JP2021031753A - Vapor deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a configuration that can constantly monitor a vapor deposition rate without causing increase in size of an apparatus in a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus that includes multiple vapor deposition sources and shutters corresponding to the respective vapor deposition sources.SOLUTION: A vapor deposition apparatus includes vapor deposition sources 1, 2 and shutters 5, 6 for controlling the vapor deposition sources 1, 2 to perform vapor deposition or not. The vapor deposition apparatus disposes the shutters 5, 6 so as to be positioned in mutually different heights and to overlap on each other in an open state. The vapor deposition apparatus includes a partition wall 12 that partitions between the shutters 5, 6 in the open state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus including a plurality of vapor deposition sources.

In recent years, an organic light emitting element has attracted attention as a light emitting element capable of high-luminance light emission by low voltage drive. Organic materials constituting such light emitting devices include polymers and low molecules. A light emitting device using a low molecular weight material is usually formed by a vacuum vapor deposition method. The organic light emitting device is composed of a plurality of functional layers, and the functional layers include a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and the like, and these are sequentially vapor-deposited between the anode and the cathode. Is formed by.
Generally used vapor deposition equipment includes in-line type and cluster type. The in-line type is suitable for film formation of large-format substrates, while the cluster type can be used for various applications from small to large substrates. Further, even if the layer structure of the light emitting element is changed, it is easy to add a vapor deposition chamber, and it is possible to flexibly respond to it. In a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus, it is basically desirable to provide a chamber for each layer in consideration of cross-contamination, tact, and the like. However, in order to reduce the equipment cost and reduce the number of vapor deposition chambers for miniaturization of the equipment, or to simultaneously deposit a plurality of materials, different materials may be deposited in the same chamber. ..
Patent Document 1 discloses a cluster-type vapor deposition apparatus provided with a plurality of vapor deposition sources. In such a vapor deposition apparatus, shutters are arranged at each vapor deposition source, and by opening and closing the shutters, vapor deposition / non-depositionation Is in control.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-124440

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, in an in-line type vapor deposition apparatus having a plurality of vapor deposition sources, the selection of the vapor deposition source is controlled by opening and closing the shutter.
On the other hand, when a plurality of layers are sequentially formed in one vapor deposition chamber, it is desirable to constantly measure and control the vapor deposition rate with a monitor so that the vapor deposition rate of each vapor deposition source does not fluctuate in order to shorten the tact. However, when the shutter is close to the vapor deposition source, when the shutter is closed, the shutter interferes and the vapor deposition rate cannot be monitored by the film thickness sensor. Therefore, in order to monitor the deposition rate even when the shutter is closed, it is necessary to move the shutter away from the deposition source to some extent. Then, in order to prevent the evaporation from the vapor deposition source from adhering to the substrate to be vapor-deposited when the shutter is closed with the shutter away from the vapor deposition source, it is necessary to increase the size of the shutter.
When the size of the shutter is increased, it is necessary to widen the distance between adjacent vapor deposition sources so that the shutters do not interfere with each other when a plurality of shutters are opened at the same time, which causes a problem that the size of the vapor deposition chamber is increased. ..
An object of the present invention is a configuration in which a cluster-type vapor deposition apparatus having a plurality of vapor deposition sources and shutters corresponding to individual vapor deposition sources can constantly monitor the vapor deposition rate without inviting an increase in size of the apparatus. Is to provide.

The present invention is a thin-film deposition apparatus including two thin-film deposition sources arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and two shutters arranged above the openings of the two thin-film deposition sources.
The two shutters have different heights and open and close by moving in the horizontal direction, and have regions that overlap each other in the open state in a plan view from the vertical direction.
It is characterized by having a partition wall separating the two shutters in the overlapping region.

According to the present invention, by providing the two shutters at different heights, they do not interfere with each other even when both shutters are open. Therefore, even if the shutter is separated from the vapor deposition source and the shutter itself is enlarged, it is not necessary to widen the distance between the two vapor deposition sources, and there is no risk of increasing the size of the apparatus. Further, by providing a partition wall between the two shutters, inconveniences such as cross contamination due to different shutter heights can be suppressed.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of one Embodiment of the vapor deposition apparatus of this invention. It is a plan schematic view which looked at the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 1 from above. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the other embodiment of the vapor deposition apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the conventional thin-film deposition apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the vapor deposition apparatus which made the 1st and 2nd shutters different heights from each other. It is sectional drawing which shows the generation process of contamination in the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG.

The vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention is a cluster type vapor deposition apparatus having a plurality of vapor deposition sources and shutters corresponding to the individual vapor deposition sources. The present invention is characterized in that the heights of the two shutters corresponding to the two vapor deposition sources are configured to be different from each other, and a partition wall is provided between the two shutters in the overlapping region of these shutters. ..

First, a conventional thin-film deposition apparatus having a plurality of thin-film deposition sources and a shutter will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the vapor deposition chamber 100 of the conventional cluster type vapor deposition apparatus, and shows only the main constituent members. In the figure, reference numerals 1 and 2 are vapor deposition sources, which are arranged at a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction and have crucibles 1a and 2a having openings above them, respectively. Heaters 1b and 2b are arranged on the outer periphery of the crucibles 1a and 2a, and the heaters 1b and 2b heat the crucibles 1a and 2a to evaporate the vapor deposition materials 1c and 2c stored in the crucibles 1a and 2a. It can be scattered upward. The vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 have members such as a reflector and a thermocouple (not shown) in addition to the members shown in the figure.

A substrate holder 20 is rotatably attached to the ceiling of the vapor deposition chamber 100 by a rotating shaft 20a, a substrate 9 to be deposited is attached to the lower surface of the substrate holder 20, and a mask 10 is attached to the surface (lower surface) side to be deposited. Has been done. At the time of vapor deposition, the substrate 9 to be vapor-deposited rotates in the surface to be vapor-deposited, and the evaporated products from the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 are deposited on the openings of the mask 10.

Shutters 5 and 6 that prevent evaporation of evaporation from each of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 on the substrate 9 to be vapor-deposited are arranged. The shutters 5 and 6 are rotated by the support members 5a and 6a, respectively, and the positions shown by the solid lines in FIG. 4 are in the open state and the positions shown by the broken lines 5b and 6b are in the closed state. In the closed states 5b and 6b, the shutters 5 and 6 block between the openings of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 and the film-deposited substrate 9, respectively, to prevent the evaporated matter from scattering to the film-deposited substrate 9. Therefore, in the thin-film deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 4, the vapor deposition on the substrate 9 to be vapor-deposited can be controlled by opening and closing the shutters 5 and 6. For example, when only one of the vapor deposition materials 1c and 2c is vapor-deposited, the shutter on one side thereof is in the open state and the shutter on the other side is in the closed state. Further, if the vapor deposition is performed with both the shutters 5 and 6 open, the vapor deposition materials 1c and 2c can be co-deposited.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 11 denotes a partition plate that partitions the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 from each other in the horizontal direction. Further, 7 and 8 are monitors for measuring the vapor deposition rates of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2, respectively. Here, when the shutters 5 and 6 are close to the openings of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 in the closed state, the monitors 7 and 8 are blocked by the shutters 5 and 6 in the closed state, and the vapor deposition rates of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 are set. Cannot measure. If the shutters 5 and 6 are arranged away from the openings of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2, the monitors 7 and 8 measure the vapor deposition rate from the gap between the shutters 5 and 6 and the openings of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2. Can be done. However, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, since the scattering region of the evaporated material expands from the openings of the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 toward the substrate 9 to be vapor-deposited, the shutters 5 and 6 are separated from the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2. It is necessary to enlarge the shutters 5 and 6 as much as possible. Since the shutters 5 and 6 approach each other in the open state, if the shutters 5 and 6 are enlarged, the gap between the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 needs to be widened, and the vapor deposition chamber 100 needs to be enlarged.

In the present invention, as a first feature, the shutters 5 and 6 are arranged apart from the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 so that the monitors 7 and 8 can measure the vapor deposition rate even when the shutters 5 and 6 are closed. To do. Naturally, it is necessary to increase the size of the shutters 5 and 6, but as shown in FIG. 5, the heights of the shutters 5 and 6 are different from each other, and the shutters 5 and 6 are arranged so as to overlap each other in the open state. There is no need to increase the interval between 1 and 2.

However, it has been found that when the heights of the shutters 5 and 6 are different from each other, cross contamination is likely to occur between the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2. The cross-contamination in the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 6 illustrates only the members necessary for explaining the vapor deposition apparatus having the same configuration as that of FIG.

Evaporates from the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 adhere to the back surfaces (vapor deposition sources 1 and 2) of the shutters 5 and 6 in the closed state. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the shutters 5 and 6 are opened at the same time, the evaporator 31 adhering to the back surface of the shutter 6 having a higher height is peeled off, and the shutter having a lower height is released. It may fall on the surface of 5. In this state, when the shutter 5 is rotated toward the closed state as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the evaporator 31a on the shutter 5 falls onto the vapor deposition source 1 as shown in FIG. 6 (c). There is a risk. The evaporated material 31a that has fallen onto the thin-film deposition source 1 may block the opening of the thin-film deposition source 1 or may be heated by the heater 1b and scattered together with the thin-film deposition material 1c to be vapor-deposited (cross-contamination) on the substrate 9 to be deposited. There is.

In the present invention, as a second feature, by providing a partition wall between the shutters 5 and 6, it is possible to prevent the evaporation matter adhering to the back surface of the shutter 6 from falling to the vapor deposition source 1 as shown in FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing a main configuration of a vapor deposition chamber according to a preferred embodiment of the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention. The configuration of this embodiment basically has the same configuration as the conventional thin-film deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 5, and further includes a partition wall 12.

In the present embodiment, similarly to the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 5, two vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 and two monitors 7 and 8 for measuring the vapor deposition rates of these vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 are provided. Shutters 5 and 6 are arranged on the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 to prevent the vaporized matter from being scattered on the substrate 9 to be vapor-deposited. The shutters 5 and 6 are rotatably arranged by the support members 5a and 6a at positions separated upward from the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2 so that the monitors 7 and 8 can measure the vapor deposition rate even in the closed state. The shutters 5 and 6 have a region that overlaps with each other in the open state in a plan view from a vertical direction. In the present embodiment, a partition wall 12 that blocks the shutters 5 and 6 is provided in the overlapping region. There is.

FIG. 3A shows a plan view of the shutters 5 and 6, the partition wall 12, and the partition plate 11 from the vertical direction. In FIG. 3A, the broken lines 5c and 6c are the outer circumferences of the areas occupied by the shutters 5 and 6, respectively, due to rotation. Therefore, the region 21 (the region indicated by the hatching of the diagonal line) where the regions 5c and 6c overlap is the region where the shutters 5 and 6 overlap each other in the open state. The partition wall 12 is arranged at a height between the shutters 5 and 6 so as to overlap the region 21, and separates the shutters 5 and 6 when the shutters 5 and 6 are all open. Even if the evaporated material adhering to the back surface of the shutter 6 is peeled off and dropped by the partition wall 12, the separated evaporator falls on the partition wall 12 and does not fall on the surface of the shutter 5. Therefore, inconveniences such as the evaporation material adhering to the back surface of the shutter 6 falling onto the vapor deposition source 1 and blocking the opening of the vapor deposition source 1 or causing cross-contamination are suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the partition wall 12 is supported by support members 22 at both ends in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction on the paper surface). Further, in the present embodiment, a second partition wall 13 is attached toward the vapor deposition source 2 at the upper end of the partition plate 11 that blocks between the vapor deposition sources 1 and 2. As a result, the evaporation material adhering to the back surface of the shutter 5 is prevented from peeling off and falling to the vapor deposition source 2 side, and the evaporation material closes the opening of the vapor deposition source 2 or causes cross contamination. Is suppressed.

Further, FIG. 2 shows a vertical sectional view schematically showing a main configuration of a vapor deposition chamber according to another embodiment of the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention. In the present embodiment, in addition to the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 1, the first side wall 14 connecting the partition wall (hereinafter referred to as the first partition wall) 12 and the second partition wall 13 and the vapor deposition source of the first partition wall 12 It has a second side wall 15 that projects upward from the end on one side. By providing the side walls 14 and 15 in this way, it is possible to more effectively suppress the evaporations adhering to the back surfaces of the shutters 5 and 6 from peeling off and falling to the vapor deposition sources 2 and 1, respectively. .. Further, since the partition plate 11, the second partition wall 13, the first side wall 14, the first partition wall 12, and the second side wall 15 are sequentially connected as in the present embodiment, they can be handled integrally. Easy maintenance such as removal of adhering evaporation.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the case where there are two vapor deposition sources is shown, but even when there are three or more vapor deposition sources, the present invention may be applied to two of the vapor deposition sources. .. Further, when there are four vapor deposition sources, the present invention may be applied to each set as a set of two. In either case, it is preferable to partition the adjacent sets of vapor deposition sources with a partition plate. Further, although FIGS. 1 and 2 show a mode in which the substrate to be vapor-deposited is rotated to perform vapor deposition, the substrate to be vapor-deposited may be fixed and the vapor deposition source may be placed on a rotary table to be rotated. .. Further, although the shutters 5 and 6 are rotated to be in the open state and the closed state, the moving form is not particularly limited as long as the shutters move horizontally.

In the vapor deposition apparatus provided with four thin-film deposition sources with the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, co-evaporation was performed using two different vapor deposition materials as a set of two vapor deposition sources. The process of opening one set of shutters at the same time and closing the other set of shutters at the same time is repeated every 5 minutes, switching between the open state and the closed state, and the vapor deposition rate of each vapor deposition source is 1.0 nm /. It was kept constant at s and continued for 120 hours. Further, in the thin-film deposition apparatus of FIG. 2, the vapor deposition rate was kept constant at 1.0 nm / s, and the two shutters were simultaneously repeatedly opened and closed at 5-minute intervals for 120 hours continuously to co-deposit different vapor deposition materials. Was done. After the vapor deposition was completed, the heating of the vapor deposition source was stopped, the vapor deposition chamber was returned to the atmospheric state, the periphery of each vapor deposition source was wiped off with a wiper, and the substance adhering to the wiper was subjected to HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) analysis. As a result, in the vapor deposition apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2, no evaporation from other vapor deposition sources was observed in any of the vapor deposition sources, but in the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 5, one vapor deposition source of the same set was used. Adhesion of evaporation from the other deposition source was observed.

1,2: vapor deposition source, 5,6: shutter, 7,8: monitor, 11: partition plate, 12,13: partition wall, 14,15: side wall

Claims (7)

A thin-film deposition apparatus having two vapor deposition sources arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and two shutters arranged above the openings of the two thin-film deposition sources.
The two shutters have different heights and open and close by moving in the horizontal direction, and have regions that overlap each other in the open state in a plan view from the vertical direction.
A thin-film deposition apparatus comprising a partition wall separating the two shutters in the overlapping region. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second partition wall is provided below the shutter in a region of the two shutters that overlaps with the open state of a shutter having a low height. The claim is characterized in that the partition wall separating the two shutters and the second partition wall are connected by a side wall arranged on the side of the vapor deposition source corresponding to the shutter on the higher side. 2. The vapor deposition apparatus according to 2. A claim characterized in that a side wall projecting upward from the end is arranged at an end of the partition wall separating the two shutters on the side of the vapor deposition source corresponding to the shutter on the lower side. Item 3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a partition plate is provided between the two vapor deposition sources. Each of the two vapor deposition sources has a monitor for measuring the amount of evaporation, and the monitor is provided at a position where the amount of evaporation can be measured regardless of whether the two shutters are opened or closed. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vapor deposition apparatus is provided. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the evaporations from the two vapor deposition sources are different from each other.

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