Patent ID: 7303781

Claim:
A method of forming a thin film using an ink jet head, comprising: discharging liquid droplets containing a thin-film-forming material and a solvent from a liquid discharge port of the ink jet head to positions on a substrate while the liquid discharge port is being moved relatively to said substrate; forcibly removing a solvent vapor evaporating from a droplet arranged previously on the substrate by a solvent vapor removal device prior to completing droplet arrangement on the entire substrate, said solvent vapor removal device forcibly removing said solvent vapor by blowing gas on the substrate and simultaneously removing said solvent vapor through suction; and discharging liquid droplets in an atmosphere having a low partial pressure of the solvent vapor, the low partial pressure of the solvent vapor being low enough to allow a drying rate of later arranged liquid droplets to be about equal to or greater than a drying rate of earlier arranged liquid droplets.