JP7170016B2 - Deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art In a film forming apparatus, a technique is known in which a film forming source is configured to reciprocate in order to form a thin film on a substrate having a large area. Such a technique includes an atmospheric box as a support base for supporting a film formation source, a moving mechanism for reciprocating the atmospheric box, and a plurality of atmospheric arms following the movement of the atmospheric box. The inside of each of the atmospheric box and the plurality of atmospheric arms is exposed to the atmosphere, and the electrical wiring and cooling pipes that supply the cooling liquid from the outside of the chamber pass through the inside of the atmospheric box and the plurality of atmospheric arms. , is configured to be connected to a deposition source. The cooling pipe is composed of a flexible pipe, and maintains its function as a pipe by deforming the cooling pipe itself according to the operation of the plurality of atmospheric arms. In particular, at the portion connecting the atmosphere arms, the cooling pipe is configured to be deformable while maintaining a curved state.

If it is necessary to increase the flow rate of the cooling liquid supplied to the film forming source, it is necessary to use a thicker cooling pipe. The thicker the cooling pipe, the greater the radius of curvature when bending it. Therefore, in order to maintain the thick cooling pipe in a curved state at the portion where the atmospheric arms are connected, the atmospheric arms must be enlarged, and the installation space for the atmospheric arms is also increased, resulting in an increase in the size of the entire apparatus. put away.

JP 2009-299176 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of increasing the flow rate of cooling liquid supplied to a film forming source while suppressing an increase in the size of the apparatus.

In order to solve the above problems, the film forming apparatus of the present invention includes:
a chamber;
a deposition source for forming a thin film on a substrate arranged in the chamber;
a support table whose inside is kept in an atmospheric environment and which reciprocates while supporting the film formation source;
It is composed of a plurality of atmospheric arms, both ends of which are rotatably supported , and is provided so as to connect the chamber and the support base, and communicates the outside of the chamber with the inside of the support base. and a connecting mechanism that moves along with the movement of the support base;
a first cooling pipe disposed inside the support table for supplying cooling liquid to the film formation source;
a plurality of second cooling pipes arranged inside the coupling mechanism, connected to the first cooling pipes via manifolds, and all of which are thinner than the first cooling pipes;
characterized by comprising

According to the present invention, even if the first cooling pipe is widened in order to increase the flow rate of the cooling liquid supplied to the film forming source, the plurality of second cooling pipes can be curved with a small radius of curvature. Therefore, it is possible to dispose a plurality of second cooling pipes inside the connecting mechanism without enlarging the connecting mechanism.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the flow rate of the cooling liquid supplied to the film forming source while suppressing an increase in size of the apparatus.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an internal configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an example of the present invention, viewed from above; FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a cross section of an internal configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an example of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a cross section of an internal configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an example of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a film forming source according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing part of a coupling mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the second cooling pipe according to the embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of an electronic device; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below based on an embodiment with reference to the drawings. However, unless there is a specific description, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

(Example)
A film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. In this embodiment, a sputtering apparatus will be described as an example of a film forming apparatus. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the internal configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow V1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrow V2. 4A and 4B are schematic configuration diagrams of a film forming source according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. It is AA sectional drawing in (a). Note that FIG. 4A shows a cross-sectional view of the atmospheric box. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a part of the coupling mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a part of the air arm. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the second cooling pipe according to the embodiment of the present invention.

<Overall Configuration of Film Forming Apparatus>
An overall configuration of a film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. The film forming apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10 having a vacuum atmosphere inside, a film forming source 100 provided in the chamber 10 , and a driving device 200 for moving the film forming source 100 .

A substrate holding mechanism 11 for holding the substrate P and a mask holding mechanism 12 for holding the mask M are provided in the chamber 10 . These holding mechanisms keep the substrate P and the mask M stationary during the film formation operation (during the sputtering operation). The chamber 10 is an airtight container, and its interior is maintained in a vacuum state (or a reduced pressure state) by an exhaust pump 20 . By opening the gas supply valve 30 and supplying gas into the chamber 10, the gas atmosphere (or pressure range) suitable for the process can be appropriately changed. The entire chamber 10 is electrically grounded by ground circuit 40 .

The driving device 200 includes an atmospheric box 210 as a support base for supporting the film forming source 100, a pair of guide rails 221 and 222 for guiding movement of the atmospheric box 210, and a moving mechanism 230 for reciprocating the atmospheric box 210. I have. The driving device 200 also includes a connecting mechanism 240 that is provided to connect the chamber 10 and the atmosphere box 210 and moves following movement of the atmosphere box 210 . The inside of the atmospheric box 210 is hollow, and the outside of the chamber 10 and the inside of the atmospheric box 210 are communicated by the connection mechanism 240 so that the inside of the atmospheric box 210 is kept in the atmospheric environment. It is configured. By adopting such a configuration, the cooling pipe connected to the cooling liquid supply device 50 provided outside the chamber 10 and the wiring 61 connected to the power supply 60 similarly provided outside the chamber 10 are arranged. It can be connected to the deposition source 100 .

Air box 210 is configured to reciprocate along a pair of guide rails 221 and 222 by movement mechanism 230 . The movement mechanism 230 employs a ball screw mechanism and includes a ball screw 231 and a driving source 232 such as a motor for rotating the ball screw 231 . However, the movement mechanism for reciprocating the air box 210 is not limited to the ball screw mechanism, and various known techniques such as a rack and pinion mechanism may be employed. When a rack-and-pinion mechanism is adopted as the moving mechanism 230, it can be provided in the transport guide portion.

<Deposition source>
The film deposition source 100 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. The deposition source 100 includes a target 110 and support blocks 120 and end blocks 130 that support both ends of the target 110 . In this embodiment, two targets 110 are provided, and one support block 120 and one end block 130 are provided for each of the two targets 110 . The target 110 is a cylindrical member that rotates during sputtering and is also called a rotary cathode. Support block 120 and end block 130 are fixed to the upper surface of atmospheric box 210 . The target 110 includes a cylindrical target body 111 and a cathode 112, which is an electrode arranged on the inner periphery thereof. The target 110 is rotatably supported by the support block 120 and the end block 130, and is configured to rotate during sputtering by a driving source such as a motor (not shown) provided in the end block 130. . In the case of a magnetron sputtering type sputtering apparatus, a magnet is provided inside the cathode 112 in order to generate a magnetic field (leakage magnetic field) between the target 110 and the substrate P. FIG.

In the deposition source 100 configured as described above, plasma is generated between the target 110 and the chamber 10, which is the anode, by applying a voltage above a certain level. Then, particles of the target material are emitted from the target 110 (target body 111) by colliding with the target 110 with positive ions in the plasma. The particles emitted from the target 110 repeatedly collide, and among the emitted particles, neutral atoms of the target material are deposited on the substrate P. As shown in FIG. Thereby, a thin film is formed on the substrate P by the constituent atoms of the target 110 . Moreover, in the case of the magnetron sputtering method, plasma can be concentrated in a predetermined region between the target 110 and the substrate P due to the leakage magnetic field. As a result, sputtering is efficiently performed, and the deposition rate of the target material onto the substrate P can be improved. Furthermore, in the film formation source 100 according to this embodiment, the target 110 is configured to rotate during sputtering. As a result, the consumed area (corroded area due to erosion) of the target 110 is not concentrated in one part, and the utilization efficiency of the target 110 can be improved.

<Coupling mechanism>
The coupling mechanism 240 will be described in more detail. The connecting mechanism 240 is composed of a plurality of atmospheric arms, both ends of which are rotatably supported, and which are hollow inside. More specifically, the coupling mechanism 240 has a first atmospheric arm 241 and a second atmospheric arm 242 . The first atmospheric arm 241 is configured such that a first end thereof is rotatable with respect to the bottom plate of the chamber 10 . A first end of the second atmospheric arm 242 is rotatably supported with respect to a second end of the first atmospheric arm 241 . A second end of the second atmospheric arm 242 is pivotally supported with respect to the atmospheric box 210 .

FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure near the first end of the first atmospheric arm 241 . As shown, the bottom plate of the chamber 10 is provided with a through hole 10a, and the first atmospheric arm 241 is provided with a cylindrical protrusion 241a. A stepped cylindrical member 241b is provided between the bottom plate of the atmospheric box 210 and the first atmospheric arm 241 to rotatably connect them. One end of the cylindrical member 241b is inserted into a through hole 10a provided in the bottom plate of the chamber 10. As shown in FIG. A projecting portion 241a provided on the first atmospheric arm 241 is inserted from the other end side of the cylindrical member 241b. The annular gap between the through hole 10a and the cylindrical member 241b and the annular gap between the projecting portion 241a and the cylindrical member 241b are sealed by seal rings 241c and 241d, respectively.

With the above configuration, the first atmospheric arm 241 is rotatably supported on the bottom plate of the chamber 10, and the cavity inside the first atmospheric arm 241 and the space outside the first atmospheric arm 241 (chamber 10 interior space). That is, the inside of the chamber 10 can be maintained in a vacuum state (or a reduced pressure state). A mechanism in which the first atmospheric arm 241 and the second atmospheric arm 242 are rotatably supported and a mechanism in which the second atmospheric arm 242 and the atmospheric box 210 are rotatably supported are also described. , the mechanism is the same, so the explanation thereof will be omitted. Also, in the present embodiment, the case of being composed of two arms has been shown, but three or more arms can be connected if the movement distance of the atmospheric box 210 is desired to be long.

The driving device 200 having the connection mechanism 240 configured as described above enables the film formation source 100 fixed to the atmosphere box 210 to reciprocate together with the atmosphere box 210 . As a result, the film formation operation (sputtering) can be performed on the substrate P by operating the film formation source 100 during movement of at least one of the forward trip and the return trip. Therefore, even when a film is formed on a substrate P having a large area, the driving device 200 moves the film forming source 100 while performing the film forming operation. A thin film can be continuously formed toward the substrate.

<Cooling pipe>
The cooling pipe will be explained in more detail. The cooling pipes according to this embodiment include a first cooling pipe 51 arranged inside the atmosphere box 210 and connected to the film formation source 100, and a plurality of second cooling pipes 52 arranged inside the connecting mechanism 240. , and a third cooling pipe 53 connected to the cooling liquid supply device 50 . In addition, the cooling pipes are arranged inside the atmospheric box 210 and arranged outside the chamber 10, a manifold 54 connecting the first cooling pipe 51 and the plurality of second cooling pipes 52, and a plurality of second cooling pipes. An external manifold 55 is provided connecting the pipe 52 and the third cooling pipe 53 .

All of the plurality of second cooling pipes 52 are thinner than the first cooling pipes 51 and thinner than the third cooling pipes 53 . The plurality of second cooling pipes 52 are bundled and arranged inside the connecting mechanism 240 in a twisted state. In FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, reference numeral 52a in the figures indicates a portion where the plurality of second cooling pipes 52 are bundled and twisted. By adopting such a configuration, when the angle formed by the first atmosphere arm 241 and the second atmosphere arm 242 becomes large and approaches a straight line, the bundle of the plurality of second cooling pipes 52 is not twisted. It becomes tight and the distance between them becomes narrow (see FIG. 6(a)). On the other hand, when the angle formed by the first atmospheric arm 241 and the second atmospheric arm 242 becomes small and bent, the twist of the plurality of bundled second cooling pipes 52 becomes loose, and the distance between each other becomes becomes wide (see FIG. 6(b)). However, since the second cooling pipes 52 are constrained to some extent, unnecessary loosening can be suppressed, and sliding friction is generated between the second cooling pipes 52 and between the second cooling pipes 52 and the inner wall surface of the arm. You can prevent it from happening. It should be noted that when a plurality of second cooling pipes 52 are bundled and arranged inside the connecting mechanism 240 without being twisted, each of the second cooling pipes 52 operates independently without being restrained. , there is a risk that sliding friction will occur locally and durability will decrease.

<Excellent Points of the Film Forming Apparatus According to the Present Example>
According to the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, even if the first cooling pipe 51 is made thicker in order to increase the flow rate of the cooling liquid supplied to the film forming source 100, the plurality of second cooling pipes 52 will eventually is also thinner than the first cooling pipe 51 . Therefore, each second cooling pipe 52 can be curved with a small radius of curvature. Therefore, the plurality of second cooling pipes 52 can be arranged inside the connecting mechanism 240 without enlarging the connecting mechanism 240 . As a result, it is possible to increase the flow rate of the cooling liquid supplied to the film forming source 100 while suppressing an increase in the size of the apparatus. In addition, by adopting a configuration in which the cooling liquid is supplied through the single first cooling pipe 51 in the atmosphere box 210, the volume inside the atmosphere box 210 can be effectively used. That is, if a configuration in which a plurality of second cooling pipes 52 are arranged in the atmosphere box 210 is adopted, the occupied volume of the cooling pipes will increase by the amount of the coating of the pipes. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the configuration in which only one first cooling pipe is provided. Similarly, the third cooling pipe may be provided with two or more.

<Electronic Device Manufacturing Equipment>
The film forming apparatus 1 shown in the above embodiment can be used as a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing electronic devices. An electronic device manufacturing apparatus and an electronic device manufactured by the electronic device manufacturing apparatus will be described below with reference to FIG. The film forming apparatus 1 forms a thin film ( organic films, metal films, metal oxide films, etc.). More specifically, the film forming apparatus 1 is preferably used in manufacturing electronic devices such as light emitting elements, photoelectric conversion elements, and touch panels. Among others, the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is particularly preferably applicable to the manufacture of organic light-emitting elements such as organic EL (ElectroLuminescence) elements and organic photoelectric conversion elements such as organic thin-film solar cells. Electronic devices include display devices (eg, organic EL display devices) and lighting devices (eg, organic EL lighting devices) equipped with light-emitting elements, and sensors (eg, organic CMOS image sensors) equipped with photoelectric conversion elements.

FIG. 7 shows an example of an organic EL element manufactured by an electronic device manufacturing apparatus. In the illustrated organic EL element, an anode F1, a hole injection layer F2, a hole transport layer F3, an organic light emitting layer F4, an electron transport layer F5, an electron injection layer F6 and a cathode F7 are formed in this order on a substrate P. ing. The film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is used particularly when forming a laminated film such as a metal film or metal oxide used for an electron injection layer or an electrode (cathode or anode) on an organic film by sputtering. It is preferably used. In addition, it is not limited to film formation on an organic film, and lamination film formation is possible on various surfaces as long as it is a combination of materials that can be formed by sputtering, such as metal materials and oxide materials.

(others)
In the above embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 is a sputtering apparatus, and the film forming source 100 includes the target 110 and the like. However, the present invention can also be applied, for example, when the film forming apparatus is a vacuum deposition apparatus and the film forming source is an evaporation source.

Reference Signs List 1 deposition apparatus 10 chamber 51 first cooling pipe 52 second cooling pipe 53 third cooling pipe 54 manifold 55 external manifold 100 deposition source 200 drive device 210 atmospheric box 230 moving mechanism 240 connecting mechanism 241 first atmospheric arm 242 2nd atmospheric arm

Claims (5)

a chamber;
a deposition source for forming a thin film on a substrate arranged in the chamber;
a support table whose inside is kept in an atmospheric environment and which reciprocates while supporting the film formation source;
It is composed of a plurality of atmospheric arms, both ends of which are rotatably supported , and is provided so as to connect the chamber and the support base, and communicates the outside of the chamber with the inside of the support base. and a connecting mechanism that moves along with the movement of the support base;
a first cooling pipe disposed inside the support table for supplying cooling liquid to the film formation source;
a plurality of second cooling pipes arranged inside the coupling mechanism, connected to the first cooling pipes via manifolds, and all of which are thinner than the first cooling pipes;
A film forming apparatus comprising: a third cooling pipe arranged outside the chamber and connected to the plurality of second cooling pipes via an external manifold arranged outside the chamber and having a larger diameter than the second cooling pipes; 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The plurality of atmospheric arms are
a first atmospheric arm having a first end pivotally journaled in the chamber;
a second atmospheric arm having a first end rotatably supported by the second end of the first atmospheric arm and a second end rotatably supported by the support base;
3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising: 4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second cooling pipes are bundled and arranged inside the connecting mechanism in a twisted state. The deposition source emits particles for forming a thin film on a substrate by sputtering, and comprises at least one cylindrical target configured to rotate during sputtering. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

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