JP2013095929A - Organic el film deposition apparatus and metal mask cooling mechanism used therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a metal mask cooling mechanism which can directly cool a metal mask and to provide an organic EL film deposition apparatus provided with the mechanism.SOLUTION: The metal mask cooling mechanism is used in the organic EL film deposition apparatus, in which, after performing the alignment of a substrate and a metal mask 83, a deposition material is deposited on the substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber. The metal mask cooling mechanism is provided with a plurality of fixation plates 84 which sandwiches the metal mask therebetween, is formed in a square-shape in outline, and is arranged along the outer frame of a fixation frame 82 on one of the surfaces of which the mask is secured, wherein each fixation plate is an oblong plate made from a member of excellent thermal conductivity and has a fluid passage for passing a cooling medium in its inside, and further each fixation plate is provided with a pipe for feeding the cooling medium into its flow passage and a pipe for discharging the cooling medium therefrom.

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL film forming apparatus used for manufacturing an organic EL device, and more particularly to a metal mask cooling mechanism in the organic EL film forming apparatus.

  As an effective method for manufacturing an organic EL device, there is a vacuum deposition method. In such vacuum deposition, alignment between the substrate and the mask is necessary. By the way, with respect to organic EL devices, the wave of enlargement of the processing substrate is rushing year by year. For example, the substrate size of the G6 generation is 1500 mm × 1800 mm, and accordingly, the substrate size is increased. In addition, naturally, the mask is also enlarged, and its size reaches about 2000 mm × 2000 mm. In particular, when a steel mask is used, the weight of an organic EL device reaches 300 kg. Conventionally, alignment is performed with the substrate and the mask horizontal. Such prior art is already disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 below.

JP 2006-302896 A

  By the way, in an organic EL film forming apparatus, a light emitting material is vapor-deposited on a substrate using a metal mask. At that time, the elongation of the metal mask due to heat during vaporization affects the yield. Such elongation of the metal mask is a very big problem with respect to the increase in substrate size and higher definition described above.

  In order to cool the metal mask during vapor deposition, since the mask is in a vacuum environment, for example, the coolant can be circulated through the mask itself, or the cooling member can be in direct contact with the mask. And so on. However, the metal mask needs to be replaced every time the deposition process is performed on a predetermined number of substrates. Therefore, when the coolant is to be circulated through the mask itself, in a vacuum environment, it is necessary to connect or separate the cooling pipe that supplies the coolant to the mask by, for example, a joint. Furthermore, when the mask is transported, it is necessary to consider the treatment of the cooling liquid remaining in the mask, which causes a problem that the mechanism becomes complicated.

  In addition, even when the cooling member is brought into direct contact with the mask, there is a problem that the cooling member needs to be retracted, particularly when the mask is replaced, and the mechanism for that is complicated. .

  Therefore, the present invention has been achieved in view of the above-described problems in the prior art. More specifically, the present invention has a simpler structure and can directly cool the metal mask. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling mechanism and an organic EL film forming apparatus including the mechanism.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, first, in a vacuum deposition chamber, an alignment of a substrate and a metal mask made of a metal thin film is performed, and an organic EL component for depositing a deposition material in an evaporation source on the substrate. An alignment unit for aligning the metal mask with respect to the substrate, wherein the alignment unit is formed in an outer shape “B” shape, and a fixing frame for mounting the mask on one surface thereof; An organic EL film forming apparatus having a plurality of fixing plates provided along the entire outer frame of the one surface of the fixing frame, each of the fixing plates having a cooling function. The

  In addition, according to the present invention, there is provided a cooling mechanism for a metal mask in an organic EL film forming apparatus that performs alignment between a substrate and a metal mask in a vacuum deposition chamber to deposit a deposition material on the substrate. A metal mask having a plurality of fixing plates, which is formed in the shape of a letter "B" with a metal mask sandwiched between them, and is provided on one surface along the entire outer periphery of a fixed frame to which the mask is attached. In the cooling mechanism, each of the fixing plates is formed in an elongated plate shape by a member having excellent heat conductivity, and a flow path for flowing a refrigerant is formed inside the fixing plate. Each is provided with a metal mask cooling mechanism provided with a pipe for supplying the refrigerant to the flow path of the fixed plate and a pipe for discharging.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the metal mask cooling mechanism described above, it is preferable that the fixed plate has an elongated plate-like outer shape.

  According to the above-described present invention, a metal mask cooling mechanism having a simpler structure and capable of directly cooling a metal mask, and further an organic EL film forming apparatus provided with the cooling mechanism are provided. It has an excellent effect that it is possible.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of an internal structure of the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus provided with the organic EL film-forming apparatus which becomes one Embodiment of this invention. It is an expansion | deployment perspective view which shows the structure of the mask fixing mechanism which comprises the organic EL film-forming apparatus of the said invention. It is a partial expanded sectional view for showing the detailed structure of the mask fixing mechanism which comprises the organic EL film-forming apparatus of the said invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus not only simply forms a light emitting material layer (EL layer) on a substrate and sandwiches it between electrodes, but also forms a hole injection layer and a transport layer on the anode, An electron injection layer, a transport layer, and the like are formed as a thin film with various materials as a thin film or a substrate is washed. Generally, a load cluster for carrying a substrate 6 to be processed is roughly divided. It is composed of a plurality of clusters for processing a substrate, between each cluster or between a cluster and a load cluster, or a plurality of delivery chambers installed between the next process (sealing process). In this embodiment, the substrate is transported with its vapor deposition surface as an upper surface, and on the other hand, when vapor deposition is performed, the substrate is vapor deposited in a standing state.

  The organic EL film forming apparatus according to the present invention functions as a vacuum evaporation chamber in which vapor deposition is performed in a vacuum atmosphere to form a film on a substrate in the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus described above. The chamber is shown in the accompanying FIG. 1 along with the transfer chamber. In the figure, the transfer robot 5 in the transfer chamber is movable up and down as a whole (see the arrow 59 in FIG. 1), and has an arm 57 that can be swung left and right. A shaped hand 58 is provided.

  On the other hand, the vacuum deposition chamber 1 is roughly divided into vapor deposition units 71 and 76 that vaporize the material and deposit it on the substrate 6, and an alignment unit that aligns the metal mask and deposits the material on a necessary part on the substrate 6. 81 and the transfer robot 5, and transfer units 91 and 93 that transfer the substrate 6 to the vapor deposition units 71 and 76. The alignment unit 81 and the delivery units 91 and 93 are divided into two systems, a right R line and a left L line.

  Next, FIG. 2 shows a detailed structure of the metal mask fixing mechanism constituting the alignment unit 81 described above. As shown in the drawing, the alignment unit 81 includes, for example, a fixed frame 82 whose outer shape is formed in a “B” shape by a metal material, and a metal thin film disposed on one surface of the fixed frame 82. The metal mask 83 formed between the fixed frame 82 and the fixed frame 82 provided along each side so as to surround the entire circumference of the fixed frame 82 (that is, the entire outer frame). An elongate plate-like fixing plate 84 for sandwiching and fixing the metal mask 83 is provided. Each of the fixing plates 84 is a metal having excellent heat conductivity, for example, a metal member such as aluminum or copper, and a flow path 85 for fluid (for example, a through hole: see FIG. 3). Thus, the metal mask cooling function described below is also exhibited. As is clear from the figure, the external dimensions of the fixed frame 82 are set slightly larger than those of the metal mask 83.

  FIG. 3 attached herewith shows a cross-sectional structure in which a metal mask 83 is disposed on the fixed frame 82 and the fixed plate 84 is pressed and fixed along each side of the fixed frame 82. When the metal mask 83 is pressed onto the fixed frame 82, the fixing plate 84 having a cooling function fixes the mask and cools it efficiently. For example, when the metal mask is replaced, the fixing plate 84 having a cooling function moves in a direction away from the metal mask 83 to release the mask.

  That is, according to the present invention, for example, a coolant (coolant) W such as water is caused to flow through the pipe 86 through the fluid passage 85 formed in the fixing plate 84 described above (see FIG. 2), heat during vapor deposition is transferred from the metal mask 83 to the refrigerant (coolant) W flowing through the flow path 85 formed inside the fixed plate 84 pressed against the metal mask. Thus, it is discharged outside the apparatus. According to this, the entire circumference of the metal mask 83 can be directly and efficiently cooled. In other words, a simple structure enables efficient cooling of the metal mask in the organic EL film forming apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vacuum deposition chamber, 81 ... Alignment part, 82 ... Fixed frame, 83 ... Metal mask, 84 ... Fixed plate, 85 ... Fluid flow path, 86 ... Pipe, W ... Refrigerant (coolant).

Claims (4)

An organic EL film forming apparatus that performs alignment between a substrate and a metal mask made of a metal thin film in a vacuum deposition chamber, and deposits a deposition material in an evaporation source on the substrate,
An alignment unit for aligning the metal mask with the substrate is:
A fixed frame that is formed in the shape of an outer shape “B” and on which one of the masks is attached; and
In what comprises a plurality of fixing plates provided along the entire outer frame of the one surface of the fixing frame,
The organic EL film forming apparatus, wherein each of the fixing plates has a cooling function. A cooling mechanism for a metal mask in an organic EL film forming apparatus that performs alignment between a substrate and a metal mask in a vacuum deposition chamber to deposit a deposition material on the substrate,
In a metal mask cooling mechanism provided with a plurality of fixing plates, which is formed in the shape of an outer shape `` B '' and is provided along the entire outer periphery of a fixing frame for attaching the mask on one surface.
Each of the fixing plates is formed into an elongated plate shape by a member having excellent thermal conductivity, and a flow path for flowing a coolant is formed therein, and further,
Each of the fixing plates is provided with a pipe for supplying a refrigerant to the flow path of the fixing plate and a pipe for discharging the metal mask.   3. The metal mask cooling mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the fixing plate has an elongated plate shape.   4. The metal mask cooling mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the fixed plate moves in a direction away from the metal mask when the metal mask is replaced.

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