CN114574833B

CN114574833B - Conveying device and film forming device

Info

Publication number: CN114574833B
Application number: CN202111373251.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 砂川贵宏; 佐藤功康
Original assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Current assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Priority date: 2020-11-30
Filing date: 2021-11-19
Publication date: 2023-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2041-11-19
Also published as: CN114574833A; JP7213226B2; JP2022086585A; KR20220076323A

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying device and a film forming device, which facilitate maintenance of a ceiling adhesion preventing plate covering a conveying space of an in-line film forming device. A conveyance device for an in-line film forming device that forms a film while conveying a substrate is provided with: a ceiling part forming a ceiling of a conveying space of the conveying device; a plurality of adhesion preventing plates covering an inner surface of the ceiling portion; and a mounting/dismounting structure capable of mounting/dismounting the adhesion preventing plate from/from the ceiling portion.

Description

Conveying device and film forming device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus and a film forming apparatus.

Background

In the manufacture of organic EL displays and the like, an in-line film forming apparatus is known that forms a film of a vapor deposition material on a substrate using a mask. In reference 1, a film forming apparatus that performs film formation while conveying a substrate in a chamber for film formation is shown.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2014-173170

Here, an adhesion preventing plate for preventing adhesion of an evaporation material discharged from an evaporation source provided in the film forming apparatus to a wall of the chamber space is provided in a ceiling portion of the chamber space. In order to prevent the evaporated material that has solidified by the adhesion preventing plate attached to the ceiling portion from falling onto the substrate or the driving structure of the film forming apparatus and causing a film forming failure or a failure in operation of the film forming apparatus, it is necessary to periodically replace or clean the adhesion preventing plate for maintenance work.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a technology for facilitating maintenance of a ceiling adhesion preventing plate covering a conveying space of an in-line film forming device.

Means for solving the problems

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transport apparatus of an in-line film forming apparatus for forming a film while transporting a substrate,

the conveying device comprises:

a ceiling portion forming a ceiling of a conveying space of the conveying device;

a plurality of adhesion preventing plates covering an inner surface of the ceiling portion; and

and a mounting/dismounting structure capable of mounting/dismounting the adhesion preventing plate from/from the ceiling portion.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus for forming a film while conveying a substrate, comprising,

the film forming apparatus includes:

a conveying unit for conveying the substrate; and

a vapor deposition unit disposed below the transport unit and configured to discharge a vapor deposition material onto the substrate transported by the transport unit,

the conveying unit includes:

a ceiling portion forming a ceiling of a conveying space of the conveying unit;

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, maintenance of the adhesion preventing plate covering the ceiling of the conveyance space of the in-line film forming apparatus can be facilitated.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a film forming process of the film forming apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing separation of the transport unit and the vapor deposition unit.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a conveying unit according to an embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the conveyance unit at the surface X.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the conveyance unit at the surface Y.

Fig. 7 is a view showing the top surface adhesion preventing plate detached from the top surface side.

Fig. 8 is a view showing the top surface adhesion preventing plate detached from the side surface side.

Description of the reference numerals

The film forming apparatus 1, the conveying unit 2, the vapor deposition unit 3, and the top surface of the deposition preventing plate 23, and the top surface of the deposition preventing plate 26.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In the embodiments, a plurality of features are described, but all of the plurality of features are not limited to the features necessary for the invention, and a plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. In the drawings, the same or similar structures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

[ outline of film Forming apparatus ]

Fig. 1 (a) and 1 (B) are schematic diagrams showing a film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment shown in fig. 1 (a) and 1 (B) is an in-line type film forming apparatus that performs film formation while conveying a substrate. The film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is applied to a production line of electronic devices such as a display panel of an organic EL display device for a smart phone, for example. The film forming apparatus 1 includes a transport unit 2, a vapor deposition unit 3, and a frame 4.

The transfer unit 2 is a device for transferring a mask tray on which a substrate masked with a mask such as a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to a thin film pattern formed on the substrate is disposed from the carry-in port 5 to the carry-out port 6. An opening is provided in the bottom surface of the transport unit 2 to deposit the vapor deposition material discharged from the vapor deposition source of the vapor deposition unit 3 onto the substrate placed on the mask tray.

The vapor deposition unit 3 has a vapor deposition source described later, and an opening for discharging the vapor deposition material to the substrate conveyed by the conveying unit 2 is provided on the top surface side of the vapor deposition unit 3. The transport unit 2 and the vapor deposition unit 3, which will be described later, are separated from each other by a lifting mechanism 41 and a sliding mechanism 42 disposed in the vapor deposition unit 3 or the frame 4.

The frame 4 is a structure for supporting the transport unit 2 and the vapor deposition unit 3. In the present embodiment, the case where the frame 4 includes the lifting mechanism 41 and the sliding mechanism 42 is described, but at least one of the lifting mechanism and the sliding mechanism may be provided in the vapor deposition unit 3.

As shown in fig. 1B, in the present embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 includes 3 vapor deposition units 3A to 3C (collectively, vapor deposition units 3) and can continuously deposit 1 or more vapor deposition materials on the conveyed substrate. In the example of fig. 1 (B), the elevating mechanism 41 is omitted. The number of vapor deposition units 3 and the types of vapor deposition materials discharged from each vapor deposition unit 3 can be arbitrarily changed. The lifting mechanism 41 and the sliding mechanism 42 may lift or slide the plurality of vapor deposition units 3 together, or may lift or slide the vapor deposition units separately.

Fig. 2 (a) to 2 (D) show a film forming process of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Here, a cross-sectional view of the film forming apparatus 1 of fig. 1 (a) at the surface XZ is shown. In fig. 2 (a) to 2 (D), the frame 4 is omitted.

Fig. 2 (a) shows the film forming apparatus 1 in a state in which the mask tray 201 on which the substrate is placed is carried in from the carrying-in port 5. The transfer unit 2 includes openings 21A to 21C (collectively referred to as openings 21) corresponding to the vapor deposition units 3. The vapor deposition unit 3 includes vapor deposition sources 31A to 31C (collectively, vapor deposition sources 31) corresponding to each other. In fig. 2 (a), the mask tray 201 carried in is carried onto the opening 21 of the carrying unit 2 by a plurality of carrying rollers 22 provided in the carrying unit 2.

Fig. 2 (B) shows the film forming apparatus 1 in a state where the mask tray 201 is conveyed onto the opening 21A and vapor deposition material is discharged from the vapor deposition source 31A of the vapor deposition unit 3A. In fig. 2 (B), the vapor deposition material is discharged upward from the vapor deposition source 31A in a state where the substrate is conveyed. Thereby, a vapor deposition material is vapor deposited on the substrate in accordance with the mask pattern. The film deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is described as an apparatus for performing vapor deposition while the mask tray 201 is moving, but the conveyance speed of the mask tray 201 may be controlled so as to temporarily stop or slow down the movement while the mask tray 201 is positioned on the opening 21. Thus, the film forming apparatus 1 can control to deposit a deposition material of an appropriate thickness on the substrate.

Fig. 2 (C) shows a state in which the vapor-deposited substrate is conveyed by the conveying unit 2 and the mask tray 201 is conveyed onto the opening 21B corresponding to the next vapor deposition unit 3B. Here, the vapor deposition material is discharged from the vapor deposition source 31B of the vapor deposition unit 3B. Then, the film forming apparatus 1 carries the mask tray 201, and performs the next vapor deposition by the next vapor deposition unit 3C, and as shown in fig. 2 (D), carries the vapor deposited mask tray 201 out of the carry-out port 6. In this way, vapor deposition can be performed by the plurality of vapor deposition units 3 before being carried from the carry-in port 5 to the carry-out port 6 by the carrying rollers 22 of the carrying unit 2.

Next, with reference to fig. 3 (a) and 3 (B), the separation of the transfer unit 2 and the vapor deposition unit 3 will be described. The vapor deposition material discharged from the vapor deposition source 31 of the vapor deposition unit 3 may adhere to the side walls and the top surface of the transport unit 2, fall down, and adhere to the substrate being transported, and thus the vapor deposition process may fail. In addition, the vapor deposition material adhering to the side walls and the top surface of the transport unit 2 may fall down and adhere to the transport rollers 22, and thus the substrate during transport may be stained or malfunction of the transport rollers 22 may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an adhesion preventing plate on the side wall or the top surface of the conveying unit 2 and to perform maintenance for cleaning or replacing the adhesion preventing plate periodically.

In addition, dust generated by contact between the transfer roller 22 and the mask tray 201 may fly due to air flow generated by rotation of the transfer roller and release of the deposition material, adhere to the substrate and the driving structure of the film forming apparatus 1, and fail the film forming process or malfunction of the transfer unit 2 may occur. Therefore, the conveyance roller 22 may be provided with a dust hood for preventing dust from scattering, and maintenance such as replacement or cleaning of the dust hood may be periodically performed.

In this case, by separating the transfer unit 2 and the vapor deposition unit 3, the transfer space in the transfer unit 2 is accessed from the opening 21 on the bottom surface side of the transfer unit 2, and the convenience of the operation at the time of maintenance is improved. As shown in fig. 3 (a), the vapor deposition unit 3 is moved downward relative to the transport unit 2 by the elevating mechanism 41 provided in the frame 4 for separating the transport unit 2 from the vapor deposition unit 3. The vapor deposition unit 3 of the present embodiment has a portion that, when connected to the transport unit 2, enters above the Z-axis of the opening 21 as will be described later, and therefore, the vapor deposition unit 3 needs to be lowered by the lifting mechanism 41. Thereby, the vapor deposition unit 3 can move in the horizontal direction with respect to the conveying unit 2.

Next, as shown in fig. 3 (B), the vapor deposition unit 3 is horizontally moved relative to the transport unit 2 by a slide mechanism 42 provided in the frame 4. This allows the conveyance space inside the conveyance unit 2 to be accessed from below the conveyance unit 2 held by the frame 4, and thus, the convenience of maintenance can be improved. Further, since the vapor deposition unit 3 can be introduced from above the vapor deposition unit 3, convenience in maintenance of the vapor deposition unit 3 can be improved.

Next, fig. 4 shows a structure of the conveying unit 2. The conveying unit 2 includes a bottom opening 21, a plurality of conveying rollers 22, a top surface adhesion preventing portion 23, a side wall adhesion preventing portion 24, a frame 25, and a top surface cover 26. In fig. 4, only a part of the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 is shown.

The top surface adhesion preventing portion 23 is detachably disposed from the housing 25 so as to facilitate maintenance such as removal of vapor deposition material deposited on the top surface side of the conveying path in the conveying unit 2. In the present embodiment, the top surface cover 26 is provided with the top surface adhesion preventing portion 23, and when the top surface cover 26 is removed from the housing 25, the top surface adhesion preventing portion 23 is also removed from the housing 25 together with the top surface cover 26. The top surface adhesion preventing portion 23 is formed of a plurality of adhesion preventing plates (top surface adhesion preventing plates), and each of the top surface adhesion preventing plates is detachable from the housing 25 or the top surface cover 26. The structure of the top cover 26 for supporting the plurality of top adhesion preventing plates will be described later with reference to fig. 5 and 6. The detailed structures of the frame 25, the top cover 26, and the top adhesion preventing portion 23 will be described later with reference to fig. 5 and 6.

The side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 includes an adhesion preventing plate that is detachable from the side wall of the frame 25 in the conveying unit 2, and prevents the vapor deposition material from being deposited on the side wall inside the frame 25. In maintenance, the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 is removed from the housing 25, replaced, or cleaned, so that maintenance work can be easily performed. The side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 of the present embodiment is also formed of a plurality of side wall adhesion preventing plates, and each side wall adhesion preventing plate is also detachable from the housing 25.

The top cover 26 is disposed on the top surface side of the housing 25, and the top cover 26 can be removed from the housing 25 by lifting the top cover 26 upward. This allows the conveyance space to be accessed from the top surface side of the housing 25. That is, the top cover 26 is a ceiling portion that forms a ceiling of the conveyance space in the conveyance unit 2, and the frame 25 is a side wall portion that forms a side wall of the conveyance space. The top surface adhesion preventing portion 23 is an adhesion preventing portion covering a ceiling portion of the conveyance space, and the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 is an adhesion preventing portion covering a side wall portion of the conveyance space.

Next, a detailed configuration of the conveying unit 2 will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit 2 at the surface 401 of fig. 4. In fig. 5, the vapor deposition unit 3 is also illustrated.

In fig. 5, a guide roller 27 is disposed on the top cover 26, and top adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504 are supported by the guide roller 27. That is, the guide roller 27 and the portions of the top surface adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504 that come into contact with the guide roller 27 function as a sliding structure (attachment/detachment structure) that supports the adhesion preventing plates so as to be movable along the top surface cover 26. In the present embodiment, the moving direction of the guide roller 27 is a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the substrate, and is a Y-axis direction in fig. 5. In the example of fig. 5, the guide roller 27 is disposed on the top cover 26, and the top adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504 are shown as a structure including a rolling surface on which the guide roller 27 rolls. However, in another example, a rail may be disposed on the top cover 26, and rollers rolling along the rail may be disposed on the top adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504. As the top surface cover 26, any structure such as a hook-type indwelling member may be used in addition to the sliding structure, which supports the top surface adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504 in a detachable structure.

Further, as shown by circles 506 to 508, the top surface adhesion preventing plate is formed into a labyrinth structure on a surface horizontal to the top surface adhesion preventing plate in a direction intersecting the sliding direction. Here, the labyrinth structure means that the adhesion preventing plates are overlapped in a direction perpendicular to the surface covered by the adhesion preventing plates, that is, in the vertical direction. Of the top surface adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504, adhesion preventing plates adjacent in the up-down (Z-axis) direction overlap. Thus, even if the positions of the adjacent top surface adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504 slightly change, the top surface adhesion preventing plates 501 to 504 can cover the inner surfaces of the ceiling of the conveying space, and the deposition material can be prevented from adhering to the guide roller 27, the top surface cover 26, and the frame 25.

As shown by a circle 509, the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 attached to the side surface of the frame 25 and covering the side surface of the conveyance space forms a labyrinth structure with the top surface adhesion preventing plate 501 adjacent to the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24. Accordingly, even if the position of the top surface adhesion preventing plate 501 is slightly changed, the deposition material can be prevented from adhering to the guide roller 27, the top surface cover 26, and the frame 25.

The top cover 26 of the present embodiment has an engagement structure with the housing 25, and can be detached from the housing 25 by releasing the engagement between the housing 25 and the top cover 26. When the top cover 26 is removed from the frame 25, the top cover 26 can be removed by using the crane by attaching the hook of the crane to the hook hole 505 provided in the top cover 26.

Next, a detailed configuration of the conveying unit 2 will be described with reference to fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit 2 at the face 402 of fig. 4. In addition, the vapor deposition unit 3 is also illustrated in fig. 6.

In fig. 6, one of the guide rollers 27 in the sliding direction abuts against a stopper 606 provided in the frame 25 or the top cover 26 of the conveying unit 2. The other side in the sliding direction is in contact with the cover 28. The cover 28 is a locking structure capable of switching whether or not the top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 to 605 can be detached by the guide roller 27. In the example of fig. 6, the cover 28 is in a closed state in which the top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 to 605 cannot be detached from the top surface cover 26 alone. On the other hand, as described later with reference to fig. 8, by switching the cover 28 to the open state, the top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 to 605 can be detached individually along the guide roller 27 from the opening of the frame 25 covered by the cover 28 in the closed state. Further, by installing the top surface adhesion preventing plate along the guide roller 27 alone from the opening of the frame 25 and sliding it until it abuts against the stopper 606 or other top surface adhesion preventing plate already installed, it is possible to install the top surface adhesion preventing plate without alignment in the sliding direction. By adopting the sliding structure as the attachment/detachment structure in this way, the work efficiency in attaching/detaching the top surface adhesion preventing plate can be improved.

As shown by circles 607 to 610, the adhesion preventing plates adjacent to each other in the sliding direction also form a labyrinth structure. Accordingly, even if the positions of the top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 to 605 adjacent to each other in the sliding direction slightly change, the deposition material can be prevented from adhering to the guide roller 27, the top surface cover 26, and the frame 25.

The top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 to 605 in the same row have the same shape in the sliding direction. Thus, the attachment prevention plate can be easily attached to and detached from the top surface without taking into consideration the order in which the attachment prevention plates are provided.

As shown by circles 611 to 612, the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 attached to the side surface of the frame 25 and covering the side surface of the conveyance space forms a labyrinth structure with the top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 and 605 adjacent to the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24. Accordingly, even if the positions of the top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 and 605 slightly change, the deposition material can be prevented from adhering to the guide roller 27, the top surface cover 26, and the housing 25.

The conveying roller 22 is driven by the conveying roller driving unit 622 via a shaft 621.

Next, a process of removing the top surface adhesion preventing portion 23 from the top surface side will be described with reference to fig. 7 (a) to 7 (B).

In fig. 7 a, the top cover 26 is lifted vertically upward by a crane (not shown). In addition, in one example, as shown in fig. 7 (B), the top surface adhesion preventing part 23 can be detached from the housing 25 at a time by moving together with the top surface cover 26 in a state where the top surface adhesion preventing part 23 is supported by the guide roller 27 provided on the top surface cover 26. In the present embodiment, the case where maintenance is performed by replacing the top surface adhesion preventing plate attached to the top surface cover 26 is described, but maintenance may be performed by cleaning the vapor deposition material attached to the top surface adhesion preventing plate in a state where the top surface cover 26 is attached to the top surface adhesion preventing plate. Since the work such as replacement and cleaning of the top surface adhesion preventing plate can be performed in a state where the top surface cover 26 is detached from the housing 25, the work can be performed more easily than the work performed in the housing 25, and the convenience of the maintenance work of the adhesion preventing plate is improved.

Next, a process of removing the top surface adhesion preventing plate from the side wall will be described with reference to fig. 8 (a) to 8 (C).

In fig. 8 (a), by switching the cover 28 to the open state and removing the side wall adhesion preventing portion 24 facing the cover 28, the top surface adhesion preventing plates 601 to 605 can slide along the guide roller 27 with respect to the frame 25. As shown in fig. 8 (B), the operator can slide the top surface adhesion preventing plate 605 from the opening on the cover 28 side and detach it from the housing 25. Next, as shown in fig. 8 (C), the top surface adhesion preventing plate 604 is removed from the opening on the cover 28 side. In this way, the top surface adhesion preventing plate can be detached from the top surface cover 26 only by sliding the top surface adhesion preventing plate, and thus, a complicated work in the housing 25 is not required, and the convenience of maintenance work of the adhesion preventing plate is improved.

Other embodiments

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A transport device for an in-line film forming device that forms a film while transporting a substrate, characterized in that,

the conveying device comprises:

a detachable structure capable of detaching the adhesion preventing plate from the ceiling portion,

the attachment/detachment structure is a sliding structure for moving the adhesion preventing plate along the ceiling portion,

the sliding configuration includes:

a guide roller provided on one of the ceiling portion and the adhesion preventing plate; and

and a rolling surface provided on the other of the ceiling portion and the adhesion preventing plate, and configured to allow the guide roller to roll.

2. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein,

the slide structure moves the adhesion preventing plate in a direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the substrate.

3. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein,

the conveying device comprises a side wall part surrounding the conveying space,

the ceiling portion is detachable from the side wall portion.

4. The transport device according to claim 3, wherein,

the ceiling portion is detachable from the side wall portion in a state where the plurality of adhesion preventing plates are attached to the ceiling portion.

5. The transport device according to claim 3, wherein,

a side wall adhesion preventing plate is arranged on the inner side of the side wall part,

the side wall adhesion preventing plate has a portion overlapping in the up-down direction with an adhesion preventing plate adjacent to the side wall adhesion preventing plate among the plurality of adhesion preventing plates covering the inner surface of the ceiling portion.

6. The transport device according to claim 1, wherein,

the adhesion preventing plate has a portion overlapping with other adjacent adhesion preventing plates in the up-down direction.

7. A film forming apparatus for forming a film while conveying a substrate, characterized in that,

the film forming apparatus includes:

a conveying unit for conveying the substrate; and

the conveying unit includes:

a ceiling portion forming a ceiling of a conveying space of the conveying unit;

the sliding configuration includes:

8. The film forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein,

the vapor deposition unit is relatively movable with respect to the conveying unit.