Method of, and apparatus for, manufacturing organic EL device; organic EL device; electronic device; and liquid droplet ejection apparatus

1. A method of manufacturing an organic

electroluminescent (EL) device, in which:

relative scanning is carried out between a substrate and a plurality of function liquid droplet ejection heads having introduced therein a light emitting function material; and

the light emitting function material is selectively ejected such that an organic EL function layer is formed on a multiplicity of pixel regions on the substrate, the method comprising:

providing a chamber room sealed from open air and having multiple regions;

forming an atmosphere of inert gas in the chamber room by supplying gas from one corner region of the chamber room and exhausting gas from a diagonally opposite corner region to provide a diagonal inert gas flow through the chamber room;

ejecting a first of the light emitting function material in the atmosphere of an inert gas;

transporting the substrate into a drying apparatus;

drying the first of the light emitting function material in a first chamber by exposing the substrate to a high-temperature inert gas atmosphere for a predetermined period of time;

ejecting a second of the light emitting function material in an atmosphere of an inert gas after the drying of the first of the light emitting function material;

transporting the substrate into a drying apparatus;

drying the second of the light emitting function material in a second chamber by exposing the substrate to a high-temperature inert gas atmosphere for a predetermined period of time, wherein the drying of the second of the light emitting function material is separate from the drying of the first of the light emitting function material;

ejecting a third of the light emitting function material in an atmosphere of an inert gas after the drying of the second of the light emitting function material;

transporting the substrate into a drying apparatus; and

drying the third of the light emitting function material in a third chamber by exposing the substrate to a high-temperature inert gas atmosphere for a predetermined period of time, wherein the drying of the third of the light emitting function material is separate from the drying of the first and second of the light emitting function material,

wherein the ejecting steps are performed in the chamber room sealed from open air and supply of the inert gas to and exhaust from the chamber room is carried out constantly to maintain a stable atmosphere in the chamber room during manufacture of the EL device, with the plurality of function liquid droplet ejection heads being oriented in the chamber room so that a main gas flow passage from the supply to the exhaust passes the plurality of function liquid droplet ejection heads diagonally and evaporated solvent of the light emitting function material is appropriately exhausted out of the chamber room.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the organic EL function layer is at least an EL light emitting layer of the EL layer and a hole injection layer.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the inert gas atmosphere is 20° C.±0.5° C.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere is maintained below a predetermined oxygen concentration.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said predetermined oxygen concentration is 10 ppm.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere is maintained below a predetermined moisture content.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said predetermined moisture content is 10 ppm.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said transporting step is carried out in the atmosphere of the inert gas.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the inert gas is one of nitrogen, oxygen dioxide, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steps of ejecting the first, second and third of the light emitting function materials are repeated a plurality of times, thereby attaining a desired thickness.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the drying step is carried out in a sub-chamber sealed from the open air, the sub-chamber being in communication with the sealed chamber room containing the atmosphere of inert gas.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transporting step is carried out in a sub-chamber sealed from the open air, the sub-chamber being in communication with the sealed chamber room containing the atmosphere of inert gas.