JP2005325425A - Organic vapor deposition method and organic vapor deposition system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an organic vapor deposition method and a system therefor by which a film deposition rate can be controlled accurately by preventing the variation in an evaporation rate caused by the position of an evaporation source. <P>SOLUTION: The organic vapor deposition system is provided with: a vacuum tank 2; an evaporation source 3 for an organic material composed so as to move between a waiting position and a film deposition position in the vacuum tank 2; and a film thickness sensor 50 for measuring the evaporation rate of vapor evaporated from the evaporation source 3 in the waiting position, and is composed in such a manner that the organic evaporation material is vapor-deposited on a substrate 5 as the evaporation rate in the evaporation source 3 is controlled based on the result obtained in the film thickness sensor 50. Sticking prevention members 7 each composed of a material having an emissivity equal to that of each mask 6 is arranged at almost the same height as that of each mask, further, the sticking prevention members 7 are cooled so as to make their temperature to that of each mask 6, and the loss of the radiant heat in the vicinity of the vapor release part in the evaporation source 3 is made equal in the waiting time and the film deposition time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for forming a vapor deposition film of an organic compound on a substrate, for example, when manufacturing an organic EL element or the like.

FIG. 4A is a front sectional view of a conventional organic vapor deposition apparatus, and FIG. 4B is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the organic vapor deposition apparatus.
As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in this organic vapor deposition apparatus 101, the linear evaporation source 103 is moved in the width direction in the vacuum chamber 102, and organic evaporation is performed on the substrate 105 through the mask 104. It is configured to deposit material.

  Further, a film thickness sensor 107 is disposed directly above the standby position of the evaporation source 103 with the deposition member 106 interposed therebetween, so that the evaporation rate of the vapor evaporated from the evaporation source 103 is detected through the hole 108. It has become.

  Conventionally, in this organic vapor deposition apparatus 101, the evaporation rate (deposition rate) is controlled by the following method.

  First, after degassing the evaporation source 103, the temperature of the evaporation source 103 is monitored by the control thermocouple 103a so that the set temperature is constant until reaching the vapor deposition temperature, and is fed back to the control unit 110 of the heater 103b. To do.

  Next, in the film formation stage, the temperature of the evaporation source 103 is adjusted so that the evaporation rate is constant based on the result detected by the film thickness sensor 107 at the standby position, and the evaporation rate is stabilized (the set rate stability width). At the point of time, the evaporation source 103 is moved to perform deposition while feeding back to the control unit 110 of the heater 103b so as to keep the temperature at that time.

  After reciprocating the evaporation source 103 and returning to the standby position, the temperature of the evaporation source 103 is adjusted again until the evaporation rate recovers (enters the stabilization range), and the temperature of the evaporation source 103 is stabilized. At that time, the next film formation is performed.

  However, in such a conventional technique, there is a problem that the evaporation rate fluctuates due to a difference in temperature condition between when the evaporation source 103 moves below the substrate 105 and when it is positioned at the standby position.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to prevent an accurate deposition rate by preventing fluctuations in the evaporation rate due to the position of the evaporation source. It is an object to provide an organic vapor deposition method and apparatus capable of achieving the above control.

As a result of intensive efforts to solve the above problems, the present inventors have obtained the following knowledge and completed the present invention.
That is, in the prior art shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the deposition preventing member 106 is installed below the film thickness sensor 107. From a thermal point of view, the evaporation source 103 is monitored (prevention). In the case where it is located below the member 106) and the case where it is located below the substrate 105 by scanning, the radiant heat loss of the upper part of the evaporation source 103, that is, the vapor emission part is changed by the influence of the disturbance, and the temperature of the evaporation material is slightly changed. It is thought that the cause is changing.

  First, when the evaporation source 103 is located below the deposition preventing member 106, the temperature of the deposition preventing member 106 gradually increases due to the radiant heat from the evaporation source 103, so that the radiant heat loss at the top of the evaporation source 103 is reduced. As the heat loss decreases, the temperature of the deposition preventing member 106 gradually increases and eventually reaches an equilibrium state (a state where the deposition preventing member 106 is stable at the highest temperature).

  On the other hand, when the evaporation source 103 starts scanning after the equilibrium state is reached, the temperature of the substrate 105 is lower than the temperature of the deposition preventing member 106, so that the radiant heat loss is located below the deposition preventing member 106. Therefore, it is estimated that the temperature of the upper part of the evaporation source 103 and the evaporation material gradually decreases, and as a result, the evaporation rate decreases.

The invention according to claim 1 made on the basis of such knowledge evaporates the organic evaporation material in the evaporation source in a vacuum, measures the evaporation rate of the organic evaporation material while waiting for the evaporation source, An organic vapor deposition method for forming a film on an object to be formed while moving the evaporation source while controlling the evaporation rate in the evaporation source based on the radiation heat loss in the vicinity of the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source, This is the same during standby and during film formation.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum chamber in which a predetermined film-forming object is accommodated, and a movement between a standby position and a film-forming position in the vacuum chamber. An evaporation source for evaporating the material, and an evaporation amount monitor for measuring an evaporation rate of the vapor evaporated from the evaporation source at the standby position, and the evaporation based on the result obtained in the evaporation amount monitor An organic vapor deposition apparatus configured to deposit the organic evaporation material on the film formation target while controlling an evaporation rate in a source, and a temperature adjusting unit is provided between the evaporation source and the evaporation amount monitor. The mechanism part which has is provided.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the mechanism portion is made of a material having a radiation rate equivalent to that of the mask of the film formation target.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the third aspect of the invention, the distance between the evaporation source and the mechanism at the standby position is substantially equal to the distance between the evaporation source and the mask at the film formation position. It is.
The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the temperature adjusting means has a cooling part by liquid cooling.
The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the mechanism portion is an adhesion preventing member for preventing adhesion of the organic evaporation material.

  In the present invention, since the radiant heat loss in the vicinity of the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source is made equal during standby and during film formation, the temperature change of the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source and the evaporation material during film formation As a result, the evaporation rate does not fluctuate, so that the film forming speed can be accurately controlled.

  In the case of the present invention, in order to make the radiant heat loss in the vicinity of the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source equal during standby and during film formation, for example, a mechanism such as a deposition preventing member may be provided with temperature adjusting means.

  In this case, as the temperature adjusting means, for example, a cooling part by liquid cooling such as water cooling may be provided.

  Further, the mechanism part is made of a material having an emissivity equivalent to that of the mask of the film formation target, and the distance between the evaporation source and the mechanism part at the standby position is the distance between the evaporation source and the mask at the film formation position. By configuring to be substantially equal, it is possible to make the radiant heat loss near the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source closer during standby and during film formation.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the temperature change of the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source and the evaporation material during film formation, thereby preventing the fluctuation of the evaporation rate and accurately controlling the film formation rate. Can do.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1A is a front cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of an organic vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the same embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the adhesion-preventing member of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the evaporation source of the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a thin film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has a vacuum chamber 2 connected to a vacuum exhaust system (not shown), and an evaporation source 3 is disposed below the vacuum chamber 2. ing.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the evaporation source 3 has an elongated container 30 extending in the horizontal direction, and an organic vapor deposition material (for example, Alq3) (not shown) is accommodated in the container 30.

  Here, the container 30 of the evaporation source 3 is provided with a thermocouple 31 and a heater 32. The thermocouple 31 and the heater 32 are connected to the control unit 20, and the temperature of the container 30 is detected by the thermocouple 31 and fed back to adjust the container 30 to a constant temperature.

  On the other hand, a substrate holder 4 is provided in the upper part of the vacuum chamber 2, and a substrate (film formation target) 5 on which a vapor deposition film is to be formed is fixed to the substrate holder 4. A mask 6 is provided near the lower side of the substrate 5.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the case of the present embodiment, a plurality of element patterns 60 for depositing a predetermined thin film on the substrate 5 are formed on the mask 6.

  The evaporation source 3 is configured to move horizontally in the width direction of the slit-shaped evaporation port 33 formed in the container 30 and to reciprocate relative to the entire surface of the substrate 5 and the mask 6.

  In the vicinity of the upper substrate in the vacuum chamber 2, a film thickness sensor (evaporation amount monitor) 50 for measuring the evaporation rate of the evaporation source 3 is provided.

  The film thickness sensor 50 is disposed on the side of the substrate 5 and above the evaporation source 3 located at a standby position to be described later. The film thickness sensor 50 is connected to the control unit 20.

  Further, an adhesion preventing member (mechanism) 7 is provided between the evaporation source 3 and the film thickness sensor 50 in the vicinity below the substrate 5 and the mask 6.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the adhesion preventing member 7 is composed of a plate-like member arranged horizontally, and an opening 70 for allowing the vapor deposition material to pass therethrough is provided in a portion corresponding to the substrate 5. It has been.

  Further, a hole 71 for allowing the vapor deposition material to pass therethrough is provided immediately below the film thickness sensor 50 of the deposition preventing member 7.

  In the case of the present invention, the material of the deposition preventing member 7 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of stabilizing the evaporation rate, it is made of a material having an emissivity equivalent to that of the mask 6, particularly from the viewpoint of approaching emissivity. It is preferable to employ a material made of the same material as the mask 6.

  Examples of such materials include invar (Fe-36% Ni) and similar nickel-cobalt alloys.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the distance between the evaporation source 3 and the deposition preventing member 7 at the standby position is set at the film deposition position by disposing the deposition preventing member 7 at substantially the same height as the mask 6. The distance between the evaporation source 3 and the mask 6 is substantially equal.

  Furthermore, a cooling unit 8 for adjusting the temperature of the deposition preventing member 7 is provided on the deposition preventing member 7.

  The cooling unit 8 of the present embodiment is configured to cool the deposition preventing member 7 by arranging, for example, a metal pipe on the surface of the deposition preventing member 7 and circulating water through the pipe.

  In the present embodiment having such a configuration, first, the substrate 5 is carried into the vacuum chamber 2, and the heater is kept in a state where the evaporation source 3 is located at the standby position as shown in FIG. 32 is energized to start evaporation of the vapor deposition material 40, and water is circulated through the pipe of the cooling unit 8 to cool the deposition preventing member 7.

  Then, the evaporation rate of the vapor deposition material flowing out from the evaporation port 33 of the evaporation source 3 is detected by the film thickness sensor 50, and when the value is stabilized at a predetermined value, the evaporation source 3 is directed to the film formation position below the substrate 5. To move.

  Immediately after this movement, the temperature of the heater 32 of the evaporation source 3 is controlled to keep the temperature of the vapor deposition material at a predetermined temperature, thereby controlling the evaporation rate of the vapor deposition material to a constant value to perform film formation.

  Then, after the evaporation port 33 of the evaporation source 3 crosses the entire surface of the substrate 5, the evaporation source 3 is moved toward the standby position. In this case, the temperature control of the heater 32 of the evaporation source 3 is performed until the evaporation port 33 of the evaporation source 3 crosses the entire surface of the substrate 5.

  Then, after the evaporation port 33 of the evaporation source 3 crosses the entire surface of the substrate 5, energization to the heater 32 is stopped.

  Thereafter, the substrate 5 is unloaded from the vacuum chamber 2, a new substrate 5 is loaded into the vacuum chamber 2, and the above-described steps are repeated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the deposition preventing member 7 made of a material having the same emissivity as that of the mask 6 is disposed at substantially the same height as the mask 6, and the deposition preventing member 7 is cooled to mask 6. Therefore, the radiant heat loss in the vicinity of the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source 3 can be easily equalized during standby and during film formation.
As a result, the temperature change of the vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source 3 and the evaporation material can be prevented during the film formation, so that the fluctuation of the evaporation rate can be prevented and the film formation speed can be accurately controlled.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the deposition preventing member 7 is arranged at substantially the same height as the mask 6, but the distance between the evaporation source 3 and the deposition preventing member 7 at the standby position and the evaporation source at the film forming position. If the distance between 3 and the mask 6 is substantially equal, the position of the deposition preventing member 7 can be changed.

  In the above-described embodiment, only the cooling part is provided in the adhesion preventing member 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a temperature adjusting heater or the like can be provided as necessary. .

  Furthermore, it is possible to provide not only the adhesion preventing member 7 but also a temperature adjusting means similar to that of the adhesion preventing member 7 in the mechanism that affects the radiant heat loss of the evaporation source 3.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to an apparatus for forming an organic thin film of an organic EL element, and can be applied to various vapor deposition apparatuses. However, the present invention is particularly effective when an organic thin film of an organic EL element is formed using an organic evaporation material.

(A): Front side sectional view of a preferred embodiment of an organic vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention (b): A block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the same embodiment The top view of the adhesion prevention member of the embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the evaporation source of the embodiment (A): Front side sectional view of a conventional organic vapor deposition apparatus (b): Block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the organic vapor deposition apparatus

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vacuum vapor deposition apparatus 2 ... Vacuum tank 3 ... Evaporation source 5 ... Substrate (film formation object) 6 ... Mask 7 ... Deposition member (mechanism part) 30 ... Container 31 ... Thermocouple 32 ... Heater 50 ... Film thickness sensor ( Evaporation monitor)

Claims (6)

Evaporating the organic evaporation material in the evaporation source in a vacuum, measuring the evaporation rate of the organic evaporation material while waiting for the evaporation source, and controlling the evaporation rate in the evaporation source based on the measurement result, the evaporation source An organic vapor deposition method for performing vapor deposition on a film formation target while moving
An organic vapor deposition method in which radiant heat loss in the vicinity of a vapor discharge portion of the evaporation source is made equal during standby and during film formation. A vacuum chamber in which a predetermined film formation target is stored;
An evaporation source configured to move between a standby position and a film forming position in the vacuum chamber, and for evaporating a predetermined organic evaporation material;
An evaporation amount monitor for measuring an evaporation rate of vapor evaporated from the evaporation source at the standby position;
An organic vapor deposition apparatus configured to deposit the organic evaporation material on the film formation target while controlling an evaporation rate in the evaporation source based on a result obtained in the evaporation amount monitor,
An organic vapor deposition apparatus in which a mechanism having temperature adjusting means is provided between the evaporation source and the evaporation amount monitor.   The organic vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mechanism portion is made of a material having an emissivity equivalent to that of the mask of the film formation target.   The organic vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a distance between the evaporation source and the mechanism at the standby position is substantially equal to a distance between the evaporation source and the mask at the film formation position.   The organic vapor deposition apparatus of any one of Claims 2 thru | or 4 with which the said temperature adjustment means has a cooling part by liquid cooling.   The organic vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the mechanism portion is an adhesion preventing member for preventing adhesion of the organic evaporation material.

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