An atomic layer deposition apparatus, having a first series of high pressure gas injection openings and a first series of exhaust openings that are positioned such that they together create a first high pressure/suction zone within each purge gas zone, wherein each first high pressure/suction zone extends over substantially the entire width of the process tunnel and wherein the distribution of the gas injection openings that are connected to the second purge gas source and the distribution of the gas exhaust openings within the first high pressure/suction zone, as well as the pressure of the second purge gas source and the pressure at the gas exhaust openings are such that the average pressure within the first high pressure/suction zone deviates less than 30% from a reference pressure which is defined by the average pressure within process tunnel when no substrate is present.

A method of forming a material layer on a substrate comprises loading a substrate into a printing zone of a coating system using a substrate handler, printing an organic ink material on a substrate while the substrate is located in the printing zone, transferring the substrate from the printing zone to a treatment zone of the coating system, treating the organic ink material deposited on the substrate in the treatment zone to form a film layer on the substrate, and removing the substrate from the treatment zone using the substrate handler.

A swirl-flow forming body includes a through-hole; a jetting port that is formed on an inner periphery facing the through-hole; a fluid passage that allows fluid to be discharged into the through-hole via the jetting port so as to form a swirl flow that generates negative pressure for applying suction to a target object; and a flange portion that is formed so as to protrude from the inner periphery, the flange portion allowing passage of fluid to which suction is applied by the negative pressure while preventing the fluid discharged via the jetting port from flowing out of the through-hole towards the target object. The inner periphery is formed so as to guide the fluid discharged via the jetting port, in a direction away from the target object, to be discharged from the through-hole.

A laser processing apparatus includes: a stage 2 capable of levitating and transporting a substrate 3 by jetting gas from a front surface; a laser oscillator configured to irradiate a laser beam 20a onto the substrate 3; and a gas jetting port arranged at a position overlapping a focus point position of the laser beam 20a in plan view, and being configured to jet inert gas. The front surface of the stage 2 is constituted by upper structures 5a and 5b, and the upper structures 5a and 5b are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other and face each other. A gap between the upper structures 5a and 5b overlaps the focus point position of the laser beam 20a in plan view. A filling member 8 is arranged between the upper structures 5a and 5b so as to fill the gap between the upper structures 5a and 5b.

A flotation conveyance apparatus according to an embodiment includes a flotation unit for floating a substrate by ejecting a gas to a lower surface of the substrate. The flotation unit includes a plurality of ejecting ports provided on a surface facing the substrate and configured to eject the gas, and slits penetrating the flotation unit in a vertical direction. The flotation conveyance apparatus is configured in such a way that the gas staying between a surface of the flotation unit facing the substrate and the substrate is discharged to a lower surface side of the flotation unit through the slits.

The present invention includes: a heat plate for heating a lower side of a substrate sliding on an upper surface; and a heat block for heating the heat plate. The heat block includes an air heating flow path for heating air which flows in from a bottom surface side and causing the air to flow out to the heat plate side, the heat plate includes air holes for discharging the air heated by the air heating flow path from the upper surface, the heated air discharged from the air holes forms a heated air atmosphere above the heat plate, and the substrate is transported through the heat air atmosphere. Thereby, curved deformation of the substrate is suppressed.

The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing oxidation or contamination during a circuit printing operation. The circuit printing operation can be directed to OLED-type printing. In an exemplary embodiment, the printing process is conducted at a load-locked printer housing having one or more of chambers. Each chamber is partitioned from the other chambers by physical gates or fluidic curtains. A controller coordinates transportation of a substrate through the system and purges the system by timely opening appropriate gates. The controller may also control the printing operation by energizing the print-head at a time when the substrate is positioned substantially thereunder.

A printer deposits material onto a substrate as part of a manufacturing process for an electronic product; at least one transported component experiences error, which affects the deposition. This error is mitigated using transducers that equalize position of the component, e.g., to provide an “ideal” conveyance path, thereby permitting precise droplet placement notwithstanding the error. In one embodiment, an optical guide (e.g., using a laser) is used to define a desired path; sensors mounted to the component dynamically detect deviation from this path, with this deviation then being used to drive the transducers to immediately counteract the deviation. This error correction scheme can be applied to correct for more than type of transport error, for example, to correct for error in a substrate transport path, a printhead transport path and/or split-axis transport non-orthogonality.

A laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a laser light irradiation unit and a conveying stage capable of allowing a substrate to float and convey. The conveying stage includes: a laser light irradiation region; and a substrate conveying region separated from the laser light irradiation region, a surface of the laser light irradiation region facing the substrate is configured by a first member from which a first gas is capable of jetting out to float the substrate, a surface of the substrate conveying region facing the substrate is configured by a plurality of second members from which a second gas is capable of jetting out to float the substrate, and the plurality of second members in the substrate conveying region are disposed to be separated from each other.

An electronics manufacturing system includes a first substrate transfer via having position detection sensors to detect a position of a substrate in the first substrate transfer via and flow-controlled valves to inject inert gas through a floor and move the substrate in a predetermined direction with reference to the position within the first substrate transfer via by adjusting a pressure of the inert gas underneath the substrate. A processing chamber is coupled to the first substrate transfer via and having a pedestal with apertures and flow-controlled devices to inject inert gas through the apertures to receive the substrate from the first substrate transfer via and move the substrate into a second substrate transfer via after processing of the substrate.