JP2013129868A - Film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stabilize film quality by improving the thickness uniformity of a film formed on a substrate, and preventing generation of particles.SOLUTION: A film forming apparatus includes: an inlet port 132a and an outlet port 132b; a rectifying member 132 facing spray nozzles 130 across a gap 133; and a plurality of first fan mechanisms, each of which has a jet port positioned adjacent to a spray port 130a of the spray nozzle 130 disposed at both ends among the plurality of spray nozzles 130.

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, and more specifically to a film forming apparatus that deposits a fine film forming material to form a film.

  Transparent conductive films are widely used in fields such as semiconductors, displays, and solar cells. As the transparent conductive film, those made of metal oxides such as STO (strontium titanate) and ITO (Sn-doped indium oxide) are mainly used. The transparent conductive film is generally formed using a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, a metal organic chemical vapor deposition method using an organic metal compound, or the like.

  In the sputtering method and the vapor deposition method, since a film is formed by a vacuum process, an equipment for forming and maintaining a vacuum atmosphere such as a vacuum vessel is required. In the organometallic chemical vapor deposition method, since the organometallic compound used as a raw material has explosiveness and toxicity, a highly airtight facility is required. For this reason, in order to perform the film forming method described above, an expensive film forming apparatus is required.

  Therefore, a mist method has been proposed as a film forming method different from the conventional one. The mist method is a method of forming a film by atomizing a solvent containing a raw material metal as a solute and spraying it on a substrate.

  In the mist method, a film can be formed at atmospheric pressure, so that no manufacturing equipment such as a vacuum vessel and pumps is required. In addition, since a dangerous substance such as an organometallic compound is not used in the mist method, an inexpensive film forming apparatus with a simple configuration can be used.

  For example, Patent Document 1 is cited as a prior document disclosing a vaporizer capable of reducing unvaporized residues. In the vaporizer described in Patent Document 1, an orifice member is provided at the tip of a double pipe constituted by an inner pipe through which liquid material flows and an outer pipe through which atomizing gas flows. The atomizing gas is ejected from the gap between the orifice member and the inner pipe.

  Patent Document 2 is an example of a prior art document that discloses a film forming apparatus having a plurality of nozzles. The film forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 includes a plurality of nozzles each having one injection port for injecting aerosol. The nozzles are arranged with a predetermined gap therebetween.

JP 2002-105646 A (released on April 10, 2002) JP 2006-249490 A (published September 21, 2006)

  However, in the method of forming a film using the mist method, there is a problem that the amount of mist adhering at the center and the end of the substrate is likely to be non-uniform and it is difficult to form a film uniformly on the substrate. is there. Further, when the mist sprayed from the nozzle containing the vaporized liquid material adheres to the tip of the nozzle, the liquid material is solidified to generate particles. When the particles adhere to the substrate, the quality of the film to be formed is degraded.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a film formed by improving the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the substrate and suppressing the generation of particles. An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of stabilizing the quality of the film.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a film forming apparatus of the present invention is a film forming apparatus that forms a film by depositing a film forming material on a substrate, and has a plurality of spray ports that spray the film forming material. It has a spray mechanism, an inflow port through which the film-forming material sprayed from the plurality of spray mechanisms flows, and an outflow port formed on the side opposite to the inflow port, and is opposed to the spray mechanism through a gap. The plurality of spray mechanisms are arranged so that each spray port is spaced apart from each other in a direction intersecting the substrate transport direction in a plan view, and each jet port has a plurality of spray ports. It is characterized by comprising a plurality of first air blowing mechanisms located in the vicinity of the spray ports of the spray mechanisms arranged at both ends of the mechanism.

  In the conventional film forming apparatus in which the flow straightening member is in contact with the spray mechanism without a gap, when a mist of the solution of the film forming material is sprayed from the spray port, a negative pressure is generated in the vicinity of the inlet in the flow straightening member. . Specifically, by the flow of mist sprayed from the spray port so as to pass through the central portion inside the rectifying member, the gas existing on the inlet side inside the rectifying member is drawn by the flow, and the outlet side Move to. As a result, a negative pressure portion is generated in the vicinity of the inlet in the rectifying member. Therefore, a part of the mist sprayed from the spray port is attracted to the negative pressure portion and adheres to the inside of the rectifying member. A part of the attached mist is solidified into particles. When these particles fall and adhere to the substrate, the quality of the film formed on the substrate is degraded.

  According to said structure, it has the inflow port which flows in into the film-forming material sprayed from said several spray mechanism, and the outflow port formed in the opposite side to an inflow port, and opposes the said spray mechanism through a clearance gap. When the mist is sprayed from the spray port, the gas is drawn toward the inflow port from the periphery of the gap. The gas flows into the inlet. As a result of the gas flowing in this manner, according to the above-described configuration, the negative pressure portion as in the conventional film forming apparatus is not generated, so that the mist sprayed from the spray port flows in the central portion inside the rectifying member. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles due to the mist adhering to the inside of the rectifying member.

  Further, in the configuration in which the plurality of spray mechanisms are arranged so that each spray port is spaced from each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the substrate in plan view, the spray mechanisms are arranged at both ends of the plurality of spray mechanisms. The spraying strength of the film-forming material sprayed from the spray port of the spray mechanism becomes relatively weak. For this reason, there exists a problem that it is difficult to form into a film uniformly on a board | substrate.

  According to said structure, since each jet nozzle is equipped with the some 1st ventilation mechanism located in the spray outlet vicinity of the spray mechanism arrange | positioned at both ends among the some spray mechanisms, The film forming material sprayed from the spray ports of the spray mechanism arranged at both ends is accelerated by the air blow by the first blower mechanism and reaches the substrate. That is, the first air blowing mechanism has a role of correcting the distribution of the film forming material sprayed from the spraying port of the spraying mechanism to reach the substrate. As a result, according to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a film forming apparatus that increases the amount of mist that reaches the end of the substrate and can improve the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the substrate. it can.

  As described above, according to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the substrate and stabilize the quality of the film formed by suppressing the generation of particles. It is possible to provide a film forming apparatus capable of

  Moreover, in the film-forming apparatus of this invention, it is preferable that the said some 1st ventilation mechanism is provided around the spraying opening of the said spraying mechanism.

  According to said structure, since the said several 1st ventilation mechanism is provided around the spraying opening of the said spraying mechanism, it further improves the uniformity of the film thickness of the film | membrane formed on a board | substrate. Can do.

  Moreover, in the film-forming apparatus of this invention, it is preferable that the surface in which the said spraying port in the said spray mechanism is arrange | positioned, and the said surface in the said inflow side in the said baffle member are mutually parallel.

  According to the above configuration, the surface of the spray mechanism on which the spray port is disposed and the surface on the inlet side of the rectifying member are parallel to each other, and therefore face the inlet of the rectifying member. Thus, the flow area of the gas flowing through the gap becomes constant, and the flow velocity of the gas flowing through the gap can be made substantially constant. As a result, according to said structure, it can suppress that the flow of the gas which flows in into the rectification | straightening member from an inflow port is disturb | confused.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the film forming apparatus of the present invention includes a second air blowing mechanism that blows air from the periphery of the gap toward the inlet.

  Thereby, the flow volume of the gas which flows into the inside of a rectification member from the inflow port of a rectification member can be increased, and the directivity of the mist sprayed from the spray outlet can be improved.

  In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the first air blowing mechanism may include an air nozzle.

  The air nozzle may eject compressed air.

  Moreover, in the film-forming apparatus of this invention, the said spray mechanism may be equipped with the spray nozzle.

  The spray nozzle may atomize the film forming material with compressed air and spray it.

  As described above, the film forming apparatus of the present invention includes a plurality of spray mechanisms each having a spray port for spraying the film forming material, an inlet for flowing the film forming material sprayed from the plurality of spray mechanisms, and A plurality of spray mechanisms, each having a spray port in the plan view, having a flow regulating member that has an outlet formed on the side opposite to the inlet and opposed to the spray mechanism with a gap. A plurality of first blower mechanisms which are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other in a direction intersecting with the conveying direction, and each jet port is located in the vicinity of the spray port of the spray mechanism disposed at both ends of the plurality of spray mechanisms. It is the structure provided with.

  Therefore, to realize a film forming apparatus capable of improving the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the substrate and stabilizing the quality of the film formed by suppressing the generation of particles. Can do.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the film-forming chamber contained in the film-forming apparatus shown in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the film-forming chamber shown in FIG. 2 from the arrow III direction. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the spraying mechanism and ventilation mechanism of the film-forming apparatus shown in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the spray mechanism of FIG. 4, and the ventilation mechanism from the arrow V direction, (a) shows one structural example of a ventilation mechanism, (b) shows the other structural example of a ventilation mechanism. It is a schematic diagram which shows the external shape of the spray area | region of the spray nozzle used for the film-forming apparatus shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the relative spraying intensity in the longitudinal direction of the spray area | region of the spray nozzle used for the film-forming apparatus shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the relative spraying intensity in the transversal direction of the spray area | region of the spray nozzle used for the film-forming apparatus shown in FIG. As a first comparative example, the comparative spraying strength in the longitudinal direction of the spray region when 11 spray nozzles are arranged with the pitch (L _p ) being 100 mm and the longitudinal direction of each spray region is aligned is shown. It is a graph. As a second comparative example, a graph showing comparative spraying strength in the longitudinal direction of the spray region when nine spray nozzles are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of each spray region is in a line with a pitch (L _p ) of 120 mm It is. As a third comparative example, a graph showing comparative spraying strength in the longitudinal direction of the spray region when the pitch (L _p ) is 150 mm and eight spray nozzles are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of each spray region is in a line. It is. It is a schematic diagram which shows the spraying state of the mist in the rectification | straightening member in the film-forming apparatus used in the 4th comparative example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the spraying state of the mist in the rectification | straightening member in the film-forming apparatus used in 1st Example. It is a graph which shows distribution of the arrival amount of mist in the longitudinal direction of the spray field arranged in a line. It is a graph which shows distribution of the sheet resistance value of the board | substrate 200 in the direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction. It is a graph which shows distribution of the film thickness on a board | substrate in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of a board | substrate. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a film forming chamber as a first modification. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a film thickness and a sheet resistance value. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a film thickness and the transmittance | permeability. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a film thickness and a haze rate.

  First, regarding the film formation of a transparent conductive film used for a thin film solar cell or the like, the influence of the film thickness on various performances will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a graph showing the relationship between the film thickness and the sheet resistance value. FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between film thickness and transmittance. FIG. 20 is a graph showing the relationship between film thickness and haze ratio.

  In FIG. 18, the vertical axis indicates the sheet resistance value (Ω / □), and the horizontal axis indicates the film thickness (nm). In FIG. 19, the vertical axis indicates the light transmittance (%), and the horizontal axis indicates the film thickness (nm). In FIG. 20, the vertical axis represents the haze ratio (%), and the horizontal axis represents the film thickness (nm).

  In FIGS. 18 to 20, the experiment data when the alkali barrier layer is provided between the substrate and the transparent conductive film is “◯”, the approximate line thereof is a solid line, and the experiment when no alkali barrier layer is provided. Data is indicated by “x”, and its approximate line is indicated by a dotted line. Moreover, the approximate line in FIG. 20 has shown the approximate line of the upper limit of each data, and a lower limit.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the sheet resistance value decreases as the film thickness of the transparent conductive film increases. Moreover, as FIG. 19 shows, the light transmittance is small as the film thickness of a transparent conductive film becomes large. In addition, as shown in FIG. 20, the haze ratio increases as the film thickness of the transparent conductive film increases. About sheet resistance value, even if the film thickness of the transparent conductive film was the same, the difference was recognized by the presence or absence of the alkali barrier layer.

  As described above, the film thickness of the transparent conductive film is an important factor affecting the performance of the thin film solar cell. Therefore, it is desirable that the film thickness of the transparent conductive film formed on the substrate is uniform.

  Hereinafter, a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description of the embodiments, the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated. In the present embodiment, film formation of a transparent conductive film used for a thin film solar cell will be described as an example, but the present invention can be applied to film formation of various films.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a film forming chamber included in the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view of the film forming chamber of FIG. 2 as viewed from the direction of arrow III. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the spray mechanism and the air blowing mechanism of the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a view of the spray mechanism and the air blowing mechanism of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a loading unit 11 into which a substrate 200 is loaded, a preheating unit 12 in which the substrate 200 is preheated, and a substrate 200 in which a film is formed. It has the film | membrane part 13, the slow cooling part 14 in which the board | substrate 200 is cooled, and the taking-out part 15 from which the board | substrate 200 is taken out.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the film forming apparatus 10 includes a transfer conveyor 110 as a transfer unit that transfers the substrate 200 along the transfer path. The conveyor 110 is provided across the input unit 11, the preheating unit 12, the film forming unit 13, the slow cooling unit 14, and the takeout unit 15.

  The conveyor 110 includes a conveyor belt 111 on which the substrate 200 is placed, a pulley 112 around which the conveyor belt 111 is wound, a drive shaft 113 that drives the pulley 112, and a motor (not shown) that applies power to the drive shaft 113. It consists of and. The conveyor belt 111 is made of heat-resistant metal or resin.

  The substrate 200 is transported in the direction indicated by the arrow 114 by the transport conveyor 110. That is, in the film forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the transport path of the substrate 200 is linear in plan view. However, the conveyance path is not limited to a linear shape, and may be a bent shape or a curved shape in plan view.

  The film forming apparatus 10 includes a plurality of film forming chambers 100a to 100d. The film forming chambers 100a to 100d are positioned so as to be aligned in the transfer path. Specifically, a film formation chamber 100a, a film formation chamber 100b, a film formation chamber 100c, and a film formation chamber 100d are provided in this order from the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate 200 (the direction indicated by the arrow 114). In the present embodiment, four film formation chambers 100a to 100d are provided, but it is sufficient that one or more film formation chambers are provided.

  Further, the film forming apparatus 10 includes a heating furnace 120. The heating furnace 120 is positioned in a tunnel shape along the transfer path so as to connect adjacent film forming chambers among the plurality of film forming chambers 100a to 100d. Then, the substrate 200 that sequentially passes through the plurality of film formation chambers 100a to 100d is surrounded and heated. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the casing 150 is covered with the heating furnace 120.

  An opening is provided in the upper part of the tunnel-shaped heating furnace 120, and the casing 150 is incorporated in the opening. The heating furnace 120 is provided over the four film formation chambers 100a to 100d. In order to preheat the substrate 200, the heating furnace 120 is provided from the upstream side of the film forming chamber 100a located on the upstream side in the transport direction of the substrate 200. That is, the heating furnace 120 is provided across the preheating unit 12 and the film forming unit 13.

  The substrate 200 is heated while being transported through the heating furnace 120 by the transport conveyor 110. When the film is formed on the substrate 200, the inside of the heating furnace 120 is maintained at substantially the same temperature, for example, 550 ° C.

  The film forming chambers 100a to 100d according to the present embodiment are apparatuses that deposit a fine film forming material 160 on the substrate 200 to form a film. As shown in FIG. 2, the film formation chamber 100 (the film formation chambers 100a to 100d are simply referred to as the film formation chamber 100 unless otherwise specified) includes a housing 150 and a plurality of spray mechanisms. Yes. The spray mechanism sprays mist obtained by forming the film forming material 160 into fine particles on the substrate 200 in the housing 150.

  The casing 150 has an exhaust port 152 for exhausting mist on one of the side walls. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of a connection pipe 310 is connected to the exhaust port 152. The other end of the connection pipe 310 is connected to an abatement apparatus 300 as a gas processing means for detoxifying the exhausted mist.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 150 has an inlet 151 into which the carrier gas 170 is introduced. The housing 150 also has a partition wall 154 that divides the interior of the housing 150 into three spaces. Among the three spaces, the first space is a spray mechanism arrangement space 158 in which the spray mechanism is arranged. The second space is a mist spray space 159 in which mist is sprayed from the spray mechanism. The third space is an exhaust space 153 connected to the exhaust port 152.

  The casing 150 has an open portion that faces the substrate 200 and allows the mist to flow from the mist spray space 159 onto the substrate 200. The opening part is formed in the lower part of the housing 150. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the opening is located in the heating furnace 120. A predetermined gap is provided between the substrate 200 being transported by the transport conveyor 110 and the open portion of the housing 150.

  The plurality of spray mechanisms each have a spray port for atomizing the film forming material 160 into fine particles. In the present embodiment, the spray mechanism is composed of a plurality of spray nozzles 130 that atomize the film forming material with compressed air.

  Specifically, the spray mechanism pressurizes the solution of the film forming material 160 stored in the tank 140 with compressed air from a compressor (not shown) and passes it through the passage 141. Then, the atomized mist is sprayed from the spraying port 130 a of the spray nozzle 130. An opening 155 is formed in the housing 150 corresponding to the position of the spray nozzle 130.

  A cooling jacket 131 for cooling the spray nozzle 130 is attached to the end of the spray nozzle 130 on the spray port 130a side. The cooling jacket 131 is connected to a cooling water supply pipe (not shown). The cooling water circulates inside the cooling jacket 131.

  Further, the film forming chamber 100 is provided with a cylindrical rectifying member 132 having an inlet 132a, an outlet 132b, and a rectifier 134 formed between the inlet 132a and the outlet 132b. The surface of the rectifying member 132 on which the inflow port 132a is formed is opposed to the surface of the spray nozzle 130 on the spray port 130a side with a gap 133 (predetermined interval) therebetween. An outlet 132b is provided on the surface of the rectifying member 132 opposite to the inlet 132a. The rectifying unit 134 is a hollow portion extending from the inflow port 132a toward the outflow port 132b, and rectifies the mist sprayed from the spray port 130a. The rectifying unit 134 has a tapered shape that widens from the inlet 132a toward the outlet 132b (the interval between the inner walls facing each other is increased). However, the shape of the rectifying unit 134 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a trumpet shape extending from the inlet 132a side to the outlet 132b side.

  Further, in the rectifying member 132, one inflow port 132 a, outflow port 132 b, and rectifying unit 134 are formed for a plurality of spray ports 130 a in the spray nozzle 130. However, the inflow port 132a, the outflow port 132b, and the rectifying unit 134 may be provided so as to correspond to the spray ports 130a in the spray nozzle 130.

  The rectifying member 132 is attached to the cooling jacket 131 by connecting a connecting member (not shown) connected to a part of the outer surface of the rectifying member 132 to a part of the outer surface of the cooling jacket 131. The connection member maintains a gap 133 between the surface of the spray nozzle 130 on the spray port 130a side and the end surface of the rectifying member 132 on the inlet 132a side.

  A hollow portion (inside the rectifying member 132) surrounded by the side wall constituting the rectifying unit 134 and the space inside the casing 150 communicate with each other through a gap 133. That is, the space between the inflow port 132 a and the outflow port 132 b of the rectifying member 132 and the inside of the housing 150 communicate with each other through the gap 133. Therefore, the gas inside the casing 150 can pass through the gap 133 and flow into the inside of the rectifying member 132 (rectifying portion 134) from the inflow port 132a.

  The surface of the spray nozzle 130 on which the spray port 130a is disposed and the end surface on the inflow port 132a side of the rectifying member 132 are disposed substantially parallel to each other. Further, the end surface of the cooling jacket 131 on the spray port 130a side and the end surface of the rectifying member 132 on the inflow port 132a side face each other so as to be substantially parallel to each other. However, the end surface on the spray port 130a side of the cooling jacket 131 and the end surface on the inflow port 132a side of the flow regulating member 132 may face each other so that the distance between them increases as the distance from the spray port 130a increases.

  The spray nozzle 130 is a two-fluid spray nozzle that sprays a mist obtained by mixing two fluids of a film forming material 160 and compressed air. Here, the mist means a state in which droplets having an average particle size of 0.1 μm or more and 100 μm or less are dispersed in a gas. In addition, let the average particle diameter of mist be the value computed by the immersion method.

  However, the spray mechanism is not limited to the spray nozzle 130, and may generate mist using ultrasonic waves. When the mist is generated by the ultrasonic vibrator, the average particle diameter of the mist can be made uniform as compared with the case where the mist is generated by the spray nozzle 130. For this reason, it can suppress that generated mists aggregate before reaching the board | substrate 200. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the plurality of spray nozzles 130 are arranged such that each spray port 130 a faces the substrate 200. Further, in the plan view, the spray ports 130 a are arranged in the casing 150 so as to be spaced from each other in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate 200.

In Figure 3, three spray nozzles 130 are arranged at a pitch L _p. However, the number of spray nozzles 130 is not limited to three and may be plural. Further, the direction in which the plurality of spray nozzles 130 are arranged is not limited to the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate 200, and may be a direction that intersects the transport direction of the substrate 200.

  Note that the number of spray nozzles 130 is the amount of mist sprayed per unit time necessary to satisfy the desired tact time of the film forming process of the substrate 200, or the film forming speed necessary for performing the film forming process. It is changed appropriately according to.

The distance between the upper end of the heating furnace 120 and the substrate 200 is set to L _h / 4 with respect to the distance L _h between the spray port 130a of the spray nozzle 130 and the upper surface of the substrate 200.

  A part of the carrier gas 170 introduced from the inlet 151 described later is sent to the spray nozzle 130 in order to cool the spray nozzle 130. In order to send the carrier gas 170 to the spray nozzle 130, a cooling fan (not shown) is disposed in the vicinity of the spray nozzle 130.

  The spray nozzle 130 is air-cooled by a cooling fan. Furthermore, a cooling pipe for water cooling (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of the spray nozzle 130. As the cooling water circulates in the cooling pipe, the spray nozzle 130 is water-cooled.

  Thus, by cooling the vicinity of the spray nozzle 130, the solution of the film forming material 160 before being sprayed from the spray nozzle 130 is cooled to a temperature equal to or lower than the boiling point. More preferably, the solution of the film forming material 160 is cooled to about room temperature.

  By this cooling, it is possible to suppress the solvent in the film forming material 160 from volatilizing in the spray nozzle 130. For this reason, the solution concentration of the sprayed film forming material 160 can be kept constant. Further, solidification of the film forming material 160 due to volatilization of the solvent in the solution of the film forming material 160 in the spray nozzle 130 can be suppressed.

  As a result, the film forming apparatus 10 can form a film using the film forming material 160 having a constant concentration. For this reason, the quality of the film formed on the substrate 200 can be stabilized. Further, the clogging of the spray nozzle 130 due to the solidified film forming material 160 can be suppressed.

  As a solution of the film forming material 160, a solution in which a chloride of an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of zinc, tin, indium, cadmium, and strontium is dissolved in a solvent can be used. As the solvent, water, methanol, ethanol, butanol and the like can be used. As the solution of the film forming material 160, for example, an aqueous solution containing zinc acetate, an aqueous solution containing indium tin oxide, an aqueous solution containing tin oxide, or the like can be used.

  However, the solution of the film forming material 160 is not limited to this, and various solutions can be used. The concentration of the solution of the film forming material 160 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a concentration of 0.1 mol / L or more and 3 mol / L or less.

  In the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the film forming chamber 100 has first air blowing mechanisms at both ends of a plurality of spray mechanisms. The first blower mechanism is a mechanism for causing the film forming material sprayed from the plurality of spray mechanisms to reach the substrate 200 with the distribution corrected. The spray mechanism and the first air blowing mechanism in the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the film forming apparatus 10, the first blower mechanism has a plurality of air nozzles 190 that eject compressed air as a complementary gas. Each of the plurality of air nozzles 190 has a jet nozzle 191. Each ejection port 191 is disposed in the vicinity of the spray port 130 a of the spray nozzle 130 installed at both ends of the plurality of spray nozzles 130. In addition, the jet nozzle 191 may be formed so as to surround the periphery of the spray port 130a. Further, the ejection port 191 is for correcting the mist distribution of the film forming material sprayed on the substrate 200, and the number of nozzles is not limited, and the number of installations can be changed as appropriate. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), it may be configured to have a jet port 191 or may be configured to have one or more jet ports 191 as shown in FIG. 5 (b).

  In the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the plurality of spray nozzles 130 are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of each spray region. The spray nozzles 130 in which the air nozzles 190 are arranged in the vicinity thereof are positioned at both ends of the plurality of spray nozzles 130.

  Therefore, when the mist ejected from the spray ports 130a of the spray nozzles 130 located at both ends is sprayed onto the substrate 200, the mist is ejected from the spray ports 191 of the plurality of air nozzles 190 toward the end of the substrate 200. Accelerated by air. That is, the plurality of air nozzles 190 causes the film forming material 160 sprayed from the plurality of spray nozzles 130 to reach the substrate 200 with the distribution corrected. In the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, an air nozzle 190 is used as a blower mechanism. However, the blower mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it accelerates the sprayed mist toward the substrate 200, and may be a nozzle that ejects a carrier gas, for example.

  Here, the flow path of the gas in the housing 150 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, first, a carrier gas 170 made of compressed air, for example, is introduced into the mist spray space 159 of the housing 150 from the inlet 151. The carrier gas 170 introduced into the mist spray space 159 flows in the direction indicated by the arrow 171. Examples of the carrier gas 170 include nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and a mixed gas thereof.

  In addition, mist is sprayed from the spray port 130 a of the spray nozzle 130 into the spray region 162 in the direction indicated by the arrow 161. Mist and carrier gas 170 are mixed with each other in mixing region 181. Thereafter, the mist flows in the direction indicated by the arrow 182 and reaches the open portion. Mist is sprayed onto the main surface of the substrate 200 from the open portion. Here, a region where the mist is sprayed onto the substrate 200 is referred to as a spray region X.

  The mist that has reached the spray region X flows along the main surface of the substrate 200. Specifically, mist flows in a direction indicated by an arrow 183 between a facing surface that is a part of the partition wall 154 and that faces the main surface of the substrate 200 and the main surface of the substrate 200. Here, a region where the mist flows in the direction indicated by the arrow 183 is referred to as a flow channel region Y.

  The mist that has passed through the flow path region Y flows in the direction indicated by the arrow 184 in the exhaust space 153. A region where the mist is directed from the main surface of the substrate to the exhaust port 152 in this way is referred to as an exhaust region Z. The mist that has passed through the exhaust space 153 and has reached the exhaust port 152 is rendered harmless by the detoxifying device 300 and discharged to the outside as the exhaust gas 180. In FIG. 2, the abatement apparatus 300 is omitted.

  As described above, in the film forming apparatus 10, the open portion facing the substrate 200 is composed of the spray region X, the flow channel region Y, and the exhaust region Z. In each of the plurality of film forming chambers 100a to 100d, the mist flows from the spray mechanism through the opening to the exhaust port 152.

  In the exhaust port 152, the mist is exhausted at a flow rate about 3 to 10 times larger than that of the carrier gas 170 introduced from the introduction port 151. However, the flow rate of the introduced carrier gas 170 and the exhaust flow rate of the mist are appropriately set.

  The mist flow in each of the film forming chambers 100a to 100d provided in the film forming apparatus 10 is shown in FIG. That is, in the film forming chamber 100a, mist flows as indicated by an arrow 400. In the film forming chamber 100b, mist flows as indicated by an arrow 410. In the film forming chamber 100c, mist flows as indicated by an arrow 420. In the film forming chamber 100d, mist flows as indicated by an arrow 430.

  As described above, the substrate 200 passes through the vicinity of the open portion while the mist is flowing, so that the substrate 200 is formed. In the film forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the transfer conveyor 110 is provided so that the substrate 200 passes through the vicinity of the open part.

  The substrate 200 is transferred by the transfer conveyor 110 so as to pass through the spray region X, the flow channel region Y, and the exhaust region Z in order in each of the plurality of film forming chambers 100a to 100d. The substrate 200 is formed by depositing fine particles of the film forming material 160 on the main surface while passing through the spray region X, the flow channel region Y, and the exhaust region Z.

For example, a plurality of films such as a SiO ₂ film as an alkali barrier layer and a TCO (Transparent Conductive Oxide) as a transparent conductive film are formed on the substrate 200. Note that the alkali barrier layer is for preventing performance degradation of the solar cell due to alkali contained in the substrate 200. Therefore, when the substrate 200 is made of a material that does not contain much alkali, the alkali barrier layer need not be formed.

When different types of films are formed on the substrate 200 as described above, mists made of various film forming materials are used in the plurality of film forming chambers 100a to 100d. For example, a mist using SiO ₂ as the film forming material 160 is used in the film forming chamber 100a, and a mist using SnO ₂ as the film forming material 160 is used in the film forming chamber 100b.

When a transparent conductive film made of SnO ₂ is formed, the temperature in the heating furnace 120 is preferably 450 ° C. or higher and 600 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 520 ° C. or higher and 580 ° C. or lower.

  When the temperature in the heating furnace 120 is lower than 450 ° C., the film formation rate is remarkably lowered by extending the drying time of the mist adhering to the substrate 200. On the other hand, when the temperature in the heating furnace 120 is higher than 600 ° C., the solvent contained in the mist is volatilized before reaching the substrate 200 in a part of the mist, so that the film formation performance is lost. The amount of mist is reduced and the film formation rate is significantly reduced.

  Further, by properly setting the spray pressure of the spray nozzle 130, the flow rate of the carrier gas 170, and the exhaust flow rate, the mist can reach the upper surface of the substrate 200 stably.

  In order to form a uniform film on the substrate 200 using the mist generated by the above configuration, the mist needs to reach the entire surface of the substrate 200. Here, the spray region of the spray nozzle 130 will be described.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the outer shape of the spray region of the spray nozzle 130 used in the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the spray area 162 of the spray nozzle 130, in a point distant distance L _h from the spray port of the spray nozzle 130, and has an outer shape of an ellipse shape.

Spray area 162, specifically, the major axis of length L _W, the length of the minor axis and has an elliptical shape is L _T. That is, the spray region 162 has a longitudinal direction parallel to the major axis and a lateral direction parallel to the minor axis. The zero point in FIG. 6 is an intersection of the major axis and the minor axis, and is a position immediately below the center of the spray nozzle 130 in the vertical direction.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relative spraying strength in the longitudinal direction of the spray region 162 of the spray nozzle 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relative spraying strength in the short direction of the spray region 162 of the spray nozzle 130 according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, the vertical axis represents the relative spray strength (%), and the horizontal axis represents the position (mm) from the zero point in the longitudinal direction of the spray region 162. In FIG. 8, the vertical axis represents the relative spray strength (%), and the horizontal axis represents the position (mm) from the zero point in the short direction of the spray region 162.

As shown in FIG. 7, at the point where L _h = 300 mm, the relative spray strength in the longitudinal direction of the spray region 162 of the spray nozzle 130 increases as the distance from the zero point increases to 100%. It goes down as it gets away from 0 point and becomes 0%.

As shown in FIG. 8, at the point where L _h = 300 mm, the relative spray strength in the short direction of the spray region 162 of the spray nozzle 130 is 100% at the zero point, and decreases as the distance from the zero point increases. 0%.

  Thus, in the spray region 162, the spray strength of the mist is weaker at the end portion than immediately below the center of the spray nozzle 130. This tendency is the same when a plurality of spray nozzles 130 are provided.

FIG. 9 is a first comparative example in which the pitch (L _p ) is 100 mm and 11 spray nozzles 130 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of each spray region 162 is in a line, in the longitudinal direction of the spray region. It is a graph which shows comparative spraying intensity | strength. FIG. 10 shows a comparison in the longitudinal direction of spray areas when the pitch (L _p ) is 120 mm and nine spray nozzles 130 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of each spray area 162 is in a line as a second comparative example. It is a graph which shows spraying intensity | strength. FIG. 11 shows, as a third comparative example, a comparison in the longitudinal direction of spray areas when the pitch (L _p ) is 150 mm and eight spray nozzles 130 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of each spray area 162 is in a line. It is a graph which shows spraying intensity | strength. Note that the film forming apparatus used in the first comparative example to the third comparative example is not provided with the first air blowing mechanism.

  9 to 11, the vertical axis represents the comparative spraying intensity (%), and the horizontal axis represents the position (mm) from the zero point in the longitudinal direction of the spray region arranged in a line. The comparative spray strength (%) indicates the spray strength when a plurality of spray nozzles are arranged at each pitch with the maximum value of the relative spray strength of one spray nozzle as 100%. .

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, at the point where L _h = 300 mm, when the spray nozzle 130 was arranged with a pitch of 120 mm, the comparative spraying strength in the longitudinal direction of the spray region was relatively uniform. (FIG. 10). However, when the plurality of spray nozzles 130 are arranged so that the longitudinal direction of each spray region is in a line, the mist spray strength in the spray region of the spray nozzle 130 disposed at the end portion is relatively weak.

  As described above, when a film is formed on the large substrate 200 using the plurality of spray nozzles 130 in the film forming apparatuses of the first comparative example to the third comparative example in which no air blowing mechanism is provided, the film is formed at the end of the substrate 200. As a result, the thickness of the film is reduced, and it is difficult to obtain desired film characteristics. Even if a film having a uniform film thickness can be formed, the quality of the film is deteriorated when particles are included in the formed film.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a mist spraying state on the rectifying member in the film forming apparatus used in the fourth comparative example. As shown in FIG. 12, in the fourth comparative example, a film forming apparatus in which no gap is provided between the inflow port 132a of the rectifying member 132 and the spray port 130a of the spray nozzle 130 is used. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a mist spraying state on the rectifying member in the film forming apparatus used in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, in the first example, a film forming apparatus in which a gap 133 is provided between the inflow port 132a of the rectifying member 132 and the spray port 130a of the spray nozzle 130 as in the present embodiment. Using.

  In the fourth comparative example, as shown in FIG. 12, no gap is provided between the inflow port 132 a of the rectifying member 132 and the spray port 130 a of the spray nozzle 130. As a result, the end of the flow regulating member 132 on the inflow port 132a side and the end of the cooling jacket 131 on the spray port 130a side are in contact with each other.

  In this case, when mist is sprayed from the spray port 130a, a negative pressure is generated in the vicinity of the inflow port 132a inside the rectifying member 132 (rectifying unit 134). Specifically, it exists in the vicinity of the rectifying unit 134 on the inflow port 132a side by the flow of mist sprayed from the spray port 130a in the direction indicated by the arrow 161a so as to pass through the central portion of the rectifying member 132. The gas is drawn by the flow and moves to the outlet 132b side. As a result, a negative pressure part 135 is generated in the vicinity of the rectifying part 134 on the inflow port 132a side.

  Then, a part of the mist sprayed from the spraying port 130a is attracted to the negative pressure part 135 and attached on the rectifying part 134 as shown by an arrow 161b. A part of the mist adhering on the rectifying unit 134 is solidified into particles. When the particles drop and adhere to the substrate 200, the quality of the film formed on the substrate 200 is degraded.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the present embodiment (first example), a gap 133 having a predetermined interval is provided between the inlet 132 a of the rectifying member 132 and the spray port 130 a of the spray nozzle 130. . The inside of the rectifying member 132 surrounded by the rectifying unit 134 and the inside of the housing 150 communicate with each other through the gap 133.

  In this case, when the mist is sprayed from the spray port 130a, the gas in the housing 150 is drawn from the periphery of the gap 133 toward the inflow port 132a as indicated by an arrow 172. The gas flows into the inflow port 132a as indicated by an arrow 173.

  Specifically, it exists in the vicinity of the rectifying unit 134 on the inflow port 132a side by the flow of mist sprayed from the spray port 130a in the direction indicated by the arrow 161 so as to pass through the central portion of the rectifying member 132. The gas is drawn by the flow and moves to the outlet 132b side. The gas present in the gap 133 enters the portion where the gas has moved through the inflow port 132a as indicated by an arrow 173. The gas in the housing 150 moves from the periphery of the gap 133 to the gap 133 as indicated by an arrow 172.

  As a result of the flow of the gas in the housing 150 as described above, the negative pressure portion 135 is not generated as in the fourth comparative example, so that the mist sprayed from the spray port 130a is inside the rectifying member 132 as indicated by the arrow 161. The central portion of the gas flows along the rectifying unit 134. Therefore, it can suppress that mist adheres to rectification part 134 and particles are generated.

  In the present embodiment, the surface on which the spray port 130a of the spray mechanism is disposed and the end surface on the inflow port 132a side of the rectifying member 132 are positioned substantially parallel to each other. Therefore, the flow area of the gas flowing through the gap 133 toward the inflow port 132a becomes constant, and the flow velocity of the gas flowing through the gap 133 can be made substantially constant. As a result, the mist sprayed from the spray port 130a is prevented from flowing along the rectifying unit 134 in a predetermined spray region by suppressing disturbance of the gas flow in the casing 150 flowing into the rectifying member 132 from the inlet 132a. 162 can be sprayed.

  In the present embodiment, the gas in the housing 150 is moved from the periphery of the gap 133 to the gap 133 by the flow of mist sprayed from the spray port 130a. However, the film forming apparatus 10 may further include a blower mechanism (second blower mechanism) that blows air from the periphery of the gap 133 toward the inflow port 132a.

  When the blower mechanism (second blower mechanism) is provided, the blower mechanism uniformly spreads from the entire circumference around the gap 133 toward the inflow port 132a with a wind pressure that does not hinder the flow of mist sprayed from the spray port 130a. Blow. A fan or an air nozzle can be used as the blower mechanism.

  When the air is blown by the blower mechanism (second blower mechanism), the flow rate of the gas in the housing 150 flowing into the rectifying member 132 from the inflow port 132a can be increased, and the direction of the mist sprayed from the spray port 130a can be increased. Can increase the sex.

  Further, in the film forming apparatus 10, as described above, the air nozzle 190 (first air blowing mechanism) is disposed in the vicinity of the spray ports 130a of the spray nozzles 130 installed at both ends of the plurality of spray nozzles 130. . In order to confirm the effects when these first air blowing mechanisms are provided, as a second embodiment, the substrate has a length of 1.4 m in the transport direction and a width of 1 m in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction. 200 was formed using the film forming apparatus 10. In the second embodiment, a film forming apparatus in which a first air blowing mechanism is provided around the spray port 130a of the spray nozzle 130 installed at both ends is used.

As a solution of the film forming material 160, 0.9 mol / L SnCl ₄ .5H ₂ O, 0.3 mol / L NH ₄ F, 30% by volume HCl, and 2.5% by volume methanol are included. An aqueous solution was used. The boiling point of this aqueous solution was about 70 ° C.

Arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the pitch _{L p} 10 pieces of spray nozzles 130 of each of the spray area 162 as 120mm becomes a row, the width of the opening was set to 1200 mm.

  FIG. 14 is a graph showing the distribution of the amount of mist reached in the longitudinal direction of the spray regions arranged in a line. In FIG. 14, the vertical axis indicates the amount of mist that reaches the substrate 200 (cc / min), and the horizontal axis indicates the position (mm) from the center in the longitudinal direction of the spray regions arranged in one row. .

  As shown in FIG. 14, when compressed air is ejected from the air nozzle 190 at a flow rate of 30 L / min or 40 L / min, it is confirmed that the amount of mist reaching the end of the substrate 200 is increased. It was.

  FIG. 15 is a graph showing a distribution of sheet resistance values of the substrate 200 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. In FIG. 15, the vertical axis indicates the sheet resistance value (Ω / □), and the horizontal axis indicates the position (mm) from the center of the substrate in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Further, the case where the complementary gas flow rate is 30 L / min is indicated by a solid line, and the case where no complementary gas is flowing is indicated by a dotted line.

  As shown in FIG. 15, when the plurality of air nozzles 190 are not provided, the sheet resistance value at the end of the substrate 200 is remarkably increased (dotted line). This is because a thin film having a sufficient film thickness is not formed at the end of the substrate 200.

  On the other hand, when compressed air is ejected as a complementary gas from the plurality of air nozzles 190, an increase in sheet resistance value at the end of the substrate 200 is suppressed (solid line). From this result, it was confirmed that the transparent conductive film usable as a solar cell was formed with a uniform film thickness on the entire substrate 200.

  Further, the film thickness of the film formed on the substrate 200 was measured by changing the flow rate of the compressed air ejected from the plurality of air nozzles 190 located around the spray nozzles 130 located at both ends. As conditions, measurements were performed under the following two conditions.

  The first condition is that the flow rate of the compressed air ejected from the plurality of air nozzles 190 disposed around the spray nozzle 130 located on the left end side is 0 L / min, and is disposed around the spray nozzle 130 located on the right end side. The flow rate of the compressed air ejected from the plurality of air nozzles 190 was set to 0 L / min, and the substrate conveyance speed was set to 26 cm / min.

  The second condition is that the flow rate of the compressed air ejected from the plurality of air nozzles 190 disposed around the spray nozzle 130 located on the left end side is 9 L / min, and is disposed around the spray nozzle 130 located on the right end side. The flow rate of the compressed air ejected from the plurality of air nozzles 190 was 15 L / min, and the substrate conveyance speed was 26 cm / min.

  FIG. 16 is a graph showing the distribution of film thickness on the substrate in a direction orthogonal to the substrate transport direction. In FIG. 16, the vertical axis indicates the film thickness (nm), and the horizontal axis indicates the position (mm) from the center of the substrate in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The result of the first condition is indicated by a dotted line, and the result of the second condition is indicated by a solid line.

  As shown in FIG. 16, by jetting compressed air from a plurality of air nozzles 190 arranged on the left end side and the right end side, the film thickness is increased in a range of about 150 mm inward from each of both ends of the substrate 200. can do.

  It is considered that this is because the mist ejected from the spray nozzle 130 was ejected to the substrate 200 in a state of being attracted by the flow of compressed air ejected from the plurality of air nozzles 190 having a larger flow rate. It is done.

  Thus, by providing a plurality of air nozzles 190, the film thickness of the thin film on the substrate 200 can be adjusted. Therefore, by arranging a plurality of air blowing mechanisms around the spray nozzle 130 in a plan view, the film forming material 160 is made to reach the substrate 200 with the distribution being corrected, so that the film thickness on the entire surface of the substrate 200 is substantially uniform. The thin film can be formed.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of air nozzles 190 are disposed only around the spray nozzles 130 disposed at both ends. However, the arrangement of the plurality of air nozzles 190 is not limited to this, and may be arranged around all the spray nozzles 130, for example. In that case, the amount of ejection from the plurality of air nozzles 190 disposed around the spray nozzles 130 disposed at both ends is made larger than the amount of ejection from the other plurality of air nozzles 190, so that the substrate 200 can be evenly distributed. A thin film having a thickness can be formed.

  That is, it is preferable that the plurality of blowing mechanisms positioned around the spray mechanism located at the end of the plurality of spraying mechanisms have a higher wind pressure applied to the substrate than the other blowing mechanisms of the plurality of blowing mechanisms. .

  Moreover, you may use the nozzle which ejects the heated carrier gas as a ventilation mechanism. Then, by providing the plurality of nozzles around the spray nozzle 130, drying of the mist adhering to the substrate 200 may be promoted, and the film formation rate may be improved.

(Modification 1)
In the configuration of the film forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, a modified example of the configuration of the film forming chamber 100 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a film forming chamber 100 as the first modification. In the film forming chamber 100 shown in FIG. 2, the mist spray direction (arrow 161) sprayed from the spray port 130 a of the spray nozzle 130 is inclined with respect to the main surface of the substrate 200. In addition, the introduction port 151 and the discharge port 152 are provided on the side surface of the housing 150 in the transport direction of the substrate 200.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17, in the film forming chamber 100 of the first modification, the spray direction (arrow 161) of mist sprayed from the spray port 130 a of the spray nozzle 130 is perpendicular to the main surface of the substrate 200. It has become. That is, the film forming chamber 100 of the first modification is configured to spray mist from the normal direction of the substrate 200.

  In addition, in the film forming chamber 100 of the first modification, the inlet 151 and the outlet 152 are provided on the upper surface in the normal direction of the substrate 200 in the housing 150.

[Supplement]
The film forming apparatus according to the present invention can also be expressed as follows.

  That is, a film forming apparatus according to the present invention is a film forming apparatus for forming a film by depositing a film forming material on a substrate, and a plurality of spray mechanisms each having a spray port for atomizing the film forming material into fine particles. A flow regulating member having an inflow port facing the spray port through a gap, an outflow port located on the opposite side of the inflow port, and the film forming material sprayed from the plurality of spray mechanisms A plurality of air blowing mechanisms each having an outlet for correcting and reaching the distribution, the space between the inlet and the outlet of the rectifying member, and the interior of the housing The plurality of spray mechanisms are arranged such that each of the spray ports is opposed to the substrate and spaced from each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the substrate in a plan view, The plurality of air blowing mechanisms are configured to eject each of the jets. There has been characterized in that it is arranged to be positioned around the spray nozzle at both ends arranged spraying mechanism of said plurality of spray mechanisms.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the respective technical means disclosed are also included in the present invention. Included in the technical scope.

  The present invention can be used in the technical fields of semiconductors, displays, and solar cells.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Film-forming apparatus 11 Input part 12 Preheating part 13 Film-forming part 14 Slow cooling part 15 Taking-out part 100,100a, 100b, 100c, 100d Film-forming chamber 110 Conveyor 111 Conveyor belt 112 Pulley 113 Drive shaft 120 Heating furnace 130 Spray nozzle (Spray mechanism)
130a Spray port 132 Rectifier member 132a Inlet port 132b Outlet port 133 Gap 134 Rectifier 140 Tank 141 Passage 150 Housing 151 Inlet port 152 Exhaust port 153 Exhaust space 154 Partition wall 155 Opening 158 Spray mechanism arrangement space 159 Mist spray space 160 Film formation Material 162 Spraying area 170 Carrier gas 180 Exhaust gas 181 Mixing area 190 Air nozzle (first blowing mechanism)
191 Spout 200 Substrate 300 Detoxifying device 310 Connection pipe X Spray area Y Flow area Z Exhaust area

Claims (8)

A film forming apparatus for depositing a film forming material on a substrate to form a film,
A plurality of spray mechanisms having spray ports for spraying the film-forming material;
An inflow port through which the film forming material sprayed from the plurality of spray mechanisms flows in, and an outflow port formed on the opposite side of the inflow port, and a rectifying member facing the spray mechanism through a gap. Prepared,
The plurality of spray mechanisms are arranged so that each spray port is spaced from each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the substrate in a plan view.
A film forming apparatus comprising a plurality of first air blowing mechanisms, each of which is located near a spray port of a spray mechanism arranged at both ends of a plurality of spray mechanisms.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first air blowing mechanisms are provided around a spray port of the spray mechanism.   3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the spray mechanism on which the spray port is disposed and a surface on the inlet side of the rectifying member are parallel to each other.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second air blowing mechanism that blows air from the periphery of the gap toward the inlet.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first air blowing mechanism includes an air nozzle.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the air nozzle ejects compressed air.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spray mechanism includes a spray nozzle. The film forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the spray nozzle is configured to atomize the film forming material with compressed air and spray it.

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