JP2014181375A - Functional film forming method and functional film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of forming a functional film on a surface of a sheet-like substrate by an aerosol deposition method (AD method).SOLUTION: A functional film forming method has: a decompressed space forming step of bringing a local decompression chamber which is capable of covering one or a plurality of functional film forming regions on a substrate into contact with the functional film forming regions on the substrate so as to cover them, and forming a local decompressed space in a local decompression chamber; a decompressing step of decompressing the local decompressed space; a film forming step of supplying a fine powder material to the local decompressed space in a decompressed state, spraying and colliding the fine powder material onto the substrate in high speed by an aerosol deposition method to fuse the material, and forming a functional film in the functional film forming region on the substrate; and a moving step of moving the local decompression chamber to the next functional film forming region. The functional films are sequentially formed on the substrate by repeating the decompressed space forming step, the decompressing step, the film forming step, and the moving step.

Description

  The present invention relates to a functional film forming method and a functional film forming apparatus for forming a functional film on a substrate.

  A panel used for a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or a plasma display, or a solar cell (PV) or an organic EL illumination has a function corresponding to each panel on a glass substrate or a film substrate. A functional film is formed. These functional films are manufactured by a wet film forming method in which a liquid functional film liquid is uniformly applied to a substrate, or a dry film forming method such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or sputtering. As an example, the slit nozzle coater shown in Patent Document 1 includes a die having a slit nozzle extending in one direction as a coating mechanism, and the die and the substrate are arranged in the coating film forming direction while discharging the coating liquid from the slit nozzle. By relatively moving, a substrate on which a coating liquid film having a uniform thickness is formed is manufactured.

  Such a slit nozzle coater requires drying and baking processes in order to finish the formed coating liquid film into a functional film. In particular, the baking process requires two steps before and after the exposure / development process, that is, a low temperature pre-bake before the exposure / development process and a high temperature post-bake after the exposure / development process.

  On the other hand, the dry film formation including CVD and sputtering shown in Patent Document 2 requires a vacuum apparatus, but does not require the drying process and baking process required for the coating film formation, and particularly uses the semiconductor itself or the semiconductor. Widely used in manufacturing processes such as displays.

JP 2002-66432 A JP-A-5-188399

  These conventional film formation techniques have the following problems. That is, in the wet film formation such as the slit nozzle coater, the drying process and the baking process are indispensable as described above. In these processes, particularly in the drying process, the drying is performed by the flow of the air stream containing the solvent evaporating from the coating liquid. Unevenness may occur. This phenomenon is particularly prominent when drying is performed rapidly. In addition, holding means such as pins are required to hold the substrate being dried or being transported, but due to differences in the heat capacity between the pins and the substrate, a thermal gradient occurs at the contact portion between the pins and the substrate, which also causes uneven drying. Cause.

  On the other hand, the above-mentioned problems do not occur in dry film formation such as CVD and sputtering, but a chamber that accommodates the entire substrate is necessary, and a substrate that is up to 3 m square like the present is used. This affects the price of equipment, and ultimately the price of the final product. Further, these dry film formations are inferior to the coating method such as the slit nozzle coater in the decompression time and film formation time of the large chamber, and improvement from this aspect is also desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and does not generate film formation defects such as drying unevenness, which is a problem in the coating method, and at the same time becomes a problem in the conventional dry film forming method. The present invention provides a film forming method and a film forming apparatus using the same, which can reduce the cost of the apparatus and significantly reduce the film forming time.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the functional film forming method of the present invention causes a fine powder material for forming a functional film on a substrate to collide with the substrate at high speed under a reduced pressure environment, and the fine powder is generated by collision energy. A functional film forming method for fusing a substrate to a substrate, wherein a local vacuum chamber capable of covering one or a plurality of functional film forming regions on the substrate is provided, and the functional film forming region on the substrate is disposed on the substrate. A decompression space forming step for forming a local decompression space in the local decompression chamber, a decompression step for decompressing the local decompression space, and the local decompression space in a decompressed state. Supplying the fine powder material, causing the fine powder material to be jetted and collided on the substrate at high speed by an aerosol deposition method, and forming a functional film on the functional film formation region on the substrate by fusing; Film formation process and Moving the local decompression chamber to the next functional film formation region, and sequentially functioning on the substrate by repeating the decompression space formation step, the decompression step, the film formation step, and the movement step. It is characterized by forming a conductive film. According to the above functional film forming method, a functional film can be formed without using a decompression chamber that covers the entire substrate, and without requiring a drying process and a baking process that are problematic in the wet coating method. The method can be realized.

  The functional film forming method of the present invention is further characterized in that, in the film forming step, control is performed so that the reduced pressure state of the local reduced pressure space is maintained at the reduced pressure state reached in the reduced pressure step. According to this method, it is possible to effectively prevent the outside air or the like from entering the chamber during film formation to deteriorate the reduced pressure state.

  The functional film forming method of the present invention further includes a reading step of reading a reference position provided on the substrate, and confirming a relative position between the substrate and the local decompression chamber from information obtained as a result, The local decompression chamber is moved to a predetermined position in a plane parallel to the substrate installation plane based on information obtained by the reading step in a plane parallel to the installation plane, and moved to the predetermined position. And a contact / separation step of moving the local decompression chamber to a predetermined height with respect to the substrate. According to this method, the functional film can be accurately formed at the film forming position on the substrate by accurately positioning the substrate and the local decompression chamber.

  Furthermore, the functional film forming method of the present invention further includes, in the film forming step, performing masking to prevent the fine powder material from adhering outside the functional film forming region on the substrate, thereby forming the functional film. It is characterized in that film formation with the fine powder material is possible only in the region. According to this method, it is possible to prevent the fine powder for functional film from adhering to other than the functional film forming region on the substrate.

  In addition, the functional film forming apparatus of the present invention has a seal at the end in contact with the substrate and covers a part of the substrate from above, thereby forming a local decompression chamber between the substrate and the local decompression chamber. And a drive unit that moves the local vacuum chamber and the substrate relative to each other, the local vacuum chamber having an aerosol supply means for supplying an aerosol containing a fine powder material for forming a functional film, and Pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure of the local reduced pressure space, and for forming a functional film in a functional film forming region on the substrate covered with the local pressure reducing chamber. According to this configuration, a functional film forming apparatus that exhibits the above-described effects can be provided.

  According to the functional film forming method and the functional film forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of defects such as drying unevenness, which has been a problem in the coating method, without increasing the cost of the apparatus. It is possible to realize formation of a functional film on a substrate with a reduced sex film time as a problem.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the film-forming principle used by this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the apparatus structure and connection of this invention. It is a figure which shows the functional film formation area on a board | substrate. It is a perspective view of the film-forming apparatus using the film-forming method of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the local pressure reduction chamber used by this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the seal part of the local decompression chamber of the present invention.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the principle of the functional film forming method of the present invention. The functional film forming method used in the present invention is an aerosol deposition method, commonly referred to as an AD method. In order to simplify the explanation, it will hereinafter be referred to as the AD method. In the AD method, fine powder 1 which is a raw material for film formation is mixed with high-pressure gas 35 to form aerosol 3, and collides with substrate 2 at a speed of 150 m / sec to 1000 m / sec. At the time of collision, the kinetic energy of the fine powder 1 is converted into collision energy and finally becomes thermal energy. The collision surface between the fine powder 1 and the substrate 2 is melted by this thermal energy, and the fine powder 1 is fused to the substrate 2. After the surface of the substrate 2 is covered with the fused fine powder 1, the fine powder 1 is fused and laminated on the fused fine powder 1 until a predetermined thickness is obtained in the same process, for example, as shown in FIG. A functional film is formed on the functional film formation region 4. Further, in order to keep the velocity of the aerosol 3 in the velocity range, the film formation process of the AD method is performed under a reduced pressure environment reduced to about several Torr. In addition, although the shape of the fine powder 1 is shown as a sphere in FIG. 1, any shape can be used in applying the AD method, and an indefinite shape is also included therein.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a functional film forming apparatus 10 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 schematically shows the entire configuration including a supply path of the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 of the functional film forming apparatus 10. It is the figure shown in. As shown in FIG. 4, the functional film forming apparatus 10 forms a functional film on a thin plate-like substrate 2 to be supplied. The functional film forming apparatus 10 includes a base 16, a table 12 on which the substrate 2 is placed, a gantry 20 that is configured to be movable in a certain direction with respect to the table 12 and includes a local decompression chamber 11, and the following: 2, an aerosol generator 30 for supplying an aerosol 3 containing a functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 to the local decompression chamber 11 as shown in FIG. And a vacuum pump 40 for reducing the pressure in the decompression chamber 11.

  In the following description, the direction in which the gantry 20 that holds the local decompression chamber 11 moves is the X-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to this in the horizontal plane is the Y-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to both the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The description will proceed with Z as the Z-axis direction.

  The base 16 of the functional film forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 4 supports each component, for example, the table 12 and the support portion 20, and is a material that is rigid and hardly affected by vibration, such as a stone. It is formed with. The table 12 is used to place and hold the loaded substrate 2 on the surface thereof, and is formed of a material that is also rigid and hardly affected by vibration, such as a stone. Specifically, the table 12 is formed with a plurality of suction holes (not shown) opened on the surface thereof, and these suction holes and a vacuum pump for table (not shown) are connected in communication. Yes. Then, by operating the vacuum pump with the substrate 2 placed on the surface of the table 12, a suction force is generated in the suction hole so that the substrate 2 is sucked and held by suction on the surface side of the table 12. It has become. Generally, in an apparatus using a vacuum chamber, electrostatic adsorption or mechanical holding means is used to hold a substrate in the chamber. This is because when the pressure in the chamber is reduced, the pressure difference with the substrate adsorption portion decreases and it becomes difficult to hold the substrate. However, in the present invention, since the pressure reduction is performed locally on a part of the substrate, The substrate can be held by the pressure difference of the suction part. Of course, the substrate holding may be performed by a method other than the vacuum adsorption. Further, the table 12 is provided with a substrate lifting mechanism for moving the substrate 2 up and down. That is, a plurality of pin holes (not shown) are formed on the surface of the table 12, and lift pins (not shown) that can be moved up and down in the Z-axis direction are embedded in the pin holes. Thus, by lifting the lift pins while the substrate 2 is placed on the surface of the table 12, the substrate 2 can be held at a predetermined height position with the tip portion of the lift pins in contact with the substrate 2. It has become.

  The substrate 2 is a thin plate made of glass, silicon, silicon carbide, or resin, and has a thickness of about 0.1 mm to several mm depending on the application. The functional film forming region 4 shown in FIG. It is defined by a bank (not shown). The substrate shape varies depending on the application, and a rectangular shape, a circular shape, or any other shape is used. In this embodiment, the description is made on the assumption that a rectangular substrate is used. The substrate 2 may have another functional film formed on the substrate by a previous process or may not be formed at all. However, since there is no influence on the implementation of the present invention, this embodiment particularly The explanation will be given without distinction.

  The gantry 20 is for injecting an aerosol 3 containing a functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 onto a substrate 2 placed on a table 12, a local decompression chamber 11 for injecting the aerosol 3, both end portions Support portions 20a and 20b, a stay 25 connecting the support portions 20a and 20b, and a Y-axis drive portion 22 for driving the local decompression chamber 11 in the Y-axis direction. The support portions 20a and 20b support the Y-axis drive unit 22 holding the local decompression chamber 11 so as to be able to move up and down, and move the local decompression chamber 11 in the X-axis direction. The main part of the part 14 and the Z-axis drive part 21 are provided. The Z-axis drive unit 21 moves the local decompression chamber 11 up and down, and has a ball screw mechanism (not shown) extending in the Z-axis direction and a slider (not shown) connected to the local decompression chamber 11. The slider is attached to the ball screw mechanism. A servo motor (not shown) is attached to the support portions 20a and 20b. By driving and controlling the servo motor and rotating the ball screw, the slider moves in the Z-axis direction. It can be stopped at the position. As a result, the local decompression chamber 11 is driven and controlled to move up and down in the Z-axis direction so that it can move toward and away from the table 12. In addition to the combination of the servo motor and the ball screw mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention, any drive mechanism capable of direct drive by a linear servo motor or other equivalent drive can be used for the Z-axis drive unit 21.

  The X-axis drive unit 14 is for driving the gantry 20 in the X-axis direction. The X-axis drive unit 14a and the air slider 17 installed on the support units 20a and 20b and the X installed on the base 16 are used. A rail 15 extending in the axial direction and a linear motor fixed rail 13 are included. Further, the X-axis drive device 14 causes an adsorption / repulsion action with a fixed magnet (not shown) of the drive device main body 14a by sequentially exciting and controlling the linear motor fixed rail 13 attached to the base 16. A driving force for moving the gantry 20 in the X-axis direction is generated. As the gantry 20 moves in the X-axis direction, the local decompression chamber 11 attached to the gantry 20 can also travel along the X-axis direction. The amount of movement (position) in the X-axis direction can be obtained from a precision scale (not shown) provided on the rail 15 or the base 16.

  The Y-axis drive unit 22 enables the local decompression chamber 11 to move in the Y-axis direction, and includes a drive source 22a and a Y-axis rail 23, and both end portions thereof are fixed to the support units 20a and 20b. ing. The drive source 22a is a servo motor, and the Y-axis rail 23 has a ball screw mechanism (not shown). The rotary drive force from the drive source 22a is converted into a linear drive force, and the holder 24 A local vacuum chamber 11 is held. Furthermore, the holder 24 is provided with a chamber rotation motor 26 that rotates the local decompression chamber 11 in the XY plane. Here, the movement amount (position) in the Y-axis direction can be obtained by an encoder incorporated in the drive source 22a.

  With the gantry 20 configured in this manner, the local decompression chamber 11 can move up and down in the Z-axis direction with respect to the surface of the table 12, and on the surface of the table 12 while maintaining a predetermined height from the surface of the table 12. Can be moved along the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The X-axis and Y-axis driving methods can be used as long as the same effect can be expected in addition to the embodiment of the present invention. As an example, the X-axis drive may be a combination of a servo motor and a ball screw. Further, the Y axis may be a linear motor drive, or a combination thereof.

  The aerosol 3 is supplied from the aerosol generator 30 (aerosol supply means) to the local decompression chamber 11 shown in FIG. The aerosol generator 30 includes a casing 31, a high-pressure gas supply pipe 37, a mesh 36, and an aerosol discharge pipe 38. The casing 31 is provided with a mesh 36 at an intermediate portion thereof, and the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 that is supplied does not block the jet port of the high-pressure gas supply pipe 37 and forms the functional film. The material (fine powder) 1 is separated by a mesh 36 having air permeability. The mesh 36 is a material that satisfies the requirements that the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 is not clogged and does not leak, can hold the weight of the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1, and has air permeability. Any material can be used. In the present invention, a porous material is used.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the local decompression chamber 11. The local decompression chamber 11 includes a chamber main body 50, a tip 51 of the aerosol discharge pipe 38, a spout 51 that ejects the aerosol 3, a seal 52 that maintains a decompressed state in the chamber, a distance sensor 53, an image sensor 54, and an exhaust port 55. It is configured. Further, the local decompression chamber 11 is provided with an exhaust pipe 41, and the inside of the local decompression chamber 11 can be decompressed by the vacuum pump 40 (decompression means) shown in FIG. Similarly, the exhaust pipe 41 is provided with a filter 42 shown in FIG. 2, which collects the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 that has become excessive when the functional film is formed, thereby protecting the vacuum pump 40. ing. The local decompression chamber 11 is configured to be rotatable in an XY plane by a chamber rotation motor 26. Thereby, the rotation direction error in the XY plane of the functional film forming region 4 and the local decompression chamber 11 can be corrected.

  Here, the local decompression chamber 11 will be described in detail. The chamber body 50 is a box having an opening on the lower side, which is composed of a top plate and a side plate, and forms a local decompression space between the substrate 2 and the substrate 2 by covering the substrate 2 from above. Further, the chamber body 50 is made of metal or resin and has a structure that can withstand pressure reduction by, for example, an aluminum alloy. On one side of the chamber body 50, the ejection port 51 is connected to the aerosol discharge pipe 38, while on the other side of the chamber body 50, an exhaust port 55 connected to the exhaust pipe 41 is provided. Here, the aerosol discharge pipe 38 and the exhaust pipe 41 preferably have a flexible structure in order to cope with the movement of the local decompression chamber 11. The jet outlet 51 to which the aerosol discharge pipe 38 is connected is disposed so as to be located at the approximate center on the XY plane of the chamber body 50, and the distance between the jet outlet 51 and the substrate 2 is set according to the film formation area. Yes. However, if it is determined that it is difficult to form a uniform film by using the single ejection port 51 by comparing the number of the ejection ports 51 with the number of functional film formation regions 4 that require film formation at a time, the ejection ports 51 It is also possible to adopt a structure in which a plurality of are provided. In this case, as long as the uniformity of the film thickness can be maintained even if the aerosol ejection regions overlap, the aerosol ejection regions may be arranged so as to overlap. Next, the shape of the jet outlet 51 and the cross-sectional shape of the pipe immediately before the jet outlet 51 are determined by the required flow velocity of the aerosol 3, for example, the flow velocity in the aerosol discharge pipe 38 for reasons such as fine powder material characteristics and film formation strength. If it is necessary to increase the injection speed and reduce the injection speed, unlike the embodiment, a Venturi tubular structure may be used. In general, the aerosol ejection speed in the AD method is 150 m / sec to 1000 m / sec, but in actual use, it is determined by the characteristics of the functional film material as described above. On the other hand, the vacuum pump 40 shown in FIG. 2 sucks the gas (mainly air) in the local decompression chamber 11 from the exhaust port 55 through the exhaust pipe 41, whereby the pressure in the local decompression chamber 11 is decompressed to a level of several Torr. By reducing the pressure in the local vacuum chamber 11 in this way, it is possible to prevent the aerosol 3 from decelerating due to collision with air molecules. Further, in order to maintain the local decompression chamber 11 in a decompressed state, a seal 52 is provided at the end of the chamber body 50 that contacts the substrate 2. The seal 52 may have any shape and material as long as it can maintain the above-mentioned reduced pressure state. For example, it may have the shape shown in (1) to (3) in FIG. The seal shape will be described in detail. The contact portion of the seal 52a in FIG. 6A is formed in a hollow shape, and can easily be deformed when the chamber and the substrate come into contact with each other to maintain the sealing performance. The seal 52b in FIG. 6 (2) has a cushion material 52c inside, and exhibits the same effect as the seal 52a. The seal 52d in FIG. 6 (2) is a lip-shaped seal, and the sealing performance can be maintained by bending easily when the chamber and the substrate come into contact with each other. The material of the seal 52 can be selected from a wide range, and can be any material as long as it has elasticity such as most types of rubber materials or resin materials having elasticity, and does not cause permanent deformation due to contact and separation of the chamber. Is available. The distance sensor 53 and the image sensor 54 are used for position control in the Z-axis direction and alignment with the film formation region, and will be described in detail later.

  Here, the functional film formation method in this invention is explained in full detail. When the substrate 2 is transported onto the table 12, it is sucked and fixed to the table 12 by a suction mechanism (not shown). Next, the gantry 20 moves, and an image of a positioning marking (not shown) marked on the substrate 2 is taken by the image sensor 54 provided in the local decompression chamber 11. The position of the substrate 2 on the table 12 is recognized by comparing the read value of the positioning marking with the read value of the encoder in the X direction and the Y direction, and the XY plane of the substrate 2 is read by reading the inclination of the positioning marking. The inclination can be recognized and the rotation can be corrected by the chamber rotation motor 26 (this is called a reading step). Thus, the local decompression chamber 11 can be accurately moved onto the functional film formation region of the substrate 2 by the position information and the inclination correction.

  When the local decompression chamber 11 moves to a predetermined position on the XY plane (this is referred to as a movement process), the distance between the local decompression chamber 11 and the substrate 2 is set to a predetermined numerical value using the distance sensor 53. The local decompression chamber 11 is lowered by the Z-axis drive unit 21 until it reaches (referred to as a contact / separation process), and the local decompression chamber and the substrate 2 are brought into contact with each other to form a local decompression space (decompression space formation) Called a process). The amount of descending is a region where the seal 52 is surely in contact with the substrate 2 and the elasticity of the seal 52 is not lost. This value is determined according to the seal shape and material. This value also depends on the process such as the ejection speed of the aerosol 3 and the film forming process conditions such as the required degree of vacuum.

  When the local decompression chamber 11 comes into contact with the substrate 2 and the lowering is completed, the vacuum pump 40 is activated and decompression in the local decompression chamber 11 is started (referred to as a decompression step). In the AD method, since a high vacuum is not required, the vacuum reaching value may be about several Torr. After the aerosol 3 is injected, the vacuum pump 40 sucks the gas containing the powder (the remaining part of the aerosol 3), so there is a risk of damage due to the powder. Therefore, the filter 42 is installed at an arbitrary position in the path of the exhaust pipe 41.

  When the decompression in the local decompression chamber 11 is completed, the high-pressure gas 35 supplied to the casing 31 through the high-pressure gas supply pipe 37 is supplied to the aerosol generator 30. The supply amount is adjusted by the regulator 32, and the gas is ejected to the bottom of the casing 31 partitioned by the mesh 36. The jetted high-pressure gas 35 passes through the mesh 36 and is stirred in the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 and the casing 31 to be aerosolized. The aerosol 3, which is a mixture of the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 and the high-pressure gas 35, passes through the ejection pipe 38 and is made constant by the classifier 33, and is then sent to the local decompression chamber 11.

  The aerosol 3 supplied to the local decompression chamber 11 is discharged to the substrate 2 from the ejection port 51, and a functional film is formed on the substrate 2 by the film formation mechanism shown in FIG. 1 (referred to as a film formation step). When the aerosol 3 is released, the pressure in the local decompression chamber 11 rises, and there is a possibility that the film forming mechanism shown in FIG. Therefore, the vacuum pump 40 operates even during the release of the aerosol 3, thereby maintaining the reduced pressure state in the local reduced pressure chamber 11 at a level necessary for the AD method. However, it is not preferable that the exhaust affects the flow of the aerosol 3. Therefore, it is desirable to install the exhaust port 55 at a position away from the jet port 51, and the suction speed (suction amount) by the vacuum pump 40 does not need to be set to the same setting as during decompression before the aerosol 3 is released. The release amount control of the aerosol 3 or the high-pressure gas 35 may be controlled based on observation of the state of the aerosol 3 by using an optical sensor or the like in the local decompression chamber 11. It is also possible to control the amount), for example to determine the release amount as a function of the release time. Of course, a method of keeping the release rate (release amount) constant can also be used. Which method is adopted is determined by conditions such as a film formation target.

  When the functional film is formed by the local decompression chamber 11, a plurality of functional film regions may be formed at the same time. In this case, if the film is formed including the region, the film is also formed in the functional film unnecessary region such as the partition wall, which may cause a problem. As described above, when a plurality of regions are simultaneously formed, the mask 56 shown in FIG. 5 can be used. The mask 56 may be a general material used in a photolithography process such as a metal plate etched or a hard glass material such as quartz. When adhesion of the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 on the mask becomes a problem, the charged polarity of the powder by aerosolization is measured, and a voltage having the same polarity is applied to the mask 56, so that it is applied onto the mask. Can be prevented or reduced. Alternatively, a voltage is applied to a location near the ejection port 51 in front of the ejection portion of the ejection port 51 or the ejection pipe 38, and a voltage of the same polarity is applied to the mask 56 in accordance with the charged potential of the aerosol 3 and the required narrowing of the mask 56. May be applied. When the powder containing the functional film forming material (fine powder) 1 adheres to some extent on the mask 56, it can be reused by removing the mask 56 and washing it with a solvent or the like.

  When the functional film is completely formed in one functional film region on the substrate 2. The valve (not shown) provided in the ejection pipe is closed to stop the supply of the aerosol 3, and then the valve (not shown) of the vent pipe 57 is opened to return the local decompression chamber 11 to atmospheric pressure. During this time, the vacuum pump 40 operates for a certain period of time to remove residual powder in the chamber. The residual powder may be removed by using a dedicated exhaust fan with a filter or a blower (not shown) instead of using the vacuum pump 40. When the inside of the local decompression chamber 11 returns to the atmospheric pressure and the residual powder in the chamber is removed, the Z-axis drive unit 21 operates to raise the local decompression chamber 11. When the elevation of the local decompression chamber 11 is completed, the X-axis drive unit 14 and the Y-axis drive unit 22 are then operated to move the local decompression chamber 11 to the next functional film formation region (referred to as a shift step). The same process is repeated after the movement is completed.

  When the functional film is formed in all functional film forming regions on the substrate 2, the substrate suction mechanism (not shown) of the table 12 is released, and the substrate lifting mechanism (not shown) is activated to lift pins (not shown). ) Rises and lifts the substrate 2, the substrate 2 is carried out to the next step by a transfer device such as a robot (not shown). Next, a new substrate is carried in and functional film formation is repeated.

  In the above embodiment, the table 12 is fixed and the gantry 20 moves. However, according to the spirit of the present invention, the opposite configuration, that is, the gantry 20 is fixed except for the Z-axis drive and the rotational direction drive. In addition, the table 12 on which the substrate 2 is installed may be driven in the XY axis direction. With this configuration, since the table 12 is driven in the XY axis direction, a moving space for about four substrates is required, and there is a disadvantage that the size of the apparatus and the installation area increase, but the gantry 20 Since it is not necessary to provide flexibility so that the piping of the local decompression chamber 11 can accommodate the movement for fixing, the piping can be fixed, so that there is an advantage that the design around the piping can be greatly simplified. These driving methods can be combined with each other. For example, the local decompression chamber 11 is further fixed in the Z-axis direction or the Z-axis and rotation direction, and the table 12 is driven in the Z-axis direction or the Z-axis direction and rotation direction. It is also possible. Alternatively, a configuration in which the local decompression chamber 11 is driven in the X-Y axis direction and the Z-axis direction is driven by a table, a configuration in which the local decompression chamber 11 is completely fixed, and driving in all axial directions is performed by the table 12, It is also possible to limit the drive of the table 12 to only the X axis or only the X axis and the rotation direction, and drive the remaining axes by the local decompression chamber 11. Which of these configurations is adopted may be determined according to constraint conditions such as substrate size, installation location restrictions, and required cycle time.

  As described above, by using the functional film forming method of the present invention and the film forming apparatus using the functional film forming method, a large substrate ranging from 3 m square to a small substrate of about several tens of cm square, and further arbitrary A functional film having a quality comparable to that of a conventional coating method can be formed without forming a functional film on a single-wafer substrate until a substrate having a shape is formed.

1 Functional film forming material (fine powder)
2 Substrate 3 Aerosol 4 Functional film forming region 10 Functional film forming apparatus 11 Local decompression chamber 12 Table 30 Aerosol generator 35 High pressure gas 40 Vacuum pump 50 Chamber body 51 Jet port 52 Seal 55 Exhaust port 56 Mask 57 Vent tube

Claims (5)

A functional film forming method of causing a fine powder material for forming a functional film on a substrate to collide with the substrate at high speed under a reduced pressure environment, and fusing the fine powder on the substrate by collision energy,
A local decompression chamber capable of covering one or a plurality of functional film forming regions on the substrate is brought into contact with the functional film forming region on the substrate so as to cover the functional film forming region, and the local decompression chamber is locally brought into the local decompression chamber. Forming a space, a decompression space forming step;
A decompression step of decompressing the local decompression space;
The fine powder material is supplied to the local decompression space in a reduced pressure state, and the functional film is formed on the substrate by spraying the fine powder material onto the substrate at high speed by an aerosol deposition method to cause collision. Forming a film in the functional film forming region; and
A shift step of moving the local vacuum chamber to the next functional film formation region;
And a functional film is formed on the substrate sequentially by repeating the reduced pressure space forming step, the reduced pressure step, the film forming step, and the shift step.   2. The functional film forming method according to claim 1, wherein in the film forming step, control is performed so that the reduced pressure state of the local reduced pressure space is maintained at the reduced pressure state reached in the reduced pressure step.   The reference position provided on the substrate is read, and the reading process for confirming the relative position between the substrate and the local decompression chamber from the information obtained from the result, and the reading process in a plane parallel to the substrate installation plane is obtained. The local decompression chamber is moved to a predetermined position in a plane parallel to the substrate installation plane based on the obtained information, and the local decompression chamber moved to the predetermined position is The functional film forming method according to claim 1, further comprising a contact / separation step of moving to a height.   In the film formation step, masking is performed to prevent the fine powder material from adhering outside the functional film formation region on the substrate, and the fine powder material can be formed only in the functional film formation region. The functional film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the functional film is formed. A local decompression chamber that forms a local decompression space with the substrate by having a seal at the end that contacts the substrate and covering a portion of the substrate from above;
A drive unit for relatively moving the local decompression chamber and the substrate;
With
The local decompression chamber has an aerosol supply means for supplying an aerosol containing a fine powder material for forming a functional film, and a decompression means for decompressing the local decompression space, and the local decompression chamber A functional film forming apparatus for forming a functional film in a functional film forming region on a substrate covered with.

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