiment, the opening 26d is provided at a position corresponding to the opening 203 provided in the guide member LDR of the film substrate FB, for example. The number of the openings 26d is preferably set to be equal to the number of the openings 203 of the guide member LDR, but may be different from the number of the openings 203.

The concave portion 26e is provided with an engagement mechanism 28 which is inserted into the opening 203 of the guide member LDR and engages with the opening. The engagement mechanism 28 includes a claw member 28a and a pressing member 28b. The claw member 28a is provided to be insertable into and removable from the opening 26d. The pressing member 28b is an elastic member that presses the claw member 28a so that the claw member 28a protrudes from the opening 26d to the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 26c. The pressing member 28b is elastically deformed by urging the claw member 28a toward the inner diameter side. The claw member 28a is accommodated in the opening 26d by elastic deformation of the pressing member 28b.

In the present embodiment, when the film substrate FB is not wound, the claw member 28a is in a state of protruding to the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 26c by the pressing member 28b. The cylindrical portion 26c is formed of a material having a tackiness enough to bond the film substrate FB.

As shown in fig. 4, the guide portion 27 includes a turning member (1 st guide member) 27a and a front end member (1 st guide member) 27 b. The rotating member 27a is provided, for example, with one end thereof attached to the housing portion 20 via a shaft portion 27c, and is rotatable in the θ Y direction about the shaft portion 27 c. The turning member 27a is connected to a not-shown rotation driving mechanism.

The front end member 27b is connected to the other end of the rotating member 27a in a cross-section. The front end member 27b is formed to have an arc-shaped curved surface in cross section. The film substrate FB is guided to the roller portion 26 via the curved surface of the + Z side having an arc-shaped cross section provided in the front end member 27 b. The front end member 27b rotates integrally with the rotating member 27 a. For example, when the rotating member 27a rotates in a direction away from the roller portion 26 (outward in the radial direction of the roller portion 26), it abuts against the inner periphery of the housing portion 20. Therefore, the contact between the front end member 27b and the film substrate FB wound around the roller portion 26 can be avoided.

The mounting portion 3 is a portion connected to the substrate processing portion 102. The fitting portion 3 is provided at, for example, the + X-side end of the protruding portion 23 provided in the housing portion 20. The mounting portion 3 has an insertion portion 3a for connection with the substrate processing portion 102. When the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate supply unit 101, the mounting unit 3 is connected to the supply-side connection unit 102A of the substrate processing unit 102. When the substrate cartridge 1 is used as the substrate collecting section 103, the mounting section 3 is connected to the collecting-side connecting section 102B of the substrate processing section 102. The mounting portion 3 is detachably connected to either one of the substrate supply portion 101 and the substrate collection portion 103 of the substrate processing portion 102.

The mounting portion 3 is provided with an opening 34 and a2 nd opening 35. The opening 34 is an opening provided on the + Z side, and is a portion for inserting and removing the film substrate FB into and from the cartridge main body 2. The film substrate FB passing through the opening 34 is accommodated in the tube main body 2. The film substrate FB accommodated in the tube main body 2 is fed out of the tube main body 2 through the opening 34.

The 2 nd opening 35 is an opening provided on the-Z side, and is a portion for inserting and removing the tape-shaped 2 nd substrate SB different from the film substrate FB between the cartridge main body 2. Examples of the 2 nd substrate SB include a protective substrate for protecting the element formation surface of the thin film substrate FB. For example, an insertion paper (inserting paper) or the like can be used as the protective substrate. The 2 nd opening 35 is disposed at a distance from the opening 34, for example. The 2 nd opening 35 is formed in the same size and shape as the opening 34, for example. In addition, as the 2 nd substrate SB in the present embodiment, a material having conductivity such as a stainless steel thin plate (for example, having a thickness of 0.1mm or less) may be used. In this case, when the 2 nd substrate SB is accommodated in the cylinder main body 2 together with the film substrate (sheet substrate) FB, if the 2 nd substrate SB is electrically connected to the cylinder main body 2, the film substrate (sheet substrate) FB can be prevented from being charged.

As shown in fig. 4, the substrate conveying section 21, the substrate guide section 22, the 2 nd substrate conveying section 36, and the 2 nd substrate guide section 37 are provided inside the protruding section 23, for example. The substrate guide 22 is provided between the opening 34 and the substrate transfer portion 21. The substrate guide 22 is a portion that guides the film substrate FB between the opening 34 and the substrate conveying portion 21. The board guide 22 includes board guide members 22a and 22 b. The substrate guides 22a and 22b are provided to face each other with a gap 22c in the Z direction, and the facing surfaces are substantially parallel to the XY plane. The gap 22c is connected to the opening 34, and the film substrate FB moves through the opening 34 and the gap 22 c.

The 2 nd substrate guide 37 is a portion that guides the 2 nd substrate SB between the mounting portion 3 and the substrate conveying portion 21. The 2 nd substrate guide 37 includes 2 nd substrate guide members 37a, 37b, and 37 c. The 2 nd substrate guide members 37a and 37b are provided to face each other with a gap 37d in the Z direction, and the facing surfaces are substantially parallel to the XY plane. The 2 nd substrate guide member 37c is obliquely arranged to guide the 2 nd substrate SB to the + Z side. Specifically, the-X-side end of the 2 nd substrate guide member 37c is inclined to the + Z side with respect to the + X-side end.

The 2 nd substrate transfer part 36 transfers the 2 nd substrate SB between the mounting part 3 and the substrate transfer part 21. The 2 nd substrate transfer unit 36 is disposed between the 2 nd substrate guide members 37a and 37b and the 2 nd substrate guide member 37 c. The 2 nd substrate conveying section 36 has a drive roller 36a and a driven roller 36 b. The drive roller 36a is provided to be rotatable in the θ Y direction, for example, and is connected to a rotation drive mechanism, not shown. The driven roller 36b is disposed with a gap from the drive roller 36a so as to nip the 2 nd substrate SB with the drive roller 36 a.

The substrate transfer unit 21 transfers the film substrate FB and the 2 nd substrate SB between the mounting unit 3 and the housing unit 20. The substrate conveying section 21 includes a tension roller (tension mechanism) 21a and a measurement roller (measurement section) 21 b. The tension roller 21a is a roller for applying tension to the film substrate FB and the 2 nd substrate between the roller unit 26 and the roller. The tension roller 21a is provided to be rotatable in the θ Y direction. A rotation driving mechanism, not shown, for example, is connected to the tension roller 21 a. The tension roller 21a and the measurement roller 21b may be provided so as to be movable in the Z direction in fig. 4.

The measuring roller 21b is a roller having a smaller diameter than the tension roller 21 a. The measuring roller 21b is disposed at a predetermined gap from the tension roller 21a so as to be capable of sandwiching the film substrate FB and the 2 nd substrate SB between the tension roller 21 a. The gap between the measuring roller 21b and the tension roller 21a may be adjusted so as to satisfy the case of holding only the film substrate FB and the case of holding the film substrate FB and the 2 nd substrate SB together. The measuring roller 21b is a driven roller that rotates with the rotation of the tension roller 21 a.

By rotating the tension roller 21a with the film substrate FB sandwiched between the tension roller 21a and the measuring roller 21b, the film substrate FB can be conveyed in the take-up direction and the delivery direction of the film substrate FB while applying tension to the film substrate FB.

The substrate transport unit 21 includes a detection unit 21c that detects, for example, the rotation speed and rotation angle of the measurement roller 21 b. As the detection unit 21c, for example, an encoder or the like can be used. The detection unit 21c can measure, for example, a transport distance of the film substrate FB via the measurement roller 21 b.

For example, when the film substrate FB is inserted through the opening 34 and the 2 nd substrate SB is inserted through the 2 nd opening 35, the film substrate FB and the 2 nd substrate SB are guided by the substrate guide 22 and the 2 nd substrate guide 37, respectively, and are merged at the merging portion 39. The film substrate FB and the 2 nd substrate SB merged at the merging portion 39 are transported by the substrate transport portion 21 in a merged state. At this time, the substrate transfer unit 21 presses the film substrate FB and the 2 nd substrate SB to be in close contact with each other. Therefore, the substrate transport unit 21 also serves as a pressing mechanism for pressing the 2 nd substrate SB against the film substrate FB.

(organic EL element, substrate processing apparatus)

Next, a structure of an organic EL element will be described as an example of an element manufactured using the thin film substrate FB. Fig. 6A is a plan view showing the structure of the organic EL element. Fig. 6B is a sectional view B-B' in fig. 6A. Fig. 6C is a cross-sectional view of C-C' in fig. 6A.

As shown in fig. 6A to 6B, the organic EL element 50 is a bottom-contact type organic EL element in which a gate electrode G and a gate insulating layer I are formed on a thin film substrate FB, and further, a source electrode S, a drain electrode D, and a pixel electrode P are formed, and thereafter, an organic semiconductor layer OS is formed.

As shown in fig. 6B, a gate insulating layer I is formed on the gate electrode G. A source electrode S of the source bus line SBL is formed on the gate insulating layer I, and a drain electrode D connected to the pixel electrode P is formed. An organic semiconductor layer OS is formed between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D. To this end, a field effect type transistor is completed. As shown in fig. 6B and 6C, a light-emitting layer IR is formed on the pixel electrode P, and a transparent electrode ITO is formed on the light-emitting layer IR.

As is apparent from fig. 6B and 6C, the partition walls BA (bank layers) are formed on the film substrate FB. As shown in fig. 6C, the source bus lines SBL are formed between the partition walls BA. Thus, the presence of the partition wall BA allows the source bus line SBL to be formed with high accuracy, and the pixel electrode P and the light-emitting layer IR to be formed accurately. Although not shown in fig. 6B and 6C, gate bus lines GBL are also formed between barrier ribs BA in the same manner as source bus lines SBL.

The organic EL element 50 is also suitable for use in, for example, a display portion of an electronic device typified by a display device such as a display device. In this case, for example, the organic EL element 50 is formed in a panel shape. In the production of such an organic EL element 50, a substrate on which a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode are formed is required. In order to accurately form 1 or more organic compound layers (light-emitting element layers) including a light-emitting layer on the pixel electrode on the substrate, it is necessary to easily and accurately form the partition wall BA (bank layer) in the boundary region of the pixel electrode.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 100.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus for forming the organic EL element 50 shown in fig. 6A to 6C using the thin film substrate FB described above. As shown in fig. 7, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate supply unit 101, a substrate processing unit 102, a substrate collection unit 103, and a control unit 104. The film substrate FB having the guide member LDR connected to the film F is automatically transferred from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate recovery unit 103 via the substrate processing unit 102. The thin film substrate FB is automatically transferred between the processing units (for example, the electrode forming unit 92 and the light-emitting layer forming unit 93) of the substrate processing apparatus 100, for example. The substrate processing apparatus 100 can transfer the film substrate FB with high accuracy or easily by using the guide member LDR of the film substrate FB. The control unit 104 controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 in a unified manner.

In the following description, the positional relationship of the respective members will be described with reference to the same coordinate system as the XYZ rectangular coordinate system used in fig. 3 to 5B. In the XYZ rectangular coordinate system, the transport direction of the film substrate FB in the horizontal plane is defined as the X-axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in the horizontal plane is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the directions orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (i.e., the vertical direction) are defined as the Z-axis direction. The rotational (tilt) directions around the X, Y, and Z axes are referred to as θ X, θ Y, and θ Z directions, respectively.

The substrate supply unit 101 is connected to a supply-side connection unit 102A provided in the substrate processing unit 102. The substrate supply unit 101 supplies the thin film substrate FB wound in a roll, for example, to the substrate processing unit 102. The substrate recovery unit 103 recovers the thin film substrate FB processed by the substrate processing unit 102. For example, the substrate cartridge 1 described above can be used as the substrate supply unit 101 and the substrate collection unit 103.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the structure of the substrate processing section 102.

As shown in fig. 8, the substrate processing unit 102 includes a transfer unit 105, a device forming unit 106, an alignment unit 107, a substrate cutting unit 108, a guide member attaching device 300, and an information detecting device 400. The substrate processing unit 102 is a part that forms the above-described respective components of the organic EL element 50 on the thin film substrate FB while conveying the thin film substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply unit 101, and that feeds the thin film substrate FB on which the organic EL element 50 is formed to the substrate collection unit 103.

The conveying unit 105 has a plurality of rollers RR (conveying portions) arranged at positions along the X direction. The film substrate FB is also conveyed in the X-axis direction by the rotation of the roller RR. The roller RR may be a rubber roller that sandwiches the film substrate FB from both sides, or may be a roller RR with a pawl if the film substrate FB has a through hole. Some of the rollers RR are movable in the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The conveying unit 105 is not limited to the roller RR, and may be configured to have a plurality of conveying belts (conveying portions) capable of at least air-sucking the guide member LDR, for example.

The element forming portion 106 includes a partition wall forming portion 91, an electrode forming portion 92, and a light-emitting layer forming portion 93. The partition wall forming portion 91, the electrode forming portion 92, and the light-emitting layer forming portion 93 are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the film substrate FB. Hereinafter, the respective configurations of the element forming portion 106 will be described in order.

The partition wall forming section 91 includes a platen roller 110 and a heat transfer roller 115. The partition forming unit 91 forms a partition BA for the film substrate FB fed from the substrate supply unit 101. In the partition forming section 91, the film substrate FB is pressed by the platen roller 110, and the pressed partition BA is heated to a glass transition temperature or higher by the heat transfer roller 115 to maintain the shape of the film substrate FB. Therefore, the mold shape formed on the roller surface of the platen roller 110 is transferred onto the film substrate FB. The film substrate FB is heated to, for example, about 200 ℃ by the heat transfer roller 115. The platen roller 110 and the thermal transfer roller 11 may also function as the transfer portion of the transfer unit 105. The transport unit may be configured to be movable at least in the transport direction (X direction) of the guide member LDR according to the length of the guide member LDR in the transport direction.

The roll surface of the platen roll 110 is mirror-finished, and a fine platen 111 made of SiC, Ta, or the like is attached to the roll surface. The fine imprint mold 111 forms a stamper (stamp) for wiring of the thin film transistor and a stamper for the color filter.

The platen 110 forms an alignment mark AM on the thin film substrate FB using the fine-imprint mold 111. The micro-imprint mold 111 has a stamper for the alignment mark AM in order to form the alignment mark AM on both sides in the width direction of the thin film substrate FB, that is, in the Y-axis direction.

The electrode forming portion 92 is provided on the + X side of the partition wall forming portion 91, and forms, for example, a thin film transistor using an organic semiconductor. Specifically, the gate electrode G, the gate insulating layer I, the source electrode S, the drain electrode D, and the pixel electrode P as shown in fig. 6A to 6C are formed, and then the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed.

The Thin Film Transistor (TFT) may be a thin film transistor of an inorganic semiconductor system or a thin film transistor using an organic semiconductor. As a thin film transistor of an inorganic semiconductor, an amorphous silicon-based thin film transistor is known, but a thin film transistor using an organic semiconductor may be used. When a thin film transistor is formed using the organic semiconductor, the thin film transistor can be formed by using a printing technique or a droplet application technique. Among thin film transistors using an organic semiconductor, a Field Effect Transistor (FET) as shown in fig. 6A to 6C is particularly preferable.

The electrode forming section 92 includes a droplet applying device 120, a heat processing device BK, a cutting device 130, and the like.

In the present embodiment, as the droplet applying device 120, for example, a droplet applying device 120G used in forming the gate electrode G, a droplet applying device 120I used in forming the gate insulating layer I, a droplet applying device 120SD used in forming the source electrode S, the drain electrode D, and the pixel electrode P, a droplet applying device 120OS used in forming the organic semiconductor OS, and the like can be used.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of droplet applying apparatus 120. Fig. 9 shows a configuration when droplet applying apparatus 120 is viewed from the + Z side. The droplet applying device 120 is formed long in the Y-axis direction. The droplet applying device 120 is provided with a driving device not shown. The droplet applying device 120 is movable in, for example, the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ Z direction by the driving device.

A plurality of nozzles 122 are formed in the droplet applying device 120. The nozzle 122 is provided on the surface of the droplet applying apparatus 120 opposite to the film substrate FB. The nozzles 122 are arranged in the Y-axis direction, for example, and the rows (nozzle rows) of the nozzles 122 are formed in, for example, 2 rows. The control unit 104 may apply the droplets to all the nozzles 122 at once, or may adjust the timing of applying the droplets to each of the nozzles 122.

The droplet applying device 120 may be, for example, an ink jet system, a liquid separation system, or the like. Examples of the ink jet system include a charge control system, a pressure vibration system, an electromechanical conversion system, a thermoelectric conversion system, and an electrostatic adsorption system. The droplet application method is less wasteful in use of the material, and can accurately dispose a desired amount of the material at a desired position. The amount of one drop of the metallic ink applied by the drop application method is, for example, 1 to 300 nanograms.

As shown in fig. 8, the droplet applying device 120G applies a metal ink into the partition walls BA of the gate bus lines GBL. The droplet applying device 120I applies an electrically insulating ink of polyimide resin or urethane resin to a switch (switching) portion. The droplet applying device 120SD applies metal ink to the inside of the partition walls BA of the source bus lines SBL and the inside of the partition walls BA of the pixel electrodes P. The droplet applying device 120OS applies the organic semiconductor ink to the switching portion between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D.

The metal ink is a liquid in which a conductor having a particle diameter of about 5nm is stably dispersed in a solvent at room temperature, and carbon, silver (Ag), gold (Au), or the like can be used as the conductor. The compound forming the organic semiconductor ink may be a single crystalline material, an amorphous material, a low molecular material, or a high molecular material. Particularly preferred compounds among the compounds forming the organic semiconductor ink include single crystals of condensed ring aromatic hydrocarbon compounds typified by pentacene, benzo [9, 10] phenanthrene, anthracene, and the like, and pi-conjugated polymers.

The heat processing apparatuses BK are disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate conveyance direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 120. The heat processing apparatus BK can emit, for example, hot air, far infrared rays, or the like to the film substrate FB. The heat processing apparatus BK dries or sinters (bakes) the droplets applied to the film substrate FB to cure the droplets using the radiated heat.

Cutting device 130 is provided on the + X side of droplet application device 120SD and on the upstream side of droplet application device 120 OS. The cutting device 130 cuts the source electrode S and the drain electrode D formed by the droplet applying device 120SD using, for example, a laser or the like. The cutting device 130 includes a light source (not shown) and a galvano meter mirror (galvano mirror)131 for irradiating laser light from the light source onto the film substrate FB.

The type of laser light is preferably a laser light having a wavelength that can be absorbed in the metal film to be cut, and a harmonic of 2, 3, or 4 times of YAG or the like is preferable as the wavelength conversion laser light. Further, by using a pulse laser, thermal diffusion can be prevented, and damage other than the cutting portion can be reduced. When the material is aluminum, a femtosecond laser with a wavelength of 760nm is preferably used.

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

Since the femtosecond laser is used in this embodiment mode, processing on a submicron scale is possible, and the gap between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D, which determines the performance of the field effect transistor, can be accurately cut. The distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is, for example, about 3 μm to about 30 μm.

In addition to the femtosecond laser described above, for example, a carbon dioxide laser, a green laser, or the like may be used. In addition to the laser, a structure in which cutting is mechanically performed by a dicing saw or the like may be employed.

The galvanometer mirror 131 is disposed on the optical path of the laser beam LL. The galvanometer mirror 131 reflects the laser light LL from the light source onto the film substrate FB. The galvanometer mirror 131 is provided to be rotatable in, for example, the θ X direction, the θ Y direction, and the θ Z direction. The irradiation position of the laser light LL changes by the rotation of the galvanometer mirror 131.

By using both the partition wall forming portion 91 and the electrode forming portion 92, a thin film transistor or the like can be formed by using a printing technique or a droplet applying technique without using a so-called photolithography step. For example, when only the electrode forming portion 92 using a printing technique, a droplet applying technique, or the like is used, a thin film transistor or the like may not be formed with high accuracy due to penetration or spreading of ink.

On the other hand, since the partition BA is formed by using the partition forming portion 91, the penetration and spreading of ink can be prevented. The interval between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D, which determines the performance of the thin film transistor, is formed by laser processing or machining.

The light-emitting layer forming portion 93 is disposed on the + X side of the electrode forming portion 92. The light-emitting layer forming section 93 forms, for example, a light-emitting layer IR, a pixel electrode ITO, and the like, which are components of the organic EL device, on the thin film substrate FB on which the electrodes are formed. The light-emitting layer forming section 93 includes a droplet applying device 140 and a heat processing device BK.

The light-emitting layer IR formed by the light-emitting layer formation portion 93 contains a host compound and a phosphorescent compound (also referred to as a phosphorescent compound). The host compound is a compound contained in the light-emitting layer. The phosphorescent compound is a compound that observes light emission from an excited triplet state, and generates phosphorescence light emission at room temperature.

In the present embodiment, for example, a droplet applying device 140Re for forming a red light emitting layer, a droplet applying device 140Gr for forming a green light emitting layer, a droplet applying device 140Bl for forming a blue light emitting layer, a droplet applying device 140I for forming an insulating layer, a droplet applying device 140IT for forming a pixel electrode ITO, and the like are used as the droplet applying devices 140.

As the droplet applying device 140, an ink jet method or a liquid separation method can be used as in the droplet applying device 120 described above. For example, when a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, or the like is provided as a component of the organic EL element 50, a device (e.g., a droplet application device or the like) for forming these layers is separately provided.

The droplet applying device 140Re applies the R solution on the pixel electrode P. The droplet-applying apparatus 140Re adjusts the discharge amount of the R solution so that the film thickness after drying becomes 100 nm. As the R solution, for example, Polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) as a host material may use a solution in which a red dopant material is dissolved in 1, 2-dichloroethane.

The droplet applying device 140Gr applies the G solution to the pixel electrode P. As the G solution, for example, a solution in which a green dopant material is dissolved in 1, 2-dichloroethane can be used as the host material PVK.

The droplet applying device 140Bl applies the B solution on the pixel electrode P. As the B solution, for example, a solution in which a blue dopant material is dissolved in 1, 2-dichloroethane can be used as the host material PVK.

Droplet applying device 120I applies electrically insulating ink to a part of gate bus line GBL or source bus line SBL. As the electrically insulating ink, for example, an ink of a polyimide-based resin or a urethane-based resin can be used.

The droplet applying device 120IT applies ITO (Ind) on the red, green and blue light emitting layersThe indium Tin Oxide: indium tin oxide) ink. As the ITO ink, indium oxide (In) can be used₂O₃) In which tin oxide (SnO) of several percent is added₂) And the like. In addition, IDIXO (In) can be used₂O₃-ZnO), etc. for making a transparent conductive film in an amorphous state. The transparent conductive film preferably has a transmittance of 90% or more.

The heat processing apparatuses BK are disposed on the + X side (downstream side in the substrate conveyance direction) of each droplet applying apparatus 140. The heat processing apparatus BK can emit, for example, hot air or far infrared rays to the thin film substrate FB, similarly to the heat processing apparatus BK used in the electrode forming section 92. The heat processing apparatus BK dries or sinters (bakes) the droplets applied to the film substrate FB by using these radiant heat to cure the droplets.

The alignment unit 107 includes a plurality of alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8) provided along the X direction. The alignment camera CA may pick up an image by a CCD or CMOS under visible light illumination and process the picked-up image to detect the position of the alignment mark AM, or may irradiate laser light to the alignment mark AM and receive scattered light thereof to detect the position of the alignment mark AM.

The alignment camera CA1 is disposed on the + X side of the thermal transfer roller 115. The alignment camera CA1 detects the position of the alignment mark AM formed on the film substrate FB by the heat transfer roller 115. The alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 are disposed on the + X side of the heat processing apparatus BK, respectively. The alignment cameras CA2 to CA8 detect the positions of the alignment marks AM of the thin film substrate FB having passed through the heat processing apparatus BK.

Since the film substrate FB passes through the heat transfer roller 115 and the heat processing apparatus BK, there is a possibility that the film substrate FB extends and contracts in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. By disposing the alignment cameras CA on the + X side of the heat transfer roller 115 to be subjected to the heat treatment and on the + X side of the heat treatment device BK in this manner, it is possible to detect the positional deviation of the thin film substrate FB due to thermal deformation or the like.

The detection results of the alignment cameras CA1 to CA8 are transmitted to the control unit 104. The controller 104 performs, for example, adjustment of the application position and timing of the ink by the droplet application device 120 and the droplet application device 140, adjustment of the speed of the film substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply unit 101 or the conveyance speed of the roller RR, adjustment of the movement in the Y direction by the roller RR, adjustment of the cutting position and timing of the cutting device 130, and the like, based on the detection results of the alignment cameras CA1 to CA 8.

The guide member attaching apparatus 300 is an apparatus for cutting the film F of the film substrate FB and attaching the guide member LDR to the cut portion, for example. The guide member sticking apparatus 300 is provided in the substrate processing unit 102 in 1 or more. In the present embodiment, 1 guide member attaching device 300 is provided between the partition wall forming portion 91 and the electrode forming portion 92, and 1 guide member attaching device 300 is provided between the electrode forming portion 92 and the light emitting layer forming portion 93, and the total number is 2.

The guide member attaching device 300 includes, for example, a cutting section for cutting the film F, a position reference forming section for forming the film-side position reference section Fd on the film F, a positioning section for performing positioning between the position reference section of the guide member LDR and the film-side position reference section Fd of the film F, and the like.

The information detection device 400 is, for example, a device that detects information held in the information holding unit 204 of the guide member LDR. The information detected by the information detection device 400 is supplied to the control unit 104, for example. The information detection device 400 is provided, for example, on the upstream side of the partition wall forming unit 91 in the substrate processing unit 102. By disposing the information detection apparatus 400 upstream of the partition forming unit 91, information on the thin film substrate FB is supplied to the substrate processing unit 102 (or the control unit 104) before the partition forming process, which is substantially the first process of the thin film substrate FB by the substrate processing unit 102. Since each process such as the partition wall forming process can be performed based on the information, the substrate processing unit 102 can perform an optimum process corresponding to the information of the thin film substrate FB. The position at which the information detection device 400 is disposed is not limited to the upstream side of the partition wall forming portion 91, and may be any position within the substrate processing portion 102 as long as the information held in the information holding portion 204 can be read. When the information held in the information holding unit 204 is used for processing in the substrate processing unit 102, it is preferably provided upstream of the substrate processing unit 102. In the present embodiment, the guide member attaching apparatus 300 may be an apparatus configured to attach the guide member LDR to a predetermined portion of the film substrate FB in a step disposed upstream of the partition forming unit 91.

In the present embodiment, for example, when a one-dimensional barcode is formed as the information holding portion 204, a one-dimensional barcode reading device is used as the information detection device 400. When a two-dimensional barcode is formed as the information holding portion 204, a two-dimensional barcode reading device is used as the information detection device 400. Also, when patterns of IC tags, memory elements, and the like are formed as the information holding portion 204, a device capable of reading information held therein is used as the information detection device 400. Of course, a device having a function of reading a plurality of types of information including at least a part of the above-mentioned types may be used as the information detection device 400.

(operation for producing film substrate)

Next, a process of manufacturing the film substrate FB will be described. Fig. 10(a) to 10(d) show a process for manufacturing the thin film substrate FB. The film substrate FB is manufactured by, for example, an apparatus having the same configuration as the above-described guide member sticking apparatus 300. The guide member LDR is attached to, for example, a table not shown. The dotted line shown in fig. 10(a) to 10(c) indicates the position to which the guide member LDR is to be attached.

First, as shown in fig. 10(a), the film F is disposed so as to pass over a predetermined position to be bonded of the guide member LDR by, for example, the conveying roller 210 or the like. Fig. 10(a) shows an example in which the film F is conveyed from the right side to the left side in the drawing, for example, but the conveying direction may be reversed.

Then, as shown in fig. 10(b), the film F is cut on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the predetermined position to be bonded of the guide member LDR, and after the film-side position reference portion Fd is formed on the cut piece on the conveying roller 210 side, the end Fa of the film F is conveyed to the conveying roller 210 side. The cut piece F0 cut out from the film F is fixed, for example, at the position at the time of cutting.

Then, as shown in fig. 10(c), the end Fa of the film F is arranged at the connection position. This connecting position corresponds to, for example, the step 201 of the predetermined position to attach the guide member LDR. When the film F is disposed, the position can be adjusted while detecting the film-side position reference portion Fd formed on the film F by the alignment camera CA300 or the like, for example.

Then, as shown in fig. 10 d, a positioning process is performed between the film F and the guide member LDR (positioning process), and after the positioning, the guide member LDR is attached to the film F and the film F is connected to each other (connecting process).

In the positioning step, the film F is detected at the positions in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the drawing and at the positions in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the drawing of the guide member LDR using the film-side position reference portion Fd provided on the film F and the position reference portion 202 provided on the guide member LDR (position detection step), and the bonding position of the guide member LDR is adjusted based on the detected positions. In the position detection step, the positions of the film-side position reference portion Fd and the position reference portion 202 are detected using, for example, the alignment cameras CA300 and CA 301. For example, before the alignment step, the position reference portion 202 is formed on the guide member LDR.

For example, as shown in fig. 10(d), in the joining step, the film F is thermocompression bonded to the guide member LDR using a thermocompression bonding roller 211 or the like. A heat-welding type adhesive may be applied in advance to the guide member LDR, and the film F and the guide member LDR may be connected by welding the adhesive.

In the present embodiment, since the film F is aligned with the guide member LDR, a region (an element forming region 60 described later) of the film F where the organic EL element 50 is formed is indirectly aligned with the guide member LDR. In the present embodiment, since the guide member LDR is conveyed with high accuracy by the conveying unit 105, the element forming region 60 in the film F is aligned with high accuracy by the guide member LDR.

(operation of storing film substrate in substrate Cartridge)

Next, a storage operation of storing the film substrate FB in the substrate cartridge 1 configured as described above will be described. Fig. 11A and 11B are views showing the state of the substrate cartridge 1 during the storing operation. For convenience of discrimination, the outer shape of the substrate cartridge 1 is shown by a broken line in fig. 11A and 11B.

As shown in fig. 11A, when the film substrate FB is stored in the substrate cartridge 1, the film substrate FB is inserted from the opening 34 in a state where the substrate cartridge 1 is held on the support body HD. When the film substrate FB is inserted, the tension roller 21a and the turning shaft member 26a (roller portion 26) are turned in advance.

The film substrate FB inserted through the opening 34 is guided to the substrate conveying unit 21 by the substrate guide unit 22. In the substrate transport unit 21, the film substrate FB is sandwiched between the tension roller 21a and the measurement roller 21b and transported toward the storage unit 20. The film substrate FB having passed through the substrate transport unit 21 toward the storage unit 20 is guided while being bent in the-Z direction by its own weight. In the present embodiment, since the guide portion 27 is provided on the-Z side of the film substrate FB, the film substrate FB is guided to the roller portion 26 along the rotating member 27a and the front end member 27b of the guide portion 27.

When the leading end of the film substrate FB reaches the cylindrical portion 26c of the roller portion 26, the claw member 28a protruding from the cylindrical portion 26c is inserted into the opening 203 of the film substrate FB provided in the guide member LDR. In this state, since each part of the roller portion 26 rotates integrally, the film substrate FB is wound around the cylindrical portion 26c in a state where the claw member 28a is engaged with the opening 203 of the guide member LDR.

After the film substrate FB is wound by 1 turn, for example, with respect to the roller portion 26, the guide portion 27 is retracted as shown in fig. 11B. By rotating the roller portion 26 in this state, the film substrate FB is gradually wound around the roller portion 26. The thickness of the film substrate FB to be wound gradually increases, but the film substrate FB does not contact the guide portion 27 because the guide portion 27 has already retracted.

Then, the film substrate FB is gradually wound around the cylindrical portion 26c, and the claw member 28a is pressed toward the rotary shaft member 26a by the wound film substrate FB. The pressing force elastically deforms the pressing member 28b, and the claw member 28a is accommodated in the recess 26e. After the film substrate FB is wound up, the film substrate FB is conveyed, for example, while adjusting the rotation speed of the tension roller 21a and the rotation speed of the rotary shaft member 26a, so that the film substrate FB is not deflected between the roller portion 26 and the substrate conveying portion 21. After the film substrate FB is wound up to a desired length, the film substrate FB is cut at a portion outside the opening 34, for example. Thus, the film substrate FB is accommodated in the substrate tube 1.

(operation of substrate processing apparatus)

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

In the present embodiment, the connection operation of connecting the substrate tube 1 accommodating the film substrate FB to the supply-side connection portion 102A as the substrate supply portion 101, the operation of supplying the film substrate FB by the substrate tube 1 performed by the substrate supply portion 101, the element forming operation performed by the substrate processing portion 102, and the removal operation of the substrate tube 1 are sequentially performed.

First, the connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1 will be described. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a connection operation of the substrate cartridge 1.

As shown in fig. 12, the insertion port is formed in advance in a shape corresponding to the fitting portion 3 for the supply-side connecting portion 102A.

In the connection operation, the mounting portion 3 and the supply-side connection portion 102A are aligned with each other with the substrate cartridge 1 held by a support (for example, a support HD shown in fig. 11A). After the alignment, the mounting portion 3 is moved to the + X side and inserted into the substrate processing portion 102.

Next, the supply operation will be described. When the film substrate FB is supplied to the substrate processing section 102, for example, the rotary shaft member 26a (roller section 26) of the substrate barrel 1 and the tension roller 21a are rotated in the opposite direction to that in the storage operation, and the film substrate FB is fed out through the opening 34 as shown in fig. 13. At this time, the opening of the guide member LDR is sent out from the opening 34.

Next, the element forming operation will be described. In the element forming operation, while the thin film substrate FB is supplied from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate processing unit 102, elements are continuously formed on the thin film substrate FB in the substrate processing unit 102. In the substrate processing section 102, the film substrate FB is conveyed by the rollers RR.

In the substrate processing unit 102, first, the information held in the information holding unit 204 of the guide member LDR is detected by the information detection device 400. The control unit 104 acquires information from the information detection device 400, for example, and controls the subsequent operation of the substrate processing unit 102 based on the processing information. Then, the control section 104 detects whether or not the roller RR is offset in the Y-axis direction, and when the roller RR is offset, the roller RR is moved to correct the position. The control unit 104 also performs position correction of the film substrate FB.

The film substrate FB supplied from the substrate supply unit 101 to the substrate processing unit 102 is first transferred to the partition forming unit 91. In the partition forming section 91, the film substrate FB is sandwiched and pressed by the platen roller 110 and the thermal transfer roller 115, and the partition BA and the alignment mark AM are formed on the film substrate by thermal transfer.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a state in which the partition BA and the alignment mark AM are formed on the film substrate FB. Fig. 15 is an enlarged view of a part of fig. 14. Fig. 16 is a view showing a structure taken along a section D-D in fig. 15. Fig. 14 and 15 show the film substrate FB as viewed from the + Z side.

As shown in fig. 14, the partition wall BA is formed in the element forming region 60 in the Y-direction central portion of the film substrate FB. As shown in fig. 15, by forming the partition walls BA, the element forming region 60 is divided into a region (gate forming region 52) where the gate bus lines GBL and the gate electrodes G are formed, and a region (source/drain forming region 53) where the source bus lines SBL, the source electrodes S, the drain electrodes D, and the anodes P are formed. As shown in fig. 16, the gate formation region 52 is formed in a trapezoidal shape in cross section. Although not shown, the source/drain formation region 53 has the same shape. The width W (μm) in the partition wall BA is the line width of the gate bus line GBL. The width W is preferably about 2 to 4 times the droplet diameter d (μm) to be applied by the droplet applying device 120G.

In the cross-sectional shape of the gate electrode formation region 52 and the source/drain electrode formation region 53, a V-shape or a U-shape in cross-section is preferable so that the thin film substrate FB can be easily peeled off after the thin film substrate FB is pressed by the fine imprint mold 11. The other shape may be, for example, a rectangular shape in cross section.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 14, the alignment marks AM are formed in a pair in the edge areas 61 at both ends in the Y direction of the film substrate FB. The partition wall BA and the alignment mark AM are formed at the same time because the positional relationship therebetween is important. As shown in fig. 15, a predetermined distance PY between alignment mark AM and gate electrode forming region 52 is defined in the Y-axis direction, and a predetermined distance PX between alignment mark AM and source/drain electrode forming region 53 is defined in the X-axis direction. Therefore, the shift in the X-axis direction, the shift in the Y-axis direction, and the θ rotation of the film substrate FB can be detected based on the positions of the pair of alignment marks AM.

In fig. 14 and 15, a pair of alignment marks AM is provided for a plurality of rows of partition walls BA in the X-axis direction, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the alignment marks AM may be provided for 1 row of partition walls BA, for example. In addition, if there is a space, the alignment mark AM may be provided not only in the edge region 61 of the film substrate FB but also in the element forming region 60. In fig. 14 and 15, the alignment mark AM is shown in a cross shape, but may have other mark shapes such as a circular mark and an inclined straight mark.

Subsequently, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the electrode forming section 92 by the conveying rollers RR. In the electrode forming section 92, each droplet applying device 120 applies droplets to form an electrode on the film substrate FB.

First, the gate bus lines GBL and the gate electrodes G are formed on the film substrate FB by the droplet applying device 120G. Fig. 17A and 17B are diagrams illustrating a state of the film substrate FB on which the droplet applying device 120G applies droplets.

As shown in fig. 17A, the droplet applying device 120G applies the metal inks in the order of, for example, 1 to 9 in the gate electrode forming region 52 of the film substrate FB on which the partition walls BA are formed. This sequence is, for example, a sequence in which the metallic inks are applied in a linear form by tension. Fig. 17B is a diagram showing a state after applying, for example, 1 drop of metallic ink. As shown in fig. 17A, since the partition walls BA are provided, the metal ink applied to the gate electrode formation region 52 is held without being diffused. The metal ink is thus applied to the entirety of the gate electrode formation region 52.

After the metal ink is applied to the gate electrode forming region 52, the portion of the film substrate FB that is conveyed to be applied with the metal ink is located on the-Z side of the heat processing apparatus BK. The heat processing apparatus BK performs heat processing on the metal ink applied to the film substrate FB to dry the metal ink. Fig. 18A is a diagram showing a state of the gate electrode formation region 52 after drying the metal ink. As shown in fig. 18A, by drying the metal ink, the conductor included in the metal ink is laminated in a thin film shape. Such a thin film conductor is formed on the entire gate forming region 52, and as shown in fig. 18B, the gate bus line GBL and the gate electrode G are formed on the thin film substrate FB.

Then, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the-Z side of the droplet applying device 120I. In the droplet applying apparatus 120I, the electrically insulating ink is applied to the film substrate FB. As shown in fig. 19, in droplet applying device 120I, electrically insulating ink is applied to gate bus lines GBL and gate electrodes G passing through source/drain forming region 53.

After the application of the electrically insulating ink, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the-Z side of the heat processing apparatus BK, and the heat processing apparatus BK applies a heat process to the electrically insulating ink. By this heat treatment, the electrically insulating ink is dried, and the gate insulating layer I is formed. In fig. 19, the gate insulating layer I is formed in a circular shape over the partition BA, but it is not always necessary to form it over the partition BA.

After the gate insulating layer I is formed, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the-Z side of the droplet applying device 120 SD. In the droplet applying device 120SD, the metal ink is applied to the source/drain forming region 53 of the film substrate FB. The portions of the source/drain formation regions 53 that straddle the gate insulating layer I are ejected with metal ink in the order of, for example, 1 to 9 as shown in fig. 20.

After the metal ink is discharged, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the-Z side of the heat processing apparatus BK, and the metal ink is dried. After the drying process, the conductors included in the metal ink are laminated in a thin film to form the source bus lines SBL, the source electrodes S, the drain electrodes D, and the anodes P. However, at this stage, the source electrode S and the drain electrode D are connected to each other.

Then, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the-Z side of the cutting device 130. In the cutting device 130, the thin film substrate FB is cut between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D. Fig. 21 is a diagram showing a state where the distance between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D is cut by the cutting device 130. In the cutting apparatus 130, cutting is performed while adjusting the irradiation position of the laser beam LL on the film substrate FB by using the galvanometer mirror 131.

After being cut between the source electrode S and the drain electrode D, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the-Z side of the droplet applying device 120 OS. In the droplet applying device 120OS, the organic semiconductor layer OS is formed on the film substrate FB. The organic semiconductor ink is discharged to a region overlapping with the gate electrode G on the thin film substrate FB so as to straddle the source electrode S and the drain electrode D.

After the organic semiconductor ink is discharged, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the-Z side of the heat processing apparatus BK, and the organic semiconductor ink is dried. After the drying treatment, the semiconductor contained in the organic semiconductor ink is laminated in a thin film form, and as shown in fig. 22, an organic semiconductor OS is formed. Through the above steps, the field effect transistor and the connection wiring are formed on the thin film substrate FB.

Then, the film substrate FB is conveyed to the light-emitting layer forming section 93 by the conveying rollers RR. In the light-emitting layer forming section 93, the red, green, and blue light-emitting layers IR are formed by the droplet applying device 140Re, the droplet applying device 140Gr, the droplet applying device 140Bl, and the heat treatment device BK, respectively. Since the partition walls BA are formed on the film substrate FB, even when the red, green, and blue light emitting layers IR are continuously applied without performing heat treatment by the heat treatment device BK, the solution does not overflow to the adjacent pixel regions and color mixing occurs.

After the light emitting layer IR is formed, the thin film substrate FB is passed through the droplet applying device 140I and the heat processing device BK to form the insulating layer I, and the transparent electrode ITO is passed through the droplet applying device 140IT and the heat processing device BK. Through such steps, the organic EL element 50 shown in fig. 1 is formed on the film substrate FB.

In the element forming operation, the alignment operation is performed to prevent the film substrate FB from shifting in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ Z direction in the process of forming the organic EL element 50 while conveying the film substrate FB as described above. The alignment operation will be described below with reference to fig. 23.

During the alignment operation, the plurality of alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8) provided at each unit detect the alignment marks AM formed on the film substrate FB as appropriate, and transmit the detection results to the control unit 104. The control unit 104 performs an alignment operation based on the transmitted detection result.

For example, the control unit 104 detects the transport speed of the film substrate FB based on the imaging interval of the alignment mark AM detected by the alignment cameras CA (CA1 to CA8), and determines whether or not the roller RR rotates at a predetermined speed, for example. When it is determined that the roller RR is not rotating at the predetermined speed, the control section 104 issues a command for adjusting the rotation speed of the roller RR and feeds back the command.

Further, for example, the control unit 104 detects whether or not the position of the alignment mark AM in the Y-axis direction is shifted based on the imaging result of the alignment mark AM, and detects whether or not there is a positional shift of the film substrate FB in the Y-axis direction. When the positional deviation is detected, the control section 104 detects a time for which the positional deviation continues in a state where the film substrate FB is conveyed.

If the time for the positional deviation is short, the nozzle 122 for applying the droplet is switched among the plurality of nozzles 122 of the droplet applying device 120. When the shift of the film substrate FB in the Y axis direction continues for a long time, the position of the film substrate FB in the Y axis direction is corrected by the movement of the roller RR.

Further, for example, the control unit 104 detects whether or not the film substrate FB is shifted in the θ Z direction based on the positions of the alignment marks AM in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction detected by the alignment camera CA. When the positional deviation is detected, the control unit 104 detects how long the positional deviation continues in a state where the film substrate FB is conveyed, as in the case of detecting the positional deviation in the Y axis direction.

If the time for the positional deviation is short, the nozzle 122 for applying the droplet is switched among the plurality of nozzles 122 of the droplet applying device 120. When the shift continues for a long time, the 2 rollers RR provided at positions sandwiching the alignment camera CA where the shift is detected are moved in the X direction or the Y direction, and the position correction in the θ Z direction of the film substrate FB is performed.

Next, the detaching operation will be explained. For example, after the organic EL element 50 is formed on the film substrate FB and the film substrate FB is collected, the substrate cartridge 1 used as the substrate supply unit 101 is removed from the substrate processing unit 102.

Fig. 24 is a diagram showing the removal operation of the substrate cartridge 1.

In the detaching operation, the fitting portion 3 is moved in the-X direction to be detached from the supply-side connection portion 102A. Thereby removing the fitting portion 3.

As described above, the guide member LDR according to the present embodiment includes: since the connection portion (step portion 201) connected to the film F having flexibility and the position reference portion 202 used for at least positioning between the film F and the connection portion (step portion 201) are provided, the connection portion can be connected to a desired position of the film F with high accuracy.

In addition, the film substrate FB according to the present embodiment includes: the film F that is conveyed in a predetermined direction and has flexibility, and the guide member LDR of the present embodiment connected to the end portion of the film F, the end portion of the film F can be reliably protected. This can reduce deformation such as bending and distortion of the film F caused by the conveyance of the film substrate FB.

Further, since the substrate tube 1 according to the present embodiment includes the tube main body 2 that houses the film substrate FB having flexibility, the film substrate FB can be housed in a state in which bending, distortion, or the like hardly occurs. Further, since the substrate tube 1 housed in the present embodiment includes the tube main body 2 housing the film substrate FB having flexibility, the film substrate FB housed in a state in which bending, distortion, or the like hardly occurs can be fed out.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes: a substrate processing unit 102 for processing a flexible film substrate FB; a substrate supply unit 101 for carrying the film substrate FB into the substrate processing unit 102; and a substrate recovery unit 103 for carrying out the thin film substrate FB from the substrate processing unit 102; since the substrate cartridge 1 of the present embodiment is used as at least one of the substrate supply unit 101 and the substrate recovery unit 103, the thin film substrate FB supplied in a state where bending, distortion, or the like is hardly present can be processed, and the processed thin film substrate FB can be stored.

Further, the guide member connecting method according to the present embodiment is a guide member connecting method for connecting a flexible film F to a guide member LDR, and includes a positioning step of aligning the film F with the guide member LDR and a connecting step of connecting the film F to the guide member LDR after the positioning step.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the dimension of the guide member LDR in the X direction may be set so that the dimension of the guide member LDR is longer than, for example, the interval between the rollers RR adjacent to each other in the conveyance direction (X direction) among the rollers RR provided in the substrate processing section 102. Thus, since the guide member LDR is conveyed in a state of being supported by at least 2 or more rollers RR, the conveyance can be performed more reliably.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 25, the distance between the inlet-side roller RR and the outlet-side roller RR of each processing unit such as the partition wall forming unit 91 and the electrode forming unit 92 of the substrate processing unit 102 is set to a length of L1 or more. As shown in fig. 25, the distance between the exit-side roller RR of each processing unit such as the partition wall forming unit 91 and the electrode forming unit 92 and the entrance-side roller RR of the next processing unit may be set to a length of L2 or more. Further, since the film substrate FB has at least the rigidity equal to or higher than the film F, the distance L1 between the inlet-side roller RR and the outlet-side roller RR of each processing unit or the distance L2 between the outlet-side roller RR and the inlet-side roller RR of the next processing unit can be longer than the case where the guide member LDR is not present, for example. The length of the guide member LDR in the transport direction in the present embodiment is not particularly limited, and may be set to 30cm or more, for example, considering the length of the droplet application device 120 in the transport direction, the interval between the processing units in the transport direction, and the width of the exposure field in the transport direction when the processing unit is an exposure device.

In addition, as shown in fig. 25, for example, when the partition wall forming portion 91 and the electrode forming portion 92 are housed as separate devices and the substrate processing portion 102 is assembled by connecting the partition wall forming portion 91 and the electrode forming portion 92, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may include a bridge guide BG as an auxiliary portion between the partition wall forming portion 91 and the electrode forming portion 92. For example, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the arrangement height (height in the Z direction) of the rollers RR on the outlet side of each processing section is as high as possible as the arrangement height of the rollers RR on the inlet side of the next processing section, and is about 50cm to 100cm from the viewpoint of operability and visibility. When the arrangement height of the exit-side roller RR of each processing section is different from the arrangement height of the entrance-side roller RR of the next processing section, the bridge guide BG may be arranged to be inclined in the height direction (Z direction).

For example, when the dimension L3 in the X direction of the guide member LDR is smaller than the interval L1 between the entrance-side roller RR and the exit-side roller RR of each processing unit such as the partition wall forming unit 91 and the electrode forming unit 92 of the substrate processing unit 102, a slide claw (slide close) mechanism 500, a guide plate 501, or the like may be provided as an auxiliary unit as shown in fig. 26. The sliding claw mechanism 500 has a claw (clutch) member 500a having a protruding portion that can be inserted into the opening 203 of the guide member LDR, and is configured to be movable in the X direction along the guide rail 500 b. The end of the claw member 500a on the downstream side in the moving direction is movable in the-Z direction, and the inserted protrusion can be pulled out. As shown in fig. 26, 2 guide plates 501 (guide plates 501a and 501b) are provided on the upstream side of each processing unit (here, the electrode forming unit 92 is illustrated), 1 guide plate 501c and 501d is provided on each end in the X direction in the drawing in the electrode forming unit 92, and 2 guide plates 501e and 501f are provided on the downstream side of the electrode forming unit 92.

As shown in fig. 27, for example, when the partition wall forming portion 91 is configured to apply tension to the + Z side of the film substrate FB by the heat transfer roller 115, the guide plate 502, the loading roller 503, the bernoulli chuck (bernoulli) 504, the cover member 505, or the like may be arranged as an auxiliary portion when the dimension L3 in the X direction of the guide member LDR is smaller than the distance L4 between the rollers RR on the outer surface of the heat transfer roller 115.

In fig. 27, examples of the loading roller 503 include a loading roller 503a provided so as to be able to approach (access) the roller RR disposed on the upstream side of the heat transfer roller 115, a loading roller 503b provided so as to be able to approach the heat transfer roller 115, and a loading roller 503c provided so as to be able to approach the roller RR disposed on the downstream side of the heat transfer roller 115.

The bernoulli chuck 504 has a bernoulli mechanism that generates a negative pressure based on, for example, movement of the film substrate FB, and the film substrate FB is brought close to the bernoulli chuck 504 side. Since the negative pressure generating surface of the bernoulli chuck 504 is provided along the moving direction of the film substrate FB, the film substrate FB can be prevented from being caught by the heat transfer roller 115.

The cover member 505 is provided to cover both ends of the film substrate FB in the X direction while leaving a region of the thermal transfer roller 115 in contact with the fine imprint mold 111, for example. Accordingly, the film substrate FB moves along the outer surface of the heat transfer roller 115.

For example, although the above embodiment describes the configuration in which the film substrate FB is conveyed while being held in a state in which tension is applied to the film substrate FB in the substrate processing section 102, the present invention is not limited to this, and the film substrate FB may be conveyed so as to be deflected as shown in fig. 28(a) to 28 (c). In this case, as shown in fig. 28(a), for example, the guide plate 506a and the upstream roller 508 are disposed on the upstream side of the stay portion 510 where the film substrate FB is bent, and the downstream roller 509 and the guide plates 506b and 506c are disposed on the downstream side of the stay portion 510. Further, for example, the bridge plate 507 is connected to the upstream roller 508 in advance. The bridge plate 507 is a plate member that transmits the film substrate FB between the upstream roller 508 and the downstream roller 509, for example.

In the stay section 510, first, as shown in fig. 28(a) and 28(b), the guide member LDR of the leading end of the film substrate FB is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side of the stay section 510 via the bridge plate 507 as the auxiliary portion. The guide member LDR is supported by, for example, a roller RR on the downstream side of the stay portion 510, and then releases the bridge plate 507 as shown in fig. 28 (c). Since the upstream roller 508 and the upstream roller 508 are not supported by releasing the bridge plate 507, the film F of the film substrate FB transferred later is bent along the shape of the stay portion 510. In this way, the stay portion 510 may be configured to not deflect the guide member LDR but to deflect the film F.

In the above-described embodiment, the description has been given of an example of the configuration in which the position reference portion 202 is formed as the guide member LDR, such as a mark, for example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in fig. 29, notches 520 and 530 may be formed in a part of the guide member LDR, and the guide member LDR and the film F may be aligned using the notches 520 and 530.

In the example shown in fig. 29, the notches 520 and 530 are provided at both ends (corner portions) in the Y direction of the connection portion (step portion 201) with the film F. The cutouts 520 and 530 are formed to be accommodated in the imaging regions 540 and 550 of the CCD camera or the like, for example. As shown in the enlarged portion of fig. 29, the cutout portions 520 and 530 have sides 520a and 530a, respectively, which are parallel to the X direction in the figure.

When the positioning is performed using the cut portions 520 and 530, first, the guide member LDR is disposed so that the cut portions 520 and 530 overlap a part of the film F. Then, for example, distances Δ X1 and Δ X2 from the edge Fa of the film F are determined for the opposite sides 520a and 530a, respectively. Then, distances Δ Y1 and Δ Y2 from the side Fg on the-Y side and the side Fh on the + Y side of the film F are obtained for the side 520b on the-Y side and the side 530b on the + Y side of the guide member LDR, respectively. Then, the bonding position of the guide member LDR is adjusted so that Δ X1 becomes Δ X2 and Δ Y1 becomes Δ Y2, for example. With this configuration, alignment can be performed without forming a separate mark on the film F side.

Description of reference numerals: a thin film substrate; a guide component; a film; end portion; fd.. a film-side position reference portion; a substrate cartridge; a cartridge body; a roller portion; rotating a shaft member; a diameter expanding portion; a cylindrical portion; a recess; an opening portion; a snap-fit mechanism; a claw member; a pressing member; a substrate processing apparatus; a substrate supply section; 102.. a substrate processing portion; a substrate recovery section; a control section; a transfer unit; a droplet application device; a step portion; 202.. a position reference; an opening portion; an information holding portion; a guide member adhering device; an information detection device; 520. a cutout.

Claims (15)

1. A flexible strip-shaped sheet substrate for forming a circuit, comprising:

a flexible film substrate having a predetermined dimension in a short-side direction of the tape-shaped sheet substrate and a predetermined length in a long-side direction of the tape-shaped sheet substrate, the circuit being formed on a surface of the flexible film substrate; and

and a guide member having a width corresponding to the dimension of the thin-film substrate in the short-side direction, connected to an end of the thin-film substrate in the long-side direction, and having a position reference portion formed thereon for positioning the thin-film substrate.

2. The sheet substrate according to claim 1,

the dimension of the film substrate in the short side direction is made to be the same as the width dimension of the guide member.

3. The sheet substrate according to claim 1 or 2,

the guide member has a notch portion as the position reference portion,

the guide member is connected to the film substrate so that a portion of the film substrate overlaps a portion of the cutout.

4. The sheet substrate according to claim 1,

the guide member has a step portion at a connection portion connected to an end portion of the film substrate,

the end of the film substrate is connected to the step.

5. The sheet substrate according to claim 4,

the step portion is formed such that one surface of the guide member and one surface of the film substrate are in a coplanar state.

6. A substrate cartridge for storing the sheet substrate according to claim 1, comprising:

a shaft member that is driven to rotate by a drive mechanism in order to wind the sheet substrate in a roll shape in the longitudinal direction;

a protrusion portion provided to protrude from an outer surface of the shaft member and engaged with an opening portion formed in a part of the guide member of the sheet substrate; and

and a housing section that houses the sheet substrate wound in the roll shape around the shaft member and includes an opening for taking in and out the sheet substrate.

7. The substrate cartridge of claim 6,

the protruding portion is provided so as to be able to protrude and be housed in an opening portion formed in an outer surface of the shaft member.

8. The substrate cartridge of claim 6,

the guide member of the sheet substrate is set to a length dimension that enables winding of at least 1 turn or more around the shaft member.

9. A guide connection method for connecting a guide member to an end portion of a flexible strip-shaped film substrate having a circuit formed on a surface thereof, comprising:

an alignment step of detecting a positional relationship between the film substrate and the guide member by using a position reference portion on a substrate side provided in a part of the film substrate and a notch portion as a position reference portion provided in a part of the guide member, and aligning the film substrate with the guide member; and

and a connecting step of connecting the guide member to an end of the film substrate after the aligning step.

10. A method for manufacturing a display element for forming a display element constituted by a plurality of pixels on the sheet substrate according to claim 1, comprising:

a step of conveying the sheet substrate into a substrate processing apparatus for forming the display element using the guide member; and

and forming a circuit of the display element in a predetermined formation region on the sheet substrate aligned with the position reference portion of the guide member by the substrate processing apparatus.

11. The method for manufacturing a display element according to claim 10,

the substrate processing apparatus has at least 2 conveying portions that convey the sheet substrate,

the length of the guide member in the conveying direction is equal to or greater than the arrangement interval between the 2 conveying sections.

12. The method for manufacturing a display element according to claim 10 or 11,

the method includes a step of transferring the substrate using an auxiliary unit that assists the transfer of the guide member.

13. A method of manufacturing a display device, the method being a method of manufacturing a display device in which a flexible strip-shaped sheet substrate is carried in a longitudinal direction to a processing apparatus for manufacturing a display device, and a predetermined process is performed on the sheet substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

a step of connecting a sheet-like guide member having a size and a thickness such that the sheet-like guide member can be loaded into the processing apparatus in the same manner as the sheet substrate and having a rigidity higher than that of the sheet substrate to an end portion of the sheet substrate in a longitudinal direction thereof in a predetermined length range;

a step of carrying in a tip end portion of the guide member to the processing apparatus; and

and setting a guide portion between the plurality of rollers or around the rollers so that a tip end portion of the guide member is carried out of the processing apparatus by the plurality of rollers provided in the processing apparatus.

14. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 13,

the guide member has an information holding portion for holding information relating to the specification of the sheet substrate, processing information for the sheet substrate, or processing information at a specific position, and the processing device reads the information held by the information holding portion of the guide member and applies the information to processing of the sheet substrate.

15. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 14,

the processing apparatus includes at least two processing units arranged along a longitudinal direction of the sheet substrate and performing different processes on the sheet substrate, and the predetermined length of the guide member is set to be equal to or greater than an arrangement interval between the two processing units.