JP4781835B2 - Deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus.

  As an apparatus for forming a film on the surface of an object to be processed, for example, a vapor deposition apparatus is known. The vapor deposition apparatus vaporizes the film forming material in the vacuum container and deposits the diffused film forming material on the surface of the object to be processed. In such a vapor deposition apparatus, it is preferable to continuously perform the film forming operation while maintaining the vacuum state of the vacuum vessel in terms of production efficiency.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum film forming apparatus for making it possible to replace a mask for forming a film in a desired pattern while maintaining the vacuum state of the vacuum apparatus. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of this vacuum film forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 5, the vacuum film forming apparatus 100 includes a vacuum chamber 101, a transport mechanism 103 disposed in the left-right direction in the vacuum chamber 101, a mask holder mechanism 105 provided on the left and right in the vacuum chamber 101, and 106 and a thin film forming unit 110 that is disposed between the mask holder mechanism 105 and the mask holder mechanism 106 and includes a crucible 107, an electron gun 108, and a shutter 109.

  Further, the vacuum film forming apparatus 100 includes a transport tray 111 movably supported by the transport mechanism 103, a substrate holder 112 suspended from the transport tray 111, and an electromagnet 113 fixed to the substrate holder 112. A substrate is attached to the substrate holder 112 as an object to be processed. Mask holder mechanisms 105 and 106 hold masks 115 and 116 made of a ferromagnetic material and having different patterns.

  The operation of the vacuum film forming apparatus 100 is as follows. First, the substrate holder 112 is moved immediately above one of the mask holder mechanisms 105, and the mask holder mechanism 105 is raised to bring the mask 115 into close contact with the substrate surface. Then, the thin film forming unit 110 forms a film while adhering the mask 115 to the substrate surface by the electromagnet 113. When replacing the mask, after the mask 115 is returned to the mask holder mechanism 105, the substrate holder 112 is moved directly above the other mask holder mechanism 106. Then, after the mask holder mechanism 106 is raised to bring the mask 116 into close contact with the substrate surface, the thin film forming unit 110 forms a film again while the electromagnet 113 attracts the mask 116 to the substrate surface.

JP 02-173261 A

  However, the vacuum film forming apparatus 100 has the following problems. That is, in the vacuum film forming apparatus 100, it is necessary to move the substrate (substrate holder 112) while adhering the mask 115 or 116 to the substrate surface by the electromagnet 113 during film formation. Therefore, in the substrate holder 112 that is a movable mechanism, a mechanism for supplying an excitation current to the electromagnet 113 (such as wiring) is required, and the apparatus becomes complicated. Further, by using the electromagnet 113, a magnetic field is generated, which may adversely affect the film performance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a film forming apparatus in which a mask can be replaced by a simple mechanism while maintaining a vacuum state.

  In order to solve the above problems, a film forming apparatus according to the present invention is a film forming apparatus that forms a film by diffusing a film forming material and adhering it to the object to be processed. N (N ≧ 2) carriers, N masks mounted on each of the N carriers and covering a part of the film formation surface of the object to be processed, and each of the N masks are supported by each of the N carriers. A mask stock chamber for storing N mask holders, a film forming chamber for diffusing film forming materials, and a film forming chamber disposed on the film forming chamber and extending in a predetermined transport direction. A transfer chamber connected to the mask stock chamber, a transfer mechanism provided in the transfer chamber for transferring the object to be processed, the mask, and the carrier carrying the mask holder in the transfer direction, and the object to be processed as a mask and mask holder And from career Characterized in that it comprises a treatment object supporting portion for supporting away.

  The operation of the film forming apparatus described above is as follows. First, one carrier (hereinafter referred to as a first carrier) is transported from the mask stock chamber by a transport mechanism. At this time, a mask supported by a mask holder and an object to be processed placed on the mask are mounted on the first carrier. The first carrier is transferred onto the film formation chamber with the object to be processed mounted thereon. And after a film | membrane is formed in the surface of a to-be-processed object through a mask, a 1st carrier is conveyed to a to-be-processed object support part. The workpiece support part separates and supports the workpiece from the mask, the mask holder, and the first carrier. The first carrier is transferred to the mask stock chamber and accommodated again. Subsequently, another carrier (hereinafter referred to as a second carrier) is transferred from the mask stock chamber to the workpiece support unit by the transfer mechanism. The to-be-processed object supported by the to-be-processed object support part is mounted on the mask mounted on the 2nd carrier. Then, the second carrier is transferred onto the film formation chamber while the workpiece is mounted, and a film is formed on the surface of the workpiece via the mask. Thereafter, while sequentially taking out N carriers from the mask stock chamber, film formation is performed using the masks mounted on these carriers.

  In the above-described film forming apparatus, a plurality of masks are mounted in advance on each of a plurality (N) of carriers, and the carriers are replaced when the masks are replaced. Therefore, the conventional film forming apparatus (see FIG. 5) Thus, a complicated mechanism such as the electromagnet 113 for holding the mask is not required, and it is not affected by the magnetic field. Therefore, according to the film forming apparatus described above, the mask can be replaced by a simple mechanism while maintaining the vacuum state.

  The film forming apparatus may further include a load lock chamber connected to the other end of the transfer chamber via a gate valve, and the object support portion may be arranged in the load lock chamber. As described above, the deposition apparatus can be made compact by disposing the workpiece support portion in the load lock chamber that is normally provided in the deposition apparatus.

  Further, the film forming apparatus separates the object to be processed from the mask, the mask holder, and the carrier by the object supporting unit hooking and supporting the object to be processed and pushing the object to be processed from below. The N carriers each have a through-hole for allowing the push-up member to pass therethrough. In the workpiece support portion, when the carrier carrying the workpiece is conveyed, the push-up member first passes through the through-hole of the carrier and pushes up the workpiece. Then, the arm hooks the workpiece and lifts the workpiece. Thereafter, the push-up member is retracted and the carrier can be transported. By the workpiece support portion having such a configuration, the workpiece can be suitably separated and supported from the mask, the mask holder, and the carrier in the vacuum container. In this case, it is preferable that each of the N mask holders has a notch or a hole for avoiding interference with the push-up member.

  The film forming apparatus further includes N carrier support portions provided in the mask stock chamber for supporting each of the N carriers, and the N carrier support portions are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. It may be characterized by being provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Thereby, N carriers can be efficiently sent out from the mask stock chamber.

  According to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the mask can be replaced by a simple mechanism while maintaining the vacuum state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a film forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a film forming apparatus according to the present invention. The film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an ion plating apparatus used for a so-called ion plating method. In FIG. 1, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is also shown for ease of explanation.

  The film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an apparatus for forming a film on the surface of the object to be processed 14, and includes an object supporting part 2, a transport mechanism 3, a hearth mechanism 4, a plasma source 5, and an auxiliary anode 6. And a vacuum vessel 10.

The vacuum container 10 includes a transfer chamber 10a for transferring a carrier 11 (described later), a film formation chamber 10b for diffusing a film formation material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ), a carrier 11, a mask holder 12, and a mask 13. A mask stock chamber 10c for storing (described later) and a load lock chamber 10d for replacing the workpiece 14 while maintaining the vacuum state of the film forming chamber 10b. The transfer chamber 10a extends in a predetermined transfer direction (arrow A in the figure) and is disposed on the film forming chamber 10b. In the present embodiment, the transport direction (arrow A) is set along the X axis. A shutter mechanism 16 is provided at the boundary between the transfer chamber 10a and the film forming chamber 10b. The film forming chamber 10b is made of a conductive material and connected to the ground potential.

  A transport mechanism 3 is provided in the transport chamber 10a. The transport mechanism 3 is a mechanism for moving the carrier 11 on which the workpiece 14 is mounted. The transport mechanism 3 is composed of a plurality of transport rollers 31 installed in the transport chamber 10a. The transport rollers 31 are arranged at equal intervals along the transport direction (arrow A), and can be transported in the transport direction while supporting the carrier 11.

  In the film forming chamber 10b, a hearth mechanism 4, a plasma source 5, and an auxiliary anode 6 are provided. The plasma source 5 is preferably a pressure gradient type, and its main body is provided on the side wall of the film forming chamber 10b. The plasma P generated in the plasma source 5 is emitted into the film forming chamber 10b from a plasma port provided on the side wall of the film forming chamber 10b. The emission direction of the plasma P is controlled by a steering coil 51 provided so as to surround the emission port of the plasma source 5.

The hearth mechanism 4 is a mechanism for holding two types of film forming materials Ma ₁ and Ma ₂ . The hearth mechanism 4 is provided in the film forming chamber 10b and is disposed below the transport mechanism 3 (in the negative direction in the Z-axis direction). The hearth mechanism 4 has a plurality of hearths 41 a and 41 b that guide the plasma P emitted from the plasma source 5 to the film forming materials Ma ₁ and Ma _2, respectively. That is, the plurality of hearths 41a and 41b are main anodes that hold the film forming materials Ma ₁ and Ma ₂ , respectively. The hearths 41 a and 41 b are juxtaposed in the circumferential direction on the rotatable table 42, and one of the hearths 41 a (or 41 b) is pushed up to a predetermined position by the hearth pushing mechanism 43, whereby the film forming material Ma ₁ (or Ma ₂ ) is used for film formation. The hearth 41a (or 41b) is held at a positive potential with respect to the vacuum vessel 10 which is the ground potential while being pushed up by the hearth pushing mechanism 43, and sucks the plasma P.

Examples of the film forming materials Ma ₁ and Ma ₂ include a transparent conductive material such as ITO and an insulating sealing material such as SiO. When the film forming material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ) is made of an insulating material, when the hearth 41a (41b) is irradiated with the plasma P, the hearth 41a (41b) is heated by the current from the plasma P, and the film forming material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ) evaporates. Further, when the film forming material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ) is made of a conductive substance, when the plasma P is irradiated to the hearth 41a (41b), the plasma P directly enters the film forming material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ), The tip portion of the film forming material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ) is heated and evaporated. The evaporated film forming material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ) is ionized by the plasma P and becomes ionized film forming material particles. The ionized film forming material particles move upward (Z-axis positive direction) while being diffused into the film forming chamber 10b, and adhere to the surface of the object 14 to be processed in the transfer chamber 10a. The film-forming material Ma ₁ (Ma ₂ ) is pushed out by the material push-up member 44 from below the hearth 41a (41b) so that the tip portion always maintains a predetermined position.

  The auxiliary anode 6 is an electromagnet for inducing the plasma P. The auxiliary anode 6 is disposed around the raised hearth 41a (41b), and has an annular container, and a coil and a permanent magnet accommodated in the container. The coil and the permanent magnet control the direction of the plasma P incident on the hearth 41a (41b) according to the amount of current flowing through the coil.

  The mask stock chamber 10c is connected to one end of the transfer chamber 10a in the transfer direction A. In the mask stock chamber 10c, two carrier support portions 18 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) according to the number of carriers 11. The two carrier support portions 18 are provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction in the mask stock chamber 10 c, and the Z-axis direction position of one of the carrier support portions 18 matches the Z-axis direction position of the transport mechanism 3. It is a mechanism that can be allowed to. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, each carrier support portion 18 preferably has a conveyance roller similar to the conveyance mechanism 3.

  Two carriers 11 for mounting the object to be processed 14 are mounted on each of the two carrier support portions 18. Each of the two carriers 11 is mounted with a set of a mask 13 that covers a part of the film formation surface of the workpiece 14 and a mask holder 12 for supporting the mask 13. FIG. 1 shows a state after the carrier 11 mounted on one carrier support portion 18 has moved from the carrier support portion 18.

  Here, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the shapes of the carrier 11, the mask holder 12, the mask 13, and the workpiece 14. In FIG. 2, a rectangular plate-shaped workpiece 14 is illustrated. Examples of the workpiece 14 include a plate-like member such as a glass substrate or a plastic substrate, and a substrate product in which a functional element layer such as an organic EL layer is formed on the plate-like member.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the carrier 11 is formed in a frame shape corresponding to the outer shape of the workpiece 14, and has a pedestal portion 11 b on a side surface 11 a in the frame. The pedestal portion 11 b is a portion for supporting the mask holder 12, the mask 13, and the workpiece 14, and the interval between the pedestal portions 11 b facing each other is formed smaller than the external dimensions of the mask holder 12. Further, the carrier 11 has a through hole 11c for allowing a push-up member 21 (see FIG. 1) of the workpiece support 2 described later to pass therethrough. The through hole 11c is formed at a position corresponding to the outer shape of the workpiece 14. In the present embodiment, the through holes 11 c are formed at positions that overlap the four corners of the rectangular workpiece 14.

  The mask holder 12 is formed in a frame shape corresponding to the outer shape of the mask 13, and has a pedestal portion 12b on a side surface 12a in the frame. The pedestal portion 12 b is a portion for supporting the mask 13, and the interval between the pedestal portions 12 b facing each other is formed smaller than the external dimension of the mask 13. Further, the mask holder 12 has a notch portion 12c for avoiding interference with a push-up member 21 (see FIG. 1) of the workpiece support 2 described later. The cutout portion 12 c is formed according to the arrangement of the through holes 11 c of the carrier 11. In the present embodiment, the cutout portion 12 c is formed in a chamfered shape so as to avoid the through holes 11 c formed at positions corresponding to the four corners of the rectangular workpiece 14.

The mask 13 is a member for forming a film in a desired pattern by covering a part of the film formation surface 14a of the object 14 to be processed. The mask 13 is formed in a plate shape corresponding to the outer shape of the workpiece 14 and has openings 13a corresponding to a desired pattern. The shape of the opening 13a is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 2, and can be any shape. Moreover, each of the two masks 13 mounted on each of the two carriers 11 has a different pattern. That is, the pattern of each mask 13 is formed in a desired pattern according to each of the film forming materials Ma ₁ and Ma ₂ . Note that, unlike the conventional apparatus (see FIG. 5), the mask 13 is not limited to a ferromagnetic material and can be made of various materials.

  Refer to FIG. 1 again. The load lock chamber 10d is connected to the other end of the transfer chamber 10a via a gate valve 10e, and has a mechanism capable of controlling the vacuum state independently of the transfer chamber 10a and the film forming chamber 10b. Further, the load lock chamber 10d is provided with a gate valve 10f for taking in and out the workpiece 14 and a carrier support portion 15 for supporting the carrier 11 conveyed into the load lock chamber 10d. As shown in FIG. 1, when the position of the gate valve 10e in the Z-axis direction (that is, the position of the transport mechanism 3 in the Z-axis direction) and the position of the gate valve 10f in the Z-axis direction differ, By enabling movement in the Z-axis direction), the workpiece 14 can be suitably put in and out.

  In addition, a workpiece support 2 is provided in the load lock chamber 10d. The workpiece support unit 2 is a mechanism for supporting the workpiece 14 separately from the carrier 11, the mask holder 12, and the mask 13 in the vacuum container 10. The workpiece support unit 2 of the present embodiment includes a push-up member 21 provided so as to penetrate the carrier support unit 15 and an arm 22 arranged above the carrier support unit 15 (Z-axis positive direction). . The push-up member 21 can separate the workpiece 14 from the mask 13, the mask holder 12, and the carrier 11 by pushing up the workpiece 14 from below. Further, the arm 22 has a flange 22a for hooking and supporting the workpiece 14 at the lower end, and is provided so as to be able to contact and separate from the workpiece 14 from above.

  Here, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a detailed configuration example of the workpiece support 2 of the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the workpiece support 2 includes four push-up members 21 and four arms 22. The four push-up members 21 are respectively arranged corresponding to the through holes 11 c of the carrier 11, and pass through the through holes 11 c from below the carrier 11 to push up the four corners of the workpiece 14. At this time, the notch 12c (see FIG. 2) is formed in the mask holder 12, so that interference between the mask holder 12 and the push-up member 21 is avoided.

  Further, the four arms 22 are respectively arranged corresponding to the four sides of the workpiece 14. The four arms 22 are lowered until the collar portion 22 a is positioned below the workpiece 14, and then rotate to hook the collar portion 22 a on the workpiece 14 and support the workpiece 14. The four arms 22 can lift the workpiece 14 upward by lifting all the way together with the hook portion 22a hooked on the workpiece 14. Thereafter, the four push-up members 21 are retracted below the carrier 11 so that the carrier 11 can be transported. In addition, as a method of lifting the workpiece 14 upward, for example, after the four arms 22 do not move up and down and the workpiece 14 is lifted up to the height of the flange portion 22a by the push-up member 21, for example. A configuration in which the flange 22a is hooked on the workpiece 14 may be employed.

Next, the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the hearths 41a and 41b on which the film forming materials Ma ₁ and Ma ₂ are mounted are arranged in the hearth mechanism 4, and the two carriers 11 on which the mask 13 and the mask holder 12 are mounted are accommodated in the mask stock chamber 10c. Among these, the workpiece 14 is mounted on one carrier 11 (on the mask 13). Then, the carrier 11 on which the workpiece 14 is mounted is transferred from the mask stock chamber 10c onto the film forming chamber 10b.

Subsequently, the shutter mechanism 16 is opened, and film formation is performed on the surface of the workpiece 14. First, a negative voltage is applied to the plasma source 5 and a positive voltage is applied to the hearth 41a with the vacuum vessel 10 at the ground potential interposed therebetween, thereby generating a plasma P. The plasma P is guided to the auxiliary anode 6 and irradiated to the hearth 41a. In the present embodiment, the plasma P is irradiated onto the hearth 41a in this way while the carrier 11 is being conveyed in the conveyance direction (arrow A). Thereby, ionized film-forming particles are generated and adhere to the surface of the workpiece 14. At this time, since a part of the surface of the workpiece 14 is covered with the mask 13, the ionized film-forming particles adhere to the surface of the workpiece 14 not covered with the mask 13. Thus, a film made of the film forming material Ma ₁ and having a desired pattern is formed on the surface of the object 14 to be processed.

  After a film is formed on the surface of the workpiece 14, the carrier 11 on which the workpiece 14 is mounted is conveyed to the workpiece support unit 2. The workpiece support unit 2 supports the workpiece 14 separately from the carrier 11, the mask holder 12, and the mask 13 (see FIG. 3). Thereafter, the carrier 11 is transported to the mask stock chamber 10c and is again accommodated in the mask stock chamber 10c.

Subsequently, the two carrier support portions 18 in the mask stock chamber 10c move upward (or downward), and another carrier 11 is discharged from the mask stock chamber 10c. The carrier 11 is transported to the workpiece support unit 2 by the transport mechanism 3. And the to-be-processed object 14 supported by the to-be-processed object support part 2 is mounted on the mask 13 mounted in this carrier 11. FIG. The carrier 11 is transferred onto the film forming chamber 10b with the workpiece 14 mounted thereon. Subsequently, after the hearth 41a (film forming material Ma ₁ ) is replaced with the hearth 41b (film forming material Ma ₂ ), a film is formed on the surface of the workpiece 14 in the same manner as described above.

  The effect by the film-forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated. In the film forming apparatus 1, a mask 13 is mounted in advance on each of a plurality (two in this embodiment) of carriers 11, and the carrier 11 is replaced when the mask 13 is replaced. Therefore, a complicated mechanism such as an electromagnet for holding the mask as in the conventional film forming apparatus is not required, and it is not affected by the magnetic field. Therefore, according to the film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the vacuum state is maintained. The mask 13 can be exchanged by a simple mechanism.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the vacuum container 10 has a load lock chamber 10d connected to the other end of the transfer chamber 10a via a gate valve 10e, and the workpiece support portion 2 is disposed in the load lock chamber 10d. It is preferable. In this manner, the deposition apparatus 1 can be made compact by disposing the workpiece support unit 2 in the load lock chamber that is normally provided in the deposition apparatus. Of course, the workpiece support unit 2 can be arranged in various places as long as it is in the vacuum vessel 10, and may be arranged at a position along the transfer mechanism 3 in the transfer chamber 10a, for example.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the to-be-processed object support part 2 has the pushing-up member 21 and the arm 22 like this embodiment. In this case, each of the two carriers 11 preferably has a through hole 11c for allowing the push-up member 21 to pass therethrough. The object to be processed 14 can be suitably separated and supported from the carrier 11, the mask holder 12, and the mask 13 in the vacuum container 10 by the object support unit 2 having such a configuration. In this case, each of the two mask holders 12 preferably has a notch 12c (see FIG. 2) for avoiding interference with the push-up member 21.

  Here, FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing another example of the shape of the mask holder for avoiding interference with the push-up member 21. FIG. For example, the mask holder 72 shown in FIG. 4A has a semi-cylindrical groove 72 a as a notch for avoiding interference with the push-up member 21. 4B has a hole (through hole) 73a for avoiding interference with the push-up member 21. The mask holder 73 shown in FIG. The shape of the mask holder for avoiding interference with the push-up member 21 may be a notch or a hole as described above, or other shapes as long as interference with the push-up member 21 can be avoided. Also good.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 preferably includes the number of carrier support portions 18 corresponding to the number of carriers 11 in the mask stock chamber 10c. Moreover, it is preferable that the carrier support part 18 is provided in parallel with the up-down direction, and is movable in the up-down direction. Thereby, the two carriers 11 can be efficiently sent out from the mask stock chamber 10c.

  In the present embodiment, two types of masks 13 are used. However, the film forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied to N (N is an integer of 2 or more) mask replacement. In this case, the film forming apparatus 1 may accommodate N carriers 11 in the mask stock chamber 10 c and mount N mask holders 12 and N masks 13 on the N carriers 11. Further, the film forming apparatus 1 may include N carrier support portions 18 for supporting the N carriers 11 in the mask stock chamber 10c.

In the present embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 includes (uses) two hearths 41a and 41b and two kinds of film forming materials Ma ₁ and Ma _2. However, the film forming apparatus of the present invention includes N A configuration including N (N is an integer of 2 or more) hearths is possible, and N types (N is an integer of 2 or more) of film forming materials can be used.

  The film forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration of the present invention is applied to an ion plating apparatus. However, the configuration of the present invention can be applied to various physical vapor deposition apparatuses such as a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus and a sputtering apparatus.

It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the film-forming apparatus by this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the shape of a carrier, a mask holder, a mask, and a to-be-processed object. It is a perspective view which shows the detailed structural example of a to-be-processed object support part. (A), (b) It is a figure which shows the other example regarding the shape of the mask holder for avoiding interference with a pushing-up member. It is a figure which shows the outline of the conventional vacuum film-forming apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Film-forming apparatus, 2 ... To-be-processed object support part, 3 ... Transfer mechanism, 4 ... Hearth mechanism, 5 ... Plasma source, 6 ... Auxiliary anode, 10 ... Vacuum container, 10a ... Transfer chamber, 10b ... Film-forming chamber, 10c ... Mask stock chamber, 10d ... Load lock chamber, 10e ... Gate valve, 11 ... Carrier, 11c ... Through-hole, 12 ... Mask holder, 12c ... Notch, 13 ... Mask, 14 ... Object to be processed, 15, 18 ... carrier support part, 21 ... push-up member, 22 ... arm, 22a ... collar part, 41a, 41b ... hearth, Ma ₁ , Ma ₂ ... film forming material, P ... plasma.

Claims (5)

A film forming apparatus for forming a film by diffusing a film forming material and attaching it to an object to be processed,
N (N ≧ 2) carriers for mounting the object to be processed, N masks mounted on each of the N carriers and covering a part of the film forming surface of the object to be processed, and the N A mask stock chamber for storing N mask holders for supporting the N masks in each of the carriers,
A film forming chamber for diffusing the film forming material;
A transfer chamber disposed on the film forming chamber and extending in a predetermined transfer direction, one end of which is connected to the mask stock chamber; and
A transport mechanism provided in the transport chamber for transporting the workpiece, the mask, and the carrier carrying the mask holder in the transport direction;
A film processing apparatus, comprising: a processing object supporting portion for separating and supporting the processing object from the mask, the mask holder, and the carrier. A load lock chamber connected to the other end of the transfer chamber via a gate valve;
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object support portion is disposed in the load lock chamber. The workpiece support part is
An arm for hooking and supporting the workpiece;
A push-up member for separating the work piece from the mask, the mask holder, and the carrier by pushing up the work piece from below;
3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the N carriers has a through-hole for allowing the push-up member to pass therethrough.   4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the N mask holders has a notch or a hole for avoiding interference with the push-up member. Provided in the mask stock chamber, further comprising N carrier support portions for supporting each of the N carriers;
5. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the N carrier support portions are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction and are movable in the vertical direction.

Images