JP2014088591A - Vapor deposition apparatus and vapor deposition method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vapor deposition apparatus capable of maintaining a state in which vapor blown out of a vapor deposition source is always deposited on a substrate by alternately carrying out a vapor deposition stage and a vapor deposition pre-stage for a substrate installed in each vapor deposition region by a simple mechanism without moving the vapor deposition source between two vapor deposition areas.SOLUTION: A vapor deposition chamber 4 in which a first vapor deposition area 2 for vapor deposition on one substrate and a second vapor deposition area 3 for vapor deposition on the other substrate 1 is provided with a vapor deposition source 7 having a first vapor blowout part 5 for sticking a vapor deposition material on the one substrate 1 and a second vapor deposition blowout part 6 for sticking a vapor deposition material on the other substrate 1 arranged in the first vapor deposition area 2 and second vapor deposition area 3, and the vapor deposition source 7 is provided with vapor blowout part switching means 10 of performing switching so that vapor is blown out of only one of the first vapor deposition blowout part 5 and second vapor deposition blowout part 6, so that vapor deposition is carried out selectively on one of the substrates 1 in the first vapor deposition area 2 and second vapor deposition area 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method.

  In order to suppress deterioration of the organic material during vapor deposition and maintain a stable film quality, the organic material is always heated and evaporated in the OLED production line. For this reason, since the material continues to evaporate while the substrate is carried in or out of the vapor deposition chamber and the pre-deposition process of the substrate is performed, the material is wasted. Further, there is a problem that the deposition process cannot be performed during the pre-deposition process including the alignment process between the substrate and the mask, and the tact time is increased.

  In order to eliminate such waste of materials and increase in tact time, techniques such as those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have been proposed.

  Specifically, Patent Document 1 proposes a structure in which an evaporation source moves between a plurality of evaporation chambers, and another substrate is evaporated in another evaporation chamber while a certain substrate is carried in or out. Yes. In Patent Document 2, an evaporation source that rotates between a first substrate evaporation region and a second substrate evaporation region in the evaporation chamber is provided in the evaporation chamber, and the second is performed while evaporation is performed on one substrate in the first substrate evaporation region. In the substrate deposition region, a structure for performing a pre-deposition process on the other substrate has been proposed.

JP 2006-2226 A JP 2011-68980 A

  By the way, in the said patent documents 1, 2, since an evaporation source is moved between vapor deposition chambers or between vapor deposition area | regions, a moving mechanism becomes a big thing. A mechanism for moving a large part such as an evaporation source over a long distance in a vacuum chamber also serves as a generation source of particles, which may adversely affect the performance of a device to be produced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the current situation as described above. The evaporation process and the pre-deposition process are performed on a substrate installed in each evaporation area with a simple mechanism without moving the evaporation source between the two evaporation areas. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method that are alternately performed and can maintain a state in which vapor ejected from an evaporation source is constantly vapor deposited on a substrate.

  The gist of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In a vapor deposition chamber 4 in which a first vapor deposition region 2 for vapor deposition of one substrate 1 and a second vapor deposition region 3 for vapor deposition of another substrate 1 are arranged side by side, a vapor deposition material is applied to the one substrate 1 in the first vapor deposition region 2. A first vapor ejection part 5 for adhering a vapor deposition material and a second vapor ejection part 6 for adhering a vapor deposition material to the other substrate 1 in the second vapor deposition area 3. Vapor-spouting portion switching is provided in which an evaporation source 7 provided inside is provided, and the vaporization source 7 is switched so that vapor is jetted only from either the first vapor jetting portion 5 or the second vapor jetting portion 6. A vapor deposition apparatus is provided, characterized in that means 10 is provided so that vapor deposition can be selectively performed on the substrate 1 of either the first vapor deposition region 2 or the second vapor deposition region 3. is there.

  The evaporation source 7 is configured to connect a material evaporation unit 8 for evaporating a vapor deposition material, the first vapor ejection unit 5 and the second vapor ejection unit 6 via a vapor flow passage 9, and The part switching means 10 opens a shut-off part 12 for shutting off the flow of steam to either the first steam jet part 5 or the second steam jet part 6 in the steam flow passage 9 so that there is no leakage of steam. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vapor deposition apparatus is configured to be cut off.

  The evaporation source 7 is configured to connect a material evaporation unit 8 for evaporating a vapor deposition material, the first vapor ejection unit 5 and the second vapor ejection unit 6 via a vapor flow passage 9, and The part switching means 10 is a blocking part that closes the first steam ejection part 5 and the second steam ejection part 6 in the first steam ejection part 5 and the second steam ejection part 6 so that there is no leakage of steam. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 13 is configured to be openable and closed.

  Further, the evaporation source 7 has a configuration in which the material evaporation section 8 is provided inside the first steam ejection section 5 and the second steam ejection section 6, and the steam ejection section switching means 10 includes the first steam ejection section 2. A structure in which a closing part 13 for closing the material evaporation part 8 inside the part 5 and the second steam ejection part 6 so as not to leak steam is provided so as to be openable and closeable. This relates to the vapor deposition apparatus.

  5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a relative movement mechanism 15 configured to move the evaporation source 7 relative to the substrate 1 along the deposition surface of the substrate 1. This relates to the vapor deposition apparatus.

  Further, a first substrate holding mechanism and a second substrate holding mechanism for fixing the substrate 1 carried into the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3 in the vapor deposition chamber 4, respectively, and the first vapor deposition region 2 And a first alignment mechanism and a second alignment mechanism for respectively aligning the substrate 1 and the mask in the second vapor deposition region 3, and the substrate being vapor deposited in the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3. 6. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first substrate cooling mechanism and a second substrate cooling mechanism that respectively cool 1.

  Further, while vapor deposition is being performed on the first substrate 1 carried into the first vapor deposition zone 2 while jetting vapor from the first vapor jet portion 5 of the evaporation source 7, A vapor deposition pre-process is performed on the second substrate 1 that has been carried in, and after vapor deposition on the first substrate 1 is completed in the first vapor deposition region 2, the vapor ejection unit switching means 10 causes the vapor of the evaporation source 7 to be vaporized. Is switched from the first vapor ejection portion 5 to the second vapor ejection portion 6, vapor deposition is performed on the second substrate 1 in which the pre-deposition process is completed in the second vapor deposition region 3, and the second substrate 1 The first substrate 1 that has been vapor-deposited is taken out from the first vapor deposition region 2 while vapor deposition is being performed on the new third substrate 1 carried into the first vapor deposition region 2. Perform the pre-process and repeat this process, always the first deposition Those of the vapor deposition device according to claim 6, wherein the configured so as to deposited on the substrate 1 in one of band 2 or the second vapor deposition zone 3.

  Further, a plurality of vapor deposition chambers 4 having the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3 are connected to a substrate conveyance chamber 14 having a substrate conveyance mechanism for conveying the substrate 1 to the vapor deposition chamber 4. The substrate 1 carried into the chamber 14 is configured so that the substrate transport mechanism appropriately distributes the respective substrates 1 to the respective vapor deposition regions of the vapor deposition chamber 4, and one substrate transport chamber 14 is configured to be shared by a plurality of vapor deposition chambers 4. It concerns on the vapor deposition apparatus of any one of Claims 1-7 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Further, the first deposition region 2 for depositing one substrate 1 and the second deposition region 3 for depositing another substrate 1 are arranged in parallel in the deposition chamber 4. The first vapor ejection part 5 for adhering the vapor deposition material and the second vapor ejection part 6 for adhering the vapor deposition material to the other substrate 1 in the second vapor deposition area 3 are connected to the first vapor deposition area 2 and the second vapor deposition. Vapor jets that are provided in the regions 3 and that are switched so that vapor is jetted only from either the first vapor jet part 5 or the second steam jet part 6 are provided in the evaporation source 7. The portion switching means 10 is provided, while the vapor deposition is performed while the vapor is ejected from the first vapor ejection portion 5 of the evaporation source 7 to the first substrate 1 carried into the first vapor deposition region 2. A pre-deposition process is performed on the second substrate 1 carried into the second deposition region 3, and the first After vapor deposition on the first substrate 1 is completed in the deposition area 2, the portion from which the vapor of the evaporation source 7 is ejected is changed from the first vapor ejection portion 5 to the second vapor ejection portion 6 by the vapor ejection portion switching means 10. And switching to the second substrate 1 where the pre-deposition process has been completed in the second deposition region 3, while the deposition on the second substrate 1 is being performed, the deposition is completed from the first deposition region 2. After the first substrate 1 is taken out, the pre-deposition process is performed on the new third substrate 1 carried into the first vapor deposition region 2, and the first vapor deposition region 2 or the The present invention relates to a vapor deposition method characterized in that the substrate 1 can be vapor-deposited in any of the second vapor deposition regions 3.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, the evaporation process and the pre-deposition process are alternately performed on the substrate installed in each deposition area with a simple mechanism without moving the evaporation source between the two deposition areas. The vapor deposition apparatus and the vapor deposition method can maintain a state in which vapor ejected from the source is always vapor deposited on the substrate.

It is a schematic explanatory drawing of a structural example. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of this invention. 1 is a schematic explanatory plan view of Example 1. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically illustrating Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged explanatory longitudinal sectional view of a main part of Example 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged explanatory longitudinal sectional view of a main part of Example 1. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a vapor deposition process of Example 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a vapor deposition process of Example 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a vapor deposition process of Example 1. FIG. It is arrangement | positioning block diagram of a vacuum chamber. It is arrangement | positioning block diagram of a vacuum chamber. It is arrangement | positioning block diagram of a vacuum chamber. It is arrangement | positioning block diagram of a vacuum chamber. 5 is a schematic explanatory plan view of Example 2. FIG. It is a schematic explanatory side view of Example 2. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of Example 2. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of Example 2. FIG. It is a disassembled schematic explanation perspective view of the vapor | steam ejection part of Example 2. FIG. 10 is a schematic explanatory plan view of Example 3. FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of Example 3. FIG. It is a schematic explanatory longitudinal cross-sectional view of Example 3. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of Example 3. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part of Example 3.

  An embodiment of the present invention which is considered to be suitable will be briefly described with reference to the drawings showing the operation of the present invention.

  Vapor deposition is performed on one substrate 1 in the first vapor deposition region 2 in a state where vapor is ejected only from the first vapor ejection portion 5 by the vapor ejection portion switching means 10. At this time, since the vapor is not ejected from the second vapor ejection portion 6, in the second vapor deposition region 3, the other substrate 1 is carried in and out and the pre-deposition step (the mask and substrate alignment step or the substrate is brought into contact with the substrate cooling mechanism). It is possible to perform a pre-deposition preparatory step consisting of a step of fixing in a fixed state.

  And after vapor deposition with respect to one substrate 1 is completed, the vapor ejection portion switching means 10 is switched so that the vapor is ejected only from the second vapor ejection portion 6, and the second vapor deposition region 3 where the carrying-in and pre-deposition steps are completed. Vapor deposition is performed on the other substrate 1.

  Accordingly, it is possible to maintain a state in which the vapor continuously ejected from the evaporation source 7 is constantly deposited on the substrate 1 in either the first deposition region 2 or the second deposition region 3.

  That is, for example, while vapor is vapor-deposited only from the first vapor ejection portion 5 of the evaporation source 7 on the first substrate 1 carried into the first vapor deposition region 2, the second vapor deposition is performed. After the pre-deposition process is performed on the second substrate 1 carried into the region 3 and the deposition on the first substrate 1 is completed in the first deposition region 2, the evaporation unit switching means 10 performs the evaporation. The part of the source 7 from which the vapor is ejected is switched from the first vapor ejection part 5 to the second vapor ejection part 6, and the second substrate 1 that has completed the pre-deposition process in the second deposition region 3 is deposited, While carrying out vapor deposition on the second substrate 1, after carrying out the first substrate 1 on which vapor deposition has been completed from the first vapor deposition region 2, a new third substrate 1 is carried into the first vapor deposition region 2. By performing the pre-deposition step and repeating this, the first steam is always obtained. It is possible to deposit on the substrate 1 in one of the regions 2 and the second deposition region 3.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform vapor deposition on the substrate 1 in one vapor deposition region, and at the same time, perform a pre-deposition process on another substrate 1 in another vapor deposition region, thereby shortening the tact time of film formation. It becomes possible.

  In addition, since the material vapor evaporated from the evaporation source 7 can always be kept deposited on the substrate 1, the material use efficiency can be increased to the limit.

  Moreover, in the said patent document 2, in order to vapor-deposit on two board | substrates each installed in the 1st and 2nd board | substrate vapor deposition area | region inside one vapor deposition chamber, an evaporation source moves between the 1st and 2nd vapor deposition area | regions. There is a need to. In this regard, in the present invention, since the evaporation source 7 does not need to move between the first and second vapor deposition zones 2 and 3, it is possible to realize an increase in material use efficiency and a reduction in tact time with a simpler mechanism. That is, the simple mechanism reduces the number of parts that slide in the vapor deposition chamber 4, reduces the number of particle generation sources in the vacuum, and allows vapor deposition in a cleaner environment.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, the material evaporated while moving between the vapor deposition regions does not adhere to the substrate and evaporates wastefully. In this respect, in the present invention, since the substrate for vapor deposition can be switched instantaneously by the vapor jet switching means, the material efficiency can be further increased as compared with the vapor deposition apparatus described in Patent Document 2.

  For example, as in the configuration example illustrated in FIG. 1, one evaporation source 105 is installed in each vapor deposition region of the vapor deposition chamber 104 having two vapor deposition regions 102 and 103 in which the substrate 101 is disposed, It is also conceivable to suppress wasteful evaporation of the material by appropriately stopping the ejection of vapor from each evaporation source 105. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 106 denotes a material container including heating means for heating the material to generate steam, 107 is a steam ejection portion, 108 is a diffusion chamber which is a space for uniformizing the pressure of the steam, 109 Is a flow path for moving the steam generated in the material container 106 to the diffusion chamber 108, and 110 is a valve for closing the flow path 109 and stopping the ejection of steam when necessary.

  Even in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the valve 110 is opened when vapor deposition is performed, and the valve 110 is closed when the substrate 101 is replaced, thereby suppressing wasteful evaporation of the material and improving the use efficiency of the material. It is possible to increase.

  However, in the configuration as shown in FIG. 1, when the valve 110 is closed, the pressure in the evaporation source 105 rises, and the stored vapor is altered by decomposition or the like. In order to suppress this deterioration, when the pressure is decreased by adjusting the temperature of the flow path 109 or the material container 106, when the deposition is resumed by opening the valve 110 again, the deposition rate is adjusted by reheating. Another problem arises that is necessary and increases the number of processes. Also, the material evaporates wastefully during reheating.

  In this regard, in the present invention, as schematically shown in FIG. 2, the vapor ejection unit switching means 10 stops the ejection from one vapor ejection unit 5 of the evaporation source 7 and at the same time another vapor ejection unit 6. Therefore, the pressure inside the evaporation source 7 does not increase more than the pressure required for vapor deposition. Therefore, according to the present invention, the material use efficiency can be increased to the utmost limit, and the film can be formed with stable quality without worrying about the above-described material deterioration.

  A specific embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the first embodiment, the first vapor deposition region 2 in which the first vapor deposition region 2 is vapor-deposited and the second vapor deposition region 3 in which the other substrate 1 is vapor-deposited are arranged in parallel. The first vapor ejection part 5 for attaching the vapor deposition material to the substrate 1 and the second vapor ejection part 6 for adhering the vapor deposition material to the other substrate 1 in the second vapor deposition area 3, the first vapor deposition area 2 and the Evaporation sources 7 respectively disposed in the second vapor deposition zone 3 are provided, and vapor is ejected from only one of the first vapor ejection portion 5 and the second vapor ejection portion 6 to the evaporation source 7. A vapor jet switching unit 10 for switching is provided so that vapor deposition can be selectively performed on the substrate 1 in either the first vapor deposition region 2 or the second vapor deposition region 3.

  Specifically, in the first embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the evaporation source 7 includes a material evaporation unit 8 that evaporates the vapor deposition material, a first vapor ejection unit 5, and a second vapor ejection unit 6. The steam jet passage switching means 10 is configured to be connected via the steam flow passage 9, and the steam flow to the first steam jet portion 5 or the second steam jet portion 6 in the steam flow passage 9 is not leaked. The blocking portion 12 for blocking is configured to be freely opened and closed.

  Each part will be specifically described.

  The vapor deposition chamber 4 is a vacuum chamber having an appropriate exhaust mechanism such as a vacuum pump, and is connected to a substrate transfer chamber 14 having a robot hand 16 as a substrate transfer mechanism via a gate valve 17 which is an opening / closing mechanism. (See FIGS. 10 to 13). In the first embodiment, one gate valve 17 is provided on each of the first vapor deposition region 2 side and the second vapor deposition region 3 side, corresponding to the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3. ing.

  The first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3 are not clearly separated physically, but the first vapor deposition region 2 in which one substrate 1 is disposed on the left side in the vapor deposition chamber 4 and the right side. A second vapor deposition region 3 on which another substrate 1 is disposed is provided (see, for example, FIG. 3).

  Specifically, the first vapor deposition is performed so that one substrate 1 and the other substrate 1 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval so as not to be affected when vapor deposition is performed in another region. Region 2 and second vapor deposition region 3 are set.

  In the vapor deposition chamber 4, the substrate 1 is disposed on the top surface side of the vapor deposition chamber 4, and the evaporation source 7 is disposed on the bottom surface side of the vapor deposition chamber 4.

  The evaporation source 7 is configured to connect the material evaporation unit 8 that evaporates the vapor deposition material, the first vapor ejection unit 5, and the second vapor ejection unit 6 via the vapor flow passage 9.

  Specifically, a material container provided with a heating unit that is filled with a vapor deposition material and heats and vaporizes the vapor deposition material is used as the material evaporation unit 8. Then, the other end of the steam flow passage 9 connected at one end to the material container has a bifurcated shape that branches toward the left and right steam ejection portions 5, 6. 3 is configured to be connected to each of the steam ejection portions 5 and 6 provided in the interior. The steam ejection parts 5 and 6 are constituted by a diffusion chamber 18 and a jet outlet 11 which are a space having a certain size for making the spatial pressure distribution of the steam uniform. The steam flow passage 9 is connected to the diffusion chamber 18 by welding so as not to leak steam. The diffusion chamber 18 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the evaporation source 7, and a cylindrical jet outlet 11 for ejecting steam is formed on the upper surface of the diffusion chamber 18 along the longitudinal direction of the diffusion chamber. A plurality of lines are arranged side by side. The vapor ejected from the vapor ejection portions 5 and 6 is attached to the substrate 1 to form a film. The jet port 11 may have other shapes such as a slit shape.

  In the first embodiment, each of the steam flow passages 9 after bifurcating as described above is provided with a blocking portion 12 that can be opened and closed.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the steam flow passage 9 is blocked by the valve body 19 as the blocking portion 12 and the seal member 20 that comes into close contact with the head of the valve body 19 to eject the steam. It is comprised so that the vapor | steam to the parts 5 and 6 may be interrupted | blocked. The shut-off part 12 operates in a state heated to about 300 to 500 ° C. in a vacuum, and when the head part of the valve body 19 and the seal member 20 come into close contact with each other, there is no leakage of steam and can withstand repeated use. Consists of materials. For example, the valve body 19 may be made of stainless steel, and the seal member 20 may be made of a β-based titanium alloy. 5 and 6, reference numeral 21 is a bellows, 22 is a guide part for guiding the vertical movement of the shaft part of the valve body 19, 23 is a housing, and 24 is an actuator.

  Further, in the first embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a shutter 64 is provided above the diffusion chamber 18 to prevent vapor from the ejection port 11 from adhering to the substrate. That is, when stopping the jetting of steam from the steam jetting parts 5 and 6, not only the blocking part 12 but also the shutter 64 is used in combination, so that when the steam flow passage 9 is closed by the blocking part 12, the diffusion chamber 18. The vapor remaining inside is prevented from adhering to the substrate 1. Therefore, the above-described ejection and blocking can be switched quickly.

  Accordingly, whether the right or left valve element 19 is appropriately moved toward or away from the seal member 20 by the actuator 24 to block the vapor from the material evaporation section 8 to the first vapor ejection section 5 (FIG. 5), By shutting off the vapor to the two vapor ejection portions 6 (FIG. 6), vapor deposition can be selectively performed on either the first vapor deposition region 2 or the second vapor deposition region 3.

  In the first embodiment, a box-shaped storage unit 25 is provided below the evaporation source 7, and in this storage unit 25, a group of components such as actuators and wirings of movable parts that operate in the vapor deposition chamber 4 is provided. Stored. The inside of the storage unit 25 is atmospheric pressure. The storage unit 25 is connected to the inner wall of the vapor deposition chamber 4 by a wiring introduction link mechanism (not shown). The interior of the wiring introduction link mechanism is hollow, and the interior of the storage unit 25 and the atmospheric pressure environment around the vapor deposition chamber 4 are spatially continuous through the interior of the link mechanism. The wiring in the storage unit 25 is connected to an electrical board installed outside the vapor deposition chamber 4 through the wiring link mechanism.

  A relative movement mechanism 15 for moving the evaporation source 7 relative to the substrate 1 along the deposition surface of the substrate 1 is provided below the storage unit 25. In the first embodiment, the relative movement mechanism 15 includes a ball screw 26 that is screwed with a block 28 that is fixed to the lower surface of the storage unit 25, and a linear guide 27 that is provided in parallel with the ball screw 26 and guides movement by the ball screw 26. The evaporation source 7 is configured to move in parallel with the long side direction of the substrate 1. Accordingly, the storage unit 25 and the evaporation source 7 are moved by the relative movement mechanism 15 so that the vapors ejected from the vapor ejection units 5 and 6 are attached to the entire surface of the substrate 1 in the vapor deposition regions 2 and 3, respectively. It becomes possible.

  Although not particularly illustrated, the deposition chamber 4 has a first substrate holding mechanism and a second substrate holding mechanism for fixing the substrate 1 carried into the first deposition region 2 and the second deposition region 3 in the deposition chamber 4 respectively. A mechanism, a first alignment mechanism and a second alignment mechanism for aligning the substrate 1 and the mask in the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3, respectively, and vapor deposition in the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3 A first substrate cooling mechanism and a second substrate cooling mechanism for cooling the substrate 1 therein are provided.

  Therefore, Example 1 can perform vapor deposition as follows.

  That is, while vapor deposition is performed on the first substrate 1 carried into the first vapor deposition zone 2 from the first vapor jet portion 5 of the evaporation source 7, the vapor is carried into the second vapor deposition zone 3. The second substrate 1 is subjected to a pre-deposition process (a pre-deposition process including a mask-substrate alignment process and a process of fixing the substrate in contact with the substrate cooling mechanism) (see FIG. 7). . Subsequently, after the vapor deposition on the first substrate 1 is completed in the first vapor deposition region 2, the portion from which the vapor of the evaporation source 7 is ejected is changed from the first vapor ejection portion 5 by the vapor ejection portion switching means 10. Switching to the two-vapour ejection part 6, vapor deposition was performed on the second substrate 1 where the pre-deposition process was completed in the second vapor deposition region 3, and vapor deposition was completed while performing vapor deposition on the second substrate 1. The first substrate 1 is taken out from the first vapor deposition region 2 (see FIG. 8), and the third substrate 1 is newly carried into the first vapor deposition region 2 to perform the pre-deposition process (see FIG. 9). In this way, by repeating the above process, it is possible to always deposit on the substrate 1 in either the first deposition region 2 or the second deposition region 3.

  In the first embodiment, the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3 are deposited in a substrate transport chamber 14 having a robot hand 16 as a substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate 1 to the vapor deposition chamber 4. A plurality of (for example, two) chambers 4 are connected, and the substrate 1 loaded into the substrate transfer chamber 14 is configured so that the substrate transfer mechanism appropriately distributes to the respective vapor deposition regions of the vapor deposition chamber 4. The transfer chamber 14 is configured to be shared by the plurality of vapor deposition chambers 4. The substrate transfer chamber 14 is also provided with an appropriate exhaust mechanism.

  Around the substrate transfer chamber 14, not only the vapor deposition chamber 4 but also other vacuum chambers may be connected. For example, a configuration as shown in FIGS. In the drawing, the trajectory for transporting the substrate is indicated by arrows as A line and B line. The A line and the B line are independent substrate transfer lines. Further, the shape of the substrate transfer chamber 14 in a plan view can be appropriately set to a polygonal shape according to the number of vacuum chambers to be connected. In the figure, 29 is a carry-in chamber, 30 is a carry-out chamber, 31, 32, 33 and 34 are new metal masks 35 or mask stock chambers where used metal masks 35 are stored. Note that the mask in the vapor deposition chamber 4 and the mask in the mask stock chamber are appropriately exchanged by the robot hand 16. Further, the carry-in chamber 29 and the carry-out chamber 30 may be provided with a substrate rotation mechanism that appropriately rotates the direction of the substrate. Furthermore, not only the mask stock chamber but also other film forming chambers / processing chambers may be provided.

  Accordingly, even when a certain vapor deposition chamber 4 is unavoidably stopped due to maintenance or trouble, the gate valve 17 provided between the vapor deposition chamber 4 and the substrate transfer chamber 14 is closed to connect to the same substrate transfer chamber 14. The other normal vapor deposition chamber 4 can continue to operate, and it is possible to minimize a decrease in the operation rate of the vapor deposition apparatus.

  Since Example 1 is configured as described above, the evaporation source and the pre-deposition step are alternately performed on the substrate installed in each evaporation region with a simple mechanism without moving the evaporation source between the two evaporation regions. The vapor deposition apparatus can maintain the state in which the vapor ejected from the evaporation source is always deposited on the substrate.

  A specific second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the second embodiment, the steam jetting part switching means 10 is connected to the first steam jetting part 5 and the second steam jetting part 6 so that steam leaks from the first steam jetting part 5 and the second steam jetting part 6. In this configuration, the closing portion 13 that is closed so as to be closed is provided so as to be freely opened and closed.

  Specifically, a bowl-shaped steam generation part 36 having an upper opening is provided in the diffusion chamber 18 (see FIG. 16), and the other end of the steam flow passage 9 having one end connected to the material evaporation part 8 is connected to the left and right sides. The bifurcated shape branching toward each of the steam ejection portions 5 and 6 (see FIGS. 14 and 15), and the branch end portion is connected to the steam generation portion 36 in the diffusion chamber 18 of each of the steam ejection portions 5 and 6, respectively. The configuration is as follows. The material evaporation section 8, the steam flow passage 9, the first steam ejection section 5 and the second steam ejection section 6 are accompanied by a heating mechanism such as a sheath heater, and are heated to about 300 ° C. to 500 ° C. in a vacuum. Can do. The material is filled in the material evaporation unit 8.

  A seal member 37 is provided around the periphery of the opening of the steam generator 36. In addition, a closing part 13 for closing the opening of the steam generating part 36 is provided above the steam generating part 36. The closing portion 13 includes a movable intermediate plate 38, a valve body 39, and a shaft 41. A shaft 41 and a valve body 39 that support the movable intermediate plate 38 are provided on the lower surface of the movable intermediate plate 38 (see FIGS. 16 and 17). Due to the actuator 47 connected to the shaft 41, the closing portion 13 moves toward and away from the opening of the steam generating portion. The valve body 39 has a shape capable of closing the entire opening of the steam generation unit 36, and presses the valve body 39 against the seal member 37 so as to be in close contact with the valve body 39 so as to close the opening of the steam generation unit 36. It is composed.

  The closed portion 13 and the like operate in a state heated to about 300 to 500 ° C. in a vacuum, and when the valve body 39 and the seal member 37 are in close contact with each other, there is no leakage of steam, and the material is resistant to repeated use. It is configured. For example, the valve body 39 can be made of stainless steel, and the seal member 37 can be made of a β-based titanium alloy. 16 and 17, reference numeral 44 denotes a guide portion for guiding the vertical movement of the shaft 41, 45 denotes a bellows, and 46 denotes a housing.

  In addition, it is good also as a structure which does not provide the sealing member 37 directly in the steam generation part 36, but attaches an opening flange to the steam generation part 36, and provides the sealing member 37 in this opening flange.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the movable intermediate plate 38 is provided with two strips of steam passage portions 40 extending in the longitudinal direction of the movable intermediate plate 38. Therefore, in a state where the opening of the steam generating part 36 is opened (see FIG. 16), steam is jetted from the jet outlet 11 above the diffusion chamber 18 between the shafts 41 and via the steam passage part 40.

  In addition, sheathed heaters 42 and 43 serving as heating units are disposed in a wound state on the side circumferential surface of the steam generation unit 36 and the side circumferential surface of the diffusion chamber 18. The vapor deposition material is heated and vaporized in the material evaporation unit 8, passes through the vapor flow passage 9, is introduced into the vapor generation unit 36, and is ejected as vapor from the ejection port 11. At this time, when the vapor passes through the low-temperature portion, the vapor deposition material is deposited, and there is a possibility that the jet port 11, the vapor passage portion 40, and the vapor flow passage 9 may be blocked. In order to prevent such precipitation, the inside of each vapor | steam ejection part 5 and 6 is heated at 200-500 degreeC according to the physical-property value of the vapor deposition material to be used.

  In the second embodiment, a shutter 48 is provided above the diffusion chamber 18 to prevent the vapor from the outlet 11 from adhering to the substrate 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, when stopping the ejection of steam from the steam ejection parts 5, 6, not only the closing part 13 but also the shutter 48 is used together so that the steam generating part 36 is used by the closing part 13. The vapor remaining in the diffusion chamber 18 when the opening is closed is prevented from adhering to the substrate 1. Therefore, the above-described ejection and blocking can be switched quickly.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the shaft 41 is moved up and down by the actuator 47 of the first steam ejection part 5 and the second steam ejection part 6, and the movable intermediate plate 38 and the valve body 39 are moved toward and away from the seal member 37. As a result, the opening / closing of the opening of each steam generating section 36 is controlled. The opening of the steam generating part 36 on the first steam ejecting part 5 side is opened and the opening of the steam generating part 36 on the second steam ejecting part 6 side is closed, or the steam on the first steam ejecting part 5 side is closed. By closing the opening of the generating part 36 and opening the opening of the steam generating part 36 on the second steam ejecting part 6 side, either the first vapor deposition region 2 or the second vapor deposition region 3 can be applied to the substrate 1. Thus, vapor deposition can be selectively performed.

  The rest is the same as in Example 1.

  Specific Example 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the third embodiment, the evaporation source 7 is configured to include the material evaporation unit 8 inside the first vapor ejection unit 5 and the second vapor ejection unit 6, and the vapor ejection unit switching means 10 is used as the first vapor ejection unit 5. In addition, a closing part 13 for closing the material evaporation part 8 in the second steam ejection part 6 so as not to leak steam is provided so as to be freely opened and closed.

  Specifically, in the third embodiment, the diffusion chamber 18 is not provided in each of the vapor deposition regions 2 and 3 as in the first and second embodiments, but as shown in FIGS. One diffusion chamber 18 is provided across three.

  In this diffusion chamber 18, one material evaporation section 8 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape having two openings 49 corresponding to the respective vapor deposition regions 2 and 3 as shown in FIG. That is, in the diffusion chamber 18, a first vapor ejection portion 5 for vapor deposition on a substrate installed in the first vapor deposition zone 2 and a second vapor jet for vapor deposition on a substrate installed in the second vapor deposition zone 3. Part 6 is disposed.

  In FIG. 21, reference numeral 50 is a vapor deposition material, 60 is a sheathed heater that is wound around the side peripheral surface of the material evaporation section 8, and 63 is the first vapor ejection section 5 side inside the diffusion chamber 18. It is a partition part partitioned off into the two steam ejection parts 6 side.

  One opening 49 of the material evaporation unit 8 is provided in each of the first vapor deposition region 2 and the second vapor deposition region 3, and the substrate 1 is loaded and installed directly above the respective openings 49. A seal member 51 is provided around the periphery of the opening 49 of the material evaporation unit 8. Further, two closed portions 13 are provided at positions above the two openings 49 of the material evaporation section 8 so as to be movable toward and away from the openings 49. Each of the two closing portions 13 includes a movable intermediate plate 52 and a valve body 53, and a valve body 53 is provided on the lower surface of the movable intermediate plate 52 (see FIGS. 22 and 23). Each of the two valve bodies 53 has a shape capable of closing the entire opening 49 of the material evaporation section 8, and the valve body 53 is pressed against the seal member 51 and brought into close contact with each other, thereby opening the corresponding material evaporation section 8. The part 49 is configured to be closed.

  The closed portion 13 and the like operate in a state heated to about 300 to 500 ° C. in a vacuum, and when the valve body 53 and the seal member 51 are in close contact with each other, there is no leakage of steam and a material that can withstand repeated use. It is configured. For example, the valve body 53 can be made of stainless steel, and the seal member 51 can be made of β-based titanium alloy. 22 and 23, reference numeral 54 denotes a shaft that supports the movable intermediate plate 52, 55 denotes a guide portion that guides the vertical movement of the shaft 54, 56 denotes a bellows, 57 denotes a housing, and 58 denotes an actuator.

  In addition, it is good also as a structure which does not provide the sealing member 51 directly in the material evaporation part 8, but attaches an opening flange to the material evaporation part 8, and provides the sealing member 51 in this opening flange.

  Similar to the second embodiment, the movable intermediate plate 52 is provided with two steam passage portions 59 extending in the longitudinal direction of the movable intermediate plate 52. Therefore, in a state where the opening 49 of the material evaporation section 8 is opened, steam is jetted from the jet outlet 11 at the upper part of the diffusion chamber 18 between the shafts 54 and via the steam passage section 59.

  In addition, a sheath heater 61 as a heating unit is disposed on the side peripheral surface of the diffusion chamber 18 in a wound state. The vapor deposition material is heated and vaporized in the material evaporation unit 8, passes through the vapor passage unit 59, and is ejected as vapor from the ejection port 11. At this time, when the vapor passes through the low temperature portion, the vapor deposition material is deposited, and there is a possibility that the jet port 11 and the vapor passage portion 59 may be blocked. In order to prevent such precipitation, the inside of each vapor | steam ejection part 5 and 6 is heated at 200-500 degreeC according to the physical-property value of the vapor deposition material to be used.

  Similarly to the second embodiment, a shutter 62 is provided above the diffusion chamber 18 to prevent the vapor from the nozzle 11 from adhering to the substrate 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, when stopping the ejection of steam from the steam ejection parts 5 and 6, not only the closing part 13 but also the shutter 62 is used in combination, so that the material evaporation part 8 is used by the closing part 13. The vapor remaining in the diffusion chamber 18 when the opening 49 is blocked is prevented from adhering to the substrate 1. Therefore, it is possible to quickly switch between the ejection and shut-off of steam.

  Accordingly, in the third embodiment, the shaft 54 is moved up and down by the actuators 58 of the first steam ejection part 5 and the second steam ejection part 6, and the movable intermediate plate 52 and the valve body 39 are moved toward and away from the seal member 51. Thus, the opening / closing of each opening 49 of the material evaporation section 8 is controlled. The opening 49 on the first steam ejection part 5 side is opened and the opening 49 on the second steam ejection part 6 side is closed, or the opening 49 on the first steam ejection part 5 side is closed, and the second Vapor deposition can be selectively performed on the substrate 1 in either the first vapor deposition region 2 or the second vapor deposition region 3 by opening the opening 49 on the vapor ejection portion 6 side.

  The rest is the same as in Example 1.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to Examples 1-3, The concrete structure of each component can be designed suitably.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate 2 1st vapor deposition area | region 3 2nd vapor deposition area | region 4 Deposition chamber 5 1st vapor | steam ejection part 6 2nd vapor | steam ejection part 7 Evaporation source 8 Material vaporization part 9 Vapor flow path
10 Steam outlet switching means
12 Blocking part
13 Blocking part
14 Substrate transfer chamber
15 Relative movement mechanism

Claims (9)

  A first vapor jet for attaching a deposition material to the first substrate in the first deposition region in a deposition chamber in which a first deposition region for depositing one substrate and a second deposition region for depositing another substrate are arranged in parallel. And an evaporation source in which a vapor deposition material for adhering vapor deposition material to the other substrate in the second vapor deposition zone is provided in the first vapor deposition zone and the second vapor deposition zone, respectively. The source is provided with a steam ejection part switching means for switching so that the steam is ejected only from either the first steam ejection part or the second steam ejection part, and the first vapor deposition area or the second vapor deposition area A vapor deposition apparatus configured to selectively perform vapor deposition on any one of the substrates.   The evaporation source is configured to connect a material evaporation unit that evaporates a vapor deposition material, the first vapor ejection unit, and the second vapor ejection unit via a vapor flow path, and the vapor ejection unit switching unit includes the vapor circulation unit. The passage is configured to be provided with a shut-off portion that can shut off the flow of steam to either the first steam jet portion or the second steam jet portion so as not to leak steam. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1.   The evaporation source is configured to connect a material evaporation unit that evaporates a vapor deposition material, the first vapor ejection unit, and the second vapor ejection unit via a vapor flow passage, and the vapor ejection unit switching unit includes the first A configuration is provided in which a closing portion for closing the first steam ejection portion and the second steam ejection portion so as not to leak steam is provided inside the one steam ejection portion and the second steam ejection portion so as to be freely opened and closed. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1.   The evaporation source has a configuration in which the material evaporation section is provided inside the first steam ejection section and the second steam ejection section, and the steam ejection section switching means includes the first steam ejection section and the second steam ejection section. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a closing portion that closes the material evaporation portion inside the portion so as to prevent vapor leakage is provided so as to be freely openable and closed.   5. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a relative movement mechanism that moves the evaporation source relative to the substrate along a deposition surface of the substrate.   The first substrate holding mechanism and the second substrate holding mechanism for fixing the substrate carried into the first vapor deposition region and the second vapor deposition region, respectively, in the vapor deposition chamber, and the first vapor deposition region and the second vapor deposition region, respectively. A first alignment mechanism and a second alignment mechanism for aligning the substrate and the mask, respectively, a first substrate cooling mechanism and a second alignment mechanism for cooling the substrate during vapor deposition in the first vapor deposition region and the second vapor deposition region, respectively. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate cooling mechanism.   While performing vapor deposition while jetting vapor from the first vapor jet part of the evaporation source to the first substrate carried into the first vapor deposition region, the second substrate carried into the second vapor deposition region Then, after performing the pre-deposition step and completing the vapor deposition on the first substrate in the first vapor deposition region, the vapor jet portion switching means changes the portion from which the vapor of the vapor source is jetted from the first vapor jet portion. Switching to a two-vapour ejection part, performing deposition on the second substrate where the pre-deposition process has been completed in the second deposition region, and while performing deposition on the second substrate, deposition is performed from the first deposition region. After the completed first substrate is taken out, the pre-deposition process is performed on the new third substrate carried into the first deposition region, and this is repeated, so that the first deposition region or the first substrate is always used. Substrate in one of the two deposition areas Vapor deposition device according to claim 6, wherein the configured so as to deposition.   A plurality of vapor deposition chambers having the first vapor deposition region and the second vapor deposition region are connected to a substrate conveyance chamber having a substrate conveyance mechanism for conveying the substrate to the vapor deposition chamber, and the substrate carried into the substrate conveyance chamber is 8. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transport mechanism is configured so as to be appropriately distributed to each deposition region of the deposition chamber, and a single substrate transport chamber is shared by a plurality of deposition chambers. 2. The vapor deposition apparatus according to item 1.   A first vapor jet for attaching a deposition material to the first substrate in the first deposition region in a deposition chamber in which a first deposition region for depositing one substrate and a second deposition region for depositing another substrate are arranged in parallel. And an evaporation source in which a vapor deposition material for adhering vapor deposition material to the other substrate in the second vapor deposition zone is provided in the first vapor deposition zone and the second vapor deposition zone, respectively. The source is provided with a steam ejection part switching means for switching so that the steam is ejected only from either the first steam ejection part or the second steam ejection part, and the first substrate carried into the first vapor deposition region On the other hand, while performing vapor deposition while ejecting vapor from the first vapor ejection portion of the evaporation source, a pre-deposition process is performed on the second substrate carried into the second vapor deposition region, and the first vapor deposition region After vapor deposition on the first substrate is completed, Vapor deposition on the second substrate in which the pre-deposition process is completed in the second vapor deposition region by switching the portion from which the vapor of the evaporation source is ejected from the first vapor ejection portion to the second vapor ejection portion by the ejection portion switching means. During the deposition on the second substrate, after taking out the first substrate that has been deposited from the first deposition region, for the new third substrate carried into the first deposition region A vapor deposition method characterized by performing the pre-deposition step and repeating this, thereby allowing the substrate to be vapor-deposited in either the first vapor deposition region or the second vapor deposition region.