JP2003160856A - Vapor deposition apparatus, thin-film forming method and display device using them - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem in vapor deposition that a vapor deposited film is hardly stabilized because of an unstable deposition rate (vapor generation quantity) caused by a temperature change or a material to be deposited. <P>SOLUTION: A thin-film forming method for heating the vapor deposition material as evaporation source, feeding the vapor of the material into a chamber 1, and depositing on a substrate surface 6, comprises a step of melting the material in the evaporation source, a step of spouting a fixed quantity of the molten material 7 to a vaporization plate 4 with a spouting device 3, a step of vaporizing the material which has deposited on the surface of the vaporization plate 4, and a step of making the vapor of the material deposit on the substrate surface, to control thickness and quality of the thin film of the material depositing on the substrate surface, through controlling the spouting quantity of the material. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus for forming a thin film and a thin film forming method, and more particularly to a vacuum vapor deposition method for an organic compound used in an organic EL element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, attention has been paid to organic EL elements as flat panel displays. The organic EL
A vapor deposition apparatus (which is conventionally known, similar to the metal thin film formation) is used for forming a plurality of layers of organic thin films in an element.

A conventional vapor deposition apparatus is shown in FIG. 7, in which a vapor deposition source 201 and a substrate holder 202 holding a substrate 203 are arranged in a chamber 200. In the vaporization source 201, an organic thin film which is a material of an organic thin film is arranged. Compound 204 is included and heater 206 is located.

When forming an organic thin film, the heater 205 in the substrate holder 202 is energized while the chamber 200 is evacuated to heat and maintain the substrate 203 at a desired temperature. At the same time, the heater 2 in the evaporation source 201
An electric current is applied to 06 to heat and raise the temperature of the organic compound 204.

The temperature of the organic compound 204 rises and the organic compound 2
When the shutter 207 provided on the evaporation source 201 is opened after reaching a temperature at which the vapor of 04 is stably released, the vapor of the organic compound 204 adheres to the substrate 203,
3 An organic thin film is formed on the surface.

When forming an organic thin film, the temperature of the substrate is controlled by the thermocouple 211 while the chamber 200 is evacuated, and the substrate holder 2 is controlled by the temperature controller 212.
The heater 205 in 02 is energized to heat and maintain the substrate 203 at a desired temperature. At the same time, the temperature of the melting tank 201 is measured by the temperature controller 210 and the thermocouple 209, and the heater 206 is energized to heat and raise the temperature of the organic compound 204.

The temperature of the organic compound 204 rises and the organic compound 2
When the shutter 207 provided on the evaporation source 201 is opened after reaching a temperature at which the vapor of 04 is stably released, the vapor of the organic compound 204 adheres to the substrate 203,
3 An organic thin film is formed on the surface.

Here, in order to stabilize the deposition rate and the formed film thickness of the organic thin film, a film thickness detector 208 such as a crystal oscillator is attached, and the shutter 207 is provided when the deposition rate becomes stable.
The device is devised such that the shutter is opened and the shutter 207 is closed when the desired film thickness is reached.

As described above, when forming an organic thin film, the organic compound 204, which is a vapor deposition material, is heated to generate vapor. However, the organic compound 204 generally has a high vapor pressure and the vapor generation temperature is high. It is a low temperature of 400 ° C. or lower. Therefore, the amount of vapor released varies greatly even with a slight change in temperature that has been allowed when forming a conventional metal thin film. Therefore, even in the conventional vapor deposition device, the thermocouple 209 in the evaporation source 201 has been devised to control the temperature of the organic compound 204 with higher accuracy.

[0010]

However, in the conventional vapor deposition apparatus, even if precise temperature control is performed, the organic compound 2
The temperature of the organic compound 204 may change or a temperature distribution may occur due to temperature variations and convection due to partial absorption of vaporization heat in the vapor generation part and low heat conduction due to vapor emission from 04. The amount of steam generated fluctuates easily and the deposition rate is not stable. Therefore, it is necessary to perform pre-heating for a long time to settle down the temperature distribution and the temperature gradient to a constant state, which causes a problem that productivity is reduced and the organic compound 204 is wasted.

Further, the organic compound 204 in the evaporation source 201
There is a problem that the amount of steam generated changes with the change in the amount even at the same temperature.

When forming an organic thin film on a large-area substrate, it is necessary to increase the area of the evaporation source 201 or use a plurality of evaporation sources. Control becomes even more difficult,
When using a plurality of evaporation sources, it was also very difficult to make the evaporation amounts of the respective evaporation sources equal, and it was difficult to form a uniform organic thin film on a large area substrate.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a vapor deposition apparatus that can obtain a constant deposition rate and a constant film thickness at a low temperature even on a large area substrate as described above. Another object is to provide a stable and uniform display device using a thin film formed by this method.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, the vapor deposition apparatus, the thin film forming method and the display apparatus using the same according to the present invention are provided with the means described in claims 1 to 23. .

Specifically, the means taken by the invention of claim 1 is as follows.
A chamber, an evaporation source in the chamber, and a substrate holder, and vaporizes a vapor deposition material disposed in the evaporation source,
A vapor deposition apparatus configured to deposit the vapor deposition material on the surface of a substrate held by the substrate holder to form a thin film, wherein the vaporization source holds the vapor deposition material and melts it; The vapor deposition material is ejected in a fixed amount, and the vaporizing plate vaporizing the ejected vapor deposition material is provided.

The means taken by the invention of claim 2 is as follows:
In addition to the above constitution, the melting tank for holding and melting the vapor deposition material is added with a constitution in which it is controlled to a constant temperature which is equal to or higher than the melting point of the vapor deposition material and lower than the temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates.

The means taken by the invention of claim 3 is as follows:
In addition to the above configuration, the ejector for ejecting a fixed amount of the molten vapor deposition material adds a configuration for ejecting a minute amount of vapor deposition material continuously or intermittently.

The means taken by the invention of claim 4 is as follows.
In addition to the above configuration, a jetting machine for jetting a fixed amount of the melted vapor deposition material has an inkjet type configuration.

The means taken by the invention of claim 5 is as follows:
In addition to the above configuration, the vaporization plate that vaporizes the ejected vapor deposition material has a configuration in which the vaporization material is controlled to a constant temperature lower than the temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates.

The means taken by the invention of claim 6 is as follows:
In this configuration, a reflection plate is provided on the opposite side of the substrate with the evaporation source interposed, and the temperature of the reflection plate is controlled to a temperature below the temperature at which the evaporation material is decomposed or deteriorated above the evaporation or sublimation temperature. Is added.

The means taken by the invention of claim 7 is claim 1
The structure having a plurality of ejectors for ejecting a fixed amount of the molten vapor deposition material and a vaporizing plate for vaporizing the ejected vapor deposition material is added to any one of the configurations of claim 5 to claim 5.

The means taken by the invention of claim 8 is claim 1
A structure having a plurality of melting tanks for holding and melting a vapor deposition material, wherein the same vapor deposition material or different vapor deposition materials are held in the respective melting vessels. Is.

The means taken by the invention of claim 9 is as follows.
According to any one of claims 7 to 10, a plurality of ejectors for ejecting a fixed amount of the molten vapor deposition material and a plurality of vaporizing plates for vaporizing the ejected vapor deposition material are arranged linearly, and the substrate holder is the linear line. And a structure having a means for relative movement in the vertical direction is added.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the constitution according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the chamber is a vacuum chamber and the inside of the chamber is evacuated to a reduced pressure state. Is.

[0025] The means taken by the invention of claim 11 is to add a structure in which the vapor deposition material is an organic material to the structure of any one of claims 1 to 10.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, a means for forming a thin film is to heat a vapor deposition material arranged in an evaporation source, discharge vapor of the vapor deposition material into a chamber, and deposit the vapor on the substrate surface to form a thin film. A step of melting the vapor deposition material in the vaporization source, a step of ejecting a fixed amount of the vaporized vapor deposition material onto a vaporization plate by an ejector, and vaporizing the vapor deposition material adhering to the vaporization plate surface. And a step of depositing vapor of the vapor deposition material on the surface of the substrate, and controlling the amount of the vapor deposition material to be jetted to control the thickness and quality of the thin film formed by the vapor deposition material deposited on the surface of the substrate. It is what

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the twelfth aspect, the step of melting the vapor deposition material in the evaporation source is
A configuration is added in which the temperature is controlled to a constant temperature which is equal to or higher than the melting point of the vapor deposition material and lower than the temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the structure of the twelfth aspect, in the step of ejecting a certain amount of the melted vapor deposition material to the vaporizing plate by the ejector, a minute amount of vapor deposit material is ejected by the ejector. A structure that ejects continuously or intermittently is added.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the construction of the fourteenth aspect, an ink jet system is used in the step of ejecting a certain amount of the vapor deposition material melted by an ejector onto the vaporization plate. is there.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method according to the twelfth aspect, in the step of evaporating the vapor deposition material attached to the surface of the vaporization plate, the temperature of the vaporization plate is decomposed or altered. A configuration is added in which the temperature is controlled to be a constant temperature lower than the temperature to be applied.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the method according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, a step of ejecting a certain amount of the vapor deposition material melted by an ejector onto a vaporization plate is a plurality of steps. A configuration is added in which a fixed amount of the vapor-deposited material is sprayed onto the vaporizing plate almost simultaneously by the jetting machine.

The means of implementing the invention of claim 18 is the structure of any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein a step of ejecting a certain amount of the molten vapor deposition material by an ejector onto a vaporization plate is a plurality of steps. A plurality of different kinds of vapor deposition materials are sprayed onto the vaporizing plate by a jetting machine at a predetermined fixed amount almost simultaneously or separately.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the structure according to any one of the twelfth to seventeenth aspects, a plurality of ejectors for ejecting a fixed amount of the molten vapor deposition material and the vaporized vapor deposition material are vaporized. A configuration in which a plurality of vaporization plates are linearly arranged and a thin film is formed on the entire surface of the substrate by relatively moving the substrate in the direction perpendicular to the straight line is added.

According to the means taken by the invention of claim 20, the structure of any one of claims 12 to 19 is such that the inside of the chamber is depressurized.

[0035] The means taken by the invention of claim 21 is to add to the structure of any one of claims 12 to 20 a structure in which the vapor deposition material is an organic material.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, a display device is formed by forming a part or all of a film of an organic EL element by using the vapor deposition device according to the eleventh aspect or the thin film forming method according to the twenty-first aspect. According to the means of implementing the invention of claim 23, the electronic device is configured to use the display device according to claim 22.

With the above vapor deposition apparatus, thin film forming method, and display apparatus using the same, the following effects are achieved in the invention of each claim.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the vapor deposition material can be melted (liquefied) by the melting tank that holds and melts the vapor deposition material in the evaporation source, and the melted vapor deposition material is sprayed on the vaporization plate in a certain amount by an ejector. You can Further, the vapor deposition material sprayed on the vaporization plate by the ejector vaporizes on the vaporization plate surface to become vapor, reaches the substrate surface, and is deposited (vaporized) on the substrate surface to form a vapor deposition film. Here, by controlling the amount and the number of times of the vapor deposition material discharged by the ejector, it is possible to control the amount of vapor deposition material even with a very small amount with high accuracy. Furthermore, the melting tank is only required to melt the vapor deposition material and to control the temperature within a range that does not affect the ejection amount by the ejector due to the viscosity change due to temperature,
Further, since the vaporizing plate does not need to control the vaporization speed of the vapor deposition material, delicate temperature control is not required for each.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the vapor deposition material in the melting tank can be held in a molten (liquid) state without being decomposed or altered.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a small amount of the vapor deposition material is sprayed on the vaporizing plate, the amount of the vaporized vapor deposition material is so small that the vaporized material is vaporized almost instantly to be vaporized to reach the substrate surface and be deposited. To be done. It also enables the deposition of trace amounts of film. Further, the vapor deposition material is continuously (intermittently) vaporized by being ejected continuously or intermittently, and (substantially) continuous deposition of the vapor deposition material can be performed on the substrate surface.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by ejecting the molten vapor deposition material by the ink jet method, a very small amount of vapor deposition material can be accurately and easily controlled, and intermittent ejection can be facilitated.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the vapor deposition material from decomposing or deteriorating due to the temperature of the vapor deposition material rising too high when the vaporized vaporization material is vaporized by the vaporizing plate.

In the sixth aspect of the invention, the vapor of the vapor deposition material emitted from the evaporation source to the side opposite to the substrate side reaches the reflecting plate, but the reflecting plate is reflected at the evaporation or sublimation temperature or higher. Since it does not adhere to the plate surface and diffuses toward the substrate, the utilization efficiency of the vapor deposition material can be improved. Further, it can be prevented from adhering to the chamber, and the occurrence of problems due to peeling of the vapor deposition material adhered to the chamber can be reduced.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the vapor deposition film can be simultaneously formed on the large-area substrate by the structure in which the plurality of evaporation sources including the ejector and the vaporizing plate are provided.

In the eighth aspect of the present invention, by having a plurality of melting tanks corresponding to individual jetting machines, it is possible to perform independent temperature control, and by dividing into a plurality of parts, the temperature variation of the vapor deposition material can be controlled. It is easy to reduce. Furthermore, when different vapor deposition materials are held in the respective melting tanks, it is possible to form a mixed film or a multilayer film.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, by arranging a plurality of evaporation sources composed of a jetting machine and a vaporizing plate on a straight line, it is possible to make the deposited film uniform in the straight line direction and to be perpendicular to the straight line direction. By relatively moving the substrate, it is possible to form a vapor deposition film on the entire surface of the substrate with good uniformity.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, by reducing the pressure in the chamber, the partial pressure of the vapor deposition material can be increased even when a material having a relatively low vapor pressure is used, and the vapor deposition material having a low vapor pressure can be used. The vapor deposition of the vapor deposition material can be prevented, and the vapor of the vapor deposition material can be prevented from reacting with the gas components in the atmosphere and being deteriorated.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to form an organic thin film at a relatively low temperature, and it is possible to form a stable film in vapor deposition that requires strict film thickness control and minute amount mixing such as in an organic EL element. To

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to spray a certain amount of the molten vapor deposition material onto the vaporization plate in the step of melting the vapor deposition material, and the vapor deposition material sprayed onto the vaporization plate is vaporized to the substrate surface. Since the thin film is deposited to form the thin film, the film thickness and film quality of the thin film on the substrate surface can be controlled by controlling the amount of the vapor deposition material sprayed on the vaporization plate. Here, the amount of vapor deposition material sprayed on the vaporization plate is 1
By controlling the amount of vapor deposition material ejected per time and the interval and number of jets, the film thickness and film quality can be controlled accurately even with a very small amount of vapor deposition material deposited.

In the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the vapor deposition material to be melted can be retained without being decomposed or altered in the melting step.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, since a minute amount of the vapor deposition material is sprayed onto the vaporization plate, the amount of the vapor deposition material sprayed is so small that it vaporizes almost instantly to be vaporized and released to reach the substrate surface and be deposited. To be done. It also enables the deposition of trace amounts of film. Further, the vapor deposition material is continuously (intermittently) vaporized by being ejected continuously or intermittently, and (substantially) continuous deposition of the vapor deposition material can be performed on the substrate surface.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, by jetting the vapor deposition material melted by the ink jet method, a very small amount of vapor deposition material can be accurately and easily controlled, and intermittent jetting can be facilitated.

In the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the vapor deposition material from decomposing or deteriorating due to the temperature of the vapor deposition material rising too high when the vaporized material vaporizes by the vaporizing plate.

In the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to simultaneously form a vapor deposition film on a large-area substrate.

In the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, a mixed film of a plurality of different types of vapor deposition materials can be formed by jetting different vapor deposition materials at the same time, and a plurality of different vapor deposition materials can be jetted separately. Can be formed into a multilayer film.

According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, the deposition film can be made uniform in the linear direction by the plurality of ejectors and the vaporizing plate arranged on the linear line, and the relative movement of the substrate can be performed perpendicularly to the linear direction. It is possible to form a vapor deposition film on the entire surface of the substrate with good uniformity.

According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, by reducing the pressure in the chamber, the partial pressure of the vapor deposition material can be increased even when a material having a relatively low vapor pressure is used, and the vapor deposition material having a low vapor pressure can be used. The vapor deposition of the vapor deposition material can be prevented, and the vapor of the vapor deposition material can be prevented from reacting with the gas components in the atmosphere and being deteriorated.

According to the twenty-first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to form an organic thin film at a relatively low temperature, and it is possible to form a stable film in vapor deposition that requires strict film thickness control such as an organic EL element and a minute amount of mixing. To

According to the twenty-second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to stabilize the film thickness and film quality in the formation of the organic EL element, and by forming a display device using this organic EL element, a display having excellent display performance is obtained. The device can be obtained. Moreover, since stable manufacturing is possible, a display device of stable quality with high yield and reliability can be obtained.

In the twenty-third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to stabilize the film thickness and film quality in the formation of the organic EL element, and by forming a display device using this organic EL element, a display having excellent display performance is obtained. The device can be obtained. Moreover, since stable manufacturing is possible, a display device of stable quality with high yield and reliability can be obtained. By using this high and stable quality display device, it is possible to obtain stable performance of electronic equipment.

[0061]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A vapor deposition apparatus, a thin film forming method, and a display apparatus using them according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a chamber, in which a melting tank 2 as an evaporation source, an ejector 3 and a vaporization plate 4 are provided, and a substrate holder 5 holding a substrate 6 is provided.
And the organic compound 7 as a vapor deposition material is placed in the melting tank 2.

In the melting tank 2, a thermocouple 9 for measuring the temperature of the organic compound 7 and a heater (not shown) are used to keep the temperature of the organic compound 7 constant by a temperature controller 8. A thermocouple 11 and a heater (not shown) are used to maintain a constant temperature at which the organic compound 7 evaporates by the temperature controller 10. Here, the temperatures of the melting tank 2 and the vaporization plate 4 are respectively higher than the temperature at which the organic compound 7 melts or evaporates, and lower than the temperature at which the organic compound 7 decomposes or deteriorates. It is possible to prevent the compound 7 from being decomposed or altered.

Here, when a thin film is formed, the temperature of the substrate is controlled by the thermocouple 13, the heater 14 in the substrate holder and the temperature controller 12 as required, and the molten organic compound in the melting tank is ejected by the ejector 3. A certain amount of 7 is sprayed on the vaporizing plate 4. The organic compound 7 sprayed on the vaporizing plate 4 is further heated by the vaporizing plate, becomes vapor, is scattered in the chamber 1 and is deposited on the surface of the substrate 6, and a thin film of the organic compound 7 is formed on the surface of the substrate 6. At this time, by controlling the amount of the organic compound 7 sprayed on the vaporization plate 4 by the sprayer 3 (a single spraying amount or the number and time interval) by the controller 15,
Since the amount of the organic compound 7 that becomes vapor can be strictly controlled,
It is possible to form a thin film with stable film thickness and quality.

When the ejection amount of the organic compound 7 sprayed onto the vaporization plate 4 by the ejector 3 is large, the organic compound 7 in a molten state on the surface of the vaporization plate 4 evaporates for a while. However, by making the amount of ejection per minute small, the organic compound 7 sprayed on the vaporization plate 4 per time evaporates almost instantaneously, and the amount of evaporation is controlled by the amount of ejection. You can do it. further,
When a minute amount of the organic compound 7 is continuously or intermittently ejected, each ejected organic compound 7 evaporates almost instantaneously, so that a continuous or intermittent vapor is formed, which is almost continuous. It is possible to form various films. Here, by using a well-known inkjet type ejector using a piezoelectric element or the like, a minute amount of the organic compound 7 is vaporized with a very high accuracy per one time (one drop).
In addition to being able to jet to the substrate, it is also possible to easily perform the almost continuous jetting, so that it is possible to stabilize the thin film formation rate.

When the vapor deposition apparatus and the thin film forming method of the first embodiment described above are used, the thin film forming rate is controlled by the amount of the organic compound 7 ejected by the ejector 3, and depends on the temperature of the melting tank 2 and the vaporizing plate 4. Hardly affected. Further, it is possible to form a stable thin film without causing a change in the thin film formation rate due to a change in the amount of the organic compound as in the conventional example.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 2, 1 to 15 are exactly the same as 1 to 15 in FIG. 1 of the above-mentioned first embodiment, and 16 is a reflector, which is kept at a constant temperature by a thermocouple 18 and a temperature controller 17. Has been done. Further, 19 is a film thickness detector such as a crystal oscillator, and 20 is a shutter.

Here, when forming a thin film, the above-mentioned first
As in the embodiment, the ejection amount of the organic compound 7 is controlled by the ejector 3 to form a thin film. After that, the shutter 20 is closed to prevent the film from being formed on the substrate surface, and then the shutter 20 is opened to start the film formation. Alternatively, after confirming the stability of the film formation rate by the film thickness detector 19, the shutter 20 is opened to start the film formation. Further, when the film thickness detector 19 deposits a desired amount of film thickness, the jetting is stopped or the shutter 20 is closed to end the film deposition.

Further, the organic compound 7 evaporated on the surface of the vaporizing plate 4 scatters not only in the direction of the substrate 6 but also in the downward direction and the lateral direction in the figure. Therefore, by installing the reflection plate 16 kept at a temperature at which the organic compound 7 evaporates or higher by the thermocouple 18 and the temperature controller 17, the vapor of the organic compound 7 scattered in the direction of the reflection plate 16 is not transmitted to the reflection plate 16. It does not adhere (or becomes vapor again when it adheres) and is discharged toward the substrate 6 and deposited on the surface of the substrate 6.

Using the vapor deposition apparatus and thin film forming method of the second embodiment described above, the shutter 20 and the film thickness detector 19 are used.
By using, it is possible to avoid fluctuations in the quality of the deposited film due to minute temperature changes in the vaporization plate 4 immediately after the start of ejection, and it is possible to constantly monitor the thickness of the deposited film.
In addition to the case of the first embodiment described above, more accurate film thickness / film quality control can be realized.

By installing the reflection plate 16,
By increasing the deposition probability on the substrate 6, it is possible to prevent the use efficiency from being reduced due to the deposition of the organic compound 7 on an unnecessary place and the generation of foreign matter due to peeling. In FIG. 2, the reflection plate is provided only in the downward direction on the side opposite to the substrate 6, but this is also installed in the left, right, front, and rear lateral directions in the figure, and is opened only in the direction of the substrate 6. With the configuration, it is possible to prevent the organic compound 7 from adhering not only to the bottom surface of the chamber 1 but also to the side surfaces thereof, and the above-described effect can be further enhanced.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 3, 1 to 14 are exactly the same as 1 to 14 of FIG. 1 of the above-mentioned first embodiment, and a plurality of jetting machines 3-1 to 3-4 and a plurality of vaporizing plates 4- are provided. 1-4-4
Is provided, and the organic compound 7 melted in the melting tank 2 ′ is supplied to the ejectors 3-1 to 3-4 through the pipe.

Here, when forming a thin film, the first
Similarly to the embodiment, the organic compound 7 is jetted to the vaporizing plates 4-1 to 4-4 by the jetting machines 3-1 to 3-4, and the vaporizing plate 4-1 is used.
In 4-4, the organic compound 7 is evaporated to form a thin film on the substrate surface.

When the vapor deposition apparatus and the thin film forming method of the third embodiment described above are used, vapor is generated from a plurality of locations because a plurality of jetting machines and a plurality of vaporization plates are provided, so that a large substrate can be produced. A thin film having a uniform film thickness can be formed. Also,
It is not affected by the temperature difference of each vaporization plate that occurs when multiple evaporation sources (combination of ejector and vaporization plate) are placed, and the ejection amount of each ejector (amount or number of times per ejection or By adjusting and controlling the (time interval), it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity within the substrate surface.

Further, by arranging a plurality of evaporation sources in a straight line and relatively moving the substrate 6 in the direction perpendicular to the linear direction (the depth direction in FIG. 3), it is possible to form a uniform thin film on a large substrate.

Here, in the third embodiment, the reflector, the film thickness detector, and the shutter shown in the above-mentioned second embodiment are not provided, but by providing them, the effect described in the above-mentioned second embodiment is provided. It is clear that

Although a plurality of evaporation sources are shown separately in FIG. 3, this is effective even if a plurality of jetting machines are arranged at very close intervals such as an ink jet printer head. Is exactly the same.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 4, 1 to 14 are exactly the same as 1 to 14 in FIG. 1 of the above-mentioned first embodiment, and a plurality of melting tanks 2-1 'to 2-3' and a plurality of jetting machines. 3-1 '~
3-3 'and a plurality of vaporization plates 4-1' to 4-3 'are provided.

Here, when forming a thin film, the above-mentioned first
Similarly to the embodiment, the organic compounds 7-1 'to 7-3' are vaporized by the ejectors 3-1 'to 3-3' to vaporize plates 4-1 'to 4-.
3'is ejected and the organic compounds 7-1 'to 7-3' are vaporized by vaporizing plates 4-1 'to 4-3' to form a thin film on the substrate surface.

At this time, when the organic compounds 7-1 'to 7-3' are the same substance, the film thickness uniformity can be improved for a large-area substrate as in the third embodiment. Can be effective.

When the organic compounds 7-1 'to 7-3' are different from each other, the ejectors 3-1 ', 3-2' and 3
-3 ′ Organic compound 7-1 ′, 7-2 ′, 7-3 ′
By changing the ejection amount of each to an arbitrary amount and ejecting, the thin film in which the organic compounds 7-1 ', 7-2', and 7-3 'are mixed can be formed. Here, the ejector 3-1 ', 3-2',
The amount of each organic compound ejected by 3-3 ′ can be controlled independently and a minute amount can be controlled, and a stable mixed film can be formed.

Further, the organic compound 7 was discharged by the ejector 3-1 '.
-1 'is ejected to form a thin film layer of the organic compound 7-1', and then the ejector 3-2 'is used to eject the organic compound 7-
After ejecting only 2 ′ to form a thin film layer of the organic compound 7-2 ′, the organic compound 7- is ejected by the ejector 3-3 ′.
A thin film having a multilayer structure can be formed by ejecting only 3'to form a thin film layer of the organic compound 7-3 '.

When the vapor deposition apparatus and the thin film forming method of the fourth embodiment described above are used, vapor is generated from a plurality of locations because a plurality of ejectors and a plurality of vaporization plates are provided as in the third embodiment. Moreover, it becomes possible to form a thin film having a uniform film thickness on a large substrate. In addition, it is not affected by the temperature difference of each vaporization plate that occurs when a plurality of evaporation sources (combination of the ejection device and the vaporization plate) is arranged, and the ejection amount of each ejection device (amount per one By adjusting and controlling the number of times and the time interval, it is possible to further improve the film thickness uniformity within the substrate surface.

Furthermore, a plurality of organic compounds can be used at the same time, and it is possible to form a small amount of mixed thin film or multilayer thin film.

Further, a plurality of evaporation sources are linearly arranged, and the substrate 6 is relatively moved in the direction perpendicular to the linear direction (depth direction in FIG. 4), so that a uniform thin film can be formed on a large substrate.

Here, in the fourth embodiment, the reflector, the film thickness detector, and the shutter shown in the above-mentioned second embodiment are not provided, but by providing them, the effect described in the above-mentioned second embodiment is obtained. It is clear that

Further, although a plurality of evaporation sources are separately shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of evaporation sources such as a head of an ink jet printer integrally formed with a plurality of melting tanks and a plurality of ejectors are shown. By arranging them, it is possible to realize uniform formation of a mixed thin film or a multi-layered thin film even on a large substrate.

It is needless to say that so-called vacuum vapor deposition can be realized by reducing the pressure in the chamber 1 in the above-described first to fourth embodiments, and instead of the organic compound, an organic material of a monomer or another vapor deposition material is used. It is easily guessed that the same effect can be obtained even if it is used.

Although the ejection amount of the ejector has been described as being constant, the density of the film (the height of the deposition rate) may be changed by changing the ejection amount in a constant cycle.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 5 shows the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an organic EL element for explaining the display device according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 5, an anode electrode film 101 made of a transparent conductive film and a P-type organic thin film 1 are formed on a glass substrate 100.
02, an N-type organic thin film 103, and a cathode electrode film 104 are formed. Anode electrode 101 of this organic EL device
When a voltage is applied between the cathode electrode film 104 and the cathode electrode film 104, the interface between the P-type organic thin film 102 and the N-type organic thin film 103 emits light.

Here, by forming the organic thin films of the P-type organic thin film 102 and the N-type organic thin film 103 by the vapor deposition apparatus and the thin film forming method of the above-described first to fourth embodiments, a trace amount of dopant can be obtained. An organic thin film can be formed. Furthermore, a multilayer film structure of the P-type organic thin film 102 and the N-type organic thin film 103 can be formed. In addition, as described above, since the film formation rate does not change due to temperature changes,
A stable control of film thickness and dopant can be realized, and an organic EL element with stable quality can be realized.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an organic EL display device for explaining the display device according to the embodiment.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 110 is a glass plate, 111 is a drive switch composed of thin film transistors, 112 is an upper glass plate, 113 is a pixel electrode for supplying a current to the organic EL element 114, and 115 is a transparent electrode such as ITO. Is.

By the drive switch 111, the pixel electrode 11
By supplying an electric current to No. 3, an electric current flows into the organic EL element 114 having a laminated structure (not shown) to emit light. The light amount can be controlled by controlling the current with the drive switch 111.

Here, the organic EL element is the organic EL element described in the fifth embodiment formed by the vapor deposition apparatus and the thin film forming method of the above-described first to fourth embodiments, so that the quality is stable. An organic EL device can be realized.

[0101]

As described above, according to the vapor deposition apparatus and the thin film forming method of the present invention, and the display apparatus using the same, since the amount of steam generated is controlled by the jetting machine, a slight temperature change in the melting tank or the vaporizing plate can be prevented. It is possible to form a stable thin film that is hardly affected. Further, when a plurality of evaporation sources are used, it is possible to form a thin film having a uniform film thickness on a large substrate. Furthermore, by using a plurality of vapor deposition materials at the same time, it is possible to stably form a mixed thin film or a multilayer thin film.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a display device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a display device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic device configuration diagram for explaining a conventional vapor deposition device and a thin film forming method.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Chambers 2, 2 ', 2-1', 2-2 ', 2-3' Melting tanks 3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-1 ', 3-
2 ', 3-3' Ejector 4,4-1,4-2,4-3,4-4,4-1 ', 4-
2 ', 4-3' Vaporization plate 5 Substrate holder 6 Substrate 7,7-1 ', 7-2', 7-3 'Organic compound 8,10,12,17 Temperature controller 9,11,13,18 Thermoelectric Pair 14 Heater 15, 15-1 ', 15-2', 15-3 'Controller 16 Reflector 19 Film thickness detector 20 Shutter 100 Glass substrate 101 Anode electrode film 102 P-type organic thin film 103 N-type organic thin film 104 Cathode Electrode film 110 Glass plate 111 Drive switch 112 Upper glass plate 113 Pixel electrode 114 Organic EL element 115 Transparent electrode

Claims (23)

[Claims] 1. A chamber, an evaporation source in the chamber, and a substrate holder. The evaporation material arranged in the evaporation source is vaporized, and the evaporation material is deposited on the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder. A vapor deposition apparatus configured to adhere to form a thin film, wherein the evaporation source includes a melting tank for holding and melting the vapor deposition material, an ejector for ejecting a fixed amount of the melted vapor deposition material, and an ejector. And a vaporization plate that vaporizes the vapor deposition material. 2. The melting tank for holding and melting the vapor deposition material is controlled at a constant temperature which is equal to or higher than the melting point of the vapor deposition material and lower than the temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates. Vapor deposition equipment. 3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejector for ejecting a fixed amount of the molten vapor deposition material ejects a very small amount of vapor deposition material continuously or intermittently. 4. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the jetting machine for jetting a fixed amount of the molten vapor deposition material is an ink jet system. 5. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vaporizing plate that vaporizes the ejected vapor deposition material is controlled at a constant temperature below a temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates. 6. A reflection plate is provided on the opposite side of the substrate with an evaporation source interposed therebetween, and the temperature of the reflection plate is controlled to a temperature below the evaporation or sublimation temperature of the vapor deposition material and below the temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of jetting machines for jetting a fixed amount of the molten vapor deposition material and a vaporizing plate for vaporizing the jetted vapor deposition material. Vapor deposition equipment. 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of melting tanks for holding and melting the vapor deposition material, wherein each of the melting vessels holds the same vapor deposition material or different vapor deposition materials. 7. The vapor deposition device according to any one of 7. 9. A plurality of ejectors for ejecting a fixed amount of the melted vapor deposition material and a plurality of vaporizing plates for vaporizing the ejected vapor deposition material are arranged in a straight line, respectively, and the substrate holder relatively moves in a direction perpendicular to the straight line. It has a means, The vapor deposition apparatus in any one of Claims 1-7 characterized by the above-mentioned. 10. The chamber is a vacuum chamber,
The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the chamber is evacuated to a reduced pressure. 11. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vapor deposition material is an organic material. 12. A method of forming a thin film, comprising heating a vapor deposition material arranged in an evaporation source, discharging vapor of the vapor deposition material into a chamber, and adhering the vapor to a substrate surface to form a thin film.
A step of melting the vapor deposition material in the vaporization source, a step of ejecting a certain amount of the vapor deposition material melted by an ejector onto a vaporization plate, a step of vaporizing the vapor deposition material attached to the surface of the vaporization plate, and a vapor deposition material A thin film formation comprising a step of depositing vapor on a substrate surface, and controlling a film thickness and film quality of a thin film formed by the vapor deposition material deposited on the substrate surface by controlling an amount of the vapor deposition material to be jetted. Method. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of melting the vapor deposition material in the evaporation source is controlled to a constant temperature which is equal to or higher than the melting point of the vapor deposition material and lower than a temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates. Thin film forming method. 14. The step of ejecting a certain amount of the molten vapor deposition material onto a vaporization plate by an ejector ejects a minute amount of vapor deposition material continuously or intermittently by the ejector. Thin film forming method. 15. The thin film forming method according to claim 14, wherein an ink jet method is used in the step of ejecting a certain amount of the vapor deposition material melted by an ejector onto the vaporization plate. 16. The step of evaporating the vapor deposition material adhering to the surface of the vaporization plate is characterized in that the temperature of the vaporization plate is controlled to a constant temperature below a temperature at which the vapor deposition material decomposes or deteriorates. Item 13. A method for forming a thin film according to item 12. 17. The step of ejecting a fixed amount of the melted vapor deposition material onto a vaporization plate by an ejector sprays a fixed amount of the melted vapor deposition material onto the vaporizer plate substantially simultaneously by a plurality of ejectors. The thin film forming method according to any one of claims 12 to 16. 18. The step of ejecting a fixed amount of the melted vapor deposition material onto a vaporization plate by means of an ejector comprises vaporizing a plurality of different types of vapor deposition materials at a desired fixed amount at substantially the same time or separately. 18. The thin film forming method according to claim 12, wherein the thin film forming method is applied to 19. A plurality of ejectors for ejecting a fixed amount of molten vapor deposition material and a plurality of vaporizing plates for vaporizing the ejected vapor deposition material are arranged in a straight line, and the substrate is relatively moved in a direction perpendicular to the straight line. The thin film forming method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein a thin film is formed on the entire surface of the substrate. 20. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the pressure inside the chamber is reduced. 21. The thin film forming method according to claim 12, wherein the vapor deposition material is an organic material. 22. A display device, wherein a part or all of the film of an organic EL element is formed by using the vapor deposition device according to claim 11 or the thin film forming method according to claim 21. 23. An electronic device using the display device according to claim 22.