JP2014132102A - Vapor deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology capable of reducing dispersion of film thickness in the width direction of a substrate.SOLUTION: A vapor deposition apparatus includes a substrate conveyance mechanism and an evaporation vessel 10. A plurality of bulkheads 6 for dividing an opening part into a plurality of divided passages 7a-7d are provided on the opening part of the evaporation vessel 10. The plurality of bulkheads 6 are arrayed mutually parallel to a specific direction AD inclined with respect to both directions of a conveyance direction LD of the substrate in the substrate conveyance mechanism and a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction LD. When comparing mutually each width d1-d4 of the plurality of divided passages 7a-7d in the specific direction AD, the width of a divided passage on a relatively far position from the center position O of the opening part of the evaporation vessel 2 is wider than the width of a divided passage on a relatively near position to the center position O of the opening part of the evaporation vessel 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus.

  Thin film technology is widely deployed to improve the performance and miniaturization of devices. The thinning of devices is not only a direct merit for users, but also plays an important role in environmental aspects such as protecting earth resources and reducing power consumption.

  In order to advance thin film technology, it is indispensable to meet the demands of industrial applications such as high efficiency, stabilization, high productivity, and low cost of thin film manufacturing methods. ing.

  In order to increase the productivity of thin films, a film deposition technique with a high deposition rate is essential. In thin film manufacturing methods such as vacuum deposition, sputtering, ion plating, and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition Method), the deposition rate has been increased. Further, as a method of continuously forming a large amount of thin film, a winding type thin film manufacturing method is used. In the winding type thin film manufacturing method, a long substrate wound in a roll shape is unwound from an unwinding roller, a thin film is formed on the substrate while being transported along the transport path, and then the substrate is placed on the winding roller. It is a method of winding up. For example, a thin film can be formed with high productivity by combining a film forming source with a high deposition rate such as a vacuum evaporation source using an electron beam and a winding thin film manufacturing method.

  Various film forming sources are used for the production of thin films. Patent Document 1 describes an evaporation source used for applying lithium to an active material layer formed on a current collector by a vacuum deposition method. In Patent Document 2, as an evaporation source for depositing a low-molecular organic substance that evaporates at a relatively low temperature of 200 to 400 ° C., a storage unit, a nozzle unit connected to the storage unit, and heating surrounding the storage unit And an evaporation source with a portion. Patent Document 3 describes an evaporation source including a crucible and an indirectly heated heater arranged so as to be in contact with the bottom surface of the crucible as an evaporation source of a metal such as aluminum, copper, silver, and zinc. . Patent Document 4 includes a box-shaped inner adhesive material that holds high-temperature molten metal, a crucible main body, and a spacer interposed between the inner adhesive material and the crucible main body, and the inner adhesive material and the crucible main body; A crucible in which a liquid heat medium is filled in a space between the two is described.

JP 2007-128658 A Japanese Patent No. 4557170 JP-A-8-311638 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-93063

  One of the important qualities of the thin film is the uniformity of the film thickness. If an evaporation source as described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 is used, a thin film can be continuously formed while the substrate is being transported, but the variation in film thickness tends to increase in the width direction of the substrate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing variations in film thickness in the width direction of a substrate.

That is, this disclosure
A substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate;
An evaporation container for holding a material to be deposited on the substrate;
With
The opening of the evaporation container is provided with a plurality of partition walls that divide the opening into a plurality of divided passages,
The plurality of partition walls are arranged in parallel to each other along a specific direction inclined with respect to both the transport direction of the substrate and the direction orthogonal to the transport direction in the substrate transport mechanism,
When the widths of the plurality of division passages in the specific direction are compared with each other, the width of the division passage at a position relatively far from the center position of the opening of the evaporation container is the width of the opening of the evaporation container. There is provided a vapor deposition apparatus having a width wider than the width of the dividing passage located at a position relatively close to the center position.

  If the above-described vapor deposition apparatus is used, a film with a small variation in film thickness in the width direction of the substrate can be manufactured.

The block diagram of the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the evaporation source of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. Top view of the evaporation source Cross section along the line IIC-IIC of the evaporation source Partial enlarged view of FIG. 2C Cross section of heater Sectional drawing of the evaporation source which concerns on the modification 1 Sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of a board | substrate and an evaporation source at the time of using the evaporation source shown to FIG. 4A for the vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. Partial block diagram of the vapor deposition apparatus using the board | substrate conveyance mechanism which concerns on the modification 2. Sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of the evaporation source which concerns on the modification 3, and a cylindrical can Sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of the evaporation source which concerns on the modification 4, and a cylindrical can Partial block diagram of the vapor deposition apparatus using the evaporation source which concerns on the modification 5. The graph which shows the result of Example 1 The graph which shows the result of Example 2 Perspective view of evaporation source according to comparative example Graph showing the results of the comparative example Plan view of the evaporation source according to Reference Example 1 Sectional drawing along the AA line of the evaporation source which concerns on the reference example 1 The graph which shows the result of the reference example 1 Plan view of the evaporation source according to Reference Example 2 Sectional drawing along the BB line of the evaporation source which concerns on the reference example 2 Graph showing the results of Reference Example 2 Plan view of the evaporation source according to Reference Example 3 Sectional drawing along the CC line of the evaporation source which concerns on the reference example 3 Graph showing the results of Reference Example 3

  When a deposition apparatus including a nozzle type evaporation source is used and continuous film formation is performed while the substrate is being conveyed, the film thickness tends to vary greatly in the width direction of the substrate. Specifically, a thick film is formed at the center of the substrate, and a thin film is formed at both ends of the substrate. Sometimes, the difference in film thickness is such that it cannot be used as a product unless both ends of the substrate are cut and discarded. In view of such circumstances, the present inventors disclose the following.

The first aspect of the present disclosure is:
A substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate;
An evaporation container for holding a material to be deposited on the substrate;
With
The opening of the evaporation container is provided with a plurality of partition walls that divide the opening into a plurality of divided passages,
The plurality of partition walls are arranged in parallel to each other along a specific direction inclined with respect to both the transport direction of the substrate and the direction orthogonal to the transport direction in the substrate transport mechanism,
When the widths of the plurality of division passages in the specific direction are compared with each other, the width of the division passage at a position relatively far from the center position of the opening of the evaporation container is the width of the opening of the evaporation container. There is provided a vapor deposition apparatus having a width wider than the width of the dividing passage located at a position relatively close to the center position.

  The divided passages have conductances based on the physical shape of each passage. The vapor passage density per unit cross-sectional area of the divided passages depends on the conductance determined by the physical shape of each passage. In other words, the split passage having a large conductance per unit cross-sectional area can pass more vapor of material toward the substrate. Therefore, since the width of the division passage has the above-described relationship, variations in film thickness in the width direction of the substrate can be reduced in film formation using the evaporation source. That is, it can suppress that a film | membrane becomes comparatively thin in the both ends of a board | substrate, and a film | membrane becomes comparatively thick in the center part of a board | substrate.

  In the second aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect, each length of the plurality of partition walls in the depth direction of the evaporation container is farthest from the center position of the opening of the evaporation container in the specific direction. There is provided a vapor deposition apparatus having a width larger than the width of the divided passage at a certain position. According to such a configuration, the conductance of the plurality of divided passages strongly depends on the width of these divided passages. Therefore, it becomes easy to control the deposition amount of the material on the substrate by appropriately designing the width of the division passage.

  In the third aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first or second aspect, each shortest distance from the upper end of the plurality of partition walls to the substrate transport path is from the opening end surface of the evaporation container to the substrate transport path. Provided is a vapor deposition apparatus that is larger than the shortest distance. According to the 3rd aspect, it can suppress that the amount of vapor deposition falls by the shadow of a partition, or the effect which reduces the variation in film thickness is impaired. Further, shortening the shortest distance between the opening end face of the evaporation container and the substrate is effective in preventing the vapor of the material from being scattered in a place other than the film formation region. Further, since the partition wall is hot during vapor deposition, the closer the partition wall is to the substrate, the more radiant heat from the partition wall to the substrate increases. By disposing the partition wall at a position appropriately separated from the substrate, the radiant heat from the partition wall to the substrate can be reduced, so that the substrate is not easily damaged by heat.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any one of the first to third aspects, the width of the division passage that is closest to the center position of the opening of the evaporation container is the specific direction. A vapor deposition apparatus having a thickness larger than each thickness of the plurality of partition walls is provided. By appropriately limiting the partition wall thickness and ensuring the width of the dividing passage, it is possible to form a deposition film with a desired thickness at a sufficient deposition rate without significantly increasing the strength (amount) of the material vapor. Can be formed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any one of the first to fourth aspects, each of the plurality of partition walls is fixed to a side wall part of the evaporation container, and the side wall part of the evaporation container is a heater. A vapor deposition apparatus is provided. According to the fifth aspect, heat is transferred from the evaporation container to the partition, and the partition also has a sufficiently high temperature. As a result, it is possible to prevent the material from being deposited on the inner wall surface and the partition wall of the evaporation container, and thus to prevent the width of the dividing passage from changing.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a vapor deposition apparatus is provided in which a heater is incorporated in at least one selected from the plurality of partition walls. According to the sixth aspect, it is possible to more reliably prevent the material from being deposited on the partition walls.

  A seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides the vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein an angle formed by the specific direction and the transport direction of the substrate is in a range of 10 to 60 degrees. To do. If the angle formed by the specific direction and the substrate transport direction is adjusted to an appropriate range, the effect of reducing the variation in film thickness in the width direction of the substrate can be sufficiently obtained. Moreover, the effect of reducing the variation in film thickness based on adjusting the conductance of the divided passages is enhanced. Furthermore, it is possible to appropriately secure the thickness of the partition walls, and it is possible to prevent problems such as deformation of the partition walls.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by the following embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes an evaporation source 10, a substrate transport mechanism 20, a vacuum chamber 24, and a vacuum pump 25. That is, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 is a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus. The evaporation source 10 and the substrate transport mechanism 20 are disposed inside the vacuum chamber 24.

  The substrate transport mechanism 20 includes an unwind roll 21, transport rolls 22 a to 22 d, and a take-up roll 23. The long substrate 28 is prepared in the unwinding roll 21 and is sent out toward the transport roll 22a. The substrate 28 is further transported along the transport roll 22b, the transport roll 22c, and the transport roll 22d, and is taken up by the take-up roll 23. That is, the vapor deposition apparatus 100 is a so-called roll-to-roll type vapor deposition apparatus.

The evaporation source 10 is disposed at a position facing the transport path of the substrate 28 in the substrate transport mechanism 20. Specifically, the evaporation source 10 faces the transport path of the substrate 28 from the transport roll 22b to the transport roll 22c. The transport path of the substrate 28 is set at a position sufficiently close to the evaporation source 10. When the substrate 28 is being transported from the transport roll 22b toward the transport roll 22c, the material 12 evaporated from the evaporation source 10 is deposited on the substrate 28. As a result, a thin film (deposited film) containing the material 12 is formed on the substrate 28. During vapor deposition, the inside of the vacuum chamber 24 is maintained at a pressure suitable for the production of the vapor deposition film by the action of the vacuum pump 25. The degree of vacuum inside the vacuum chamber 24 is not particularly limited and is, for example, in the range of 10 ⁻¹ to 10 ⁻⁴ Pa.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the evaporation source 10 includes an evaporation container 2, a plurality of partition walls 6, and a plurality of heaters 3. The evaporation source 10 is a so-called nozzle type evaporation source. “Nozzle-type evaporation source” generally means an evaporation source in which a surrounding mechanism (for example, a surrounding wall) for preventing vapor from being scattered is arranged from the vicinity of the evaporation surface of the material to the vicinity of the substrate. To do. The peripheral wall is provided around a plane whose normal is a straight path from the evaporation surface to the surface of the substrate so as to limit the extension of the plane. 2A and 2B (or FIG. 2C) differ in the number of heaters 3 for simplification of the drawing. The number of heaters 3 is not particularly limited.

  The evaporation container 2 is a crucible that holds the material 12 to be deposited on the substrate 28. The evaporation container 2 is made of a heat resistant material such as stainless steel, copper, or carbon. In the present embodiment, the evaporation container 2 has a rectangular bowl shape in plan view. When the evaporation container 2 is viewed in plan, one set of parallel sides of the evaporation container 2 is parallel to the width direction WD of the substrate 28, and the other set of parallel sides of the evaporation container 2 is the transport direction LD of the substrate 28. Parallel to However, the shape and dimensions of the evaporation container 2 are not particularly limited.

  A plurality of insertion holes are formed in the bottom and side walls of the evaporation container 2. A cylindrical heater 3 is fitted in each of the plurality of insertion holes. Each of the plurality of insertion holes extends parallel to the width direction WD and penetrates the evaporation container 2. The inner diameter of the insertion hole is adjusted so that not only can the heater 3 be easily inserted into the insertion hole, but also the heater 3 can be easily removed from the insertion hole after repeated use. For example, when the heater 3 has an outer diameter of 5 to 15 mm, the inner diameter of the insertion hole is such that the difference between the inner diameter of the insertion hole and the outer diameter of the heater 3 is within a range of 0.05 to 0.5 mm. Has been adjusted. However, in order to facilitate heating of the evaporation container 2, it is desirable that the difference between the inner diameter of the insertion hole and the outer diameter of the heater 3 is as small as possible as long as the heater 3 can be easily inserted and removed. Further, the insertion hole may not penetrate through the evaporation container 2.

  The evaporation container 2 is heated by passing an electric current through the heater 3. As a result, the material 12 held in the evaporation container 2 is indirectly heated and melted and evaporated. The vapor of the material 12 is discharged from the opening of the evaporation container 2, and a vapor deposition film of the material 12 is formed on the substrate 28.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heater 3 (cartridge heater) includes a heater main body 31, a lead portion 32, and a connection portion 33. The heater body 31 is connected to the lead portion 32 via the connection portion 33. The heater body 31 includes a heating element 34, an insulator 35a, and an outer cylinder 36. The lead portion 32 has a pair of lead wires 38 and an insulating coating 39. The connecting portion 33 includes an insulator 35b, an outer cylinder 36, and a pair of heater wire end portions 37. A connecting portion 33 is provided between the lead portion 32 and the heater body 31 so as to electrically connect the lead wire 38 to the heating element 34. Electric power is supplied to the heating element 34 through the lead wire 38. The outer cylinder 36 may be shared by the heater main body 31 and the connection portion 33.

  The heating element 34 is formed by winding a metal wire such as tungsten, and is covered with an outer cylinder 36. An insulator 35 a is filled between the heating element 34 and the outer cylinder 36. The insulating coating 39 is provided so as to cover the lead wire 38. The insulating coating 39 is made of glass fiber, ceramic or the like. At the connection point 41 of the connection portion 33, the lead wire 38 is connected to the heater wire end portion 37. In the connection portion 33, a current-carrying portion is formed by the lead wire 38, the heater wire end portion 37, and the connection point 41. An insulator 35b is filled between the energization portion and the outer cylinder 36.

  As long as the current-carrying part is insulated, the connection part 33 does not need to have the outer cylinder 36 and the insulator 35b. However, when the outer cylinder 36 and the insulator 35b are provided in the connection part 33, the mechanical robustness in the vicinity of the connection point 41 can be improved. Therefore, disconnection due to stress concentration can be prevented. Moreover, when the outer cylinder 36 of the connection part 33 has the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the outer cylinder 36 of the heater part 31, handling of the heater 3 becomes easy.

  It is preferable that the connection part 33 is located outside the insertion hole of the evaporation container 2 so that the temperature of the connection point 41 and the lead wire 38 does not rise too much. Thereby, the lifetime of the heater 3 can be extended. In addition, the heater 3 shown in FIG. 3 is only an example, and the kind of heater 3 is not specifically limited. For example, a planar heater can be used. Furthermore, the heating method of the evaporation container 2 is not limited to the method using the heater 3, and various heating methods such as light heating and induction heating can be adopted.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the opening of the evaporation container 2 is provided with a plurality of partition walls 6 that divide the opening as a vapor passage of the material 12 into a plurality of divided passages 7 a to 7 d. The partition wall 6 is a plate-like member, and two main surfaces of the partition wall 6 are parallel to the depth direction of the evaporation container 2. The depth direction of the evaporation container 2 means the moving direction of the material 12 from the inside of the evaporation container 2 to the outside. Each of the division passages 7a to 7c is formed between the partition walls 6 and 6 adjacent to each other, and has a slit shape in plan view. The division passage 7 d that is farthest from the center position O of the opening of the evaporation container 2 is formed between the partition wall 6 and the inner wall surface of the evaporation container 2. The plurality of partition walls 6 are arranged in parallel to each other along a specific direction AD inclined with respect to both the transport direction LD of the substrate 28 in the substrate transport mechanism 20 and the direction orthogonal to the transport direction LD. That is, when the evaporation container 2 is viewed in plan, the plurality of partition walls 6 extend in a direction orthogonal to the specific direction AD so as to bridge one inner wall surface and another inner wall surface of the evaporation container 2. Therefore, the division passages 7a to 7c also extend in a direction orthogonal to the specific direction AD.

  In the present embodiment, the opening of the evaporation container 2 has a rectangular shape in plan view. Therefore, the center position O coincides with the intersection of the diagonal lines of the opening in the plan view of the evaporation container 2.

  When the widths d1 to d4 of the division passages 7a to 7d in the specific direction AD are compared with each other, the width of the division passage at a position relatively far from the center position O of the opening portion of the evaporation container 2 is the opening portion of the evaporation container 2. It is wider than the width of the divided passage located at a position relatively close to the center position O. For example, the width d3 of the division passage 7c is wider than the width d2 of the division passage 7b and the width d1 of the division passage 7a. The width d2 of the division passage 7b is wider than the width d1 of the division passage 7a. The closer to the center position O, the narrower the widths d1 to d4 of the divided passages 7a to 7d.

  The divided passages 7a to 7d have conductances based on the physical shape of each passage. The vapor passage density per unit cross-sectional area of the divided passages 7a to 7d depends on conductance determined by the physical shape of each passage. In other words, the split passage having a large conductance per unit cross-sectional area can pass more vapor of the material 12 toward the substrate 28. Therefore, when the widths d1 to d4 of the divided passages 7a to 7d have the above-described relationship, the variation in film thickness in the width direction WD of the substrate 28 can be reduced. That is, it can be suppressed that the film is relatively thin at both ends of the substrate 28 and the film is relatively thick at the center of the substrate 28. This makes it possible to form a vapor deposition film on the substrate 28 having a small thickness variation in the width direction WD while taking advantage of the feature of the nozzle-type evaporation source 10 that allows the material 12 to be vapor deposited with high efficiency.

  The partition wall 6 reduces the cross-sectional area of the vapor passage of the material 12. Therefore, it is desirable that the area occupied by the partition wall 6 in the opening of the evaporation container 2 is small. Specifically, the width d1 of the division passage 7a located closest to the center position O of the evaporation container 2 is larger than the thickness t of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the specific direction AD. That is, the widths d1 to d4 of the plurality of divided passages 7a to 7d are larger than the thickness t of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the specific direction AD. In the present embodiment, the plurality of partition walls 6 have a constant thickness t. However, the thickness of the plurality of partition walls 6 may be different from each other. In this case, the width d1 of the dividing passage 7a is desirably larger than any of the thicknesses of the plurality of partition walls 6. By appropriately limiting the thickness t of the partition wall 6 and sufficiently securing the width of the dividing passages 7a to 7d, it is possible to achieve a desired deposition rate at a sufficient deposition rate without significantly increasing the vapor strength (amount) of the material 12. A thick deposited film can be formed.

  Specifically, the total width D (= d1 + 2 * d2 + 2 * d3 + 2 * d4) of the divided paths 7a to 7d is larger than the total thickness T (= 6 * t) of the partition walls 6. Desirably, the ratio (D / T) of the total thickness D of the divided paths 7a to 7d to the total thickness T of the partition walls 6 is 4 or more. For example, when the ratio (D / T) is 4, the occupied area of the partition wall 6 at the opening of the evaporation container 2 is approximately 20% of the opening area of the opening of the evaporation container 2. In this case, compared with the case where the partition wall 6 is not provided, the negative effect caused by the partition wall 6 can be offset by increasing the strength (amount) of the vapor of the material 12 to about 125% or more. Whatever material is used as the material 12, the vapor strength of the material 12 can be increased to 125% or more by setting the temperature of the evaporation container 2 to be about 10 ° C. higher. Therefore, when the ratio (D / T) is set to an appropriate range, the effect brought about by the technique disclosed in this specification can be sufficiently obtained.

  The thickness t of the partition wall 6 is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately set according to the opening area of the opening of the evaporation container 2 and the like. The thickness t of the partition wall 6 is in the range of 0.5 to 10 mm, for example. When the thickness t of the partition wall 6 is in an appropriate range, deformation and breakage of the partition wall 6 hardly occur due to repeated heating and maintenance. Furthermore, since the opening area of the effective opening can be sufficiently secured, not only a sufficient vapor deposition rate can be secured, but also variations in film thickness due to the thickness t of the partition wall 6 can be suppressed.

  In the depth direction of the evaporation container 2, the lower end of the partition wall 6 is located above the material 12 held in the evaporation container 2. In the depth direction of the evaporation container 2, the upper end of the partition wall 6 is at the same position as the opening end surface 2 p of the evaporation container 2. Each length L of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the depth direction of the evaporation container 2 is larger than the width d4 of the divided passage 7d located farthest from the center position O of the opening of the evaporation container 2 in the specific direction AD. The ratio (d4 / L) of the partition wall length L to the width d4 of the dividing passage 7d is, for example, in the range of 1/2 to 1/10. Of course, the length L of the partition wall 6 is larger than the widths d1 to d3 of the dividing passages 7a to 7c. According to such a configuration, the conductances of the divided passages 7a to 7d strongly depend on the widths d1 to d4 of the divided passages 7a to 7d. Therefore, it becomes easy to control the deposition amount of the material 12 on the substrate 28 by appropriately designing the widths d1 to d4 of the division passages 7a to 7d.

  The “upper end of the partition wall 6” means the end of the partition wall 6 on the side close to the transport path of the substrate 28, and the “lower end of the partition wall 6” means the end of the partition wall 6 far from the transport path of the substrate 28. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the angle θ formed by the specific direction AD and the transport direction LD of the substrate 28 is in the range of 10 to 60 degrees. When the angle θ is adjusted to an appropriate range, the effect of reducing the variation in film thickness in the width direction WD of the substrate 28 can be sufficiently obtained. Moreover, the effect of reducing the variation in film thickness based on adjusting the conductance of the divided passages 7a to 7d is enhanced. Furthermore, the thickness t of the partition wall 6 can be appropriately secured, and it is possible to prevent problems such as deformation of the partition wall 6 from occurring. The angle θ is an acute angle among the angles formed by the specific direction AD and the transport direction LD of the substrate 28.

  In the present embodiment, the partition wall 6 is made of the same material as the evaporation container 2. However, the material of the partition wall 6 may be different from the material of the evaporation container 2 due to workability, workability, and other reasons.

  The inner wall surface of the evaporation container 2 and the partition wall 6 are desirably heated to such an extent that the material 12 hardly accumulates. Since the evaporation container 2 has the heater 3, the surface temperature of the inner wall surface of the evaporation container 2 is sufficiently high. Further, since the partition wall 6 is in contact with the side wall portion of the evaporation container 2, the heat of the evaporation container 2 is easily transmitted to the partition wall 6. Specifically, each of the plurality of partition walls 6 is fixed to the side wall portion of the evaporation container 2, and the side wall portion of the evaporation container 2 has the heater 3. In the present embodiment, the heater 3 is fitted in each of a plurality of insertion holes formed in the bottom and side walls of the evaporation container 2. In other words, the heater 3 is built in the evaporation container 2. Accordingly, heat is transferred from the evaporation container 2 to the partition wall 6, and the partition wall 6 also has a sufficiently high temperature. Thereby, deposition of material on the inner wall surface of the evaporation container 2 and the partition wall 6 can be prevented, and as a result, the widths d1 to d4 of the divided passages 7a to 7d can be prevented from changing.

  The evaporation container 2 and the partition 6 may have individual heating mechanisms. This is effective not only for preventing the deposition of the material 12 on the inner wall surface and the partition wall 6 of the evaporation container 2 but also for adjusting or equalizing the radiant heat received by the substrate 28 in the width direction WD of the substrate 28. Also effective. Adjusting or equalizing the radiant heat received by the substrate 28 in the width direction WD advantageously works to make the film thickness uniform. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2D, the partition wall 6 may have a heater 8. The partition wall 6 can be directly heated by the heater 8. The heater 8 is a planar heater, for example. The heater 8 is desirably built in the partition wall 6 from the viewpoint of durability. The wiring of the heater 8 extends to the outside of the evaporation container 2 through a wiring hole (not shown) formed in the evaporation container 2 and can be connected to a power source.

  Further, it is not essential that the heaters 8 are built in all the partition walls 6. Even if the heater 8 is incorporated in at least one selected from the plurality of partition walls 6, the above-described effects can be obtained. For example, the heater 8 may be incorporated only in the partition wall 6 arranged at a position closest to the center position O of the opening of the evaporation container 2. Since the partition wall 6 arranged at a position closest to the center position O has a relatively large area, the heat of the evaporation container 2 is hardly transmitted. Therefore, it is desirable that the heater 8 is built in the partition wall 6 from the viewpoint of sufficiently obtaining the above-described effects.

  The kind of heater 8 is not specifically limited. As the heater 8, a resistance heating type heater, an induction heating type heater, or the like can be used. In some cases, the cylindrical heater 3 described with reference to FIG. 3 can also be used. Furthermore, the heating method of the partition 6 is not limited to the method using the heater 8, and various heating methods such as light heating and induction heating can be employed.

  Hereinafter, some modified examples of the evaporation source and the substrate transport mechanism will be described. Elements common to the evaporation source 10 shown in FIGS. 2A to 2D and the respective modifications are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. That is, the description regarding the evaporation source 10 can be applied to the following modifications as long as there is no technical contradiction. This also applies to the modified example of the substrate transport mechanism.

(Modification 1)
As shown in FIG. 4A, the evaporation source 10 </ b> A according to Modification 1 has the same structure as the evaporation source 10 described above except for the positions of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the depth direction of the evaporation container 2. Specifically, in the evaporation source 10 </ b> A, the upper ends 6 p of the plurality of partition walls 6 are at positions where they are pulled down from the opening end surface 2 p of the evaporation container 2 to the bottom side of the evaporation container 2. In the depth direction of the evaporation container 2, the positions of the upper ends 6p of the plurality of partition walls 6 coincide with each other. When such an evaporation source 10A is used in the vapor deposition apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, the positional relationship between the substrate 28 and the evaporation source 10A is as shown in FIG. 4B. That is, each shortest distance Z2 from the upper end 6p of the plurality of partition walls 6 to the substrate 28 (or the conveyance path of the substrate 28) is larger than the shortest distance Z1 from the opening end surface 2p of the evaporation container 2 to the conveyance path of the substrate 28.

  According to this modification, the partition 6 is disposed at a position that is moderately separated from the substrate 28. Therefore, it can suppress that the amount of vapor deposition falls and the effect which reduces the variation in film thickness is impaired by the shadow of the partition 6. Further, shortening the shortest distance Z1 between the opening end surface 2p of the evaporation container 2 and the substrate 28 is effective in preventing the vapor of the material from being scattered in a place other than the film formation region. Furthermore, since the partition walls 6 are hot during vapor deposition, the closer the partition walls 6 are to the substrate 28, the more radiant heat from the partition walls 6 to the substrate 28 increases. As in the present modification, by disposing the partition wall 6 at an appropriate distance from the substrate 28, radiation heat from the partition wall 6 to the substrate 28 can be reduced, so that the substrate 28 is not easily damaged by heat.

  The position of the upper end 6p of the partition wall 6 is adjusted so that the above-described effect can be sufficiently obtained. In one example, the position of the upper end 6p of the partition wall 6 can be determined so that the ratio (Z2 / Z1) of the shortest distance Z2 to the shortest distance Z1 satisfies 2 ≦ (Z2 / Z1) ≦ 10.

(Modification 2)
As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate transport mechanism 20 </ b> A according to this modification has a cylindrical can 26. The substrate 28 is transported along the cylindrical can 26. The evaporation source 10 </ b> A is disposed at a position sufficiently close to the cylindrical can 26. Specifically, the positional relationship between the cylindrical can 26 and the evaporation source 10 </ b> A is set so that a part of the cylindrical can 26 enters the opening of the evaporation container 2. As the substrate 28 passes over the evaporation source 10 </ b> A along the cylindrical can 26, the material 12 is deposited on the substrate 28. Although it is necessary to raise the temperature of the evaporation container 2 in order to perform high-speed film formation, there is a concern about thermal damage of the substrate 28. According to this modification, the heat of the substrate 28 can be released to the cylindrical can 26, which is advantageous for high-speed film formation. Instead of the evaporation source 10A, the evaporation source 10 described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2D can be used.

  In addition, the conveyance direction of the board | substrate 28 when the cylindrical can 26 is used shall correspond with the conveyance direction (longitudinal direction of the board | substrate 28) of the board | substrate 28 when the cylindrical can 26 is expand | deployed.

(Modification 3)
As shown in FIG. 6, the evaporation source 10 </ b> B according to this modification has the same structure as the evaporation source 10 </ b> A described above except for the positions of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the depth direction of the evaporation container 2. Specifically, in the evaporation source 10 </ b> B, the upper ends 6 p of the plurality of partition walls 6 are at positions where they are pulled down from the opening end surface 2 p of the evaporation container 2 to the bottom side of the evaporation container 2. The positions and dimensions of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the depth direction of the evaporation container 2 are adjusted so that the shortest distance Z4 from the upper end 6p of the partition wall 6 to the substrate 28 is constant. Specifically, the evaporation source 10 </ b> B is used together with the substrate transport mechanism 20 </ b> A having the cylindrical can 26. According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress variations in film thickness based on the difference in the shortest distance from the upper end 6p of the partition wall 6 to the substrate 28. In order to make the shortest distance Z4 from the upper end 6p of the partition wall 6 to the substrate 28 constant, the upper end surface of the partition wall 6 may have an arc shape. In this modification, the shortest distance Z4 is substantially equal to the shortest distance Z3 from the opening end surface 2p of the evaporation container 2 to the transport path of the substrate 28.

(Modification 4)
As shown in FIG. 7, the evaporation source 10 </ b> C according to the present modification has the same structure as the evaporation source 10 </ b> B described above, except for the positions of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the depth direction of the evaporation container 2. Specifically, in the evaporation source 10 </ b> C, the upper ends 6 p of the plurality of partition walls 6 are at positions where they are pulled down from the opening end surface 2 p of the evaporation container 2 to the bottom side of the evaporation container 2. The positions and dimensions of the plurality of partition walls 6 in the depth direction of the evaporation container 2 are adjusted so that the shortest distance Z4 from the upper end 6p of the partition wall 6 to the substrate 28 is constant. However, each shortest distance Z4 from the upper end 6p of the plurality of partition walls 6 to the transport path of the substrate 28 is larger than the shortest distance Z3 from the opening end surface 2p of the evaporation container 2 to the transport path of the substrate 28. The ratio (Z4 / Z3) of the shortest distance Z4 to the shortest distance Z3 can be adjusted in the same range as the ratio (Z2 / Z1) described above, for example.

  If the evaporation source 10C according to this modification and the cylindrical can 26 are used in combination, the same effect as that obtained by the evaporation source 10A described with reference to FIG. 4B can be obtained. That is, it can suppress that the amount of vapor deposition falls and the effect which reduces the variation in film thickness is impaired by the shadow of the partition 6. It is possible to prevent the vapor of the material 12 from scattering to a place other than the film formation region. The substrate 28 is not easily damaged by heat.

(Modification 5)
As shown in FIG. 8, the evaporation source 10 </ b> D according to this modification includes an evaporation container 2 </ b> A having an opening portion that faces in the horizontal direction. That is, it is not essential that the opening of the evaporation container 2 faces upward in the vertical direction as in the vapor deposition apparatus 100 shown in FIG. Even when the opening is oriented in the horizontal direction or the oblique direction, the effect of reducing the variation in film thickness can be obtained by the partition wall 6.

(Other variations)
The evaporation container is not limited to the one having a rectangular opening in plan view. For example, an evaporation container having an opening having another shape such as a circle, an ellipse, a rhombus, and a trapezoid in plan view can be used. In addition, the technique disclosed in this specification is not only a method for continuously forming a vapor deposition film on a long substrate 28 but also a vapor deposition film on a flat substrate (discrete substrate) sequentially. It can also be applied to the forming method. In the latter method, the flat substrate is transferred to a film formation region facing the opening of the evaporation source 10 (or 10A to 10D). By sequentially transporting a plurality of flat substrates to a film formation region facing the opening of the evaporation source 10 and sequentially retracting from the film formation region, a vapor deposition film can be formed with high productivity.

Example 1
Using the vapor deposition apparatus provided with the evaporation source described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2D, the film thickness distribution of the vapor deposition film when the vapor deposition film is continuously formed on the long substrate is examined by computer simulation. It was. That is, the thickness of the deposited film was calculated at a plurality of positions in the width direction of the substrate. The conditions used for the simulation are as follows. In addition, it was confirmed by the preliminary experiment using the actual vapor deposition apparatus provided with the evaporation source shown in FIG. 11 that the actual experimental result and the result of the computer simulation almost coincide.

  A copper foil having a width of 200 mm was used as the substrate. Lithium metal was used as the material to be deposited. The temperature of the heater was set by predicting the evaporation temperature under vacuum from the vapor pressure diagram of lithium metal as a material. The opening of the evaporation container had a size of 120 mm (conveying direction LD) × 160 mm (width direction WD). The partition wall thickness was 7 mm. The angle formed by the partition arrangement direction (specific direction) and the substrate transport direction LD was 55 degrees. The distance between the opening end face of the evaporation container and the substrate was 15 mm. The target film thickness of the vapor deposition film was set to 3 μm, and the transport speed of the substrate was adjusted so that lithium was deposited on the substrate at a rate of 50 nm / second. The results are shown in FIG.

(Example 2)
A simulation was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the evaporation source 10A described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B was used. The ratio (Z2 / Z1) was 2. The results are shown in FIG.

(Comparative example)
A simulation was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the evaporation source 50 shown in FIG. 11 was used. The evaporation source 50 has the same dimensions as the evaporation source 10 of Example 1 except that the partition wall 6 is not provided in the opening. The results are shown in FIG.

(Reference Example 1)
A simulation was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the evaporation source 52 shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B was used. The evaporation source 52 has the same dimensions as the evaporation source 10 of the first embodiment, except that each of the plurality of partition walls 6 is perpendicular to the substrate transport direction and parallel to the substrate width direction. The results are shown in FIG.

(Reference Example 2)
A simulation was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the evaporation source 54 shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B was used. The evaporation source 54 has the same dimensions as the evaporation source 10 of the first embodiment except that each of the plurality of partition walls 6 is parallel to the substrate transport direction and perpendicular to the substrate width direction. The results are shown in FIG.

(Reference Example 3)
A simulation was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1 except that the evaporation source 56 shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B was used. In the evaporation source 56, the plurality of partition walls 6 are arranged in parallel to each other along a specific direction AD that is inclined with respect to both the transport direction of the substrate and the direction orthogonal to the transport direction. However, the distance D between the partition walls 6 and 6 is constant. Except for this, the evaporation source 56 has the same dimensions as the evaporation source 10 of the first embodiment. The results are shown in FIG.

(Consideration of results)
9, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18, the horizontal axis represents the distance from the center of the substrate in the width direction. The vertical axis represents the ratio of the film thickness at each position to the film thickness at the center of the substrate.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the variation of the film thickness of the vapor deposition film produced using the evaporation source of the comparative example was large. In particular, the film thickness was small at both ends of the substrate. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, even when the partition walls were arranged in the opening of the evaporation container so as to be parallel to the width direction of the substrate, the variation in film thickness was not improved. Further, as shown in FIG. 16, when the partition walls are arranged in parallel to the substrate transport direction, the film thickness is significantly reduced in the vicinity of the partition walls. As described above, even when the partition walls are arranged in parallel with the width direction of the substrate or in parallel with the conveyance direction of the substrate, the variation in film thickness in the width direction of the substrate cannot be reduced.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 18, when the plurality of partition walls 6 are arranged in parallel to each other along the specific direction AD, a decrease in film thickness in the vicinity of the partition walls 6 was hardly confirmed. However, the film thickness variation in the width direction of the substrate was hardly improved from the comparative example (FIG. 12).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, by using the evaporation source of Example 1, the variation in film thickness in the width direction of the substrate could be greatly reduced. That is, by changing the distance between the partition walls along a specific direction without making them constant, the conductance of the vapor passage of the material is appropriately adjusted, thereby reducing the variation in film thickness in the width direction of the substrate. Further, since the partition walls are arranged along a specific direction inclined with respect to both the substrate transport direction and the width direction, the influence of the film thickness reduction due to the shadows of the partition walls can be almost eliminated.

  Further, as apparent from the comparison between FIG. 9 (Embodiment 1) and FIG. 10 (Embodiment 2), the shortest distance from the upper end of the partition wall to the substrate transport path is from the opening end surface of the evaporation container to the substrate transport path. By making it larger than the shortest distance, it was possible to further reduce the influence of film thickness reduction due to the shadow of the partition walls.

  The technique disclosed in this specification can be used for applications that require a deposited film having a uniform thickness. Specifically, the technology disclosed in the present specification can be employed in the manufacture of devices and functional thin films. Examples of such devices include an electrode plate for a lithium ion secondary battery, an electrode plate for an electrochemical capacitor, a capacitor, a solar cell, and various sensors. Examples of the functional thin film include a transparent electrode film, a decorative film, a magnetic tape, a gas barrier film, various optical films, and a hard protective film.

2,2A Evaporation container 2p Open end surface 3,8 Heater 6 Partition 6 Upper end 7a-7c of partition Wall 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D Evaporation source 12 Material 20, 20A Substrate transport mechanism 28 Substrate 100 Evaporator LD Transport direction WD Width direction AD Specific direction O Center position of opening

Claims (7)

A substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate;
An evaporation container for holding a material to be deposited on the substrate;
With
The opening of the evaporation container is provided with a plurality of partition walls that divide the opening into a plurality of divided passages,
The plurality of partition walls are arranged in parallel to each other along a specific direction inclined with respect to both the transport direction of the substrate and the direction orthogonal to the transport direction in the substrate transport mechanism,
When the widths of the plurality of division passages in the specific direction are compared with each other, the width of the division passage at a position relatively far from the center position of the opening of the evaporation container is the width of the opening of the evaporation container. The vapor deposition apparatus which is wider than the width of the division passage located at a position relatively close to the center position.   Each length of the plurality of partition walls in the depth direction of the evaporation container is larger than a width of the division passage located at a position farthest from the center position of the opening of the evaporation container in the specific direction. Item 2. The vapor deposition apparatus according to Item 1.   3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each shortest distance from an upper end of the plurality of partition walls to the substrate transport path is larger than a shortest distance from an opening end surface of the evaporation container to the substrate transport path.   The width | variety of the said division path in the position nearest to the said center position of the said opening part of the said evaporation container is larger than each thickness of the said several partition in the said specific direction, The any one of Claims 1-3 The vapor deposition apparatus of description. Each of the plurality of partition walls is fixed to a side wall portion of the evaporation container,
The vapor deposition apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4 in which the said side wall part of the said evaporation container has a heater.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one selected from the plurality of partition walls has a heater.   The vapor deposition apparatus of any one of Claims 1-6 which exists in the range which is 10-60 degree | times with the said specific direction and the said conveyance direction of the said board | substrate.

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