JP6238003B2 - Vapor deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to vapor deposition apparatus for forming a film on a substrate in a vacuum to suppress the variation in thickness is particularly deposited on the substrate, to improve product quality, relates vapor deposition apparatus is there.

  Electronic devices using organic materials have become practical in many fields such as semiconductors, lighting, and displays, and will be important in the future. A highly accurate multilayer film is required, and various techniques are being studied as a thin film forming method. As one method, there is a vacuum deposition method in which a material is heated in a vacuum, and the generated vapor is transported to the substrate and adhered to the substrate.

  A conventional vapor deposition technique will be described with reference to FIG. In a lighting or display which is a typical organic device, a substrate is becoming larger in order to improve productivity. On the other hand, high-accuracy multilayer films are required to form films with reduced in-plane film thickness variations. For example, even if the effective film formation width of the substrate is 2000 mm or more, the in-plane film thickness uniformity is required to have an accuracy of ± 5% or less.

  In a vapor deposition apparatus, as a conventional method for improving in-plane film thickness uniformity, there is generally a method using a film thickness correction plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a conventional deposition nozzle 60. The nozzle 60 includes a nozzle wall 52, a correction plate 53, a pipe 54, a diffusion plate 55, and a base material 51. It is configured. The nozzle wall 52, the correction plate 53, the pipe 54, and the diffusion plate 55 are each provided with a heating unit, and are heated by a heater or the like to a temperature at which steam does not adhere. The steam flows into the nozzle 60 from the pipe 54, is dispersed while colliding with the diffusion plate 55, passes through the holes 59, and travels toward the base material 51. When film formation is performed by passing film formation, film formation at the specific place is performed by covering a specific part of the opening 60a of the nozzle 60 with the correction plate 53 in order to finely adjust the film thickness distribution. Reduce the amount to adjust the film thickness distribution. If the required uniformity is ± 5%, it is considered that the correction plate shape needs to be adjusted in units of about 1/10. Assuming that a film proportional to the opening width is simply attached to the substrate 51, when the opening width is 100 mm, the required uniformity is obtained by adjusting the accuracy with a unit of 1 mm, which is 1%.

Japanese Patent No. 4174257

  However, as the size of the nozzle 60 increases, the amount of thermal deformation of the opening 60a due to heating of the nozzle 60 increases, and it becomes difficult to ensure the required uniformity. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a cross-sectional shape of the nozzle wall 52 on the surface Z in FIG. 8, and is a diagram illustrating deformation when the nozzle 60 is heated. A thermal expansion difference due to the temperature distribution is generated, and a deformation in a direction in which the interval between the nozzle walls 52 facing each other in the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle is narrowed. When the nozzle is large, this deformation amount is on the order of mm, so that the flow of the steam is hindered, which affects the film thickness distribution. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a state in which the film thickness in the central portion is reduced and the film thickness distribution is nonuniform with deformation. Thus, in a large nozzle, it is difficult to make the film thickness distribution uniform due to thermal deformation. Further, as means for suppressing deformation, for example, as shown in FIG. 10A, it is conceivable to install a deformation suppressing portion 57 such as a reinforcing frame inside the nozzle. In that case, the deformation of the nozzle wall 52 is suppressed, but the flow of the steam is restricted by the deformation suppressing unit 57, and the film thickness becomes thin as shown in FIG. 10B. As a result, the film thickness distribution becomes non-uniform. There was a problem.

  In addition, although the said description was performed regarding the organic material, it does not specify a material and the same subject has arisen also about other inorganic materials.

The present invention is the one that solves the conventional problem, and an object thereof is to provide a vapor deposition apparatus capable of suppressing the substrate plane variation of film thickness.

In order to solve the above problems, the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention is a vapor deposition apparatus that forms a film of an evaporation material on a base material
A nozzle that discharges vapor from a nozzle opening facing the substrate,
The nozzle is
A nozzle wall for guiding the movement of the steam from the steam supply port toward the nozzle opening;
A plurality of holes arranged in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle are arranged between the steam supply port inside the nozzle and the nozzle opening in parallel with the base material, and restrict the amount of the steam flow. A diffusion plate that spreads the flow of steam from the supply port toward the nozzle opening in the nozzle longitudinal direction;
A plurality of holes arranged in the diffusion plate in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle to limit the amount of the flow of the steam;
A deformation suppression unit that suppresses deformation of the nozzle disposed in the vicinity of the nozzle opening inside the nozzle and perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal direction;
A correction plate that is disposed in the nozzle opening and includes a hollow portion at a position corresponding to the deformation suppressing portion to adjust the flow of the steam;
Is provided.

As described above, according to the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention, even in a large-sized nozzles, to suppress thermal deformation, it is possible to adjust the precise thickness by correcting plate. This makes it possible to make the distribution of film thickness formed on a large base material uniform and provide a highly accurate device with high productivity.

The schematic perspective view which shows the vapor deposition apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic plan view which shows the shape of the correction | amendment board of the vapor deposition apparatus in the said embodiment of this invention. The schematic plan view which shows the shape of the correction | amendment board of the vapor deposition apparatus in the modification of the said embodiment of this invention. The schematic plan view which shows the structure of the correction | amendment board of the vapor deposition apparatus in the modification of the 3rd said embodiment of this invention. The schematic plan view which shows the state which adjusted the correction board of the vapor deposition apparatus in the modification of the 3rd said embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the vapor deposition apparatus in the modification of the 4th said embodiment of this invention. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the slit opening adjustment mechanism of the vapor deposition apparatus in the modification of the 5th said embodiment of this invention. A diagram showing an example of a conventional nozzle configuration Sectional drawing which shows the example of the thermal deformation of the conventional nozzle The figure which shows the film thickness distribution of the example of the thermal deformation of the conventional nozzle Sectional drawing which shows the example of the thermal deformation of the conventional nozzle which has arrange | positioned the deformation | transformation suppression part. The figure which shows the film thickness distribution of the example of the thermal deformation of the conventional nozzle which has arrange | positioned the deformation | transformation suppression part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 are views showing a vapor deposition apparatus for performing a vapor deposition method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The nozzle 10 includes a nozzle wall 2, a pipe 4, a diffusion plate 5, a deformation suppression unit 7, and a correction plate 3. Although not shown, a heater or the like is disposed for each member as necessary, and each member is heated to a temperature at which steam does not adhere with the heater or the like. The substrate 1 is placed at a position facing the nozzle opening 10a of the nozzle 10, and film formation is performed on the substrate 1 in a vacuum. Here, for ease of understanding, the nozzle wall 2 forming the nozzle opening 10a is illustrated as a transparent member so that the inside can be seen (the same applies to the following drawings).

  The basic outer shape of the nozzle 10 is a horizontally long rectangular box-shaped member composed of a rectangular bottom surface 10 b and four nozzle walls 2. A rectangular nozzle opening 10 a is formed on the surface of the nozzle 10 facing the substrate, and a rectangular space 15 is formed inside the nozzle 10 surrounded by the bottom surface 10 b and the four nozzle walls 2.

  One end of the pipe 4 is connected to the raw material supply port 10 c at the center of the bottom surface 10 b of the nozzle 10. A container (not shown) for evaporating the raw material (evaporating material) is connected to the base end of the pipe 4, and the raw material is converted into steam in the container, and the raw material vapor is passed through the pipe 4 into the nozzle 10. Sent to.

  The raw material vapor is introduced into the space 15 from the pipe 4 on the bottom surface 10 b of the nozzle 10, and the movement of the vapor is guided so that the introduced raw material vapor is directed toward the base material 1 by the nozzle 10. In FIG. 1, the nozzle 10 is configured in a rectangular parallelepiped box shape, but the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal direction of the arrow X of the nozzle 10 is a stepped shape in which the width is changed stepwise toward the substrate 1. Or the trapezoid which changed the width | variety linearly toward the base material 1 may be sufficient.

  The diffusion plate 5 is installed and fixed in parallel with the substrate 1 in a space 15 surrounded by the nozzle wall 2. The diffusion plate 5 is provided with a plurality of slits 6 at predetermined intervals, for example, along the width direction (nozzle short direction) orthogonal to the nozzle longitudinal direction. The slit 6 functions as an example of the hole 6 that limits the amount of steam flow. The steam introduced into the space 15 from the pipe 4 is spread in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle indicated by the arrow X by the diffusion plate 5 and then passes through the plurality of slits 6. When passing through each slit 6, the flow of the steam is limited by the opening of each slit 6, and the opening area of the slit 6 is reduced from the center in the longitudinal direction of the arrow X toward each end, for example, By changing in a stepwise manner, the balance of the steam flow rate in the nozzle longitudinal direction indicated by the arrow X is adjusted to be more uniform. 1 shows an example in which 12 slits are installed in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle in FIG. 1, the number of installations is not limited, and the number of installations may be changed according to the dimension of the arrow X in the nozzle longitudinal direction. .

  In order to suppress thermal deformation of the nozzle opening portion 10a, the deformation suppressing portion 7 is provided in the vicinity of the nozzle opening portion 10a, i.e., in the vicinity of the nozzle opening portion 10a, on the surface perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal direction. Are arranged in the space 15 on the nozzle opening 10a side. Each deformation suppressing portion 7 is configured by a rectangular frame plate-like member fixed to the nozzle wall 2 facing in the nozzle width direction. Thereby, the thermal deformation to the nozzle short direction of the nozzle wall 2 is suppressed, and the change by the temperature of the opening dimension of the arrow Y in the nozzle short direction can be suppressed. The steam flows substantially parallel to the front surface or the back surface of the deformation suppressing unit 7 and travels toward the nozzle opening 10a. At this time, the flow of steam is hindered and weakened around the deformation suppressing unit 7.

  At this time, the base material 6 moves on the nozzle 10 in the direction of the arrow M, and is formed into a film on the base material 6 with the steam discharged from the nozzle 10.

  The correction plate 3 is fixed at a position facing the substrate 6 (the edge of the nozzle opening 10a), and restricts the opening dimension in the nozzle short direction with respect to the vapor discharged from the nozzle opening 10a. Finally, the amount of vapor supplied to the substrate 1 is adjusted, and the film thickness of the deposited film deposited on the substrate 1 is corrected. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the shape of the correction plate 3. As an example, each correction plate 3 is formed of an isosceles triangle plate member, and has a V-shaped indentation 8 at the apex of the isosceles triangle and the central portion of the hypotenuse. The V-shaped depression 8 has a shape that is substantially symmetric with respect to the central axis in the nozzle short direction. The correction plate 3 is fixed so that the apex and the recessed portion 8 face each other at the edge of the nozzle opening 10a. Therefore, the nozzle opening 10a in a state where the pair of correction plates 3 face each other is an opening having a shape in which the central portion is narrowest and gradually widens toward each end. The position where the indented portion 8 of the correction plate 3 is provided is a position corresponding to the deformation suppressing portion 7. The flow of the steam weakened by the deformation suppressing portion 7 is corrected by the recessed portion 8 by taking a large opening size.

  Finally, the vapor discharged from the nozzle opening 10a is corrected to a uniform flow in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle by the pair of correction plates 3, and the base material 6 moves on the nozzle 10 in the direction of arrow M. Then, a film is formed on the substrate 6. Thereby, the film thickness distribution of the deposited film formed on the substrate 1 can be made uniform in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle, and variations in the substrate surface of the film thickness can be suppressed. Can be obtained.

As described above, according to the vapor deposition apparatus of the above-described embodiment, even in a large nozzle, the correction plate 3 in which thermal deformation is suppressed by the deformation suppression unit 7 and the recess portion 8 is provided at a position corresponding to the deformation suppression unit 7. Thus, the flow of the steam can be adjusted to suppress the deformation of the nozzle 10 and the non-uniformity of the flow of the steam, thereby suppressing the film thickness variation in the substrate surface. Therefore, it is possible to precisely adjust the film thickness by the correction plate 3, to uniform the film thickness distribution of the deposited film formed on the large base material, and to provide a highly accurate device with high productivity. Is possible.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing a correction plate 3B having a shape different from that of the correction plate 3 of the embodiment, in the vapor deposition apparatus for performing the vapor deposition method in the modification of the embodiment of the present invention. The heights B and C from the fixed edge 3a of the bottom 8a of each indented part 8B of the correction plate 3 are shaped to be lower than the height A from the fixed edge 3a at both ends of the nozzle opening.

As a result, the indented portion 8B can be made deeper than the height A from the fixed edge 3a at each of both ends of the nozzle opening, and the film thickness correction range by the indented portion 8B can be made wider. If comprised in this way, in order to raise the adhesion rate of the material vapor | steam to the base material 1, when the base material 1 is brought closer to the nozzle 10 etc., when the influence on the film thickness distribution by the deformation | transformation suppression part 7 is large However, by using the correction plate 3B, the film thickness can be corrected and made uniform. Therefore, it is possible to deposit an expensive material such as an organic EL material with a high utilization rate and good uniformity, and it is possible to provide a high-quality product at a lower cost.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the movable correction plate 3C of the vapor deposition apparatus for performing the vapor deposition method in a modification of the embodiment of the present invention. For large nozzles, it was necessary to wait for a long time until the nozzle temperature stabilized. Until the temperature stabilizes, the deformation of the nozzle is suppressed at the position corresponding to the deformation suppression unit 7, but the opening between the adjacent deformation suppression unit 7 and the deformation suppression unit 7 is opened by the temperature distribution. Since the length dimension of the portion in the short side direction of the nozzle widens or conversely narrows, the film thickness distribution may be lowered, and it cannot be deposited on the substrate 1.

  Therefore, in the modified example of FIG. 4, the correction plate 3 </ b> C is roughly divided into two at the nozzle longitudinal center NLC as shown in FIG. 2 correction plate 3C-2. Each of the first correction plate 3C-1 and the second correction plate 3C-2 is further composed of a plurality of divided correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc, and each of the divided correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc includes The drive units 12 (12a, 12b, 12c) such as pneumatic cylinders are connected via rod-shaped drive transmission units 13a, 13b, 13c, respectively. Therefore, the correction plate 3C is composed of six divided correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, and 3Cc, and each of the divided correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, and 3Cc is driven by the drive units 12a, 12b, and 12c. , 13b, and 13c, respectively, are installed so as to be movable in the direction of the arrow parallel to the hypotenuse of the recessed portion 8.

According to such a configuration, the division correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc can be individually moved as shown in FIG. That is, at the position where the division correction plate of FIG. 5A is pressed with respect to the reference position of FIG. 5B, six sheets are driven by driving of the drive units 12a, 12a, 12b, 12b, 12c, and 12c. Of the division correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc, which are opposed to each other, the division correction plates 3Cb and 3Cb, the division correction plates 3Cb and 3Cc, and the division correction plates 3Cc and 3Cc are moved toward each other. It is shown that the distance between the opposed division correction plates can be adjusted narrowly without changing the depths B and C of the image forming apparatus. On the other hand, at the position where the division correction plate of FIG. 5C is pulled with respect to the reference position of FIG. 5B, 6 sheets are driven by driving of the drive units 12a, 12a, 12b, 12b, 12c, and 12c. Of the division correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc, the opposing division correction plates 3Ca and 3Ca, the division correction plates 3Cb and 3Cb, and the division correction plates 3Cc and 3Cc are moved away from each other. This shows that the distance between the opposing division correction plates can be adjusted widely without changing the depths B and C. In this way, the six division correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc are driven by the corresponding drive units 12a, 12a, 12b, 12b, 12c, 12c, and the division correction plate shown in FIG. And a reference position of (b) and a position where the divided correction plate of (c) is pulled, and a pair of first correction plates 3C-1 facing each other and facing each other The amount of overhang between the pair of second correction plates 3C-2 can be adjusted. As a result, at the position of the indentation portion 8 where the deformation is suppressed, the depth B and C of the indentation portion 8 are not changed, and the deformation between the indentation portion 8 and the indentation portion 8 is generated by heat or the like. The amount of overhang can be adjusted individually. Therefore, until the temperature stabilizes, for example, after the substrate 1 is taken out by performing test vapor deposition on the substrate 1, the film thickness of the deposited film deposited on the substrate 1 is measured, and based on the measured film thickness. By driving the driving units 12a, 12a, 12b, 12b, 12c, and 12c and moving the division correction plates 3a, 3b, and 3c, the film thickness distribution can be adjusted uniformly. Thereby, it is possible to produce the time until the temperature stabilizes, and the productivity of the vapor deposition apparatus can be improved.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a vapor deposition apparatus for performing the vapor deposition method in a modification of the embodiment of the present invention. Note that the same or corresponding portions as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part of the description is omitted.

  The vapor deposition apparatus includes a plurality of film thickness rate monitors 11 as an example of a film thickness measuring unit at a position directly above the nozzle 10. The deposition rate monitor 11 is disposed at a plurality of locations including immediately above the deformation suppression unit 7 and between the deformation suppression unit 7, and corresponds to the film thickness distribution on the spot including until the temperature of the nozzle 10 is stabilized. The deposited deposition rate can be measured. Therefore, the film thickness distribution can be adjusted on the spot by moving the division correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc according to the modified example of FIG. 6 based on the distribution of the deposition rate measured by the film thickness rate monitor 11. I can do it. For example, the film thickness distribution in the longitudinal direction X of the nozzle of the vapor deposition film is measured by the film thickness rate monitor 11, and the upper part of the measurement result from the film thickness rate monitor 11 is input to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 determines the amount of movement of each of the divided correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc of the correction plate 3C based on the measurement result. Based on the determined movement amount, the control unit 30 controls the driving unit 12 (specifically, 12a, 12b, 12c) to move the division correction plates 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc to control the film thickness distribution. To do.

According to this, the temperature of the nozzle 10 only needs to rise to a temperature at which no vapor adheres, and even before the temperature stabilizes, it can be uniformly deposited on the base material 1, so that FIG. 4 and FIG. The productivity of the vapor deposition apparatus can be further improved than in the third embodiment.

  Moreover, FIG. 7 is the schematic which shows the slit 6-1 which can be adjusted with the slit opening adjustment mechanism of the vapor deposition apparatus for implementing the vapor deposition method in the modification of the said embodiment of this invention. In the vapor deposition method and vapor deposition apparatus according to the above-described embodiment and the like, when it is necessary to greatly change the production conditions, it may be difficult to correct the film thickness distribution only with the shape of the correction plate. For example, the raw material is changed, the vapor deposition rate is changed to 10 times or more or 1/10 or less. In this case, the balance of the flow of the steam can be changed greatly by changing the opening area of the slit, but it is necessary to recreate the diffusion plate, and the production cost and the labor of replacement are problems.

  7 includes a slit opening adjusting mechanism having the following configuration. That is, the opening shape between a pair of adjacent diffusion plates 5-1 is a rectangular slit 6-1, and each diffusion plate 5-1 is divided into a fixed portion 5a and a movable portion 5b. A pair of protrusions 5c are fixed to the edge portion on the slit side of the fixing portion 5a. A pair of elliptical grooves 5d are formed on the end edge of the movable portion 5b opposite to the slit side edge so that the pair of protrusions 5c are extracted and engaged with each other. By moving the movable part 5b in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle with respect to the fixed part 5a, the elliptical groove 5d moves with respect to the protrusion 5c, and the edge part on the slit side of the movable part 5b and hence the movable part 5b moves. As a result, it is possible to adjust the width of the slit 6-1 formed between the slit side edge of the movable part 5b and the slit side edge of the movable part 5b facing each other. Thus, the opening width of the slit 6-1 can be adjusted by the connecting portion 14 constituted by the protrusion 5c and the elliptical groove 5d. The configuration of the connecting portion 14 is not limited to this, and any mechanism may be used as long as it has a similar function.

Thereby, even when the production conditions are greatly changed, the opening width of the slit 6-1 can be adjusted with the diffusion plate 5-1 having the same configuration, and a uniform film thickness can be obtained. As a result, it is possible to quickly cope with a change in production of various types.

  In addition, it can be made to show the effect which each has by combining arbitrary embodiment or modification of the said various embodiment or modification suitably.

Vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention suppresses such as by deformation heat, it is possible to adjust the precise thickness by correcting plate can be used for vapor deposition apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base material 2 Nozzle wall 3 Correction board 3a Fixed edge 3C Movable correction board 3C-1 1st correction board 3C-2 2nd correction board 3Ca, 3Cb, 3Cc Dividing correction board 4 Piping 5,5-1 Diffusion boards 6, 6 -1 Slit 7 Deformation suppression part 8 Indentation part 8a Bottom part 9 Hole 10 Nozzle 10a Opening part 10b Bottom face 10c Raw material supply port 11 Deposition rate monitor 12, 12a, 12b, 12c Drive part 13a, 13b, 13c Drive transmission part 14 Connection part 15 Space NLC Nozzle longitudinal center

Claims (4)

In a vapor deposition apparatus that forms a film on an evaporation material,
A nozzle that discharges vapor from a nozzle opening facing the substrate,
The nozzle is
A nozzle wall for guiding the movement of the steam from the steam supply port toward the nozzle opening;
A plurality of holes arranged in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle are arranged between the steam supply port inside the nozzle and the nozzle opening in parallel with the base material, and restrict the amount of the steam flow. A diffusion plate that spreads the flow of steam from the supply port toward the nozzle opening in the nozzle longitudinal direction;
A deformation suppression unit that suppresses deformation of the nozzle disposed in the vicinity of the nozzle opening inside the nozzle and perpendicular to the nozzle longitudinal direction;
A correction plate that is disposed in the nozzle opening and includes a hollow portion at a position corresponding to the deformation suppressing portion to adjust the flow of the steam;
A vapor deposition apparatus comprising:   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a height of a bottom portion of the hollow portion from the fixed edge of the correction plate is lower than a height from the fixed edge at each of both opening ends of the opening of the nozzle.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction plate has a structure divided into a plurality of parts with the indented part as a boundary, and includes a drive part that can be moved individually. The hole has a slit shape and includes an opening / closing adjustment mechanism capable of adjusting a width interval of the slit.
The vapor deposition apparatus of Claim 1 or 2.

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