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.

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 flotation conveyance apparatus according to an embodiment conveys a substrate while floating the substrate by ejecting a gas to a lower surface of the substrate. The flotation conveyance apparatus includes an upper plate disposed on the substrate side including a plurality of ejecting ports for ejecting the gas and a lower plate disposed under the upper plate. Flow-paths for supplying the gas to the plurality of ejecting ports are provided on at least one of the upper plate and the lower plate.

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.

A flotation conveyance apparatus according to an embodiment is for conveying a substrate while floating the substrate by ejecting a gas to a lower surface of the substrate. The flotation conveyance apparatus includes a plurality of ejecting ports configured to eject the gas to the substrate, a downstream flow-path configured to supply the gas to the plurality of ejecting ports, a upstream flow-path configured to supply the gas to the downstream flow-path, and a gas supply port configured to supply the gas to the downstream flow-path. A cross-sectional area of the upstream flow-path is configured to be larger than a cross-sectional area of the downstream flow-path.

A laser irradiation apparatus (1) according to an embodiment includes a laser generation device (14) configured to generate laser light, a levitation unit (10) configured to levitate an object to be processed (16) to which the laser light is applied, and a conveyance unit (11) configured to convey the levitated object to be processed (16). The conveyance unit (11) includes a holding mechanism (12) for holding the object to be processed (16) by absorbing the object to be processed (16), and a moving mechanism (13) for moving the holding mechanism (12) in a conveyance direction. The holding mechanism (12) includes a base (153) including a plurality of through holes (152), a plurality of pipes (145) each of which is connected to a respective one of the plurality of through holes (152), a vacuum generation device (144) configured to evacuate air from the plurality of pipes (145), and a plurality of absorption assistance valves (150) each of which is disposed in the middle of a respective one of the plurality of pipes (145), each of the plurality of absorption assistance valves (150) being configured to be closed when a flow rate of a gas flowing into the pipe (145) through the through hole (152) becomes equal to or higher than a threshold.

A semiconductor package sawing device is provided that includes a semiconductor package sawing unit, an automatic tool providing portion disposed adjacent to the semiconductor package sawing unit, and a semiconductor package alignment portion. The automatic tool providing portion includes a transfer unit for transferring a chuck unit to the semiconductor package sawing unit.

Swirl flow-forming body includes main body, first end face that is formed at main body and faces a member to which suction is applied, hole that opens on first end face, jetting port that is formed on inner periphery of main body, inner periphery facing hole, and fluid passage that allows fluid to be discharged into hole via jetting port so as to form a swirl flow that generates negative pressure for applying suction to the member. Inner periphery is formed so as to guide fluid discharged via jetting port, in a direction away from the member, to be discharged from hole.

Provided is a coating apparatus including: a stage unit which floats the substrate to a predetermined height by using wind pressure of gas; a droplet discharge unit which drops the droplet of the functional liquid on the substrate floated to the predetermined height from the stage unit; a main scanning direction moving unit which moves the substrate, which is floated to the predetermined height from the stage unit, in the main scanning direction while holding the substrate; and a sub-scanning direction moving unit which moves the droplet discharge unit in the sub-scanning direction with respect to the substrate floated to the predetermined height from the stage unit. The sub-scanning direction moving unit moves the droplet discharge unit in the sub-scanning direction while the main scanning direction moving unit repeatedly moves the substrate in the main scanning direction and the droplet discharge unit repeatedly drops the droplet.

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.