| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve throughput by greatly shortening the time necessary for drying a coating liquid on a substrate. SOLUTION: First, a substrate B is put into a first chamber 10. When the substrate B is placed on a base 18, the evacuation (vacuuming) of the first chamber 10 is started. By placing the substrate BV in the space in the first chamber 10 whose pressure is gradually reduced from a normal pressure to a set pressure of a considerably low vacuum level for a predetermined period, solvent in the coating liquid on the substrate B is gradually and moderately evaporated and the evaporated solvent is discharged to the outside of the chamber. When pressure-reduced drying in the first chamber 10 is finished, a carrying unit 24, is operated to transfer the substrate B from the first chamber 10 to a second chamber 12 through a substrate transfer opening 28 in the open state. In the second chamber 12, the substrate B subjected to drying of a predetermined step by reducing the pressure in the first chamber 10 is continuously subjected to pressure-reduced drying in the space whose pressure is reduced to a higher vacuum level and is heated at the same time. |
