Processing system and device manufacturing method

A processing system for sequentially conveying a long, flexible sheet substrate along a length direction to each of a plurality of processing devices to form a predetermined conductive pattern on the sheet substrate, comprising:

• a first processing device for conveying the sheet substrate in the length direction according to first setting conditions while selectively or uniformly forming a predetermined coating layer on the surface of the sheet substrate;
• a second processing device for conveying the sheet substrate in the length direction according to second setting conditions while irradiating the coating layer on the surface of the sheet substrate with light energy corresponding to the pattern to form a reformed portion on the coating layer corresponding to the pattern;
• a third processing device for conveying the sheet substrate in the length direction according to third setting conditions while forming the pattern by precipitating a conductive material on one of either the reformed portion or the non-reformed portion by performing plating;
• and
• a control device, which, when at least one from among the states of the actual processing implemented on the sheet substrate by each of the first to the third processing devices exhibits a processing error relative to a target processing state of each of the first through the third processing devices, changes other setting conditions, separate from the setting conditions exhibiting the processing error from among the first to the third setting conditions, according to the processing error.

A processing system for sequentially conveying a long, flexible sheet substrate along a length direction to each of a plurality of processing devices to form a predetermined conductive pattern on the sheet substrate, comprising:

• a first information forming device, provided on a first processing device from among the plurality of processing devices, for forming a first information relating to the processing state implemented on the sheet substrate according to the first setting conditions by the first processing device or relating to processing error, on a part of the sheet substrate;
• a second information forming device, provided on a second processing device that is downstream from the first processing device, for forming a second information relating to the processing state implemented on the sheet substrate according to the second setting conditions by the second processing device or relating to processing error, on a part of the sheet substrate;
• an information gathering device, provided on the conveyance path of the sheet substrate, for reading the first information or the second information formed on the sheet substrate and gathering the first information or the second information, and
• a control device for correcting the second setting conditions as necessary based on the first information read from the information gathering device, and correcting the first setting conditions as necessary based on the second information read from the information gathering device.