JP2010144212A - Material supply apparatus and material supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a material supply apparatus for replenishing a film deposition material while keeping gas-tightness of a chamber. <P>SOLUTION: The material supply apparatus 100 includes: a material container 300 in which an organic material 305 is accommodated; a material charging chamber 110 for charging the material container 300; a material transport chamber 120 which has a transfer passage 120a, communicating with the internal passage of a connection pipe 120b connected to a vapor deposition source head 200a and transferring the charged material container 300 to a material vaporization part while using the communicating part as the material vaporization part and which feeds out organic molecules vaporized in the material vaporization part toward the vapor deposition source head 200a through the internal passage of the connection pipe 120b; and a material taking-out chamber 130 for taking the material container 300 out of the material transport chamber 120. The material feeding chamber 110, the material transport chamber 120 and the material taking-out chamber 130 are each maintained in a desired reduced pressure state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a material supply apparatus and a material supply method for supplying a film forming material, and more particularly to a material supply apparatus and a material supply method for supplying a material in a reduced pressure and high temperature state.

  When manufacturing a flat panel display or the like, a vapor deposition method in which a substrate is formed by vaporized molecules of a film forming material is widely used. Among the devices manufactured using such a technique, the organic EL display, in particular, has excellent advantages such as self-emission, fast reaction speed, and low power consumption. For this reason, in the flat panel display manufacturing industry, there is an increasing demand for organic EL displays, and there is an increasing demand for larger size.

  The step of forming an organic film on a substrate for an organic EL display includes heating a vapor deposition source, vaporizing an organic material stored in the vapor deposition source, transporting the organic molecules to the film deposition chamber, and substrate in the film deposition chamber. This is carried out by blowing out toward the substrate and adhering it to the substrate. During this process, the vapor deposition source becomes a high temperature of about 200 ° C. to 500 ° C. in order to vaporize the film forming material. For this reason, when the film formation process is performed in the atmosphere, the molecules of the film formation material collide with the remaining gas molecules in the film formation chamber before reaching the substrate. Due to the chain of collisions generated in this way, high heat generated from the vapor deposition source is transmitted to components such as various sensors in the film forming chamber, thereby deteriorating the characteristics of each component and causing damage to the component itself. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to perform the film forming process in a state where the film forming chamber is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In other words, if the film formation chamber is controlled to a predetermined degree of vacuum, the collision between the molecules of the film formation material and the remaining gas molecules in the film formation chamber can be prevented by vacuum insulation, and the heat generated from the evaporation source can be transferred to the rest of the film formation chamber. Not transmitted to the parts. According to this, the temperature controllability at the time of film formation can be improved, and a high-quality film can be formed.

JP 2000-282219 A

  However, since the film forming material stored in the vapor deposition source is vaporized and consumed for film formation at the time of film formation, it is necessary to replenish the film formation material as needed. At this time, in the conventional apparatus configuration, each time the material is replenished, the vapor deposition source and the film forming chamber must be released to the atmosphere, so that the degree of vacuum in the vapor deposition source and the film forming chamber decreases every time the material is replenished. For this reason, after replenishing the material, it takes a lot of time to reduce the pressure in the vapor deposition source and the film forming chamber to a predetermined degree of vacuum again. For example, in the case of a large apparatus that processes a large substrate, the volume inside the apparatus also increases. For this reason, it may take a whole day to reduce the pressure inside the apparatus to a predetermined degree of vacuum. Therefore, opening to the atmosphere at the time of material replenishment has been a factor of reducing throughput and reducing product productivity in terms of increasing preparation time before film formation.

  Further, at the time of replenishing the material, the temperature inside the film forming chamber was lowered by radiant heat and heat transfer every time the inside of the apparatus was opened to the atmosphere. For this reason, the vaporized molecules being transferred to the film forming chamber are attached to the inner wall of the transfer path before reaching the substrate, causing a reduction in material use efficiency.

  Further, in the conventional apparatus, when the material is replenished, it is necessary to turn on / off the exhaust apparatus in conjunction with the release of the atmosphere in the apparatus. A great amount of input energy is required to turn on and off the power of the exhaust device. Therefore, in the conventional apparatus, the energy required for restarting the exhaust apparatus is wasted in accordance with the material replenishment, which is a factor that deteriorates the exhaust efficiency.

  In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a material supply apparatus and a material supply method for replenishing a film forming material while maintaining airtightness in the apparatus.

  That is, in order to solve the above-described problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, a material container in which a film forming material is stored, a material charging chamber into which the material container is charged, and a connecting pipe connected to a vapor deposition source head And a film forming portion in the material container that is conveyed to the material vaporization unit, having a conveyance path for conveying the charged material container to the material vaporization unit. A material supply apparatus comprising: a material transport chamber that vaporizes a material in the material vaporization section and sends the material from an internal passage of the connection pipe toward the vapor deposition source head; and a material extraction chamber that takes out a material container from the material transport chamber Is provided. The material input chamber, the material transport chamber, and the material take-out chamber are each controlled to a desired reduced pressure state.

  Here, the vaporization includes not only a phenomenon in which a liquid turns into a gas but also a phenomenon in which a solid directly turns into a gas without going through a liquid state (that is, sublimation).

  According to such a configuration, the material input chamber, the material transport chamber, and the material take-out chamber are maintained in desired reduced pressure states determined respectively. The material container is loaded from the material loading chamber into the material transport chamber, and is transported to the material vaporization unit using the transport path in the material transport chamber. The film forming material in the material container is vaporized in the material vaporization unit. The vaporized molecules are transported from the material vaporization section to the vapor deposition source head via the internal passage of the connecting pipe, and blown out from the vapor deposition source head toward the object to be processed. Thereby, a film forming process is performed on the object to be processed.

  According to this, it is possible to make the material input chamber and the material take-out chamber function as a load lock chamber maintained in a desired reduced pressure state with respect to the material transport chamber. As a result, the material transport chamber can be replenished without opening the material transport chamber to the atmosphere. As a result, exhaust efficiency such as exhaust time and exhaust energy of the material supply apparatus can be effectively improved. Moreover, the temperature drop inside the apparatus can be prevented when the material is replenished. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the vaporized molecules being conveyed from adhering to each component, and to ensure that the vaporized molecules adhere to the object to be processed, thereby increasing the use efficiency of the material. In particular, in the case of film formation using an organic material, since the organic material is expensive, an apparatus more suitable for mass production can be configured by improving exhaust efficiency and use efficiency of the material.

  The transport path may be openably and closably connected to the material input chamber and the material take-out chamber through first and second opening / closing mechanisms that penetrate the material transport chamber and are connected to both ends.

  The material container is provided with a carrier gas supply port, and the material transport chamber uses the carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply port to deposit the film forming material vaporized in the material container into the deposition source head. You may send it out.

  The vapor deposition source head may be connected to the connection pipe such that the vaporized film formation material outlet faces the upper surface of the object to be processed.

  The material transport chamber has a plurality of transport paths communicating with the internal passages of the connection pipe, and the film forming material of the material container respectively charged into the plurality of transport paths is mixed in the internal passage of the connection pipe. However, it may be sent out toward the vapor deposition source head.

  The material transport chamber has a third opening / closing mechanism attached to the connecting pipe on a one-to-one basis with respect to the material vaporization unit, and the third opening / closing mechanism is vaporized by the material vaporization unit and You may adjust the flow volume of the film-forming material which passes the internal channel | path of a connection pipe.

  The third opening / closing mechanism may adjust the flow rate of the film forming material that is vaporized in the material vaporization unit and passes through the internal passage of the connecting pipe.

  The third opening / closing mechanism may be attached to the connecting pipe alongside the transport path in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the transport path.

  The material container may be transported in the transport path by being pushed by an extendable rod-like member.

  The material container may be transported in the transport path by being pulled by a telescopic rod member.

  The material vaporization unit may be mounted on the connecting pipe at a position facing the third opening / closing mechanism and in parallel with the transport path in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the transport path.

  The material extraction chamber may have a double structure.

  A heating member for heating the film forming material may be attached to at least one of the material container and the material vaporization unit.

  The material container may include a lid for pressing the film forming material stored in the material container.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, the step of charging a material container in a material charging chamber controlled to a desired reduced pressure state into a material transport chamber controlled to a desired reduced pressure state And communicating with the internal passage of the connecting pipe connected to the vapor deposition source head, and transporting the charged material container to the material vaporizing section using the transport path in the material transport chamber with the communicating portion as the material vaporizing section. Vaporizing the film forming material in the material container at the material vaporizing section, sending the vaporized film forming material from the connecting pipe toward the vapor deposition source head, and reducing the pressure of the material container to a desired reduced pressure. A material supply method comprising the steps of:

  Accordingly, the material input chamber and the material take-out chamber can function as a load lock chamber with respect to the material transport chamber. As a result, the material transport chamber can be replenished without opening the material transport chamber to the atmosphere. As a result, the exhaust efficiency can be improved and the controllability of the membrane can be enhanced by suppressing the temperature drop in the room.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the film forming material can be replenished while maintaining the airtightness in the apparatus.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the constituent elements having the same configuration and function, and redundant description is omitted.

The description will be given in the following order.
<First Embodiment>
1. Overall configuration of 1.6 layer continuous film forming apparatus 2. Internal structure of material container 3. Internal structure of material transport chamber Material container transport method <Variation 1 of the first embodiment>
First Modification Example of Internal Configuration of Material Supply Device <Modification Example 2 of First Embodiment>
Second Modification Example of Internal Configuration of Material Supply Device <Second Embodiment>
Other configurations of material supply equipment

<First Embodiment>
First, the overall configuration of the six-layer continuous film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a six-layer continuous film forming apparatus. FIG. 2 shows a cross section 1-1 of FIG.

[Overall configuration of 6-layer continuous film formation system]
The six-layer continuous film formation apparatus 10 includes a material supply apparatus 100 and a film formation chamber 200. The material supply apparatus 100 is divided into three sections: a material input chamber 110, a material transport chamber 120, and a material take-out chamber 130.

(Material input room)
First, a schematic configuration of the material charging chamber 110 will be described. The material input chamber 110 is provided with three stages 110a on which the material containers 300 in which the film forming materials are stored are placed. Surfaces other than the side surface of the stage 110a on the material transport chamber side are not in contact with the wall surface of the material input chamber 110.

  On the side wall between the material input chamber 110 and the material transport chamber 120, three stages of gate valves 110b arranged in a lateral direction are provided. The 6 × 3 gate valves 110 b serve as inlets for introducing 6 × 3 material containers 300 into the material transport chamber 120. The 6 × 3 gate valves 110c shown in FIG. 2 are also provided on the side wall of the material charging chamber 110 facing each gate valve 110b. The 6 × 3 gate valves 110c serve as inlets for receiving 6 × 3 material containers 300 from the atmosphere side. With this configuration, the 6 × 3 material containers 300 are opened and closed in the material charging chamber 110 by opening and closing each gate valve 110c, and disposed in front of the gate valve 110b of each stage 110a. Each of them opens and closes and is carried into the material transport chamber 120.

  Referring to FIG. 3 showing a section 2-2 in FIG. 2, the material input chamber 110 is provided with two exhaust pipes 110d. An exhaust device (not shown) exhausts the inside of the material charging chamber 110 from the exhaust pipe 110d to a desired degree of vacuum. When the material container 300 is put in and out, the material transport chamber 120 is kept airtight by the opening and closing operations of the gate valve 110b and the gate valve 110c. According to such a configuration, the material loading chamber 110 can function as a load lock chamber maintained in a desired reduced pressure state with respect to the material transport chamber 120.

  Next, a schematic configuration of the material transport chamber 120 will be described. In the material transport chamber 120, six transport paths 120a arranged in parallel to each other are provided in three stages. A gate valve 130a shown in FIG. 2 is provided on the side wall between the material transport chamber 120 and the material take-out chamber 130 facing each gate valve 110b. The 6 × 3 gate valves 130 a serve as outlets for 6 × 3 material containers 300. That is, each conveyance path 120a passes through the material transport chamber 120, and is connected to each gate valve 110b at one end and to each gate valve 130a at the other end. Each material container 300 is introduced into the transfer path 120a from the material input chamber side via each gate valve 110b, and after moving through the transfer path 120a, is taken out to the material extraction chamber side via each gate valve 130a. The internal configuration of the material transport chamber 120 will be described in detail later.

  Finally, a schematic configuration of the material extraction chamber 130 will be described. The material extraction chamber 130 is provided with three stages 130b shown in FIG. 2 on which the extracted material container 300 is placed. A gate valve 130c is provided on the side wall of the material extraction chamber 130 facing each gate valve 130a. The 6 × 3 gate valves 130c serve as outlets for taking out the 6 × 3 material containers 300 to the atmosphere side. With this configuration, the 6 × 3 material containers 300 are opened and closed to the material extraction chambers 130 by opening and closing each gate valve 130a, and are placed on the respective stages 130b so that the temperature of the gate valves 130c is lowered to some extent. Each is opened and closed and carried outside.

  The material extraction chamber 130 has a double structure (hereinafter also referred to as a thermos bottle method). Specifically, the material extraction chamber 130 has an outer wall 130e1 and an inner wall 130e2, and the space between the outer wall 130e1 and the inner wall 130e2 is in a vacuum state.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the material extraction chamber 130 is provided with exhaust pipes 130 d at two locations. An exhaust device (not shown) purges nitrogen gas from the gas line through the exhaust pipe 130d, releases the inside of the inner wall 130e2 of the material extraction chamber 130 to the atmosphere, opens and closes the gate valve 130c, and carries the material container 300 to the outside. When the material container 300 is taken out from the material transport chamber 120, the material transport chamber 120 is kept airtight by opening and closing the gate valve 130a and the gate valve 130c. According to such a configuration, the material extraction chamber 130 can function as a load lock chamber maintained in a desired reduced pressure state with respect to the material transport chamber 120. All of the gate valves 110b may be opened and closed integrally, or each may be opened and closed separately. Similarly, all of the gate valves 110c may be opened and closed integrally, or each may be opened and closed separately. Similarly, the gate valve 130a and the gate valve 130c may be opened and closed integrally or may be opened and closed separately. Note that the gate valve 110b and the gate valve 130a provided at both ends of the conveyance path 120a correspond to a first opening / closing mechanism and a second opening / closing mechanism.

  According to this configuration, the material supply device 100 is divided into three chambers, so that the reduced pressure state in each chamber can be adjusted for each chamber. The material container inlet, transfer path, and outlet are in a straight line, and it is possible to replenish the material using a straight path while maintaining the airtightness of each chamber by the gate gate valves 110b and 130a partitioning each chamber. It becomes.

[Internal configuration of material container]
Next, the internal configuration of the material container 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 is a 3-3 cross section of the material container 300 shown in FIG. The material container 300 has a rectangular shape and is made of a metal such as SUS. Since quartz or the like hardly reacts with an organic material, the material container 300 may be formed of a metal coated with quartz or the like.

  An organic material 305 is accommodated in the material container 300. As shown in FIG. 4A, the side wall of the material container is double 300 a so that the material is prevented from leaking from the material container 300. The upper side of the storage position of the organic material 305 is open on the front side surface of the paper. A large number of pores 300b for introducing argon gas from the back side to the front side of the paper surface are formed at the substantially central portion on the side wall on the back side of the paper surface. The pore 300b is an example of a carrier gas supply port, and the carrier gas supply port may be a slit or a porous, for example. A heating member 300 c such as a sheath heater is embedded in the bottom wall of the material container 300. Thus, the heating member 300c may be attached only to the material container side, may be attached only to the conveyance path 120a side, or may be provided to both. In particular, when the heating member 300c is attached to the material container side, the material container itself is directly heated, so that contact thermal resistance does not occur and temperature control becomes easy. In addition, as shown in FIG.4 (b), the accommodated organic material 305 may be conveyed in the state which compressed the whole material surface from the upper part with the cover part 300d for a press.

  According to such a configuration, the material container 300 is heated to about 200 ° C. to 500 ° C. by the heating member 300 c, thereby vaporizing the organic material 305. However, since there are many types of organic materials that are easily decomposed and polymerized, it is better not to overheat, and the material container should not be too large. The vaporized organic molecules are transported toward the film formation chamber side by using argon gas introduced from the outside through a large number of pores 300b as a carrier gas. The transport path for organic molecules and carrier gas will be described later.

[Internal configuration of material transport room]
Next, the internal configuration of the material transport chamber 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a connecting pipe 120b is connected to one side surface of three conveying paths 120a arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting pipe 120 b penetrates the bottom of the material supply device 100, and further penetrates the ceiling portion of the film forming chamber 200 provided below the material supply device 100, and is connected to the lower end portion thereof. Are connected to the vapor deposition source head 200a. O-rings 400 and 405 are provided in the penetrating portion of the connecting pipe 120b on the material supply device side and the film formation chamber side, respectively, so as to ensure airtightness in the material supply device and the film formation chamber. In this way, inside the material transport chamber 120, 3 × 6 sets of connecting pipes 120b are arranged in parallel at equal intervals. In the film forming chamber 200, six vapor deposition source heads 200a are arranged at equal intervals in a state of being connected to the connecting pipe 120b. As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition source head 200a has a slit-shaped outlet 200a1 that opens downward.

  The film formation chamber 200 is provided with an exhaust pipe 200b. An exhaust apparatus (not shown) exhausts the inside of the film forming chamber 200 from the exhaust pipe 200b to a desired degree of vacuum. The material transport chamber 120 communicating with the inside of the film formation chamber 200 is also maintained at a desired degree of vacuum like the film formation chamber 200.

  A gas supply pipe 120c that shares an argon gas is disposed substantially at the center of the transfer path 120a shown in FIG. The gas supply pipe 120c supplies argon gas into the transport path from a gas supply source (not shown). The argon gas functions as a carrier gas for transporting organic molecules to the vapor deposition source head 200a. The carrier gas is not limited to argon gas, and may be, for example, an inert gas such as krypton or xenon.

  The material container 300 charged from the material charging chamber 110 travels along the transfer path 120a, and is placed on a portion where the transfer path 120a, the internal passage of the connecting pipe 120b, and the gas supply pipe 120c communicate with each other. Hereinafter, the placement locations of the material containers 300 inside the conveyance path 120a provided in the upper, middle, and lower portions in the vertical direction are referred to as material vaporization portions PA, PB, and PC.

  When the material transport chamber 120 and the film formation chamber 200 are held at a predetermined degree of vacuum and the film formation process is executed, the probability of the organic molecules colliding with the remaining gas molecules in the apparatus during transportation is significantly reduced due to the vacuum insulation. The heat generated from the material vaporization sections PA, PB, and PC is not transmitted to the other components inside the material transport chamber 120 and the film formation chamber 200. Thereby, the temperature controllability in the room during film formation can be improved. As a result, a good quality film can be formed on the substrate G.

  Since the six pairs of vapor deposition source heads 200a and the conveyance mechanisms above the respective vapor deposition source heads 200a described above are the same, the following description will be further made with reference to FIG. explain in detail. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of one set of vapor deposition source head 200a and the transport mechanism 500, and FIG. 5B is a 4-4 cross section of FIG. 5A. The transport mechanism 500 includes a transport path 120a, a connecting pipe 120b, a gas supply pipe 120c, and a flow rate adjusting valve 120d.

  Three flow rate adjusting valves 120d are attached to the connecting pipe 120b in a one-to-one manner on the side surface opposite to the side surface connected to the three conveying paths 120a arranged in the vertical direction. The flow rate adjusting valve 120d is formed of heat resistant stainless steel or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the conveyance path 120a communicates with the internal passage of the connecting pipe 120b. The internal passage of the connecting pipe 120b communicates with the slit-shaped outlet 200a1 via the buffer space S of FIG. 2 provided in the vapor deposition source head 200a. The flow rate adjusting valve 120d attached to face the material vaporization sections PA, PB, PC opens and closes the internal passages of the connecting pipe 120b communicating with the material vaporization sections PA, PB, PC. For example, when the material container 300 is not put into the material vaporization part PC, the flow rate adjustment valve 120d located at the bottom is closed, and the flow rate adjustment valve 120d located at the middle and the top is opened. Thereby, the organic molecules vaporized in the material vaporization parts PA and PB can be passed toward the vapor deposition source head 200a, and these vaporized molecules can be prevented from entering the material vaporization part PC. Thereby, it is possible to avoid vaporized molecules from adhering to the inner wall of the conveyance path 120a and the like through the lowermost flow rate adjusting valve 120d. The flow rate adjusting valve 120d corresponds to a third opening / closing mechanism attached to the connecting pipe 120b on a one-to-one basis with respect to the material vaporization sections PA, PB, and PC.

  The vaporized organic molecules are transported to the vapor deposition source head 200a through the inside of the connecting pipe 120b, temporarily stay in the buffer space S through a plurality of passages formed in the vapor deposition source head 200a, and then slit. Is blown out downward from the air outlet 200a1. The substrate G travels below the six vapor deposition source heads 200a at a certain speed. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, the first hole injection layer, the second hole transport layer, the third blue light emitting layer, and the fourth green light emitting layer are sequentially formed on the ITO of the substrate G. Then, the fifth red light emitting layer and the sixth electron transport layer are formed. Among these, the blue light emitting layer, the green light emitting layer, and the red light emitting layer of the third to fifth layers are light emitting layers that emit light by recombination of holes and electrons. The metal layer on the first to sixth organic layers may be formed by sputtering or may be formed by vapor deposition.

  Thus, an organic EL element having a structure in which the organic layer is sandwiched between the anode (anode) and the cathode (cathode) is formed on the glass substrate. When a voltage is applied to the anode and cathode of the organic EL element, holes (holes) are injected into the organic layer from the anode, and electrons are injected into the organic layer from the cathode. The injected holes and electrons recombine in the organic layer, and light emission occurs at this time. Even for a large substrate, the organic layer and the metal layer of FIG. 6 and a sealing layer (not shown) for sealing these layers can be continuously formed, so that the structure conforms to the mass production system.

  According to such a configuration, the substrate G can be processed by a face-up method (film formation on the upper surface of the substrate G). According to this, even if the object to be processed is a large substrate, the substrate G can be processed face-up, so that the substrate is bent and transport and film formation processing become difficult as in the face-down method. In addition, transfer and film formation suitable for a large substrate can be realized. In addition, the organic layer and the metal layer in FIG. 6 and a sealing layer (not shown) for sealing these layers can be continuously formed, and the configuration conforms to the mass production system.

[Material container transport method]
Next, a method for conveying the material container will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows an example of an operation for carrying the material container 300 from the material input chamber 110 into the material transport chamber 120, and FIG. 8 shows an example of an operation for carrying the material container 300 from the material transport chamber 120 to the material take-out chamber 130. Show.

(Importing materials)
Before the material is carried in, first, the material charging chamber 110 is purged with nitrogen gas to open the inside of the material charging chamber 110 to the atmosphere. Next, the gate valve 110c is opened and the gate valve 110b to be replenished with the material is opened. A material container 300 containing a kind of organic material to be replenished is placed before the above. A 6 × 3 material container 300 may be placed in front of all of the 6 × 3 gate valves 110b, and a material container 300 may be placed in front of one or more of the 6 × 3 gate valves 110b. Also good. Thereby, a material can be replenished simultaneously to the location to replenish.
After disposing the material container 300, as shown in FIG. 2, the gate valve 110c is closed, evacuation is started, and the material charging chamber 110 is brought into a desired reduced pressure state.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the material input chamber 110, stretchable rod-like members 410 are attached to the respective gate valves 110b on a one-to-one basis. When the material container is carried into the material transport chamber 120, the gate valve 110b is opened, the material container 300 is pushed out by using the rod-like member 410, and the material container 300 moving inside the transport path 120a is moved to the material vaporization unit PA. Push to the position of PB, PC. After carrying the material container 300 into the material transport chamber 120, the gate valve 110b is closed, and the degree of vacuum of the material input chamber 110 and the material transport chamber 120 is maintained. The elastic rod-like member 410 may be made of a bellows, for example. The elastic rod-like member 410 prepares for the next material container 300 to be carried in a contracted state as shown in FIG. 8 after the material container 300 is pushed to the material vaporization parts PA, PB, PC.

(Transportation and vaporization of materials)
The material container 300 that has moved to the material vaporization sections PA, PB, and PC is heated. As a result, the organic material stored in the material container 300 is vaporized, and the vaporized molecules are pushed out to the internal passage side of the connecting pipe 120b by the argon gas introduced from the gas supply pipe 120c. The extruded organic molecules are adjusted in flow rate by the flow rate adjusting valve 120d, conveyed to the vapor deposition source head 200a, blown out from the slit-shaped outlet 200a1, attached to the upper surface of the substrate G, and used for film formation. The vaporized molecules of the organic material introduced into the three transport paths 120a are transported toward the vapor deposition source head 200a while being mixed during the transport. Since the transport path 120a is completely separated for each material container, the organic molecules vaporized by one set of vapor deposition source head 200a and the transport mechanism 500 thereabove, and another set of vapor deposition source head 200a and Organic molecules evaporated by the upper transport mechanism 500 are not mixed during transport.

(Material removal)
When the organic material inside the material container 300 is consumed and it is necessary to replenish the material, the material container 300 is unloaded at a high temperature. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in the material take-out chamber 130, stretchable rod-like members 420 are attached to the respective gate valves 130a on a one-to-one basis. The rod-shaped member 420 may be made of a bellows, for example. An adsorption member 420 a that electrically adsorbs the material container 300 is provided at the tip of the rod-shaped member 420. For example, the suction member 420a may be a suction cup or an electrostatic chuck mechanism. The rod-shaped member 420 may have an arm that mechanically holds the material container 300 and a clamp (hook) that mechanically fixes the material container 300 instead of the suction member 420a.

  At the time of unloading, the gate valve 130a is opened, the rod-shaped member 420 is extended, the material container 300 is pulled while being attracted to the suction member 420a, and pulled into the material take-out chamber 130. After drawing the material container 300 into the material take-out chamber 130, the gate valve 130a is closed. The material container 300 taken out to the material take-out chamber 130 is in a high temperature state. On the other hand, as described above, a vacuum state is maintained between the outer wall 130e1 and the inner wall 130e2. Therefore, the heat of the material container 300 is not released to the outside by the vacuum heat insulation (the thermos bottle method) between the outer wall 130e1 and the inner wall 130e2, thereby ensuring safety during processing. After the temperature of the material container 300 is lowered to some extent, by introducing a purge gas from the exhaust pipe 130d of FIG. 3 into the inner wall 130e2 while maintaining the vacuum state between the outer wall 130e1 and the inner wall 130e2, the inside of the inner wall 130e2 Purge.

  Further, since the material container 300 is taken out from the material transport chamber 120 to the material take-out chamber 130 in a high temperature state, even if the organic material evaporated from the material container 300 leaks, it is between the conveyance path 120a and the material container 300. It is possible to prevent it from being cooled and solidified. Thereby, it can avoid that the material container 300 adheres to the conveyance path 120a, and cannot take out from the material conveyance chamber 120. FIG.

  Further, after the material container 300 is drawn into the material take-out chamber 130, the gate valve 130a is kept open for a predetermined period, and the material take-out chamber 130 is evacuated, thereby evacuating vaporized molecules and carrier gas remaining in the transfer path. can do.

  As described above, the material container 300 is temporarily placed on the stage 130b of the material extraction chamber 130 and cooled. The cooling method may be natural cooling, an inert gas may be input, or a cooling mechanism (not shown) may be provided in the material extraction chamber 130 to circulate a refrigerant on the wall surface of the material extraction chamber 130 to cool the material. Also good. After cooling, nitrogen gas is purged from a gas line (not shown), the material take-out chamber 130 is released to the atmosphere, the gate valve 130c is opened and closed, and the material container 300 is carried out. Since the material take-out chamber 130 is a separate system from the material transport chamber 120 and is completely independent, the material container 300 can be taken out even during film formation. After pulling in the material container 300, the rod-shaped member 420 prepares for the next material container 300 in the contracted state as shown in FIG. The material container 300 may be transported in the transport path only by the bar-shaped member 410 without using the bar-shaped member 420, or may be transported in the transport path by the bar-shaped member 420 alone without using the bar-shaped member 410. Good.

  As described above, according to the material supply apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the material input chamber 110, the material transport chamber 120, and the material take-out chamber 130 can be controlled to a desired reduced pressure state, respectively. The vacuum pressure in each chamber may be the same or different. The material container 300 is transported to the material vaporization sections PA, PB, and PC via a transport path 120a provided in the material transport chamber 120. The film forming material in the material container is heated and vaporized by the material vaporization sections PA, PB, and PC. The vaporized organic molecules are transported from the material vaporization sections PA, PB, and PC to the vapor deposition source head 200a through the internal passage of the connecting pipe 120b, and adhere to the moving substrate G directly under the vapor deposition source head 200a. Thereby, an organic film is formed on the substrate G.

  According to this, with respect to the material transport chamber 120, the material input chamber 110 and the material take-out chamber 130 can be made to function as a load lock chamber controlled to a desired reduced pressure state. Thus, by a novel material supply method in which the film forming material is put together with the material container into the material vaporization section under vacuum, the material transport chamber 120 is opened to the atmosphere without opening the material transport chamber 120 to the atmosphere. The temperature of the transport mechanism 500 can be prevented from decreasing.

  As a result, the exhaust time can be shortened, the throughput can be improved, and the productivity can be increased. Further, loss of exhaust energy can be reduced. Further, the vaporization rate of the film forming material can be controlled with high accuracy. In addition, since the material container 300 is taken out at a high temperature, it is possible to eliminate the solidification of the material when the material container is taken out and stick to the material container itself or the conveyance path, etc. Efficiency can be increased. In particular, in the case of film formation using an organic material, since the organic material is expensive, a large cost reduction can be achieved during mass production.

  In addition, by adopting the face-up method during film formation processing, it is possible to realize transfer and film formation suitable for a large substrate without causing the large substrate to bend and transport and film formation processing become difficult as in the face-down method. . Further, even for a large substrate, the organic layer and the metal layer in FIG. 6 and a sealing layer (not shown) for sealing these layers can be continuously formed, and the configuration conforms to the mass production system. Become.

  Furthermore, in order to perform a series of processes under vacuum, the radiant heat when the material container 300, the vapor deposition source head 200a, the conveyance path 120a, etc. are heated at high temperature is blocked by vacuum insulation, It is possible to prevent heat from being transmitted to the outside. Thereby, the safety | security at the time of a film-forming process can be improved.

  Further, according to the six-layer continuous film forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, since the blowing position of the vapor deposition source head 200a is arranged downward, a more flexible design is possible, so that the material vaporization parts PA, PB, The length of the path from the PC to the outlet 200a1 of the vapor deposition source head 200a can be shortened. Thereby, the conductance of the organic molecule and carrier gas in conveyance can be improved.

<First Modification of First Embodiment>
Next, a first modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A shows a set of vapor deposition source heads 200a and an upper transport mechanism 500 according to the first modification. FIG. 9B shows a part of a cross section of the material supply apparatus 100 according to the first modification.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the flow rate adjustment valve 120d according to the first embodiment is vertically attached to each conveyance path 120a at a position facing the connection pipe 120b. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9A, the flow rate adjustment valve 120d according to the first modification is mounted on the connecting pipe 120b in parallel with the transport path 120a in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the transport path 120a. ing.

  In the material supply apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the conveyance path 120a, the connecting pipe 120b, and the flow rate adjustment valve 120d are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveyance path 120a. Had been placed. On the other hand, according to the material supply apparatus 100 according to the first modified example, as shown in FIG. 9B, the flow rate adjusting valve 120d is positioned in the space above the vapor deposition source head 200a.

  Thereby, in the 1st modification, the distance between the vapor deposition source heads 200a adjacent by the space which the flow volume adjustment valve 120d protruded in 1st Embodiment can be shortened. Thereby, the material supply apparatus 100 can be reduced in size. As a result, space saving can be achieved and exhaust efficiency can be increased. On the other hand, when there is room in the space, more deposition source heads 200a can be disposed in the material supply apparatus 100 having the same size as the material supply apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. Further, depending on the positions of the connecting pipe 120b and the flow rate adjusting valve 120d, the transport path from the material vaporization parts PA, PB, PC to the vapor deposition source head 200a can be changed from the material vaporization parts PA, PB, PC in the first embodiment. This can be shorter than the conveyance path to the vapor deposition source head 200a.

<Second Modification of First Embodiment>
Next, a second modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10A shows a set of vapor deposition source heads 200a and a transport mechanism 500 thereabove according to a second modification. FIG.10 (b) shows a part of cross section of the material supply apparatus 100 which concerns on a 2nd modification.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the flow rate adjustment valve 120d according to the first modification is mounted on the connecting pipe 120b in parallel with the transport path 120a in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the transport path 120a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10A, the flow rate adjusting valve 120d according to the second modification is also transported parallel to the longitudinal direction of the transport path 120a, similarly to the flow rate regulating valve 120d according to the first modification. Along with the path 120a, the connecting pipe 120b is mounted. In addition to this, in the second modification, the material vaporization portions PA, PB, PC are formed separately from the transport path 120a, and are at positions facing the flow rate adjusting valve 120d with respect to the connecting pipe 120b, The connecting pipe 120b is mounted in parallel with the conveying path 120a in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the conveying path 120a.

  According to this, as shown in FIG. 10B, the flow rate adjusting valve 120d and the material vaporization parts PA, PB, PC are positioned in the space above the vapor deposition source head 200a. Thereby, in the 2nd modification, the distance between the vapor deposition source heads 200a adjacent by the space which the flow volume adjustment valve | bulb 120d protruded can be shortened. Thereby, also in the 2nd modification, the material supply apparatus 100 can be reduced in size compared with 1st Embodiment similarly to the 1st modification.

  As a result, space saving can be achieved and exhaust efficiency can be increased. In the second modified example, since the material vaporization portions PA, PB, and PC are provided separately from the transport path 120a, it is easy to attach and maintain the heating member 300c such as a heater. On the other hand, when there is room in the space, also in the second modified example, the material supply device 100 having the same size as the material supply device 100 according to the first embodiment has more evaporation source heads 200a and upper portions thereof. The transport mechanism 500 can be provided.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a six-layer continuous film forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the six-layer continuous film forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment, the material input chamber 110 and the material take-out chamber 130 according to the first embodiment are combined into a single material replacement chamber 140. The film formation chamber 200 having the material vaporization part PA, the cooling chamber 150, and the arm Arm are placed in the processing chamber Ch and are exhausted by an exhaust device (not shown) and are in a vacuum state. The material replacement chamber 140 forms a space of a different system from the processing vessel Ch, and is evacuated and exhausted by an exhaust device (not shown). The internal configuration of the material replacement chamber 140 is the same as the internal configuration of the material input chamber 110 of the first embodiment. The material exchange chamber 140 has both functions of loading and unloading the material container 300.

  The material container 300 put into the material replacement chamber 140 is held by the arm Arm and transferred to the material vaporization section PA inside the film forming chamber 200. As a result of repeating a series of film forming processes, when almost all of the film forming material is consumed, the material container 300 is transported to the material cooling chamber 150 in a high temperature state and is naturally cooled or illustrated until it reaches a predetermined low temperature state. Forced cooling with a cooling mechanism that does not.

  In the meantime, a new material container 300 is put into the material vaporization part PA. After cooling, the material container 300 cooled in the cooling chamber 150 is again transported to the material replacement chamber 140 using the arm Arm, and the material replacement chamber 140 is opened to the atmosphere to take out the material container 300 to the outside. According to the six-layer continuous film forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to efficiently replenish and replace materials. Further, it is possible to construct a highly safe apparatus without leaking heat to the outside during the film forming process by vacuum insulation.

  As described above, according to the material supply device 100 according to each embodiment and the modified example thereof, the material input chamber 110 and the material take-out chamber 130 are separated from the material transport chamber 120, and each has a desired reduced pressure state. To function as a controlled load lock chamber. As a result, the material supply device can be kept in a vacuum state even when the material is replenished. As a result, stable temperature management becomes possible, and maintenance performance and material use efficiency can be improved. Further, when the material is replenished, the inside of the material supply device is not released to the atmosphere, so that the exhaust efficiency can be improved. As a result, significant cost reduction can be achieved during mass production.

  Further, by adopting the substrate face-up method, it is possible to obtain a configuration advantageous for transporting a large substrate and continuous film formation. In addition, by transporting the material container with the double structure and the material container at a high temperature, it is possible to prevent the material from leaking and to ensure the uniformity of the temperature, to prevent the material from sticking and to accurately control the vaporization rate of the organic material. It can be controlled well.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  For example, in the film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the number of vapor deposition source heads and the transport mechanisms above each vapor deposition source head is not limited to six sets. For example, the number of sets of the vapor deposition source and the transport mechanism may be one set or a plurality of sets of two or more.

  In addition, a powdery (solid) organic material can be used as a film forming material of the film forming apparatus according to the present invention. A liquid organic metal is mainly used as a film forming material, and the vaporized film forming material is decomposed on a heated object to be processed, so that a thin film is grown on the object to be processed. MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition): It can also be used for organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. The film forming material of the film forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to an organic material, and may be, for example, a film forming material for an electrode such as silver or a film forming material for a sealing film.

It is a schematic perspective view of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention and its modification. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (1-1 cross section of FIG. 1) of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the embodiment and its modification. It is a transverse cross section (2-2 section of Drawing 2) of the material supply device concerning the embodiment. It is sectional drawing (3-3 cross section of FIG. 1) of the material container which concerns on each embodiment and its modification. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the vapor deposition source head and its surroundings according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a longitudinal sectional view of the vapor deposition source head and its surroundings (FIG. 5A). 4-4 cross section). It is a schematic diagram of the film | membrane structure formed into a film by the film-forming apparatus which concerns on each embodiment and its modification. It is a figure for demonstrating carrying-in and carrying-out operation | movement of the material supply apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment and its modification. It is a figure for demonstrating carrying-in and carrying-out operation | movement of the material supply apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment and its modification. FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a vapor deposition source head and its periphery according to a first modification of the first embodiment, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of a material supply apparatus according to the modification. It is the figure which showed a part of. FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a vapor deposition source head and its periphery according to a second modification of the first embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the material supply apparatus according to the modification. It is the figure which showed a part of. It is a schematic block diagram of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 6 layer continuous film-forming apparatus 100 Material supply apparatus 110 Material input chamber 110b, 110c Gate valve 110a Stage 120 Material transport chamber 120a Transfer path 120b Connection pipe 120c Gas supply pipe 120d Flow control valve 130 Material extraction chamber 130a, 130c Gate valve 130b Stage 140 Material replacement chamber 150 Cooling chamber 200 Deposition chamber 200a Vapor source head 200a1 Blowout port 300 Material container 300b Pore 300c Heating member 300d Lid portion 305 Organic material 410, 420 Bar-shaped member 420a Adsorption member PA, PB, PC Material vaporization unit

Claims (15)

A material container containing a film forming material;
A material loading chamber for loading the material container;
It communicates with the internal passage of the connecting pipe connected to the vapor deposition source head, and has a transport path for transporting the charged material container to the material vaporization section with the communicated portion as the material vaporization section, to the material vaporization section. A material transport chamber that vaporizes the film-forming material in the transported material container in the material vaporization section and sends it out from the internal passage of the connecting pipe toward the vapor deposition source head;
A material removal chamber for removing a material container from the previous material transport chamber,
The material supply chamber, the material transport chamber, and the material take-out chamber are respectively controlled to a desired reduced pressure state.   The said conveyance path penetrates the said material conveyance chamber, and is connected with the said material input chamber and the said material extraction chamber through the 1st and 2nd opening / closing mechanism connected to both ends so that opening and closing is possible. The material supply device described. The material container is provided with a carrier gas supply port,
The said material transport chamber sends out the film-forming material vaporized in the said material container toward the said vapor deposition source head using the carrier gas supplied from the said carrier gas supply port. The material supply device described.   The material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vapor deposition source head is connected to the connection pipe so that a vaporized film formation material outlet faces an upper surface of an object to be processed. Feeding device.   The material transport chamber has a plurality of transport paths communicating with the internal passages of the connection pipe, and the film forming material of the material container respectively charged into the plurality of transport paths is mixed in the internal passage of the connection pipe. The material supply device according to claim 1, wherein the material supply device sends out toward the vapor deposition source head. The material transport chamber has a third opening / closing mechanism attached to the connecting pipe on a one-to-one basis with respect to the material vaporization section,
The material supply device according to claim 1, wherein the third opening / closing mechanism adjusts a flow rate of the film forming material that is vaporized in the material vaporization unit and passes through the internal passage of the connecting pipe. .   The material supply device according to claim 6, wherein the third opening / closing mechanism is mounted on the connection pipe so as to face the conveyance path with the connection pipe interposed therebetween.   The material supply device according to claim 6, wherein the third opening / closing mechanism is attached to the connection pipe alongside the transport path in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the transport path.   The material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the material container is transported in the transport path by being pushed by an extendable rod-like member.   The material supply device according to claim 1, wherein the material container is transported in the transport path by being pulled by an extendable rod-shaped member.   The said material vaporization part is a position facing the said 3rd opening-and-closing mechanism, Comprising: Any of Claims 8-10 attached to the said connection pipe along with the said conveyance path in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the said conveyance path. The material supply apparatus described in the above.   The material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the material take-out chamber has a double structure.   The material supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a heating member that heats the film forming material is attached to at least one of the material container and the material vaporization unit.   The material supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material container has a lid portion that presses a film forming material stored in the material container. Charging a material container in a material charging chamber controlled to a desired reduced pressure state into a material transporting chamber controlled to a desired reduced pressure state;
Communicating with the internal passage of the connecting pipe connected to the vapor deposition source head, and transporting the charged material container to the material vaporizing section using the conveying path in the material transport chamber, with the communicating portion as the material vaporizing section When,
Vaporizing a film forming material in a material container in the material vaporization unit, and sending the vaporized film forming material from the connection pipe toward the vapor deposition source head;
Taking out the material container into a material take-out chamber controlled to a desired reduced pressure state.

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