JP2021059750A - Film deposition apparatus, film deposition method, and manufacturing method of electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology for effectively using a liquid to be used in a rotary joint of a film deposition apparatus.SOLUTION: A film deposition apparatus for depositing a film on a film deposition object in a film deposition chamber is equipped with a rotary joint. The rotary joint includes a rotary part, a film deposition object support part for supporting the film deposition object that is arranged in the film deposition chamber and connected to the rotary part to rotate together with the rotary part, a fixed part that is installed around the rotary part and fixed to the film deposition chamber, and a liquid inlet port and a liquid outlet port arranged at the fixed part. The rotary joint further includes a liquid passage through which a supplied liquid is guided to the outlet port via the inside of the rotary part and the inside of the film deposition object support part. The rotary joint still further includes a drain port disposed at the fixed part for discharging a drain liquid leaking from the liquid passage. The drain liquid discharged from the drain port is reused.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, a film forming method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device.

In recent years, as a kind of display, an organic EL device provided with an organic EL element using electroluminescence of an organic material has attracted attention. In the production of such an organic EL device, in a film forming apparatus having a film forming chamber, there is a step of adhering a film forming material such as a metal electrode material or an organic material on a substrate to form a film.

In the film forming chamber of the film forming apparatus, the film-deposited material contained in the container is heated or the target is sputtered to cause the film-forming material to fly and adhere to the substrate, thereby forming a film on the substrate. Form. At that time, for the purpose of forming a uniform film or the like, the film may be formed while rotating the substrate in the film forming chamber. Further, when the temperature inside the film forming chamber becomes high, a space for the coolant to enter is provided inside the member supporting the substrate in the film forming chamber, and the cooling liquid is circulated between the space and the outside of the film forming chamber. As a result, the substrate may be cooled to prevent deterioration of the quality of the film-forming material.

Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-336034) discloses an apparatus for forming a film while rotating a substrate in a vacuum film forming chamber. In this apparatus, a rotating body is arranged so as to penetrate the inside and the outside of the film forming chamber. A substrate holder having a fluid path formed inside is provided at the end of the rotating body on the inner side of the film forming chamber, and the substrate can be rotated with the rotation of the rotating body. Further, the rotating body is arranged outside the film forming chamber and is supported by an outer frame member (housing) fixed to the film forming chamber. The outer frame member is provided with a coolant supply port and a coolant discharge port, and is connected to a constant temperature bath arranged outside the film forming chamber. Further, an annular fluid path is provided between the outer frame member and the rotating body at positions corresponding to the supply port and the discharge port, respectively.

In Patent Document 1, such a rotary joint configuration enables circulation of the coolant between the constant temperature bath outside the film forming chamber and the fluid path inside the substrate holder even while the rotating body is rotating. That is, the cooling liquid supplied from the constant temperature bath to the supply port of the outer frame member flows into the supply path inside the rotating body through the annular fluid path and reaches the fluid path in the substrate holder. Subsequently, the coolant flows from the fluid path in the substrate holder into the discharge path inside the rotating body, is discharged from the discharge port of the outer frame member via the annular fluid path, and then reaches the constant temperature bath again. In this way, since the temperature-controlled coolant is constantly circulated in the fluid path in the substrate holder, it is possible to maintain a substrate temperature preferable for film formation.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-336034

However, in such a film forming apparatus, it is basically necessary to constantly circulate the coolant during the film forming. As a result, there is a problem that the coolant leaks at the connecting portion of each member in the rotary joint (particularly from between the rotating body on which the rotational force acts and the housing). Such leakage of the coolant will occur to some extent even if a sealing member such as a magnetic seal or an O-ring is arranged between the rotating body and the housing. When a relatively expensive material such as a fluorine-based inert liquid is used as the coolant, the loss due to leakage has a large effect on the cost.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for effectively utilizing a liquid used for a rotary joint of a film forming apparatus.

The present invention adopts the following configuration. That is,
It is a film forming apparatus that deposits a film on the object to be deposited in the film forming chamber, and is equipped with a rotary joint.
The rotary joint
Rotating part and
A film-forming object support portion that is arranged in the film-forming chamber, is connected to the rotating portion, rotates together, and supports the film-forming object.
A fixed portion provided around the rotating portion and fixed to the film forming chamber, and a fixed portion.
A supply port for introducing the liquid and a discharge port for discharging the liquid provided in the fixed portion,
Have,
The rotary joint is provided with a liquid flow path that guides the liquid introduced from the supply port to the discharge port via the inside of the rotating portion and the inside of the film-deposited object support portion.
The rotary joint is further provided in the fixed portion and has a drain port for discharging the drain liquid which is the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path.
The film forming apparatus is characterized in that the drain liquid discharged from the drain port is reused as the liquid.

The present invention also employs the following configuration. That is,
This is a film forming method for forming a film on an object to be filmed in the film forming chamber of the film forming apparatus, and the film forming apparatus is provided with a rotary joint.
The rotary joint is arranged around the rotating portion, the film forming chamber, connected to the rotating portion, and rotates together to support the film to be filmed, and around the rotating portion. It has a fixing portion provided and fixed to the film forming chamber, and a supply port for introducing the liquid and a discharge port for discharging the liquid, which are provided in the fixing portion.
The rotary joint is provided with a liquid flow path that guides the liquid introduced from the supply port to the discharge port via the inside of the rotating portion and the inside of the film-deposited object support portion.
The rotary joint is further provided in the fixed portion and has a drain port for discharging the drain liquid which is the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path.
The film forming method is characterized by having a step of reusing the drain liquid discharged from the drain port as the liquid.

The present invention also employs the following configuration. That is,
A method for manufacturing an electronic device, in which a film-forming material is formed on a film-deposited object in a film-forming chamber of a film-forming apparatus provided with a rotary joint.
The rotary joint is arranged around the rotating portion, the film forming chamber, connected to the rotating portion, and rotates together to support the film to be filmed, and around the rotating portion. It has a fixing portion provided and fixed to the film forming chamber, and a supply port for introducing the liquid and a discharge port for discharging the liquid, which are provided in the fixing portion.
The rotary joint is provided with a liquid flow path that guides the liquid introduced from the supply port to the discharge port via the inside of the rotating portion and the inside of the film-deposited object support portion.
The rotary joint is further provided in the fixed portion and has a drain port for discharging the drain liquid which is the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path.
A method for manufacturing an electronic device, wherein the drain liquid discharged from the drain port is reused as the liquid.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for effectively utilizing the liquid used for the rotary joint of the film forming apparatus.

A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the film forming apparatus of the first embodiment. Schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a rotary joint used in a film forming apparatus. A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the film forming apparatus of the second embodiment. A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the film forming apparatus of the third embodiment. A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus related to the background technology. The figure which shows the manufacturing system of the organic electronic device including the film forming apparatus. The figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of an organic electronic device.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments and examples merely exemplify the preferable configurations of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention to those configurations. Further, the hardware configuration and software configuration, processing flow, manufacturing conditions, dimensions, materials, shapes, etc. of the apparatus in the following description are limited to those of the present invention unless otherwise specified. It is not the purpose.

The present invention is preferably applied to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method, a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device for forming a film of a vapor deposition material on a film to be deposited by vapor deposition or sputtering. Will be done. The present invention can also be regarded as a film forming method, a vapor deposition method, a film forming apparatus or a control method of the vapor deposition apparatus, a program for causing a computer to execute these methods, and a storage medium in which the program is stored. The storage medium may be a non-temporary storage medium that can be read by a computer.

The present invention can be preferably applied to, for example, an apparatus for forming a thin film (material layer) having a desired pattern on the surface of a substrate which is a film to be formed or a film of another material formed on the surface of the substrate. As the substrate material, any material such as glass, resin, and metal can be selected. The film to be filmed is not limited to a flat substrate. For example, a film may be formed on a mechanical component having irregularities or openings. Further, as the film forming material, any material such as an organic material and an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.) can be selected. It is also possible to form a metal film as well as an organic film. The technique of the present invention can be applied to, for example, manufacturing devices such as organic electronic devices (for example, organic EL devices using organic EL elements, thin film solar cells), optical members, and the like.

In the following embodiment, as an example of the film forming apparatus, a vapor deposition apparatus using an organic material contained in a container of an evaporation source as a film forming material will be described.

[Conventional treatment of leaked liquid]
First, with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 5, the configuration of the film forming apparatus which is the background of the present invention and the conventional leaked liquid treatment method will be described.
The film forming apparatus 100 generally includes a film forming chamber 1, a rotary joint 11 connected to the film forming chamber 1, a pump 50 for circulating a coolant 80, a drain liquid container 70, and a control unit 110.
As will be described in detail later, the pump 50 sends the coolant 80 to the circulation path 51 (51a).
It is supplied to the supply port 31 of the rotary joint 11. The supplied coolant 80 reaches the inside of the substrate holder arranged in the film forming chamber via the supply flow path inside the rotating body, and cools the substrate while passing through the flow path in the substrate holder. The coolant 80 is subsequently discharged from the discharge port 33 of the rotary joint 11 via the discharge flow path inside the rotating body. Then, it returns to the pump 50 via the circulation path 51 (51b).

On the other hand, the cooling liquid 80 leaking from the connecting portion of each member of the rotary joint 11, particularly the connecting portion between the rotating body and the housing, is discharged from the drain port 37 provided in the housing, and is discharged into the drain path 71 as the drain liquid 81. leak. The drain liquid 81 is stored in the drain liquid container 70 and is collected at an appropriate timing. As described above, conventionally, in the film forming apparatus using the rotary joint, the circulation path of the coolant and the discharge path of the drain liquid are separated, and the drain liquid contained in the tank is collected separately.

[Embodiment 1]
<Structure of film forming equipment>
The configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the rotary joint used in the film forming apparatus and the configuration of the inside of the film forming chamber.

The film forming apparatus 100 generally includes a film forming chamber 1, a rotary joint 11 connected to the film forming chamber 1, a pump 50 for circulating a coolant 80, a drain liquid container 70, and a control unit 110. The drain liquid container 70 is a tank that collects and stores the drain liquid 81.

The inside of the film forming chamber 1 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen gas. A substrate holder 3 (supporting portion for a film to be formed) and an evaporation source 2 are arranged inside the film forming chamber 1. The substrate holder 3 supports the substrate 5 (film to be filmed) carried into the film formation chamber by the transfer robot together with the mask 6. The board holder 3 holds the carried-in board 5 and the mask 6 horizontally. It is preferable that the substrate holder 3 is provided with a clamp mechanism for sandwiching the substrate 5 and the mask 6 and a support tool such as a receiving claw for mounting the substrate holder 3. Further, the film forming apparatus 100 may be provided with an alignment mechanism for aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6 and supporting them on the substrate holder 3. As the alignment mechanism, it is preferable to use a clamp mechanism or a support mechanism provided inside the film forming chamber and a driving mechanism such as an XYθ actuator provided outside the film forming chamber.

As described above, any material such as glass, resin, and metal can be used as the substrate 5. The mask 6 is a mask having an opening pattern corresponding to a predetermined thin film pattern formed on the substrate (or on the film previously formed on the substrate 5). However, the mask 6 is not always necessary depending on the type of film to be formed. In addition, a thin-film deposition monitor may be provided inside the film-forming chamber to check the status of film formation.

In this embodiment, the evaporation source 2 is used as the film forming source. The evaporation source 2 includes a container such as a crucible for accommodating the vaporized material and a heating device such as a heater. The thin-film vapor-deposited material heated by the heater flies, reaches the substrate 5 through the mask 6 and is deposited, so that a layer corresponding to a predetermined pattern is formed. The evaporation source 2 can be selected according to the content of the film formation. For example, any one may be used, such as the presence / absence of a nozzle, the type of evaporation source such as point-shaped or linear, and the presence / absence of a moving mechanism for moving the evaporation source in a plane parallel to the substrate 5.

When the film is formed by the sputtering method, a magnet unit that includes a target and a magnet and causes the film-forming material to fly from the target in response to a voltage application may be used as the film-forming source.
The substrate 5 in the illustrated example is arranged above the film forming chamber 1 so that the surface to be formed is perpendicular to the direction of gravity. Then, the vaporized material flies upward from the evaporation source 2, which is a so-called depot-up configuration. However, the structure may be a depot down in which the substrate 5 is arranged below, or the surface of the substrate 5 to be filmed may be parallel to the direction of gravity.

The coolant 80 is a liquid for cooling the substrate 5. Although referred to as a coolant here, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to the case of cooling, and can be applied to general temperature control of the liquid such as temperature maintenance and heating. Although it depends on the type of the vapor-deposited material, the temperature inside the film-forming chamber becomes extremely high, so that the coolant 80 is preferably a material having low reactivity and being chemically inert. For example, an organic fluorine compound having a carbon-fluorine bond, which is also called fluorocarbon, can be preferably used. Examples of organofluorine compounds include Fluorinert (trademark) of 3M and Galden (trademark) of Solvay. However, it is not limited to these liquids.

The control unit 110 controls the film forming apparatus 100, for example, loading / unloading and alignment of the substrate 5 and the mask 6, timing control of the start and end of film formation, and temperature control. The control unit 110 of the present embodiment may control the flow rate, the flow velocity, the path, and the like of the coolant by controlling the pump and the valve of the flow path. The control unit 110 may be configured by combining a plurality of control means. The plurality of control means are an evaporation source heating control means, an alignment control means, a carry-in / out control means, and the like. The control unit 110 is connected to another block by a control line (not shown) to enable information communication.

The control unit 110 is composed of, for example, a computer having a processor, a memory, an input / output means (I / O), a UI, and the like. In this case, the function of the control unit 110 is realized by the processor executing the program stored in the memory. As the computer, a general-purpose computer may be used, or a built-in computer or a PLC (programmable logical controller) may be used. Alternatively, a part or all of the functions of the control unit 110 may be configured by a circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA.
When the film forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is one of a plurality of film forming apparatus included in the film forming system, a control unit may be provided for each film forming apparatus, or a single control unit may provide film forming. You may control the entire system.

<Rotary joint configuration>
As shown in FIG. 2, the rotary joint 11 generally includes a housing 30, a rotating body 20 (rotating portion) whose outer circumference is supported by the housing 30, and a substrate holder 3 that supports the substrate 5 in the film forming chamber. The rotating body 20 is inserted through a through hole provided in the upper wall of the film forming chamber 1, and the lower end portion thereof is connected to the substrate holder 3 in the film forming chamber. The rotating body 20 can rotate about an axis with respect to the housing 30. When the rotating body 20 rotates during the film formation, the substrate holder 3 also rotates, and a uniform film formation on the substrate 5 becomes possible.

On the other hand, since the housing 30 (fixed portion) has a fixed positional relationship with respect to the film forming chamber 1, the rotating body 20 can be moved by providing a bearing 40 between the rotating body 20 and the surrounding housing 30. I try to rotate it smoothly. Usually, a lubricant (grease) is used for the bearing 40 in order to improve lubricity and prevent friction. As will be described in detail later, the grease material preferably has low reactivity with the coolant 80. This is because the coolant 80 leaked at the sliding portion mixes with the thickener and the base oil (base oil) of the grease separated to become the drain liquid 81, and the components derived from the grease can be easily extracted from the drain liquid 81. This is to make it removable. That is, as the base oil of the grease, an insoluble one that does not cause a contact reaction with the coolant 80 and does not dissolve in the coolant 80 is used. For example, when the coolant 80 is an organic fluorine compound, when selecting the grease, it is preferable to use a mineral oil-based grease instead of a fluorine-based base oil. Further, when the coolant and the base oil are separated based on the difference in specific gravity, the specific gravities of the two are made different.

The housing 30 is provided with a supply port 31 for the coolant 80 and an annular supply flow path 32. The supply port 31 is a port for introducing the coolant 80 from the outside. The annular supply flow path 32 is an annular flow path provided on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 30 so as to face the rotating body 20. The annular supply flow path 32 is connected to the supply flow path 22 inside the rotating body. The annular supply flow path 32 may be provided on the side of the rotating body 20. With this configuration, the coolant 80 introduced from the supply port 31 can reach the flow path 4 in the substrate holder via the annular supply flow path 32 and the supply flow path 22 even while the rotating body 20 is rotating. it can.

The housing 30 is also provided with a discharge port 33 for the coolant 80 and an annular discharge flow path 34. The discharge port 33 is a port for discharging the coolant 80 to the outside. The annular discharge flow path 34 is an annular flow path provided on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 30 so as to face the rotating body 20. The annular discharge flow path 34 is connected to the discharge flow path 23 inside the rotating body. The annular discharge flow path 34 may be provided on the side of the rotating body 20. With this configuration, the coolant 80 flowing from the flow path 4 in the substrate holder can reach the discharge port 33 via the discharge flow path 23 and the annular discharge flow path 34 even while the rotating body 20 is rotating. it can. The annular supply flow path 32, the supply flow path 22, the flow path 4 in the substrate holder, the discharge flow path 23, and the annular discharge flow path 34 are collectively considered to be a liquid flow path that guides the liquid from the supply port to the discharge port. I can say.

Since the annular supply flow path 32 and the annular discharge flow path 34 are located on the sliding surfaces of the housing 30 and the rotating body 20, which are separate members, the coolant 80 may leak to the sliding surfaces. is there. A sealing member 39 such as a magnetic seal or an O-ring is provided on the surface of the housing 30 and the rotating body 20 in contact with each other, but it is difficult to completely prevent the coolant 80 from leaking.
Therefore, drain ports 35 and 37 and annular drain flow paths 36 and 38 are provided at appropriate positions in the height direction of the rotary joint 11. Although two drain ports are provided here, the number is not limited to this. As a result, the drain liquid 81 leaking from the sliding surface is discharged to the outside from the drain ports 35 and 37.

Note that FIG. 1 shows only one drain port 37 for the sake of brevity. However, it may be considered that there is another route for transporting the drain liquid 81 from the drain port 35 to the drain liquid container 70. Alternatively, it may be considered that the drain liquid 81 from the drain port 35 joins the drain path from the drain port 37.

<Route of coolant and drain in this embodiment>
With reference to FIG. 1, the movement of the coolant and the drain liquid, which is characteristic of the present embodiment, will be described. When the operation of the film forming apparatus 100 is started, the control unit 110 carries the substrate 5 and the mask 6 into the film forming chamber 1 for alignment, and causes the heater to heat the evaporation source 2. Then, the pump 50 is driven to circulate the coolant 80.

The coolant 80 (80a) sent from the pump 50 to the circulation path 51 (51a) is introduced into the supply port 31. As described above, inside the rotary joint 11, the coolant 80 is used to cool the substrate 5. Then, the coolant 80 (80b) is sent from the discharge port 33 to the circulation path 51 (51b). A temperature control mechanism or a constant temperature bath for maintaining the temperature of the coolant 80 may be provided on the circulation path. In this way, the coolant 80 normally moves while circulating on the circulation path.

On the other hand, the cooling liquid 80 leaking from the sliding surfaces of the housing 30 and the rotating body 20 is discharged from the drain port 37 and flows into the drain path 71 (71a) to become the drain liquid 81. The drain liquid 81 contains a component of the cooling liquid 80 and an impurity component. Examples of the component of the impurity include a base oil separated from the grease used for the bearing 40 and the like. The drain liquid 81 is housed in the drain liquid container 70.
In order to smoothly accommodate the drain liquid 81, the inflow port to the drain liquid container 70 may be provided at a position lower than the drain port 37 in the vertical direction to allow inflow by gravity. Alternatively, a transport mechanism such as a pump may be provided in the drain path 71 (71a). Although not shown in FIG. 1, the drain liquid discharged from the drain port 35 also flows into the drain liquid container 70.

<Removal of impurities from drain liquid and reuse of coolant>
In the present embodiment, the drain liquid container 70 also functions as a removing mechanism for removing impurities from the drain liquid 81. Impurity 82 is, for example, the base oil of grease used for the bearing 40 of the rotary joint 11. The drain liquid container 70 of the present embodiment separates the cooling liquid 80 and the impurities 82 contained in the drain liquid 81 vertically by utilizing the difference in specific gravity.
As long as the impurities 82 can be removed from the drain liquid 81, the method is not limited. For example, the impurity 82 may be removed in a short time by centrifugation. Further, filtration separation using a filter or the like may be performed. Further, a component that reacts with the impurity 82 but does not react with the cooling liquid 80 may be mixed in the drain liquid 81, and the reaction product may be removed by using a specific gravity difference or a filter.

Then, the drain liquid container 70 sends the coolant 80 (80c) separated below the container from the reuse outlet 72 to the drain path 71 (71b). Also at this time, it is preferable to determine the positional relationship between the reuse outlet 72 and the drain path 71 (71b) so that the liquid is delivered by gravity. Alternatively, a pump for delivering liquid may be provided. Further, a shutter or a flow rate control valve for controlling the liquid delivery state from the reuse outlet 72 may be provided. It is also preferable that the control unit 110 controls the opening / closing of the shutter and the opening / closing of the flow rate control valve based on the internal state of the drain liquid container 70 and the state of the liquid flow in the circulation path 51.

The delivered coolant 80 (80c) joins the circulation path 51 (51a) from the drain path 71 (71b) via the three-way valve 75. The control unit 110 controls the opening / closing and opening degree of the three-way valve 75 to change the ratio of the circulating coolant (80a, 80b) to the reused coolant 80c, and to change the amount of liquid flowing into the rotary joint 11. It is also preferable to adjust it.

As described above, according to the film forming apparatus 100 having the configuration of FIG. 1, the drain liquid 81 leaked from the rotary joint 11 is recovered, impurities are removed from the drain liquid 81, and the coolant 80 (80c) is generated. it can. Therefore, the leaked coolant 80 can be effectively reused, and the operating cost of the film forming apparatus 100 can be reduced.

[Embodiment 2]
The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the configuration regarding the confluence of the circulating cooling liquid 80 and the drain liquid 81 is different from that of the first embodiment. In addition, the arrangement of each block of the film forming apparatus 100 and the variation of the configuration for maintaining the temperature of the coolant 80 will also be described. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals to simplify the description.

In the configuration of FIG. 3, the film forming chamber 1 and the chiller 90 are installed on different floors. The film forming apparatus 100 has the same configuration and function as that of the first embodiment. The film forming apparatus 100 is installed on the apparatus floor and is fixed to the apparatus floor floor portion 121. In this embodiment as well, the drain port 35 is omitted for simplification. The drain path from the drain port 35 may join the drain path from the drain port 37, or may be connected to the drain liquid container 70.

The chiller 90 is a mechanism for circulating the coolant 80 while controlling the temperature, and includes a pump 50 and a drain liquid container 70. The drain liquid container 70 of the present embodiment includes a temperature control mechanism including a temperature sensor and a heat exchange mechanism. The temperature control mechanism controls the heat exchange mechanism based on the value detected by the temperature sensor, so that the temperature of the coolant 80 is kept constant. In the present embodiment, the chiller 90 is installed on the equipment floor below the equipment floor and is fixed to the equipment floor floor portion 122. With this configuration, the cooling liquid 80 (80b) and the drain liquid 81 can be smoothly moved to the lower chiller 90.
A constant temperature bath may be provided separately from the drain liquid container 70. Further, in the present embodiment, since the coolant 80 is used for the purpose of suppressing an excessive rise in the temperature of the substrate 5, it is called a “chiller”, but the purpose of the temperature control mechanism is not limited to cooling. ..

<Route of coolant and drain in this embodiment>
The movement of each liquid in the present embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.
When the operation of the film forming apparatus 100 is started, the control unit 110 drives the pump 50 of the chiller 90 to start the circulation of the coolant 80. The coolant 80 (80a) is introduced into the supply port 31 via the circulation path 51 (51a). Subsequently, the coolant 80 cools the substrate 5 and then flows out from the discharge port 33 to the circulation path 51 (51b). Then, it is housed in the drain liquid container 70.

On the other hand, the drain liquid 81 in which the leaked coolant 80 and the impurities 82 are mixed is stored in the drain liquid container 70 via the drain path 71 (71a).
In FIG. 3, the drain liquid 81 is allowed to flow in from above the liquid level in the container, which makes it easy to separate the impurities 82 as the supernatant. On the other hand, the inlet for the coolant 80 (80b) is provided below the container. This avoids mixing of the supernatant with impurities 82.

<Removal of impurities>
In the present embodiment, the circulating coolant 80 (80b) and the drain liquid 81 merge in the container inside the chiller 90. The coolant 80 and the impurities 82 are separated in the container based on the specific gravity and flow into the circulation path 51 (51c) to become the coolant 80 (80c) to be reused. After that, it returns to the circulation path 51.

According to the film forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the same merit as that of the first embodiment can be enjoyed, that is, the coolant 80 in the drain liquid leaked from the rotary joint 11 is reused to reduce the cost. Further, impurities can be removed by utilizing the configuration of the chiller 90 provided in the film forming apparatus 100.

[Embodiment 3]
The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same components as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals to simplify the description. The present embodiment is characterized by a step of removing impurities from the drain liquid 81.

In the configuration of FIG. 4, the film forming chamber 1 and the drain liquid container 70 are installed on the same equipment floor, and the coolant 80c for reuse from the drain liquid container 70 and the circulating coolant 80b merge in the middle. It will be introduced to the chiller 90 located on the lower equipment floor. However, the arrangement of each block is not limited to this. The chiller 90 is a device including a temperature control mechanism and an infusion mechanism as in the second embodiment.

In FIG. 4, only the drain liquid 81 is supplied to the drain liquid container 70. The drain liquid container 70 has a level sensor 95 and a second pump 97. The level sensor 95 detects the liquid level information indicating the height of the liquid level of the drain liquid 81 in the container and transmits it to the control unit 110. The level sensor 95 may acquire liquid level information, and may be of any type such as a capacitance type, an optical sensor type, and a float type.
More preferably, a level sensor 95 is used that can acquire height information of the interface between the separated coolant 80 and impurities.

The second pump 97 pumps the coolant 80 (80c) separated from the impurities 82 from below the container and sends it to the drain path 71 (71c). In the present embodiment, since it is assumed that the coolant 80 has a higher specific gravity than the impurities 82, the pumping position is set below the container. However, as long as the coolant 80 (80c) can be pumped out while maintaining the separated state, the pumping position and the pump method do not matter. The drain path 71 (71c) merges with the circulation path 51 (51b). Further, in the present embodiment, the liquid flows from the drain liquid container 70 side to the chiller 90 side and the liquid flows from the rotary joint 11 side to the chiller 90 side at the merging position, and the flow in the reverse direction is regulated. , A check valve 77 is provided.

<Route of coolant and drain in this embodiment>
The movement of each liquid in this embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from each of the above embodiments.
The control unit 110 drives the pump in the chiller 90 to circulate the coolant 80. The coolant 80 (80a) is introduced into the supply port 31 via the circulation path 51 (51a). Subsequently, after cooling the substrate 5, the coolant 80 flows out from the discharge port 33 into the circulation path 51 (51b) and reaches the chiller 90.

On the other hand, the drain liquid 81 in which the leaked coolant 80 and the impurities 82 are mixed is stored in the drain liquid container 70 via the drain path 71 (71a).

<Removal of impurities>
In the drain liquid container 70, the coolant 80 and the impurities 82 are separated by utilizing the difference in specific gravity, and the coolant 80 stays below the container. The second pump 97 pumps the coolant 80 and sends it to the drain path 71 (71c). The coolant 80 (80c) sent out for reuse joins the coolant 80 (80b) in the circulation path via the check valve 77.

Here, the control unit 110 controls the liquid delivery by the second pump 97 based on the liquid level information detected by the level sensor 95. Specifically, if the coolant 80 continues to be delivered, the layer of impurities 82 may approach the suction port of the second pump 97 and be pumped up, so that the liquid level falls below a predetermined height. If so, stop pumping or reduce the flow rate.

Here, the height of the interface between the separated coolant 80 and the impurity 82 is defined as LB. Further, the height of the liquid level of the impurities 82, that is, the height of the liquid level of the entire drain liquid 81 is defined as LA.
Further, the height of the bottom surface of the container is set to h0. Further, the height of the suction port of the second pump 97 is set to h1. Further, the threshold height that is higher by a predetermined distance from the suction port height h1 is set to h2. The threshold height h2 is set to such a distance that impurities 82 do not flow into the suction port of the second pump 97 even when convection or waves are generated due to the influence of the inflow of the drain liquid 81 and the boundary surface LB fluctuates. ..

In order to control the liquid level by the control unit 110 with higher accuracy, it is preferable to use a level sensor 95 capable of detecting the height of the interface LB between the separated coolant 80 and the impurity 82. In that case, the control unit drives the second pump 97 when the height of the boundary surface LB is higher than the threshold height, and stops driving the second pump 97 when the height of the boundary surface LB is equal to or lower than the threshold height. This makes it possible to prevent impurities 82 from being mixed into the coolant 80 (80c) for reuse.

On the other hand, the level sensor 95 may be able to measure only the liquid level LA of the entire drain liquid. In that case, the control unit 110 estimates the boundary surface height LB from the liquid level height LA and controls the pump drive in comparison with the threshold height h2. As an estimation method, for example, the amount of the drain liquid 81 leaking under normal use conditions per hour, the ratio of the grease-derived base oil in the drain liquid 81, and the processing of the film forming apparatus 100 are started. There is a method of determining the thickness of the layer of the impurity 82 based on the time since then.
The above description is an example, and any method can be used as long as the pump drive can be controlled based on the detection value of the level sensor 95.

According to the film forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to enjoy the same merits as those of the first and second embodiments, that is, the coolant 80 in the drain liquid leaked from the rotary joint 11 is reused to reduce the cost. Further, with a relatively simple configuration in which the level sensor 95 and the second pump 97 are added to the conventional drain liquid recovery tank, the coolant 80 can be reused without mixing impurities 82 in the circulation path 51.

[Embodiment 4]
In this embodiment, a method of applying the film forming apparatus of each of the above embodiments to an electronic device manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL display or the like will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing a part of the electronic device manufacturing apparatus 500. The electronic device manufacturing apparatus 500 automatically performs steps from substrate pretreatment to film formation / sealing in electronic device manufacturing. In addition, instead of the cluster type configuration in which a plurality of processing chambers are arranged around the transport chamber as shown in the figure, an in-line type configuration in which a plurality of processing chambers are arranged in the order of processes may be adopted.

A pretreatment chamber 511, an organic treatment chamber 512, a metal treatment chamber 513, and a measurement chamber 514 are radially arranged around the transfer chamber 510. Note that FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram, and the type and number of processing chambers are not limited to this. For example, a processing chamber such as a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, or an electron injection layer may be provided, or a light emitting layer is provided for each color such as R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Processing room may be provided. The transfer chamber 510 is provided with a transfer robot 519 that holds and conveys the substrate 5. The transfer robot 519 is, for example, a robot having a structure in which a robot hand for holding a substrate is attached to an articulated arm, and carries in and out the substrate into and out of each processing room and measurement room.

The manufacturing process of electronic devices is roughly as follows. First, the substrate 5 is carried into the pretreatment chamber 511, and pretreatment such as cleaning is performed. After that, the substrate is transferred to the organic processing chamber 512 or the metal processing chamber 513 by the transfer robot 519 according to the type of the film-forming material. In each processing chamber, the vaporized material adheres to the substrate and a film is formed by vaporization or sputtering from the evaporation source. Next, the substrate 5 is carried into the measurement chamber 514. In the measurement room, the film thickness and the uniformity of film formation are measured.

Each processing chamber for forming a film is provided with a film forming apparatus. A series of processes such as transfer of the substrate to and from the transfer robot, adjustment of the relative position between the substrate and the mask (alignment), fixing of the substrate on the mask, and film formation (deposited film deposition) are automatically performed by the film forming apparatus. In addition, the measurement process in the measurement room can also be automated. Further, as a treatment after the measurement, a sealing treatment with a sealing glass coated with a desiccant or an adhesive may be performed. The completed panel is automatically removed from the manufacturing apparatus and supplied to the next process (for example, the display panel assembling process). However, the above configuration is an example, and does not limit the configuration of the film forming apparatus of the present invention and the electronic device manufacturing apparatus including the film forming apparatus.

According to the above-mentioned electronic device manufacturing apparatus and the electronic device manufacturing method using the electronic device manufacturing apparatus, the temperature of the substrate is well controlled in the film forming apparatus, so that the film formation is performed satisfactorily. As a result, it becomes possible to manufacture a high quality electronic device.

[Embodiment 5]
<Manufacturing method of organic electronic devices>
In this embodiment, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic electronic device using a film forming apparatus including an evaporation source apparatus will be described. Hereinafter, the configuration and manufacturing method of the organic EL display device will be illustrated as an example of the organic electronic device. First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. FIG. 7A shows an overall view of the organic EL display device 60, and FIG. 7B shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in FIG. 7A, a plurality of pixels 62 including a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix in the display area 61 of the organic EL display device 60. Each of the light emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. The pixel referred to here refers to the smallest unit that enables the display of a desired color in the display area 61. In the case of the organic EL display device of the present figure, the pixel 62 is composed of a combination of a first light emitting element 62R, a second light emitting element 62G, and a third light emitting element 62B that emit light differently from each other. The pixel 62 is often composed of a combination of a red light emitting element, a green light emitting element, and a blue light emitting element, but may be a combination of a yellow light emitting element, a cyan light emitting element, and a white light emitting element, and is particularly limited to at least one color. There are no restrictions.

FIG. 7B is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along the line AB of FIG. 7A. The pixel 62 includes a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, one of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a second electrode (cathode) 68 on the substrate 5. It has an organic EL element comprising. Of these, the hole transport layer 65, the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 correspond to the organic layer. Further, in the present embodiment, the light emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer that emits red, the light emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer that emits green, and the light emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer that emits blue.

The light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed in a pattern corresponding to a light emitting element (sometimes referred to as an organic EL element) that emits red, green, and blue, respectively. Further, the first electrode 64 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the second electrode 68 may be formed in common with the plurality of light emitting elements 62R, 62G, 62B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. An insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrodes 64 in order to prevent the first electrode 64 and the second electrode 68 from being short-circuited by foreign matter. Further, since the organic EL layer is deteriorated by moisture and oxygen, a protective layer P for protecting the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen is provided.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device as an electronic device will be specifically described. First, a substrate 5 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving an organic EL display device and a first electrode 64 is formed is prepared.

Next, an acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 5 on which the first electrode 64 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by a lithography method so that an opening is formed in the portion where the first electrode 64 is formed. Acrylic layer 69 is formed. This opening corresponds to a light emitting region where the light emitting element actually emits light.

Next, the substrate 5 in which the insulating layer 69 is patterned is carried into the first film forming apparatus, the substrate is held by the substrate holding unit, and the hole transport layer 65 is placed on the first electrode 64 in the display region. A film is formed as a common layer. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum vapor deposition. In reality, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to have a size larger than that of the display region 61, so that a high-definition mask is unnecessary. Here, the film forming apparatus used for the film forming in this step and the film forming of each of the following layers is the film forming apparatus described in any of the above embodiments.

Next, the substrate 5 on which the hole transport layer 65 is formed is carried into the second film forming apparatus and held by the substrate holding unit. The substrate and the mask are aligned, the substrate is placed on the mask, and the light emitting layer 66R that emits red is formed on the portion of the substrate 5 on which the element that emits red is arranged.
According to this example, the mask and the substrate can be satisfactorily overlapped with each other, and high-precision film formation can be performed.

Similar to the film formation of the light emitting layer 66R, the light emitting layer 66G that emits green is formed by the third film forming apparatus, and the light emitting layer 66B that emits blue is further formed by the fourth film forming apparatus. After the film formation of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, the electron transport layer 67 is formed on the entire display region 61 by the fifth film forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 65 is formed as a layer common to the three color light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B.

The substrate on which the electron transport layer 65 is formed is moved to a sputtering device to form a second electrode 68, and then moved to a plasma CVD device to form a protective layer P to complete the organic EL display device 60. To do.

From the time when the substrate 5 in which the insulating layer 69 is patterned is carried into the film forming apparatus until the film formation of the protective layer P is completed, when the substrate 5 is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen, a light emitting layer made of an organic EL material is formed. It may be deteriorated by moisture and oxygen. Therefore, in this example, the loading and unloading of the substrate between the film forming apparatus is performed in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

According to the film forming method or the method for manufacturing an electronic device according to the present embodiment, the temperature at the time of film formation is appropriately controlled, so that good film formation is possible.

100: film forming apparatus, 1: film forming chamber, 3: substrate holder, 5: substrate, 11: rotary joint, 20: rotating body, 30: housing, 31: supply port, 32: supply flow path, 33: exhaust Outlet, 34: Discharge flow path, 35, 37: Drain port, 80: Coolant, 81: Drain liquid

Claims (13)

It is a film forming apparatus that deposits a film on the object to be deposited in the film forming chamber, and is equipped with a rotary joint.
The rotary joint
Rotating part and
A film-forming object support portion that is arranged in the film-forming chamber, is connected to the rotating portion, rotates together, and supports the film-forming object.
A fixed portion provided around the rotating portion and fixed to the film forming chamber, and a fixed portion.
A supply port for introducing the liquid and a discharge port for discharging the liquid provided in the fixed portion,
Have,
The rotary joint is provided with a liquid flow path that guides the liquid introduced from the supply port to the discharge port via the inside of the rotating portion and the inside of the film-deposited object support portion.
The rotary joint is further provided in the fixed portion and has a drain port for discharging the drain liquid which is the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path.
A film forming apparatus characterized in that the drain liquid discharged from the drain port is reused as the liquid. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a removing mechanism for removing impurities from the drain liquid discharged from the drain port. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the film forming apparatus has a circulation path for delivering the liquid discharged from the discharge port to the supply port. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the liquid sent out from the removing mechanism for reuse joins the circulation path. The removal mechanism is arranged in the circulation path and
The claim is characterized in that the liquid discharged from the discharge port and the drain liquid discharged from the drain port merge in the removing mechanism, the impurities are removed, and the drain liquid is supplied to the supply port. 3. The film forming apparatus according to 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the removing mechanism is included in a temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the liquid. The removal mechanism has a drain liquid container in which the drain liquid is housed.
The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein in the drain liquid container, the impurities are separated from the liquid based on the difference in specific gravity between the liquid and the impurities. The film formation according to claim 7, wherein the drain liquid container is provided with an outlet for sending the liquid from which the impurities have been separated to the circulation path for reuse. apparatus. The drain liquid container is provided with a level sensor that detects the height of the liquid level of the contained liquid, and has a pump that sends out the liquid sucked from the suction port for reuse. And
7. The removal mechanism is characterized in that when the height of the liquid level is equal to or less than a threshold height which is higher by a predetermined distance from the height of the suction port, the liquid is not delivered. 8. The film forming apparatus according to 8. The liquid is a liquid for adjusting the temperature of the film to be filmed.
The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the impurity is a component of grease used in the rotary joint. The film forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a material insoluble in the liquid is used as the base oil of the grease. This is a film forming method for forming a film on a film to be formed in the film forming chamber of the film forming apparatus, and the film forming apparatus is provided with a rotary joint.
The rotary joint is arranged around the rotating portion, the film forming chamber, connected to the rotating portion, and rotates together to support the film to be filmed, and around the rotating portion. It has a fixing portion provided and fixed to the film forming chamber, and a supply port for introducing the liquid and a discharge port for discharging the liquid, which are provided in the fixing portion.
The rotary joint is provided with a liquid flow path that guides the liquid introduced from the supply port to the discharge port via the inside of the rotating portion and the inside of the film-deposited object support portion.
The rotary joint is further provided in the fixed portion and has a drain port for discharging the drain liquid which is the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path.
A film forming method comprising a step of reusing the drain liquid discharged from the drain port as the liquid. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, in which a film-forming material is formed on a film-deposited object in a film-forming chamber of a film-forming apparatus provided with a rotary joint.
The rotary joint is arranged around the rotating portion, the film forming chamber, connected to the rotating portion, and rotates together to support the film to be filmed, and around the rotating portion. It has a fixing portion provided and fixed to the film forming chamber, and a supply port for introducing the liquid and a discharge port for discharging the liquid, which are provided in the fixing portion.
The rotary joint is provided with a liquid flow path that guides the liquid introduced from the supply port to the discharge port via the inside of the rotating portion and the inside of the film-deposited object support portion.
The rotary joint is further provided in the fixed portion and has a drain port for discharging the drain liquid which is the liquid leaked from the liquid flow path.
A method for manufacturing an electronic device, wherein the drain liquid discharged from the drain port is reused as the liquid.

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