JP5195068B2 - Liquid crystal device manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device.

  2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal device used as a light modulation unit of a projection display device such as a liquid crystal projector has a configuration in which a sealing material is disposed at a peripheral portion between a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer is sealed at the center. Electrodes for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer are formed on the inner surfaces of the pair of substrates, and an alignment film for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules when a non-selective voltage is applied is formed on the inner surfaces of these electrodes. With such a configuration, the liquid crystal device modulates light source light based on a change in the orientation of liquid crystal molecules when a non-selection voltage is applied and when a selection voltage is applied, thereby forming a display image.

  By the way, as the alignment film described above, a film obtained by rubbing the surface of a polymer film made of polyimide or the like to which a side chain alkyl group is added is generally used. However, although such a rubbing method is simple, various disadvantages have been pointed out in order to impart alignment characteristics to the polyimide film by physically rubbing the polyimide film. Specifically, (1) it is difficult to ensure uniformity of orientation, (2) traces are likely to remain during rubbing, (3) control of orientation direction and selective pretilt angle. Control is not possible, and it is not suitable for a liquid crystal panel using a multi-domain used to obtain a wide viewing angle. (4) The breakdown of the thin film transistor element or the alignment film due to static electricity from the glass substrate. Resulting in a decrease in yield, and (5) display defects due to the generation of dust from the rubbing cloth.

  In addition, in such an alignment film made of an organic material, when used in a device having a high output light source such as a liquid crystal projector, the organic material is damaged by light energy, resulting in an alignment failure. In particular, when the projector is downsized and the brightness is increased, the energy per unit area incident on the liquid crystal panel increases, the polyimide itself is decomposed due to the absorption of incident light, and the light is absorbed. The decomposition is further accelerated by heat generation. As a result, a great deal of damage is added to the alignment film, and the display characteristics of the device deteriorate.

Therefore, in order to eliminate such inconvenience, by performing sputtering so that the sputtered particles emitted from the target are incident on the substrate obliquely from one direction, a plurality of columnar crystals grown in an oblique direction with respect to the substrate. A method of forming an alignment film made of an inorganic material having a structure has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to such a method, the obtained inorganic alignment film is expected to have high reliability.
JP 2007-286401 A

However, since the conventional sputtering apparatus performs film formation while moving the substrate relative to the sputtering apparatus, there is a problem that film formation conditions fluctuate.
For example, at the time of film formation, the substrate is transported in the horizontal direction by the transport means, and the film is passed through the opening of the sputtering apparatus that discharges the sputtered particles. At this time, when the substrate reaches the opening of the sputtering apparatus, the opening is gradually covered with the substrate. This changes the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate. As described above, when the film forming conditions such as the pressure inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate and the gas concentration fluctuate, the film quality of the inorganic alignment film formed on the substrate becomes non-uniform.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a manufacturing apparatus for a liquid crystal device that prevents a film formation condition from fluctuating during film formation and that can form a good inorganic alignment film.

  In order to solve the above problems, a liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of opposing substrates, and an inorganic alignment film is formed on the inner surface side of at least one of the substrates. An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device, comprising: a film forming chamber; a sputtering apparatus for forming an inorganic alignment film by forming an alignment film material on the substrate by sputtering in the film forming chamber; and transporting the substrate A transport tray, wherein the sputtering apparatus has an opening for emitting sputtered particles, the transport tray has an extending portion extending outside the outer periphery of the substrate, and the extending portion is The substrate is provided in front of the substrate transport direction so as to cover the entire opening at least when the substrate is formed.

With this configuration, the entire opening can be covered with the extending portion of the transfer tray before film formation on the substrate is started. That is, when the inorganic alignment film is formed on the substrate, the substrate is transported from the initial position in the transport direction to the film formation start position in the transport direction by the transport tray. At this time, before the outer periphery of the substrate reaches the film formation start position facing the opening, the opening is gradually covered by the extending portion provided in front of the substrate transport direction. When the outer periphery of the substrate reaches the film formation start position, the opening is entirely covered by the extending portion.
The pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate vary greatly until the opening is completely covered, but are stable after the opening is completely covered by the extension. The opening is completely covered by the transfer tray extension and the substrate while film formation on the substrate is started and film formation is performed while the substrate is transferred forward in the transfer direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent fluctuations in pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate after the start of film formation on the substrate, and the film formation conditions can be stabilized.
Therefore, according to the apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device of the present invention, it is possible to form a favorable inorganic alignment film while preventing the film formation conditions from changing during film formation.

  In the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the extending portion is provided at the rear in the substrate transport direction so as to cover at least the entire opening at the end of film formation of the substrate. Features.

With this configuration, the entire opening can be covered with the extending portion of the transfer tray until film formation on the substrate is completely completed. That is, the substrate transported from the initial position to the film formation start position by the transport tray is started from the outer periphery in front of the transport direction, and is transported in the transport direction by the transport tray while being formed. Then, when the outer periphery of the substrate rearward in the transport direction passes through the film formation start position, the area covered by the substrate in the opening gradually decreases.
However, even after the outer periphery in the rearward direction of the substrate has passed the film formation start position, the state where the entire opening is covered by the substrate and the extending portion provided in the rearward direction in the transport direction of the substrate is maintained. Is done. The opening is entirely covered with the extending portion until the outer periphery in the rearward direction of the substrate reaches the film formation end position. As a result, the opening is completely covered by at least one of the extended portion of the substrate and the transfer tray from the start of film formation on the substrate to the end of film formation when film formation is completely completed. .
Therefore, according to the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to stabilize the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate from the start of film formation on the substrate to the end of film formation, thereby improving the inorganic property. An alignment film can be formed.

  In the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the surface of the extending portion that faces the opening and the surface of the substrate that faces the opening are formed flush with each other. .

With such a configuration, when the substrate is transported forward in the transport direction by the transport tray to form a film, the inside of the sputtering apparatus before and after the outer periphery of the front of the substrate in the transport direction passes through the film formation start position. And fluctuations in the pressure and gas concentration around the substrate can be more effectively prevented.
In addition, when an extending portion is provided at the rear of the transport tray in the transport direction, the outer periphery of the rear of the substrate in the transport direction is before and after the film formation start position is passed inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate. Fluctuations in gas pressure and gas concentration can be more effectively prevented.
Therefore, according to the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to further stabilize the film formation conditions during film formation and form a better inorganic alignment film.

  In the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the length of the extending portion in the transport direction is longer than the length of the opening in the transport direction.

By configuring in this way, the time for covering the entire opening by the extending portion until the outer periphery in the transport direction reaches the film formation start position after the substrate is transported forward by the transport tray. Can be long. As a result, the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate can be further stabilized, and the film formation conditions during film formation can be further stabilized.
In addition, when the extending portion is provided at the rear of the transport direction of the transport tray, the substrate is transported forward by the transport tray by the transport tray, and the outer periphery at the rear of the transport direction passes through the film formation end position. The entire opening can be covered by the extending portion. As a result, the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate can be further stabilized, and the film formation conditions during film formation can be further stabilized.

  In the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the width of the extending portion in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction is larger than the width of the opening in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

  With this configuration, the entire width of the opening can be covered at least from the start of film formation on the substrate to the end of film formation. Thereby, the film-forming conditions at the time of film-forming can be made more stable.

  In the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the length of the extending portion is 1.5 times or more of the length of the opening.

With this configuration, the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate until the substrate is transported forward in the transport direction by the transport tray and the outer periphery in the transport direction reaches the film formation start position. Can be sufficiently stabilized. Thereby, the film-forming conditions at the time of film-forming can be made more stable.
In addition, when the extending portion is provided at the rear of the transport direction of the transport tray, the substrate is transported forward by the transport tray by the transport tray, and the outer periphery at the rear of the transport direction passes through the film formation end position. The entire opening can be covered by the extending portion until the fluctuation of the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus and around the substrate does not completely affect the film formation. Thereby, the film-forming conditions at the time of film-forming can be made more stable.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the drawings used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size. In the following, description will be made using an orthogonal coordinate system in which the transport direction of the substrate is the X direction, the direction parallel to the film formation surface of the substrate and perpendicular to the X direction is the Y direction, and the thickness direction of the substrate is the Z direction. Further, the emission direction of the sputtered particles is Za direction, and the direction perpendicular to the target of the sputtering apparatus is Xa direction.

(Liquid crystal device manufacturing equipment)
FIG. 1A is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a side view of the sputtering apparatus 3 observed in the Xa direction.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that forms an inorganic alignment film on a substrate W, which is a constituent member of a liquid crystal device, by sputtering. The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a film forming chamber 2 that is a vacuum chamber that accommodates a substrate W, and a sputtering apparatus 3 that forms an alignment film made of an inorganic material on the surface of the substrate W by a sputtering method.

The sputtering apparatus 3 includes a first gas supply unit 21 that circulates an argon gas for discharge in the plasma generation region.
The film forming chamber 2 includes second gas supply means 22 that supplies oxygen gas as a reaction gas that reacts with the alignment film material flying on the substrate W accommodated therein to form an inorganic alignment film. .
An exhaust controller 20 for controlling the internal pressure of the film forming chamber 2 and obtaining a desired degree of vacuum is connected to the film forming chamber 2 via a pipe 20a. Further, an apparatus connection portion 25 that forms a connection portion of the sputtering apparatus 3 is formed so as to protrude outward from the lower wall surface of the film forming chamber 2 in the figure.

  The apparatus connecting portion 25 is formed to extend obliquely at a predetermined angle (θ1) with the normal direction (Z-axis direction in the drawing) of the substrate W accommodated in the film forming chamber 2. . In addition, the apparatus connecting portion 25 is configured so that the sputtering apparatus 3 connected to the tip portion thereof can be arranged obliquely with respect to the substrate W at a predetermined angle.

  The second gas supply means 22 is connected to the side opposite to the exhaust control device 20 with respect to the device connection portion 25, and oxygen gas supplied from the second gas supply means 22 is formed as shown by an arrow 22f. The film chamber 2 flows from the + X side to the exhaust control device 20 side via the substrate W in the illustrated -X direction.

  In an actual manufacturing apparatus, a load lock chamber that enables loading / unloading of the substrate W in a state where the degree of vacuum of the film forming chamber 2 is maintained is provided outside the film forming chamber 2 in the X-axis direction. An exhaust control device that independently adjusts the load lock chamber to a vacuum atmosphere is also connected. The load lock chamber and the film formation chamber 2 are connected via a gate valve that hermetically closes the chamber. With this configuration, the substrate W can be taken in and out without releasing the film formation chamber 2 to the atmosphere.

The sputtering apparatus 3 is a counter target type sputtering apparatus in which two targets 5a and 5b are arranged to face each other.
The first target 5a is attached to the substantially flat plate-like first electrode 9a, and the second target 5b is attached to the substantially flat plate-like second electrode 9b. The targets 5a and 5b supported by the electrodes 9a and 9b are made of a material containing a constituent material of the inorganic alignment film formed on the substrate W, for example, silicon. The targets 5a and 5b are elongated plate-like members extending in the Y direction in the figure (see FIG. 2), and are installed so that their opposing surfaces are substantially parallel to each other.

  The first electrode 9a is connected to a power source 4a composed of a DC power source or a high frequency power source, and the second electrode 9b is connected to a power source 4b composed of a DC power source or a high frequency power source. The plasma Pz is generated in the space (plasma generation region) where the targets 5a and 5b are opposed by the power supplied from the power sources 4a and 4b.

A first cooling means 8a for cooling the target 5a is provided on the opposite side of the first electrode 9a from the target 5a. A first refrigerant circulating means 18a is connected to the first cooling means 8a via a pipe or the like.
A second cooling means 8b for cooling the target 5b is provided on the opposite side of the second electrode 9b from the target 5b. A second refrigerant circulation means 18b is connected to the second cooling means 8b via a pipe or the like.

  The 1st cooling means 8a is formed in the substantially same planar dimension as the target 5a, as shown in FIG.1 (b). The first cooling means 8a is disposed at a position overlapping the target 5a in plan view via the first electrode 9a shown in FIG. Although not specifically shown, the second cooling means 8b is also disposed at a position overlapping the target 5b in plan view. The cooling means 8a and 8b are provided with a refrigerant flow path for circulating the refrigerant therein, and the targets 5a and 5b are cooled by circulating the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant circulation means 18a and 18b through the refrigerant flow path. To do.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, a first magnetic field generated by a rectangular frame-shaped permanent magnet, an electromagnet, a magnet combining these, etc. so as to surround the first cooling means 8a having a rectangular shape in plan view. Means 16a are provided. The second magnetic field generating means 16b surrounding the second cooling means 8b shown in FIG. 1 (a) has the same shape.
The cooling means 8a and 8b may be made of a conductive member and electrically connected to the first electrodes 9a and 9b, respectively. In this case, the power supplies 4a and 4b are electrically connected to the cooling means 8a and 8b, respectively. Can be connected. Moreover, it is good also as a structure by which the 1st electrodes 9a and 9b serve as a cooling means by forming a refrigerant | coolant flow path inside the 1st electrodes 9a and 9b.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the sputtering apparatus 3 shown in FIG. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the sputtering apparatus 3 as viewed from the film formation chamber 2 side. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG ′ in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first electrode 9 a and the second electrode 9 b include a side wall member 19 connected to one end portion thereof (−Za side end portion), the first electrode 9 a and the second electrode 9 b. Together with the side wall members 9c and 9d respectively connected to both ends in the Y-axis direction, a box-shaped housing serving as a vacuum chamber of the sputtering apparatus 3 is configured. However, the first electrode 9a, the second electrode 9b, and the side wall members 9c, 9d, and 19 constituting the box-shaped casing are insulated from each other. The box-shaped housing is connected to the film forming chamber 2 via the apparatus connection portion 25.
The apparatus connecting portion 25 has an opening 3a through which the sputtered particles 5p are discharged at the end on the film forming chamber 2 side. In the present embodiment, the opening 3 a is the opening 3 a of the sputtering apparatus 3. With this connection structure, the inside of the box-shaped housing communicates with the inside of the film forming chamber 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, a first gas supply means 21 is connected to a side wall member 19 disposed on the opposite side to the film forming chamber 2 with respect to a plasma generation region sandwiched between targets 5a and 5b. Argon gas supplied from the first gas supply means 21 flows into the plasma generation region (target facing region) from the side wall member 19 side, and then flows into the film forming chamber 2 through the apparatus connection portion 25. ing.
The argon gas that has flowed into the film forming chamber 2 joins with the oxygen gas supplied from the second gas supply means 22 and circulated along the arrow 22f as shown by an arrow 21f, and moves to the exhaust control device 20 side. It comes to flow.

In the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the argon gas that is the first sputtering gas is circulated to the film forming chamber 2 side along the Za direction in the drawing, and merges with the oxygen gas that circulates in the film forming chamber 2 in the −X direction. And then circulate in the -X direction. Further, the sputtering gas is smoothly circulated so that the angle formed by the flow direction of the oxygen gas that is the second sputtering gas and the flow direction of the argon gas is an acute angle.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the gas flow from being disturbed at the junction of the oxygen gas and the argon gas, and it is possible to prevent the incident angle of the sputtered particles 5p with respect to the substrate W from varying.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the first magnetic field generating means 16a is disposed on the opposite side of the first electrode 9a to the target 5a, and the second magnetic field generating means is disposed on the opposite side of the second electrode 9b to the target 5b. 16b is arranged. As shown in FIG. 2B, the second magnetic field generating means 16b has a rectangular frame shape arranged along the outer peripheral edge of the rectangular target 5b, and the first magnetic field generating means 16a is the same. It is.

  Therefore, the first magnetic field generating means 16a and the second magnetic field generating means 16b are arranged to face each other at the outer peripheral portions of the targets 5a and 5b arranged to face each other. Then, the magnetic field generating means 16a, 16b generate a magnetic field in the Xa direction surrounding the targets 5a, 5b in the sputtering apparatus 3, and the electron restraining means for restraining electrons contained in the plasma Pz in the plasma generation region by the magnetic field. Is configured.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a transport tray 6 is provided in the film forming chamber 2 for holding the substrate W so that its processing surface (film forming surface) is horizontal (parallel to the XY plane). It has been.
The transfer tray 6 is provided with an extending portion 6e that extends outward from the outer periphery of the substrate W. The transfer tray 6 is formed such that the surface 6s of the extending portion 6e facing the opening 3a of the sputtering device 3 and the surface Ws facing the opening 3a of the substrate W are substantially flush with each other. Yes.

The transfer tray 6 is connected to a moving means 6a for horizontally transferring the transfer tray 6 from the load lock chamber side (not shown) to the opposite side. The transport direction of the substrate W by the moving means 6a and the transport tray 6 is parallel to the X-axis direction in FIG. 1 and perpendicular to the length direction (Y-axis direction) of the targets 5a and 5b.
The transport tray 6 is provided with a heater (heating means) 7 for heating the held substrate W. Further, the transport tray 6 is provided with a third cooling means 8c for cooling the held substrate W.

The heater 7 is connected to a control unit 7a having a power source and the like. The heater 7 is configured to heat the transport tray 6 to a desired temperature by a temperature raising operation via the control unit 7a, thereby heating the substrate W to the desired temperature.
On the other hand, the third cooling means 8c is connected to the third refrigerant circulating means 18c via a pipe or the like. Then, the third cooling unit 8c cools the transport tray 6 to a desired temperature by circulating the refrigerant supplied from the third refrigerant circulating unit 18c, and thereby cools the substrate W to the desired temperature. It is configured.

  In order to form the inorganic alignment film on the substrate W, which is a constituent member of the liquid crystal device, by the manufacturing apparatus 1, while introducing argon gas from the first gas supply means 21, DC is applied to the first electrode 9a and the second electrode 9b. Power (RF power) is supplied. Thereby, plasma Pz is generated in the space between the targets 5a and 5b, and argon ions or the like in the plasma atmosphere collide with the targets 5a and 5b. Then, the alignment film material (silicon) is sputtered from the targets 5a and 5b as sputtered particles 5p. Further, among the sputtered particles 5p contained in the plasma Pz, only the sputtered particles 5p flying from the plasma Pz to the opening 3a side are selectively released to the film forming chamber 2 side. Then, the sputtered particles 5p flying from the oblique direction on the surface of the substrate W and the oxygen gas flowing through the film formation chamber 2 are reacted on the substrate W, whereby an alignment film made of silicon oxide is formed on the substrate W. It comes to form.

  In this embodiment, the case where silicon oxide is formed on the substrate W by reacting silicon as the sputtered particles 5p with oxygen gas that is the second sputtering gas has been described. For example, silicon oxide (SiOx) or aluminum oxide (AlOy or the like) is used as 5b, and RF power is input to the targets 5a and 5b to perform sputtering operation. An inorganic alignment film made of can be formed on the substrate W. In this case, the second sputtering gas (oxygen gas) is allowed to flow in the film formation chamber 2 to prevent deviation of the formed inorganic alignment film from the oxide composition. The insulating properties of the film can be increased.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the opening 3 a of the sputtering apparatus 3 at the start of film formation on the substrate W. FIG. 3B is an arrow view along the line AA ′ in FIG. 3A, and shows the positional relationship between the substrate W and the opening 3 a of the sputtering apparatus 3 at the start of film formation on the substrate W. FIG.
In order to form the inorganic alignment film on the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the transfer tray 6 is moved horizontally from the load lock chamber (not shown) to the opposite side by the moving means 6a. As shown in a) and FIG. 3B, the substrate W is moved to the film formation start position SP. Here, the film formation start position SP is a position where the sputtered particles 5p emitted from the opening 3a react with the oxygen gas and an inorganic alignment film starts to be formed on the substrate W.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the extending portion 6e of the transfer tray 6 is sputtered until the outer periphery Wo in front of the transfer direction of the substrate W reaches the film formation start position SP. It is provided in front of the transport direction of the substrate W so as to cover the entire opening 3 a of the apparatus 3. That is, at the start of film formation, the length 6eL of the extending portion 6e in the transport direction of the substrate W is longer than the length 3aL of the opening 3a in the transport direction of the substrate W. Here, the length 6eL of the extending portion 6e is a length in the + X direction from the −X side edge of the opening 3a. In the present embodiment, the length 6eL of the extending part 6e is, for example, about 1.5 times or more the length 3aL of the opening 3a.
As shown in FIG. 3A, when the deposition cover 11 and slits (not shown) are provided in the vicinity of the opening 3 a of the sputtering apparatus 3, these openings are formed in the sputtering apparatus 3. Opening 3a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the width 6eW of the extending portion 6e in the direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate W is the width of the opening 3a in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the substrate W. It is formed larger than 3 aW.
In the present embodiment, the size of the substrate W is, for example, about 300 mm × 300 mm, the length 3aL of the opening 3a is, for example, about 100 mm, and the surface Ws of the substrate W and the extending portion 6e. A distance D (see FIG. 3A) between the surface 6s and the opening 3a (the deposition cover 11) is, for example, about 30 mm.

FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the opening 3a of the sputtering apparatus 3 during film formation on the substrate W. FIG. FIG. 4B is an arrow view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 4A and is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the substrate W during film formation and the opening 3 a of the sputtering apparatus 3. .
In order to form the inorganic alignment film on the substrate W, the substrate W is transported forward in the transport direction by the moving means 6a and the transport tray 6 from the film formation start position SP shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). Then, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, film formation is performed while the substrate W is moved forward in the transport direction by the moving means 6a and the transport tray 6. At this time, the opening 3 a of the sputtering apparatus 3 is entirely covered with the extended portion 6 e of the transport tray 6 extended in the Y direction and the substrate W.

FIG. 5A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the opening 3a of the sputtering apparatus 3 at the end of film formation on the substrate W. FIG. FIG. 5B is an arrow view along the line AA ′ in FIG. 5A, and shows the positional relationship between the substrate W and the opening 3 a of the sputtering apparatus 3 at the end of film formation on the substrate W. FIG.
The extending portion 6e of the transport tray 6 covers the entire opening 3a of the sputtering apparatus 3 until the outer periphery Wo in the rearward direction of the substrate W reaches the film formation end position EP. Are provided at the rear in the conveying direction. That is, at the end of film formation, the length 6el of the extending portion 6e in the X direction is longer than the length 3aL of the opening 3a. Here, the length 6el of the extending portion 6e is a length in the −X direction from the + X side edge of the opening 3a. In the present embodiment, the length 6el of the extending portion 6e is, for example, about 1.5 times or more the length 3aL of the opening 3a.

According to the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above configuration, as described above, the extending portion 6e of the transport tray 6 is provided in front of the substrate W in the transport direction (+ X side), so that film formation on the substrate W is started. The entire opening 3a can be covered in advance by the extending portion 6e of the transport tray 6 before being carried out.
That is, when the inorganic alignment film is formed on the substrate W, the substrate W is moved from the initial position rearward (−X side) in the transport direction by the transport tray 6 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Then, the film is transported to the film formation start position SP in the front of the transport direction. At this time, before the outer periphery Wo of the substrate W reaches the film formation start position SP, the opening 3a is gradually covered by the extending portion 6e provided in front of the substrate W in the transport direction. When the outer periphery Wo of the substrate W reaches the film formation start position SP, the entire opening 3a is covered with the extending portion 6e.

  The pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus 3 and around the substrate W vary greatly until the opening 3a is completely covered, but after the opening 3a is completely covered by the extension 6e. Stabilize. After the start of film formation on the substrate W, the opening 3a is transported forward in the transport direction as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, and FIGS. The film is completely covered with the extending portion 6e of the transfer tray 6 and the substrate W until film formation is completed as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent fluctuations in the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus 3 and around the substrate W after the start of film formation on the substrate W, and to stabilize the film formation conditions.

Further, since the extension 6e of the transfer tray 6 is provided at the rear in the transfer direction of the substrate W as described above, the extension 6e is opened until the film formation on the substrate W is completely completed. The entire part 3a can be covered.
That is, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the outer periphery Wo on the rear side (−X side) in the transport direction of the substrate W passes the film formation start position SP, the substrate W is covered with the opening 3a. The broken area gradually decreases. However, even after the outer periphery Wo in the rearward direction of the substrate W passes through the film formation start position SP, there is a state in which the entire opening 3a is covered by the extending portion 6e provided in the rearward direction of the transport of the substrate W. Maintained.

The opening 3a is entirely covered by at least one of the extension 6e and the substrate W until the outer periphery Wo in the rearward direction of the substrate W reaches the film formation end position EP. As a result, the opening 3a is completely covered by at least one of the substrate W and the extending portion 6e of the transfer tray 6 from the time when the film formation on the substrate W is started until the time when the film formation is completed. It becomes a broken state.
Therefore, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus 3 and around the substrate W are stabilized between the start of film formation on the substrate W and the end of film formation. A good inorganic alignment film can be formed.

In the present embodiment, the surface 6s of the extending portion 6e facing the opening 3a of the sputtering apparatus 3 and the surface Ws of the substrate W are formed substantially flush with each other without a step. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the surface 6s of the extending portion 6e and the opening 3a before and after the outer periphery Wo on the + X side of the substrate W passes through the film formation start position SP. D is approximately equal to the distance D between the surface Ws of the substrate W and the opening 3a.
Accordingly, it is possible to more effectively prevent fluctuations in pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus 3 and around the substrate W before and after the outer periphery Wo on the + X side of the substrate W passes the film formation start position SP. it can. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, fluctuations in the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus 3 and around the substrate W before and after the outer periphery Wo on the −X side of the substrate W passes the film formation start position SP, It can prevent more effectively.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, since the length 6eL of the extending portion 6e in the transport direction is longer than the length 3aL of the opening 3a in the transport direction, the substrate W is transported forward by the transport tray 6 in the transport direction. Thus, it is possible to lengthen the time for covering the entire opening 3a by the extending portion 6e until the outer periphery Wo in front of the transport direction reaches the film formation start position SP. Thereby, the film-forming conditions at the time of film-forming can be made more stable.
Further, since the length 6eL of the extending portion 6e is 1.5 times or more the length 3aL of the opening 3a, the outer periphery Wo in the forward direction of the substrate W reaches the film formation start position SP. In addition, the pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus 3 and around the substrate W can be more reliably stabilized.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the −X side extending portion 6 e of the transport tray 6 transports the substrate W in the + X direction by the transport tray 6, and the −W side outer periphery Wo of the substrate W is the film formation end position. Even after passing through the EP, the entire opening 3a can be covered. Thereby, the film-forming conditions at the time of film-forming can be made more stable.
Further, since the length 6el of the extending portion 6e is 1.5 times or more of the length 3aL of the opening 3a, even after the outer periphery Wo on the −X side of the substrate W passes the film formation end position EP, The entire opening 3a can be covered with the extending portion 6e until fluctuations in pressure and gas concentration inside the sputtering apparatus 3 and around the substrate W do not affect the film formation.
Therefore, the film formation conditions during film formation can be further stabilized, and a better inorganic alignment film can be formed.

  In addition, since the width of the extending portion in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction is larger than the width of the opening in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction, from the start of film formation on the substrate to the end of film formation. In the meantime, the entire width direction of the opening can be covered. Thereby, the film-forming conditions at the time of film-forming can be made more stable.

  As described above, according to the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the liquid crystal device of the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the film formation conditions from fluctuating during film formation and to stabilize the film formation conditions during film formation. Therefore, a better inorganic alignment film can be formed.

  Further, since the opposed target type sputtering apparatus 3 is disposed at a predetermined angle (θ1) with respect to the substrate W, the sputtered particles 5p emitted from the openings 3a of the sputtering apparatus 3 are obliquely inclined at a predetermined angle from the substrate. The light can enter the W film-forming surface. Then, an inorganic alignment film having a columnar structure oriented in one direction can be formed on the substrate W by depositing the sputtered particles 5p incident from an oblique direction in this way. Further, in the facing target type sputtering apparatus 3, sputtered particles that are not emitted from the opening 3a are mainly incident on the targets 5a and 5b and reused, so that extremely high target utilization efficiency can be obtained. . Further, in the sputtering apparatus 3, since the directivity of the sputtered particles 5p emitted from the opening 3a can be increased by narrowing the target interval, the incident angle of the sputtered particles 5p reaching the substrate W is highly controlled. Thus, the orientation of the columnar structure in the formed inorganic alignment film is also good.

[Method of manufacturing liquid crystal device]
Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device using the manufacturing apparatus 1 (step of forming an inorganic alignment film on the substrate W) will be described.
First, as the substrate W, a substrate on which predetermined components such as switching elements and electrodes are formed is prepared as a substrate for a liquid crystal device. Next, the substrate W is accommodated in a load lock chamber provided in the film formation chamber 2, and the inside of the load lock chamber is depressurized to be in a vacuum state. Separately from this, the exhaust control device is operated to adjust the inside of the film forming chamber 2 to a desired degree of vacuum.

  Subsequently, the substrate W is transferred into the film forming chamber 2 and set on the transfer tray 6. Then, as a pretreatment for forming the alignment film, the substrate W is heated at, for example, about 250 ° C. to 300 ° C. by the heater 7 of the transport tray 6 to perform dehydration / degassing processing such as adsorbed water and gas adhering to the surface of the substrate W Do. Next, after the heating by the heater 7 is stopped, the substrate W is held at a predetermined temperature, for example, room temperature, by operating the refrigerant circulating means 18c and circulating the refrigerant through the cooling means 8c in order to suppress an increase in the substrate temperature due to sputtering. To do.

Next, argon gas is introduced from the first gas supply means 21 into the sputtering apparatus 3 at a predetermined flow rate, oxygen gas is introduced from the second gas supply means 22 into the film formation chamber 2 at a predetermined flow rate, and evacuation is performed. The control device 20 is operated and adjusted to a predetermined operating pressure, for example, about 10 ⁻¹ Pa. Since oxygen radicals and negative ions of oxygen are generated in oxygen gas plasma, only the argon gas is introduced into the front surfaces of the targets 5a and 5b, which are plasma generation regions, in the manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, and the oxygen gas is a separate system. From the gas supply path to the substrate W. Further, it is preferable to keep the substrate W at room temperature by operating the heater 7 and the cooling means 8c as necessary during film formation.

  Thereafter, the substrate W is moved at a predetermined speed in the X direction in FIG. 1 by the moving means 6a under such film forming conditions. When the outer periphery Wo in front of the transport direction of the substrate W reaches the film formation start position SP, sputtering by the sputtering apparatus 3 is performed. Then, sputtered particles (silicon) serving as the alignment film material are emitted from the targets 5a and 5b. However, in the facing target type sputtering apparatus 3, the sputtered particles traveling in the target facing direction are confined in the plasma Pz. Only the sputtered particles 5p traveling toward the opening 3a in the target surface direction are emitted into the film forming chamber 2 from the opening 3a, and only the sputtered particles 5p whose traveling direction is regulated are incident on the substrate W. .

  The sputtered particles 5p selectively enter only the film-forming surface of the substrate W facing the device connection portion 25, and react with oxygen gas on the substrate W to form a silicon oxide film. Sputtered particles emitted from the sputtering apparatus 3 arranged obliquely with respect to the substrate W in this way and further passed through the apparatus connecting portion 25 arranged obliquely with respect to the substrate W in the same manner as the sputtering apparatus 3. 5p is incident on the film formation surface of the substrate W at a predetermined angle, that is, θ1. As a result, the inorganic alignment film deposited on the substrate W with the reaction between the oxygen gas and the sputtered particles 5p becomes an inorganic alignment film having a columnar structure inclined at an angle corresponding to the incident angle θ1.

  As described above, the inorganic alignment film formed in the substrate W shape by the manufacturing apparatus 1 is an inorganic alignment film having a columnar structure inclined at a desired angle, and a liquid crystal device including the alignment film has such an inorganic alignment film. As a result, the pretilt angle of the liquid crystal can be controlled well.

  In addition, the opening 3a of the sputtering apparatus is covered with the extension 6e until the outer periphery Wo in the front direction of the substrate W reaches the film formation start position SP, and the inside of the sputtering apparatus 3 and the substrate W are covered. The film forming conditions such as the pressure and gas concentration around the substrate are stabilized. Thereby, an inorganic alignment film having a good film quality can be formed.

  If the inorganic alignment film is formed on the substrate W through the above steps, a liquid crystal device can be manufactured by pasting together another separately manufactured substrate through a sealing material and enclosing a liquid crystal between the substrates. In the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention, a known manufacturing method can be applied to a manufacturing process other than the process of forming the inorganic alignment film.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case in which the extending portions are provided in front and rear in the substrate transport direction has been described. However, the extending portions may be provided only in front in the substrate transport direction. .
Further, the length of the extending portion in the substrate transport direction may not be longer than the length of the opening in the substrate transport direction as long as it covers the entire opening of the sputtering apparatus at the start of film formation. For example, the length may be equal to that. Further, it may be 1.5 times or less the length of the opening.
Also. The width of the extending portion in the direction orthogonal to the substrate transfer direction may not be larger than the width of the opening of the sputtering apparatus in the direction orthogonal to the substrate transfer direction, and may be, for example, the same width.
In addition, as long as the entire opening of the sputtering apparatus can be covered by the extension, the surface of the extension facing the opening of the sputtering apparatus and the surface of the substrate may not be formed flush with each other. For example, in order to make the film forming conditions more stable, the extending portion may be provided with an inclination.
Further, the size of the opening of the substrate and the sputtering apparatus, the size of the opening of the substrate and the extending portion and the sputtering apparatus, and the like are not limited to the sizes exemplified in the above embodiments.
In addition, the sputter apparatus may not have a deposition cover or a slit. In this case, the opening on the film forming chamber side of the apparatus connection portion becomes the opening of the sputtering apparatus.
Further, the sputtering apparatus may be arranged perpendicular to the substrate transport direction.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to an embodiment. The figure which shows the detailed structure of the sputtering device shown in FIG. The schematic block diagram of the opening part vicinity of the sputtering device of the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal device shown in FIG. The schematic block diagram of the opening part vicinity of the sputtering device of the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal device shown in FIG. The schematic block diagram of the opening part vicinity of the sputtering device of the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal device shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Manufacturing apparatus, 2 Film-forming chamber, 3 Sputtering apparatus, 3a opening part, 3aL length, 3aW width, 5p Sputter particle | grains, 6 Conveyance tray, 6e Extension part, 6eL length, 6eW width, 6el length, 6s surface , W substrate, Wo outer circumference, Ws surface, X transport direction

Claims (5)

An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device comprising a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of opposing substrates, wherein an inorganic alignment film is formed on a surface of the at least one substrate facing the liquid crystal layer,
A film forming chamber which is a vacuum chamber for accommodating the substrate;
A sputtering apparatus for forming an inorganic alignment film by generating a sputtering film and forming an alignment film material on the substrate in the film formation chamber by generating the sputter particles and releasing the sputter particles into the film formation chamber;
A transport tray for transporting the substrate to a film formation start position for forming the inorganic alignment film on the substrate in the film formation chamber;
The sputtering apparatus has an opening for emitting sputtered particles,
The transport tray has an extending portion that extends in a direction of transporting the substrate beyond a portion that holds the substrate.
Characterized in that said extension portion, until the time of completion of film formation from the time of the start of the formation of the substrate, so as to cover the entirety of the opening, which is provided on the front and rear in the conveying direction of the substrate A manufacturing apparatus of a liquid crystal device. Apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface facing the opening portion of the extending portion, and the surface facing the opening portion of the substrate are flush. 3. The liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of the extending portion in the transport direction is longer than a length of the opening in the transport direction. The width in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the extending portion is in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that greater than the width in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the opening A manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal device according to the description. 4. The apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 3 , wherein the length of the extending portion is 1.5 times or more of the length of the opening.

Images