JP7017619B2 - Film forming equipment, electronic device manufacturing equipment, film forming method, and electronic device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, an electronic device manufacturing apparatus, a film forming method, and an electronic device manufacturing method.

The application fields of organic EL display devices (organic EL displays) are expanding not only to displays for smartphones, televisions, and automobiles, but also to VR HMDs (Virtual Reality Head Mount Display), and in particular, displays used for VR HMDs. In order to reduce the dizziness of the user, it is required to form the pixel pattern with high accuracy.

In the manufacture of an organic EL display device, when the organic light emitting element (organic EL element; OLED) constituting the organic EL display device is formed, the film forming material discharged from the film forming source of the film forming apparatus is used as a pixel pattern. An organic layer or a metal layer is formed by forming a film on a substrate through a mask on which the above is formed. At this time, an evaporation source is usually used as the film-forming source, and the film-forming material is heated to a high temperature to evaporate at the evaporation source.

In such a film forming apparatus, the relative positions of the substrate and the mask are measured using the alignment marks provided on the substrate and the mask before the film forming process, and if the relative positions are deviated, the relative positions are measured. , The substrate and / or the mask is relatively moved to adjust (align) the position.

The film formation accuracy of the organic material layer or metal layer of the organic light emitting element is affected by the alignment accuracy of the substrate and the mask. If the relative positions of the substrate and the mask shift before or during the film forming process, the film forming accuracy will drop.

In the film forming apparatus, the mask placed on the evaporation source side is easily affected by the radiant heat from the evaporation source, and the temperature may rise. In comparison, the substrate is maintained at a relatively low temperature because the mask is placed between it and the evaporation source, the influence of radiant heat is relatively small, and it comes into contact with the electrostatic chuck that adsorbs the back surface. ..

Therefore, there is a difference in the degree of thermal expansion between the substrate and the mask, which affects the alignment accuracy. That is, the thermal expansion of the mask, which has a relatively high temperature, may change the size of the opening of the mask that defines the film formation pattern, or the position of the opening may shift. As a result, the film forming accuracy is lowered and the yield of the film forming process is lowered.

Further, as the size of the substrate and the mask increases, a phenomenon of bending due to its own weight occurs, but the degree of bending also differs depending on the difference in material, thickness, and the like. Furthermore, there is a concern that the mask processing accuracy will decrease as the size of the mask increases. As a result, the position of the element forming region on the substrate and the opening of the mask deviate from each other, which causes a factor of lowering the film forming accuracy.

An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus having high film forming accuracy, an electronic device manufacturing apparatus, a film forming method, and an electronic device manufacturing method.

The film forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a film forming apparatus for forming a film forming material on a substrate having a plurality of unit forming regions through a mask having an opening corresponding to the unit forming region. There are a vacuum container, a substrate suction means provided in the vacuum container and having a substrate suction surface for sucking a substrate, a mask support unit provided in the vacuum container and supporting a mask, and the substrate. An elevating means for moving the suction means and the mask support unit in the first direction perpendicular to the substrate suction surface, and in-plane parallel to the substrate suction surface at least one of the substrate suction means and the mask support unit. By the position moving mechanism and the position moving mechanism, the opening of the mask corresponds to each of the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate, and the film is sequentially formed for each unit film forming region. It is characterized by comprising a control unit for performing a film forming operation for forming a film of a material.

According to the present invention, the film forming accuracy can be increased.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a part of an electronic device manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the film forming apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an electronic device manufactured by the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments and examples merely illustrate preferred configurations of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to those configurations. Further, in the following description, unless there is a specific description, the hardware configuration and software configuration, processing flow, manufacturing conditions, dimensions, materials, shapes, etc. of the apparatus are limited to those of the present invention. Not a thing.

The present invention can be applied to an apparatus for depositing various materials on the surface of a substrate to form a film, and can be preferably applied to an apparatus for forming a thin film (material layer) having a desired pattern by vacuum deposition. As the material of the substrate, any material such as glass, a film of a polymer material, a metal, and silicon can be selected. The substrate may be, for example, a substrate in which a film such as polyimide is laminated on a glass substrate or a silicon wafer. Further, as the vapor deposition material, any material such as an organic material and a metallic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.) may be selected. In addition to vacuum vapor deposition equipment, sputtering equipment and CVD (Chemical Vapor)
The present invention can also be applied to a film forming apparatus including a Deposition) apparatus. Specifically, the technique of the present invention can be applied to a manufacturing apparatus such as an organic electronic device (for example, an organic EL element, a thin film solar cell), an optical member, or the like. Among them, an apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL element, which forms an organic EL element by evaporating a vapor-deposited material and vapor-depositing it on a substrate via a mask, is one of the preferred application examples of the present invention.

<Manufacturing equipment for electronic devices>
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a configuration of a part of an electronic device manufacturing apparatus.

The manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 is used, for example, for manufacturing a display panel of an organic EL display device. VR
In the case of a display panel for an HMD, a film is formed on a silicon wafer of a predetermined size for forming an organic EL element, and then the silicon wafer is cut out along a region (scribe region) between the element forming regions. , Make multiple small size panels. In the case of a display panel for smartphones, a 4.5th generation substrate (about 700mm x about 900mm), a 6th generation full size (about 1500mm x about 1850mm) or a half cut size (about 1500mm x about 925mm) substrate can be used. After forming a film for forming an organic EL element, the substrate is cut out to produce a plurality of small-sized panels.

The electronic device manufacturing device generally includes a plurality of cluster devices 1 and a relay device that connects the cluster devices.

The cluster device 1 includes a plurality of film forming devices 11 for processing (for example, film forming) the substrate W, a plurality of mask stock devices 12 for accommodating masks M before and after use, and a transport chamber 13 arranged in the center thereof. And. As shown in FIG. 1, the transport chamber 13 is connected to each of the plurality of film forming apparatus 11 and the mask stock apparatus 12.

In the transport chamber 13, a transport robot 14 that transports the substrate W or the mask M is arranged. The transfer robot 14 transfers the substrate W from the path chamber 15 of the relay device arranged on the upstream side to the film forming device 11. Further, the transfer robot 14 transfers the mask M between the film forming apparatus 11 and the mask stock apparatus 12. The transfer robot 14 is, for example, a robot having a structure in which a robot hand for holding a substrate W or a mask M is attached to an articulated arm.

In the film forming apparatus 11 (also referred to as a vapor deposition apparatus), the vapor deposition material (deposition material) stored in the evaporation source (deposition source) is heated by a heater and evaporated, and is vapor-deposited on the substrate W via the mask M. Ru. A series of film formation processes such as transfer of the substrate W / mask M to and from the transfer robot 14, adjustment (alignment) of the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M, fixing of the substrate W on the mask M, and film formation (deposited film) , Performed by the film forming apparatus 11.

In the mask stock device 12, a new mask used in the film forming process in the film forming apparatus 11 and a used mask are separately stored in two cassettes. The transfer robot 14 transfers the used mask from the film forming apparatus 11 to the cassette of the mask stock device 12, and transfers a new mask from the other cassettes of the mask stock device 12 to the film forming apparatus 11.

The cluster device 1 includes a pass chamber 15 that conveys the board W from the upstream side to the cluster device 1 in the flow direction of the board W, and another board W on the downstream side that has been film-formed by the cluster device 1. A buffer chamber 16 for transporting to the cluster device is connected. The transfer robot 14 in the transfer chamber 13 receives the substrate W from the path chamber 15 on the upstream side and transfers it to one of the film forming apparatus 11 in the cluster device 1. Further, the transfer robot 14 receives the substrate W for which the film formation process in the cluster device 1 has been completed from one of the plurality of film formation devices 11 and transfers it to the buffer chamber 16 connected to the downstream side.

A swivel chamber 17 that changes the direction of the substrate may be installed between the buffer chamber 16 and the path chamber 15 on the downstream side thereof. The swivel chamber 17 is provided with a transfer robot 18 for receiving the substrate W from the buffer chamber 16, rotating the substrate W by 180 °, and transporting the substrate W to the pass chamber 15. As a result, the orientation of the substrate W becomes the same in the cluster device on the upstream side and the cluster device on the downstream side, and the substrate processing becomes easy.

The pass chamber 15, the buffer chamber 16, and the swivel chamber 17 are so-called relay devices that connect the cluster devices, and the relay devices installed on the upstream side and / or the downstream side of the cluster device are the pass room, the buffer room, and the like. Includes at least one of the swivel chambers.

The film forming apparatus 11, the mask stock apparatus 12, the transport chamber 13, the buffer chamber 16, the swivel chamber 17, and the like are maintained in a high vacuum state in the process of manufacturing the organic light emitting element. The pass chamber 15 is usually maintained in a low vacuum state, but may be maintained in a high vacuum state if necessary. In the present invention, the substrate W and the mask M are bonded to each other by another device or chamber instead of the film forming apparatus 11, and then the substrate W and the mask M are placed on a carrier and conveyed through a plurality of film forming apparatus arranged in a row. It can also be applied to in-line type manufacturing equipment that performs a film forming process.

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the film forming apparatus 11 will be described.

<Film formation device>
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the film forming apparatus 11. In the following description, the two directions that intersect vertically in the plane (XY plane) parallel to the film forming surface of the substrate W are defined as the X direction (second direction) and the Y direction (third direction), and the substrate W is described. An XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is used in which the vertical direction perpendicular to the film forming surface is the Z direction (first direction). Further, the rotation angle (rotation direction) around the Z axis is represented by θ.

The film forming apparatus 11 includes a vacuum vessel 21 maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas, a substrate support unit 22 provided inside the vacuum vessel 21, a mask support unit 23, and an electrostatic chuck. 24 and an evaporation source 25.

The board support unit 22 is a means for receiving and holding the board W transported by the transfer robot 14 provided in the transfer chamber 13, and is also called a board holder.

The mask support unit 23 is a means for receiving and holding the mask M conveyed by the transfer robot 14, and is also called a mask holder.

The mask M has an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern formed on the substrate W, and is supported by the mask support unit 23. The mask M is a metal mask made of, for example, a translucent material such as silicon or glass, or called FMM (Fine Metal Mask).

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the opening of the mask M is smaller than the size of the element forming region of the substrate W and corresponds to the size of the unit film forming region. As used herein, the "unit film forming region" refers to a part of an element forming region in which a film forming material is formed after aligning the substrate W and the mask M. Therefore, the element forming region of the substrate W is divided into a plurality of unit film forming regions. For example, a configuration in which a plurality of unit film forming regions are arranged side by side in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively.

Above the substrate support unit 22, an electrostatic chuck 24 is provided as a substrate adsorption means for adsorbing and fixing the substrate W.

The electrostatic chuck 24 is a Coulomb force type electrostatic chuck in which a dielectric having a relatively high resistance is interposed between an electrode and an adsorption surface, and adsorption is performed by a Coulomb force between the electrode and the object to be adsorbed. However, a dielectric having a relatively low resistance is interposed between the electrode and the adsorption surface, and adsorption is performed by the Johnson-Labeck force generated between the adsorption surface of the dielectric and the object to be adsorbed. It may be a Johnson-Labeck force type electrostatic chuck, or a gradient force type electrostatic chuck that adsorbs an object to be adsorbed by a non-uniform electric field.

When the object to be adsorbed is a conductor or a semiconductor (silicon wafer), it is preferable to use a Coulomb force type electrostatic chuck or a Johnson-Labeck force type electrostatic chuck. When the object to be adsorbed is an insulator such as glass, it is preferable to use a gradient force type electrostatic chuck.

The electrostatic chuck 24 may be formed of one plate or may be formed so as to have a plurality of sub-plates capable of independently controlling the suction force. Further, even when the plate is formed of one plate, a plurality of electrode portions may be provided inside the plate so that the adsorption force can be independently controlled for each electrode portion in one plate.

As the substrate adsorption means, an adhesive chuck by adhesive force may be used in addition to the electrostatic chuck by electrostatic attraction.

In one embodiment of the film forming apparatus 11, by providing the cooling plate 30 that suppresses the temperature rise of the substrate W on the side opposite to the suction surface of the electrostatic chuck 24, the deterioration of the organic material deposited on the substrate W can be prevented. It may be configured to suppress deterioration.

The evaporation source 25 as a film forming source prevents the crucible (not shown) in which the vapor deposition material to be deposited on the substrate is stored, the heater for heating the crucible (not shown), and the vapor deposition material from scattering on the substrate. Includes shutters (not shown) and the like. The evaporation source 25 can have various configurations depending on the application, such as a point evaporation source, a linear evaporation source, and a planar evaporation source.

The film forming apparatus 11 includes a film thickness monitor (not shown) and a film thickness calculation unit (not shown) for measuring the thickness of the film deposited on the substrate.

A substrate support unit actuator 26, a mask support unit actuator 27, an electrostatic chuck actuator 28, a position adjusting mechanism 29, and the like are provided on the upper outer side (atmosphere side) of the vacuum vessel 21. The board support unit actuator 26 is a driving means for raising and lowering (moving in the Z direction) the board support unit 22. The mask support unit actuator 27 is a driving means for raising and lowering (moving in the Z direction) the mask support unit 23. The electrostatic chuck actuator 28 is a driving means for raising and lowering (moving in the Z direction) the electrostatic chuck 24. These actuators and the position adjusting mechanism are composed of, for example, a motor and a ball screw, or a motor and a linear guide.

The position adjusting mechanism 29 is an alignment stage mechanism that adjusts the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M. The position adjusting mechanism 29 moves the entire electrostatic chuck 24 or the electrostatic chuck actuator 28 in the XYθ direction (at least one direction of the X direction, the Y direction, and the rotation direction) with respect to the substrate support unit 22 and the mask support unit 23. And / or rotate. In this embodiment, the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M is adjusted by adjusting the position of the electrostatic chuck 24 in the XYθ direction while the substrate W is adsorbed. However, the position adjusting mechanism 29 may be configured to move the board support unit 22 or the board support unit actuator 26 and the mask support unit 23 or the mask support unit actuator 27 relative to the electrostatic chuck 24 in the XYθ direction. ..

The film forming apparatus 11 further includes a position moving mechanism 34 (see FIG. 3 or FIG. 4). The position moving mechanism 34 includes an electrostatic chuck 24 or an electrostatic chuck actuator 28 and a mask support unit so that the openings of the mask M sequentially correspond to each of the plurality of unit film forming regions constituting the element forming region of the substrate W. It is a driving means for relatively moving the 23 or the mask support unit actuator 27 in the X direction and / or the Y direction by a predetermined distance.

On the outer upper surface of the vacuum container 21, an alignment camera 31 for photographing the alignment marks formed on the substrate W and the mask M is installed through the transparent window provided on the upper surface of the vacuum container 21. The alignment camera 31 is provided at a position corresponding to the alignment mark formed on the substrate W and the mask M. For example, the alignment camera 31 may be installed at least at least two diagonal corners or all four corners among the four rectangular corners on the circular substrate W.

The alignment camera 31 installed in the film forming apparatus 11 is a fine alignment camera used to adjust the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M with high accuracy, and the viewing angle is narrow but the resolution is high. It is a camera with. In addition to the fine alignment camera 31, the film forming apparatus 11 may have a rough alignment camera having a relatively wide viewing angle and a low resolution. In a configuration in which the alignment camera 31 includes both a fine alignment camera and a rough alignment camera, two rough alignment cameras are installed at two diagonal corners of the rectangle, and the fine alignment camera remains. It is installed in two corners.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the alignment camera 31 is provided so as to capture an image of the unit film forming region of the substrate W and the opening of the mask M. In this case, the alignment mark may not be installed on the substrate W and the mask M. According to the above configuration, the pixels at a specific position in the unit deposition area in the captured image (for example, two or four diagonal pixels located at the corners in the rectangular unit deposition area) and the opening of the mask. Is compared, and each unit film formation region and the mask M are aligned.

The film forming apparatus 11 further includes an illumination light source that illuminates the alignment mark in order to capture the alignment mark by the alignment camera 31. Since the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 sealed in the film forming process is dark, a clearer image can be obtained by illuminating the alignment mark with a light source.

The film forming apparatus 11 includes a control unit 33. The control unit 33 has functions such as transfer and alignment of the substrate W / mask M, control of the evaporation source 25, and control of film formation. In particular, the control unit 33 according to the present embodiment sequentially aligns the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate W with the openings of the mask M to perform the film forming operation, which will be described later.

The control unit 33 can be configured by, for example, a computer having a processor, memory, storage, I / O, and the like. In this case, the function of the control unit 33 is realized by the processor executing the program stored in the memory or the storage. As the computer, a general-purpose personal computer may be used, or an embedded computer or a PLC (programmable logical controller) may be used. Alternatively, a part or all of the functions of the control unit 33 may be configured by a circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. Further, a control unit may be installed for each film forming apparatus, or one control unit 33 may be configured to control a plurality of film forming apparatus.

Next, the film forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In the film forming apparatus 11a and 11b according to the embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate W is sequentially aligned with the opening of the mask M to perform the film forming operation. Therefore, since the alignment and the film forming operation are performed on a region relatively small compared to the overall size of the substrate W, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation between the substrate W and the mask M due to thermal expansion. In addition, a small mask that can easily maintain processing accuracy can be used, which enables more accurate film formation.

Further, as described later, since the film forming operation is performed in a state where the substrate W and the mask M are separated from each other at a predetermined interval, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the film forming accuracy due to the bending of the substrate W and / or the mask M. can. Further, the vertical movement step for contacting / peeling the substrate W and the mask M can be omitted, and the film forming time can be shortened. Further, the mechanism for moving the substrate W and the mask M up and down can be omitted.

The element forming region of the substrate W is divided into a plurality of unit film forming regions. Such a division is to virtually divide the region where the film formation operation is performed at a specific time point, and does not mean a physical division. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the opening of the mask M corresponds to the size of the unit film forming region, not the entire element forming region of the substrate W.

The alignment mark of the substrate W is located in the element forming region for the alignment of the mask M with respect to the unit film forming region. For example, the alignment mark is installed in the scribe region in each panel unit of the element forming region, or is provided in the unit of the unit film forming region.

Or, depending on the embodiment, the alignment mark is not installed in the device forming region. In this case, the pixel at a predetermined position included in the unit film forming region and the corresponding opening of the mask function as an alignment mark. For example, among the pixels included in the unit film formation region, alignment is performed using two or four pixels in the diagonal direction located at each corner of the quadrangle and the openings corresponding to these pixels.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the film forming apparatus 11a according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the film forming apparatus 11a of FIG. 3, the positions of the electrostatic chuck 24 that attracts and holds the substrate W, the mask support unit 23 that supports the mask M, the electrostatic chuck actuator 28, and the mask support unit actuator 27 are adjusted. The illustration of the mechanism 29 and the like is omitted.

The film forming apparatus 11a according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a vacuum vessel 21, an electrostatic chuck 24, a mask support unit 23, an electrostatic chuck actuator 28, a position adjusting mechanism 29, an evaporation source 25, and a film forming apparatus. A control unit 33 that controls the operation of the device 11a is included.

Further, the film forming apparatus 11a further includes a position moving mechanism 34 connected to the electrostatic chuck 24 or the electrostatic chuck actuator 28 to move the electrostatic chuck 24 in at least one of the XY directions. The position moving mechanism 34 makes the electrostatic chuck 24 or the electrostatic chuck actuator 28 a predetermined distance in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction (for example, the side of the rectangular unit film forming region in the X direction and / or the Y direction). By moving the substrate, each of the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate and the opening of the mask sequentially correspond to each other. The position moving mechanism 34 is composed of, for example, a motor and a ball screw, or a motor and a linear guide.

In the present embodiment, the position moving mechanism 34 moves the electrostatic chuck 24 and the substrate W attracted to the electrostatic chuck, and does not move the mask support unit 23 and the mask M supported by the mask support unit. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to move the alignment camera 31 for alignment with the opening of the mask M for each unit film forming region of the substrate W, and the position of the evaporation source 25 is moved in the film forming step. There is no need.

When the position moving mechanism 34 moves the substrate W so that one of the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate W moves to the position corresponding to the opening of the mask M, the position adjusting mechanism 29 aligns the substrate W with the mask M. conduct. According to the present embodiment, the alignment by the position adjusting mechanism 29 includes a total alignment (first alignment) which is an alignment with respect to the substrate W and a partial alignment (second alignment) with respect to each unit film forming region. Depending on the embodiment, the whole alignment is performed at the same time every time the partial alignment is performed for each of the plurality of unit film forming regions, or after the whole alignment is performed for the substrate W, only the partial alignment is performed thereafter.

As shown in FIG. 3, the film forming apparatus 11a according to the embodiment of the present invention further includes a guide member 35 that guides the film forming material scattered from the evaporation source 25 to the opening of the mask M. As a result, of the film-forming materials scattered from the evaporation source 25, only the film-forming material guided by the guide member 35 passes through the opening of the mask M and is formed on the substrate W.

For example, the guide member 35 is a cylindrical or rectangular parallelepiped-shaped guide tube that surrounds the evaporation source 25 and extends in the Z direction. In this case, it is preferable that the guide tube extends long from the evaporation source 25 to a position close to the mask M supported by the mask support unit 23. As a result, among the film-forming materials scattered in any direction from the evaporation source 25, the film-forming material diagonally directed to the wall side of the guide tube from the Z direction adheres to the wall of the guide tube and substantially heads in the Z direction. Only the film-forming material (that is, the film-forming material traveling straight in the Z direction) passes through the opening of the mask M and is deposited on the substrate W. Therefore, even if the film formation operation is performed with the substrate W and the mask M separated from each other at a predetermined interval, the film formation can be performed with high accuracy.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the film forming apparatus 11b according to another embodiment of the present invention. Also in the film forming apparatus 11b of FIG. 4, the positions of the electrostatic chuck 24 that attracts and holds the substrate W, the mask support unit 23 that supports the mask M, the electrostatic chuck actuator 28, and the mask support unit actuator 27 are adjusted. Illustration of the mechanism 29 and the like is omitted.

The film forming apparatus 11b according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a vacuum vessel 21, an electrostatic chuck 24, a mask support unit 23, an electrostatic chuck actuator 28, a position adjusting mechanism 29, an evaporation source 25, and a film forming apparatus. A control unit 33 that controls the operation of the device 11b is included.

Further, the film forming apparatus 11b is connected to the mask support unit 23 or the mask support unit actuator 27, and further includes a position moving mechanism 34 for moving the mask support unit 23 in at least one of the XY directions. The position moving mechanism 34 makes the mask support unit 23 or the mask support unit actuator 27 a predetermined distance in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction (for example, the side of the rectangular unit film forming region in the X direction and / or the Y direction). By moving the substrate, each of the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate and the opening of the mask sequentially correspond to each other.

In the present embodiment, the position moving mechanism 34 moves the mask support unit 23 and the mask M supported by the mask support unit, and does not move the electrostatic chuck 24 and the substrate W adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck. According to this configuration, since the substrate W does not move, it is not necessary to move the alignment camera 31 for alignment. Further, it is not necessary to install a separate guide member 35 (see FIG. 3) on the evaporation source 25.

When the position moving mechanism 34 moves the mask M to move one of the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate W to the position corresponding to the opening of the mask M, the position adjusting mechanism 29 aligns the substrate W with the mask M. conduct. According to the present embodiment, the alignment by the position adjusting mechanism 29 includes a total alignment which is an alignment with respect to the substrate W and a partial alignment with respect to each unit film forming region. Depending on the embodiment, the whole alignment is performed at the same time every time the partial alignment is performed for each of the plurality of unit film forming regions, or after the whole alignment is performed for the substrate W, only the partial alignment is performed thereafter.

According to the present embodiment, the evaporation source 25 is preferably located below the opening of the mask M (indicated by the dotted line) in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, as the mask M moves by the position moving mechanism 34, a drive mechanism for moving the evaporation source 25 in at least one of the XY directions is provided so that the evaporation source 25 also moves following the mask M. include. As a result, of the film-forming materials scattered from the evaporation source 25, only the film-forming material directed in the Z-axis direction passes through the opening of the mask M and is formed on the substrate W. Therefore, even if the film forming step is performed with the substrate W and the mask M separated from each other at a predetermined interval, the film forming can be performed with high accuracy.

<Film formation method>
Hereinafter, the film forming method in the film forming apparatus 11a and 11b according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 will be described.

First, with the mask M supported by the mask support unit 23 in the vacuum container 21, the substrate W is carried into the vacuum container 21 of the film forming apparatus 11 by the transfer robot 14 in the transfer chamber 13.

Then, the control unit 33 applies a substrate adsorption voltage to the electrostatic chuck 24, and attracts the substrate W carried into the vacuum vessel 21 by the transport lopot 14 and supported by the substrate support unit 22 to the electrostatic chuck 24. Depending on the embodiment, the substrate W carried into the vacuum container 21 by the transfer lopot 14 may be adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck 24. When the substrate W is adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck 24, the entire surface of the substrate W may be adsorbed simultaneously on the entire adsorption surface of the electrostatic chuck 24, from one region of the plurality of regions of the electrostatic chuck 24 to the other. The substrate W may be adsorbed sequentially toward the region.

Next, a first alignment (overall alignment) is performed to adjust the relative positions of the substrate W and the mask M. For this purpose, first, the control unit 33 reaches until the distance between the substrate W attracted to the electrostatic chuck 24 and the mask M supported by the mask support unit 23 becomes a preset overall alignment measurement distance. , The electrostatic chuck 24 and the mask support unit 23 are relatively moved (for example, the mask support unit 23 is lowered).

When the distance between the substrate W and the mask M reaches a predetermined overall alignment measurement distance, the alignment camera 31 captures the alignment marks of the substrate W and the mask M, and determines the relative position of the substrate W and the mask M in the XYθ direction. The measurement is performed, and the relative misalignment between the two is calculated based on this.

Then, the control unit 33 relatively moves the electrostatic chuck 24 and the mask support unit 23 based on the calculated relative position shift amount, and adjusts the relative position of the mask M with respect to the entire substrate W.

When the overall alignment is completed, a second alignment (partial alignment) is performed to adjust the relative positions of the substrate W and the mask M in the unit film formation region of the substrate W. The partial alignment is first performed on the first unit film forming region among the plurality of unit film forming regions constituting the element forming region of the substrate W.

Therefore, the control unit 33 first raises the mask support unit 23 by the mask support unit actuator 27 so that the mask M comes to the partial alignment measurement position with respect to the substrate W. Depending on the embodiment, the partial alignment measurement position may be the same as the total alignment measurement position, and in this case, the mask support unit 23 is not raised. Then, when the mask M comes to the partial alignment measurement position with respect to the substrate W, the alignment camera 31 captures the alignment mark between the substrate W and the mask M, and measures the relative positional deviation between the substrate W and the mask M in the XYθ direction. do. At this time, the alignment mark of the substrate W is installed in the scribe region in each panel unit of the element forming region, or is installed in the element forming region in the unit of the unit film forming region.

If the relative position shift amount between the substrate W and the mask M at the partial alignment measurement position is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 33 controls the position adjustment mechanism 29 based on the measured relative position shift amount. , The relative position of the substrate W and / or the mask M is adjusted in the XYθ direction.

Such a process is repeated until the relative positional deviation between the substrate W and the mask M becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value.

Then, when the relative positional deviation between the substrate W and the mask M becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value, a film forming operation is performed on the unit film forming region. Therefore, the control unit 33 first raises or lowers at least one of the electrostatic chuck 24 and the mask support unit 23 so that the substrate W adsorbed on the electrostatic chuck 24 and the mask M are separated by a predetermined distance.

Then, in the present embodiment, the film forming operation is started with the substrate W and the mask M separated by a predetermined distance. The control unit 33 opens the shutter of the evaporation source 25 and deposits the evaporated film-forming material on the substrate W via the mask M.

Through the above process, when the film forming operation for the first unit film forming region among the plurality of unit film forming regions is completed, the control unit 33 controls the position moving mechanism 34 and masks the second unit film forming region. The substrate W and the mask M are relatively moved so that the openings of M correspond to each other. In the film forming apparatus 11a of FIG. 3 described above, the substrate W moves in the XY direction, and in the film forming apparatus 11b of FIG. 4 described above, the mask M moves in the XY direction. At this time, the control unit 33 closes the shutter of the evaporation source 25 so that the evaporated film-forming material is not discharged in the mask M direction.

In the present embodiment, since the film forming operation for the first unit film forming region is performed in a state where the substrate W and the mask M are separated from each other, the substrate W and the mask M are moved relative to each other by the position moving mechanism 34. It is not necessary to move W or the mask M up and down again in the Z direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the substrate W or the mask M may be moved up and down in the Z direction as needed.

Next, an alignment operation with respect to the second unit film formation region is performed. For the alignment with respect to the second unit film formation region, the above-mentioned overall alignment (first alignment) may be performed again, and then partial alignment with respect to the second unit film formation region (second alignment) may be performed. Alternatively, only partial alignment may be performed without performing full alignment again.

Next, in a state where the substrate W and the mask M are separated by a predetermined distance, the film forming operation for the second unit film forming region is started. The control unit 33 opens the shutter of the evaporation source 25 and deposits the evaporated film-forming material on the substrate W via the mask M.

The relative movement between the substrate W and the mask M by the position moving mechanism 34 described above, and the alignment operation and the film forming operation for each unit film forming region complete the film formation of the film forming material on the entire element forming region. It is repeated until it is done.

In the above description, the film forming apparatus 11a and 11b have a so-called upward vapor deposition method (depot-up) in which the film forming surface of the substrate W faces downward in the vertical direction. The present invention is not limited to this, and the substrate W is arranged in a state of being vertically erected on the side surface side of the vacuum vessel 21, and the film formation is performed in a state where the film formation surface of the substrate W is parallel to the direction of gravity. May be.

<Manufacturing method of electronic devices>
Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the configuration and manufacturing method of the organic EL display device will be illustrated as an example of the electronic device.

First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. FIG. 5A shows an overall view of the organic EL display device 60, and FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a plurality of pixels 62 including a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix in the display area 61 of the organic EL display device 60. Although the details will be described later, each of the light emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. The pixel referred to here refers to the smallest unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display area 61. In the case of the organic EL display device according to this embodiment, the pixel 62 is composed of a combination of the first light emitting element 62R, the second light emitting element 62G, and the third light emitting element 62B, which emit light different from each other. The pixel 62 is often composed of a combination of a red light emitting element, a green light emitting element, and a blue light emitting element, but may be a combination of a yellow light emitting element, a cyan light emitting element, and a white light emitting element, and is particularly limited to at least one color. It is not limited.

Further, one pixel is displayed by using a color filter in which the pixel 62 is composed of a plurality of light emitting elements exhibiting the same light emission and a plurality of different color conversion elements are arranged in a pattern so as to correspond to each light emitting element. It may be possible to display a desired color in the region 61. For example, a color filter may be used in which the pixel 62 is composed of at least three white light emitting elements and the red, green, and blue color conversion elements are arranged so as to correspond to the respective white light emitting elements. Alternatively, a color filter may be used in which the pixel 62 is composed of at least three blue light emitting elements and each of the red, green, and colorless color conversion elements is arranged so as to correspond to each light emitting element. In the latter case, by using a quantum dot color filter (QD-CF) using a quantum dot (QD) material as a material constituting the color filter, a normal organic EL that does not use a quantum dot color filter is used. The display color range can be wider than that of the display device.

5 (b) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along the line AB of FIG. 5 (a). The pixel 62 has an organic EL element having an anode 64, a hole transport layer 65, any of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a cathode 68 on the substrate 63. There is. Of these, the hole transport layer 65, the light emitting layer 66R, 66G, 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 correspond to the organic layer. Further, in the present embodiment, the light emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer that emits red, the light emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer that emits green, and the light emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer that emits blue. When a color filter or a quantum dot color filter is used as described above, the color filter or the quantum dot color filter is arranged on the light emitting side of each light emitting layer, that is, on the upper or lower part of FIG. 5 (b). However, the illustration is omitted.

The light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed in a pattern corresponding to a light emitting element (sometimes referred to as an organic EL element) that emits red, green, and blue, respectively. Further, the anode 64 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the cathode 68 may be formed in common with the plurality of light emitting elements 62R, 62G, 62B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. An insulating layer 69 is provided between the anode 64 in order to prevent the anode 64 and the cathode 68 from being short-circuited by foreign matter. Further, since the organic EL layer is deteriorated by moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 70 for protecting the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen is provided.

In FIG. 5B, the hole transport layer 65 and the electron transport layer 67 are shown as one layer, but they are formed of a plurality of layers including the hole block layer and the electron block layer due to the structure of the organic EL display element. May be done. Further, between the anode 64 and the hole transport layer 65, a hole injection layer having an energy band structure capable of smoothly injecting holes from the anode 64 into the hole transport layer 65 is provided. It can also be formed. Similarly, an electron injection layer can be formed between the cathode 68 and the electron transport layer 67.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described.

First, a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a substrate 63 on which the anode 64 is formed are prepared.

Acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 63 on which the anode 64 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by a lithography method so that an opening is formed in the portion where the anode 64 is formed to form an insulating layer 69. .. This opening corresponds to a light emitting region where the light emitting element actually emits light.

The substrate 63 in which the insulating layer 69 is patterned is carried into the first organic material film forming apparatus, the substrate is held by an electrostatic chuck, and the hole transport layer 65 is a common layer on the anode 64 in the display region. To form a film. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum vapor deposition. In reality, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to have a size larger than that of the display region 61, so that a high-definition mask is unnecessary.

Next, the substrate 63 on which the hole transport layer 65 is formed is carried into the second organic material film forming apparatus and held by an electrostatic chuck. After aligning the substrate and the mask and adsorbing the mask to the electrostatic chuck 24 via the substrate, a light emitting layer 66R that emits red is formed on the portion of the substrate 63 where the element that emits red is arranged.

Similar to the film formation of the light emitting layer 66R, the light emitting layer 66G that emits green is formed by the third organic material film forming apparatus, and the light emitting layer 66B that emits blue is further formed by the fourth organic material forming apparatus. .. After the film formation of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, the electron transport layer 67 is formed on the entire display region 61 by the fifth film forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a layer common to the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B of three colors.

The substrate formed up to the electron transport layer 67 is moved to a metallic vapor deposition material film forming apparatus to form a cathode 68.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the film forming accuracy and the yield of the film forming operation by performing the alignment operation and the film forming operation for each small region unit in a state where the substrate and the mask are separated from each other.

After that, it moves to a plasma CVD device to form a protective layer 70, and the organic EL display device 60 is completed.

From the time when the substrate 63 in which the insulating layer 69 is patterned is carried into the film forming apparatus until the film formation of the protective layer 70 is completed, when the substrate 63 is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen, a light emitting layer made of an organic EL material is formed. It may be deteriorated by moisture and oxygen. Therefore, in this example, the loading and unloading of the substrate between the film forming apparatus is performed in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

The embodiment is only an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment, and may be appropriately modified within the scope of the technical idea.

11: Film forming apparatus, 21: Vacuum vessel, 22: Substrate support unit, 23: Mask support unit, 24: Electrostatic chuck, 25: Evaporation source, 26: Substrate support unit actuator, 27:
Mask support unit actuator, 28: electrostatic chuck actuator, 29: position adjustment mechanism, 31: alignment camera, 33: control unit, 34: position movement mechanism, 35: guide member

Claims (17)

A film forming apparatus for forming a film forming material on a substrate having a plurality of unit forming areas through a mask having an opening corresponding to the unit forming area.
With a vacuum container,
A substrate adsorption means provided in the vacuum container and having a substrate adsorption surface for adsorbing the substrate,
A mask support unit provided in the vacuum container to support the mask and
An elevating means for moving the substrate suction means and the mask support unit in a first direction perpendicular to the substrate suction surface, and
A position moving mechanism for moving at least one of the substrate suction means and the mask support unit in a plane parallel to the substrate suction surface.
By the position moving mechanism, the film forming operation is performed in which the film forming material is sequentially formed for each unit forming area so that the opening of the mask corresponds to each of the plurality of unit forming areas of the substrate. A film forming apparatus including a control unit. The control unit moves the substrate suction means to the fixed mask support unit by the position moving mechanism, and controls the opening of the mask so as to correspond to each of the plurality of unit film forming regions. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1. An alignment camera for acquiring an image including an alignment mark formed on the substrate and the mask, and at least one of the substrate suction means and the mask support unit are placed in a plane parallel to the substrate suction surface. Further equipped with an alignment stage mechanism for movement,
The control unit uses the alignment stage mechanism to move the substrate and the mask based on the relative positions of the alignment marks acquired by the alignment camera before the film formation operation for each of the plurality of unit film formation regions. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the film forming apparatus is controlled so as to perform an alignment operation for adjusting a relative position. An alignment camera for acquiring an image including an opening of the mask and a unit film forming region of the substrate, and at least one of the substrate suction means and the mask support unit are in a plane parallel to the substrate suction surface. Further equipped with an alignment stage mechanism for moving with
The control unit is subjected to the alignment stage mechanism based on the relative position between the aperture acquired by the alignment camera and the pixel of the unit film forming region before the film forming operation for each of the plurality of unit film forming regions. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the film forming apparatus is controlled so as to perform an alignment operation for adjusting the relative position between the unit film forming region and the opening. The alignment operation is characterized by including a first alignment operation for adjusting the relative position of the mask with respect to the entire substrate and a second alignment operation for adjusting the relative position of the opening with respect to each of the unit film forming regions. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4. A film forming source provided in the vacuum vessel on the opposite side of the mask support unit on which the substrate adsorption means is provided and accommodating the film forming material.
The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a guide member provided in the vacuum vessel and guiding the film-forming material scattered from the film-forming source to the opening of the mask. Film forming equipment. The film forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the guide member includes a guide tube extending from a peripheral portion of the film forming source in the first direction. A film formation that is movably installed in the vacuum vessel on the side opposite to the side where the substrate adsorption means is installed with respect to the mask support unit in a plane parallel to the substrate adsorption surface to accommodate the film forming material. With more sources
The control unit moves the mask support unit to the fixed substrate suction means by the position moving mechanism, and controls the opening of the mask to correspond to each of the plurality of unit film forming regions. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the film forming source is controlled to move following the opening. A film forming apparatus for forming a film forming material on a substrate having a plurality of unit forming areas through a mask having an opening corresponding to the unit forming area.
With a vacuum container,
A substrate adsorption means provided in the vacuum container and having a substrate adsorption surface for adsorbing the substrate,
A mask support unit provided in the vacuum container to support the mask and
A position moving mechanism for moving at least one of the substrate suction means and the mask support unit in a plane parallel to the substrate suction surface.
An alignment camera for acquiring an image including an alignment mark formed on the substrate and the mask, and at least one of the substrate suction means and the mask support unit are placed in a plane parallel to the substrate suction surface. Alignment stage mechanism for moving and
A control unit that controls the operation of the film forming apparatus is provided.
The control unit uses the alignment stage mechanism to mask the entire substrate based on the relative position of the alignment mark acquired by the alignment camera before the film formation operation for each of the plurality of unit film formation regions. A first alignment operation for adjusting the relative position of the The feature is that the opening of the mask corresponds to each of the plurality of unit film forming regions of the substrate, and the film forming operation for forming the film forming material in order for each unit film forming region is controlled. Film forming equipment. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
A mask stock device for storing masks and
An electronic device manufacturing apparatus comprising: a transport device for transporting a substrate and / or a mask. An alignment process that adjusts the position of the substrate and mask relative to the plane parallel to the substrate surface.
A film forming method including a film forming step of forming a film on the substrate via the mask after the alignment step.
The substrate has a plurality of unit film forming regions, and the mask has an opening corresponding to the unit film forming region.
The film forming step is characterized in that the film forming material is sequentially formed for each unit forming area so that the opening of the mask corresponds to each of the plurality of unit forming areas of the substrate. Film formation method. The film forming step is characterized in that the substrate is moved in a plane parallel to the substrate surface with respect to the fixed mask so that the opening of the mask corresponds to each of the plurality of unit film forming regions. The film forming method according to claim 11. The alignment step is relative to the substrate and the mask based on the relative positions of the alignment marks formed on the substrate and the mask before the film formation step for each of the plurality of unit film forming regions. The film forming method according to claim 11 or 12, which comprises adjusting the position. In the alignment step, the relative positions of the unit film forming region and the opening are determined based on the relative positions of the openings and the pixels of the unit forming region before the forming step for each of the plurality of unit forming regions. The film forming method according to claim 11 or 12, which comprises adjusting. The alignment step is characterized by including a first alignment step of adjusting the relative position of the mask with respect to the entire substrate and a second alignment step of adjusting the relative position of the opening with respect to each of the unit film forming regions. The film forming method according to claim 13 or 14. An alignment process that adjusts the position of the substrate and mask relative to the plane parallel to the substrate surface.
A film forming method including a film forming step of forming a film on the substrate via the mask after the alignment step.
The substrate has a plurality of unit film forming regions, and the mask has an opening corresponding to the unit film forming region.
The film forming step of forming a film forming material in each of the plurality of unit film forming regions includes a first alignment step of adjusting the relative position of the mask with respect to the entire substrate and the film forming step for each of the unit film forming regions. A film forming method characterized by being performed after an alignment step including a second alignment step of adjusting the relative position of the openings. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, which comprises manufacturing an electronic device by using the film forming method according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

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