JP7078462B2 - Thin-film deposition source for vacuum-film deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention relates to a vapor deposition source for a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus that is arranged in a vacuum chamber and for vapor deposition on an object to be deposited, and more specifically, it is capable of adjusting the scattering distribution of vapor-film deposited particles from an injection nozzle. Regarding.

For example, in the manufacturing process of an organic EL element, there is a step of depositing a sublimable material (organic material) such as an aluminum quinolinol complex (Alq ₃ ) or an aromatic diamine on an object to be vapor-deposited such as a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere. Vacuum vapor deposition equipment is widely used in the vapor deposition process. A vapor deposition source used in such a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus is known, for example, in Patent Document 1. This includes a storage box (crucible) for accommodating the vapor-filmed material and a heating means for heating the storage box. Further, on the surface of the storage box facing the object to be vapor-deposited, an injection nozzle for injecting vaporized particles sublimated or vaporized by heating the storage box is fixedly arranged.

In recent years, a wide variety of organic materials used in the manufacture of organic EL devices have been developed, and when such organic materials are heated and sublimated in a vacuum atmosphere, the sublimation temperature differs for each organic material. In many cases. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the heating amount (heating temperature) from the heating means per unit time for the storage box according to the type of the organic material used for the vapor deposition. On the other hand, when the thin-film deposition particles (organic material) sublimated by heating the storage box are ejected from the injection nozzle, they spread in a dome shape from the injection port according to a predetermined cosine rule and scatter toward the vapor-deposited material, but the same organic. Depending on the amount of heating (heating temperature) of the material, the amount of vaporized particles sublimated in the storage box changes, and the scattering distribution of the vaporized particles also changes. Further, in the case of different organic materials, even if the heating amount is appropriately controlled to match the amount of the vapor-deposited particles sublimated in the storage box, the scattering distribution of the vapor-deposited particles changes depending on the type of the organic material.

When the scattering distribution of the vapor-filmed particles changes depending on the type of the vapor-filmed substance (organic material) and the amount of heating thereof, for example, when the film is vapor-deposited on the surface of the material to be deposited, the uniformity of the film thickness is impaired or the film is covered. There is a problem that the amount of thin-film vapor deposition particles adhering to parts other than the vapor-film deposition material increases and the thin-film deposition material is wasted. In this case, the vapor deposition source of the above-mentioned conventional example can only adjust the scattering distribution by adjusting the heating amount, and has a problem that it cannot cope with the vapor deposition of a wide variety of organic materials.

JP 2015-209559A

In view of the above points, the present invention has a vacuum having a function of adjusting the scattering distribution of the vapor-deposited particles in addition to the function of adjusting the scattering distribution by adjusting the heating amount according to the type of the vapor-filming substance used for the vapor deposition. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vapor deposition source for a vapor deposition apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, the vapor deposition source for the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention, which is arranged in a vacuum chamber and for vapor deposition on an object to be deposited, heats a storage box containing the vapor deposition material and the vapor deposition material. A first heating means is provided, and an injection nozzle for injecting thin-film vaporized particles sublimated or vaporized by heating is provided on the surface of the storage box facing the vapor-film-deposited material, with the direction from the storage box toward the vapor-film-deposited material facing up. The injection nozzle is provided with a first funnel member and a second funnel member, each of which expands in diameter upward, the lower end of the first funnel member is attached to the storage box, and the second funnel member becomes the first funnel member. On the other hand, it is characterized in that it is provided so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction.

According to the present invention, at a position where the second funnel member is close to the first funnel member (including the case where the second funnel member overlaps each other in the vertical direction), the vaporized particles sublimated or vaporized by heating the storage box are mainly the first funnel. It scatters toward the object to be deposited while spreading in a dome shape according to a predetermined cosine rule through the passage of the member and the passage of the second funnel member communicating with the passage. On the other hand, when the second funnel member is separated from the first funnel member, a gap is formed between the first funnel member and the second funnel member to allow the vapor-deposited particles to pass through, so that the vapor-deposited particles become the first. 2 In addition to the funnel member that scatters toward the vapor-deposited material through the passage, the funnel member scatters toward the vapor-film-deposited material according to a predetermined cosine rule through the gap. At this time, if the relative position of the second funnel member with respect to the first funnel member is changed in the vertical direction to change the size of the gap, the scattering distribution of the vapor-deposited particles can be changed. As described above, in the present invention, in addition to adjusting the scattering distribution by adjusting the heating amount of the heating means, the scattering distribution can be further adjusted according to the relative position of the second funnel member with respect to the first funnel member, and as a result, the scattering distribution can be further adjusted. , It becomes possible to cope with the vapor deposition of a wide variety of organic materials.

In the present invention, if a plurality of columns are erected on the first funnel member at intervals in the circumferential direction and the second funnel member is attached via each column, the first funnel member is vertically connected to the first funnel member. 2 It is possible to realize a configuration in which the relative position of the funnel member can be changed. In this case, the movement of the second funnel member can be performed manually or automatically using, for example, an actuator.

By the way, as described above, when the injection nozzle is configured and vapor deposition is performed on the material to be vapor-deposited, a large number of vapor-deposited particles adhere to and deposit on the second funnel member. In such a case, not only the thin-film deposition particles adhere to the material to be vapor-deposited and the vapor-film-deposited material is wasted, but also the vapor-filmed particles that adhere to and deposit on the lower surface of the second funnel member during the vapor deposition and go toward the vapor-film-deposited material. There is a possibility that the scattering distribution of the film will change. In the present invention, it is preferable to provide a second heating means for heating the second funnel member to a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation or vaporization temperature of the vapor-deposited substance. According to this, when the sublimated or vaporized vaporized particles are scattered in the storage box, even if they adhere to the surface of the second funnel member, they are immediately revaporized or resublimated and scattered toward the vaporized material. It is possible to prevent the above-mentioned problems from occurring. Since the first funnel member is attached to the storage box, it is heated by heat transfer when the storage box is heated, so that the vapor deposition particles are less likely to adhere and accumulate than the second funnel member. The first funnel member may also be heated by the second heating means.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus including the vapor deposition source according to the embodiment of the present invention. (A) is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vapor deposition source of the present embodiment by changing the relative position of the second funnel member with respect to the first funnel member, and (b) is a plan view of the injection nozzle of the vapor deposition source. The enlarged sectional view which shows the vapor deposition source of this embodiment by further changing the relative position of the 2nd funnel member with respect to the 1st funnel member.

Hereinafter, referring to the drawings, a glass substrate having a predetermined thickness having a rectangular outline (hereinafter referred to as “substrate Sw”) is used as an object to be deposited, and the vacuum vapor deposition of the present invention is taken as an example of vapor deposition on one side of the substrate Sw. The vapor deposition source for the device will be described. In the following, terms indicating directions such as "up" and "down" will be described with reference to FIG. 1, which is the installation posture of the vapor deposition source of the present embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 1, Dm is a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus including the vapor deposition source DS of the present embodiment. The vacuum vapor deposition apparatus Dm includes a vacuum chamber 1, and a vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum chamber 1 via an exhaust pipe, although not particularly illustrated, and can be evacuated to a predetermined pressure (vacuum degree) and held. It has become like. Further, a substrate transfer device 2 is provided above the vacuum chamber 1. The substrate transfer device 2 has a carrier 21 that holds the substrate Sw in a state where the lower surface as a vapor deposition surface is open, and the carrier 21 and thus the substrate Sw are moved to a predetermined speed in one direction in the vacuum chamber 1 by a drive device (not shown). It is designed to move with. Since a known substrate transfer device 2 can be used, further description thereof will be omitted. The bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 1 is provided with the vapor deposition source DS of the present embodiment facing the substrate Sw.

The vapor deposition source DS has a storage box 41 for accommodating a solid vapor deposition substance 3 formed of a material having good thermal conductivity, such as molybdenum, titanium, stainless steel, and carbon, and having a high melting point. As the vapor-deposited substance 3, a metal material or an organic material is used depending on the thin film to be formed on the substrate Sw, and examples of the organic material include an aluminum quinolinol complex (Alq ₃ ) and an aromatic diamine, which are in the form of powder. It is designed to be filled. Then, the vapor-deposited substance 3 is heated to the sublimation temperature or the vaporization temperature by the first heating means 5 provided around the storage box 41. As the first heating means 5, known ones such as a sheath heater and a lamp heater can be used.

On the upper surface (opposite surface of the substrate Sw) 41a of the storage box 41, the injection nozzle 42 for injecting the sublimated or vaporized vaporized particles 3a is in a direction orthogonal to the upper surface 41a of the storage box 41 installed in parallel with the substrate Sw. It is erected in an upright position. In this embodiment, the case where one injection nozzle 42 is provided will be described as an example, but in consideration of the area and contour of the substrate Sw, the uniformity of the film thickness distribution at the time of vapor deposition on the substrate Sw, and the like. A plurality of injection nozzles 42 may be provided on the upper surface 41a of the storage box 41 in a predetermined pattern.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the injection nozzle 42 includes a first funnel member 42a and a second funnel member 42b. The first funnel member 42a located on the lower side is continuous with the first cylinder 421 standing on the upper surface 41a with the lower end protruding into the storage box 41 and the upper end of the first cylinder 421. It has a first main body 422 having an inverted conical shape whose diameter is expanded upward, and the first tubular body 421 is the first of the vaporized particles 3a sublimated or vaporized in the storage box 41. It constitutes a passage 423. The lower end of the first tubular body 421 protruding into the storage box 41 is expanded downward in diameter, and the vaporized particles 3a sublimated or vaporized in the storage box 41 can be efficiently guided to the first passage 423. I am doing it.

The second funnel member 42b located on the upper side is located at the upper ends of the second cylinder 424 and the second cylinder 424 arranged so as to have the same hole axis as the hole shaft 42c of the first cylinder 421. It has a second main body 425 having an inverted conical shape that is continuously provided and has an enlarged diameter upward, and the second tubular body 424 uses the vapor-deposited particles 3a that have passed through the first passage 423 on the substrate Sw. It constitutes a second passage 426 to be scattered toward. In this case, the inner diameter of the second cylinder 424 is set to be larger than that of the first cylinder 421, and the second funnel member 42b is placed close to the first funnel member 42a along the hole shaft 42c. The lower end of the tubular body 424 is seated on the inclined upper surface of the first main body 422 (see FIG. 1). The vertical lengths of the first and second cylinders 421 and 424 and the inclination angles α1 and α2 with respect to the hole shafts 42c of the first and second main bodies 422 and 425 were deposited on the substrate Sw, for example. It is set appropriately in consideration of the film thickness distribution at the time.

Further, a first flange portion 422a extending in the horizontal direction is formed at the upper end of the first main body 422 of the first funnel member 42a, and a plurality of flange portions 422a extending in the vertical direction are formed on the first flange portion 422a (the present embodiment). Then, three columns 427 are erected in the circumferential direction at intervals of 120 degrees. A second flange portion 425a extending in the horizontal direction is also formed at the upper end of the second main body 425 of the second funnel member 42b, and the second flange portion 425a has a through hole through which the support column 427 can be inserted. A 428 is formed, and the second funnel member 42b is guided by the support column 427 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (close and separated direction) with respect to the first funnel member 42a. As a result, at a position where the second funnel member 42b is separated from the first funnel member 42a shown in FIG. 2A from the posture shown in FIG. 1, the first main body 422 of the first funnel member 42a and the second funnel member 42b are separated from each other. A gap 429 is formed between the second tubular body 424 and the second main body 425 of the member 42b. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the size of the gap 429 changes at a position where the second funnel member 42b is further separated from the first funnel member 42a. In the present embodiment, the relative position of the second funnel member 42b with respect to the first funnel member 42a can be changed manually, and although not shown in particular, the relative position of the second funnel member 42b with respect to the first funnel member 42a. After changing the above, for example, a stopper is used so that the second funnel member 42b can be held by the support column 427 at that position.

When vapor deposition is performed on the substrate Sw using the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus Dm, the solid vapor deposition substance 3 is housed in the storage box 41 arranged in the vacuum chamber 1, and then the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is evacuated to a predetermined pressure for injection. The substrate Sw is transferred by the substrate transfer device 2 to a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber 1 facing the nozzle 42. Then, when the accommodation box 41 and eventually the vapor-deposited substance 3 are heated by the first heating means 5 in a vacuum atmosphere and the vapor-deposited substance 3 is sublimated or vaporized in the accommodation box 41, the sublimated or vaporized vapor-filmed particles 3a are predetermined. It scatters toward the substrate Sw while spreading in a dome shape from the injection port according to the cosine rule of the above, and is deposited on the lower surface of the substrate Sw. At this time, at a close position (see FIG. 1) where the lower end of the second cylinder 424 is seated on the inclined upper surface of the first main body 422, the vapor-deposited particles 3a are the first cylinder 421 of the first funnel member 42a. It passes through the first passage 423 in the inner passage 423, passes through the second passage 426 in the second tubular body 424 of the second funnel member 42b communicating with the first passage 423, and scatters toward the substrate Sw while spreading in a dome shape according to a predetermined cosine rule. ..

Next, when the second funnel member 42b is separated from the first funnel member 42a shown in FIG. 2A from the posture shown in FIG. 1, the space between the first funnel member 42a and the second funnel member 42b is set. By forming a gap 429 that allows the vapor-filmed particles 3a to pass through, the vapor-filmed particles 3a are scattered from the first passage 423 through the second passage 426 and in addition to the gaps from the first passage 423. After passing through 429, the particles are scattered toward the substrate Sw according to a predetermined chord rule. At this time, if the relative position of the second funnel member 42b with respect to the first funnel member 42a is changed to change the size of the gap 429 as shown in FIG. 3, the scattering distribution of the vapor-deposited particles 3a can be further changed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the injection nozzle 42 is composed of the first funnel member 42a and the second funnel member 42b provided on the first funnel member 42a so as to be close to each other in the vertical direction. In addition to adjusting the scattering distribution by adjusting the heating amount of the first heating means 5, the scattering distribution can be further adjusted according to the relative position of the second funnel member 42b with respect to the first funnel member 42a. It will be possible to handle the deposition of various organic materials. Further, since the second funnel member 42b is attached to the first funnel member 42a via each support column 427, the relative position of the second funnel member 42b with respect to the first funnel member 42a can be easily changed in the vertical direction. can. In this embodiment, an example is described in which the position of the second funnel member 42b is manually changed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and although not particularly illustrated, the air having a known structure is described. It can also be configured so that it can be performed automatically in a vacuum atmosphere using a formula or electric actuator.

By the way, in a state where the second funnel member 42b is separated upward from the first funnel member 42a and a gap 429 is formed between the first funnel member 42a and the second funnel member 42b to allow the vapor-filmed particles 3a to pass through. When the vapor deposition is performed, a large amount of the vapor deposition particles 3a adhere to and deposit on the second funnel member 42b. In such a case, not only the vapor-filmed particles 3a adhere to the substrate Sw and the vapor-filmed material is wasted, but also the vapor-filmed particles that adhere to and deposit on the lower surface of the second funnel member 42b during the vapor deposition toward the substrate Sw. The scattering distribution of 3a may change. Therefore, in the vacuum chamber 1, a second heating means 6 for heating the second funnel member 42b to a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation or vaporization temperature of the vapor-deposited substance is provided, particularly when the second funnel member 42b is in a separated position. .. As the second heating means 6, known means such as a sheath heater and a lamp heater can be used.

As a result, even if the vapor-deposited particles 3a adhere to the surface of the second funnel member 42b by heating the second funnel member 42b at the separated position to a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation or vaporization temperature of the vapor-deposited substance by the second heating means 6. It can be immediately re-vaporized or re-sublimated and scattered toward the substrate Sw, and the occurrence of the above-mentioned problems can be prevented. Since the first funnel member 42a is attached to the storage box 41, it is heated by heat transfer when the storage box 41 is heated by the first heating means 5, so that the first funnel member 42a is compared with the second funnel member 42b. It is difficult for the vapor-deposited particles to adhere and deposit, but in particular, it is conceivable that the temperature of the first main body 422 does not rise to a predetermined temperature. Therefore, it is preferable that the first funnel member 42a is also heated by the second heating means 6.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications are possible as long as they do not deviate from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the case where the first funnel member 42a and the second funnel member 42b have the first and second tubular bodies 421 and 424 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and these may be described. By omitting it, each of the first and second main bodies 422 and 425 may have a central hole. When the first funnel member 42a has the first tubular body 421 as in the above embodiment, the first tubular body 421 is surrounded below the first main body 422 and the upper surface 41a of the storage box 41 is formed. A shielding plate (not shown) can be provided so as to cover the substrate, which is advantageous because it can prevent problems such as damage to the substrate Sw and the one deposited on the lower surface thereof due to radiant heat from the storage box 41 during vapor deposition.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the first and second main bodies 422 and 425 are tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the hole shaft 42c has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The lower surface of each of the first and second main bodies 422 and 425 may be formed as a curved curved surface. Further, in the above embodiment, the support 427 for holding the second funnel member 42b at a predetermined position is provided in the first funnel member 42a as an example, but the second funnel member 42b is described with respect to the first funnel member 42a. Is not limited to this as long as it can be held in a predetermined position in the vertical direction.

Dm ... Vacuum vapor deposition equipment, DS ... Deposition source for vacuum vapor deposition equipment, Sw ... Substrate (Evaporation to be deposited), 1 ... Vacuum chamber, 3 ... Evaporated material, 3a ... Evaporated particles, 41 ... Storage box, 41a ... Evaporated material The surface of the storage box 41 facing Sw, 42 ... injection nozzle, 42a ... first funnel member, 42b ... second funnel member, 427 ... support, 5 ... first heating means, 6 ... second heating means.

Claims (2)

A vapor deposition source for a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus that is placed in a vacuum chamber to deposit a film on an object to be deposited.
A storage box for accommodating the vapor-filmed material and a first heating means for heating the vapor-deposited material are provided, and an injection nozzle for injecting vaporized particles sublimated or vaporized by heating is provided on the surface of the storage box facing the material to be vapor-deposited. In things
The injection nozzles are provided with a first funnel member and a second funnel member, each of which expands in diameter upward, with the direction from the containment box toward the object to be deposited facing up, and the lower end of the first funnel member is attached to the containment box. At the same time, the second funnel member is provided so as to be close to and separated from the first funnel member in the vertical direction .
A vapor deposition source for a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus , wherein a plurality of columns are erected on the first funnel member at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the second funnel member is attached via each column . The vapor deposition source for a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second heating means for heating the second funnel member to a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation or vaporization temperature of the vapor deposition material.

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