Method for drying material to be heated, heating furnace, and method for manufacturing device

• US 20060236559A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Mori, Toshimasa
• Application Number:
  US11/299,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20060236559A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/380
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 5/04 by evaporation or sublimation of moisture under reduced pressure, e.g. in a vacuum F26B11/049 and F26B17/128 take precedence

Abstract

A heating furnace includes a housing chamber adapted to house a heating object, a heater for heating the heating object housed in the housing chamber, a vacuum pump for reducing a pressure inside the housing chamber, a pressure detector for detecting the pressure inside the housing chamber; a leakage detector for detecting any leak current that is caused by reducing the pressure inside the housing chamber while power is supplied to the heater; and a controller for switching the power to the heater on or off on the basis of detection results from the pressure detector and the leakage detector.

Claims

1. A heating furnace comprising

a housing chamber adapted to house a heating object,

a heater for heating the heating object housed in the housing chamber,

a vacuum pump for reducing a pressure inside the housing chamber,

a pressure detector for detecting the pressure inside the housing chamber;

a leakage detector for detecting any leak current that is caused by reducing the pressure inside the housing chamber while power is supplied to the heater; and

a controller for switching the power to the heater on or off on the basis of detection results from the pressure detector and the leakage detector.

2. The heating furnace according to claim 1, wherein

the controller stops the flow of power to the heater while the heating furnace is within a discharge region, the discharge region being a reduced pressure region in which at least the leak current exceeds a permissible value during a pressure reduction process to reduce the pressure inside the housing chamber.

3. The heating furnace according to claim 2, wherein

the controller switches off the power to the heater once the leak current detected by the leakage detector reaches a set current value that is at or below the permissible value, and

the controller switches on the power to the heater once the pressure inside the housing chamber as detected by the pressure detector reaches a set pressure value that is below a lower limit of the discharge region.

4. The heating furnace according to claim 2, wherein

the controller switches off the power to the heater once the pressure inside the housing chamber as detected by the pressure detector reaches a first set value that is above the upper limit of the discharge region, and

the controller switches on the power to the heater once the pressure reaches a second set value that is below the lower limit of the discharge region.

5. A method for drying a substrates to a specific region of which a functional liquid has been applied, the method comprising:

reducing a pressure inside a housing chamber;

heating a heating object in the housing chamber with a heater;

switching off power to the heater once a leak current detection value, which is generated as the pressure inside the housing chamber is reduced while the power is supplied to the heater, reaches a set current value; and

switching on the power to the heater once the pressure in the housing chamber is further reduced after the heater has been switched off, and the detected value of the pressure inside the housing chamber reaches a set pressure value.

7. The method for drying a substrate according to claim 5, wherein

in the switching off of the power to the heater, the current value is 80 mA.

9. The method for drying a substrate according to claim 5, wherein

in the switching on the power to the heater, the pressure value is 1 Pa.

10. A method for manufacturing a device in which pixels are formed on a substrate by a droplet discharge method, wherein

the drying method according to claim 5 is used.

6. A method for drying a substrate, to a specific region of which a functional liquid has been applied, the method comprising:

reducing a pressure inside a housing chamber;

heating a heating object in the housing chamber with a heater;

switching off power to the heater once the pressure in the housing chamber is reduced to a first set value while the power is supplied to the heater; and

switching on the power to the heater once the pressure in the housing chamber is further reduced after the heater has been switched off, and the detected value of the pressure inside the housing chamber reaches a second set value.

8. The method for drying a substrate according to claim 6, wherein

in the switching off of the power to the heater, the pressure value is 1000 Pa.