JP2016080474A - Droplet inspection device, droplet inspection method, program, and computer storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly inspect a droplet discharged to a discharged body.SOLUTION: A droplet inspection device 1 includes: a radiation portion 10 that radiates an ultraviolet lay on a radiation area 22 on an inspection sheet 20 including a droplet 21; an imaging portion 11 that picks up an image of the radiation area 22 where the droplet 21 (or the inspection sheet 20) emits light; an ultraviolet lay blocking filter 12 that is provided on an optical axis of the imaging portion 11 and blocks an ultraviolet lay 31 reflected from the inspection sheet 20; and a measurement portion 13a that measures the size of the droplet 21 and the position of the droplet 21 on the inspection sheet 20 on the basis of the image picked up by the imaging portion 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet inspection apparatus that inspects droplets discharged onto a discharge target, a droplet inspection method using the droplet inspection apparatus, a program, and a computer storage medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) that is a light emitting diode using light emission of organic EL (Electroluminescence) is known. An organic EL display using such an organic light emitting diode is advantageous in that it is thin and lightweight, has low power consumption, and is excellent in response speed, viewing angle, and contrast ratio. In recent years, it has attracted attention as a panel display (FPD).

  The organic light emitting diode has a structure in which an organic EL layer is sandwiched between an anode and a cathode on a substrate. The organic EL layer is formed, for example, by laminating a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer in this order from the anode side. In forming each layer of these organic EL layers (in particular, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, and a light emitting layer), for example, a method of discharging droplets of an organic material onto a substrate by an inkjet method is used.

  By the way, in the organic light emitting diode, each layer of the organic EL layer is formed by a thin film of several tens of nanometers. Therefore, for example, if a droplet ejection failure occurs in any of the layers, the influence causes the product to operate. Appears prominently. For this reason, it is necessary to inspect the ejected liquid droplets in order to suppress such liquid droplet ejection defects.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a droplet discharge device that uses the above-described inkjet method. The droplet discharge device includes an inspection sheet that receives inspection discharge from a droplet discharge head, and an inspection discharge on the inspection sheet. A recognition camera for recognizing an image of the landed dots of the droplets is provided. In such a droplet discharge device, an inspection is performed as to whether or not each discharge nozzle of the droplet discharge head normally discharges a droplet based on image recognition by a recognition camera.

  Further, for example, in Patent Document 2, a droplet is ejected from each ejection nozzle of a droplet ejection head and landed on a detected paper, and a droplet landed on the detected paper is captured by an imaging device, and the captured image is captured. Based on the data, it has been proposed to inspect for ejection defects of the ejection nozzle such as missing nozzles or flying bends.

  Further, for example, in Patent Document 3, it is proposed to use a discharge inspection camera equipped with a switchable ring illuminator (which can switch illumination light to three colors) when imaging a landing dot of a droplet as described above. ing. Specifically, the ejection inspection camera images the landing dot under illumination light that is switched to an appropriate color by the switchable ring illuminator according to the type (color tone) of the droplet.

  In addition, changing the color tone of illumination light according to the color tone of a droplet in imaging the landing dot of a droplet in this way is also disclosed in Patent Document 4, for example.

JP 2008-233833 A JP 2009-95725 A JP 2010-82490 A JP 2010-214318 A

  However, since the organic material used for forming the organic EL layer is usually colorless and transparent or colorless and translucent, it is difficult to provide contrast between the droplet and the discharge target to which the droplet is discharged. In particular, if the discharge target is also colorless and transparent or colorless and translucent, it becomes more difficult to provide contrast. Even when the discharge amount of the organic material is small, it is difficult to provide contrast between the droplet and the discharge target.

  In such a case, even if the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are used, the liquid droplets cannot be appropriately imaged by simply imaging the liquid droplets as they are. In Patent Documents 3 and 4, the color tone of the illumination light is changed according to the color tone of the droplet. However, as long as the illumination light is visible light, the droplet cannot be appropriately imaged. Then, when inspecting the droplet, a measurement error occurs when measuring the size of the droplet and the position of the droplet on the discharge target. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the inspection of droplets.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object thereof is to appropriately inspect a droplet discharged to a discharge target.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a droplet inspection apparatus for inspecting a droplet discharged to a discharge target, and irradiates an irradiation region on the discharge target including the droplet with ultraviolet rays. Based on an irradiation unit, an imaging unit that images the droplet or the irradiation region emitted by the discharge target, and a size of the droplet and the discharge target based on a captured image captured by the imaging unit And a measuring unit for measuring the position of the droplet above. Note that the liquid droplets in the present invention include not only granular liquid droplets but also liquid ejected in a fixed amount onto the body to be ejected.

  According to the present invention, the irradiation region is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit, the droplets or the discharge target in the irradiation region are caused to emit light, and the irradiation region is imaged by the imaging unit. In such a case, for example, even when the droplet before ultraviolet irradiation is colorless and transparent or colorless and translucent, or even when the amount of droplets discharged is small, the droplets after being irradiated with ultraviolet rays or the discharge target are made to emit light, In the captured image, the contrast between the droplet and the discharge target can be increased. As a result, the size of the droplet and the position of the droplet on the discharge target can be appropriately measured based on the captured image, and a conventional measurement error can be suppressed. Then, it is possible to appropriately inspect the droplets discharged to the discharge target.

  The droplet inspection apparatus may further include an ultraviolet blocking filter that is provided on the optical axis of the imaging unit and blocks ultraviolet rays reflected by the discharge target.

  The imaging unit is disposed in a direction in which the optical axis of the imaging unit is perpendicular to the main surface of the discharge target body, and the irradiation unit is configured to irradiate the droplets with ultraviolet rays obliquely from above. It may be arranged.

  Further, the imaging unit is arranged in a direction in which the optical axis of the imaging unit is perpendicular to the main surface of the discharge target body, and the irradiation unit is arranged in a direction to irradiate ultraviolet rays from below the droplet. May be.

  Furthermore, the droplet inspection apparatus may further include an optical path changing unit that directs an optical path of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit toward the irradiation region.

  The droplet inspection device may be provided inside a droplet discharge device that discharges the droplet onto the discharge target body by an ink jet method.

  The droplet may be an organic material used for the organic EL layer.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a droplet inspection method for inspecting a droplet discharged to a discharge target body, wherein an irradiation region on the discharge target body including the droplet is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from an irradiation unit. The liquid droplets or the discharge target in the irradiation region are caused to emit light, the irradiation region is imaged by the imaging unit, and the size of the droplet and the discharge target are determined based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit. The position of the droplet on the body is measured.

  When the object to be ejected is imaged by the imaging unit, the ultraviolet rays reflected by the object to be ejected may be blocked by an ultraviolet blocking filter provided on the optical axis of the imaging unit.

  The droplet inspection may be performed inside a droplet discharge device that discharges the droplet onto the discharge target by an inkjet method.

  The droplet may be an organic material used for the organic EL layer.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that operates on a computer of the droplet inspection apparatus so that the droplet inspection method is executed by the droplet inspection apparatus.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a readable computer storage medium storing the program is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately measure the size of a droplet discharged to a discharge target and the position of the droplet on the discharge target, and to inspect the droplet appropriately.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the droplet test | inspection apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the captured image imaged with a droplet test | inspection apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the comparative example in which a droplet test | inspection is not performed appropriately. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the droplet test | inspection apparatus concerning other embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the droplet test | inspection apparatus concerning other embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the droplet test | inspection apparatus concerning other embodiment. It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of the substrate processing system provided with the droplet test | inspection apparatus. It is a side view which shows the outline of a structure of an organic light emitting diode. It is a top view which shows the outline of a structure of the partition of an organic light emitting diode.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

  First, the configuration of the droplet inspection apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the droplet inspection apparatus 1. Note that the dimensions of each component do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions in order to prioritize easy understanding of the technology.

  The droplet inspection apparatus 1 includes an irradiation unit 10, an imaging unit 11, an ultraviolet blocking filter 12, and a control unit 13. The inside of the droplet inspection apparatus 1 is maintained in a dark place without light. Then, the droplet inspection apparatus 1 inspects the droplets 21 that are discharged onto the inspection sheet 20 as the discharge target. The droplet 21 to be inspected absorbs ultraviolet rays and emits light (phosphorescence or fluorescence). Specifically, for example, as described later, an organic material or the like is an inspection target.

  The irradiation unit 10 is arranged in a direction in which the droplets 21 on the inspection sheet 20 are irradiated with ultraviolet rays obliquely from above. The irradiation unit 10 includes an ultraviolet light source (not shown), and the wavelength of the ultraviolet light emitted from the irradiation unit 10 is, for example, 365 nm. When ultraviolet rays having such a wavelength are used, it is possible to suppress the generation of ozone inside the droplet inspection apparatus 1. The irradiation unit 10 irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the droplets 21 discharged onto the inspection sheet 20. Hereinafter, an area on the inspection sheet 20 including the droplet 21 and irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit 10 is referred to as an irradiation area 22.

  The imaging unit 11 is disposed in a direction in which the optical axis of the imaging unit 11 is perpendicular to the main surface of the inspection sheet 20, and is disposed vertically above the droplet 21 (irradiation region 22) in the present embodiment. The Although various cameras can be used for the imaging unit 11, for example, an area scan camera is used. And the imaging part 11 images the irradiation area | region 22 of the test | inspection sheet 20 irradiated with the ultraviolet-ray from the irradiation part 10. FIG. The captured image captured by the imaging unit 11 is output to the measurement unit 13a of the control unit 13 described later.

The ultraviolet blocking filter 12 is provided on the optical axis of the imaging unit 11, and is attached to the lens 11a of the imaging unit 11 in the present embodiment. As the ultraviolet blocking filter 12, any filter can be used as long as it blocks the progress of ultraviolet rays having the above wavelength. And the ultraviolet rays reflected by the irradiation region 22 of the inspection sheet 20 are
Light entering the imaging unit 11 is blocked by the ultraviolet blocking filter 12.

  The control unit 13 controls the operations of the irradiation unit 10 and the imaging unit 11 in the droplet inspection apparatus 1, and also determines the size of the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 based on the captured image captured by the imaging unit 11. The position (landing position) of the droplet 21 is measured. The control unit 13 includes a measurement unit 13a, and the measurement and measurement of the size and position of the droplet 21 are performed in the measurement unit 13a. By measuring the size of the droplet 21 in this way, the weight of the droplet 21 is also measured. Further, the position of the droplet 21 on the inspection sheet 20 can be measured from the relationship between the imaging unit 11 and the inspection sheet 20 since the position of the imaging unit 11 is known in advance. In the measurement unit 13a, at least the size and position of the droplet 21 are measured as described above, but the size and shape of other droplets 21 may be measured.

  The control unit 13 is a computer, for example, and has a program storage unit (not shown). In the program storage unit, in addition to the program for controlling the operation of the irradiation unit 10 and the imaging unit 11, the size of the droplet 21 is determined based on the program for image processing of the captured image and the image processed data. A program for calculating the position of the droplet 21 on the inspection sheet 20 is stored. The program is recorded on a computer-readable storage medium such as a computer-readable hard disk (HD), flexible disk (FD), compact disk (CD), magnetic optical desk (MO), or memory card. Or installed in the control unit 13 from the storage medium.

  Next, a method for inspecting the droplet 21 performed using the droplet inspection apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  When the droplet 21 is discharged onto the inspection sheet 20, the irradiation unit 10 irradiates the irradiation region 22 on the inspection sheet 20 with ultraviolet rays. Then, the droplet 21 in the irradiation region 22 absorbs ultraviolet rays and emits light. In the irradiation region 22, the inspection sheet 20 around the droplet 21 is preferably made of a material that does not emit light even when irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

  Then, the irradiation area 22 is imaged by the imaging unit 11. At this time, the visible light component 30 of the droplet 21 emitted from the irradiation region 22 and the ultraviolet light 31 reflected by the irradiation region 22 travel vertically upward, but the ultraviolet light 31 is blocked by the ultraviolet blocking filter 12.

  FIG. 2 shows a captured image captured by the imaging unit 11. As described above, since the droplet 21 emits light in the irradiation region 22, the contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 can be increased. When the inspection sheet 20 does not emit light, the contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 can be further increased.

  The captured image captured by the imaging unit 11 is output to the measurement unit 13 a of the control unit 13. In the measurement unit 13a, the size of the droplet 21 and the position of the droplet 21 on the inspection sheet 20 are measured based on the captured image. In this way, the droplet 21 is inspected.

  According to the above embodiment, the irradiation unit 10 emits ultraviolet rays toward the droplet 21 on the inspection sheet 20 to cause the droplet 21 to emit light, and the irradiation region 22 including the emitted droplet 21. Is imaged by the imaging unit 11. In this case, for example, even when the droplet 21 before ultraviolet irradiation is colorless and transparent or colorless and translucent, or even when the discharge amount of the droplet 21 is small, imaging is performed by causing the droplet 21 after ultraviolet irradiation to emit light. The contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 can be increased in the image. Further, when the imaging unit 11 captures the irradiation region 22, since the ultraviolet rays 31 reflected by the irradiation region 22 are blocked by the ultraviolet blocking filter 12, the contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 in the captured image is further increased. Can be increased. As a result, the measurement unit 13 a of the control unit 13 can appropriately measure the size of the droplet 21 and the position of the droplet 21 on the inspection sheet 20 based on the captured image, and ejects the droplet onto the inspection sheet 20. It is possible to properly inspect the droplet 21 to be formed.

  In the present embodiment, when the droplet 21 is inspected, the droplet 21 is caused to emit light by ultraviolet irradiation, but the inspection sheet 20 may be caused to emit light. In such a case, the contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 can be increased in the captured image captured by the imaging unit 11 without causing the droplet 21 to emit light. Since it is not necessary to cause the droplets 21 to emit light in this way, the width of the inspection object is widened, and for example, the droplets 21 such as resist, color resist, and nanometal ink can be inspected.

  Next, the arrangement of the irradiation unit 10 will be described. The arrangement of the irradiation unit 10 can be arbitrarily selected if the irradiation region 22 is appropriately irradiated with the ultraviolet ray 31. For example, FIG. 3 shows a comparative example in which the ultraviolet ray 31 is not properly applied to the irradiation region 22. As shown in FIG. 3, when the ultraviolet ray 31 irradiated from the irradiation unit 10 is irradiated inside the lens 11 a of the imaging unit 11, the ultraviolet ray 31 is blocked by the ultraviolet blocking filter 12 and the irradiation region 22 of the inspection sheet 20. Not reach. For this reason, the droplet 21 or the inspection sheet 20 cannot be caused to emit light, and the effects of the present embodiment described above cannot be enjoyed.

  In this respect, in the present embodiment, the irradiation unit 10 is arranged in a direction to irradiate the droplets 21 with ultraviolet rays obliquely from above, so that the irradiation region 22 is appropriately irradiated with the ultraviolet rays 31 from the irradiation unit 10. Can do. In addition, since the ultraviolet rays 31 reflected by the irradiation region 22 do not become too strong, the ultraviolet rays 31 can be reliably blocked by the ultraviolet blocking filter 12. Therefore, the contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 in the captured image captured by the imaging unit 11 can be further increased.

  In addition, by arranging the irradiation unit 10 obliquely above the droplet 21 in this way, it is possible to prevent the quality of the captured image from being deteriorated due to the influence of the diffused light. Furthermore, in order to improve the quality of the captured image, light guiding means such as a condensing lens (not shown) may be provided between the irradiation unit 10 and the inspection sheet 20.

  Note that the arrangement of the irradiation unit 10 is not limited to an obliquely upward direction with respect to the droplet 21 as in the above embodiment, and can be arbitrarily selected as long as the ultraviolet ray 31 is appropriately irradiated to the irradiation region 22 as described above. it can.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the irradiation unit 10 may be disposed vertically below the irradiation region 22. In such a case, the irradiation unit 10 can appropriately irradiate the irradiation region 22 with the ultraviolet rays 31. Moreover, similarly to the droplet inspection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the ultraviolet rays 31 that pass through the irradiation region 22 of the inspection sheet 20 can be weakened, and the ultraviolet rays 31 can be reliably blocked by the ultraviolet blocking filter 12. As a result, the contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 can be increased in the captured image captured by the imaging unit 11.

  For example, the droplet inspection apparatus 1 may be provided with an optical path changing unit that directs the optical path of the ultraviolet rays 31 from the irradiation unit 10 toward the irradiation region 22. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, an optical path changing unit 40 such as a reflecting mirror may be provided below the imaging unit 11. Alternatively, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, an optical path changing unit 41 that is dome-shaped illumination connected to the light source of the irradiation unit 10 may be provided below the lens 11 a of the imaging unit 11. In any case, the optical path of the ultraviolet rays 31 from the irradiation unit 10 is changed by the optical path changing units 40 and 41 so as to go to the irradiation region 22. Accordingly, the irradiation unit 10 can appropriately irradiate the irradiation region 22 with the ultraviolet rays 31, and the contrast between the droplet 21 and the inspection sheet 20 in the captured image captured by the imaging unit 11 can be increased.

  Next, an application example of the droplet inspection apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the substrate processing system 100 including the droplet inspection apparatus 1. In the substrate processing system 100, an organic EL layer of an organic light emitting diode is formed.

  First, the outline of the structure of the organic light emitting diode and the manufacturing method thereof will be described. FIG. 8 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the organic light emitting diode 500. As shown in FIG. 8, the organic light emitting diode 500 has a structure in which an organic EL layer 530 is sandwiched between an anode (anode) 510 and a cathode (cathode) 520 on a glass substrate G. The organic EL layer 530 is formed by laminating a hole injection layer 531, a hole transport layer 532, a light emitting layer 533, an electron transport layer 534, and an electron injection layer 535 in this order from the anode 510 side.

  In manufacturing the organic light emitting diode 500, first, the anode 510 is formed on the glass substrate G. The anode 510 is formed using, for example, a vapor deposition method. For the anode 510, for example, a transparent electrode made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is used.

  Thereafter, a partition 540 is formed on the anode 510 as shown in FIG. The partition 540 is patterned into a predetermined pattern by performing, for example, a photolithography process or an etching process. A plurality of slit-shaped openings 541 are formed in the partition wall 540 side by side in the row direction (X direction) and the column direction (Y direction). Inside the opening 541, as will be described later, an organic EL layer 530 and a cathode 520 are stacked to form a pixel. For the partition 540, for example, a photosensitive polyimide resin is used.

  Thereafter, an organic EL layer 530 is formed on the anode 510 in the opening 541 of the partition wall 540. Specifically, the hole injection layer 531 is formed on the anode 510, the hole transport layer 532 is formed on the hole injection layer 531, the light emitting layer 533 is formed on the hole transport layer 532, and the light emitting layer is formed. An electron transport layer 534 is formed on the electron transport layer 533, and an electron injection layer 535 is formed on the electron transport layer 534.

  In the present embodiment, the hole injection layer 531, the hole transport layer 532, and the light emitting layer 533 are each formed in the substrate processing system 100. That is, in the substrate processing system 100, an organic material coating process, an organic material decompression drying process, and an organic material baking process are sequentially performed by an inkjet method, and the hole injection layer 531, the hole transport layer 532, and the light emitting layer are sequentially processed. 533 is formed.

  Further, the electron transport layer 534 and the electron injection layer 535 are each formed using, for example, a vapor deposition method.

  Thereafter, a cathode 520 is formed on the electron injection layer 535. The cathode 520 is formed using, for example, a vapor deposition method. For the cathode 520, for example, aluminum is used.

  In the organic light emitting diode 500 manufactured as described above, a predetermined number of holes injected in the hole injection layer 531 are applied to the hole transport layer 532 by applying a voltage between the anode 510 and the cathode 520. A predetermined number of electrons injected by the electron injection layer 535 are transported to the light emitting layer 533 through the electron transport layer 534. Then, holes and electrons recombine in the light emitting layer 533 to form excited molecules, and the light emitting layer 533 emits light.

  Next, the substrate processing system 100 shown in FIG. 7 will be described. Note that an anode 510 and a partition wall 540 are formed in advance on a glass substrate G to be processed by the substrate processing system 100. In the substrate processing system 100, a hole injection layer 531, a hole transport layer 532, and a light emitting layer 533 are formed. It is formed.

  The substrate processing system 100 carries a plurality of glass substrates G into the substrate processing system 100 from the outside in units of cassettes, takes out the glass substrate G before processing from the cassette C, and performs predetermined processing on the glass substrates G. A processing station 102 including a plurality of processing apparatuses for performing processing, a glass substrate G after processing in a cassette C, and a carrying-out station 103 for carrying out the plurality of glass substrates G from the substrate processing system 100 to the outside in units of cassettes; Are integrally connected. The carry-in station 101, the processing station 102, and the carry-out station 103 are arranged in this order in the X direction.

  The loading station 101 is provided with a cassette mounting table 110. The cassette mounting table 110 can mount a plurality of cassettes C in a line in the Y direction. That is, the carry-in station 101 is configured to be able to hold a plurality of glass substrates G.

  The carry-in station 101 is provided with a substrate transport body 112 that can move on a transport path 111 extending in the Y direction. The substrate transfer body 112 is also movable in the vertical direction and the vertical direction, and can transfer the glass substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 102. The substrate transport body 112 transports the glass substrate G by suction and holding, for example.

  The processing station 102 includes a hole injection layer forming unit 120 that forms the hole injection layer 531, a hole transport layer forming unit 121 that forms the hole transport layer 532, and a light emitting layer forming unit that forms the light emitting layer 533. 122 are arranged in this order in the X direction from the loading station 101 side.

  In the hole injection layer forming unit 120, a first substrate transfer region 130, a second substrate transfer region 131, and a third substrate transfer region 132 are arranged in this order from the loading station 101 side in the X direction. Has been placed. Each substrate transport region 130, 131, 132 is provided extending in the X direction, and a substrate transport device (not shown) for transporting the glass substrate G is provided in the substrate transport region 130, 131, 132. The substrate transfer device is also movable in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the vertical direction, and can transfer the glass substrate G to each device provided adjacent to these substrate transfer regions 130, 131, 132.

  Between the carry-in station 101 and the first substrate transfer area 130, a transition device 133 for delivering the glass substrate G is provided. Similarly, transition devices 134 and 135 are provided between the first substrate transfer region 130 and the second substrate transfer region 131 and between the second substrate transfer region 131 and the third substrate transfer region 132, respectively. Is provided.

  On the positive side in the Y direction of the first substrate transport region 130, a coating device 140 as a droplet discharge device that coats an organic material for forming the hole injection layer 531 on the glass substrate G (anode 510). Is provided. In the coating device 140, an organic material is applied to a predetermined position on the glass substrate G, that is, inside the opening 541 of the partition wall 540 by an inkjet method. Note that the organic material of this embodiment is a solution in which a predetermined material for forming the hole injection layer 531 is dissolved in an organic solvent.

  The droplet inspection apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment is disposed inside the coating apparatus 140 and inspects the droplets 21 ejected from a droplet ejection head (not shown) by an inkjet method. The arrangement of the droplet inspection apparatus 1 in the coating apparatus 140 can be arbitrarily set.

  A buffer device 141 that temporarily stores a plurality of glass substrates G is provided on the Y direction negative direction side of the first substrate transfer region 130.

  A plurality of reduced-pressure drying apparatuses 142 for drying the organic material applied by the application apparatus 140 under reduced pressure are stacked on the Y-direction positive direction side and the Y-direction negative direction side of the second substrate transfer region 131, for example, a total of five Is provided. The vacuum drying apparatus 142 has, for example, a turbo molecular pump (not shown), and is configured to dry the organic material by reducing the internal atmosphere to 1 Pa or less, for example, with the turbo molecular pump.

  On the positive side in the Y direction of the third substrate transport region 132, a plurality of, for example, 20 heat treatment devices 143 for heat treating and baking the organic material dried by the reduced pressure drying device 142 are provided. The heat treatment apparatus 143 has a hot plate (not shown) on which the glass substrate G is placed, and is configured to fire the organic material by the hot plate.

  On the Y direction negative direction side of the third substrate transfer region 132, a plurality of temperature adjusting devices 144 for adjusting the glass substrate G heat-treated by the heat treatment device 143 to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature, are provided.

  In the hole injection layer forming unit 120, the number and arrangement of the coating device 140, the buffer device 141, the reduced pressure drying device 142, the heat treatment device 143, and the temperature control device 144 can be arbitrarily selected.

  In the hole transport layer forming portion 121, a first substrate transport region 150, a second substrate transport region 151, and a third substrate transport region 152 are arranged in the X direction from the hole injection layer formation portion 120 side. They are arranged in this order. Each substrate transport region 150, 151, 152 is provided extending in the X direction, and a substrate transport device (not shown) for transporting the glass substrate G is provided in the substrate transport region 150, 151, 152. . The substrate transfer device is also movable in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the vertical direction, and can transfer the glass substrate G to each device provided adjacent to these substrate transfer regions 150, 151, 152.

  Note that a heat treatment apparatus 163 and a temperature adjustment apparatus 164, which will be described later, are provided adjacent to the third substrate transfer region 152, and the insides of these apparatuses 163 and 164 are maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. For this reason, the inside of the third substrate transfer region 152 is also maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. In the following description, a low oxygen atmosphere refers to an atmosphere having an oxygen concentration lower than that of the air, for example, an atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of 10 ppm or less, and a low dew point atmosphere refers to an atmosphere having a dew point temperature lower than that of the air, such as a dew point temperature of − An atmosphere of 10 ° C. or lower. For example, an inert gas such as nitrogen gas is used as the low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  For transferring the glass substrate G between the hole injection layer forming part 120 and the first substrate transport region 150 and between the first substrate transport region 150 and the second substrate transport region 151, respectively. Transition devices 153 and 154 are provided. Between the second substrate transfer region 151 and the third substrate transfer region 152, a load lock device 155 capable of temporarily storing the glass substrate G is provided. The load lock device 155 is configured to be able to switch the internal atmosphere, that is, to switch between an air atmosphere and a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  As a droplet discharge device, an organic material for forming a hole transport layer 532 is applied on the glass substrate G (hole injection layer 531) on the positive side in the Y direction of the first substrate transport region 150. A coating device 160 is provided. In the coating device 160, an organic material is applied to a predetermined position on the glass substrate G, that is, inside the opening 541 of the partition wall 540 by an inkjet method. Note that the organic material in this embodiment is a solution in which a predetermined material for forming the hole-transport layer 532 is dissolved in an organic solvent.

  The droplet inspection apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment is disposed inside the coating apparatus 160, and inspects the droplet 21 ejected by an inkjet method from a droplet ejection head (not shown). The arrangement of the droplet inspection apparatus 1 in the coating apparatus 160 can be arbitrarily set.

  A buffer device 161 that temporarily accommodates a plurality of glass substrates G is provided on the Y direction negative direction side of the first substrate transfer region 150.

  On the Y direction positive direction side and Y direction negative direction side of the second substrate transfer region 151, a plurality of reduced pressure drying devices 162 for drying the organic material applied by the coating device 160 under reduced pressure are stacked, for example, five in total. Is provided. The vacuum drying apparatus 162 includes, for example, a turbo molecular pump (not shown), and is configured to dry the organic material by reducing the internal atmosphere to 1 Pa or less, for example.

  On the positive side in the Y direction of the third substrate transfer region 152, a plurality of, for example, 20 heat treatment devices 163 for heat treating and baking the organic material dried by the reduced pressure drying device 162 are provided. The heat treatment apparatus 163 includes a hot plate (not shown) on which the glass substrate G is placed, and is configured to fire the organic material using the hot plate. Further, the inside of the heat treatment apparatus 163 is maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  A plurality of temperature adjusting devices 164 for adjusting the glass substrate G heat-treated by the heat treatment device 163 to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature, are provided on the Y direction negative direction side of the third substrate transfer region 152. The inside of the temperature control device 164 is maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  In the hole transport layer forming unit 121, the number and arrangement of the coating device 160, the buffer device 161, the vacuum drying device 162, the heat treatment device 163, and the temperature control device 164 can be arbitrarily selected.

  In the light emitting layer forming unit 122, a first substrate transport region 170, a second substrate transport region 171 and a third substrate transport region 172 are arranged in this order from the hole transport layer forming unit 121 side in the X direction. Are arranged side by side. Each of the substrate transfer areas 170, 171 and 172 is provided extending in the X direction, and a substrate transfer apparatus (not shown) for transferring the glass substrate G is provided in each of the substrate transfer areas 170, 171 and 172. . The substrate transfer device is also movable in the horizontal direction, the vertical direction, and the vertical direction, and can transfer the glass substrate G to each device provided adjacent to these substrate transfer regions 170, 171, and 172.

  The third substrate transfer region 172 is provided with a heat treatment apparatus 183 and a temperature adjustment apparatus 184 which will be described later, and the inside of each of these apparatuses 183 and 184 is maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. For this reason, the inside of the third substrate transfer region 172 is also maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  For transferring the glass substrate G between the hole transport layer forming part 121 and the first substrate transport region 170 and between the first substrate transport region 170 and the second substrate transport region 171, respectively. Transition devices 173 and 174 are provided. A load lock device that can temporarily store the glass substrate G between the second substrate transfer region 171 and the third substrate transfer region 172, and between the third substrate transfer region 172 and the unloading station 103, respectively. 175, 176 are provided. The load lock devices 175 and 176 are configured to be able to switch the internal atmosphere, that is, to switch between an air atmosphere and a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  On the positive side in the Y direction of the first substrate transport region 170, a coating device as a droplet discharge device that coats an organic material for forming the light emitting layer 533 on the glass substrate G (hole transport layer 532) For example, two 180 are provided. In the coating device 180, an organic material is applied to a predetermined position on the glass substrate G, that is, inside the opening 541 of the partition wall 540 by an inkjet method. Note that the organic material in this embodiment is a solution in which a predetermined material for forming the light-emitting layer 533 is dissolved in an organic solvent.

  The droplet inspection apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment is disposed inside the coating apparatus 180 and inspects the droplets 21 ejected by an inkjet method from a droplet ejection head (not shown). The arrangement of the droplet inspection device 1 in the coating device 180 can be arbitrarily set.

  A buffer device 181 that temporarily accommodates a plurality of glass substrates G is provided on the Y direction negative direction side of the first substrate transfer region 170.

  A plurality of reduced-pressure drying apparatuses 182 for drying the organic material applied by the application apparatus 180 under reduced pressure are stacked on the Y-direction positive direction side and the Y-direction negative direction side of the second substrate transfer region 171, for example, a total of five Is provided. The vacuum drying apparatus 182 has, for example, a turbo molecular pump (not shown), and is configured to dry the organic material by reducing the internal atmosphere to 1 Pa or less, for example.

  On the positive side in the Y direction of the third substrate transfer region 172, a plurality of, for example, 20 heat treatment devices 183 for heat-treating and baking the organic material dried by the reduced pressure drying device 182 are provided. The heat treatment apparatus 183 includes a hot plate (not shown) on which the glass substrate G is placed, and is configured to fire the organic material using the hot plate. Further, the inside of the heat treatment apparatus 183 is maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  A plurality of temperature adjusting devices 184 for adjusting the glass substrate G heat-treated by the heat treatment device 183 to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature, are provided on the Y direction negative direction side of the third substrate transfer region 172. The inside of the temperature control device 184 is maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  In the light emitting layer forming unit 122, the number and arrangement of the coating device 180, the buffer device 181, the reduced pressure drying device 182, the heat treatment device 183, and the temperature adjusting device 184 can be arbitrarily selected.

  The unloading station 103 is provided with a cassette mounting table 190. The cassette mounting table 190 can mount a plurality of cassettes C in a line in the Y direction. That is, the carry-out station 103 is configured to be able to hold a plurality of glass substrates G.

  The unloading station 103 is provided with a substrate transport body 192 that can move on a transport path 191 extending in the Y direction. The substrate transfer body 192 is movable in the vertical direction and also around the vertical direction, and can transfer the glass substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 102. The substrate transport body 192 transports, for example, the glass substrate G by suction.

  Further, the inside of the carry-out station 103 is preferably maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere.

  The substrate processing system 100 described above is provided with the control unit 13 described above. Therefore, the droplet inspection apparatus 1 provided inside the coating apparatuses 140, 160, and 180 is controlled by the control unit 13. However, a program storage unit (not shown) of the control unit 13 stores a program for controlling the processing of the glass substrate G in the substrate processing system 100 in addition to the program for controlling the droplet inspection apparatus 1. ing.

  The control unit 13 also includes a data storage unit (not shown). In the data storage unit, for example, normal data of the size and position of droplets ejected by the coating apparatuses 140, 160, and 180, that is, drawing data (bitmap data) that matches a desired size and position is stored in advance. ing.

  Next, the processing method of the glass substrate G performed using the substrate processing system 100 configured as described above will be described.

  First, a cassette C containing a plurality of glass substrates G is carried into the carry-in station 101 and placed on the cassette placing table 110. Thereafter, the glass substrates G are sequentially taken out from the cassette C on the cassette mounting table 110 by the substrate carrier 112.

  The glass substrate G taken out from the cassette C is transported to the transition device 133 of the hole injection layer forming unit 120 by the substrate transport body 112 and further transported to the coating device 140 through the first substrate transport region 130. In the coating apparatus 140, an organic material for the hole injection layer 531 is applied to a predetermined position on the glass substrate G (anode 510), that is, inside the opening 541 of the partition wall 540 by an inkjet method.

  Here, in the coating device 140, when the coating process on the glass substrate G is completed, the droplet inspection device 1 inspects the droplet 21 ejected from a droplet ejection head (not shown). Specifically, the inspection sheet 20 is disposed below the droplet discharge head, and the droplet 21 is discharged from the droplet discharge head to the inspection sheet 20 for inspection. Immediately after the droplet 21 is discharged, the irradiation unit 10 irradiates the irradiation region 22 with ultraviolet rays to cause the droplet 21 to emit light, and the imaging unit 11 images the irradiation region 22 including the emitted droplet 21. . The captured image is output to the measurement unit 13a of the control unit 13, and the measurement unit 13a measures the size of the droplet 21 and the position of the droplet 21 on the inspection sheet 20 based on the captured image. . In this way, the droplet 21 is inspected.

  Note that the inspection of the droplet 21 is preferably performed immediately after the droplet 21 is ejected as described above in order to avoid the droplet 21 from drying and changing in size over time. . Here, for example, when a plurality of droplet discharge heads are provided in the coating apparatus 140, the droplets 21 are discharged from the last droplet discharge head after the droplets 21 are discharged from the first droplet discharge head. There is a time difference until the droplets 21 discharged during this time are dried over time and the size may change. In this regard, as described above, in order to inspect the droplet 21 immediately after application, for example, a plurality of imaging units 11 may be provided, or the imaging unit 11 may be configured to be movable. With this configuration, every time the droplet 21 is ejected from the droplet ejection head, the droplet 21 can be inspected.

  When the size and position of the droplet 21 are measured by the measurement unit 13a, the control unit 13 subsequently measures the measurement data of the size and position of the droplet 21 and the size and position of the droplet stored in advance. Compare with normal data. When the measurement data deviates from normal data, feedback control is performed so that the droplet discharge head of the coating apparatus 140 discharges normal droplets 21. The inspection of the droplets 21 and the feedback control for the droplet discharge head may be performed for each glass substrate G or for each predetermined number of glass substrates G.

  On the other hand, the glass substrate G that has been subjected to the coating process in the coating apparatus 140 is transported to the transition apparatus 134 via the first substrate transport area 130, and further transferred to the vacuum drying apparatus 142 via the second substrate transport area 131. Be transported. In the vacuum drying apparatus 142, the internal atmosphere is decompressed, and the organic material applied on the glass substrate G is dried.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the transition apparatus 135 via the second substrate transfer area 131 and further transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 143 via the third substrate transfer area 132. In the heat treatment apparatus 143, the glass substrate G placed on the hot plate is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 180 ° C., and the organic material of the glass substrate G is baked.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transported to the temperature adjustment device 144 via the third substrate transport region 132. In the temperature adjusting device 144, the temperature of the glass substrate G is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature. Thus, the hole injection layer 531 is formed on the glass substrate G (anode 510).

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the transition device 153 of the hole transport layer forming unit 121 via the third substrate transfer region 132 and further transferred to the coating device 160 via the first substrate transfer region 150. . In the coating device 160, an organic material for the hole transport layer 532 is applied onto the glass substrate G (hole injection layer 531) by an inkjet method. Here, when the coating process on the glass substrate G in the coating apparatus 160 is completed, the droplet inspection apparatus 1 inspects the droplet 21 and performs feedback control on the droplet discharge head. Since the inspection of the droplets 21 and the feedback control for the droplet discharge head are the same as those performed in the coating apparatus 140, description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the transition device 154 via the first substrate transfer region 150 and further transferred to the reduced-pressure drying device 162 via the second substrate transfer region 151. In the vacuum drying apparatus 162, the internal atmosphere is decompressed, and the organic material applied on the glass substrate G is dried.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transported to the load lock device 155 via the second substrate transport region 151. When the glass substrate G is carried into the load lock device 155, the inside thereof is switched to a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. Thereafter, the inside of the load lock device 155 and the inside of the third substrate transport region 152 that is similarly maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere are communicated.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 163 via the third substrate transfer region 152. The inside of the heat treatment apparatus 163 is also maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. In the heat treatment apparatus 163, the glass substrate G placed on the hot plate is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 200 ° C., and the organic material of the glass substrate G is baked.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transported to the temperature adjustment device 164 via the third substrate transport region 152. The inside of the temperature control device 164 is also maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. In the temperature adjusting device 164, the temperature of the glass substrate G is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature. Thus, the hole transport layer 532 is formed on the glass substrate G (hole injection layer 531).

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the transition device 173 of the light emitting layer forming unit 122 via the third substrate transfer region 152 and further transferred to the coating device 180 via the first substrate transfer region 170. In the coating apparatus 180, an organic material for the light emitting layer 533 is applied onto the glass substrate G (hole transport layer 532) by an inkjet method. Here, when the coating process on the glass substrate G in the coating device 180 is completed, the droplet inspection device 1 inspects the droplet 21 and performs feedback control on the droplet discharge head. Since the inspection of the droplets 21 and the feedback control for the droplet discharge head are the same as those performed in the coating apparatus 140, description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transported to the transition device 174 via the first substrate transport region 170 and further transported to the vacuum drying device 182 via the second substrate transport region 171. In the vacuum drying apparatus 182, the internal atmosphere is decompressed, and the organic material applied on the glass substrate G is dried.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the load lock device 175 via the second substrate transfer region 171. When the glass substrate G is carried into the load lock device 175, the inside thereof is switched to a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. Thereafter, the inside of the load lock device 175 and the inside of the third substrate transport region 172 that are similarly maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere are communicated.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the heat treatment apparatus 183 through the third substrate transfer region 172. The inside of the heat treatment apparatus 183 is also maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. In the heat treatment apparatus 183, the glass substrate G placed on the hot plate is heated to a predetermined temperature, for example, 160 ° C., and the organic material of the glass substrate G is baked.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the temperature adjustment device 184 via the third substrate transfer region 172. The inside of the temperature control device 184 is also maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. In the temperature adjusting device 184, the temperature of the glass substrate G is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature. Thus, the light emitting layer 533 is formed on the glass substrate G (hole transport layer 532).

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to the load lock device 176 via the third substrate transfer region 172. The inside of the load lock device 176 is maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere. Then, the inside of the load lock device 176 and the inside of the carry-out station 103 that is similarly maintained in a low oxygen and low dew point atmosphere are communicated.

  Next, the glass substrate G is transferred to a predetermined cassette C on the cassette mounting table 190 by the substrate transfer body 192 of the carry-out station 103. Thus, a series of processing of the glass substrates G in the substrate processing system 100 is completed.

  According to the above embodiment, since the droplet inspection apparatus 1 is provided inside the coating apparatuses 140, 160, 180, the droplets 21 ejected from the droplet ejection heads of the coating apparatuses 140, 160, 180 are provided. In addition, the droplet discharge head can be feedback controlled. Therefore, the ejection failure of the droplet 21 in the coating apparatuses 140, 160, and 180 is suppressed, and the size of the droplet 21 (that is, the weight of the droplet 21) and the position of the droplet 21 ejected onto the glass substrate G are appropriately set. Thus, the organic material can be appropriately applied to the glass substrate G.

  Note that the layout of the substrate processing system 100 of the above embodiment is not limited to the layout shown in FIG. 7 and can be arbitrarily set.

  In the substrate processing system 100 of the above embodiment, the hole injection layer 531, the hole transport layer 532, and the light emitting layer 533 are formed. Similarly, other electron transport layers 534 and electron injections of the organic light emitting diode 500 are formed. A layer 535 may also be formed. In other words, depending on the organic material used for the electron transport layer 534 and the electron injection layer 535, the electron transport layer 534 and the electron injection layer 535 are each coated with an organic material by an inkjet method, reduced pressure drying treatment of an organic material, organic The material is baked to form on the glass substrate G. In the coating process of the electron transport layer 534 and the electron injection layer 535, the droplet 21 may be inspected by the droplet inspection apparatus 1.

  In addition, the substrate processing system 100 that forms the organic EL layer 530 of the organic light emitting diode 500 has been described as an application example of the droplet inspection apparatus 1, but the application example of the droplet inspection apparatus 1 is not limited to this. For example, the droplet inspection apparatus 1 may be applied to a substrate processing system for applying a color resist.

  Furthermore, as an application example of the droplet inspection apparatus 1, the inkjet type coating apparatuses 140, 160, and 180 have been described, but the application example of the droplet inspection apparatus 1 is not limited to this. For example, the droplet inspection apparatus 1 may be applied to a coating apparatus that continuously discharges a predetermined amount of coating liquid, and the coating liquid may be inspected. In such a case, the droplet inspection apparatus 1 measures the size (weight) of the coating liquid discharged onto the discharge target and the position of the coating liquid on the discharge target. In the present embodiment, this fixed amount of coating liquid constitutes the droplet of the present invention.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various modifications or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the idea described in the claims, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Droplet inspection apparatus 10 Irradiation part 11 Imaging part 12 Ultraviolet blocking filter 13 Control part 13a Measurement part 20 Inspection sheet 21 Droplet 22 Irradiation area 30 Visible light component 31 Ultraviolet light 40, 41 Optical path change part 100 Substrate processing system 140,160, 180 coating device 500 organic light emitting diode 530 organic EL layer 531 hole injection layer 532 hole transport layer 533 light emission layer 534 electron transport layer 535 electron injection layer G glass substrate

Claims (13)

A droplet inspection apparatus for inspecting droplets discharged to a discharge target body,
An irradiation unit for irradiating the irradiation region on the discharge target body containing the droplet with ultraviolet rays;
An imaging unit that images the irradiation region emitted by the droplet or the discharge target;
A droplet inspection apparatus comprising: a measurement unit that measures a size of the droplet and a position of the droplet on the discharge target based on a captured image captured by the imaging unit. . The droplet inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ultraviolet blocking filter that is provided on an optical axis of the imaging unit and blocks ultraviolet rays reflected by the discharge target. The imaging unit is disposed in a direction in which the optical axis of the imaging unit is perpendicular to the main surface of the discharge target body,
The droplet inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit is arranged in a direction in which ultraviolet rays are irradiated obliquely from above the droplet. The imaging unit is disposed in a direction in which the optical axis of the imaging unit is perpendicular to the main surface of the discharge target body,
The droplet inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation unit is disposed in a direction in which ultraviolet rays are irradiated from below the droplet. The droplet inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an optical path changing unit that directs an optical path of ultraviolet rays from the irradiation unit toward the irradiation region. The droplet inspection apparatus is provided inside a droplet discharge device that discharges the droplet onto the discharge target by an inkjet method. Droplet inspection device. The droplet inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the droplet is an organic material used for an organic EL layer. A droplet inspection method for inspecting droplets to be discharged onto a discharge target body,
By irradiating the irradiation area on the discharge target body containing the droplet with ultraviolet rays from an irradiation unit, the liquid drop or the discharge target body in the irradiation area is caused to emit light,
The irradiation area is imaged by an imaging unit,
A droplet inspection method, comprising: measuring a size of the droplet and a position of the droplet on the ejection target based on a captured image captured by the imaging unit. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein when the object to be ejected is imaged by the image capturing unit, ultraviolet rays reflected by the object to be ejected are blocked by an ultraviolet blocking filter provided on an optical axis of the image capturing unit. The droplet inspection method described. 10. The droplet inspection method according to claim 8, wherein the droplet inspection is performed inside a droplet discharge device that discharges the droplet onto the discharge target by an inkjet method. The droplet inspection method according to claim 8, wherein the droplet is an organic material used for an organic EL layer. The program which operate | moves on the computer of the said droplet test | inspection apparatus so that the droplet test | inspection method as described in any one of Claims 8-11 may be performed by a droplet test | inspection apparatus. A readable computer storage medium storing the program according to claim 12.

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