JP2014056830A - Organic el device manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing apparatus or manufacturing method for an organic EL device having high productivity or high operating rate by being capable of high precision vapor deposition while reducing the deflection of a substrate and mask or capable of downsizing a transport chamber and by disposing a drive unit, etc. on the atmospheric air side to reduce the occurrence of dust and gas in a vacuum.SOLUTION: In the present invention, an alignment of a substrate and a mask in a vacuum chamber is performed while being suspended as a hanging body provided with the substrate or the mask. When an evaporation material is deposited on the substrate, a contact part of the hanging body is moved to raise the handing body vertically and then the hanging body is transported into the vacuum chamber, set at a positioning position, a transport contact part between the hanging body contact part of the hanging body and the hanging body contact part of a transport means used for transportation is separated, and the alignment is performed thereafter.

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method thereof, and particularly to an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus suitable for alignment of a large substrate and a manufacturing method thereof.

  There exists a vacuum evaporation method as an influential method of manufacturing an organic EL device. In vacuum deposition, alignment between the substrate and the mask is necessary. As the size of the processing substrate increases, the size of the G6 generation substrate becomes 1500 mm × 1800 mm. Naturally, when the substrate size is increased, the mask is also increased in size, and the size thereof reaches about 2000 mm × 2000 mm. In particular, when a steel mask is used, an organic EL device has a weight of 300 kg. Conventionally, alignment has been performed with the substrate and mask horizontal. As such a prior art, there is the following Patent Document 1.

  In the vacuum vapor deposition method, as shown in FIG. 4, a mask having an opening at a place where vapor deposition is desired is brought into close contact with a substrate to be processed. This mask needs to be changed every half day to one day because the shape of the hole changes due to the adhesion of the vapor deposition material. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 14, in a cluster C having a processing chamber S for performing vacuum deposition, a mask storage chamber H which is a vacuum chamber for storing replacement and used masks M is provided, and a transfer robot R for transferring substrates is used. It was transferred to the processing chamber S and set (Patent Document 2).

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses that a heating chamber for preheating the mask is provided adjacent to the processing chamber in order to keep the mask dimensions within a desired range, and the mask of the processing chamber is replaced when necessary. Yes. However, only a heating facility is described in the warming room, and the carrying-in / out of the heating / unloading robot, as described in the first embodiment of Patent Document 3, is similar to Patent Document 2, such as a transport robot. It is thought that it is done using.

JP 2006-302896 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-027213 JP 2006-196360 A

  However, in the method of aligning the substrate and mask sideways disclosed in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 13, the substrate and the mask are greatly bent due to their thinness and weight. If the deflection is uniform, it is sufficient to manufacture the mask in consideration of this, but naturally it becomes difficult to manufacture when the center becomes larger and the substrate size becomes larger. In general, the amount of deflection at the center point is d1> d2, where d1 is the substrate deflection and d2 is the mask deflection. If the substrate deflection is large, the substrate deposition surface comes into contact with the mask and contact scratches occur, so that the substrate cannot be brought into close contact. For this reason, there is a problem that if the alignment is performed with a distance greater than the depth of field, the accuracy is poor and the product becomes defective. In particular, a high-definition screen cannot be obtained with a display device substrate.

  Further, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the entire mechanism for aligning the substrate and the mask is installed in a vacuum, there is a possibility that dust and heat accompanying the movement of the drive unit and the like may be generated. Leakage into the vacuum causes leaked dust to adhere to the substrate and mask, causing vapor deposition defects.The latter heat generation promotes thermal expansion with the mask and changes the vapor deposition size, resulting in a decrease in yield rate, that is, productivity. is there.

  Furthermore, since the entire mechanism for aligning the substrate and the mask is installed in a vacuum, once a failure occurs in the drive unit or the like, maintenance takes time and the operating rate of the apparatus is lowered.

  Further, in the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a transfer robot that can carry a mask is required, but a realistic size corresponding to the size of a processing chamber that accommodates the transfer robot that satisfies the above-described requirements, for example, Manufacturing a 5 m square transfer chamber is a difficult task.

  Further, in the methods disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the transfer robot transfers the mask and the substrate as well. Therefore, the mask cannot be transported while the substrate is being replaced, and processing cannot be performed not only in the processing chamber that needs to be replaced, but also in the downstream processing chamber, resulting in a reduction in operating rate and productivity. There is such a problem.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or a manufacturing method thereof capable of reducing the deflection of a substrate and a mask and depositing with high accuracy.
In addition, a second object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or a manufacturing method thereof that can reduce the size of a transfer chamber.
In addition, a third object of the present invention is to provide a highly productive organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or a manufacturing method thereof by reducing the generation of dust and gas in a vacuum by disposing a drive unit and the like on the atmosphere side. That is.

  Furthermore, the fourth object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or a manufacturing method thereof having a high operating rate by arranging a drive unit and the like on the atmosphere side to improve maintainability.

  In order to achieve the first or second object, the present invention performs alignment between a substrate and a mask in a vacuum chamber in a state where it is suspended as a suspended body having the substrate or the mask. When depositing the vapor deposition material, the contact part on the drooping body is moved to make the drooping body vertical, transported into the vacuum chamber, set at the alignment position, and the drooping body contact part of the drooping body; A first feature is that the conveyance contact portion of the conveyance means for conveying is separated from the conveyance contact portion and then the alignment is performed.

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the first or second object, in addition to the first feature, the separation is performed by means for moving up and down the hanging body of the alignment unit for the alignment. Further, in order to achieve the first or second object, in addition to the first feature, the separation causes the conveyance contact portion to be separated from the hanging body contact portion. To do.

  In order to achieve the first or second object, in addition to the first feature, the hanging body is a hanging body having a mask, and the hanging body contact portion is a rack provided along the mask. The fourth feature is that the conveyance contact portion is a pinion.

  Further, in order to achieve the third or fourth object, in addition to the first feature, a fifth feature is that driving means for the separating mechanism that separates is provided in the air atmosphere.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bending of a board | substrate and a mask can be reduced and the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus which can be vapor-deposited with high precision can be provided.
Moreover, according to this invention, the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or its manufacturing method which can miniaturize a conveyance chamber can be provided.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly productive organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or a manufacturing method thereof by reducing the generation of dust and gas in a vacuum by arranging the driving unit and the like on the atmosphere side. it can.
Moreover, according to this invention, maintainability can be improved by arrange | positioning a drive part etc. to the air | atmosphere side, and the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or its manufacturing method with a high operation rate can be provided.

1 is a diagram showing an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram and an operation explanatory diagram of a configuration of a transfer chamber and a processing chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of this invention of the mask conveyance mechanism which carries in / out a mask between a process chamber and a mask exchange chamber. It is a figure which shows the mask which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the alignment part which is one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a state where the rack and the pinion of the transport mechanism are engaged with each other during transport. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a state where the rack and the pinion of the transport mechanism are separated from each other during alignment. It is a figure which shows the basic composition of the alignment optical system which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conveyance mechanism and separation mechanism which are the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus which is the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure and operation | movement of a mask exchange chamber which are the organic EL device manufacturing apparatuses which are 2nd Embodiment of this invention of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure and operation | movement of a mask carrying in / out chamber in the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus which is 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus which is the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the subject of the prior art which vapor-deposits a mask and a board | substrate horizontally. It is a figure explaining the prior art in mask exchange.

  A first embodiment of the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Organic EL device manufacturing equipment is not simply a structure in which a light emitting material layer (EL layer) is formed and sandwiched between electrodes, but a hole injection layer or transport layer on the anode, and an electron injection layer or transport layer on the cathode. A multilayer structure in which various materials are formed as a thin film is formed, or a substrate is exchanged. FIG. 1 shows an example of the manufacturing apparatus.

  The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is roughly divided into a load cluster 13 that carries a substrate 6 to be processed, four clusters (A to D) that process the substrate 6, between each cluster, or between the cluster and the load cluster 13, or It is comprised from the five delivery chambers 14 installed between the following processes (sealing process). In this embodiment, the substrate is transported with the deposition surface of the substrate as the upper surface, and the substrate is erected and deposited when vapor deposition is performed.

  The load cluster 13 includes a load lock chamber 13R having a gate valve 10 and a substrate transfer robot 15R that receives the substrate from the load lock chamber 13R and rotates to carry the substrate 6 into the delivery chamber 14a. Each of the load lock chambers 13R and each of the delivery chambers 14 has a gate valve 10 in the front and rear, and delivers the substrate to the load cluster 13 or the next cluster while controlling the opening and closing of the gate valve 10 and maintaining a vacuum.

  Each cluster (A to D) includes a transfer chamber 2 having a single transfer robot 15 and two processing chambers 1 (first) arranged on the top and bottom of the drawing for receiving a substrate from the transfer robot 15 and performing a predetermined process. 1 subscripts a to d indicate clusters, and second subscripts u and d indicate upper and lower sides). A gate valve 10 is provided between the transfer chamber 2 and the processing chamber 1.

  Although the configuration of the processing chamber 1 varies depending on the processing content, a vacuum deposition chamber 1bu in which a light emitting material as a deposition material is deposited in vacuum to form an EL layer will be described as an example. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram and an operation explanatory diagram of the configuration of the transfer chamber 2b and the vacuum deposition chamber 1bu at that time. The transfer robot 15 in FIG. 2 has a link-structure arm 157 that can move up and down as a whole (see arrow 159) and can turn left and right, and has a comb-like hand 158 for substrate transfer at the tip. .

As shown in FIG. 2, the basic idea of the processing of this embodiment is that two processing lines are provided in one vacuum deposition chamber, and vapor deposition is performed on one line (for example, R line), while the other is In the L line, the substrate is carried in and out, the substrate 6 and the mask 81 are aligned, and preparation for vapor deposition is completed. By alternately performing this process, it is possible to reduce the time during which the vaporization (sublimation) is wasted without being deposited on the substrate.
In order to realize the above, the vacuum deposition chamber 1bu aligns the substrate 6 and the mask, performs the deposition on the necessary portion of the substrate 6, and delivers the substrate to the transfer robot 15, and the deposition unit 7 Two processing and delivery sections 9 for moving the substrate 6 to the right R line and the left L line are provided. The deposition section moves between the two lines, evaporates (sublimates) the luminescent material, and deposits on the substrate 6. 7.

  First, the processing delivery unit 9 will be described. The processing delivery unit 9 can deliver the substrate 6 without interfering with the comb-like hand 158 of the transport robot 15, and has a comb-like hand 91 having means 94 for fixing the substrate 6, and the comb-like hand 91. A hand turning drive means 93 for turning and moving the substrate 6 upright to the alignment unit 8 is provided. As means (not shown) for fixing the substrate 6, means such as electrostatic attraction and mechanical clamping are used in consideration of being in a vacuum.

  The vapor deposition unit 7 includes a vertical drive unit 76 that moves the evaporation source 71 in the vertical direction along the rail 76 r and a left and right drive base 74 that moves the evaporation source 71 along the rail 75 between the left and right alignment units. The evaporation source 71 has a light emitting material that is a vapor deposition material inside, and a stable evaporation rate can be obtained by heating control (not shown) of the vapor deposition material. As shown in the drawing of FIG. 71 has a structure of spraying from a plurality of holes 73 aligned with 71. If necessary, in order to improve the properties of the deposited film, the additive is also heated and deposited at the same time. In this case, the evaporation source and the pair or a plurality of evaporation sources are deposited in parallel vertically.

  Before describing the alignment unit 8, the configuration and operation of the mask exchange chamber 5, which is a major feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. 5 showing the alignment unit. FIG. 3 is a view showing an embodiment of a mask transport mechanism for carrying in and out a mask 81 constituting a suspended body between the processing chamber 1 and the mask exchange chamber 5, and FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of an alignment unit. FIG.

As shown in the drawing of FIG. 1, in this embodiment, a mask exchange chamber 5 is provided through a gate valve 10B adjacent to the processing chamber 1 for vapor deposition. The mask exchange chamber 5 is a chamber that can maintain the same degree of vacuum as the processing chamber 1 at least during mask exchange. In the following description, the mask exchange chamber 5bd in charge of exchanging the mask 81 between the L line of the vacuum deposition chamber 1ad and the R line of the vacuum deposition chamber 1bd shown in the drawing of FIG. 1 will be described as an example.
Note that the L and R lines of the vacuum vapor deposition chamber 1ad and the vacuum vapor deposition chamber 1bd are opposite to each other in the figure because they are opposite to those of the vacuum vapor deposition chamber 1bu shown in FIG. In the subscripts of the mask exchange chamber and the like in FIG. 1, the first subscript represents the abc order from the left, and the second subscript represents the upper stage u and the lower stage d. However, subscripts are omitted unless necessary to avoid complicated explanation.

First, an example of the mask 81 used in this embodiment shown in FIG. 4 will be described. The mask 81 is roughly divided into a mask portion 81M and a frame 81F that supports the mask portion. As shown in the drawing, the mask portion 81M has an opening 81h at a location corresponding to a portion to be deposited on the substrate 6. In this example, an opening corresponding to red is shown in a mask for depositing red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light emitting materials. The size of the mask becomes 2000 mm × 2000 mm with the increase in size of the substrate, and its weight also exceeds 300 kg. The size of the window varies depending on the color, but on average is about 30 μm in width and about 150 μm in height. The thickness of the mask 81M is about 50 μm and tends to be thinner in the future. On the other hand, the mask 81M has four alignment marks 81m, two coarse alignment marks 81mr, and six alignment marks 81m. Correspondingly, the substrate is provided with alignment marks 6m at a total of 6 locations including 4 precision alignment marks 6ms and 2 coarse alignment marks 6mr. Next, the mask is replaced with the processing chamber 1 which is a vacuum deposition chamber. The configuration and operation of a mask transport mechanism that loads and unloads the mask 81 between the chamber 5 will be described. In FIG. 3, parts other than the transport mechanism are omitted to avoid confusion. The processing chamber 1 is shown on the left side of FIG. 3 and the mask exchange chamber 5 is shown on the right side, and the state where the mask 81 is set in the processing chamber 1 is shown by a solid line. Between the two chambers is a gate valve 10B for partitioning them. On both sides of the gate valve, there are respective transfer units (exchange chamber transfer unit: 56, processing chamber transfer unit: 86) for transferring the mask 81. Since each transfer unit basically has the same structure, the structure is mainly composed of the mask exchange chamber 5, and the mask transfer driving means to be described later is vacuum-deposited with reference to FIG. The chamber 1 will be mainly described. Therefore, in order to avoid complexity in FIG. 3, some drawings and symbols are omitted.

  Each transfer unit (56, 86) includes a base (set base: 52, alignment base: 82) for holding the mask 81 and mask transfer drive means (exchange chamber transfer drive unit: 56B, processing chamber transfer drive unit: 86B). Consists of. The base has a mask upper fixing part (52u, 82u) that supports the upper part of the mask when the mask 81 is carried into the base, and a plurality of roller-shaped transport rails (56r, 82r) that transport the mask 81 to the lower part. . The mask has a mask lower fixing portion 81k that moves integrally with the mask fixedly mounted on the lower portion thereof. The mask lower fixing portion 81k has a rack 81r which is a hanging body contact portion with which a pinion (small gear: 56g, 86g) which is a conveyance contact portion meshes with the bottom of the convex portion of the fixed portion. The interval between the pinions that are the drive gears of the two mask conveying portions is arranged to be an interval LD shorter than the lateral length LS of the mask 81. Therefore, since LS> LD, since at least one pinion meshes with the rack 81r, the mask can be moved forward and backward by controlling the two pinions in cooperation.

  In order to enable the mask 81 to be smoothly conveyed, a conveyance guide 56h including a plurality of left and right guide rollers 56ur and 56ul is provided inside the mask upper fixing portion as shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing B, the fixing portion 81k is provided with a plurality of rollers 56dr that are transported while sandwiching the mask 81 in cooperation with the pinion on the base opposite to the rack side. Further, the transport rails (56r, 82r) have an H-shape as shown in the drawing B so that the mask can be smoothly transported even if the rack 81r is present.

  Guide rollers 86ur, 86ul (not shown) of the processing chamber transfer unit 86 corresponding to the guide rollers 56ur, 56ul of the replacement chamber transfer unit 56 serve to hold and fix the mask during alignment. Therefore, the degree of pinching between the guide rollers 86ur and 86ul is adjusted slightly tighter than between the guide rollers 56ur and 56ul so that the mask can be stably held during alignment. The conveying roller 82r and the guide roller use low grease bearings in order to reduce gas that adversely affects vacuum deposition. In order to detachably and securely fix the mask 81 to the mask lower fixing portion 81k, the mask lower fixing portion 81k has a triangular pyramid-shaped recess in which a triangular pyramid-shaped protrusion provided at the lower portion of the mask is accommodated. A plurality of (not shown) are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the processing chamber transfer drive unit 86B converts the transfer drive motor 86m provided below the lower wall 1Y of the chamber 1 on the atmosphere side, the pinion 86g engaged with the mask rack 81r, and the rotation axis by 90 degrees. It consists of two bevel gears 86k1 and 86k2, a gear support 86h and a seal portion 86s for vacuum sealing. As described above, the processing chamber transport driving part 86B is also provided on the atmosphere side through the seal part similarly to the alignment mechanism part 83, so that dust or the like that adversely affects vacuum deposition is not brought into the vacuum.

  In the above embodiment, the seal portion 86s of the processing chamber transport driving portion 86B is provided between the transport driving motor 86m and the bevel gear 86k1, but the bevel gear housing portion is provided in the cylindrical body protruding from the lower wall 1Y of the processing chamber 1. A vacuum seal such as a magnetic fluid seal may be provided between the bevel gear housing and the pinion. The replacement chamber transfer driving unit 56B has the same configuration as the processing chamber transfer driving unit 86B.

  Further, in this embodiment, an alignment optical system 85 shown in FIG. 5 described later is used to determine whether or not the mask 81 is set at a desired position on the alignment base 82 by such a transport mechanism. As shown in FIG. 4, the alignment is controlled so that the alignment marks 6m and 81m provided on the substrate 6 and the mask 81 overlap. Therefore, if both alignment marks 6m and 81m are imaged together by the camera of the alignment optical system 85, it is determined that they are set. Of course, a sensor such as a switch may be provided at the end of the mask upper fixing portion 82u.

  According to the embodiment of the present transport mechanism, at the time of exchanging the mask, it is provided on both sides of the gate valve 10B between the processing chamber 1 such as a vacuum deposition chamber and the mask exchanging chamber 5 on the mask lower fixing portion held by the mask. The mask can be surely moved by a simple mechanism provided with a drive unit for driving the rack, and the processing chamber such as the vacuum deposition chamber can be completely separated from the mask exchange chamber by closing the gate valve 10B after loading.

  According to the embodiment of the transport mechanism described above, since the mask can be reliably set on the alignment base, it is possible to provide an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus that can perform deposition with high accuracy.

  Next, the alignment part 8 which is the other characteristic of this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. In FIG. 5, the walls and gate valves of the vacuum deposition chamber, which is the processing chamber, are omitted. In this embodiment, alignment is performed by carrying a mask from the outside of the vacuum deposition chamber, fixing the substrate 6 substantially vertically or vertically, and dropping the mask 81 to change the posture of the mask. For this purpose, an alignment mechanism is provided in the upper part of the drawing, and a transfer part 86 which is a transfer mechanism for transferring the mask from the outside to the inside of the vacuum deposition chamber is provided in the lower part. As much as possible, the mechanism for alignment and mask conveyance is provided on the atmosphere side outside the vacuum deposition chamber, specifically, on the upper wall 1T or the lower wall 1Y of the vacuum deposition chamber. Moreover, what has to be provided in the vacuum deposition chamber is provided with a convex part from the atmosphere part.

  The alignment unit 8 holds the mask 81, the alignment base 82 for fixing the mask 81, the alignment base 82, and the alignment driving unit 83 that defines the orientation of the alignment base 82, that is, the mask 81 in the XZ plane, and the alignment base 82 from below. An alignment follower 84 that supports and regulates the posture of the mask 81 in cooperation with the alignment drive unit 83, an alignment optical system 85 that detects the alignment mark shown in FIG. It comprises a control device 20 (see FIG. 1) that processes an image, obtains an alignment amount, and controls the alignment driving unit 83.

  Hereinafter, a basic configuration for realizing the alignment method in the present embodiment will be described, and then an alignment method based on the basic configuration and a drive mechanism for realizing the alignment method will be described in order.

  The upper portion of the mask 81 is fixed to the alignment base 82 by a holding portion 82u, and is supported by a plurality of roller-shaped transport rails 82r fixed to the alignment base 82. The alignment base 82 is suspended by two rotatable support portions 81a and 81b provided on the upper portion, and the 81a and 81b are mainly driven (actively driven) in the Z direction or the X direction, Define and align the posture of the mask in the XZ plane. Further, in order to support the alignment base 82 from the bottom when the posture is defined, rotatable support portions 81c and 81d provided under the support portions 81a and 81b are provided, and the support portions 81c and 81d are the support portions 81a. , 81b. The alignment base 82 has a hollow shape so that it can be deposited on the substrate 6 through a mask.

  Next, an alignment method will be described. The positional deviations (ΔX, ΔZ, θ) between the substrate 6 and the mask 81 at the center of the substrate are detected by the alignment optical systems 85 provided at four locations shown in FIG. Based on this result, the main support part 81b provided on the alignment base 82 is moved in the X and Z directions, and the main support part 81a provided on the upper part is also moved in the Z direction. At this time, θ correction is based on the movement difference of 81a and 81b in the Z direction, ΔZ correction is a value obtained by adding the effect of θ correction to the movement in both Z directions, and the effect of θ correction is added to the movement of 81b in the X direction. ΔX correction is performed with the obtained value, and alignment is performed. In the above description, the longer the distance between the main support portions 81a and 81b, the more advantageous is that θ correction can be performed with high accuracy for the same movement in the Z direction.

  As the alignment base 82 moves, the main support part 81a moves in the X direction, and the follower support parts 81c and 81d provided at the lower part of the alignment base 82 move in the X and Z directions. The driving of the main support 81b is an alignment driving unit 83R having a driving motor provided on the upper wall 1T of the vacuum deposition chamber 1bu, the driving and passive of the main driving support 81a are the alignment driving unit 83L, and the driven support 81c. 81d is driven by alignment driven portions 84R and 84L provided under the lower wall 1Y of the vacuum deposition chamber 1bu.

This mask alignment is performed by dropping the mask. However, as shown in FIG. 6A, if the mask rack 81r and the pinion 86g are engaged with each other in the state of conveyance, smooth alignment is hindered. Therefore, at the time of alignment, it is necessary to separate the two by a separation mechanism and then perform alignment. The separation operation in the present embodiment is performed by transporting the mask 81 slightly below the alignment position and lifting the rack 81r, that is, the alignment base 82, by a certain distance as shown in FIG. 6B. The lifting is performed by moving the main support portions 81a and 81b in the Z direction. Accordingly, the separation mechanism 40 includes a Z drive unit 83Z (described later) that moves the main support portions 81a and 81b in the Z direction. Since the amount of lifting in the Z direction described above is an amount that does not interfere with alignment, it may not be so large. Along with the lifting operation, the movable range in the Z direction of the main support portions 81a and 81b and the follower support portions 81c and 81d needs to be somewhat longer.
In the method described above, the mask is lifted and the pinion is separated from each other by using the degree of freedom of operation in the Z direction that the alignment unit 8 originally has, but may be separated by lowering the pinion.

According to the separation mechanism of the present embodiment described above, the mask 81 is transferred to the processing chamber 1 and set on the alignment base 82, and the mask and pinion are separated from each other, so that alignment can be performed smoothly and accurately. An organic EL device manufacturing apparatus that can be deposited with high accuracy can be provided.
In addition, smooth alignment can be realized with a simple mechanism by using the degree of freedom that the alignment unit originally has as the separation mechanism.

  Next, the alignment driving unit 83 and the alignment driven unit 84 that define the posture of the mask 81 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  The alignment drive unit 83 is provided in the atmosphere on the upper wall 1T (see also FIG. 2) of the vacuum deposition chamber 1bu, and includes a left drive unit 83L having a Z drive unit 83Z that moves the rotation instruction unit 81a in the Z direction. A right drive unit 83R having a Z drive unit 83Z that moves the rotation support unit 81b in the Z direction similarly to the left drive unit 83L, and an X drive unit 83X that moves the entire Z drive unit in the X direction (left-right direction in FIG. 5). Consists of. Since the Z drive units of the left and right drive units 83L and 83R are basically the same and configured, the same numbers are given and some numbers are omitted. Hereinafter, the numbering and omission methods are the same in the other mechanism units.

  The Z drive unit 83Z will be described by taking the left drive unit 83L as an example. As described above, the Z drive unit 83Z is fixed to the Z drive unit fixing plate 83k that follows the rail 83r in the X direction, and the Z direction drive motor 83zm moves the connecting rod 83j in the Z direction via the ball screw 83n and the taper 83t. Moving. The alignment shaft 83a is moved in the Z direction by a connecting rod 83j connected at the top thereof. The taper 83t is provided to prevent the lost motion in the Z direction using the gravity of the alignment base 82 or the like, and as a result, there is an effect that the hysteresis is eliminated and the target value is converged quickly. The alignment shaft 83a is operated via a bellows 83v having one end fixed to a seal portion (not shown) provided on the upper wall 1T of the vacuum deposition chamber 1bu, and is not inclined by the spline 83s in the Z direction. Translate in the vertical and / or X direction.

  In addition to the Z drive unit 83Z, the right drive unit 83R is fixed to the upper wall 1T of the vacuum deposition chamber 1, and a Z drive unit fixing plate 83k on which the Z drive unit 83Z is mounted extends along the X-axis rail 83r. And an X driving unit 83X for driving the motor. The driving method of the X driving unit 83X is basically the same as that of the Z axis driving unit 83Z, such as the rotational force of the X direction driving motor 83xm via the ball screw 83n and the taper 83t, but the driving force rotates the alignment base 82. Power is required to move the other drive or follower through the drive and alignment base. Like the alignment shaft 83a of the left drive unit 83L, the alignment shaft 83a moves parallel to the Z direction and / or in the X direction without being inclined by the spline 83s. Further, since the alignment shaft 83a also moves in the X direction, the bellows 83v also has a degree of freedom in the X direction, and moves flexibly to the left and right as it expands and contracts.

  The alignment follower 84 includes left and right followers 84L and 84R that can move the respective alignment shafts 84a in the Z direction and the X direction so as to correspond to the above-described driven rotation of the rotation support portions 81c and 81d. The driven portion may be provided at one location in the center, but in this embodiment, two locations are provided for stable operation. Since both driven parts basically have the same structure symmetrical with respect to the left and right lines, 84R will be described as a representative. The alignment shaft 84a is fixed to the X-axis driven plate 84k via a bellows 84v and a spline 84s for sealing the vacuum of the vacuum deposition chamber 1 whose one end is fixed to a seal portion 84c provided on the lower wall 1Y of the vacuum deposition chamber 1. Has been. Therefore, the X-direction follow is performed by moving the rail 84r laid on the alignment support portion fixing base 84b for fixing the alignment follower portion 84. The Z direction is driven by the spline 84s.

In the embodiment of the alignment unit described above, of the four rotation support units 81, two rotation support units provided at the upper part of the vacuum deposition chamber are driven (actively driven) in the Z direction and one of them is driven in the X direction. Thus, alignment of the mask is performed. In addition, various driving methods can be mentioned.
For example, rotation support portions are provided at three upper portions, the center rotation support portion is rotated, and alignment is performed by moving the left and right rotation support portions in the Z direction and the X direction. At least one follower is provided at the bottom. Alternatively, as in the above embodiment, two upper rotation support portions are provided, the rotation, the main movements in the Z direction and the X direction are concentrated at one place, and the others are driven. In the above embodiment, the upper part is basically driven and the lower part is driven, but this may be reversed.

According to the embodiment of the mechanism part for alignment described above, it is provided on the atmosphere side through the seal part, so that dust and the like that adversely affect vacuum deposition are not brought into the vacuum, and the organic product has high productivity. An EL device manufacturing apparatus can be provided.
In addition, according to the embodiment of the mechanism unit for alignment described above, it is possible to provide an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus with high maintainability by arranging the drive unit and the like on the atmosphere side and having a high operation rate.

  Next, the alignment optical system 85 will be described. The alignment optical system includes four fine alignment optical systems 85s for the four fine alignment marks 81ms and two coarse alignment optical systems 85r for the two coarse alignment marks 81m so that the alignment marks described above can be imaged independently. These are composed of a total of six optical systems.

  FIG. 7 shows the basic configuration of the six alignment optical systems. The basic configuration of the optical system is such that a light source 85k that is fixed to the upper portion 1T of the vacuum deposition chamber 1bu and irradiated through an optical window 85w and a light blocking arm 85as described later are disposed on the alignment base 82 side with the mask 81 interposed therebetween. A side reflection mirror 85 km is provided, and an imaging camera side reflection mirror 85 cm attached to the arm 85 a from the imaging camera storage cylinder 85 t and an imaging camera 85 c which is an imaging means stored in the imaging camera storage cylinder 85 t are provided on the substrate 6 side. It has a so-called transmission type configuration. The imaging camera storage cylinder 85t, the arm 85a, and the like can be moved by the bellows 85v to the position of the arm 85a indicated by a broken line so as not to obstruct the trajectory K when the substrate is in the vertical posture.

  Since it is a transmissive type, the mask 81M is provided with a quadrangular through hole alignment mark 81m so that light can pass, and the frame 81F is also provided with a cylindrical through hole 81k. On the other hand, the alignment mark 6m of the substrate 6 is a sufficiently small mark compared to the alignment mark 81m of a metallic square mask on a light-transmitting substrate.

  If the through hole 81k is provided, the vapor deposition material enters the through hole during vapor deposition and is vapor deposited on the alignment mark. Therefore, alignment cannot be performed from the next step. In order to prevent this, the vapor deposition material is shielded from entering the through hole 81k during vapor deposition. In this embodiment, the arm to which the light source side reflecting mirror is attached during alignment blocks an effective area for vapor deposition during vapor deposition, so that the arm can be moved and has a structure that shields the through hole 81k during vapor deposition. 85 as. The shielding arm 85as is expanded and contracted by a connecting rod 85b driven up and down by a driving unit (not shown) provided on the atmosphere side, and one end thereof is driven via a bellows 85v fixed to the seal portion 85s. The broken line shown in FIG. 7 shows the shielding state, and the solid line shows the alignment state.

In the above embodiment, the light source side reflection mirror 85km is attached to the blocking arm 85as. However, if the mask frame 81F has a sufficient thickness, an L-shaped through hole 81k is provided in the frame 81F, and the light source side reflection mirror 85km is provided. Can also be built in. In that case, a shielding arm is not necessary.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, since the light source side reflection mirror 85km interrupted | blocked a vapor deposition area | region at the time of alignment, the shielding arm was moved, but when not interrupting, a shielding arm can be fixed.

On the other hand, the camera storage cylinder 85t has a structure protruding from the upper portion 1T of the vacuum deposition chamber 1 as shown in FIG. 5, and an optical window 85w is provided at the tip to maintain the imaging camera 85c on the atmosphere side and alignment. The marks 6m and 81m can be imaged (see FIG. 7 for the symbols).
In the above embodiment, the imaging camera side reflection mirror is provided in a vacuum, but the imaging camera storage cylinder 85 may be lengthened and the mirror may be incorporated.

The difference in configuration between the precision alignment optical system 85s and the coarse alignment optical system 85r is that the former has a high magnification lens 85h for imaging the alignment with a small field of view and high resolution in order to perform alignment with high accuracy. Is a point. Accordingly, the dimensions of the alignment marks 6m and 81m of the substrate and the mask shown in FIG. 7 are different. In the case of precision, it is one digit or more smaller than coarse, and finally alignment of the order of μm is possible.
Therefore, at the time of precision alignment, the precision alignment optical system 85s needs to be moved in accordance with the movement of the alignment mark 81m of the mask 81 so that the field of view does not deviate. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, in the precision alignment optical system 85s on the upper side of the alignment base, the fixing plate 85p for fixing the imaging camera 85c is connected to the Z driving unit fixing plate 83k or the X-axis driven plate 84k to be followed. . Alternatively, a stage with a motor may be provided and followed by numerical control. The coarse alignment optical system 85r is provided with a camera alignment stage 85p so that the position can be adjusted at the time of initial attachment.

  In the above embodiment, six alignment optical types are used. However, depending on the required accuracy of alignment, there is no need to provide a coarse alignment optical system, and there are no four precision alignment optical systems. There should be at least two.

In the embodiment of the alignment unit 8, the alignment driving unit 83, the alignment driven unit 84, and the alignment optical system 85 are provided on the atmosphere side above or below the vacuum deposition chamber 1 bu, but in the atmosphere on the side wall side of the vacuum deposition chamber 1 bu. It may be provided. Of course, the upper, lower and side wall portions may be dispersed. According to the embodiment of the alignment optical system 85, the camera and the light source etc. are housed in a housing cylinder in which the interior protruding to the vacuum side is in the atmosphere. Dust and the like that adversely affect vacuum deposition are not brought into the vacuum, and a highly productive organic EL device manufacturing apparatus can be provided.

  Next, a second embodiment of the transport mechanism and the separation mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. Although the mask exchange chamber 5 is not shown in FIG. 8, it is basically the same. In FIG. 8, reference numerals not related to the description are omitted.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment as follows. The first point is that the rack 81r is provided on the side of the mask lower fixing portion 81k that fixes the mask 81. Secondly, since it is not necessary to change the rotation axis of the pinion 86g (56g) by 90 degrees in accordance with the first change, the rotation axis of the conveyance drive motor 86m (56m) is not used without the bevel gear. ) Directly connected. Thirdly, with the first change, the shape of the transport rail 82r (56r) need not be H-shaped and may be flat. Fourth, the separation mechanism 45 is provided with a drive unit separation means 87 for driving the entire processing chamber conveyance drive unit 86B in order to separate the pinion 86g from the mask. The drive part separation means 87 is carried out by turning a ball joint 87b on a separation plate 87k on which the drive part separation means 87 is placed by a drive motor 87m and moving it on the rail 87r. Fifth, the processing chamber transport driving portion 86B also has a bellows 86v on the seal 86s so as to cope with the separation operation. In the above description, the drive unit separation means 87 for separating the pinion 86 is provided as the separation mechanism, but the mask side may be separated.

  Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the mask can be surely replaced, and the pinion and the mask are separated from each other, so that the alignment can be performed smoothly and accurately, and the deposition can be performed with high accuracy. An organic EL device manufacturing apparatus can be provided.

  In the first and second embodiments of the transport mechanism described above, a so-called rack and pinion have been described. However, the transport may be performed by driving a flat rail provided on the mask with a roller. In that case, when a sufficient frictional force cannot be obtained, the surface of the rail or roller is treated to increase the frictional force.

  Next, a second embodiment of the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the mask exchange chamber has a mask carry-in / out chamber 12 that can be exchanged with a new mask adjacent to the mask exchange chamber 5. Adjacent positions are front or rear, or upper or lower. In this embodiment, the mask transport mechanism shown in FIG. 3 is utilized and the rear side is provided in consideration of the space factor. For this purpose, the mask exchange chamber 5 has a direction changing mechanism that changes the direction of the mask by 90 degrees, for example, a turntable mechanism 57.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the mask exchange chamber 5 and the mask carry-in / out chamber 12 will be described in order.
The mask exchange chamber 5 in FIG. 9 is of the type having the exchange chamber transfer section 56 shown in FIG. 3, and a gate valve 10A between the turntable mechanism 57 that turns the exchange chamber transfer section 90 degrees and the mask loading / unloading chamber 12 is used. It has the structure which added.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a more detailed configuration and operation of the mask exchange chamber 5 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and shows an exchange chamber transfer unit 56 and a turntable mechanism 57. The basic configuration of the exchange chamber transfer unit 56 is as already described with reference to FIG. The difference from FIG. 3 is that the replacement chamber transport unit 56 other than the replacement chamber transport drive unit 56B is fixed on the turntable 56t. In order to load and unload the mask 81 between the left and right vacuum deposition chambers 1 or the mask loading / unloading chamber 12 at the rear, the exchange chamber transfer driving unit 56B needs to be disposed at the cross position of the one-dot chain line in FIG. . For example, it arrange | positions so that the rotation center of the conveyance drive motor 56m of the exchange chamber conveyance drive part 56B may come to the rotation center position of the turntable 56. FIG. By disposing the drive motor at the rotation center position of the turntable 56, the drive motor need not be provided on the turntable, and as a result, the drive motor can be provided on the atmosphere side.

  The turntable mechanism 57 includes a turntable 57t having a gear 57r around it and a turntable drive unit 57B. The turntable drive unit 57B includes a turntable drive motor 57m provided under the lower wall 5Y of the mask exchange chamber 5 on the atmosphere side, a seal part 57s for vacuum sealing, a gear 57g that meshes with a gear 57r of the turntable 57t, and a mask exchange chamber. 5 of a plurality of traveling wheels 57k traveling on the lower wall 5Y.

  According to the present embodiment, the mask carried into the mask exchange chamber 5 can be carried into and out of the left and right processing chambers 1 or the mask carry-in / out chamber 12.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the mask loading / unloading chamber 12 shown in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. The mask carry-in / out chamber 12 has a mask storage unit 121 (hereinafter simply referred to as a storage unit). Provided. The storage unit 121 basically has the same structure as the set base 52, a plurality of storage bases 122, a storage table 121d on which the storage base is mounted, and a mask are moved between the turntable 57t and the storage table 121d. It comprises a carry-in / out chamber transfer drive unit 126B having the same structure as the exchange chamber transfer drive unit 56B shown in FIG. The carry-in / out chamber transfer drive unit 126B (drive motor 126m) is connected to the straight line connecting the processing chamber transfer drive unit 86B (transfer drive motor 86m) and the replacement chamber transfer drive unit 56B (transfer drive motor 56m) and the replacement chamber transfer drive unit 56B. The straight line connecting the (conveyance drive motor 56m) and the carry-in / out chamber conveyance drive unit 126B (drive motor 126m) is arranged at a right angle. The turntable 57t side of the storage base 122 is installed in a state protruding from the storage table 121d by α = loading / unloading chamber transfer driving unit 126B + β width. Therefore, by moving the storage table 121d in the direction of arrow A and moving in the direction of arrow B, all the storage bases 121h can be brought into mesh with the storage table transport drive unit 121B. Incidentally, 121r is a traveling rail of the storage stand 121d.

FIG. 11 is a view of the mask loading / unloading chamber 12 shown in FIG. 9 as viewed from the direction of the arrow C, and shows only one storage base 122 and mainly shows the loading / unloading chamber transfer section 126. In FIG. 11, the left side is the mask exchange chamber 5 with the gate valve 10A as a boundary, and the right side is the processing chamber 1 or the transfer chamber 2. The carry-in / out chamber transfer unit 126 is basically the same as the exchange chamber transfer unit 56, but differs in the following points.
First, the arrangement position of the carry-in / out chamber transfer driving unit 126B needs to be at the same position as the processing chamber transfer drive unit 86B of FIG. 3 from the standpoint of transfer means. With this position, the carry-in / out chamber transfer driving unit 126B can transfer the mask to / from the replacement chamber transfer unit 56.

  Secondly, the mask upper fixing part 122u can be opened and closed. This is because the mask 81 is carried in by a crane (not shown) from an openable / closable opening (not shown) provided on the ceiling of the mask carry-in / out chamber 12 and set in the conveying roller 122r so as not to get in the way. . After the setting, the set claw 122t provided in the mask upper fixing part 122u is inserted into the set hole 122h, the mask 81 is held, and it can be stably conveyed by the guide roller 126ur.

  Although the mask loading / unloading chamber 12 may be an air atmosphere chamber, the vacuum degree of the mask exchange chamber 5 is reduced when the gate valve 10A is opened by forming a vacuum chamber. Can be replaced. As a result, the time for evacuation can be shortened, and an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus with a high operating rate can be provided.

  In the embodiment described above, the storage unit 121 is provided in the mask carry-in / out chamber 12, but it may also be provided in the mask exchange chamber 5.

  According to the second embodiment of the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, since processing can be performed without affecting the substrate transport system when the mask is replaced, the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus with high availability and high productivity. Alternatively, a manufacturing method can be provided.

  Further, according to the second embodiment of the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, by providing the mask loading / unloading chamber 21 as a mask loading / unloading location, the vacuum degree of the vacuum deposition chamber is lowered. Other processes within the same vacuum deposition chamber can continue because they can be suppressed. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or manufacturing method with a high operating rate.

  Furthermore, since at least the mask replacement time can be shortened, it is possible to provide an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus or manufacturing method with high availability and high productivity.

  Next, the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus which is the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes a delivery chamber 14f provided on two sides of the hexagonal transfer chamber 2 and the hexagonal shape in which the clusters A to D of the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. The apparatus is composed of 14 g and a processing chamber 1 such as a vacuum deposition chamber having one line as a processing line on the remaining four sides.

  The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus 200 is also an apparatus for depositing with the substrate and the mask substantially vertical or vertical as shown in FIG. Either the substrate may be transported horizontally to be vertical or transported in a vertical posture from the beginning. Also in FIG. 12, as in FIG. 9, a mask exchange chamber 5 is provided beside each vacuum deposition chamber 1, and a mask carry-in / out chamber 12 is provided adjacent to the mask exchange chamber 5. The mask exchange chamber 5 performs the mask conveyance with the vacuum deposition chamber 1 via the gate valve 10B and the mask conveyance with the mask carry-in / out chamber 12 via the gate valve 10A. The transport mechanism, separation mechanism, and alignment mechanism shown in the first or second embodiment of the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention are applied to the organic EL device manufacturing apparatus 200.

  Therefore, also in 3rd Embodiment, there can exist the effect shown in 1st or 2nd embodiment.

  In the above description, an embodiment in which a mask exchange chamber is provided adjacent to a processing chamber such as a vacuum deposition chamber has been described. For example, the present invention is also applied to an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus that transfers the processing mechanism shown in FIG. 3 between processing chambers between a plurality of processing chambers like a relay, and performs alignment by separating the processing chambers from each other. And the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above description, the embodiment has been described in which the mask is transported and the mask is suspended and aligned. The technique applied to the mask may be reversed, and the substrate may be transported and the substrate may be suspended for alignment.

  Furthermore, in the above description, the organic EL device has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a film forming apparatus that performs vapor deposition processing in the same background as the organic EL device.

1: Processing chamber 1ad, 1bd, 1bu: Vacuum deposition chamber 2: Transfer chamber 3: Load cluster 5: Mask exchange chamber 6: Substrate 6m: Substrate alignment mark 7: Deposition unit 8: Alignment unit 9: Processing delivery unit 10, 10A, 10B: Gate valve 12: Mask loading / unloading chamber 20: Control device 40, 45: Separation mechanism 56: Exchange chamber transfer unit 56B: Exchange chamber transfer drive unit (mask transfer drive means)
56 g, 86 g: Pinion 71: Evaporation source 81: Mask 81a-d: Rotation support part 81m: Mask alignment mark 81r: Rack 82: Alignment base 83: Alignment drive part 83Z: Z-axis drive part 83X: X-axis drive part 84 : Alignment driven unit 85: Alignment optical system 86: Processing chamber transfer unit 86 B: Processing chamber transfer drive unit (mask transfer drive unit)
87: Driving unit separation means 100, 200: Organic EL device manufacturing apparatus AD: Cluster

Claims (11)

A mask suspending means for holding the mask held by the alignment base in a posture of hanging together with the alignment base;
A plurality of rotation support portions provided on top of the alignment base for rotatably supporting the mask;
A mask upper fixing portion provided on the alignment base so as to keep the mask in a suspended state;
Alignment driving means comprising main driving means for driving at least one main driving rotation support part among the plurality of rotation support parts in a state where the mask is suspended;
One end has a fixing portion fixed to the alignment base or the alignment base support means fixing portion, and the other end has a feeding means that allows the alignment base to move in a drooping plane of the alignment base, and An alignment base support means for allowing the alignment base to move within a suspended plane of the alignment base depending on the operation of the rotation support;
A drooping body contact portion for moving the mask, a conveyance contact portion, a mask lower portion fixing portion for holding the mask from below, and a separation mechanism for separating the drooping body contact portion and the conveyance contact portion, A transport mechanism for transporting the mask constituting the hanging body in a vertical posture;
An organic EL device manufacturing apparatus comprising:   The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pendulum contact portion is a rack provided along the mask, and the transport contact portion is a pinion.   The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hanging body contact portion is a hanging body itself or a rail provided along the mask, and the transport contact portion is a rotation driving roller.   The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hanging body contact portion is a bottom portion of the hanging body.   The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the alignment unit includes vertical drive means for moving the hanging body up and down, and the separation mechanism includes vertical drive means.   The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the hanging body contact portion is a lower side portion of the hanging body.   The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4 or 6, wherein the separation mechanism is means for separating the transport contact portion from the pendulum contact portion. Transport the mask in an almost vertical position to the alignment unit with the alignment base,
The mask is fixed to a mask upper fixing portion provided on the alignment base,
By the operation of the main rotation support portion and the fixing portion provided at one end of the alignment base support means and the feeding means provided at the other end, the alignment base is moved in the drooping plane where the alignment base is suspended,
The alignment base is moved during alignment and the mask constituting the hanging body is brought into a hanging state by separating the hanging body contact portion and the carrying contact portion for carrying the mask.
Then, the substrate and the mask are aligned.
An organic EL device manufacturing method characterized by the above.   The organic EL device manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein the separation is performed by means for moving up and down the hanging body of the alignment unit that performs the alignment.   The organic EL device manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein the separation causes the conveyance contact portion to be separated from the pendulum contact portion.   9. The organic EL device manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein the pendulum contact portion is a rack provided along the mask, and the transport contact portion is a pinion.

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