CN115732379A

CN115732379A - Alignment device

Info

Publication number: CN115732379A
Application number: CN202211050163.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 铃木健太郎; 三泽启太; 佐藤精二; 永田哲也
Original assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Current assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Priority date: 2021-09-02
Filing date: 2022-08-31
Publication date: 2023-03-03
Also published as: JP2023036458A; JP7428684B2; KR20230034155A

Abstract

The invention provides an alignment device, which can restrain the position deviation of the alignment between a substrate and a mask during film formation and improve the alignment precision. The alignment device includes: the substrate processing apparatus includes an alignment mechanism for adjusting a relative position of a substrate and a mask in a plane along a surface of the substrate on which a film is to be formed, a movement mechanism for moving the relative position of the substrate with respect to the mask in a direction intersecting the plane, and a measurement mechanism for measuring the position of the substrate in the plane, wherein the measurement mechanism measures first position information of a jig mark attached to a jig different from the substrate in a state where the jig is disposed at a first height, and the measurement mechanism measures second position information of the jig mark in a state where the jig is disposed at a second height.

Description

Alignment device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an alignment device.

Background

Display devices including flat panel displays such as organic EL displays and liquid crystal displays are widely used. Among them, an organic EL display device including an organic EL display is excellent in characteristics such as response speed, viewing angle, and reduction in thickness, and is suitable for a monitor, a television, a smartphone, and the like.

In the manufacturing process of such an organic EL display, a mask film forming method is known in which a film having a predetermined pattern is formed on a glass substrate through a mask having openings formed in a predetermined pattern. In the mask film formation method, after the mask and the glass substrate are aligned (aligned), the mask and the glass substrate are brought into close contact with each other to form a film. In order to form a film with high accuracy by a mask film formation method, it is important to perform alignment between a mask and a glass substrate with high accuracy.

Patent document 1 describes a method of aligning a mask and a glass substrate using a mask mark provided on the mask and a substrate mark provided on the glass substrate. Patent document 1 proposes a method of performing alignment with high accuracy by calculating an offset amount based on a positional deviation amount of an alignment mark after a glass substrate and a mask are brought into close contact with each other.

[ Prior art documents ]

[ patent document ]

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese patent laid-open No. 2020-105629

Disclosure of Invention

[ problem to be solved by the invention ]

In patent document 1, as described above, the amount of displacement is calculated based on the amount of positional displacement of the alignment mark after the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other. However, in the case where the optical axis of the camera optical system that photographs the alignment mark and the travel of the Z-up-and-down slider of the carrier (the moving direction in which the carrier moves along the slider) are relatively inclined, even if the positions of the substrate mark and the mask mark coincide on the display of the camera, the positional relationship between the substrate mark and the mask mark that are being projected onto the mask surface is deviated. This positional deviation is hereinafter referred to as optical axis deviation. Due to the influence of the optical axis deviation, the alignment accuracy may be degraded. In the method described in patent document 1, since the substrate is affected by the deviation due to the contact with the mask, the component deviated from the optical axis of the apparatus itself is hardly separated. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain an accurate correction value with respect to an error of the apparatus itself such as an optical axis deviation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress a positional deviation during alignment between a substrate and a mask during film formation and improve alignment accuracy.

[ MEANS FOR solving PROBLEMS ] A method for solving the problems

The present invention adopts the following configuration. That is to say that the first and second electrodes,

an alignment device, comprising:

an alignment mechanism that adjusts a relative position of a substrate and a mask in a plane along a surface of the substrate on which a film is to be formed;

a moving mechanism that moves a relative position of the substrate with respect to the mask in a crossing direction crossing the plane; and

a measuring mechanism that measures a position of the substrate in the plane,

the alignment means is characterized in that it is,

the measuring means measures first position information of a jig mark provided to a jig in a state where the jig different from the substrate is arranged at a first height,

the measuring means measures second position information of the jig mark in a state where the jig is arranged at a second height.

[ Effect of the invention ]

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress positional deviation during alignment between a substrate and a mask during film formation, and improve alignment accuracy.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an overall production line of a vacuum deposition apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an alignment device of the vacuum evaporation apparatus.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of the support portions of the carrier and the mask of the alignment apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the process of acquiring the correction value.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the alignment process.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a change in the marker coordinate of the correction marker in the camera angle of view.

Fig. 7 is a view showing the Z height of the correction mark, the amount of deviation in the X direction, and the correction value.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the structures of the substrate mark and the mask mark.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the jig and the correction mark.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic device.

[ description of reference ]

10: glass substrate, 12: mask, 15: correction flag, 24: carrier Z-shaped lifting sliding part

26: alignment stage, 31: alignment camera, 40: correction clamp

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the following description merely shows preferred configurations of the present invention by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these configurations. Note that the hardware configuration and software configuration of the apparatus, the process flow, the manufacturing conditions, the dimensions, the materials, the shapes, and the like in the following description are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these embodiments unless otherwise specified.

When a film having a desired pattern is formed on a substrate, a mask having a mask pattern adapted to the shape of the film is used. By using a plurality of masks, each layer to be formed can be arbitrarily configured. In order to form a film at a desired position on a substrate, it is necessary to perform relative position adjustment (alignment) of the substrate or the like and a mask with high accuracy.

The present invention can be grasped as an alignment method and an alignment apparatus for performing alignment (adjustment of relative positions of a substrate and a mask) when a film forming material is adhered to a film forming object such as a substrate through the mask to form a film. The present invention can also be grasped as a film forming method and a film forming apparatus using the alignment method and the alignment apparatus. In the case of forming a film by a vapor deposition method, the present invention can be grasped as a vapor deposition method and a vapor deposition apparatus. The present invention can also be grasped as an adjusting method, an adjusting device, or an adjusting jig for adjusting the alignment device described above. The present invention can also be grasped as a method for manufacturing an electronic device and an apparatus for manufacturing an electronic device, which manufacture an electronic device using a substrate after film formation. The present invention can also be grasped as a method for controlling each of the above-described apparatuses.

The present invention can be preferably applied to a case where a thin film material layer having a desired pattern is formed on the surface of a substrate through a mask. As a material of the substrate, any material such as glass, resin, metal, and silicon can be used. As the film forming material, any material such as an organic material or an inorganic material (metal or metal oxide) can be used. The technique of the present invention is typically applied to an apparatus for manufacturing electronic devices and optical members. In particular, the organic EL display is suitable for organic electronic devices such as an organic EL display, an organic EL display device using the organic EL display, a thin-film solar cell, and an organic CMOS image sensor. However, the applicable objects of the present invention are not limited thereto.

< example 1>

(manufacturing line)

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a manufacturing line of an electronic device. Such a manufacturing line is called a film formation system including a film formation apparatus. Here, a manufacturing line of the organic EL display will be described. In the case of manufacturing an organic EL display, a substrate having a predetermined size is carried into a manufacturing line, and after organic EL and a metal layer are formed, a post-treatment step such as dicing is performed on the substrate.

The present invention is not limited to the alignment in the tandem film forming system as shown in fig. 1. For example, the substrate may be applied to alignment in a cluster-type film deposition system in which a plurality of film deposition apparatuses are arranged around a transfer robot to perform film deposition. The present invention is also applicable to a film forming apparatus having no carrier.

The film forming apparatus of the present embodiment is a vacuum deposition apparatus that uses an evaporation source to deposit a deposition material on a substrate. The manufacturing line is provided in a vapor deposition apparatus in the entire production line of the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, and includes at least a glass substrate introduction chamber 101, a carrier merging chamber 102, a mask merging chamber 103, an alignment chamber 104, a film formation chamber 105, and a glass substrate discharge chamber 109. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, a transfer chamber 106, a mask separation chamber 107, a carrier separation chamber 108, a mask transfer chamber 110, and a carrier transfer chamber 111 are further included.

The glass substrate is put into the glass substrate putting chamber 101. In the carrier merging chamber 102, the carrier 11 merges with the glass substrate 10. In the mask merging chamber 103, the carrier 11 merges with the mask 12. In the alignment chamber 104, the carrier is aligned with the mask with high accuracy. In the film forming chamber 105, a film forming process is performed on the glass substrate 10. The glass substrate after film formation is discharged from the glass substrate discharge chamber 109.

The glass substrate loading chamber 101 loads the glass substrate 10, which is transferred from the upstream, to a transfer line and transfers the glass substrate to a downstream process. In the carrier merging chamber 102, the glass substrate 10 is merged with the carrier 11 for conveying the glass substrate 10, and the carrier 11 clamps the glass substrate 10 to convey it downstream. In the mask merging chamber 103, the carrier 11 and the mask 12 are merged and conveyed downstream, respectively. When the carrier 11 and the mask 12 are sent from the mask merging chamber 103 to the alignment chamber 104, the carrier 11 is brought into contact with the mask 12 and is conveyed to the downstream film forming chamber 105 by performing highly accurate alignment using the substrate mark attached to the glass substrate 10 and the mask mark attached to the mask 12. This alignment process will be described later. The film forming chamber 105 includes an evaporation source (film forming source) that heats and evaporates a film forming material, and performs a film forming process on the glass substrate 10 through the mask 12.

The carrier 11 and the mask 12 are sent into the mask separation chamber 107 via the transfer chamber 106. In the mask separation chamber 107, the mask 12 is separated from the carrier 11. The separated mask 12 is returned to the circulation path again via the mask transfer chamber 110. In the carrier separation chamber 108, the carrier 11 is separated from the glass substrate 10. The separated carrier 11 is returned to the circulation path again via the carrier transport chamber 111. The glass substrate 10 on which the film formation process has been completed is sent out from the glass substrate sending chamber 106 to the next process.

In the manufacturing line, the carrier 11 holding the glass substrate 10 may be turned upside down in a state where the carrier 11 is attached to the mask 12, and the film forming material may be attached to the glass substrate 10 from below. In this case, the film is turned upside down again after the film formation is completed. Further, each chamber of the manufacturing line is preferably maintained in a high vacuum state during the manufacturing process of the organic EL display panel.

(alignment device)

Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of the alignment chamber 104. In the alignment chamber 104, the carrier 11 and the mask 12 are respectively loaded onto the carrier carrying roller 20 and the mask carrying roller 21 from the mask confluent chamber 103 to be carried. Then, the following series of processes are performed: alignment (positioning) is performed to adjust the relative positional relationship between the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12, the carrier 11 to which the glass substrate 10 is fixed is brought into contact with the mask 12, and the carrier 11 is conveyed to the film forming chamber 105 in the next step for each mask 12.

In the following description, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system in which the vertical direction is the Z direction is used. In the XYZ rectangular coordinate system, when the substrate is fixed in parallel to a horizontal plane (XY plane) during film formation, the direction in which one of two opposing sets of sides of the rectangular glass substrate 10 extends is defined as the X direction, and the direction in which the other set of sides extends is defined as the Y direction. Further, the rotation angle around the Z axis is represented by θ.

The alignment chamber 104 has a vacuum chamber 22. The inside of the vacuum chamber 22 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen. The mask supporting unit 16 and the carrier supporting unit 17 are provided inside the vacuum chamber 22.

The carrier support unit 17 (substrate support mechanism) has a function as a support for supporting the carrier 11 carried on the carrier carrying roller 20. The mask 12 is, for example, a metal mask, and has an opening pattern corresponding to a thin film pattern formed on a substrate. The mask supporting unit 16 has a function as a support for supporting the mask 12 fed by the mask carrying roller 21. In the structure of this embodiment, after the carrier 11 is positioned and supported on the mask 12, it is carried out by the mask carrying roller 21. In the case of a configuration in which the carrier 11 is not used, a substrate support mechanism that directly supports the substrate may be used.

Fig. 8 (b) shows an example of the structure of the mask 12 of the present embodiment. The mask 12 has a structure in which a mask foil 12b having a thickness of about several μm to several tens μm is fixed by welding to a frame-shaped mask frame 12 a. The mask frame 12a supports the mask foil 12b in a state of being stretched in the plane direction thereof so that the mask foil 12b is not deflected. The mask foil 12b includes a boundary portion for dividing a film formation region of the substrate. When the mask 12 is mounted on the glass substrate 10, the boundary portion of the mask foil 12b is in close contact with the glass substrate 10, and shields the film-forming material. When a glass substrate or a substrate having a film made of resin such as polyimide formed thereon is used as the glass substrate 10, an iron alloy, preferably an iron alloy containing nickel, may be used as the main material of the mask frame 12a and the mask foil 12 b.

A carrier Z elevating base 23, a carrier Z elevating slider 24, and a carrier clamp Z slider 25 are provided on the outer upper part of the vacuum chamber 22. Each actuator is composed of, for example, an electric motor, a ball screw, an electric motor, a linear guide, and the like. An alignment table 26 is further provided on the outer upper portion of the vacuum chamber 22. The alignment stage 26 is connected to the carrier Z elevating base 23, and drives the carrier support unit 17 in the XY θ direction.

The carrier Z elevating slider 24 (moving mechanism) elevates and drives the entire carrier support unit 17 in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the relative distance between the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 changes in the intersecting direction (typically, the direction perpendicular to the plane of the film formation surface of the glass substrate 10) that intersects the plane along the film formation surface of the glass substrate 10. The carrier clamp Z slider 25 drives the pressing tool of the carrier support unit 17 to drive the carrier clamp 27 in the Z direction, thereby gripping the carrier.

(study on relative positional deviation between the glass substrate and the mask)

As described above, when the carrier 11 and the mask 12 after alignment are brought into contact with each other, positional deviation occurs, and as a result, the glass substrate 10 fixed to the carrier and the mask are displaced from each other, and therefore, the alignment accuracy may be affected. As the cause of the positional deviation, there are known a cause of contact deviation and a mechanical cause of the alignment device 80. The cause of contact deviation includes a cause of contact of the carrier 11 with the mask 12, and a cause of contact of the glass substrate 10 with the mask 12.

The positional deviation caused by the contact includes a positional deviation caused when the carrier 11 is placed on the mask 12 and a positional deviation caused when the large glass substrate 10 is bent and the glass substrate 10 comes into contact with and closely contacts the mask 12, and is also referred to as a contact component of the positional deviation. The contact component tends to vary for each of the glass substrate 10, the carrier 11, and the mask 12.

On the other hand, the position deviation caused by the mechanical cause is a position deviation inherent to the alignment device generated at the stage of the relative distance approach of the carrier 11 and the mask 12, and is also referred to as an optical axis deviation component of the position deviation. The optical axis deviation component takes a constant value for each alignment camera of the alignment apparatus, and the individual difference between each glass substrate, each carrier, and each mask is small.

For example, although the control unit controls the substrate to move in the vertical direction, in the case where the control unit actually moves slightly obliquely from the vertical direction, the relative position of the substrate and the mask at the height at which the substrate is aligned deviates when the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other. Alternatively, when the optical axis of the camera slightly does not coincide with the travel (moving direction) of the Z-up/down slider when the Z-up/down slider is lowered in the Z-direction, the relative position is deviated when the camera is in close contact with the Z-up/down slider although it is determined that the alignment is completed at the alignment height. It is not necessary that the optical axis direction of the camera and the moving direction of the Z up-down slider be vertical. If both are matched, the positional deviation in control can be prevented.

In the method using the conventional technique, the component of the positional deviation caused by the contact between the optical axis and the optical axis is not discriminated and is reflected in the amount of the deviation. The positional deviation due to the contact of the substrates is generally different for each substrate due to the unevenness of the frictional force. Therefore, the accuracy of the offset correction may be degraded due to the influence of the positional deviation component of the substrate caused by the contact with low reproducibility. Therefore, a method of calculating a mechanical component of the positional deviation separately from the contact component is required. In particular, in order to correct the mechanical component with high accuracy, it is necessary to measure the Z-direction height at which contact deviation occurs due to the close contact between the final glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 with high accuracy.

Therefore, in the present application, in order to correct the mechanical component of the positional deviation with high accuracy, the mechanical component is measured to a height at which the positional deviation due to the contact occurs, and is used for the offset correction at the time of alignment. Since the mechanical component of the positional deviation is a mechanical component unique to the alignment device 80, the mechanical component may be calculated by attaching a correction mark to a dedicated jig in advance or may be calculated during the alignment process. The offset correction of the mechanical component of the positional deviation may be used in combination with the offset correction of the positional deviation due to the contact, or may be used alone.

Returning to fig. 2, the description is continued. The alignment stage 26 (alignment mechanism) moves the carrier 11 in the XY direction and rotates it in the θ direction to change the positions of the carrier 11 and the mask 12. Specifically, the alignment stage 26 adjusts the relative position of the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 in a plane along the film formation surface of the glass substrate 10 held by the carrier. The alignment stage 26 includes a chamber fixing portion 37 connected and fixed to the vacuum chamber 22, an actuator portion 28 for performing XY θ movement, and a connecting portion 29 connected to the carrier support unit.

It should be noted that the alignment stage 26, the carrier Z-elevating slider 24, the carrier supporting unit 17, the carrier clamp 27, the carrier 11, and the control section 30 may be considered together as an alignment device 80 that aligns the glass substrate 10 with the mask 12. The alignment device 80 may also include a camera type, described later.

As the actuator unit 28, an actuator in which an X actuator, a Y actuator, and a θ actuator are stacked may be used. Further, a UVW type actuator in which a plurality of actuators cooperate may be used. In any of the above-described embodiments, the actuator unit 28 is driven in accordance with a control signal transmitted from the control unit 30, and moves the glass substrate 10 in the X direction and the Y direction and rotates in the θ direction. The control signal indicates the operation amount of each actuator of XY θ in the case of the laminated actuator, and indicates the operation amount of each actuator of UVW in the case of the UVW actuator.

The alignment stage 26 causes the carrier support unit 17 to perform XY θ movement. In this embodiment, the position of the carrier 11 is adjusted, but the position of the mask 12 and the positions of both the carrier 11 and the mask 12 may be adjusted, and the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 may be aligned with each other.

A plurality of alignment cameras 31 (measurement means) for optically capturing images and generating image data are provided on the outer upper portion of the vacuum chamber 22. The alignment camera 31 takes an image through a sealed window 32 for maintaining vacuum provided in the vacuum chamber 22.

The plurality of alignment cameras 31 are provided at positions where marks attached to corners of the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 can be imaged. When the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 are within the range of the alignment height, the camera shooting area includes the substrate mark 13 on the surface of the glass substrate and the mask mark 14 on the surface of the mask.

Here, the arrangement of the substrate mark 13 and the mask mark 14 will be described. Fig. 8 (a) is a view of the glass substrate 10 as viewed from above. The outer edge of the carrier 11 supporting the glass substrate 10 is indicated by a dotted line. Substrate marks 13a to 13d are formed at the corners of the glass substrate 10. In this example, four alignment cameras 31a to 31d are disposed in the upper portion of the vacuum chamber. The alignment cameras 31a to 31d simultaneously capture images of the substrate marks 13a to 13d, respectively.

Fig. 8 (b) is a view of the mask 12 as viewed from above, and mask marks 14a to 14d are formed at four corners of the mask frame 12 a. The alignment cameras 31a to 31d simultaneously capture the mask marks 14a to 14d, respectively. The positions and the numbers of the substrate mark 13, the mask mark 14, and the alignment camera 31 are not limited to this example.

Fig. 8 (c) shows the field angle 44 (shooting field) of a certain alignment camera 31 in the alignment process. In this example, the substrate mark 13 and the mask mark 14 are simultaneously photographed within the field angle 44, and therefore the relative positions of the mark centers to each other can be measured. The shapes of the substrate mark 13 and the mask mark 14 are not limited to the illustrated example, but are preferably symmetrical in order to facilitate calculation of the center position. It is preferable to perform two-stage alignment by providing a low-magnification wide-field camera for performing rough alignment and a high-magnification camera for performing fine alignment.

The control unit 30 acquires the relative positional relationship between the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 in the planar direction from the captured image. Then, the control unit 30 controls the driving amount of the driving unit such as the actuator unit 28 by feedback based on the relative position information until the substrate mark 13 and the mask mark 14 in each viewing angle 44 come close to each other within a range of a predetermined positional relationship. In this way, the alignment device 80 aligns the glass substrate 10 on the carrier 11 and the mask 12 in a plane parallel to the film formation surface of the substrate. Then, the carrier Z elevating slider 24 is driven to place the carrier 11 (glass substrate 10) on the mask 12.

In the XY in-plane movement of the carrier 11, the carrier holding unit 17 holding the carrier 11 is moved in translation in the XY direction or moved in rotation in the θ direction using the alignment stage 26. The in-plane here means a plane on which the mask 12 is disposed or a plane substantially parallel to the film formation surface of the glass substrate 10. That is, the Z-direction distance between the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 does not change during XY movement and θ rotation of the glass substrate 10, and the position of the glass substrate 10 changes in the XY plane.

(Structure of the jig)

This is the alignment process between the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 in the normal film formation. Next, the structure of the characteristic jig and the correction mark 15 attached to the jig in the present application are explained. The correction jig 40 with the correction mark 15 attached thereto may be attached to the carrier support unit 17 of the alignment device 80 that holds the carrier. Alternatively, the movable correction jig 40 may be resident in the carrier support unit 17 in advance, and the movable correction jig may be moved to a position where imaging is possible when measuring the correction mark, and may be stored in a position where alignment is not interfered when aligning the normal glass substrate 10 and the mask 12. Further, the substrate mark 13 provided on the glass substrate 10 may be used. However, in the case of using the glass substrate 10, it is necessary to avoid the glass substrate 10 from contacting the mask 12 when calculating the correction value.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the correction jig 40 (40 a to 40 d). A line corresponding to the outer edge of the carrier 11 is indicated by a one-dot chain line 11 f. The carrier support unit 17 does not support both the carrier 11 and the correction jig 40 at the same time, and therefore the one-dot chain line 11f is a virtual outer edge line. The number of the correction jigs 40 in this embodiment is four, and the correction jigs are held by the carrier support units 17 at positions corresponding to four corners of the carrier 11. As a result, the correction marks 15a to 15d are accommodated in the viewing angles 44a to 44d of the alignment cameras 31a to 31d.

The size of the correction jig 40 in the XY plane needs to be increased to the extent that at least the correction mark 15 is accommodated within the angle of view. Further, if the correction jig 40 is too large, a part of the correction jig may be deflected and may contact the mask 12, and therefore the deflection is set to a negligible level. Alternatively, in order to reduce the deflection itself, a method of reducing the deflection and preventing the contact by securing the rigidity by managing the thickness and the second moment of area of the correction jig may be considered.

The controller 30 is a control means for analyzing the captured image data of the alignment camera 31, detecting the substrate mark 13, the mask mark 14, and the correction mark 15, and acquiring the coordinates of the mark in the XYZ coordinate system of the apparatus as position information. The controller 30 calculates the XY direction, distance, and angle θ for moving the carrier 11 based on the amount of positional deviation between the alignment marks of the substrate and the mask. Then, the calculated movement amount is converted into a driving amount of a stepping motor, a servo motor, or the like provided in each actuator of the alignment stage 26, and a control signal is generated.

The alignment camera 31 of the present embodiment performs photographing at a plurality of substrate heights, which will be described in detail later. Specifically, the plurality of substrate heights in the present embodiment are an alignment height (first height) and an abutment height of the carrier and the mask (second height). However, the second height may be a height closer to the mask 12 than the first height, and the carrier and the mask may not be in contact with each other. The term "substrate height" refers to a distance between the mask 12 and the glass substrate 10 in the intersecting direction when the height of the mask 12 in contact with the glass substrate 10 is set to 0 and the glass substrate 10 is moved in the direction intersecting the surface of the mask 12 (or the surface of the glass substrate 10 on which a film is to be formed). In other words, the imaging is performed twice in the direction intersecting the film formation surface of the glass substrate 10 (typically, in the direction perpendicular to the film formation surface) when the carrier 11 is at the alignment height and when the carrier is at the contact height with the mask. Then, position information (coordinate information of the mark, first position information) at the alignment height and position information (second position information) at the contact height of the carrier and the mask are acquired. In the present embodiment, the shooting is performed at a height of two times, but the shooting height and the number of times of shooting are not limited to this example.

Here, the information acquired at the alignment height and the abutment height is coordinates of the substrate mark 13 and the mask mark 14 in the case of normal alignment. In the case of measurement using the correction jig 40, the coordinates of the correction mark 15 and the mask mark 14 are used.

The controller 30 also performs various other controls such as alignment control based on operation control of the actuators of the actuator unit 28, feeding and discharging control of the carrier 11 and the mask 12, and operation control of the carrier Z elevating slider. The control section 30 may be constituted by a computer having a processor, a memory, a storage, an I/O, and the like, for example. In this case, the function of the control unit 30 is realized by the processor executing a program stored in the memory or storage of the storage unit 34. As the computer, a general-purpose personal computer may be used, or an embedded computer or a PLC (programmable logic controller) may be used. Alternatively, a part or all of the functions of the control unit 30 may be configured by a circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 30 may be provided for each of the alignment devices 80, or one control unit 30 may control a plurality of alignment devices 80. The control unit 30 also calculates various offset correction amounts for alignment.

The storage unit 34 is a storage means for storing execution programs and data used by the control unit 30. Any storage mechanism such as flash memory, nonvolatile memory, SSD, HDD, or the like may be used. The controller 30 stores the calculated offset amount in the storage unit 34 in advance, and uses the offset amount for offset correction in the alignment process.

Next, details of the carrier support unit 17 of the alignment device 80 are explained. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the carrier 11 and the holding portion of the mask 12. Fig. 3 (a) shows a case where the carrier 11 holding the glass substrate 10 is supported. Fig. 3 (b) shows a case where the correction jig 40 with the correction mark 15 of the present invention is supported.

The carrier support unit 17 includes carrier receiving claws 41 protruding from the column portion in the XY plane direction, carrier receiving surfaces 42 arranged on the upper surfaces of the carrier receiving claws 41, and a carrier clamp 27. In a state where the carrier 11 is placed on and supported by the carrier receiving surface 42, the carrier clamp 27 is pressed from above and clamped, whereby the carrier 11 can be fixed in a state where it is supported. By driving the alignment stage 26 in this state, the glass substrate 10 can be aligned with respect to the mask 12.

The mask 12 is fed into the vacuum chamber in a state of being placed on the mask carrying roller 21, and then delivered from the mask carrying roller 21 to the mask supporting unit 16. The mask support unit 16 includes a mask lifting mechanism for vertically lifting the mask 12 in the Z direction. The alignment is performed in a state where the mask 12 is delivered to and supported by the mask support unit 16. The use of the mask supporting unit 16 is preferable in suppressing the influence of vibration from each conveying roller and achieving high accuracy of alignment. However, alignment may be performed on the mask carrying roller 21 without using the mask supporting unit 16.

(obtaining of correction value)

Next, a method of acquiring a correction value and a method of correcting the correction value according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 shows a state in which the correction mark 15 (represented by the circular mark "good") and the mask mark 14 (represented by the square mark "□") are captured by the alignment camera 31 within the field angle 44 of the camera. The circular mark "good" of the solid line indicates the positional relationship of the correction mark 15 at the aligned height, and is represented by the coordinates (X, Y) in the camera coordinate system. For the sake of simplicity, the reference (0, 0) is set as the center coordinate of the mask mark 14. The height of the carrier Z elevating slider 24 at this time is ha.

In addition, the coordinates of the correction mark 15 when the carrier Z elevating slider 24 is lowered are measured in order to grasp the relative inclination between the direction of travel of the carrier Z elevating slider 24 and the direction of the camera optical axis 33. The lower end when lowered is set to the height at which the carrier 11 is seated on the mask 12, and this height is set to h0. The coordinates of the correction mark 15 (indicated by a dashed circle 15 ') at this time are changed to (X ', Y ').

Fig. 7 shows the change in the X direction when the carrier Z-elevating slider 24 is lowered from ha to h0.

The X direction at this time is changed to

X-X′＝δx。

Also, the Y-direction change can be calculated similarly as

Y-Y′＝δy。

In this way, the relative positional change between the mask mark 14 and the correction mark 15 can be calculated based on the image processing results of the alignment height and the abutment height.

This calculated value can be used as a correction value for the XY-direction offset during alignment. That is, the substrate mark 13 is made to coincide with the mask mark 14 at the abutment height by shifting the substrate mark 13 in advance to a state of being shifted by (- δ x, - δ y) from the mask mark 14 at the alignment height.

When the alignment camera 31 has a tilt mechanism, the optical axis correction can be performed by determining the relative tilt between the carrier Z vertically movable slider 24 and the camera optical axis 33 based on the correction value. That is, if the X is relatively inclined, the X is obtained

θx＝atan(δx/(ha-h0))，

As a relative tilt of Y, obtain

θy＝atan(δy/(ha-h0))

By tilting the alignment camera 31, the relative tilt can be reduced, and the amount of displacement during lowering can be reduced.

If the direction of travel of the carrier Z elevating slider 24 can be made to coincide with the optical axis direction of the alignment camera 31, the relative positions of the respective marks in the angle of view can be made to coincide at the alignment height ha and the contact height h0. Therefore, the direction of travel of the carrier Z elevating slider 24 can be corrected instead of the pitch correction of the optical axis direction. In the correction, it is not necessary to set the direction of travel and the optical axis direction to be vertical.

The above-described method is defined on the assumption that the inclination of the optical axis when ha → h0 descends is linear. However, it is conceivable that the inclination is not necessarily linear, and a correction value may be derived by measuring the correction value at each height with a fine notch width in the Z direction as shown in fig. 7 and performing an approximate calculation by the least square method or the like, or discrete actual measurement values at each height may be reflected as the correction value without using an approximate expression.

The coordinates (X, Y) of the correction mark 15 are based on the mask mark 14. However, even if the mask mark 14 is not provided, the position change of the correction mark in the XY direction from the origin when moving to each height of ha and h0 can be acquired as the correction value with reference to an arbitrary origin of the camera coordinate system.

(treatment procedure)

Next, the procedure of the correction value acquisition step of alignment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to fig. 4. This process is performed using a dedicated jig, and is preferably executed at the timing of installation, maintenance, and the like of the alignment device separately from the normal film formation.

First, the correction jig 40 with the correction mark 15 attached thereto is attached to the carrier support unit 17. Alternatively, the correction jig 40 is pulled out from the storage position. (step S1)

Next, the correction mark 15 is moved so as to come to be aligned with the center of the camera. The carrier Z up-and-down slider 24 is driven up and down (step S2).

Next, at each measurement height required for the alignment procedure, imaging by the alignment camera 31 is performed, and the position of the correction mark 15 is acquired based on the obtained image (step S3). The "required measurement heights" herein include a height at which the holding jig 11 does not contact the mask 12 even when XY θ driving is performed. The range of these measurement heights preferably includes a height ha at which alignment is actually performed as shown in fig. 7 and an abutment height h0 at which seating is completed when the carrier 11 is brought into contact with the mask 12 after the alignment is completed. Accordingly, since the influence of the mechanical misalignment caused by the contact between the carrier 11 and the mask 12 can be excluded, the influence of the inclination of the camera optical axis 33 with respect to the travel of the up-down slider 24 can be accurately obtained and corrected in the alignment device. As a result, the alignment accuracy can be improved. However, the correction value at the height that is not measured can also be calculated by interpolation processing such as interpolation and extrapolation or extrapolation processing.

If all the position information of the required measurement heights is not obtained, the procedure returns to step S2, and the height of the correction jig 40 is changed to perform imaging (step S4).

Then, the control unit 30 performs calculation processing of the correction value based on the obtained position information, and stores the result in the storage unit 34. (step S5)

The positional deviation caused by the optical axis deviation is based on the positional deviation inherent to the device for aligning the camera 31 and the carrier Z elevating/lowering slider 24. Therefore, if the correction value is already obtained, it is not necessary to obtain data again unless a situation occurs in which the optical axis direction or the direction in which the slider travels is changed due to a failure of the apparatus.

Although the correction jig 40 is used in the above-described flow, a normal carrier 11 and glass substrate 10 may be used, and instead of the correction mark 15, a substrate mark 13 may be used. In this case, it is necessary to avoid contact deviation components caused by contact between the glass substrate 10 and the carrier 11 and the mask 12, particularly at the contact height, in the imaging for obtaining the correction value.

Next, a flow of the alignment process using the correction value will be described with reference to fig. 5.

First, the carrier 11 holding the glass substrate 10 and the mask 12 are individually loaded from the mask merging chamber 103 into the alignment chamber 104 (step S10). At this time, the carrier 11 is conveyed on the carrier conveying roller 20, and the mask 12 is conveyed on the mask conveying roller 21.

Next, the carrier 11 is delivered from the carrier transport rollers 20 to the carrier support unit 17 by raising the carrier support unit 17 in the Z direction (step S11).

The mask 12 is transferred from the mask transfer roller 21 to the mask support unit 16 by raising the mask support unit 16 (step S12).

Next, the carrier transport rollers 20 are retracted, the carrier support unit 17 is lowered in the Z direction, and the carrier 11 is moved to the alignment height (step S13).

Next, the alignment camera 31 photographs the substrate mark 13 attached to the glass substrate 10 and the mask mark 14 attached to the mask 12, and the alignment position is confirmed (step S14).

The correction value calculated by the flow of fig. 4 is applied to the target position of the alignment position. If the alignment position is within the target value, the process proceeds to step S17 (step S15). For example, the amount of movement of the substrate mark 13 with the mask mark 14 as a reference (0, 0) during the movement of the carrier 11 from the alignment height ha to the contact height h0 is set to (δ x, δ y). The coordinates of the substrate mark 13 obtained in the captured image at the alignment height ha are (x, y). In this case, (x- δ x, y- δ y) in which the correction amount is applied as the offset value is within a range from the reference (0, 0) to a predetermined target value, the process proceeds to step S17. When the tilt of the optical axis is corrected by using the correction value, it is not necessary to perform such offset correction, and a normal alignment process may be performed.

On the other hand, if the target value is not within the target value, the process returns to step S14, and the alignment stage 26 is moved in the XY θ direction to perform the imaging by the alignment camera again (step S16).

When the target value is within the target value, the carrier support unit 17 is lowered in the Z direction to place the carrier 11 on the mask 12 (step S17). Then, the alignment camera 31 performs shooting to confirm the alignment position (step S18). If the alignment position is not within the target value, the process returns to step S13 to raise the carrier support unit 17 in the Z direction.

On the other hand, if the alignment position is within the target value, the process proceeds to step S20 (step S19). Then, the mask support unit 16 is lowered in the Z direction to transfer the mask 12 to the mask transfer roller 21 and send it to the film forming chamber 105 (step S20).

As described above, in the present invention, the positional deviation between the substrate and the mask can be obtained as the correction value by using the dedicated jig with the correction mark. Since the jig is smaller than the substrate and has a small amount of deflection, contact deviation does not occur even at a height at which the deflection portion comes into contact with the mask if the substrate is used. Therefore, the influence of the contact deviation component, which is a cause of the positional deviation, can be eliminated, and only the influence of the mechanical component, such as the deviation of the optical axis and the deviation of the Z-up-down slider in the traveling direction, can be measured.

As a result, the positional deviation caused by the mechanical component can be accurately grasped and used for various corrections such as offset correction, optical axis pitch correction, and correction of the traveling direction of the Z-up/down slider. This makes it possible to perform highly accurate alignment and to perform a good film formation as compared with the conventional film formation method.

< example 2>

(method of manufacturing organic electronic device)

In this example, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic electronic device using a film formation apparatus including an alignment apparatus is described. Hereinafter, a structure and a manufacturing method of the organic EL display device are exemplified as an example of the organic electronic device. First, the organic EL display device manufactured will be described. Fig. 10 (a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 60, and fig. 10 (b) shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in fig. 10 (a), a plurality of pixels 62 each including a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a matrix in a display region 61 of the organic EL display device 60. Each of the light-emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. Here, the pixel is the minimum unit that can display a desired color in the display region 61. In the case of the organic EL display device of the present figure, the pixel 62 is configured by a combination of a first light-emitting element 62R, a second light-emitting element 62G, and a third light-emitting element 62B which exhibit different light emissions from each other. The pixel 62 is often configured by a combination of a red light emitting element, a green light emitting element, and a blue light emitting element, but may be a combination of a yellow light emitting element, a cyan light emitting element, and a white light emitting element, and is not particularly limited as long as it has at least one color.

Fig. 10 (B) is a partial cross-sectional view of the line a-B in fig. 10 (a). The pixel 62 includes an organic EL element including a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, any one of light-emitting

layers

66R, 66G, and 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a second electrode (cathode) 68 on the substrate 10. Of these, the hole transport layer 65, the light-emitting

layers

66R, 66G, and 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 correspond to an organic layer. Further, in the present embodiment, the light-emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer that emits red, the light-emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer that emits green, and the light-emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer that emits blue.

The light-emitting

layers

66R, 66G, and 66B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (also referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively. The first electrode 64 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the second electrode 68 may be formed in common with the plurality of

light emitting elements

62R, 62G, and 62B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. An insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrodes 64 in order to prevent the first electrodes 64 and the second electrodes 68 from being short-circuited by impurities. Further, the organic EL layer is deteriorated by moisture or oxygen, and therefore a protective layer P for protecting the organic EL element from moisture or oxygen is provided.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device as an electronic device will be specifically described. First, the substrate 10 on which the circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and the first electrode 64 are formed is prepared.

Next, an acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 10 on which the first electrode 64 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by photolithography so as to form an opening in a portion where the first electrode 64 is formed, thereby forming the insulating layer 69. The opening corresponds to a light-emitting region where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

Next, the substrate 10 on which the insulating layer 69 is formed is sent to a first film forming apparatus, and the substrate is supported by a substrate supporting unit, so that the hole transport layer 65 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 64 in the display region. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum evaporation. In practice, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to have a size larger than that of the display region 61, and therefore a high-definition mask is not required. Here, the film forming apparatus used for film formation in this step and film formation of each layer described below is the film forming apparatus described in any of the above embodiments.

Next, the substrate 10 on which the hole transport layer 65 is formed is sent to the second film formation apparatus and supported by the substrate support unit. The substrate is placed on the mask by aligning the substrate with the mask, and a light-emitting layer 66R emitting red light is formed on the portion of the substrate 10 where the elements emitting red light are disposed. According to this embodiment, the mask and the substrate can be satisfactorily superposed on each other, and a film can be formed with high accuracy.

Similarly to the formation of the light-emitting layer 66R, the light-emitting layer 66G emitting green light is formed by the third film-forming device, and the light-emitting layer 66B emitting blue light is formed by the fourth film-forming device. After the completion of the formation of the light-emitting

layers

66R, 66G, and 66B, the electron transport layer 67 is formed in the entire display region 61 by the fifth film formation device. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a common layer in the

light emitting layers

66R, 66G, and 66B of three colors.

The substrate on which the electron transport layer 67 was formed was moved to a sputtering apparatus to form the second electrode 68, and then moved to a plasma CVD apparatus to form the protective layer P, thereby completing the organic EL display apparatus 60.

Until the substrate 10 on which the insulating layer 69 is formed is fed to a film forming apparatus and the formation of the protective layer P is completed, if the substrate is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen, the light-emitting layer made of an organic EL material may be deteriorated by moisture or oxygen. Therefore, in this example, the substrate is carried in and out between the film forming apparatuses in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

According to the alignment apparatus, the film deposition apparatus, or the method of manufacturing an electronic device of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform excellent film deposition with improved alignment accuracy.

Claims

1. An alignment device, comprising:

a measuring mechanism that measures a position of the substrate in the plane,

the alignment means is characterized in that it is,

the measuring means measures first position information of a correction mark provided to a jig different from the substrate in a state where the jig is arranged at a first height,

the measuring means measures second position information of the correction mark in a state where the jig is disposed at a second height.

2. The alignment device of claim 1,

using the first position information and the second position information, a correction value for the relative position adjustment is calculated.

3. The alignment device of claim 1,

and adjusting an optical axis of a camera included in the measuring means or an axis of the moving means using the first position information and the second position information.

4. The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the alignment apparatus further comprises a substrate support mechanism for supporting the substrate,

the substrate support mechanism can support the jig instead of supporting the substrate.

5. The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the alignment apparatus further includes a substrate support mechanism for supporting the substrate,

the movable jig is attached to the substrate support mechanism.

6. The alignment device of claim 4,

the measuring means is a means for measuring a substrate mark provided on the substrate and a mask mark provided on the mask,

the correction mark is attached to a position of the jig corresponding to the substrate mark.

7. The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the first height is a height of the substrate when the relative position adjustment is performed.

8. The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the second height is a height closer to the mask than the first height.

9. A film forming apparatus includes:

the alignment device of any one of claims 1 to 8; and

a film formation source for forming a film on the substrate through the mask,

the film-forming apparatus is characterized in that,

the second height is a height at which the film formation is performed.

10. A film forming apparatus is characterized in that,

a plurality of chambers including a chamber provided with the alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 are configured in series.