US Patent 7343698 Reduced pressure drying apparatus and reduced pressure drying method

A reduced pressure drying apparatus comprises a substrate stage section for disposing thereon a substrate having the surface coated with a coating liquid containing a film-forming component and a solvent, a hermetic vessel having the substrate stage section arranged therein, an exhaust means for reducing the pressure inside the hermetic vessel, a gaseous stream distribution control plate arranged apart from and in a manner to face the surface of the substrate disposed on the substrate stage section and provided with a plurality of gaseous stream-flowing ports through which flow a gaseous stream, each of the plurality of gaseous stream-flowing ports having a gaseous stream-flowing region, and a control means for controlling the distribution pattern of the gaseous stream-flowing regions of the gaseous stream distribution control plate.