JP4486625B2 - Vapor deposition material supply equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vapor deposition material supply apparatus.

  It is provided in a vacuum deposition apparatus that performs vacuum deposition by evaporating a vapor deposition material (for example, a metal material such as Al) filled in an evaporation source (crucible) provided in a vacuum chamber by, for example, irradiating an electron beam. As a vapor deposition material supply device that supplies a vapor deposition material to a crucible while maintaining the vacuum state of a vacuum chamber, a configuration as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, is known.

  The vapor deposition material supply apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a wire drum 22 in which a wire-shaped vapor deposition material is wound and accommodated in a wound state, and a wire shape protruding from the wire drum 22 toward the crucible 21. It comprises a guide nozzle 23 that guides the vapor deposition material into the crucible 21.

  By the way, in this vapor deposition material supply apparatus, the tip opening of the guide nozzle 23 is disposed in the vicinity of the crucible 21 in order to facilitate the material supply to the crucible 21. For this reason, the evaporant easily adheres to the guide nozzle 23, and the tip opening is blocked by the adhering substance, and the feeding of the wire-like vapor deposition material is hindered. Therefore, frequent maintenance is required.

  Therefore, in general, a shutter 24 as shown in FIG. 1 is provided between the guide nozzle 23 and the crucible 21 so as to be able to advance and retreat, and the shutter 24 prevents evaporation from adhering to the guide nozzle 23. It is configured to be able to. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 25 denotes a guide body on which the shutter 24 is provided so as to be able to advance and retract, 26 denotes an installation table on which the wire drum 22 is installed, and 27 denotes both ends of the rotating shaft 28 of the wire drum 22 so as to be rotatable. It is a support body to support.

  That is, when the material is supplied, the shutter 24 is retracted from between the crucible 21 and the guide nozzle 23 to allow the material supply from the guide nozzle 23 to the crucible 21, and when the material is not supplied, the shutter 24 is connected to the front end opening of the crucible 21 and the guide nozzle 23. It is arranged so as to prevent the adhering matter from adhering to the tip opening of the guide nozzle 23.

JP 2000-208364 A

  By providing the shutter 24 as described above, it is possible to surely prevent evaporation from adhering to the tip opening of the guide nozzle 23 when not supplied. However, since the shutter 24 is always exposed to the evaporated material from the nearby crucible 21 during the vapor deposition, a large amount of the evaporated material adheres, and the evaporated material attached to the shutter 24 falls on the crucible 21 or the like. When it is moved forward and backward, it may come into contact with a crucible or the like, causing malfunction.

  Therefore, in the end, it is necessary to frequently perform maintenance in order to remove the evaporated matter attached to the shutter 24, and the present situation is that a configuration capable of performing vapor deposition continuously for a long time has not yet been realized.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and the guide supply port can be brought close to the supplyable position to the evaporation source only when the material is supplied, and can be separated from the evaporation source so that the evaporated material does not adhere when not supplied. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent evaporation from adhering to the guide supply port without being always exposed to the evaporation during non-supply, thereby prolonging the maintenance cycle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vapor deposition material supply device that can perform the above process and is extremely practical.

  The gist of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A vapor deposition material 2 filled in an evaporation source 1 provided in a vacuum chamber is heated to evaporate, and the vapor deposition material 2 from the evaporation source 1 is attached to a substrate to be deposited on a substrate. A vapor deposition material supply device that supplies the vapor deposition material 2 to the source 1 and guides the vapor deposition material 2 for supply into the evaporation source 1 to a material container 3 in which the vapor deposition material 2 for supply is stored. A guide supply port 4 is provided, and the guide supply port 4 or the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is provided in the vacuum chamber so as to be able to contact with and separate from the evaporation source 1. The guide supply port 4 is brought close to the position facing the opening of the evaporation source 1 to supply the vapor deposition material 2 to the evaporation source 1, and the guide supply port 4 is moved away from the evaporation source 1 to the guide supply port 4. The opening of the evaporation source 1 so that the evaporated material does not adhere to Switching movement freely configured in the separating retracted state retracted from a position facing the deposition, characterized by comprising a vaporization material removal mechanism 5 for removing the vaporized substance attached in the separated retracted state to the guide feed port 4 The present invention relates to a material supply apparatus.

  Further, when the guide supply port 4 is switched from the proximity supply state to the separation and retreat state, the guide supply port 4 is removed from the adhesion region where the evaporated material of the vapor deposition material 2 from the evaporation source 1 adheres. The vapor deposition material supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide supply port (4) or the material storage body (3) provided with the guide supply port (4) is configured so as to be retracted to a non-adhesion region where an object does not adhere. It is concerned.

  Further, the guide supply port 4 or the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is configured to be rotatable, and is configured to be capable of rotating and switching between the proximity supply state and the separation retracted state. It concerns on the vapor deposition material supply apparatus of any one of Claim 1, 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The material storage body 3 is constituted by a wire drum 8 in which the wire-shaped vapor deposition material 2 is stored so as to be rewound and unwound. The wire-shaped vapor deposition material 2 is placed in the evaporation source 1 on the wire drum 8. 4. A vapor deposition material supply according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a guide nozzle 9 is provided so as to project into the guide nozzle 9, and a leading end opening of the guide nozzle 9 is set in the guide supply port 4. It concerns the device.

  5. The vapor deposition material supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a supply angle (θ) of the guide supply port 4 is 40 to 75 °.

Further, the evaporating material removal mechanism 5 is deposited according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a melt removing portion 6 which melts removing the vaporized material adhering to the guide feed port 4 The present invention relates to a material supply apparatus.

The vaporized material according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the evaporant removing mechanism (5) has a sensor unit (7) capable of detecting the evaporant adhering to the guide supply port (4). This relates to the supply device.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, the maintenance cycle can be prolonged by preventing evaporation from adhering to the guide supply port without being always exposed to the evaporation during non-supply, and can be continued for a long time by the vapor deposition apparatus. Therefore, the vapor deposition material supply apparatus is excellent in practicality and enables stable vapor deposition.

  Embodiments of the present invention that are considered suitable (how to carry out the invention) will be briefly described with reference to the drawings, illustrating the operation of the present invention.

  When supplying the vapor deposition material 2 for supply stored in the material storage body 3 to the evaporation source 1 (when supplying the material), the guide supply port 4 or the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is guided. The vapor deposition material 2 is supplied to the evaporation source 1 by bringing the supply port 4 close to a position facing the opening of the evaporation source 1.

  On the other hand, when the vapor deposition material 2 is not supplied, the guide supply port 4 or the material container 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is separated from the evaporation source 1 so that the guide supply port 4 is opened to the opening of the evaporation source 1. The evaporant from the evaporation source 1 is retracted from a position where it faces to a position where it does not adhere (position where it is difficult to adhere).

  Therefore, unlike the conventional configuration in which the guide supply port is fixed in the vicinity of the evaporation source (material supply position) and is always exposed to the evaporated material during the non-supply time, the evaporated material adhering to the guide supply port 4 is the amount attached to the material supply. Just do it.

  Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent evaporation from adhering to the guide supply port 4 at the time of non-supply without providing a shutter. That is, the evaporation can be stably performed without falling of the evaporant from the shutter or the interference between the evaporant adhering to the shutter and the crucible.

  Further, for example, when the shutter 14 is provided, if the shutter 14 is provided so as to be able to come in contact with and separate from the vapor deposition source 1 together with the guide supply port 4, it is possible to reduce the evaporated matter adhering when not supplied. The maintenance cycle can be further extended.

  Further, for example, when the guide supply port 4 is switched from the proximity supply state to the separation and retreat state, the guide supply port 4 is moved from an adhesion region to which the evaporated material of the vapor deposition material 2 from the evaporation source 1 adheres. When the guide supply port 4 or the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is configured so that it can be retreated to the non-adhesion region where the evaporant does not adhere, the guide supply port is more reliably used during non-supply. 4 can reduce the amount of the evaporant adhering to 4, and further prolong the maintenance cycle.

  In addition, for example, the guide supply port 4 or the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is configured to be rotatable, and is configured to be capable of rotating and switching between the proximity supply state and the separation retracted state. In this case, the guide supply port 4 can be configured to be freely contacted and separated from the evaporation source 1 with a simple structure and a minimum necessary installation space.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an angle θ formed by a horizontal line (parallel to the installation surface of the evaporation source 1) and the guide nozzle is defined as a supply angle. This supply angle is preferably 40 to 75 °, and more preferably 55 to 65 °. When the angle is less than 40 °, the wire material fed from the guide supply port is bent by the influence of heat at the time of deposition and cannot be supplied to the crucible. In addition, when the angle is larger than 75 °, the guide nozzle becomes longer because the material is supplied from the upper part of the crucible, and the material is deposited on the entire longitudinal direction of the guide nozzle, which makes it difficult to remove the deposited material. Absent.

  In addition, for example, it has a melting removal unit 6 that melts and removes the evaporated material attached to the guide supply port 4 and a sensor unit 7 that can detect the evaporated material attached to the guide supply port 4 in the separated and retracted state. When the evaporant removing mechanism 5 is provided, it is possible to easily and surely remove the evaporate adhering to the guide supply port 4 while maintaining the vacuum state of the vacuum tank, and it is stable for a longer time. Vapor deposition becomes possible.

  A specific embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In this embodiment, the vapor deposition material 2 filled in the evaporation source 1 provided in the vacuum chamber is heated and evaporated, and the vapor deposition material 2 from the evaporation source 1 is attached to the substrate. A vapor deposition material supply device that is provided and supplies the vapor deposition material 2 to the evaporation source 1, wherein the vapor deposition material 2 for supply is vaporized in a material container 3 in which the vapor deposition material 2 for supply is stored. A guide supply port 4 is provided in the source 1 for guidance and supply. The guide supply port 4 or the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 can be brought into and out of contact with the evaporation source 1 in the vacuum chamber. The guide supply port 4 is brought close to a position facing the opening of the evaporation source 1 to be close to the evaporation source 1 and the evaporation material 1 is supplied to the evaporation source 1, and is separated from the evaporation source 1. The evaporation so that the evaporated material does not adhere to the guide supply port 4. In the separated retracted state retracted from the position facing the first opening is obtained by constituting freely switching movement.

  Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the material container 3 is constituted by a wire drum 8 in which the wire-shaped vapor deposition material 2 is stored in a wound state so as to be rewound and unwound. The guide nozzle 9 for guiding the wire-like vapor deposition material 2 into the evaporation source 1 is directed toward the evaporation source 1 (crucible) so that the supply angle θ is 60 °. The leading end opening of the guide nozzle 9 is set at the guide supply port 4.

  By rotating the wire drum 8 in the feeding direction, the tip of the wire-shaped vapor deposition material 2 is projected from the guide supply port 4 and inserted into the evaporation source 1.

  The vapor deposition material 2 inserted into the evaporation source 1 is melted and integrated by the vapor deposition material 2 in the evaporation source 1 that has been heated to a molten state. In addition, you may comprise so that the vapor deposition material 2 may be supplied in shapes other than a wire form.

  Further, the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is configured to be horizontally rotatable with respect to the installation surface, so that the horizontal rotation can be switched between the proximity supply state and the separation retreat state.

  That is, in this embodiment, when the material container 3 is in the proximity supply state, the guide supply port 4 is located above the evaporation source 1 by a predetermined distance (a position where the vapor deposition material 2 can be inserted at a substantially central position of the evaporation source 1). It is configured to be positioned, and is configured to be separated and retracted by rotating in the horizontal direction without changing the height (without moving in the vertical direction).

  In addition, in the present Example, the structure which rotates the material storage body 3 horizontally is employ | adopted, However, You may comprise so that it can move also to an orthogonal | vertical direction with respect to an installation surface. Moreover, you may comprise so that it can advance / retreat not only to rotation but to perform both rotation and advance / retreat. However, when the installation space for the material container 3 cannot be secured sufficiently, or when it is desired to make the vacuum chamber as small as possible, it is desirable to adopt a configuration that performs only horizontal rotation.

  Specifically, when the guide supply port 4 is switched from the proximity supply state to the separation and retreat state, the guide supply port 4 is moved from an adhesion region where the evaporated material of the vapor deposition material 2 from the evaporation source 1 adheres. The material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is configured so that it can be retreated to a non-adhesion region where the evaporated material does not adhere.

  That is, the position where the guide supply port 4 faces the opening of the evaporation source 1 (the position where the evaporation material 2 can be guided to the insertion nozzle 9 and inserted into the evaporation source 1 when the wire-like evaporation material 2 is fed) It is configured so that the material can be supplied by being close to each other, and it can be retreated from the position facing the opening of the evaporation source 1 away from the evaporation source 1 to the position where the evaporated material does not adhere.

  Specifically, the material storage body 3 is provided on a rotatable turntable 11, and the turntable 11 is rotated, whereby the guide nozzle 9 (guide supply port 4) evaporates the material storage body 3. Rotation switching between a state in which the material can be supplied facing the source 1 side (proximity supply state) and a state in which the guide nozzle 9 is directed to the opposite side after being rotated 180 ° from the proximity supply state (separated retreat state) It is configured freely. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a rotary shaft of the rotary table 11 (the rotary table 11 rotates together with the rotary shaft 10), and 12 denotes a support that rotatably supports both ends of the rotary shaft 13 of the wire drum 8.

  In the separated and retracted state, the guide nozzle 9 may be configured to be separated to a position where the guide nozzle 9 can be concealed by the wire drum 8 when viewed from the evaporation source 1, and is rotated within a range of 180 ° or less from the proximity supply state. The separated state may be set as the separated retreat state. In other words, at least the evaporated material from the evaporation source 1 can be rotated to a position where it can be prevented by the wire drum 8 from linearly adhering to the guide nozzle 9 (only a small amount of the evaporated material comes around). Because it is.)

  Accordingly, in this embodiment, for example, compared with the case where the material storage body 3 is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward using a rail or the like, the installation space is not required, and the existing material storage body 3 is simply installed on the rotary table. It can be configured and can be realized extremely simply and at low cost.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the present embodiment includes an evaporant removing mechanism 5 that removes the evaporant adhered to the guide supply port 4 in the separated and retracted state. Accordingly, it is possible to remove the evaporate adhering to the guide supply port 4 at the time of material supply, and it is possible to further extend the maintenance cycle.

  The evaporant removal mechanism 5 includes a melting removal unit 6 that melts and removes the evaporate attached to the guide supply port 4 and a sensor unit 7 that can detect the evaporate attached to the guide supply port 4. It is said. The evaporant removing mechanism 5 may be configured to rotate together with the material storage body 3, or may be configured to be provided in a fixed state at a position where the tip of the guide nozzle 9 in the separated and retracted state can be fitted.

  The melt removal unit 6 is composed of a conductive wire 6 a and a power source 6 b that are wound around the tip of the guide nozzle 9. By heating the conducting wire 6a by passing an electric current, the evaporated matter adhering to the tip of the guide nozzle 9 is melted and removed. As a heating method, induction heating capable of rapid heating (high frequency) may be employed.

  For example, when the vapor deposition material is Al, the heating temperature is preferably set to 700 to 900 ° C., and the heating time is set to about 1 to 2 minutes. Further, when the evaporated substance is melted and removed, the wire drum 8 is rotated in the winding direction so that the tip of the wire-like vapor deposition material 2 is retracted from the guide nozzle 9, and the wire-like vapor deposition material is placed in the nozzle. Keep it from melting. Note that the material of the guide nozzle 9 is effectively a ceramic such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride, zirconia, sialon, aluminum titanate, etc., for such a mechanism for melting and removing the deposit by high frequency induction heating. This is because the metal material attached to the guide nozzle 9 is selectively heated in the heating temperature range.

  The sensor unit 7 is a general optical sensor, and detects whether or not the evaporant is attached to the tip portion (tip opening portion) of the guide nozzle 9. The sensor unit 7 confirms whether or not the evaporant has been removed by the melt removal unit 6. Moreover, when this sensor part 7 detects adhesion of evaporate, you may comprise so that an electric current may flow into the conducting wire of the said melt removal part 6 automatically, and an evaporate may be melted and removed. Furthermore, as a sensor other than the optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor (a transmitter and a receiver are arranged at the retracted position of the guide nozzle 9 to detect the state of the deposit before and after the guide nozzle 9 is cleaned, It can also be used in the same manner by performing re-cleaning determination) and image detection (taking a picture of the state of the guide nozzle 9 before and after cleaning and comparing it with the unused state).

  In the present embodiment, the case where the shutter is not provided between the evaporation source 1 and the guide supply port 4 has been described. However, the shutter 14 may be provided as shown in FIG. In this case, the shutter 14 is also configured to rotate together with the material container 3. Specifically, a guide body 15 in which a shutter 14 is provided so as to freely advance and retract is installed on the rotary table 11. Therefore, the evaporant does not adhere to the shutter 14 when not supplied, and the influence on the operation of the shutter is eliminated.

  Further, in this embodiment, the material storage body 3 is provided so as to be able to contact with and separate from the evaporation source 1, but the guide supply port 4 (guide nozzle 9) is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the evaporation source 1. It is good also as a composition. However, in this case, the structure becomes complicated as compared with the present embodiment.

  Since the present embodiment is configured as described above, when supplying the vapor deposition material 2 for supply stored in the material storage body 3 to the evaporation source 1 (when supplying the material), the material provided with the guide supply port 4 The container 3 is brought close to the position where the guide supply port 4 faces the opening of the evaporation source 1 and the deposition material 2 is supplied to the evaporation source 1.

  On the other hand, when the vapor deposition material 2 is not supplied, the material container 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is separated from the evaporation source 1 so that the guide supply port 4 faces the opening of the evaporation source 1. Evacuates from 1 so that it does not adhere (position where it is difficult to adhere).

  Therefore, unlike the conventional configuration in which the guide supply port is fixed in the vicinity of the evaporation source (material supply position) and is always exposed to the evaporated material during the non-supply time, the evaporated material adhering to the guide supply port 4 is the amount attached to the material supply. Just do it.

  Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent evaporation from adhering to the guide supply port 4 at the time of non-supply without providing a shutter. That is, the evaporation can be stably performed without falling of the evaporant from the shutter or the interference between the evaporant adhering to the shutter and the crucible.

  Further, for example, when the shutter 14 is provided, if the shutter 14 is provided so as to be able to come in contact with and separate from the vapor deposition source 1 together with the guide supply port 4, it is possible to reduce the evaporated matter adhering when not supplied. The maintenance cycle can be further extended.

  Further, when the guide supply port 4 is switched from the proximity supply state to the separation and retreat state, the guide supply port 4 is removed from the adhesion region where the evaporated material of the vapor deposition material 2 from the evaporation source 1 adheres. Since the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is configured so that it can be retracted to a non-adhesion area where no matter adheres, the amount of evaporated material adhering to the guide supply port 4 during non-supply is more reliably reduced. This makes it possible to further extend the maintenance cycle.

  Further, the material storage body 3 provided with the guide supply port 4 is configured to be rotatable, and can be switched between the proximity supply state and the separation retracted state, so that it has a simple structure and the minimum necessary. The guide supply port 4 can be configured to be freely contacted and separated from the evaporation source 1 in a limited installation space.

  Further, the evaporant having a melting removal unit 6 that melts and removes the evaporate adhering to the guide supply port 4 and a sensor unit 7 that can detect the evaporate adhering to the guide supply port 4 in the separated and retracted state. Since the removal mechanism 5 is provided, it is possible to easily and reliably remove the evaporated material adhering to the guide supply port 4 while maintaining the vacuum state of the vacuum chamber, and stable deposition can be performed continuously for a longer time. It becomes. When the vapor deposition material adhering to the guide nozzle 9 is melted and removed, it is recovered by being melted and dropped on a recovery tray (not shown) or the like installed below the material.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the evaporation from adhering to the guide supply port without being always exposed to the evaporation when not supplied, thereby prolonging the maintenance cycle. It becomes a vapor deposition material supply apparatus with excellent practicality that can be performed.

  The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the specific configuration of each component can be designed as appropriate.

It is a schematic explanatory side view of a conventional example. It is a schematic explanatory side view in which a part of the present embodiment is cut out. It is a schematic explanatory side view of a present Example. It is a schematic explanatory side view of another example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Evaporation source 2 Vapor deposition material 3 Material storage body 4 Guide supply port 5 Evaporate removal mechanism 6 Melt removal part 7 Sensor part 8 Wire drum 9 Guide nozzle

Claims (7)

A vapor deposition material filled in an evaporation source provided in a vacuum chamber is heated to evaporate, and an evaporation material of the vapor deposition material from the evaporation source is attached to a substrate, and the vapor deposition material is attached to the evaporation source. A vapor deposition material supply device for supplying a material, wherein a material supply body that stores the vapor deposition material for supply is provided with a guide supply port that guides and supplies the vapor deposition material for supply into the evaporation source. The material storage body provided with a mouth or the guide supply port is provided in the vacuum chamber so as to be able to contact with and separate from the evaporation source, and the guide supply port is brought close to a position facing the opening of the evaporation source. The proximity supply state in which the vapor deposition material is supplied to the evaporation source at least, and the separation from the position facing the opening of the evaporation source so that the evaporation material does not adhere to the guide supply port after being separated from the evaporation source. Switch to evacuation state Configure the standing, the separated vapor deposition material supplying device in the retracted state, characterized in that it comprises a vaporization material removal mechanism for removing the vaporized material adhering to the guide feed port.   When the guide supply port is switched from the proximity supply state to the separation and retreat state, the guide supply port is not attached from the attachment region where the evaporation material of the vapor deposition material from the evaporation source is attached. 2. The vapor deposition material supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide supply port or the material storage body provided with the guide supply port is configured to be retracted to an area.   The guide supply port or the material storage body provided with the guide supply port is configured to be rotatable, and is configured to be capable of rotating and switching between the proximity supply state and the separation retreat state. The vapor deposition material supply apparatus according to any one of 1 and 2.   The material container is constituted by a wire drum in which the wire-shaped vapor deposition material is rewound and accommodated, and a guide nozzle is provided on the wire drum to guide the wire-shaped vapor deposition material into the evaporation source. The vapor deposition material supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a tip opening of the guide nozzle is set as the guide supply port.   The vapor deposition material supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a supply angle (θ) of the guide supply port is 40 to 75 °. The evaporation removal mechanism, evaporation material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it has a melting removal unit for melting removing the vaporized material adhering to the guide feed port. The vapor deposition material supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the evaporant removal mechanism includes a sensor unit that can detect the evaporant adhering to the guide supply port.

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