JP2016130367A - Cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing organic light-emitting element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus that shortens the overall length of process facilities for manufacturing an organic light-emitting element.SOLUTION: A vapor deposition apparatus comprises a loading chamber, a transport chamber 21, and a plurality of clusters 20 connected to a process chamber 22 for vapor deposition and a buffer chamber 24 for transporting and rotating a substrate P, and the process chamber 22 comprises substrate support bases 221a, b supporting substrates P provided on both sides respectively, and a vapor deposition source 222 provided on a floor surface and moving reciprocally in a region below the substrate support bases 221a, b. A transfer unit 25 comprises: a substrate holder 251; an articulated link 252 for forward/backward movement which has a front end part 252a connected to the substrate holder 251; and a rotary link 253 which has one end part 253a connected to the center of the transport chamber 21 and the other end part 253b connected to a rear end part 252b of the articulated link 252, and is arranged in a transfer line for substrates orthogonal to a moving direction of the vapor deposition source 222 from the front end part 252a and rear end part 252b of the articulated link 252 and the front center of the substrate support bases.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device. In more detail, a cluster for manufacturing an organic light emitting device, in which a large number of process chambers, buffer chambers, and stock chambers are arranged around one transfer chamber to reduce the overall length of the process equipment for manufacturing the organic light emitting device. The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus of a type.

  The organic light emitting display device is a self-luminous display device that has not only a wide viewing angle and excellent contrast, but also has a high response speed. Has been.

  As is generally known, an organic electroluminescent element provided in an organic electroluminescent display device includes first and second electrodes (an anode electrode and a cathode electrode) facing each other and an intermediate layer formed between the electrodes. The intermediate layer can be provided with various layers, which can be constituted by, for example, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and the like.

  In manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device having the above-described structure, an organic thin film or an electrode such as a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer formed on a substrate is a vapor deposition apparatus. It can be formed by the vapor deposition method using.

  In general, the organic material deposition method is implemented by mounting a substrate in a vacuum chamber and then heating or heating a heating container containing a material to be evaporated to evaporate or sublimate the material to be evaporated. That is, a shadow mask having the same opening as the shape of the organic pattern to be formed on the substrate is aligned in front of the substrate, an organic material is evaporated or sublimated on the substrate, and an organic thin film or the like is deposited on the substrate. .

  As described above, in order to perform the organic deposition process on the substrate, the process chamber for performing the organic deposition process on the substrate, the transfer chamber for transferring the substrate to and out of the process chamber, and the substrate in the transfer chamber. There is a need for an organic deposition system comprised of a loading / unloading chamber or load lock chamber that performs loading or unloading.

On the other hand, recently, research is progressing to increase the yield of organic material deposition on a substrate by loading two substrates into the process chamber and performing the organic material deposition process on the two substrates simultaneously or sequentially. doing.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional general organic deposition system, FIG. 2 is a front view of a process chamber for performing an organic deposition process on two substrates, and FIG. 3 shows a substrate alignment process of a conventional process chamber. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional general organic deposition system includes loading / unloading chambers 1a and 1b disposed at both ends of a manufacturing process so as to load or unload a substrate P. The plurality of clusters 2 are arranged in a row between the loading chamber 1a and the unloading chamber 1b. Each cluster 2 includes a process chamber 120 in which an organic substance deposition process is performed on two substrates P and the process chamber. The transfer chamber 130 is configured to load / unload the substrate P onto / from the substrate 120.

  On the other hand, an opening / closing door is provided between the loading / unloading chambers 1a and 1b and the transfer chamber 130, and an opening / closing door is also provided between the transfer chamber 130 and the process chamber 120 to maintain a vacuum. In this state, the substrate P is transferred.

  Substrate support bases 121a and 121b for supporting the substrate P are disposed on both sides of the process chamber 120, respectively, and the substrate support bases 121a on both sides for depositing organic substances on the substrate P are disposed on the inner floor surface. , 121b is configured to reciprocate in the horizontal direction in the lower regions of the substrate support bases 121a, 121b on both sides by the transfer means 123.

On the two substrates P transferred into the process chamber 120 configured as described above, the organic material evaporated from the organic material deposition source 122 disposed on the floor side of the process chamber 120 is deposited.
Therefore, the organic thin film can be deposited simultaneously or sequentially on the two substrates P supported by the substrate supporters 121a and 121b disposed on the one side and the other side in the process chamber 120.

  On the other hand, the two substrates P transferred into the process chamber 120 are transferred by a transfer unit 140 disposed in the transfer chamber 130, and the transfer unit 140 has a rear end portion 141 that can be rotated to the center of the transfer chamber 130. The substrate holder 144 of the distal end portion 143 is configured to move forward and backward from the center point C1 of the transfer chamber 130 while the joint portion 142 is folded. Accordingly, the substrate P transferred by the transfer unit 140 moves back and forth radially from the center point C1 of the transfer chamber 130.

  Therefore, the substrate P is disposed in the process chamber 120 so that the substrate P is disposed in the direction in which the transfer unit 140 is carried in and out, or in the direction in which the deposition source 122 is moved. A rotation unit 124 for rotating the support bases 121a and 121b is provided.

  That is, the conventional vapor deposition apparatus rotates the substrate P in parallel with the direction A1 in which the vapor deposition source 122 moves by using the rotation unit 124 in the process of carrying the substrate P into or out of the process chamber 120, or a robot arm. Therefore, the process unit and the process control become complicated, and the rotation unit 124 for rotating the substrate supporters 121a and 121b in the process chamber 120 where the vapor deposition is performed is required. Since it has to be installed, there is a problem that the number of maintenance / repair items increases as well as a configuration for preventing the vapor deposition material from being deposited on the rotating unit 124.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and an organic light emitting device is provided by arranging a number of process chambers, buffer chambers and stock chambers around one transfer chamber. An object of the present invention is to provide a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device capable of reducing the overall length of manufacturing process equipment.

  In addition, by making the substrate loading / unloading direction of the process chamber not to be directed to the center of the transfer unit, a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device that can freely design a cluster constituting the process equipment is provided. It is to provide.

  Further, since the configuration for aligning the moving direction of the transfer unit and the loading / unloading direction of the substrate in the process chamber as in the conventional case can be omitted, the process and process control are simplified, and the entire manufacturing process line It is an object to provide a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device capable of minimizing maintenance and repair items that must be stopped and the vacuum of the process chamber must be released.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a loading chamber for supplying a substrate for an organic light emitting device, a transfer chamber having a transfer unit for transferring a substrate, and the transfer chamber for performing deposition upon receiving a substrate from the loading chamber. A plurality of clusters connected to a buffer chamber for transporting and rotating the substrate, and the process chambers are provided on both sides inside the process chamber, and each of the substrates is disposed on the substrate. A substrate support for supporting, and a deposition source that is provided on the floor inside the process chamber and reciprocates in lower regions of the substrate support on both sides to deposit organic matter on the substrate, the transfer unit comprising: A substrate holder and a forward / backward multi-piece whose front end is connected to the substrate holder. A node link, one end is connected to the center of the transfer chamber, the other end is connected to a rear end of the articulated link, and the tip and rear ends of the articulated link are connected to the substrate support base. This is achieved by a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device, which includes a rotation link arranged to be arranged on a transfer line of the substrate perpendicular to the moving direction of the vapor deposition source from the front center.

Here, the rear end portion of the multi-joint link rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotation link with respect to the rotation of the one end portion of the rotation link, and the rear end portion of the multi-joint link The rotation angle of the rotation link is preferably the same as the rotation angle of the rotation link.
Moreover, it is preferable that a large number of the process chambers are arranged around the transfer chamber, and a plurality of stock chambers can be further provided along the periphery of the transfer chamber.

  According to the present invention, for manufacturing an organic light emitting device, a plurality of process chambers, buffer chambers, and stock chambers can be arranged around one transfer chamber to reduce the overall length of the process equipment for manufacturing the organic light emitting device. A cluster type deposition apparatus is provided.

  In addition, since the articulated link of the transfer unit can be moved from the center of the transfer chamber by the rotation link and placed on the front of the substrate support on both sides of the process chamber, the substrate loading / unloading direction of the process chamber can be changed. It is not necessary to face the center of the transfer unit, thereby providing a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device in which a cluster constituting the process equipment can be freely designed.

  Further, since the configuration for aligning the moving direction of the transfer unit and the loading / unloading direction of the substrate in the process chamber can be omitted as in the prior art, the process and process control are simplified, and the entire manufacturing process is performed. Provided is a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device capable of minimizing the maintenance and repair items that require the line to be stopped and the process chamber vacuum to be released.

It is a top view which shows the conventional general organic substance vapor deposition system. It is a front block diagram which shows the process chamber which performs the organic substance vapor deposition process with respect to two board | substrates. It is an operation view showing a substrate alignment process of a conventional process chamber. It is a top view which shows the cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for organic light emitting element manufacture which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front block diagram which shows the process chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. It is an enlarged view which shows the cluster of the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. FIG. 5 is an operation diagram illustrating a substrate loading / unloading process of a process chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an operation diagram illustrating a substrate loading / unloading process of a process chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an operation diagram illustrating a substrate loading / unloading process of a process chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is an operation diagram illustrating a substrate loading / unloading process of a process chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 4.

Prior to the description, in various embodiments, components having the same configuration will be described in a representative embodiment using the same reference numerals, and in other embodiments, a representative embodiment. A different configuration will be described.
Hereinafter, a cluster type deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  4 is a plan view of a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a front view of a process chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a cluster of the vapor deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the vapor deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment includes loading / unloading chambers 10a and 10b disposed at both ends so as to supply and recover a substrate P for manufacturing an organic light emitting device, and loading A plurality of clusters 20 are provided between the loading / unloading chambers 10a and 10b so as to process the substrate P supplied from the chamber 10a for each manufacturing process. Although FIG. 4 illustrates that four clusters 20 are arranged, the number of clusters 20 can be changed as necessary.

  Each cluster 20 includes a transfer chamber 21, a process chamber 22, a stock chamber 23, and a buffer chamber 24.

  The transfer chamber 21 is disposed in the central portion of the cluster 20 and is connected to the loading / unloading chambers 10 a and 10 b or the adjacent cluster 20 via the buffer chamber 24. On the substrate P, a number of thin films constituting an organic light emitting element are sequentially deposited while passing through a number of process chambers 22 arranged around the transfer chamber 21 by a transfer unit 25 arranged at the center of the transfer chamber 21. The

  One or more process chambers 22 exist per one cluster 20 and are located around the transfer chamber 21. Each of the process chambers 22 includes different types of vapor deposition sources in order to deposit different vapor deposition layers on the substrate P.

  The process chamber 22 is maintained in a vacuum inside, and includes substrate support bases 221a and 221b that support the respective substrates P on both sides of the process chamber 22, and an organic substance is placed on the substrate P on the floor surface inside the process chamber 22. In order to perform the vapor deposition, a vapor deposition source 222 that reciprocates in the horizontal direction by the driving means 223 is provided in the lower region of the substrate support tables 221a and 221b on both sides.

  According to the cluster type vapor deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device of the present invention as described above, a large number of process chambers 22, buffer chambers 24, and stock chambers 23 are arranged around one transfer chamber 21, and the entire process is performed. The length of equipment can be reduced.

  However, the process chamber 22 is configured such that the deposition source 222 reciprocates in a direction normal to the process chamber on the inner floor surface, and the substrate support tables 221a and 221b on both sides of the process chamber 22 have one side of the substrate P Since it is configured to be arranged in parallel with the moving direction of the vapor deposition source 222, when the substrate P is loaded / unloaded on the front surface of the substrate support bases 221 a and 221 b, the transfer direction of the substrate P is the transfer chamber 21. You will be off the center.

  Specifically, the transfer line for loading / unloading the substrate P to / from the substrate support bases 221a and 221b on both sides is from the front center of the substrate support base 221a on the one side to the transfer direction of the deposition source 222. A transfer line (hereinafter referred to as a substrate transfer line L1 of the substrate support base 221a on one side) and a substrate transfer line (hereinafter referred to as a substrate on the other side) perpendicular to the transfer direction of the vapor deposition source 222 from the front center of the substrate support base 221b on the other side. The substrate transfer line L2) of the support table 221b is configured, and the substrate transfer line L1 of the substrate support table 221a on one side and the substrate transfer line L2 of the substrate support table 221b on the other side are based on the center of the transfer chamber 21. Are arranged side by side on both sides.

  In addition, the buffer chamber 24 and the stock chamber 23 installed around the transfer chamber 21 together with the process chamber 22 are such that the transfer direction of the substrate P for loading / unloading the substrate P intersects the center point C <b> 1 of the transfer chamber 21. become.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the transfer unit 25 includes the substrate transfer lines L1 and L2 of the substrate support table 221a on one side of the process chamber 22 and the substrate support table 221b on the other side, the buffer chamber 24, and the stock chamber 23. It moves forward and backward along the substrate transfer line, and includes a substrate holder 251, an articulated link 252 for forward and backward movement in which the tip 252 a is connected to the substrate holder 251, and one end 253 a at the center of the transfer chamber 21. The other end portion 253b is connected to the rear end portion 252b of the articulated link 252, and the articulated link 252 is arranged on a line perpendicular to the moving direction of the deposition source 222 from the front center of the substrate support bases 221a and 221b. The rotation link 253 is configured to be configured.

  A process of loading / unloading the substrate P into / from the process chamber 22 using such a transfer unit 25 is as follows.

  Among the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 7 to 10 are operation diagrams illustrating the process of carrying in / out the substrate P in the process chamber 22 of the vapor deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, the multi-joint link 252 has an intermediate joint portion 252c with a front end portion 252a and a rear end portion 252b arranged on a substrate transfer line L1 of the substrate support base 221a on one side. By rotating, the substrate holder 251 at the front end 252a advances from the internal space of the transfer chamber 21 to the substrate support 221a inside the process chamber 22 along the substrate transfer line L1, or the substrate holder 251 at the front end 252a moves to the process. The substrate 22 moves backward from the substrate support 221 a inside the chamber 22 to the internal space of the transfer chamber 21.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the rotation link 253 of the transfer unit 25 supports the substrate on one side of the process chamber 22 in order to carry the substrate P in or out of the substrate support table 221 b on the other side of the process chamber 22. When rotating from the table 221 a toward the other substrate support table 221 b, the articulated link 252 rotates in the internal space of the transfer chamber 21 together with the rotation link 253. At this time, the rotation angle A of the rotation link 253 is such that the other end 253b of the rotation link 253 connected to the rear end 252b of the articulated link 252 is the same as the substrate transfer line L1 of the substrate support 221a on one side. The angle is set from the overlapping point to the point overlapping with the substrate transfer line L2 of the substrate support base 221b on the other side.

  9, the rear end portion 252b of the articulated link 252 connected to the other end portion 253b of the rotation link 253 rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation link 253, and the front end portion 252a The rear end 252b is arranged on the substrate transfer line L2 of the other substrate support base 221b. At this time, the rotation angle A of the rear end portion 252b of the articulated link 252 connected to the other end portion 253b of the rotation link 253 is set to be the same as the rotation angle A of the one end portion 253a of the rotation link 253. As described above, when the rear end 252b of the articulated link 252 connected to the other end 253b of the rotation link 253 rotates in the direction opposite to the one end 253a of the rotation link 253, the tip of the articulated link 252 The rotation centers of 252a and the rear end 252b are respectively arranged on the substrate transfer line L2 of the substrate support base 221b on the other side.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, when the intermediate joint portion 252c of the multi-joint link 252 is driven to rotate, the substrate holder 251 connected to the distal end portion 252a of the multi-joint link 252 becomes the substrate support base 221b on the other side. The substrate P can be moved forward or backward on the substrate transfer line L2 and the substrate P can be loaded into or unloaded from the other substrate support base 221b.

  On the other hand, in FIGS. 8 and 9, in order to understand the drive of the rotation link 253, the rotation of the one end 253 a of the rotation link 253 and the rotation of the rear end 252 b of the articulated link 252 are sequentially performed. As described above, it is preferable that the one end portion 253a of the rotation link 253 connected to the center of the transfer chamber 21 and the rear end portion 252b of the articulated link 252 are set to be driven to rotate simultaneously.

  In the present embodiment, the transfer unit 25 is directly moved in the substrate transfer direction L2 of the substrate support table 221b on the other side while the transfer unit 25 is positioned in the substrate transfer direction L1 of the substrate support table 221a on one side of the process chamber 22. However, this is only an example for explaining the operation of the transfer unit 25, and does not limit the driving order. That is, the substrate P is carried into the transfer chamber 21 from the buffer chamber 24 located on one side for smooth progress of the deposition process, and the substrate P is transmitted to the substrate support 221a on one side of the process chamber 22. When the substrate P is transferred from the buffer chamber 24 on one side to the inside of the transfer chamber 21 and transferred to the substrate support 221 b on the other side of the process chamber 22, the deposition is completed in the process chamber 22. The substrate P is unloaded from the substrate support 221a on one side, the substrate P is transferred to the buffer chamber 24 on the other side, and the substrate P is unloaded from the substrate support 221b on the other side again. The drive can be controlled to transmit the substrate P to 24.

  Similarly, when the mask arranged inside the process chamber 22 is to be replaced, the mask is taken out from the stock chamber 23 located on one side of the transfer chamber 21 using the transfer unit 25, and the corresponding process chamber. It is also possible to carry it in to the substrate support bases 221 a and 221 b of 22, or on the contrary, take out the mask in the process chamber 22 and drive it to the stock chamber 23.

  According to the present embodiment, since the substrate P or the mask can be transferred using one transfer unit 25 in the above-described deposition process of the substrate P and the mask replacement process, the process equipment can be simplified. Can do.

  In particular, the articulated link 252 of the transfer unit 25 can be moved from the center of the transfer chamber 21 by the rotation link 253 and disposed on the front surfaces of the substrate support tables 221a and 221b on both sides of the process chamber. The substrate P loading / unloading direction may not be directed to the center of the transfer unit. Therefore, the design of the cluster 20 constituting the process equipment becomes free, and the rotation unit for aligning the moving direction of the transfer unit and the loading / unloading direction of the substrate in the process chamber can be omitted as in the prior art. The maintenance and repair items that require the entire manufacturing process line to be stopped and the vacuum in the process chamber 22 to be released can be minimized.

  The scope of the right of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims. Without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the scope of claims, any person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the invention pertains can describe various claims that can be modified. Considered to be within range.

10a, 10b Loading / unloading chamber 20 Cluster 21 Transfer chamber 22 Process chamber 221a, 221b Substrate support table 222 Deposition source 223 Transfer means 23 Stock chamber 24 Buffer chamber 25 Transfer unit 251 Substrate holder 252 Articulated link 252a Front end 252b Rear end Part 252c intermediate joint part 253 rotation link 253a one end part 253b other end part P substrate

Claims (3)

A loading chamber for supplying a substrate for an organic light emitting device;
Each of the apparatus includes a transfer chamber having a transfer unit for transferring a substrate and a process chamber disposed around the transfer chamber so as to perform deposition upon receiving a substrate from the loading chamber, and transfers and rotates the substrate. A plurality of clusters connected to the buffer chamber,
The process chamber is provided on both sides inside the process chamber and supports the substrate, and the substrate support is provided on both floors inside the process chamber to deposit organic substances on the substrate. A vapor deposition source that reciprocates in the lower region of the table,
The transfer unit includes a substrate holder, a multi-joint link for forward and backward movement whose front end is connected to the substrate holder, one end connected to the center of the transfer chamber and the other end is a rear end of the multi-joint link. Rotating so that the tip and rear ends of the articulated link are arranged on a transfer line of the substrate perpendicular to the moving direction of the deposition source from the front center of the substrate support. A cluster-type deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light-emitting element, comprising a link.   The rear end portion of the multi-joint link rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotary link with respect to the rotation of the one end portion of the rotary link, and the rotation angle of the rear end portion of the multi-joint link The cluster type deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation type rotates at the same angle as the rotation angle of the rotation link. A number of the process chambers are arranged around the transfer chamber,
The cluster type deposition apparatus for manufacturing an organic light emitting device according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of stock chambers arranged around the transfer chamber.

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