JP2006070351A - Vapor deposition system and vapor deposition method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vapor deposition system and a vapor deposition method for uniformizing the thickness of a vapor-deposited film. <P>SOLUTION: The vapor deposition system 30 is provided with: a vapor deposition chamber 31 for storing a front substrate 2; and an evacuation device 32 for evacuating the inside of the vapor deposition chamber 32. In the vapor deposition chamber 31, a crucible 37 confronted with the face 2a to be vapor-deposited in the front substrate 2, and a plurality of rods 40 located between the front substrate and the crucible and composing a plurality of slits 41 are arranged. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus that deposits a vapor deposition material on a deposition surface and a vapor deposition method using the vapor deposition apparatus.

  In general, a vapor deposition apparatus is used in a manufacturing process of a thin display device or a semiconductor device. For example, as a thin display device, a field emission display (hereinafter referred to as FED) that emits a phosphor with an electron beam emitted from a field emission electron emission element, or a surface conduction electron emission element as a kind of FED. 2. Description of the Related Art A surface conduction electron emission display (hereinafter referred to as SED) that emits a phosphor with an electron beam is known.

The SED generally has a front substrate and a rear substrate that are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, and these substrates are joined together with peripheral portions through a rectangular frame side wall to form a vacuum envelope. Is configured. The inside of the vacuum envelope is maintained at a high vacuum with a degree of vacuum of about 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less. Further, in order to support an atmospheric pressure load applied to the rear substrate and the front substrate, a plurality of support members are disposed between these substrates.

  A phosphor screen including a plurality of phosphor layers of red, green, and blue is formed on the inner surface of the front substrate, and a metal back and a getter film are formed so as to overlap the phosphor screen. The getter film is formed using a vapor deposition apparatus. A large number of electron-emitting devices that emit electrons that emit light by exciting these phosphor layers are provided inside the back substrate. A large number of scanning lines and signal lines are formed in a matrix and connected to each electron-emitting device. An anode voltage is applied to the phosphor screen, and an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device is accelerated by the anode voltage and collides with the phosphor screen, whereby the phosphor layer emits light and an image is displayed.

The getter film described above is provided to maintain the degree of vacuum in the vacuum envelope, and plays an important role in adsorbing the gas in the vacuum envelope. For this reason, when forming a getter film using a vapor deposition apparatus, a getter material is vapor-deposited on the inner surface of the front substrate in a vacuum chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1). More specifically, a container containing a getter material is disposed in the vacuum chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus, and the getter material is vaporized with the front substrate facing the opening of the container to form a getter film on the inner surface of the substrate.
JP 200431276 A

However, when a getter film is formed on the inner surface of the substrate using the above-described conventional vapor deposition apparatus, the thickness of the getter film is thicker at the center than at the periphery of the substrate. As described above, when the thickness of the getter film is not uniform within the surface of the front substrate, the luminance characteristics are not uniform, and the display quality is deteriorated. For this reason, as a method for making the film thickness of the getter film uniform, a method of evaporating the getter material by increasing the distance between the front substrate and the container is conceivable. However, it is difficult to make the getter film uniform to a satisfactory level only by increasing the distance between the front substrate and the container. For example, when the distance between the front substrate and the container is set to 800 mm, the thickness of the getter film is uneven by 20% to 30%. The larger the distance between the front substrate and the container, the more getter material adheres to the vapor deposition apparatus, so the maintenance is more difficult. Further, the larger the distance between the front substrate and the container, the larger the vapor deposition apparatus.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method capable of making the film thickness of the vapor deposition film uniform.

  In order to solve the above problems, a vapor deposition apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a vapor deposition apparatus that forms a vapor deposition film on a vapor deposition target surface of a vapor deposition target member, the vapor deposition chamber that houses the vapor deposition target member, and the vapor deposition chamber. A plurality of evacuation apparatuses for evacuating, a deposition material container opposed to the deposition surface in the deposition chamber and positioned between the deposition target member and the deposition material container, and a plurality of slits And a blocking part.

  Moreover, the vapor deposition method which concerns on the other aspect of this invention is the vapor deposition method which forms a vapor deposition film on the to-be-deposited surface of a vapor deposition object member, The vapor deposition object member in a vacuum atmosphere, and vapor deposition facing this vapor deposition object member A material container, and a plurality of blocking portions which are located between the vapor deposition target member and the vapor deposition material container and constitute a plurality of slits, vaporize the vapor deposition material in the vapor deposition material container, and pass through the slit. Vapor deposition is performed on the deposition surface to form the deposited film.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method capable of making the film thickness of the vapor deposition film uniform.

  Hereinafter, embodiments in which the vapor deposition apparatus and the vapor deposition method of the present invention are applied to a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method for forming an SED getter film will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the SED will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the SED includes a front substrate 2 and a rear substrate 1 each made of rectangular glass, and these substrates are arranged to face each other with a gap of 1 to 2 mm. The front substrate 2 and the rear substrate 1 are joined to each other through a rectangular frame-shaped side wall 3, and a flat rectangular vacuum envelope whose inside is maintained at a high vacuum of about 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less. The device 4 is configured.

  A phosphor screen 6 is formed on the inner surface of the front substrate 2. The phosphor screen 6 includes a phosphor layer 7 that emits red, green, and blue light and a matrix-shaped light shielding portion 8. These light shielding portions 8 may be formed in a stripe shape or a dot shape. A metal back 9 that functions as an anode electrode is formed on the phosphor screen 6, and a getter film 10 is formed on the metal back. During the display operation, a predetermined anode voltage is applied to the metal back 9.

  On the inner surface of the back substrate 1, a large number of electron-emitting devices 11 that emit an electron beam that excites the phosphor layer 7 are provided. These electron-emitting devices 11 are arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows corresponding to each pixel. The electron-emitting device 11 is driven by the matrix wiring 12.

In addition, a large number of spacers 13 formed in a plate shape or a column shape are arranged between the back substrate 1 and the front substrate 2 for resistance to atmospheric pressure.
An anode voltage is applied to the phosphor screen 6 through the metal back 9, and the electron beam emitted from the electron emitter 11 is accelerated by the anode voltage and collides with the phosphor screen 6. Thereby, the corresponding phosphor layer 7 emits light and an image is displayed.

Next, a vapor deposition apparatus for forming the SED getter film 10 configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the vapor deposition device 30 includes a vapor deposition chamber 31 that functions as a vacuum processing tank, and a vacuum exhaust device 32 that evacuates the vapor deposition chamber.

  A first stage 33 that functions as a transport mechanism for supporting and transporting the front substrate 2 as a deposition target member is disposed in the deposition chamber 31, and the front substrate is suspended and supported by the first stage. Further, the first stage 33 is provided with an inclination mechanism 34, and the front substrate 2 can be inclined.

  Further, in the vapor deposition chamber 31, a second stage 35 is provided that functions as a moving mechanism that accommodates a getter material 38 as a vapor deposition material and moves a crucible 37 as a vapor deposition material container having an open upper end to a desired position. ing. That is, the getter material 38 is accommodated in the crucible 37, and the crucible is held on the support jig 36. The support jig 36 is supported by the second stage 35 so as to be movable and adjustable in height. In other words, the opening 37 a of the crucible 37, that is, the surface of the getter material 38 is provided so as to face the deposition surface 2 a of the front substrate 2. The vapor deposition surface 2 a referred to here is a surface on which the phosphor screen 6 and the metal back 9 are formed on the front substrate 2.

  As the material constituting the getter material 38, for example, a metal material containing barium is used. A heating unit 39 for heating the getter material 38 is provided so as to surround the support jig 36.

  In the vapor deposition chamber 31, for example, a plurality of bars 40 are provided as a plurality of blocking portions, and these bars are arranged in parallel in an aerial surface located between the deposition surface 2 a of the front substrate 2 and the crucible 37. Has been. In other words, the rods 40 are arranged substantially parallel to each other at intervals within the aerial surface, and constitute a plurality of slits 41. Note that the aerial surface on which the bars 40 are arranged (the surface on which the slits 41 are arranged) and the deposition surface 2a are parallel to each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the distance s <b> 1 between the adjacent bars 40 becomes wider as the distance from the crucible 37 increases. The thickness t of the rod 40 is so thin that it is away from the crucible 37. That is, by reducing the distance s1 between the rods 40 in the region facing the opening 37a of the crucible 37 and increasing the thickness t of the rod in this region, the deposition surface 2a in the region facing the opening 37a of the crucible 37 is increased. The deposition of the getter material 38 on the substrate can be suppressed, and the getter film 10 having a uniform film thickness can be formed.

In this embodiment, the front substrate 2 is 800 mm × 500 mm, the width w1 of the front substrate in the direction in which the bars 40 are arranged is 500 mm, and the opening area sa of the crucible 37 is 314 mm ² (the width of the crucible in the direction in which the bars are arranged). w2 is 20 mm). The shape of the rod 40 is a columnar shape, the thickness t is 5 mm to 3 mm, and the interval s1 between the rods is 10 mm to 12 mm. Further, the interval s2 between the crucible 37 and the rod 40 was set to 120 mm, and the interval s3 between the rod and the vapor deposition surface 2a was set to 600 mm. The second stage 35 can move the crucible 37 in the longitudinal direction d1 of the slit 41, and the first stage 33 can also move the front substrate 2 in the longitudinal direction d1. Accordingly, even when vapor deposition is performed using one crucible 37, the getter film 10 having a uniform film thickness can be formed on the vapor deposition surface 2a of the front substrate 2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the vapor deposition apparatus 30 includes a control unit 50 and an interval / height adjustment mechanism 51 in addition to the above. The vacuum exhaust device 32, the first stage 33, the tilt mechanism 34, the second stage 35, the heating unit 39, and the interval / height adjustment mechanism 51 are operated under the control of the control unit 50. For this reason, the interval s1 and the height (interval s2 and interval s3) of the bars 40 can be adjusted by the interval / height adjustment mechanism 51.

  Next, a vapor deposition method for forming the getter film 10 on the front substrate 2 using the vapor deposition apparatus 30 configured as described above will be described. The step of forming the getter film 10 is performed after the metal back 9 is formed on the front substrate 2 and before the front substrate and the rear substrate 1 are bonded together.

  First, the crucible 37 containing the getter material 38 is placed on the upper surface of the support jig 36, and the front substrate 2 is carried into the vapor deposition chamber 31. Thereafter, the inside of the vapor deposition chamber 31 is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust device 32.

  After positioning the crucible 37, the rod 40, and the front substrate 2, the heating unit 39 heats the getter material 38 to a temperature equal to or higher than its melting point. Then, the getter material 38 is deposited on the deposition surface 2a through the slit 41. When vapor deposition is performed, the front substrate 2 is moved in the longitudinal direction d 1 of the slit 41 by the first stage 33. Thereby, the getter film 10 having a uniform film thickness is formed over the entire area of the deposition surface 2a of the front substrate 2, and the deposition process is completed.

  According to the vapor deposition apparatus 30 and the vapor deposition method configured as described above, the getter material is vapor-deposited in a state where the plurality of bars 40 are positioned between the front substrate 2 and the getter material 38. The rod 40 blocks particles scattered from the getter material 38. The film thickness of the getter film 10 can be adjusted by adjusting the interval s1 of the bars 40, the thickness t of the bars, and the like, so that the film thickness is uniform over the entire deposition surface 2a of the front substrate 2. A getter film having the above can be formed.

  When the rod 40 is not provided, the thickness of the getter film 10 in the region facing the crucible opening 37a increases as the distance between the crucible 37 and the front substrate 2 is reduced. In this embodiment, the rod is provided. Therefore, even when the distance between the crucible and the front substrate is short, a getter film having a uniform film thickness can be formed. As described above, when the rod 40 is provided, the distance between the crucible 37 and the front substrate 2 can be shortened as compared with the case where no rod is provided, and thus the apparatus size of the vapor deposition apparatus 30 can also be reduced. . Further, by shortening the distance between the crucible 37 and the front substrate 2, the amount of getter material 38 adhering to the inside of the vapor deposition chamber 31 is reduced, so that simple maintenance is possible.

  Since the vapor deposition apparatus 30 includes the first stage 33 (the second stage 35 that moves the crucible 37 in the longitudinal direction of the slit) that moves the front substrate 2 in the longitudinal direction d1 of the slit 41, crucibles are provided at a plurality of locations. The getter film 10 can be formed without being provided.

  The arrangement conditions of the rods including the interval s1 of the rods 40 and the thickness t of the rods are as follows: the area where the getter film 10 is formed, the opening area sa of the crucible 37, the spacing s2 between the getter material and the rods, and the rod-deposition surface 2a. What is necessary is just to adjust according to the space | interval s3.

  From the above, it is possible to provide the vapor deposition apparatus 30 and the vapor deposition method that can make the thickness of the getter film 10 uniform. As a result, an SED having uniform luminance characteristics and capable of maintaining high display performance for a long time can be obtained.

  Next, a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method for forming a getter film according to another embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, other configurations are the same as those of the above-described embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the same portions, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the phosphor screen 6 provided on the inner surface of the front substrate 2 has a light shielding portion 8. For example, the light shielding portion 8 includes a large number of stripe portions 8a and a rectangular frame portion 8b extending along the periphery of the phosphor screen 6 with a predetermined gap therebetween. A phosphor layer 7 is formed between the stripe portions 8a.

  The metal back 9 provided on the phosphor screen 6 has a plurality of divided portions 9a and a plurality of divided portions 9b. Each divided portion 9a is electrically divided by a dividing portion 9b. More specifically, each of the divided portions 9a is formed in an elongated stripe shape, extends parallel to each other with a predetermined gap, and is positioned so as to overlap the phosphor layer 7.

  The dividing portions 9b are formed in a stripe shape and are located between the divided portions 9a. The dividing part 9b is provided on the stripe part 8a. It is desirable that the dividing portion 9b does not protrude from the region facing the phosphor layer 7, and in order to take a margin, it is preferable that a part of the dividing portion 9a is also overlapped with the stripe portion 8a. is there. In this embodiment, since the dividing portion 9b divides the metal back 9 into a plurality of divided portions 9a, the metal back is partially oxidized to have a high resistance.

  Each divided portion 9 a is connected to the common electrode 16 via the connection resistor 15. A high voltage supply unit 17 is formed in a part of the common electrode 16 so that a high voltage is applied. A getter film 10 is formed on each divided portion 9a. Each getter film 10 is formed in an elongated stripe shape.

Next, a method for forming the getter film 10 of the front substrate 2 configured as described above will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 8, the front substrate 2 on which the phosphor screen 6, the metal back 9, and the getter cut 19 are formed is prepared. Here, the getter cut 19 is formed so as to overlap the dividing portion 9b. When the getter film 10 is formed, the same vapor deposition apparatus and vapor deposition method as in the above-described embodiment are used. However, in this case, the deposition surface 2a of the front substrate 2 is tilted by the tilt mechanism 34 from the surface direction in which the slits 41 are arranged. That is, the getter material 38 is deposited from the first direction d2 or the second direction d3 inclined from the normal direction of the aerial surface where the slits 41 are arranged.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the getter film 10 is formed on the deposition surface 2a of the front substrate 2 so as to overlap the divided portion 9a and to have a uniform thickness over the entire deposition surface. . The getter cut 19 is removed after the getter film 10 is formed.

  According to the vapor deposition apparatus and the vapor deposition method configured as described above, even when the metal back 9 is divided into a plurality of divided portions 9a, the metal back 9 overlaps with the divided portions and is a uniform film over the entire area 2a. A thick getter film 10 can be formed. Since the getter film 10 does not electrically affect the divided portions 9a, the original function of the divided portions, that is, the function of suppressing the increase in the scale of discharge is not impaired, and the electron-emitting device 11 and the phosphor The destruction and deterioration of the screen 6 can be suppressed.

  From the above, it is possible to provide the vapor deposition apparatus 30 and the vapor deposition method that can make the thickness of the getter film 10 uniform. As a result, an SED having uniform luminance characteristics and capable of maintaining high display performance for a long time can be obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, the vapor deposition apparatus 30 may have a plurality of crucibles 37 arranged in the longitudinal direction d1 of the slit 41. Although the vapor deposition apparatus 30 has the rod 40, the structure is not limited to this, and any structure may be used as long as it is a blocking part constituting the slit 41.
The present invention is not limited to the vapor deposition apparatus 30 and the vapor deposition method for forming the getter film 10, and may be used for applications for forming other products such as FEDs and semiconductor devices.

The perspective view of SED which concerns on embodiment of this invention. AA sectional drawing shown in FIG. The schematic sectional drawing of the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a part of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 3 in more detail. The schematic block diagram of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. The top view which shows the phosphor screen, metal back | bag, and getter film | membrane of the front substrate of SED which concern on other embodiment of this invention. BB sectional drawing shown in FIG. The figure which showed the manufacturing method for forming the front substrate shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Back substrate, 2 ... Front substrate, 2a ... Deposited surface, 4 ... Vacuum envelope, 6 ... Phosphor screen, 7 ... Phosphor layer, 8 ... Shading part, 8a ... Stripe part, 8b ... Rectangular frame part , 9 ... Metal back, 9a ... Dividing part, 9b ... Dividing part, 10 ... Getter film, 11 ... Electron emitting element, 19 ... Getter cut, 30 ... Deposition apparatus, 31 ... Deposition chamber, 32 ... Vacuum exhaust apparatus, 33 ... First stage, 34 ... tilting mechanism, 35 ... second stage, 36 ... support jig, 37 ... crucible, 37a ... opening, 38 ... getter material, 39 ... heating part, 40 ... bar, 41 ... slit, d1 ... Longitudinal direction, s1, s2, s3 ... interval, sa ... opening area, t ... thickness, w ... width.

Claims (13)

In a vapor deposition apparatus for forming a vapor deposition film on a vapor deposition surface of a vapor deposition target member,
A deposition chamber for storing the deposition target member;
An evacuation device for evacuating the deposition chamber;
In the vapor deposition chamber, a vapor deposition material container facing the vapor deposition surface and spaced apart,
A plurality of blocking portions that are located between the vapor deposition target member and the vapor deposition material container and constitute a plurality of slits;
A vapor deposition apparatus comprising: The blocking part is composed of a plurality of bars arranged at intervals,
The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the adjacent bars increases as the distance from the vapor deposition material container increases. The blocking part is composed of a plurality of bars arranged at intervals,
The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the bar becomes thinner as the distance from the vapor deposition material container increases.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising another vapor deposition material container provided side by side in the longitudinal direction of the slit.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving mechanism that moves the vapor deposition material container in a longitudinal direction of the slit.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transport mechanism that moves the vapor deposition target member in a longitudinal direction of the slit.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tilting mechanism for tilting the deposition surface. The blocking part is composed of a plurality of bars arranged at intervals,
2. The interval and thickness of the rod, the interval between the vapor deposition material container and the rod, and the interval between the rod and the vapor deposition target member are set to values at which the film thickness of the vapor deposition film becomes uniform. The vapor deposition apparatus of description. In the vapor deposition method of forming a vapor deposition film on the vapor deposition surface of the vapor deposition target member,
Arrange the vapor deposition target member in a vacuum atmosphere, a vapor deposition material container facing the vapor deposition target member, and a plurality of blocking portions located between the vapor deposition target member and the vapor deposition material container and constituting a plurality of slits. And
A vapor deposition method comprising: vaporizing a vapor deposition material in the vapor deposition material container and vapor-depositing the vapor deposition material on the deposition surface through the slit to form the vapor deposition film. Arranging the other vapor deposition material container in line with the vapor deposition material container in the vacuum atmosphere,
The vapor deposition method according to claim 9, wherein the vapor deposition material in the vapor deposition material container and the other vapor deposition material container is vaporized and vapor deposited on the vapor deposition surface through the slit to form the vapor deposition film. .   The vapor deposition method according to claim 9, wherein the vapor deposition film is formed by moving the vapor deposition material container in a longitudinal direction of the slit.   The vapor deposition method according to claim 9, wherein the vapor deposition film is formed by moving the vapor deposition target member in a longitudinal direction of the slit.   The deposition method according to claim 9, wherein the deposition film is formed by tilting the deposition surface.

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