Drying device

Abstract

To suppress the temperature of the coating from falling, when a substrate is moving from a first drying unit to a second drying unit.SOLUTION: The drying device 10 comprises a first drying unit 11 drying a coating film P coated on a substrate W, and a second drying unit 12 further drying the coating film P of the substrate W transferred from the first drying unit 11. The first drying unit 11 comprises a first heating device 21 heating the coating film P and a second heating device 22 raising the atmospheric temperature of the first drying unit 11 or heating the substrate W or the coating film P in the first drying unit 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drying device. [Background technology]

[0002] Electrodes in secondary batteries are manufactured through various processes. One of the various processes is a process of applying a liquid electrode material to a substrate and drying the coating film formed on the substrate. Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing an electrode that includes such a process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-25051 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional drying device that dries a coating film applied to a substrate. The drying device 90 is configured with multiple stages (treatment areas), and the substrate W is transported to each stage to dry the coating film P. That is, the drying device 90 has a first stage, a first drying section 91 that heats and dries the coating film P, and a second stage, a second drying section 92 that further heats and dries the coating film P on the substrate W transferred from the first drying section 91.

[0005] The first drying section 91 has an infrared heating device 911. The infrared heating device 911 uses infrared rays to heat the coating film P. When infrared rays are irradiated onto the coating film P, it is possible to increase the surface temperature of the coating film P, but there are cases where the temperature does not increase throughout the entire coating film P. In the second drying section 92, to which the substrate W moves from the first drying section 91, the coating film P is dried using, for example, hot air. As described above, the temperature of the entire coating film P does not increase in the first drying section 91, and therefore, when the substrate W moves to the second drying section 92, the temperature of the coating film P drops significantly.

[0006] Fig. 5 is a graph showing the surface temperature of the coating film P. The horizontal axis of Fig. 5 shows the measurement positions of the temperature of the coating film P in the first drying section 91 and the second drying section 92. Measurement position Q1 is included in the infrared irradiation area (heating area S1) (see Fig. 4), and the surface temperature of the coating film P is high at measurement position Q1. Measurement position Q2 is a position outside the infrared radiation area. At measurement position Q2, the temperature of the surface of coating film P drops sharply (see Figure 5). This is because, as mentioned above, although the surface of coating film P is heated by the infrared rays, the temperature of the entire coating film P is not increased.

[0007] Measurement position Q3 is an upstream position of the second drying section 92. Hot air is applied to the second drying section 92, which is at a high temperature. At measurement position Q3, the temperature of the coating film P, which had once dropped, rises. As shown in FIG. 5, when the substrate W moves to the second drying section 92, the temperature of the coating film P drops significantly, resulting in a problem of increased energy loss.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a drying device that can prevent the temperature of the coating film from decreasing when the substrate is transferred from the first drying section to the second drying section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The drying device of the present invention has a first drying section that dries a coating film applied to a substrate, and a second drying section that further dries the coating film on the substrate transferred from the first drying section, and the first drying section has a first heating device that heats the coating film, and a second heating device that increases the ambient temperature of the first drying section or heats the substrate or the coating film in the first drying section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the drying device of the present invention, the temperature drop of the coating film is suppressed when the substrate is transferred from the first drying section to the second drying section, which makes it possible to reduce energy loss. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a structural diagram showing an example of a drying device of the present invention. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is an explanatory diagram regarding heating of a coating film by a first heating device and a second heating device. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing the temperatures of the coating film and the substrate by the apparatus shown in FIG. 2A. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a graph showing the surface temperature of a coating film heated using the drying device of this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional drying device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the temperature of the surface of the coating film. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] <Outline of the embodiment of the present invention> Hereinafter, an outline of an embodiment of the present invention will be listed and described. (1) The drying device of the present invention has a first drying section that dries a coating film applied to a substrate, and a second drying section that further dries the coating film on the substrate transferred from the first drying section, and the first drying section has a first heating device that heats the coating film, and a second heating device that increases the ambient temperature of the first drying section or heats the substrate or the coating film in the first drying section.

[0013] According to the drying device, in the first drying section, the first heating device heats the coating film, and the second heating device increases the ambient temperature of the first drying section or heats the substrate or the coating film. This increases the temperature of the entire coating film, not just the surface, in the first drying section. This makes it possible to prevent the temperature of the coating film from decreasing when the substrate is transferred from the first drying section to the second drying section.

[0014] (2) In the drying device of (1) above, the first heating device includes an infrared heating device that irradiates the coating film with infrared rays. (3) In the drying device of (2) above, the infrared heating device includes a laser irradiator that irradiates the coating film with an infrared laser. According to the above configurations (2) and (3), the coating film is heated in a short time in the first drying section.

[0015] (4) In any of the drying devices (1) to (3), the first drying section has a first housing having a first treatment chamber therein through which the substrate passes, the second drying section has a second housing having a second treatment chamber therein through which the substrate passes, and the first housing and the second housing are adjacent to each other. According to the above configuration, the heat generated in the first drying section is accumulated in the first housing, resulting in good thermal efficiency. Since the first housing and the second housing are adjacent to each other, the substrate is quickly transferred from the first treatment chamber of the first housing to the second treatment chamber of the second housing, and a decrease in the temperature of the coating film during the transfer is suppressed.

[0016] (5) In the drying device of (4), the second heating device includes a supply nozzle that is provided in the first processing chamber and supplies hot air. In this case, the second heating device can increase the ambient temperature of the first drying section. When hot air is applied to the coating film, the heat from the hot air heats the coating film. This makes it possible to increase the temperature of the substrate and the entire coating film, and suppresses a decrease in the temperature of the coating film when the substrate is transferred from the first drying section to the second drying section.

[0017] (6) In the drying device of (5) above, the supply nozzle is provided in the first treatment chamber and ejects hot air having a velocity component in a direction toward the second treatment chamber. For example, if the pressure in the second treatment chamber is lower than that in the first treatment chamber, air in the first treatment chamber will flow into the second treatment chamber. If the ambient temperature in the first treatment chamber is low, the ambient temperature may drop significantly in the boundary region between the first and second treatment chambers. However, with the above configuration, the hot air from the supply nozzle flows from the first treatment chamber to the second treatment chamber, making it possible to prevent a large drop in the ambient temperature at the boundary region, thereby preventing a drop in the temperature of the coating film when the substrate moves from the first drying zone to the second drying zone.

[0018] (7) In the drying device of (6) above, the supply nozzle is located upstream of a heating area of ​​the coating film by the first heating device in the direction of movement of the substrate. According to the above configuration, the second drying section is adjacent to the downstream side of the heating area of ​​the first heating device, so that the substrate, whose coating film has been heated by the first heating device, can be quickly transferred to the second drying section, where the drying process continues.

[0019] (8) In the drying device of any one of (1) to (7), the second heating device is located on the opposite side of the substrate to the coated surface of the coating film and heats the substrate. According to the above configuration, in the first drying section, the second heating device heats the substrate. The heat applied to the substrate also heats the portion of the coating film facing the substrate, making it possible to increase the temperature of the entire coating film. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the temperature of the coating film when the substrate is transferred from the first drying section to the second drying section.

[0020] (9) In any one of the drying devices (1) to (8), the first drying section has a first housing having a first treatment chamber therein through which the substrate passes, the first heating device includes an infrared heating device that irradiates infrared rays onto the coating film of the substrate passing through the first treatment chamber, the infrared heating device is located outside the first housing, and the first housing has an opening that allows the infrared rays to pass through. With this configuration, even if the first processing chamber inside the first housing becomes hot, the infrared heating device is protected from the high-temperature environment of the first processing chamber.

[0021] (10) In any one of the drying devices (1) to (9), the second heating device includes a front-stage supply nozzle that supplies hot air, and the second drying section includes a rear-stage supply nozzle that supplies hot air. In this case, hot air is used in both the first drying section and the second drying section to dry the coating film. The first drying section and the second drying section have in common the use of hot air, which allows for a simplification of the configuration of the drying device.

[0022] <Details of the embodiment of the present invention> Hereinafter, the details of the embodiments of the present invention will be described. [Overall configuration of the drying device] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a drying apparatus of the present invention. The drying apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is used to manufacture electrodes for secondary batteries. Specifically, the method for manufacturing an electrode includes the steps of applying a liquid electrode material to a substrate W and drying a coating film P of the electrode material formed on the substrate W. As the coating film P dries, a solidified electrode layer Pa is formed on the substrate W. The drying apparatus 10 is an apparatus that dries the coating film P applied to the substrate W.

[0023] The drying device 10 is configured to have multiple stages (treatment areas), and a drying process is performed on the substrate W while it is being transported through each stage. That is, the drying device 10 has a first drying section 11 as the first stage and a second drying section 12 as the second stage. The first drying section 11 has a function of heating and drying the coating film P applied to the substrate W. The second drying section 12 has a function of further heating and drying the coating film P on the substrate W that has been transferred from the first drying section 11. In FIG. 1, for the sake of explanation, the length of the second drying section 12 is shown as being short in the direction of movement of the substrate W, but in reality, the second drying section 12 is long (longer than the first drying section 11).

[0024] The drying device 10 has a conveying device 13 that conveys the substrate W and passes it through the first drying section 11 and the second drying section 12. The conveying device 13 has a plurality of rotating rollers 131 on which the substrate W is placed and conveyed. In this embodiment, the substrate W is a long sheet-like member. The longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction) of the substrate W coincides with the direction of movement (conveyance direction) of the substrate W by the conveying device 13. The first drying section 11 applies heat to the substrate W being conveyed to dry the coating film P. The second drying section 12 applies heat to the substrate W being conveyed to dry the coating film P. The coating film P contains a solvent, and the solvent is volatilized in the first drying section 11 and the second drying section 12.

[0025] The first drying section 11 has a first housing 17 having a first treatment chamber 16 therein through which the substrate W passes. In the first treatment chamber 16, the coating film P is heated. The second drying section 12 has a second housing 19 having a second treatment chamber 18 therein through which the substrate W passes. In the second treatment chamber 18, the coating film P is heated. The first housing 17 and the second housing 19 are adjacent to each other. The first housing 17 has an entrance 25 for carrying in the substrate W on the upstream side in the movement direction of the substrate W. A passage (opening) 26 is provided between the first housing 17 and the second housing 19, and the substrate W passes through the passage 26. The second housing 19 has an exit 28 for carrying out the substrate W on the downstream side in the movement direction of the substrate W.

[0026] The first drying section 11 will be described. The first drying section 11 includes a first heating device 21 and a second heating device 22 . The first heating device 21 heats the coating film P on the substrate W. The first heating device 21 in this embodiment is an infrared heating device 30, which irradiates infrared rays onto the coating film P on the substrate W passing through the first treatment chamber 16. The infrared heating device 30 is configured, for example, to have an infrared lamp. At least the surface of the coating film P is heated and dried by the infrared rays. With respect to the movement direction of the substrate W, the area irradiated with infrared rays by the infrared heating device 30 is the heating area S1 of the coating film P by the infrared heating device 30.

[0027] The first drying section 11 has an equipment housing 55 that is installed separately from the first housing 17. The equipment housing 55 is installed adjacent to the first housing 17. The infrared heating device 30 is housed in the equipment housing 55 and is located outside the first housing 17. The first housing 17 has an opening 27 that allows infrared rays from the infrared heating device 30 to pass through. A cover member 271 that allows infrared rays to pass through is provided in the opening 27. The cover member 271 is glass that has a high transmittance of infrared rays. The cover member 271 does not necessarily have to be provided.

[0028] 1 has a first section 551 that houses the main body of the infrared heating device 30, and a second section 552 that connects the first section 551 and the first housing 17. The second section 552 serves as an area through which infrared rays pass. The first housing 17 has a wall 171 between it and the second section 552, and the wall 171 has an opening 27. With the above configuration, even if the first treatment chamber 16 becomes hot, the infrared heating device 30 is protected from the high-temperature environment of the first treatment chamber 16.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the first heating device 21 includes an infrared heating device 30, but may be a heating device of another type. The infrared heating device 30 may be configured to include a laser irradiator that irradiates an infrared laser. At least the surface of the coating film P is heated and dried by the infrared laser. The infrared laser is preferably a semiconductor laser having a wavelength of 900 nanometers or more and 1100 nanometers or less. The coating film P contains a conductive additive or active material such as carbon black or graphite, which has a high absorption rate of infrared light of the above wavelength. By using infrared light of the above wavelength, the coating film P can be heated efficiently. By using such an infrared laser, it is possible to heat the coating film P evenly while suppressing energy loss. The infrared heater (near-infrared heater) used as the infrared lamp can also employ the same wavelength as the infrared laser, but in this case, the spectrum is broad and includes wavelengths that are absorbed by the water or organic solvent evaporated from the coating film P. In contrast, the infrared laser emits light of a single wavelength that is not easily absorbed by the water or organic solvent evaporated from the coating film P. For this reason, the infrared laser is not easily absorbed by the water or organic solvent evaporated from the coating film P, and the coating film P can be heated efficiently.

[0030] The second heating device 22 is provided inside the first housing 17, i.e., in the first treatment chamber 16. The second heating device 22 in this embodiment includes a supply nozzle 31. The supply nozzle 31 is located on the substrate W on the side of the coating surface Wa of the coating film P. The supply nozzle 31 is provided in the first treatment chamber 16 and supplies hot air to the first treatment chamber 16. Although not shown, the drying device 10 has a heat source such as a heater outside the first housing 17 and the second housing 19, and heated gas is supplied from the heat source through piping to the supply nozzle 31. The supply nozzle 31 ejects the heated gas into the first treatment chamber 16 as hot air.

[0031] The supply nozzle 31 provided in the first treatment chamber 16 ejects hot air having a velocity component directed toward the second treatment chamber 18. In other words, the hot air ejected from the supply nozzle 31 has a velocity component directed toward the downstream side of the movement direction of the substrate W. Furthermore, the hot air ejected from the supply nozzle 31 also has a velocity component directed toward the coating film P on the substrate W. The second heating device 22 includes the supply nozzle 31, which increases the ambient temperature of the first treatment chamber 16. The heat generated in the first drying section 11 (first treatment chamber 16) is accumulated by the first housing 17, which maintains the ambient temperature of the first treatment chamber 16 and provides good thermal efficiency.

[0032] The supply nozzle 31 is located upstream in the direction of movement of the substrate W from a heating region S1 (region irradiated with infrared rays) of the coating film P by the first heating device 21 (infrared heating device 30). With this configuration, the second drying section 12 is adjacent to and near the downstream side of the heating region S1 of the first heating device 21. The substrate W, whose coating film P has been heated by the first heating device 21, is quickly transferred to the second drying section 12. Then, the drying process continues in the second drying section 12.

[0033] 1 includes, in addition to the supply nozzle 31, another heating means 33. The other heating means 33 is located in the first treatment chamber 16 on the side of the substrate W on the opposite surface Wb (back surface side) to the surface Wa to be coated with the coating film P. Examples of the other heating means 33 include a nozzle that supplies hot air toward the opposite surface Wb of the substrate W, an IH heater, a radiant heater (infrared heater), and a heating roll that comes into contact with the opposite surface Wb of the substrate W. The second heating device 22 may be configured by one of these, or may be configured by combining a plurality of these.

[0034] When the other heating means 33 is an IH heater, the base material W is made of a material that can be heated by electromagnetic induction. When the base material W is made of copper or aluminum, an IH heater that is compatible with such materials is used. When the other heating means 33 is an infrared heater, the infrared rays preferably have a wavelength that is easily absorbed by the substrate W.

[0035] When the separate heating means 33 is a nozzle supplying hot air, the hot air is generated by the heat source, such as a heater, which provides heated gas to the supply nozzle 31 . When the other heating means 33 is a heating roller, the heat generated by the heating roller is transferred to the substrate W, and the substrate W and the coating film P applied to the substrate W are heated.

[0036] As described above, in the case of the drying device 10 shown in Figure 1, the second heating device 22 includes heating means 33 that heats the substrate W, and is located on the side of the substrate W opposite the surface Wb to the surface Wa to be coated with the coating film P. By using this heating means 33, the substrate W is heated in the first drying section 11. The heat applied to the substrate W also heats the portion of the coating film P on the substrate W side, making it possible to increase the temperature of the entire coating film P. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the temperature of the coating film P when the substrate W is transferred from the first drying section 11 to the second drying section 12.

[0037] As described above, the second heating device 22 includes a supply nozzle 31 that supplies hot air to the first treatment chamber 16. This increases the ambient temperature in the first drying section 11 (first treatment chamber 16). The second heating device 22 includes another heating means 33 as described above. This heats the substrate W in the first drying section 11 (first treatment chamber 16), and also heats the coating film P.

[0038] Although not shown, the second heating device 22 may be configured to omit the supply nozzle 31 and include the separate heating means 33. Alternatively, the second heating device 22 may include only the supply nozzle 31 and omit the separate heating means 33. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the second heating device 22 (heating means 33) is located on the opposite side Wb of the coating surface Wa, but it may also be configured to be located on the coating surface Wa side and heat the coating film P. That is, the second heating device 22 may be configured to increase the ambient temperature of the first drying section 11 or to heat the substrate W or the coating film P in the first drying section 11.

[0039] The second drying section 12 will now be described. The second drying section 12 further dries the coating film P heated in the first drying section 11. The second drying section 12 of the present embodiment includes a downstream supply nozzle 32 that supplies hot air to dry the coating film P. The rear-stage supply nozzle 32 ejects hot air into the second treatment chamber 18. This increases the ambient temperature in the second drying section 12 (second treatment chamber 18) and dries the coating film P. The rear-stage supply nozzle 32 may be configured to eject hot air having a velocity component directed toward the coating film P on the substrate W. This improves the efficiency with which the coating film P is dried.

[0040] As described above, the drying device 10 has a heat source such as a heater (not shown) outside the first housing 17 and the second housing 19, and heated gas is supplied from the heat source through piping to the downstream supply nozzle 32. The supply nozzle 32 ejects the heated gas as hot air.

[0041] In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, in the first drying section 11, which is the first stage, the second heating device 22 has a front-stage supply nozzle 31 that supplies hot air. The second drying section 12 has a rear-stage supply nozzle 32 that supplies hot air. In each of the first drying section 11 and the second drying section 12, hot air is used to dry the coating film P. The front-stage supply nozzle 31 and the rear-stage supply nozzle 32 can share a heat source such as a heater (not shown). The first drying section 11 and the second drying section 12 have in common the use of hot air, which allows for a simplification of the configuration of the drying device 10.

[0042] 2A is an explanatory diagram regarding heating of a coating film P by a first heating device 21 and a second heating device 22. The first heating device 21 is an infrared heating device 30, and the second heating device 22 has an IH heater as heating means 33. As shown in FIG. 1, the infrared heating device 30 irradiates infrared rays onto a coating surface Wa of the coating film P. The IH heater (heating means 33) is located on the side of the coating surface Wa opposite the surface Wb.

[0043] The left diagram in Fig. 2A is a view of the substrate W as seen from the coating surface Wa, and the right diagram in Fig. 2A is a view of the substrate W as seen from the opposite surface Wb (back surface). The direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the substrate W is called the width direction of the substrate W. The coating film P is formed on the central portion C of the substrate W, excluding both side portions E in the width direction. The irradiation width D1 of the infrared rays from the infrared heating device 30 in the width direction is equal to the dimension B of the substrate W in the width direction. The heating width D2 of the base material W by the IH heater (second heating device 22) is equal to the dimension B of the base material W in the width direction. In FIG. 2A, the region S heated by the infrared heating device 30 and the region heated by the IH heater are hatched. The irradiation width D1 only needs to be larger than at least the dimension of the coating film P in the width direction of the substrate W.

[0044] Fig. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing the temperatures of the coating film P and the substrate W heated by the device shown in Fig. 2A. The left diagram of Fig. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the temperature (surface temperature) of the coating film P heated by the infrared heating device 30, the center diagram of Fig. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the temperature (rear surface temperature) of the substrate W heated by the IH heater (second heating device 22), and the right diagram of Fig. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the temperature of the coating film P heated by the infrared heating device 30 and the IH heater (second heating device 22).

[0045] The infrared heating device 30 heats the coating film P (its surface) with infrared rays, but the infrared rays are reflected from both side portions E, which are the exposed surfaces of the substrate W, and the both side portions E are not heated as much as the central portion C where the coating film P is present (see the left diagram in Figure 2B). In contrast, since the coating film P is formed in the central portion C, when the IH heater (second heating device 22) is used, the temperature rises more at both side portions E of the substrate W than at the central portion C where the coating film P is formed (see the central diagram in Figure 2B).

[0046] Therefore, when the first drying section 11 has an infrared heating device 30 and an IH heater (second heating device 22) and combines these to heat the coating film P and the substrate W, it is possible to increase the overall heating temperature of the substrate W uniformly in the width direction, as shown in the right diagram of Figure 2B. As a result, the difference in thermal shrinkage between the central portion C and the side portions E is less likely to occur, and the occurrence of wrinkles in the substrate W is prevented.

[0047] [Drying device 10 of this embodiment] As described above, the drying apparatus 10 of this embodiment (see FIG. 1 ) has a first drying section 11 that dries the coating film P applied to the substrate W, and a second drying section 12 that further dries the coating film P on the substrate W transferred from the first drying section 11. The first drying section 11 has a first heating device 21 that heats the coating film P, and a second heating device 22. The second heating device 22 has, for example, a supply nozzle 31, thereby increasing the ambient temperature in the first drying section 11. The second heating device 22 has a heating means 33 separate from the supply nozzle 31, thereby heating the substrate W or the coating film P in the first drying section 11.

[0048] According to the drying apparatus 10 of this embodiment, in the first drying section 11, the first heating device 21 heats the coating film P, and the second heating device 22 increases the ambient temperature of the first drying section 11 (first treatment chamber 16) or heats the substrate W or the coating film P. This increases the temperature of the entire coating film P, not just the surface, in the first drying section 11. As a result, a decrease in the temperature of the coating film P is suppressed when the substrate W moves from the first drying section 11 to the second drying section 12. This makes it possible to suppress energy loss in the drying device 10.

[0049] In the case of the drying apparatus 10 shown in Fig. 1, the first heating device 21 is an infrared heating device 30 that irradiates infrared rays onto the coating film P. By using the infrared heating device 30, the coating film P (particularly the surface of the coating film P) is heated in the first drying section 11 in a short period of time. 1, a measuring device 29 that measures the surface temperature of the substrate W is provided in the first housing 17 (first treatment chamber 16). The measuring device 29 is, for example, a thermo camera. The output of infrared rays from the infrared heating device 30 is preferably adjusted based on the measurement results from the measuring device 29.

[0050] Fig. 3 is a graph showing the temperature of the surface of the coating film P heated using the drying device 10 of this embodiment. In Fig. 3, the temperature is shown by a solid line, and the temperature in the case of the prior art shown in Fig. 5 is shown by a dotted line. The horizontal axis in Fig. 3 indicates the measurement positions of the temperature of the coating film P in the first drying section 11 and the second drying section 12. Measurement position Q1 is a position included in the infrared radiation area (heating area S1, see Fig. 1) irradiated by the infrared heating device 30. At measurement position Q1, the surface temperature of the coating film P increases due to heating by the infrared rays.

[0051] Measurement position Q2 is a position outside the infrared irradiation area. As shown in Figure 3, at measurement position Q2, the temperature of the surface of the coating film P drops slightly. In the case of the drying apparatus 10 of this embodiment, as described above, the second heating device 22 has the supply nozzle 31, thereby increasing the atmospheric temperature of the first drying section 11. The second heating device 22 has the heating means 33 separate from the supply nozzle 31, thereby heating the substrate W and further the coating film P in the first drying section 11. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the temperature drop of the coating film P at the measurement position Q2 is smaller than in the case of the conventional technology shown by the dotted line in FIG.

[0052] Measurement position Q3 is located upstream of the second drying section 12 (see FIG. 1). Hot air is applied to the second drying section 12, which is at a high temperature. At measurement position Q3, the temperature of the coating film P, which had initially dropped slightly, begins to rise. As shown by the solid line in Fig. 3, the drying device 10 of this embodiment makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the temperature of the coating film P when the substrate W moves from the first drying section 11 to the second drying section 12. This promotes drying of the coating film P in the second drying section 12. Furthermore, energy loss is reduced compared to conventional methods.

[0053] In the drying device 10 of this embodiment, the first drying section 11 has a first housing 17 having a first treatment chamber 16 therein for heating the coating film P. The second drying section 12 has a second housing 19 having a second treatment chamber 18 therein for heating the coating film P. Heat generated in the first drying section 11 (first treatment chamber 16) is accumulated by the first housing 17, resulting in good thermal efficiency. The first housing 17 and the second housing 19 are adjacent to each other. Therefore, the substrate W is quickly transferred from the first treatment chamber 16 of the first housing 17 to the second treatment chamber 18 of the second housing 19, and a decrease in the temperature of the coating film P is suppressed during the transfer.

[0054] The temperatures of the substrate W and the coating P are increased by the ambient temperature of the first treatment chamber 16 of the first housing 17. The ambient temperature of the first treatment chamber 16 is increased by, for example, the second heating device 22 supplying hot air to the first treatment chamber 16, and is also increased indirectly by the second heating device 22 increasing the temperature of the substrate W.

[0055] 1 includes a supply nozzle 31 that is provided in the first treatment chamber 16 and supplies hot air. When the hot air from the supply nozzle 31 is applied to the coating film P, the coating film P is heated by the heat. This makes it possible to increase the overall temperature of the substrate W and the coating film P, and suppresses a decrease in the temperature of the coating film P when the substrate W moves from the first drying section 11 to the second drying section 12.

[0056] In the drying device 10 of this embodiment, the second treatment chamber 18 has a lower pressure than the first treatment chamber 16. As a result, the air in the first treatment chamber 16 flows into the second treatment chamber 18. If the ambient temperature in the first treatment chamber 16 is low, the ambient temperature may drop significantly in the boundary region between the first treatment chamber 16 and the second treatment chamber 18 (between positions Q2 and Q3 in FIG. 1 ). 1 ejects hot air having a velocity component in a direction toward the second treatment chamber 18. The hot air from the supply nozzle 31 flows from the first treatment chamber 16 toward the second treatment chamber 18, making it possible to prevent a large drop in the ambient temperature in the boundary region. Therefore, when the substrate W moves from the first drying section 11 to the second drying section 12, a drop in the temperature of the coating film P is prevented.

[0057] In the first drying section 11, when the coating film P is heated by the infrared heating device 30, the solvent contained in the coating film P volatilizes. If the volatilized solvent remains in the first treatment chamber 16, the solvent concentration in the first treatment chamber 16 increases, which may slow down the drying of the coating film P. 1 ejects hot air having a velocity component in a direction toward the second treatment chamber 18. This hot air prevents the evaporated solvent from accumulating and allows it to move (diffuse). This prevents the solvent concentration in the first treatment chamber 16 from becoming high, and promotes drying of the coating film P.

[0058] Furthermore, if the infrared rays irradiated by the infrared heating device 30 are absorbed by the solvent that has evaporated from the coating film P, the infrared rays will not be irradiated uniformly onto the coating film P, and uneven heating of the coating film P may occur. According to the supply nozzle 31 shown in FIG. 1, the hot air can move (diffuse) the solvent from the first treatment chamber 16, and uneven heating of the coating film P can be prevented.

[0059] 〔others〕 In the embodiment described above (see FIG. 1), supply nozzle 31 is provided upstream of the infrared irradiation region (heating region S1) in first processing chamber 16. The position of supply nozzle 31 is not limited thereto. Supply nozzle 31 may be provided downstream of heating region S1, for example, in the vicinity of passage (opening) 26 between first housing 17 and second housing 19.

[0060] In the above embodiment (see FIG. 1), the coating film P is formed only on one surface (front surface) of the substrate W, but the coating film P may be formed on both one surface (front surface) and the other surface (rear surface) of the substrate W. In this case, the infrared heating device 30 is installed not only on one surface side of the substrate W but also on the other surface side of the substrate W. The coating films P on both the one surface and the other surface of the substrate W are heated by the infrared heating devices 30 on both sides.

[0061] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not restrictive. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes all modifications within the scope of equivalents to the configurations described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Drying equipment 11 First drying section 12 Second drying section 16 First Treatment Room 17 First enclosure 18 Second Processing Chamber 19 Second enclosure 21 First heating device 22 Second heating device 27 Aperture 30 Infrared heating device 31 Supply nozzle (pre-stage supply nozzle) 32 Rear supply nozzle P Paint film S1 heating area W Base material Wa coating surface Wb opposite side

Claims

1. a first drying section for drying the coating film applied to the substrate; a second drying section for further drying the coating film on the substrate transferred from the first drying section; and The first drying section a first heating device for heating the coating film; a second heating device that increases the ambient temperature of the first drying section or heats the substrate or the coating film in the first drying section; having drying equipment.

2. The first heating device includes an infrared heating device that irradiates the coating film with infrared rays. The drying device according to claim 1 .

3. The infrared heating device includes a laser irradiator that irradiates the coating film with an infrared laser. The drying device according to claim 2.

4. the first drying section includes a first housing having a first treatment chamber therein through which the substrate passes; the second drying section includes a second housing having a second treatment chamber therein through which the substrate passes, The first housing and the second housing are adjacent to each other. The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the second heating device includes a supply nozzle that is provided in the first treatment chamber and supplies hot air, The drying device according to claim 4.

6. the supply nozzle is provided in the first treatment chamber and ejects hot air having a velocity component in a direction toward the second treatment chamber; The drying device according to claim 5.

7. the supply nozzle is located upstream of a heating region of the coating film by the first heating device in a moving direction of the substrate. The drying device according to claim 6.

8. the second heating device is located on the opposite side of the substrate to the surface to which the coating film is applied and heats the substrate; The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. the first drying section includes a first housing having a first treatment chamber therein through which the substrate passes; the first heating device includes an infrared heating device that irradiates the coating film on the substrate passing through the first treatment chamber with infrared rays; the infrared heating device is located outside the first housing, The first housing has an opening through which the infrared rays pass. The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. the second heating device includes a front-stage supply nozzle for supplying hot air, The second drying section includes a downstream supply nozzle that supplies hot air. The drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

Images