JP5634317B2 - Deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a film surface.

FIG. 7 is an internal configuration diagram of a conventional film forming apparatus 100 used to form a film on the surface of the film 151.
The conventional film forming apparatus 100 includes a vacuum chamber 111, a vacuum exhaust device 146 that evacuates the vacuum chamber 111, a source gas discharge unit 125 that discharges the source gas into the vacuum chamber 111, and converts the source gas into plasma. A plasma generator 126, a mask plate 127 having an opening 128 on the surface, a pedestal 112 disposed to face the surface of the mask plate 127, and a film 151 between the pedestal 112 and the mask plate 127 are masked. A traveling unit 170 that travels in parallel with the surface of the plate 127 and a mask plate moving unit 179 that moves the mask plate 127 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the mask plate 127 are provided.

The film forming method using the conventional film forming apparatus 100 will be described. First, the vacuum chamber 111 is evacuated by the vacuum evacuating apparatus 146 to form a vacuum atmosphere. The film 151 is caused to travel by the traveling means 170, and the traveling of the film 151 is stopped at a position where the film formation region on the surface of the film 151 faces the opening 128 of the mask plate 127.
The mask plate 127 is moved in a direction approaching the film 151 by the mask plate moving means 179 so that the surface of the mask plate 127 is in close contact with the surface of the film 151.

  When the source gas is discharged from the source gas discharge unit 125 into the vacuum chamber 111 and the source gas is turned into plasma by the plasma generation unit 126, the plasma of the source gas is exposed from the opening 128 of the mask plate 127 on the surface of the film 151. To reach a chemical reaction, and a thin film is formed in the film formation region on the surface of the film 151.

  After a thin film is formed in the film forming area on the surface of the film 151, the mask plate 127 is moved away from the film 151 by the mask plate moving means 179, and the surface of the mask plate 127 is separated from the surface of the film 151.

  The film 151 is caused to travel by the traveling means 170, and the traveling of the film 151 is stopped at a position where the next film formation region on the surface of the film 151 faces the opening 128 of the mask plate 127. A thin film is formed in the next film formation region.

  In the conventional film forming apparatus 100, since the film forming process is performed in a state where the film 151 is stationary, it takes time and effort to stop and restart the traveling of the film 151, and there is a problem that the production time becomes long.

  In the film forming process, the surface of the mask plate 127 is brought into close contact with the surface of the film 151, so that the surface of the film 151 is easily damaged, and it is difficult to form an element structure such as a TFT on the surface of the film 151.

JP 2008-57020 A JP 2008-156669 A

  The present invention was created to solve the above-described disadvantages of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of forming a film without bringing the mask plate into contact with the film surface.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vacuum chamber, a cylindrical member disposed in the vacuum chamber and capable of rotating around a central axis, and disposed outside the cylindrical member along the outer periphery of the cylindrical member. A plurality of film forming units, and each of the film forming units is disposed in the vacuum chamber and spaced apart from each other along the outer periphery of the cylindrical member. A vacuum evacuation unit that evacuates the film formation space between the first and second partition plates, a source gas discharge unit that discharges a source gas into the film formation space, and a plasma of the source gas in the film formation space And a mask plate provided on the first and second partition plates, the surface of which is opposed to the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member, and the surface is provided with an opening. The back surface is in close contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member, and each said A film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a surface of a film that travels while facing the opening of a disc plate, wherein the mask includes a sub gas releasing portion that discharges a sub gas outside each of the film forming spaces. An exhaust port is formed in a portion of the plate facing the cylindrical member, and the film forming apparatus exhausts the gas between the mask plate and the cylindrical member from the exhaust port.
The present invention is a film forming apparatus, wherein the exhaust port surrounds the outside of the opening of the mask plate and is arranged in a plurality spaced apart in an annular shape.
This invention is a film-forming apparatus, Comprising: The said exhaust port is a film-forming apparatus formed in the ring shape surrounding the outer side of the said opening of the said mask board.
The present invention is a film forming apparatus, wherein the exhaust port is formed in a position closer to an inner periphery of the opening than an outer periphery of the mask plate in the surface of the mask plate.

  Since the secondary gas enters the gap between the mask plate surface and the film surface, radicals in the plasma are pushed by the secondary gas and cannot enter the gap, and the film quality at the end of the thin film is improved.

The internal block diagram of the film-forming apparatus of this invention. The expansion internal block diagram of the film-forming part. (A)-(e): The figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of TFT. The expansion internal block diagram of the film-forming part of a 2nd example. The top view of a mask board. The top view of another example of a mask board. The internal block diagram of the conventional film-forming apparatus. The figure for demonstrating the structure where the exhaust port is not provided in the mask board.

<Structure of deposition system>
The structure of the film forming apparatus of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is an internal configuration diagram of the film forming apparatus 10.
The film forming apparatus 10 includes a vacuum chamber 11, a cylindrical member 12 that is disposed in the vacuum chamber 11 and that can rotate around a central axis, and a plurality of layers that are disposed outside the cylindrical member 12 along the outer periphery of the cylindrical member 12. and a film forming unit 20 ₁ to 20 _4.

The structures of the film forming units 20 _{1 to} 20 ₄ are the same as each other, and in the drawing of FIG. 1, each part of the structure of the film forming unit denoted by reference numeral 20 ₁ is individually denoted by reference numerals 20 _{2 to} 20. Reference numerals are omitted for the respective parts of the structure of the film forming unit ₄ .
The structure of each film forming units 20 ₁ to 20 ₄ will be explained as a representative in the film forming part of the code 20 _1.

Figure 2 is an internal configuration diagram of a film forming unit 20 _1.
Film forming unit 20 ₁ is disposed in the vacuum chamber 11, first they are placed separately from one another along the outer periphery of the cylindrical member 12, the second partition plate 21, first, second partition The evacuation unit 24 for evacuating the film formation space 23 between the plates 21 and 22, the source gas discharge unit 25 for releasing the source gas into the film formation space 23, and the source gas in the film formation space 23 are converted into plasma. It has a plasma generation unit 26, a mask plate 27 that is installed on the first and second partition plates 21 and 22 and whose surface is opposed to the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12, and in which the surface is provided with an opening 28. ing.

  In this embodiment, the source gas discharge unit 25 includes a discharge container 41 having a plurality of discharge holes 44 on the surface, and a source gas source 42 for introducing the source gas into the internal space of the discharge container 41. .

  Hereinafter, the surface of the discharge container 41 in which the discharge hole 44 is provided is referred to as a discharge surface, and is denoted by reference numeral 60. The discharge surface 60 of the discharge container 41 is exposed in the vacuum chamber 11 and faces the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12.

The discharge container 41 is fixed to the wall surface of the vacuum chamber 11 via an insulating member 49, and the discharge container 41 and the vacuum chamber 11 are electrically insulated.
Here, the discharge surface 60 of the discharge container 41 is formed to be curved along the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12, and is parallel to the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12.

  The source gas source 42 is connected to the discharge vessel 41, and when the source gas is introduced from the source gas source 42 into the release vessel 41, the introduced source gas is uniformly introduced into the film formation space 23 from each discharge hole 44 of the release vessel 41. To be released.

Here, the plasma generation unit 26 includes the above-described discharge container 41 and a power supply device 43 electrically connected to the discharge container 41.
Here, the cylindrical member 12 is placed at the ground potential.

  When a high frequency voltage (alternating voltage) is applied from the power supply device 43 to the discharge container 41, a discharge is generated between the discharge container 41 and the cylindrical member 12, and the source gas in the film formation space 23 is ionized to generate plasma. It has become so.

  The plasma generator 26 may include a magnet device (not shown) that forms a magnetic field in a direction parallel to the emission surface 60 of the emission container 41. In the configuration having the magnet device, the plasma is generated more efficiently by the electrons in the plasma being restrained by the lines of magnetic force formed by the magnet device.

  The plasma generation unit 26 is not limited to the above configuration as long as the source gas in the film formation space 23 can be converted into plasma, and a transmission window provided on the wall surface of the vacuum chamber 11 and a transmission window on the outside of the vacuum chamber 11. When a high-frequency voltage is applied from the power supply device to the coil, an alternating magnetic field is formed in the film formation space 23, and the coil disposed opposite to the coil is electrically connected to the coil. The source gas may be ionized by an alternating magnetic field to generate plasma.

Referring to FIG. 2, the vacuum exhaust unit 24 includes a main exhaust port 45 exposed in the film formation space 23, an annular groove member 47 connected to the main exhaust port 45, and a vacuum exhaust connected to the groove member 47. Device 46.
Here, a plurality of main exhaust ports 45 are provided in an annular shape so as to surround the outer periphery of the discharge surface 60 on the outside of the discharge surface 60 of the discharge container 41 in the wall surface of the vacuum chamber 11.

The groove member 47 surrounds the outer periphery of the discharge container 41 and is fixed in an annular contact with the outer wall surface of the vacuum chamber 11, and the internal space of the groove member 47 communicates with each main exhaust port 45.
The vacuum exhaust device 46 is connected to the groove member 47 through the main exhaust pipe 61. When the evacuation device 46 is operated to evacuate the internal space of the groove member 47, the film formation space 23 is uniformly evacuated from each main exhaust port 45 through the groove member 47.

The mask plate 27 is a ceramic plate, and here, alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) is used. The surface of the mask plate 27 is curved along the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12.

  In this embodiment, the outer peripheral portion of the mask plate 27 is fixed to the tips of the first and second partition plates 21 and 22, and the surface of the mask plate 27 is made parallel to the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12. A gap 52 is provided between 27 and the cylindrical member 12.

  The thickness of the gap 52 is made thicker than the thickness of the film 51 described later, and the mask plate 27 does not come into contact with the surface of the film 51 even if the back surface of the film 51 is disposed in close contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12. Yes.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the mask plate 27.
The mask plate 27 has an opening 28 and a shielding part 29 outside the opening 28. The outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12 is partially exposed to the film formation space 23 from the opening 28.

  The length of the opening 28 in the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 12 is shorter than the length in the width direction of the film 51 described later, and the back surface of the film 51 is in close contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12. When arranged, both ends in the width direction of the film 51 are shielded by the shielding portions 29 of the mask plate 27. Therefore, the portion of the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12 that protrudes from the end portion in the width direction of the film 51 is also shielded by the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27, and the thin film is prevented from adhering to the protruding portion of the cylindrical member 12.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the discharge is unstable and the plasma is likely to be unstable in a portion of the film formation space 23 that is closer to the outer periphery than the center of the emission surface 60. It is opposed to a portion closer to the outer periphery than the center of 60, and plasma is not generated in a portion closer to the outer periphery than the center of the emission surface 60. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a thin film having a lower quality than that of the central portion from being formed at the end due to unstable plasma.

The film forming apparatus 10 includes a sub-gas releasing unit 31 that discharges a sub-gas to the outside of the film forming space 23 in the internal space of the vacuum chamber 11. A gas that does not react with the surface of the film 51, which will be described later, is used as the auxiliary gas. Here, any one of H ₂ gas, N ₂ gas, and Ar gas, or two or more mixed gases are used. A raw material gas can also be used as the gas.

In the present embodiment, the discharge port 33 of the auxiliary gas discharge unit 31 is provided outside the first and second partition plates 21 and 22 in the wall surface of the vacuum chamber 11.
When the secondary gas is released from the discharge port 33 of the secondary gas discharge portion 31, the secondary gas passes through the space outside the first and second partition plates 21 and 22, and the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12. It enters into the gap 52 between.

Referring to FIG. 5, an exhaust port 32 is formed in a portion of the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27 that faces the cylindrical member 12.
Here, a plurality of exhaust ports 32 are formed so as to surround the outside of the opening 28 of the mask plate 27 and are annularly separated, but as shown in FIG. 6, they are formed in a ring shape surrounding the outside of the opening 28. Also good. The secondary gas entering the gap 52 between the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12 can be exhausted over the outer periphery of the opening 28, and the gas atmosphere in the film formation space 23 can be prevented from being diluted by the secondary gas. .

Referring to FIG. 2, a sub exhaust pipe 62 is connected to the vacuum exhaust device 46, and the exhaust port 32 is connected to the sub exhaust pipe 62.
In this embodiment, the exhaust port 32 is connected to the sub exhaust pipe 62 via passages 34a and 34b provided in the mask plate 27 and the first and second partition plates 21 and 22, respectively. If the port 32 is connected to the auxiliary exhaust pipe 62, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and a pipe is installed at a position different from the mask plate 27 and the first and second partition plates 21 and 22 and the auxiliary exhaust pipe 62 is provided. You may connect between the pipe | tube 62 and the exhaust port 32. FIG.

  The exhaust port 32 is disposed at a position closer to the opening 28 of the mask plate 27 than the discharge port 33 of the auxiliary gas discharge unit 31. Accordingly, the auxiliary gas entering the gap 52 between the shielding part 29 of the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12 is exhausted from the exhaust port 32 and does not enter the film formation space 23 through the opening 28.

  Here, the exhaust port 32 is formed on the surface of the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27 at a position closer to the inner periphery of the opening 28 than the outer periphery of the mask plate 27. Therefore, the secondary gas entering the gap 52 from the space outside the first and second partition plates 21 and 22 can enter from the outer periphery of the mask plate 27 to a position closer to the inner periphery of the opening 28. Further, the intrusion of radicals from the film formation space 23 can be blocked at a shorter distance.

  The discharge port 33 of the secondary gas discharge part 31 is provided outside the first and second partition plates 21 and 22 on the wall surface of the vacuum chamber 11 if the secondary gas can be discharged outside the film formation space 23. For example, the surface of the first and second partition plates 21 and 22 may be provided on the surface exposed to the outside of the film formation space.

Second partition plate The first partition plate 21 of one of the film forming section adjacent disposed between two deposition units 20 ₁ to 20 ₄ of the deposition space 23 adjacent the other film forming section 22 may be the same plate. In other words, the film forming spaces 23 of the two adjacent film forming units 20 _{1 to} 20 ₄ may be partitioned by a single partition plate. In this case, the discharge port 33 of the auxiliary gas discharge unit 31 may be provided at the tip of the one partition plate.
In the above description, the exhaust port 32 is provided in the portion of the mask plate 27 that faces the cylindrical member 12. However, referring to FIG. 8, a configuration in which the exhaust port 32 is not provided in the mask plate 27 is also included in the present invention. included. In this configuration, the secondary gas entering the gap 52 is exhausted from the main exhaust port 45 through the opening 28 of the mask plate 27. Since the radicals at the end of the opening 28 are pushed by the secondary gas, the film quality at the end of the opening 28 is improved. In this configuration, when a gas other than the source gas is used as the auxiliary gas, the gas atmosphere in the film formation space is diluted. Therefore, it is preferable to use the source gas as the auxiliary gas.

<Usage method of film forming apparatus>
A thin film forming method using the film forming apparatus 10 of the present invention will be described by taking a TFT manufacturing method as an example.
(Preparation process)
With reference to FIG. 1, in this embodiment, an intermediate chamber 73 is connected to the vacuum chamber 11, and first and second winding chambers 71 and 72 are connected to the intermediate chamber 73, respectively.

First and second winding shafts 74 and 75 are disposed in the first and second winding chambers 71 and 72, respectively, and a plurality of auxiliary rollers 76 are disposed in the intermediate chamber 73.
The first and second take-up shafts 74 and 75 and the auxiliary rollers 76 each have a center axis oriented parallel to the center axis of the cylindrical member 12, and can rotate around the center axis.

  Here, a rotating device 77 is connected to each of the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 and the cylindrical member 12. The rotating device 77 is a motor that transmits power to the cylindrical member 12 and the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 so that the cylindrical member 12 and the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 are the same. It is comprised so that it may rotate in the same direction with the rotational speed of.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a film 51 that is a film formation target.
The film 51 includes a film substrate 81, a barrier film 82 disposed on the surface of the film substrate 81, and first and second electrode films 83a and 83b disposed on the surface of the barrier film 82, respectively. .

Of the surface of the film 51, the length in the longitudinal direction of the film formation region to be formed is predetermined.
The film 51 is wound in a roll shape with one end in the longitudinal direction as the center with the surface where the first and second electrode films 83a and 83b are exposed facing outward. Referring to FIG. 1, the roll is carried into the first winding chamber 71, and the first winding shaft 74 is inserted into the center of the roll.

  When the end of the film 51 is pulled out from the outer periphery of the roll, the first winding shaft 74 rotates according to the pulling force, and the film 51 is fed out from the roll. The end of the drawn film 51 is placed in the vacuum chamber 11 while being hung on the auxiliary roller 76 in the intermediate chamber 73 and hung on the cylindrical member 12 so that the back surface of the film 51 is in close contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12. . While maintaining the state where the back surface of the film 51 is in close contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12, the end portion of the drawn film 51 is returned into the intermediate chamber 73 and is passed over another auxiliary roller 76. Next, the film is placed in the second winding chamber 72 and wound around the second winding shaft 75 so that the surface of the film 51 faces outward.

  A cooling device (not shown) is connected to the cylindrical member 12 so that the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12 can be cooled. The back surface of the film 51 is in contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12, and the film 51 is cooled by heat conduction from the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12.

Further, the back surface of the film 51 is in close contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12, so that the surface of the film 51 is arranged in parallel with the surface of the mask plate 27.
The length of the width of the film 51 is shorter than the length in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 12, and both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 12 protrude outward from the width direction of the film 51.

  The chambers 71 to 73 and the vacuum chamber 11 are evacuated by the evacuation device 46 to form a vacuum atmosphere. Thereafter, evacuation by the evacuation device is continued, and the vacuum atmosphere in each of the chambers 71 to 73 and the vacuum chamber 11 is maintained.

With reference to FIG. 2, the gas between the mask plate 27 and the film 51 is evacuated from the exhaust port 32. Thereafter, the vacuum exhaust from the exhaust port 32 is continued.
The secondary gas is discharged from the discharge port 33 of the secondary gas discharge part 31 to the outside of the film formation space 23. Thereafter, the secondary gas is continuously discharged from the secondary gas discharge portion 31 to the outside of the film formation space.

  In the gap 52 between the shielding part 29 of the mask plate 27 and the film 51, a side gas exists in a portion outside the exhaust port 32 as viewed from the opening 28, and the pressure of the portion is in the film forming space 23. It becomes larger than the pressure.

(Gate insulation film formation process)
The source gas of the gate insulating film is introduced from the source gas source 42 into the discharge container 41, and the source gas is uniformly released into the film formation space 23 from each of the discharge holes 44. Here, a mixed gas of SiH ₄ gas, H ₂ gas, and N ₂ gas is used as the source gas.
A high frequency voltage is applied from the power supply device 43 to the discharge container 41 to ionize the source gas in the film formation space 23 and generate plasma of the source gas.

  The ions in the plasma reach a portion of the surface of the film 51 exposed from the opening 28 of the mask plate 27 and chemically react, and referring to FIG. A gate insulating film 84 is formed over the surfaces of the second electrode films 83a and 83b. Here, the gate insulating film 84 is a thin film of SiN.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the rotating member 77 rotates the cylindrical member 12 and the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 in the same direction at the same speed, and winds the film 51 around the second winding shaft 75. Let me take it.

With the rotation of the cylindrical member 12, the film 51 travels while facing the opening 28 and the order of the mask plate 27 of each film forming units 20 ₁ to 20 _4, the surface of the film 51 in the longitudinal direction of the film 51 A thin film is continuously formed.
Since the film is continuously formed while the film 51 is running, the film formation time can be shortened as compared with the conventional case.

Further, since the surface of the film 51 is not in contact with the mask plate 27, the surface of the film 51 is not damaged, and no disconnection occurs in the wiring films (first and second electrode films 83a and 83b) on the surface of the film 51.
There is a gap 52 between the shielding part 29 of the mask plate 27 and the surface of the film 51, and even if the film 51 is run, the surface of the film 51 does not contact the mask plate 27 and is not damaged.

  A portion of the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12 that protrudes outside the width direction of the film 51 is shielded by the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27, and no thin film adheres to the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member 12.

  Further, the portion closer to the outer periphery than the center of the emission surface 60 is opposed to the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27 so that plasma does not stand up, and the portion exposed from the opening 28 on the surface of the film 51 is stable. A good quality thin film is formed by plasma contact.

  Plasma does not stand in the portion of the mask plate 27 that is shielded by the shielding portion 29, but radicals in the plasma formed by the opening 28 are in the gap 52 between the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27 and the surface of the film 51. Try to invade.

  However, in the present invention, in the gap 52 between the shielding part 29 of the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12, the auxiliary gas is introduced outside the exhaust port 32, and the pressure is made larger than the pressure in the film formation space. In addition, there is a flow of the secondary gas in the direction from the outer periphery of the mask plate 27 toward the exhaust port 32, and the radicals are pushed by the secondary gas and do not enter outside the exhaust port 32.

  Therefore, it is prevented that the part of the gap 52 in the surface of the film 51 reacts with radicals to deteriorate the film quality, and the film quality at the end of the thin film is improved.

After completing the formation of the gate insulating film 84 over the entire predetermined film formation region on the surface of the film 51, referring to FIG. 1, the rotation device 77 rotates the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 and the cylindrical member 12. Is stopped and the traveling of the film 51 is stopped.
Referring to FIG. 2, power supply from power supply device 43 to discharge container 41 is stopped, and release of source gas from source gas source 42 is stopped.

(A-Si film formation process)
Next, the source gas of the a-Si layer is introduced from the source gas source 42 into the release container 41, and the source gas is uniformly released from the release holes 44 into the film formation space 23. Here, a mixed gas of SiH ₄ gas and H ₂ gas is used as the source gas.

A high frequency voltage is applied from the power supply device 43 to the discharge container 41 to ionize the source gas in the film formation space 23 and generate plasma of the source gas.
The ions in the plasma reach a portion of the surface of the film 51 that is exposed from the opening 28 of the mask plate 27 and chemically react. With reference to FIG. 3C, the a-Si film is formed on the surface of the gate insulating film 84. 85 is formed. The a-Si film 85 is an amorphous Si thin film.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the rotating device 77 causes the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 and the cylindrical member 12 to be in the same direction opposite to the rotation direction in the gate insulating film forming step. The film 51 is wound around the first winding shaft 74 by rotating at the same speed.

As the cylindrical member 12 rotates, the film 51 travels while facing the openings 28 of the mask plates 27 of the film forming portions 20 _{1 to} 20 _{4 in} the reverse order to the gate insulating film forming step. A thin film is continuously formed on the surface of the film 51 along the longitudinal direction of the film 51.

After the formation of the a-Si film 85 in the entire predetermined film formation region on the surface of the film 51, the rotation of the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 and the cylindrical member 12 by the rotating device 77 is stopped, and the film 51 travel is stopped.
Referring to FIG. 2, power supply from power supply device 43 to discharge container 41 is stopped, and release of source gas from source gas source 42 is stopped.

(N ⁺ a-Si film formation process)
Next, the source gas of the n ⁺ a-Si film is introduced from the source gas source 42 into the release container 41, and the source gas is uniformly released into the film formation space 23 from each release hole 44. Here, a mixed gas of SiH ₄ gas, H ₂ gas, and PH ₃ gas is used as the source gas.

A high frequency voltage is applied from the power supply device 43 to the discharge container 41 to ionize the source gas in the film formation space 23 and generate plasma of the source gas.
The ions in the plasma reach a portion of the surface of the film 51 exposed from the opening 28 of the mask plate 27, and chemically react, thereby referring to FIG. 3D, and n ⁺ a on the surface of the a-Si film 85. A -Si film 86 is formed. The n ⁺ a-Si film 86 is an amorphous Si thin film containing phosphorus (P).

  Referring to FIG. 1, the rotating device 77 moves the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 and the cylindrical member 12 in the same direction as the rotation direction in the above-described gate insulating film forming step at the same speed. The film 51 is rotated and the film 51 is wound around the second winding shaft 75.

As the cylindrical member 12 rotates, the film 51 travels while facing the openings 28 of the mask plates 27 of the film forming portions 20 _{1 to} 20 _{4 in} the same order as the above-described gate insulating film forming step. A thin film is continuously formed over the longitudinal direction of the film 51.

After the formation of the n ⁺ a-Si film 86 over the entire predetermined film formation region on the surface of the film 51, the rotation of the first and second winding shafts 74 and 75 and the cylindrical member 12 by the rotating device 77 is stopped. Then, the traveling of the film 51 is stopped.

Referring to FIG. 2, power supply from power supply device 43 to discharge container 41 is stopped, and release of source gas from source gas source 42 is stopped.
Referring to FIG. 1, the roll made of the film 51 wound around the second winding shaft 75 is removed from the second winding shaft 75, carried out from the second winding chamber 72, and rotated to the subsequent process. .

3A to 3C, the gate insulating film 84, the a-Si film 85, and the n ⁺ a-Si film 86 are consistently formed in a vacuum atmosphere without being exposed to the air on the way. Since it can be formed, impurities are not mixed in the thin films 84 to 85, and the yield is improved.

In addition, since the gate insulating film 84, the a-Si film 85, and the n ⁺ a-Si film 86 can be formed by the same film forming apparatus 10, the cost required for the film forming apparatus 10 can be reduced.
After the n ⁺ a-Si film forming step, in the subsequent step, referring to FIG. 3E, a source electrode 87a, a drain electrode 87b, a protective film 88, and a transparent electrode 89 are sequentially formed on the film surface. Thus, the TFT 80 is manufactured.

<Structure of film forming part of second example>
FIG. 4 is an enlarged internal configuration diagram of the film forming unit 20 ₁ ′ of the second example.
Of the film forming unit 20 ₁ ′ of the second example, parts having the same structure as the above-described film forming unit 20 ₁ (hereinafter referred to as the film forming unit of the first example) are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. To do.

In the film forming unit 20 ₁ ′ of the second example, instead of the exhaust port 32 of the mask plate 27 of the film forming unit 20 ₁ of the first example, a portion of the shielding unit 29 of the mask plate 27 facing the cylindrical member 12 is used. It has a spout 37 provided.

The auxiliary gas discharge portion 31 is connected to the jet port 37 so that gas can be jetted from the jet port 37 between the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12.
The auxiliary gas is jetted from the jet port 37 into the gap 52 between the shielding part 29 of the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12, and the pressure between the shielding part 29 of the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12 is changed in the film formation space 23. When the pressure is higher than the pressure, it is possible to prevent radicals in the film formation space 23 from being pushed by the secondary gas and enter the gap 52.

Further, in the film forming unit 20 ₁ ′ of the second example, unlike the film forming unit 20 ₁ of the first example, the auxiliary exhaust pipe 62 connected to the vacuum exhaust device 46 is connected to the outside of the film forming space 23. Yes. In the present embodiment, the wall of the vacuum chamber 11 is connected to a sub exhaust port 38 provided in the outer portion of the first and second partition plates 21 and 22.

The secondary gas ejected from the ejection port 37 into the gap 52 between the shielding portion 29 of the mask plate 27 and the cylindrical member 12 passes through the secondary exhaust pipe 62 from the outside of the film formation space 23 and is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust device 46. Thus, the auxiliary gas is prevented from entering the film formation space 23 from the opening 28.
A configuration in which the auxiliary exhaust pipe 62 is not connected to the outside of the film formation space 23 is also included in the present invention. In this configuration, the secondary gas blown out from the ejection port 37 into the gap 52 is exhausted from the main exhaust port 45 through the opening 28 of the mask plate 27. Since the radicals at the end of the opening 28 are pushed by the secondary gas, the film quality at the end of the opening 28 is improved. In this configuration, when a gas other than the source gas is used as the auxiliary gas, the gas atmosphere in the film formation space is diluted. Therefore, it is preferable to use the source gas as the auxiliary gas.

10 ...... deposition apparatus 11 ...... vacuum tank 12 ...... cylindrical member 20 ₁ to 20 ₄ ...... deposition section 21, 22 ...... partition plate 24 ...... evacuator 25 ...... material gas discharge unit 26 ...... plasma Generation section 27 …… Mask plate 28 …… Opening 31 …… Sub-gas release section 32 …… Exhaust port 51 …… Film

Claims (4)

A vacuum chamber;
A cylindrical member disposed in the vacuum chamber and rotatable about a central axis;
A plurality of film forming units arranged on the outer side of the cylindrical member along the outer periphery of the cylindrical member;
Have
Each of the film forming units
In the vacuum chamber, the first and second partition plates arranged spaced apart from each other along the outer periphery of the cylindrical member,
An evacuation unit for evacuating a film formation space between the first and second partition plates;
A source gas discharge part for releasing source gas into the film formation space;
A plasma generation unit that converts the source gas in the film formation space into plasma;
A mask plate that is constructed on the first and second partition plates, the surface is opposed to the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member, and the surface is provided with an opening;
Each with
The back surface is in close contact with the outer peripheral side surface of the cylindrical member, and is a film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on the surface of the film that runs while facing the opening of each mask plate as the cylindrical member rotates,
Having a secondary gas discharge part for discharging secondary gas outside each of the film formation spaces;
A film forming apparatus in which an exhaust port is formed in a portion of each of the mask plates facing the cylindrical member, and gas between the mask plate and the cylindrical member is exhausted from the exhaust port.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the exhaust ports are arranged in a ring shape so as to surround an outside of the opening of the mask plate.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust port is formed in a ring shape surrounding the outside of the opening of the mask plate.   4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust port is formed at a position closer to an inner periphery of the opening than an outer periphery of the mask plate in the surface of the mask plate. 5.

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