JP2022131529A - Film deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve a measurement accuracy of an absorption degree of a substrate.SOLUTION: A film deposition apparatus used includes: a chamber for maintaining inside vacuum; an absorption plate that is arranged inside the chamber and absorbs a substrate; detection means that is arranged below the absorption plate in a vertical direction and detects an absorption degree of the substrate to the absorption plate; and transfer means for moving the detection means in a first direction along a surface to be deposited of the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art In manufacturing an organic EL display or the like, a vapor deposition material is deposited on a substrate using a mask. As a pretreatment for film formation, alignment of the mask and the substrate is performed, and the two are superimposed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 discloses that alignment is performed by bringing the substrate and the mask close to each other while the substrate is attracted to an attraction plate such as an electrostatic chuck. Also disclosed is a detecting means for detecting the suction state of the substrate.

JP 2019-117926 A

In the prior art, the locations where the sensing means are arranged are fixed. Therefore, there is a possibility that the places where the adsorption state of the substrate is measured are limited. As a result, the accuracy of the substrate adsorption measurement can be compromised.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the measurement accuracy of the degree of adsorption of a substrate.

The present invention employs the following configurations. i.e.
a chamber holding a vacuum inside;
a suction plate provided inside the chamber for suctioning the substrate;
a detection means arranged below the suction plate in the vertical direction for detecting the degree of suction of the substrate to the suction plate;
and moving means for moving the detection means in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate.

The present invention also employs the following configuration. i.e.
a chamber holding a vacuum inside;
a suction plate provided inside the chamber for suctioning a substrate;
a mask support means provided inside the chamber for supporting a mask;
alignment means for aligning the substrate and the mask, which are adsorbed by the adsorption plate;
detection means arranged below the suction plate in the vertical direction and detecting the degree of close contact of the mask to the substrate;
and moving means for moving the detection means in a direction along the film formation surface of the substrate.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the degree of adsorption of the substrate.

Schematic diagram of a part of an electronic device production line. Schematic of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of a board|substrate support unit and a suction plate. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of electrical wiring of the suction plate; Explanatory drawing of a measurement unit. Explanatory drawing of an adjustment unit. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a process of overlaying a substrate and a mask using a suction plate; Schematic which shows the structure of a detection means. Schematic which shows the mode of the detection by a detection means. Schematic which shows another example of the detection by a detection means. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another example of scanning by the detection means; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a production line for electronic devices. Schematic which shows the structure of a sensor unit. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a method for manufacturing an electronic device;

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

<Electronic device production line>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the configuration of an electronic device production line to which the film forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied. The production line of FIG. 1 is used, for example, to manufacture a display panel for an organic EL display device for smartphones. .

In the film formation block 301, a plurality of film formation chambers 303a to 303d in which film formation processing is performed on the substrate 100 and masks before and after use are stored around a transfer chamber 302 having an octagonal shape in plan view. A mask storage chamber 305 is arranged. A transfer robot 302 a that transfers the substrate 100 is arranged in the transfer chamber 302 . The transport robot 302a includes a hand that holds the substrate 100 and an articulated arm that horizontally moves the hand. In other words, the film forming block 301 is a cluster type film forming unit in which a plurality of film forming chambers 303a to 303d are arranged so as to surround the transfer robot 302a. The film formation chambers 303a to 303d are collectively referred to as the film formation chamber 303 when they are not distinguished from each other.

A buffer chamber 306, a swirl chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308 are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the film formation block 301 in the transport direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100, respectively. Each chamber is maintained under vacuum during the manufacturing process. Although only one film formation block 301 is shown in FIG. 1, the production line according to the present embodiment has a plurality of film formation blocks 301, and the plurality of film formation blocks 301 are included in the buffer chamber. 306, a turning chamber 307, and a delivery chamber 308, which are connected by a connecting device. Note that the configuration of the coupling device is not limited to this, and may be composed of only the buffer chamber 306 or the transfer chamber 308, for example.

The transfer robot 302 a carries the substrate 100 from the transfer chamber 308 on the upstream side to the transfer chamber 302 , transfers the substrate 100 between the film formation chambers 303 , and transfers the mask between the mask storage chamber 305 and the film formation chamber 303 . Transfer and unloading of the substrate 100 from the transfer chamber 302 to the downstream buffer chamber 306 are performed.

The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber for temporarily storing the substrate 100 according to the operational status of the manufacturing line. The buffer chamber 306 is provided with a substrate storage shelf, also called a cassette, and an elevating mechanism. The substrate storage shelf has a multistage structure capable of storing a plurality of substrates 100 while maintaining a horizontal state in which the surface to be processed (surface to be deposited) of the substrate 100 faces downward in the direction of gravity. The elevating mechanism elevates the substrate storage shelf in order to align the stage into which the substrate 100 is loaded or unloaded to the transport position. Thereby, a plurality of substrates 100 can be temporarily accommodated and retained in the buffer chamber 306 .

The swirl chamber 307 has a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100 . In this embodiment, the turning chamber 307 rotates the direction of the substrate 100 by 180 degrees by a transfer robot provided in the turning chamber 307 . The transport robot provided in the swivel chamber 307 rotates 180 degrees while supporting the substrate 100 received in the buffer chamber 306 and delivers it to the transfer chamber 308 . Rear ends are replaced. As a result, since the direction when the substrate 100 is carried into the film formation chamber 303 is the same in each film formation block 301 , the film formation scanning direction and the mask direction for the substrate S are the same in each film formation block 301 . can be made By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to align the directions in which the masks are installed in the mask storage chambers 305 in the respective film formation blocks 301, simplify mask management, and improve usability.

The control system of the production line includes a host computer 300 that controls the entire line, and control devices 14a to 14d, 309, and 310 that control each component, and these are connected via a wired or wireless communication line 300a. Communication is possible. The controllers 14a to 14d are provided corresponding to the film forming chambers 303a to 303d, and control the film forming apparatus 1, which will be described later. The control devices 14a to 14d are collectively referred to as the control device 14 when they are not distinguished from each other.

A control device 309 controls the transfer robot 302a. A controller 310 controls the devices in the swirl chamber 307 . The host device 300 transmits information on the substrate 100 and instructions such as transport timing to the controllers 14, 309 and 310, and the controllers 14, 309 and 310 control each configuration based on the received instructions.

<Overview of deposition equipment>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the film forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment. A film forming apparatus 1 provided in a film forming chamber 303 is an apparatus for forming a film of a vapor deposition material on a substrate 100 and forms a thin film of the vapor deposition material in a predetermined pattern using a mask 101 . The material of the substrate 100 on which a film is formed by the film forming apparatus 1 can be appropriately selected from materials such as glass, resin, and metal, and a material in which a resin layer such as polyimide is formed on glass is preferably used. Vapor deposition substances include substances such as organic materials and inorganic materials (metals, metal oxides, etc.). The film forming apparatus 1 can be applied to, for example, display devices (such as flat panel displays), thin film solar cells, electronic devices such as organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin film imaging elements), and manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing optical members. In particular, it is applicable to manufacturing equipment for manufacturing organic EL panels. In the following description, an example in which the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film on the substrate 100 by vacuum deposition will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various film forming methods such as sputtering and CVD can be applied. . In each drawing, arrow Z indicates the vertical direction (direction of gravity), and arrow X and arrow Y indicate horizontal directions perpendicular to each other.

The film forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 3 (simply called a chamber) capable of maintaining a vacuum inside. An internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas. In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber 3 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). In this specification, the term "vacuum" refers to a state filled with gas having a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, in other words, a reduced pressure state. In an internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3, a substrate support unit 6 that supports the substrate 100 in a horizontal position, a mask table 5 that supports the mask 101, a film formation unit 4, a plate unit 9, and a suction plate 15 are arranged. A mask 101 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern to be formed on the substrate 100 and is placed on the mask table 5 . It should be noted that the mask table 5 can be replaced with other forms of means for fixing the mask 101 at a predetermined position. As the mask 101, a mask having a structure in which a mask foil having a thickness of several micrometers to several tens of micrometers is welded to a mask frame can be used. Although the material of the mask 101 is not particularly limited, it is preferable to use a metal with a small thermal expansion coefficient such as an Invar material. The film formation process is performed in a state in which the substrate 100 is placed on the mask 101 and the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are overlapped with each other.

The plate unit 9 has a cooling plate 10 and a magnet plate 11 . The cooling plate 10 is suspended below the magnet plate 11 so as to be displaceable relative to the magnet plate 11 in the Z direction. The cooling plate 10 has a function of cooling the substrate 100 adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15 during film formation by coming into contact with the adsorption plate 15 to be described later during film formation. The cooling plate 10 is not limited to one that actively cools the substrate 100 by having a water cooling mechanism or the like. It may be a plate-like member. The magnet plate 11 is a plate that functions as a mask supporting means that attracts the mask 101 by magnetic force, and is placed on the upper surface of the substrate 100 to improve adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during film formation.

Note that the cooling plate 10 and the magnet plate 11 may be omitted as appropriate. For example, if the adsorption plate 15 is provided with a cooling mechanism, the cooling plate 10 may be omitted. Further, if the attraction plate 15 also functions as a mask supporting means for attracting the mask 101, the magnet plate 11 may be omitted.

The film forming unit 4 is composed of a heater, a shutter, an evaporation source driving mechanism, an evaporation rate monitor, and the like, and is an evaporation source for depositing a deposition material on the substrate 100 . The film forming unit 4 of this embodiment is arranged below the adsorption plate 15 in the vertical direction. More specifically, in this embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is a linear evaporation source in which a plurality of nozzles (not shown) are arranged side by side in the X direction, and vapor deposition materials are emitted from the respective nozzles. For example, the linear evaporation source is reciprocated in the Y direction (depth direction of the apparatus) by an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown). In this embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is provided in the same vacuum chamber 3 as the alignment device 2 which will be described later. However, in an embodiment in which the film forming process is performed in a chamber separate from the vacuum chamber 3 in which the alignment is performed, the film forming unit 4 is not arranged in the vacuum chamber 3 .

<Alignment device>
The film forming apparatus 1 includes an alignment device 2 as alignment means that aligns the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . The alignment device 2 includes a substrate support unit 6 , a suction plate 15 , a position adjustment unit 20 , a distance adjustment unit 22 , a plate unit lift unit 13 , measurement units 7 and 8 , an adjustment unit 17 , a floating section 19 and a detection unit 16 . Each configuration of the alignment apparatus will be described below.

(substrate support unit)
The alignment device 2 includes a substrate support unit 6 that supports the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 . Description will be made with reference to FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the substrate support unit 6 and the suction plate 15, and is a diagram of these as seen from below.

The substrate support unit 6 includes a plurality of base portions 61a to 61d forming its outer frame, and a plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 protruding inward from the base portions 61a to 61d. Note that the mounting portions 62 and 63 are sometimes called "receiving claws" or "fingers". The base portions 61a to 61d are each supported by a support shaft R3. A plurality of mounting portions 62 are arranged at intervals on the base portions 61a to 61d so as to receive the long side of the peripheral portion of the substrate 100. As shown in FIG. A plurality of mounting portions 63 are arranged at intervals on the base portions 61a to 61d so as to receive the short sides of the periphery of the substrate 100. As shown in FIG. The substrate 100 loaded into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transport robot 302 a is supported by the multiple mounting parts 62 and 63 . Hereinafter, the base portions 61a to 61d are collectively referred to as the base portion 61 when they are not distinguished from each other.

In this embodiment, the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 are composed of leaf springs. The substrate 100 can be pressed against the adsorption plate 15 by the elastic force of .

In the example of FIG. 3, the four base portions 61 form a rectangular frame with a partial notch. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a continuous rectangular frame that surrounds. However, since the notches are provided by the plurality of base portions 61 , the transfer robot 302 a can avoid the base portions 61 and retreat when the transfer robot 302 a transfers the substrate 100 to the mounting portions 62 and 63 . can. As a result, the efficiency of transporting and delivering the substrate 100 can be improved.

The substrate support unit 6 is provided with a plurality of clamping portions corresponding to the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63, and the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 mounted on the mounting portions 62 and 63 is clamped by the clamping portions. may be employed.

(Suction plate)
Continuing to refer to FIGS. The alignment device 2 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 3 and includes a suction plate 15 capable of suctioning the substrate 100 . In this embodiment, the adsorption plate 15 is provided between the substrate support unit 6 and the plate unit 9 and supported by one or more support shafts R1. In this embodiment, the adsorption plate 15 is supported by four support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the support shaft R1 is a cylindrical shaft.

Further, in this embodiment, the attraction plate 15 is an electrostatic chuck that attracts the substrate 100 by electrostatic force. For example, the adsorption plate 15 has a structure in which electrical circuits such as metal electrodes are embedded in a ceramic matrix (also called a substrate). For example, in each electrode placement region 151, a pair of electrodes to which positive and negative voltages are applied are placed in order to generate electrostatic attraction. The positive electrodes and negative electrodes are alternately arranged within one electrode arrangement region 151 . When positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are applied to the metal electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151, polarization charges are induced in the substrate 100 through the ceramic matrix, and static electricity is generated between the substrate 100 and the adsorption plate 15. The substrate 100 is attracted and fixed to the attraction surface 150 of the attraction plate 15 by a static attraction (electrostatic force).

The attraction plate 15 also includes a voltage controller (not shown) that controls the magnitude of the voltage applied to the electrodes, the voltage application start point, the voltage maintenance time, the voltage application sequence, and the like. The voltage controller can control voltage application to the plurality of electrode arrangement regions 151 independently of each other.

Note that the electrode placement region 151 can be set as appropriate. For example, in the present embodiment, a plurality of electrode placement regions 151 are spaced apart from each other, but one electrode placement region 151 may be formed over substantially the entire adsorption surface 150 of the adsorption plate 15 .

A plurality of touch sensors 1621 for detecting contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate 100 are embedded in the adsorption plate 15 . In this embodiment, a total of nine touch sensors 1621 are provided. At the periphery of the suction plate 15 , four are provided along both long sides, and one is provided at the central portion of the suction plate 15 . By providing the touch sensors 1621 at a plurality of locations on the attraction plate 15 in this manner, it is possible to confirm that the entire surface of the substrate 100 has been attracted to the attraction surface 150 . Note that the number and arrangement of the touch sensors 1621 can be changed as appropriate.

Further, in the present embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 mechanically detects contact between itself and a target. As an example, the touch sensor 1621 is provided such that its tip is biased by a spring or the like and protrudes from the attraction surface 150 when the tip is not in contact with the substrate 100 or the like. Then, when the substrate 100 contacts the tip of the touch sensor 1621, the tip is pushed by the substrate 100 and withdraws toward the adsorption plate 15 side. Configured. The shape of the tip is not particularly limited, and may be button-shaped or rod-shaped. The touch sensor 1621 can substantially detect the contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate 100 by appropriately setting the length of the protrusion of the tip that is not in contact with the object from the adsorption surface 150 . Also, the plurality of touch sensors 1621 constitute a detection unit 16 that detects parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 (see <detection unit>), as will be described later.

In addition, in this embodiment, the suction plate 15 is provided with a fiber sensor 1622 for checking the suction state of the substrate 100 to the suction plate 15 . The fiber sensor 1622 includes a light emitter 1622a and a light receiver 1622b. The light-emitting portion 1622a and the light-receiving portion 1622b are provided so as to form an optical path 1622c below the adsorption plate 15, for example, below the adsorption plate 15 by several millimeters to several tens of millimeters. When a part of the substrate 100 is not adsorbed by the adsorption plate 15, the part bends downward due to gravity. If the substrate 100 is warped after the substrate 100 is sucked onto the chucking plate 15, the warped portion blocks the optical path 1622c, so that the warping of the substrate 100 is detected. That is, it is possible to detect that the substrate 100 is not properly sucked. Note that the fiber sensor 1622 may be omitted.

A plurality of openings 152 are formed in the suction plate 15 , and a measurement unit (first measurement unit 7 and second measurement unit 8 ), which will be described later, captures an image of a mask mark, which will be described later, through the plurality of openings 152 .

Also refer to FIG. FIG. 4 schematically shows the structure from the adsorption plate 15 to the support shaft R1. Also, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the electrical wiring of the adsorption plate, showing the wiring for supplying electricity to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement area 151 of the adsorption plate 15 . In the case of this embodiment, a plurality of support shafts R1 that support the adsorption plate 15 are formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. Wires 153 for applying plus (+) and minus (-) voltages are wired so as to pass through the interior thereof. In the example of FIG. 4, a total of two wires 153 are shown for applying plus (+) and minus (-) voltages. An electric wire 153 extending from the lower portion of the support shaft R1 to the vacuum chamber 3 extends along the short side of the adsorption plate 15 and connects to an electrical connection portion 154 provided substantially in the center of the short side. That is, the electric wire 153 is led from the outside to the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 via the support shaft R1 and is connected to the electrical connection portion 154 . Also, power supplied from the electric wire 153 to the electrical connection portion 154 is supplied to each electrode arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151 .

Further, in this embodiment, four support shafts R1 are provided, and various electric wires (cables) are led into the vacuum chamber 3 through these support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the wires 153 for supplying electricity to the adsorption plate 15 pass through the insides of two support shafts R1 provided diagonally, and the insides of the remaining two support shafts R1 are touched. Cables such as the sensor 1621 and a fiber sensor 1622 (to be described later) are bundled and pass through.

(Positioning unit)
The alignment apparatus 2 includes a position adjusting unit 20 that adjusts the relative position between the substrate 100 whose peripheral portion is supported by the substrate support unit 6 or the substrate 100 sucked by the suction plate 15 and the mask 101 . The position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 by displacing the substrate support unit 6 or the suction plate 15 on the XY plane. That is, it can be said that the position adjustment unit 20 is a unit that adjusts the horizontal positions of the mask 101 and the substrate 100 . For example, the position adjustment unit 20 can displace the substrate support unit 6 in rotational directions around the X, Y, and Z axes. In this embodiment, the position of the mask 101 is fixed and the substrate 100 is displaced to adjust their relative positions. It may be displaced.

In this embodiment, the positioning unit 20 comprises a fixed plate 20a, a movable plate 20b and a plurality of actuators 201 arranged between these plates. The fixed plate 20 a is fixed on the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 . A frame-shaped pedestal 21 is mounted on the movable plate 20b, and the pedestal 21 supports a distance adjusting unit 22 and a plate unit elevating unit 13. As shown in FIG. When the movable plate 20b is horizontally displaced with respect to the fixed plate 20a by the actuator 201, the pedestal 21, the distance adjusting unit 22 and the plate unit elevating unit 13 are integrally displaced.

The plurality of actuators 201 includes, for example, an actuator capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the X direction and an actuator capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the Y direction. It can be displaced in directions of rotation about the axes in the direction, Y direction and Z direction. For example, the plurality of actuators 201 may include a motor that is a driving source and a mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism that converts the driving force of the motor into linear motion.

(distance adjustment unit)
The distance adjustment unit 22 moves up and down the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate support unit 6 to adjust the distance between them and the mask table 5, and brings the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer together in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. and separate (separate). In other words, the distance adjusting unit 22 brings the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer together in the overlapping direction or separates them in the opposite direction. The “distance” adjusted by the distance adjustment unit 22 is a so-called vertical distance (or vertical distance), and the distance adjustment unit can also be said to be a unit that adjusts the vertical positions of the mask 101 and the substrate 100 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the distance adjusting unit 22 has a first lifting plate 220 . A guide rail 21a extending in the Z direction is formed on a side portion of the mount 21, and the first lifting plate 220 can move up and down in the Z direction along the guide rail 21a.

The first lifting plate 220 supports the suction plate 15 via a plurality of support shafts R1. As the first lift plate 220 moves up and down, the adsorption plate 15 moves up and down accordingly. In other words, the first elevating plate 220 supports a plurality of support shafts R1 that support the adsorption plate 15, and the elevation of the first elevating plate 220 raises and lowers the plurality of support shafts R1 synchronously. moves up and down while maintaining its parallelism. Also, the first elevating plate 220 supports the substrate support unit 6 via a plurality of actuators 65 and a plurality of support shafts R3. As the first lifting plate 220 rises and lowers, the substrate support unit 6 rises and lowers accordingly. Further, the plurality of actuators 65 are capable of vertically moving the plurality of connecting support shafts R3. The substrate support unit 6 is vertically moved relative to the adsorption plate 15 by a plurality of actuators 65 . The plurality of actuators 65 may be configured to be vertically movable on the support shaft R3 by, for example, a motor and a ball screw mechanism.

The lifting and lowering of the first lifting plate 220 will be described more specifically. The distance adjustment unit 22 is supported by the pedestal 21 and includes a drive unit 221 as an actuator that moves the first elevating plate 220 up and down. The drive unit 221 is a mechanism that transmits the driving force of a motor 221 a as a drive source to the first lifting plate 220 . As the transmission mechanism of the drive unit 221, in this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 221b and a ball nut 221c is employed. The ball screw shaft 221b extends in the Z direction and rotates around the axis in the Z direction by the driving force of the motor 221a. The ball nut 221c is fixed to the first elevating plate 220 and meshes with the ball screw shaft 221b. By rotating the ball screw shaft 221b and switching the direction of rotation, the first lifting plate 220 can be moved up and down in the Z direction. The amount of elevation of the first elevation plate 220 can be controlled, for example, from the detection result of a sensor such as a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotation of each motor 221a. Thereby, the position in the Z direction of the suction plate 15 that suctions and supports the substrate 100 can be controlled, and the contact and separation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be controlled. An adjustment unit 17, which will be described later, is provided on the upper portion of the first lifting plate 220. As shown in FIG.

Although the distance adjusting unit of this embodiment fixes the position of the mask table 5 and moves the substrate supporting unit 6 and the suction plate 15 to adjust the distance in the Z direction, the present invention is not limited to this. The position of the substrate support unit 6 or the suction plate 15 may be fixed and the mask table 5 may be moved for adjustment, or the substrate support unit 6, the suction plate 15, and the mask table 5 may be moved to adjust their position relative to each other. You can adjust the distance.

(Plate unit lifting unit)
The plate unit elevating unit 13 is connected to the second elevating plate 12 by elevating the second elevating plate 12 arranged outside the vacuum chamber 3, and elevates the plate unit 9 arranged inside the vacuum chamber 3. do. The plate unit 9 is connected with the second lifting plate 12 via one or more support shafts R2. In this embodiment, the plate unit 9 is supported by two support shafts R2. The support shaft R2 extends upward from the magnet plate 11 and passes through the opening of the upper wall portion 30, the openings of the fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b, and the opening of the first elevating plate 220. It is connected to the second lifting plate 12 .

The second lift plate 12 can be lifted and lowered in the Z direction along the guide shaft 12a. The plate unit elevating unit 13 is supported by the pedestal 21 and includes a driving mechanism for elevating the second elevating plate 12 . The driving mechanism provided in the plate unit lifting unit 13 is a mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor 13 a that is the driving source to the second lifting plate 12 . As a transmission mechanism for the plate unit lifting unit 13, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 13b and a ball nut 13c is employed in this embodiment. The ball screw shaft 13b extends in the Z direction and rotates around the axis in the Z direction by the driving force of the motor 13a. The ball nut 13c is fixed to the second elevating plate 12 and meshes with the ball screw shaft 13b. By rotating the ball screw shaft 13b and switching the direction of rotation, the second lifting plate 12 can be moved up and down in the Z direction. The amount of elevation of the second elevating plate 12 can be controlled, for example, from the detection result of a sensor such as a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotation of each motor 13a. Thereby, the position of the plate unit 9 in the Z direction can be controlled, and the contact and separation between the plate unit 9 and the substrate 100 can be controlled.

The opening of the upper wall 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 through which the support shafts R1 to R3 pass has a size that allows the support shafts R1 to R3 to be displaced in the X and Y directions. In order to maintain airtightness of the vacuum chamber 3, a bellows or the like is provided at the opening of the upper wall portion 30 through which the support shafts R1 to R3 pass. For example, the support shaft R1 that supports the first elevating plate 220 is covered with a bellows 31 (see FIG. 4, etc.).

(measurement unit)
The alignment apparatus 2 includes measurement units (a first measurement unit 7 and a second measurement unit 8) that measure the positional deviation between the substrate 100 whose peripheral edge is supported by the substrate support unit 6 and the mask 101 . Description will be made with reference to FIG. 5 in addition to FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8, and shows a mode of measuring the positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. As shown in FIG. Both the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 of the present embodiment are imaging devices (cameras) that capture images. The first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 are arranged above the upper wall portion 30 and are capable of capturing an image inside the vacuum chamber 3 through a window (not shown) formed in the upper wall portion 30 . be.

The substrate 100 is formed with substrate rough alignment marks 100a and substrate fine alignment marks 100b, and the mask 101 is formed with mask rough alignment marks 101a and mask fine marks 101b. Hereinafter, the substrate rough alignment mark 100a is called the substrate rough mark 100a, the substrate fine alignment mark 100b is called the substrate fine mark 100b, and both are collectively called the substrate mark. Also, the mask rough alignment mark 101a is called the mask rough mark 101a, the mask fine alignment mark 101b is called the mask fine mark 101b, and both are collectively called the mask mark.

The substrate rough mark 100 a is formed in the central portion of the short side of the substrate 100 . Substrate fine marks 100 b are formed at the four corners of substrate 100 . The mask rough marks 101a are formed in the central portion of the short side of the mask 101 corresponding to the substrate rough marks 100a. Also, the mask fine marks 101b are formed at the four corners of the mask 101 corresponding to the substrate fine marks 100b.

Four second measurement units 8 (second measurement units 8a to 8d) are provided so as to image each set (four sets in this embodiment) of the corresponding substrate fine mark 100b and mask fine mark 101b. The second measurement unit 8 is a high-magnification CCD camera (fine camera) having a relatively narrow field of view but high resolution (for example, on the order of several μm), and measures the positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 with high precision. do. One first measurement unit 7 is provided, and images each set (two sets in this embodiment) of the corresponding substrate rough marks 100a and mask rough marks 101a.

The first measurement unit 7 is a low-magnification CCD camera (rough camera) having a relatively wide field of view and low resolution, and measures a rough positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . Although the example of FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which two sets of substrate rough marks 100a and mask rough marks 101a are collectively imaged by one first measurement unit 7, the present invention is not limited to this. As with the second measurement unit 8, two first measurement units 7 may be provided at positions corresponding to each pair so as to photograph each pair of the substrate rough marks 100a and the mask rough marks 101a.

In this embodiment, after roughly adjusting the positions of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 based on the measurement results of the first measurement unit 7 , the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are aligned based on the measurement results of the second measurement unit 8 . Make precise position adjustments.

(adjustment unit)
The alignment device 2 comprises an adjustment unit 17 . FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the adjustment unit 17 (adjustment device). The adjustment unit 17 is a unit that adjusts the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 . In this embodiment, the adjustment unit 17 adjusts the relative tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 by moving the suction plate 15 . In other words, the relative tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 is adjusted by adjusting the axial position of at least a part of the support shafts R1 among the plurality of support shafts R1.

The adjustment unit 17 has a plurality of operation sections 171 operated by an operator. In this embodiment, a plurality of operation portions 171 are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of support shafts R1. When the operation portion 171 is operated, the corresponding support shaft R1 moves in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction, independently of the other support shafts R1. That is, each of the plurality of operating portions 171 can independently adjust the vertical position at which the corresponding support shaft R1 supports the suction plate 15 . Therefore, the worker can adjust the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 by operating the operation unit 171 . In order to increase the degree of freedom of adjustment, it is preferable to provide an operation portion 171 on each of the plurality of support shafts R1. can be adjusted within a certain range.

In this embodiment, the operation part 171 is an adjusting nut that moves the support shaft R1 in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction thereof. The adjusting nut and the screw thread 172 formed on the support shaft R1 are provided so as to be screwed together, and when the adjusting nut is turned by the operator, the support shaft R1 moves.

Further, in the present embodiment, the operation section 171 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 3 . Specifically, the support shaft R<b>1 is supported by the first elevating plate 220 via the slide bush 173 , and the operation portion 171 is provided above the slide bush 173 . Since the operation part 171 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 3, the operator can perform adjustment using the adjustment unit 17 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is kept in a vacuum state.

A joint portion 18 is provided between the support shaft R1 and the suction plate 15 to connect the support shaft R1 and the suction plate 15 so that the angle of the suction plate 15 with respect to the support shaft R1 is variable. In this embodiment, the joint portion 18 is a spherical bearing and includes a spherical portion 181 and a bearing portion 182 that slidably receives the spherical portion 181 .

In this embodiment, the plurality of support shafts R1 are configured to be movable only in the vertical direction (axial direction). Therefore, in the state ST1 shown on the left side of FIG. The angle formed by the suction plate 15 with respect to R1 is different. In this embodiment, the suction plate 15 is bent with respect to the support shaft R1 at the joint portion 18, so that the support shaft R1 can support the suction plate 15 even when the suction plate 15 is tilted. In addition, the joint part 18 can set suitably the structure which connects two members, such as a universal joint, so that the connection angle can be changed.

Here, the configuration of the adjustment unit 17 will be described in comparison with the distance adjustment unit 22. FIG. When the first lifting plate 220 of the distance adjusting unit 22 moves up and down, the plurality of support shafts R1 supported by the first lifting plate 220 are all raised and lowered by the same amount. do. Therefore, the suction plate 15 moves up and down while maintaining the parallelism or relative inclination of the suction plate 15 to the mask table 5 . On the other hand, the adjustment unit 17 can move any one of the plurality of support shafts R1 in the vertical direction (axial direction) with respect to the first lifting plate 220 independently of the other support shafts R1. For example, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the axial position of the remaining one support shaft R1 without changing the positions of the three support shafts R1. Thereby, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the inclination of the suction plate 15 supported by the plurality of support shafts R1.

(Floating part)
The alignment device 2 has a floating section 19 . The floating portion 19 is provided between the joint portion 18 and the suction plate 15 . The floating portion 19 includes an elastic member 191 , a bushing 192 , a shaft member 193 , a suction plate support portion 194 and a flange 195 . The shaft member 193 is provided extending downward from the joint portion 18 . The bushing 192 is provided so as to be interposed between the shaft member 193 and the suction plate supporting portion 194, and reduces friction and rattling therebetween. For example, the bush 192 is made of a metal sintered material or the like having good lubricity. The suction plate supporting portion 194 supports the suction plate 15 . The elastic member 191 is provided between a suction plate support portion 194 and a flange 195 provided on the shaft member 193 and configured to receive the load of the suction plate 15 . That is, the floating portion 19 is connected to the support shaft R<b>1 via the joint portion 18 , and the elastic member 191 of the floating portion 19 supports the adsorption plate 15 . As described above, the support shaft R1 supports the suction plate 15 via the elastic member 191 of the floating portion 19, thereby reducing the load applied to the mask 101 when the suction plate 15 comes into contact with the mask 101. It is possible to secure escape of the suction plate 15 when the plate 15 and the mask 101 come into contact with each other.

(detection unit)
The alignment device 2 comprises a detection unit 16 . Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3 again. A detection unit 16 detects parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 . In this embodiment, the degree of parallelism is the degree of relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 . In this embodiment, the detection unit 16 is configured to include the plurality of touch sensors 1621 provided on the adsorption plate 15 side. The plurality of touch sensors 1621 are attached to the attraction plate 15 so that the lengths protruding from the attraction surface 150 of the tip portion are substantially equal to each other. By attaching the touch sensor 1621 to the adsorption plate 15, even if the vacuum chamber 3 is deformed by the atmospheric pressure, the relative positional change between the adsorption plate 15 and the touch sensor 1621 can be reduced. That is, even in a vacuum state, the projection lengths of the tip portions of the touch sensor 1621 hardly change and are maintained substantially equal to each other. Therefore, if all of the plurality of touch sensors 1621 react almost simultaneously when the suction plate 15 moves, it is determined that the degree of parallelism is high, in other words, the relative tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 is small. can do. A predetermined non-parallel inclination can also be set as a target value by appropriately changing the length of the tip protruding from the attraction surface 150 . The operation of detecting the parallelism of the suction plate 15 using the detection unit 16 will be described later. Also, in this embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 detects both the contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 and the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 . As a result, the number of sensors can be reduced compared to the case where sensors for detecting these are provided separately.

<Control device>
The control device 14 controls the film forming apparatus 1 as a whole. The control device 14 includes a processing unit 141 , a storage unit 142 , an input/output interface (I/O) 143 , a communication unit 144 , a display unit 145 and an input unit 146 . The processing unit 141 is a processor represented by a CPU, and controls the film forming apparatus 1 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 142 . The storage unit 142 is a storage device such as ROM, RAM, HDD, etc., and stores various control information in addition to programs executed by the processing unit 141 . The I/O 143 is an interface that transmits and receives signals between the processing unit 141 and external devices. The communication unit 144 is a communication device that communicates with the host device 300 or other control devices 14, 309, 310, etc. via the communication line 300a. or transmit information to the host device 300 . The display unit 145 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information. The input unit 146 is, for example, a keyboard or pointing device, and receives various inputs from the user. All or part of the control devices 14, 309, 310 and the host device 300 may be configured by PLC, ASIC, or FPGA.

<Process of overlaying substrate and mask>
7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of a process of overlaying the substrate 100 and the mask 101 using the suction plate 15. FIG. FIG. 7 shows each state of the process.

The state ST100 is a state after the substrate 100 is loaded into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transport robot 302a and the transport robot 302a is retracted. At this time, the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate support unit 6 .

State ST101 is a state in which the substrate support unit 6 is raised as a preparatory stage for the adsorption plate 15 to adsorb the substrate 100 . The substrate support unit 6 is raised by the actuator 65 so as to approach the adsorption plate 15 from the state ST100. In state ST101, the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 is in contact with the suction plate 15 or is slightly separated from it. On the other hand, the central portion of the substrate 100 is bent due to its own weight, and thus is positioned farther from the suction plate 15 than the peripheral portion.

State ST102 is a state in which the substrate 100 is sucked by the suction plate 15 . By applying a voltage to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement area 151 of the adsorption plate 15 , the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15 by electrostatic force.

State ST103 is a state for confirming whether or not the substrate 100 is normally attracted to the attraction plate 15 . Whether or not the substrate 100 is attracted to the attraction plate 15 is confirmed based on the detection value of the touch sensor 1621 in a state where the substrate support unit 6 is lowered and separated from the substrate 100 . For example, the control device 14 determines that the substrate 100 is normally attracted to the attraction plate 15 when all the touch sensors 1621 embedded in the attraction plate 15 detect contact with the substrate 100 . . Moreover, when the fiber sensor 1622 is provided, it may be determined whether the substrate 100 is normally sucked based on the output from the fiber sensor 1622 .

State ST104 is a state during alignment operation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . The controller 14 performs an alignment operation with the position adjustment unit 20 while the suction plate 15 is lowered by the distance adjustment unit 22 to bring the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer to each other.

State ST105 is a state in which the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are brought into closer contact with each other by the magnet plate 11 . After completing the alignment operation, the controller 14 causes the plate unit lifting unit 13 to lower the plate unit 9 . As the magnet plate 11 approaches the substrate 100 and the mask 101, the mask 101 is attracted toward the substrate 100, and the adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is improved.

By the operation described above, the process of overlaying the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is completed. For example, after finishing this process, the deposition process by the film forming unit 4 is performed.

By the way, in aligning the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the process described above, the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 may affect the alignment accuracy. Alignment accuracy can be improved by reducing the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 for alignment. However, if there is a relative tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5, part of the substrate 100 may come into contact with the mask 101, which may cause scratches or the like on the substrate 100. FIG. As the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is increased in order to protect the substrate 100, the accuracy of alignment may be lowered. Therefore, in general, the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 may be adjusted while the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is in an atmospheric pressure environment. Parallel adjustment under the atmospheric pressure environment is performed, for example, by inserting a shim into the connecting portion of the substrate support unit 6 or the like.

[Example 1]
A configuration for detecting the degree of adsorption of the adsorption plate 15 (degree of close contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate 100) according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Detection Means>
Arrangement, configuration and function of the sensor according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 8A is a schematic perspective view showing how a film is formed on the substrate 100 inside the vacuum chamber 3. FIG. The substrate 100 is adsorbed by the adsorption plate 15 and aligned with the mask 101 . The film forming unit 4 includes an evaporation source 208 having multiple nozzles 244 . Inside the housing of the evaporation source 208, there are provided a container (crucible) containing a vapor deposition material, a heater, and a shutter. As the heater, a sheathed heater that generates heat when an electric current is applied is suitable, and the heater generates heat to heat the container, vaporize the vapor deposition material, and discharge it from the nozzle 244 (dotted arrow 251). The controller 14 controls the current to the heater and the opening/closing degree of the shutter, thereby controlling the discharge amount of the vapor deposition material.

The moving mechanism 204 is moving means including a guide rail 204a and a driving portion 204b. The drive unit 204b includes drive means such as a motor, and can be mounted with a housing. When the controller 14 reciprocates the driving section 204b on the guide rail 204a, the evaporation source mounted on the driving section 204b also moves. As a result, film formation is performed while the relative positions of the evaporation source and the substrate 100 are changed, so that film formation is performed evenly over the entire substrate 100 . That is, the control device 14 performs film formation that satisfies desired film formation conditions by controlling the scan speed and number of scans, the temperature of the heater, and the opening/closing degree of the shutter by the drive unit 204b. Further, when the film forming unit 4 is provided with a crystal oscillation type film forming rate monitor, the control device 14 may control the film forming according to the measured film forming rate. In addition to the illustrated linear evaporation source, a dot-shaped or planar evaporation source may be used. Scanning is not limited to reciprocating scanning, and a raster scanning method may be employed depending on the shape of the evaporation source.

The film forming unit 4 of the embodiment is further provided with a distance sensor 236 as detection means. In this embodiment, a plurality of distance sensors 236a to 236e are arranged along the line of the linear evaporation source, and as shown in the plan view of FIG. do. The distance sensor 236 of this embodiment is a laser rangefinder, and measures the distance to the substrate 100 by irradiating the laser light L in the Z direction and receiving the reflected light, as shown in FIG. 8(c). . Therefore, the linearly arranged distance sensors 236a to 236e scan the inside of the chamber from one end to the other by the moving mechanism 204, so that the distance in the Z direction can be measured over the entire substrate 100. FIG. As will be described later, the distance sensor 236 functions as detection means (suction degree sensor) for detecting the degree of suction between the substrate 100 and the suction plate 15 in cooperation with the control device 14 . That is, the moving mechanism 204 moves not only the evaporation source but also the distance sensor 236 as a detection means in a direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 100 (for example, the Y direction as the first direction).

Note that the object of distance measurement is not limited to the substrate 100, and any type of object to be measured above may be used. Therefore, if there is a mask 101 aligned with the substrate 100 directly above the distance sensor 236, ranging to the mask is possible. Further, when the substrate 100 is not directly above the distance sensor 236, distance measurement up to the adsorption plate 15 is possible. Also, the distance measuring means is not limited to a laser rangefinder,
For example, an image obtained by imaging means may be analyzed. In addition, various ranging sensors may be used.

<Adsorption degree detection in the embodiment>
A procedure for detecting the degree of adsorption will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A shows the first stage of detection, in which the substrate 100 has not been loaded into the vacuum chamber 3, or even if the substrate 100 has been loaded, there is no gap between the distance sensor 236 and the adsorption plate 15. It is in a non-existent state. In this state, the moving mechanism 204 moves the evaporation source 208 using the drive unit 204b, so that the distance sensor 236 connected to the evaporation source 208 also moves. Let DS(x, y) be the coordinates of the distance sensor 236 on the XY plane, and let h1(x, y) be the distance (height) from the distance sensor 236 to the attraction plate 15 in DS(x, y). By measuring the entire surface of the suction plate 15 at predetermined intervals while the plurality of distance sensors 236 are moving, the height of each part of the suction plate 15 without the substrate 100 can be measured.

Subsequently, in the second stage, as shown in FIG. 9B, the moving mechanism 204 moves the evaporation source 208 using the drive unit 204b while the adsorption plate 15 is adsorbing the substrate 100 . The distance sensor 236 measures the distance to the bottom surface of the substrate while moving with the evaporation source 208 . Let h2(x, y) be the distance (height) from the distance sensor 236 to the bottom surface of the substrate at the coordinates DS(x, y). By measuring the entire substrate 100 at predetermined intervals while the distance sensor 236 is moving, the height of each portion of the substrate lower surface can be measured. Assuming that the thickness of the substrate 100 is t1, if the substrate 100 is flatly adsorbed by the adsorption plate 15, then at all DS(x,y),
h1(x,y) = t1 + h2(x,y)
becomes.

On the other hand, when the substrate 100 is bent or distorted as shown in FIG. 9B, an error m1(x, y) occurs in the coordinates of the bending,
h1(x,y) - {t1 + h2(x,y)} = m1(x,y) ≠ 0
becomes. Therefore, the control device 14 reads the value of the predetermined tolerance for deflection from the memory and determines whether the error is within the predetermined tolerance. If the error is within a predetermined allowable range, it is determined that the adsorption by the adsorption plate 15 has been completed, and the process proceeds to the next step. On the other hand, if the error is out of the allowable range, it is determined that the suction by the suction plate 15 is insufficient at the coordinates of the deflection. Then, processing such as increasing the voltage to be applied to the electrode arrangement region 151 corresponding to the insufficiently attracted coordinates is performed.

<Modified example of adsorption degree detection>
Another procedure for detecting the degree of adsorption will be described with reference to FIG. In the first stage shown in FIG. 10(a), scanning is performed without the substrate 100 in the same procedure as in FIG. do. Subsequently, the adsorption plate 15 adsorbs the substrate 100 . Subsequently, after alignment of the substrate 100 and the mask 101, the second stage measurement shown in FIG. That is, the distance sensor 236 measures the distance to the lower surface of the mask as the moving mechanism 204 moves the evaporation source 208 using the drive unit 204b. Let h3(x, y) be the distance (height) from the distance sensor 236 to the lower surface of the mask at the coordinates DS(x, y). Distance sensor 236
By measuring the entire mask 101 at predetermined intervals while moving, the height of each part on the lower surface of the mask can be measured. Assuming that the thickness of the mask 101 is t2, if the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are flatly adsorbed, at all DS(x, y),
h1(x,y) = t1 + t2 + h3(x,y)
becomes.

On the other hand, if at least one of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is warped or distorted, an error m2(x,y) occurs in the coordinates of the warp,
h1(x,y) - {t1 + t2 + h3(x,y)} = m2(x,y) ≠ 0
becomes. Therefore, the controller 14 reads values within a predetermined allowable range from the memory and determines whether the error is within the predetermined allowable range. If the error is within a predetermined allowable range, it can be determined that the suction of the substrate 100 and the close contact of the mask 101 have been performed correctly. On the other hand, if the error is out of the allowable range, it is determined that the substrate 100 is not correctly adhered to the substrate 100 or the mask 101 is not in close contact at that coordinate.

Note that in this modification, the evaporation source 208 and the distance sensor 236 are scanned while the mask 101 is in close contact with the substrate 100 . Therefore, the distance sensor 236 may perform distance measurement during vapor deposition by the evaporation source 208 to shorten the processing time. By performing vapor deposition and adhesion measurement in parallel, it is also possible to obtain the effect of being able to quickly detect defects during vapor deposition.

Also, in this modified example, the height h1(x, y) of the suction plate surface, the height h2(x, y) of the bottom surface of the substrate, and the height h3(x, y) of the bottom surface of the mask are all measured. good too. As a result, the degree of adhesion of the substrate 100 and the degree of close contact of the mask 101 can be separately detected, and film formation can be performed with higher accuracy. Also, in this modification, touch sensors 1621 provided at a plurality of locations on the adsorption plate 15 may be used to measure the degree of close contact between the substrate 100 and the adsorption plate 15 .

[Example 2]
The arrangement of the distance sensor 236 in Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment is omitted. One distance sensor 236 is installed in the evaporation source 208 of the film forming unit 4 of this embodiment. The distance sensor 236 is relatively movable in the X direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the evaporation source 208 under the control of the control device 14 . For this purpose, the drive unit 204b has, for example, a linear slide mechanism including guide rails extending in the X direction provided along the evaporation source 208 as second moving means.

In this configuration, the drive unit 204b moves the evaporation source 208 in the Y direction as the first scan (SCAN1), as in the first embodiment. At the same time, the distance sensor 236 is moved in the X direction as a second scan (SCAN2). By measuring the distance while the distance sensor 236 moves in the first scan and the second scan, the distance to the object to be measured above can be measured. As in the first embodiment, the adsorption plate 15, the substrate 100, and the mask 101 can be used as measurement targets, and the degree of adsorption of the substrate 100 can be detected based on the measurement results. According to the configuration of this embodiment, the number of distance sensors 236 can be reduced to reduce costs.

[Example 3]
Example 3 will be described. Descriptions of the same configurations as those of the above embodiments will be omitted. In each of the above-described embodiments, the adsorption of the substrate 100 by the adsorption plate 15 and the alignment and close contact of the mask 101 to the substrate 100 were performed inside the film deposition apparatus 1 of the deposition chamber 303 . Therefore, the distance sensor 236 is also provided in the film forming unit 4 of the film forming apparatus 1 . However, if the adsorption of the substrate 100 and the alignment of the mask 101 are performed in a place other than the film forming chamber, the arrangement of the distance sensor 236 is not limited to this.

(Structure of in-line film forming apparatus)
Here, a manufacturing system 250 including an in-line film forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 12 is known. The manufacturing system 250 includes a mask carrying-in chamber 90, an alignment chamber 107 (mask mounting chamber), a plurality of film formation chambers 303a and 303b, reversing chambers 111a and 111b, a transfer chamber 112, a mask separating chamber 113, and a substrate. It has a separation chamber 114, a carrier transfer chamber 115, a mask transfer chamber 116, and a substrate loading chamber 117 (substrate mounting chamber). The substrate carrier 212 is transported within each chamber by transport means of the manufacturing system 250 .

Specifically, the substrate carrier 212 includes a substrate loading chamber 117, an inversion chamber 111a, a mask loading chamber 90, an alignment chamber 107, a plurality of film formation chambers 303a and 303b, a transfer chamber 112, a mask separation chamber 113, an inversion chamber 111b, The substrate is transported through each chamber in the order of the substrate separation chamber 114 and the transport chamber 115 and then returned to the substrate loading chamber 117 again. On the other hand, the mask 101 is transported through each chamber in the order of the mask loading chamber 90, the alignment chamber 107, the plurality of film forming chambers 303a and 303b, the transfer chamber 112, and the mask separating chamber 113, and then transferred to the mask loading chamber 90 again. back to In this manner, the substrate carrier 212 and the mask 101 are circulated and transported along predetermined transport paths (circulatory transport paths) indicated by broken and dotted lines, respectively.

The function of each chamber will be explained. The substrate 100 on which no film is formed is carried into the substrate carrying-in chamber 117 with the surface on which the film is to be formed faces upward in the vertical direction. At this time, the substrate carrier 212 is arranged in the substrate carrying-in chamber 117 with the holding surface facing upward in the vertical direction. Accordingly, the loaded substrate 100 is placed on the holding surface of the substrate carrier 212 and held by the substrate carrier 212 .

The reversing chambers 111a and 111b are provided with reversing mechanisms 120a and 120b for reversing the direction of the substrate holding surface of the substrate carrier 212 . In the reversing chamber 111a, the substrate carrier 212 holding the substrate 100 is reversed by the reversing mechanism 120a so that the deposition surface of the substrate 100 faces vertically downward. On the other hand, when the substrate carrier 212 is transferred from the mask separating chamber 113 to the reversing chamber 111b, the substrate 100 is transferred with the film-forming surface of the substrate 100 facing downward in the vertical direction. After loading, the substrate carrier 212 holding the substrate 100 is inverted by the reversing mechanism 120b so that the film formation surface of the substrate 100 faces vertically upward. After that, the substrate 100 is carried out from the substrate separation chamber 114 with the film formation surface facing vertically upward.

The substrate carrier 212 that has been turned over while holding the substrate 100 is loaded into the alignment chamber 107 through the mask loading chamber 90 . At the same time, the mask 101 is also transferred from the mask transfer chamber 90 to the alignment chamber 107 . The alignment device 2 is mounted in the alignment chamber 107 (mask mounting chamber). In the alignment chamber 107 , the alignment device 2 aligns the substrate 100 placed on the substrate carrier 212 and the mask 101 and places the substrate carrier 212 (substrate 100 ) on the mask 101 .

Thereafter, the mask 101 on which the substrate carrier 212 is placed is handed over to transport rollers (not shown) to start transport. A plurality of transport rollers are arranged along the transport direction on both sides of the transport path, and transport the substrate carrier 212 and the mask 101 by being rotated by the driving force of an AC servomotor (not shown). In the film formation chambers 303 a and 303 b , the substrate 100 sucked by the substrate carrier 212 carried in passes over the film formation unit 4 , thereby forming a film on the film formation surface of the substrate 100 through the mask 101 . is done.

After film formation is completed, the substrate carrier 212 is separated from the mask 101 in the mask separation chamber 113 . The mask 101 after separation is transferred to the mask transfer chamber 116 and used for the next substrate 100 . On the other hand, the substrate carrier 212 holding the substrate 100 is reversed in the reversing chamber 111b and transported to the substrate separating chamber 114. FIG. In the substrate separation chamber 114, the substrate 100 is separated from the substrate carrier 212, recovered from the circulatory transfer path, and sent to the next step. On the other hand, the substrate carrier 212 is transferred to the substrate loading chamber 117 .

(Structure and function of distance sensor)
In the above-described in-line type configuration, as the substrate carrier 212 that holds the substrate 100, one having a suction plate using an electrostatic chuck can be used. In this case, the substrate carrier 212 is conveyed to the alignment chamber 107 in front of the film formation chamber while holding the substrate 100 by suction using a suction plate. In such a configuration, it is not possible to measure the degree of adhesion by fixing the distance sensor 236 to the film forming unit as in each of the above embodiments.

Therefore, with reference to FIG. 13, the arrangement of the distance sensor 236 suitable for this embodiment will be described. FIG. 13A shows an example of the sensor unit 209 arranged in the alignment chamber 107. FIG. The sensor unit 209 has a driving mechanism capable of scanning in a direction substantially parallel to the film formation surface of the substrate 100 in the alignment chamber 107, and a plurality of distance sensors 236a to 236e arranged in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. It has

The sensor unit 209 first performs measurements by the distance sensors 236a to 236e while scanning the plane facing the substrate carrier 212. FIG. Thereby, the distance to each position of the substrate 100 held by the substrate carrier 212 can be measured. Subsequently, after the mask 101 is aligned and attached to the substrate 100, the distance sensors 236a to 236e are again measured. Thereby, the distance to each position of the mask 101 can be measured. Then, based on the distance to the substrate 100 and the distance to the mask 101 at each position, the degree of adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be measured.

In the above description, measurement in the alignment chamber 107 using the sensor unit 209 has been described, but by providing a similar sensor unit in the substrate loading chamber 117, the degree of adhesion of the substrate 100 to the suction plate of the substrate carrier 212 can be measured. You can also

Thus, the present invention is applicable even when vapor deposition is performed in the second chamber (film formation chamber 303) separate from the chamber (alignment chamber 107) for measuring the degree of adhesion.

(Modification)
FIG. 13(b) shows a modification of the sensor unit 209. As shown in FIG. In this modification, the sensor unit 209 has one distance sensor 236 . During distance measurement, the sensor unit itself is scanned in a first direction (Y direction) by the driving mechanism (SCAN1), and the distance sensor 236 is scanned in a second direction (X direction) intersecting the first direction (SCAN2). ). This allows the distance sensor 236 to measure the distance to each position of the measurement target.

FIG. 13(c) shows another modification of the sensor unit 209. FIG. Also in this modification, the sensor unit 209 has one distance sensor 236 . Further, the sensor unit 209 has a moving mechanism 213 that moves the distance sensor 236 to each position within the plane. As the moving mechanism 213, for example, a multi-joint arm as shown is suitable. With such a configuration, the distance sensor 236 can also measure the distance to each position of the measurement target.

[Example 4]
The measurement of the degree of adhesion between the suction plate and the substrate and the measurement of the degree of adhesion between the substrate and the mask according to the present invention may be performed during the process of actually forming a film on the substrate. It may be performed in a maintenance mode such as at the time of periodic inspection. When the degree of adhesion is measured during the actual film formation process, defects in the film formation can be detected early.

On the other hand, when the degree of adhesion is measured in the maintenance mode, the distance sensor 236 may be arranged only during the degree of adhesion measurement. For example, in the case of the first and second embodiments, the distance sensor 236 may be installed in the evaporation source 208 for measurement in the maintenance mode, and may be removed in the actual film formation process. Alternatively, in the maintenance mode, the film forming unit may be removed and a sensor unit including the distance sensor 236 may be attached for measurement. Further, in the case of the third embodiment, the sensor unit 209 may be installed in the alignment chamber 107 for measurement in the maintenance mode, and may be removed in the actual film forming process. This simplifies the configuration of the film formation chamber and the alignment chamber during actual film formation, and suppresses defects.

<Method for manufacturing electronic device>
Next, an example of an electronic device manufacturing method using the film forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the configuration of an organic EL display device will be shown as an example of an electronic device, and a method for manufacturing the organic EL display device will be exemplified.

First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. FIG. 14(a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 60, and FIG. 14(b) shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in FIG. 14A, in a display region 51 of an organic EL display device 50, a plurality of pixels 52 each having a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix. Although details will be described later, each of the light emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. The term "pixel" as used herein refers to a minimum unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display area 51. FIG. In the case of the organic EL display device according to the present embodiment, the pixel 52 is configured by a combination of the first light emitting element 52R, the second light emitting element 52G, and the third light emitting element 52B that emit light different from each other. The pixel 52 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. It is not limited.

FIG. 14(b) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along line AB in FIG. 14(a). The pixel 52 is composed of a plurality of light-emitting elements, and each light-emitting element includes a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole-transporting layer 55, a light-emitting layer 56R, 56G, or 56B, and an electron-transporting layer on a substrate 53. It has a layer 57 and a second electrode (cathode) 58 . Among these layers, the hole transport layer 55, the light emitting layers 56R, 56G and 56B, and the electron transport layer 57 correspond to organic layers. In this embodiment, the light-emitting layer 56R is an organic EL layer that emits red, the light-emitting layer 56G is an organic EL layer that emits green, and the light-emitting layer 56B is an organic EL layer that emits blue. The light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (also referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue, respectively. Also, the first electrode 54 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 55, the electron transport layer 57, and the second electrode 58 may be formed in common for the plurality of light emitting elements 52R, 52G, and 52B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. An insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54 to prevent short-circuiting between the first electrode 54 and the second electrode 58 due to foreign matter. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer is deteriorated by moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 40 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen.

Although the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as one layer in FIG. may be formed. In addition, a positive electrode having an energy band structure capable of smoothly injecting holes from the first electrode 54 to the hole transport layer 55 is provided between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55 . A hole injection layer can also be formed. Similarly, an electron injection layer can also be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57 .

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described.
First, a substrate 53 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a first electrode 54 are formed is prepared.

An acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by lithography so that an opening is formed in the portion where the first electrode 54 is formed, thereby forming an insulating layer. form 59. This opening corresponds to a light emitting region where the light emitting element actually emits light.

A substrate 53 having an insulating layer 59 patterned thereon is carried into a first organic material deposition apparatus, and the substrate is held by a substrate support table and an electrostatic chuck. is deposited as a common layer on the The hole transport layer 55 is deposited by vacuum deposition. Since the hole transport layer 55 is actually formed to have a size larger than that of the display area 51, a high-definition mask is not required.

Next, the substrate 53 with the hole transport layer 55 formed thereon is carried into the second organic material film forming apparatus and held by the substrate support table and the electrostatic chuck. The substrate and the mask are aligned, the substrate is placed on the mask, and a light-emitting layer 56R emitting red is formed on the portion of the substrate 53 where the element emitting red is to be arranged.

Similar to the deposition of the light emitting layer 56R, a green light emitting layer 56G is deposited by the third organic material deposition apparatus, and a blue light emitting layer 56B is deposited by the fourth organic material deposition apparatus. . After the formation of the light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B is completed, the electron transport layer 57 is formed over the entire display area 51 by the fifth film forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a layer common to the three color light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

The substrate on which the electron transport layer 57 has been formed is moved by a metallic vapor deposition material film forming apparatus to form the second electrode 58 as a film.

After that, the substrate is moved to a plasma CVD apparatus to deposit the protective layer 40, and the organic EL display device 50 is completed.

If the substrate 53 on which the insulating layer 59 is patterned is carried into the film forming apparatus and is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture and oxygen until the film formation of the protective layer 40 is completed, the light emitting layer made of the organic EL material will be damaged. It may deteriorate due to moisture and oxygen. Therefore, in this embodiment, the substrate is carried in and out between the film forming apparatuses under a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

Although the above embodiment shows an example of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and may be appropriately modified within the scope of the technical idea.

2: Alignment device, 3: Vacuum chamber, 14: Control device, 15: Suction plate, 100: Substrate, 101: Mask, 204: Moving mechanism, 236: Distance sensor

Claims (8)

a chamber holding a vacuum inside;
a suction plate provided inside the chamber for suctioning the substrate;
a detection means arranged below the suction plate in the vertical direction for detecting the degree of suction of the substrate to the suction plate;
and moving means for moving the detection means in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate. a mask support means provided inside the chamber for supporting a mask;
Alignment means for aligning the substrate and the mask adsorbed by the adsorption plate,
2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detection means detects a degree of adsorption of said substrate and said mask to said adsorption plate. a chamber holding a vacuum inside;
a suction plate provided inside the chamber for suctioning a substrate;
a mask support means provided inside the chamber for supporting a mask;
alignment means for aligning the substrate and the mask, which are adsorbed by the adsorption plate;
detection means arranged below the suction plate in the vertical direction and detecting the degree of close contact of the mask to the substrate;
and moving means for moving the detection means in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate. further comprising an evaporation source provided inside the chamber for emitting a vapor deposition material onto the substrate;
The detection means is provided in the evaporation source,
4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving means moves the detection means by moving the evaporation source in the first direction. 5. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said detection means is fixed to said evaporation source. A second moving means is provided for moving the detection means relative to the evaporation source in a second direction along the film formation surface and intersecting the first direction. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4. a second chamber separate from the chamber;
4. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an evaporation source provided in said second chamber for emitting a vapor deposition material onto said substrate. 8. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the detection means includes a distance measuring sensor using a laser.

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