JP7360851B2 - Shutter device, film-forming device, film-forming method, and electronic device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a film forming object by a vacuum evaporation method, and a shutter device installed therein.

As a film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on a substrate as a film forming object, a container (crucible) containing a film forming material is heated in a vacuum chamber, and the film forming material is evaporated (sublimated or vaporized) to form a container. There is a vacuum evaporation type film forming apparatus that sprays the film outward and attaches and deposits it on the surface of the substrate. Film formation starts after heating the container and confirming that the film formation rate has stabilized using a film formation rate monitor. It is necessary to prevent the film-forming material from adhering to the substrate until the film-forming rate stabilizes, and since impurities may be mixed in the evaporated film-forming material during the initial stage of heating, A film forming apparatus is known that is equipped with a mechanism that blocks a gap between the film forming apparatus and the substrate using a shutter (Patent Documents 1 and 2).
Various configurations of the shutter mechanism have been proposed in the past, but a malfunction or failure of the shutter mechanism has a significant impact on the manufacturing takt time, so a configuration with high operational stability and reliability is required. . If a problem occurs in the shutter mechanism, such as inoperability, the inside of the chamber is returned to atmospheric pressure, a worker enters the chamber and confirms the problem, and if necessary, performs inspections and repairs. Room pressure adjustment and film deposition rate adjustment are required. In other words, the progress of the process will be significantly delayed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-115379 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-128119

An object of the present invention is to provide a shutter device with high operational stability and reliability as a shutter device included in a film forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the shutter device of the present invention includes:
Used in film forming equipment that forms films by vacuum evaporation,
A shutter device including a shutter and a drive mechanism that slides the shutter,
The drive mechanism is
a support stand,
a driving force generating section that generates a force acting on the shutter in the direction of the sliding movement;
One end side and the other end side of the shutter in a width direction of the shutter perpendicular to a sliding direction of the shutter with respect to the support stand, respectively, allowing relative movement between the shutter and the support stand in the width direction. a guide portion that supports the shutter in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction and the width direction, and guides the sliding movement of the shutter;
Equipped with
The driving force generating section is
a power source fixed to the support base and generating rotational force;
a first pinion gear fixed to the support base and rotated by the rotational force around an axis parallel to the sliding direction and the direction perpendicular to the width direction;
a first rack that is provided integrally with the shutter, extends parallel to the sliding direction, and meshes with the first pinion gear in the width direction;
a first rotating member that is rotatably provided on the support base and that faces the first rack in the width direction on a side opposite to the side where the first rack meshes with the first pinion gear;
It is characterized by having the following .
In order to achieve the above object, the film forming apparatus of the present invention includes:
a chamber that accommodates a film-forming object;
a heating unit that heats a container that contains a film-forming material and is placed in the chamber;
a shutter device of the present invention disposed within the chamber;
It is characterized by having the following.
In order to achieve the above object, the film forming method of the present invention includes:
Using the film-forming apparatus of the present invention, a film-forming material evaporated from a container placed in the chamber is attached to a film-forming object housed in a chamber, and a film is formed on the film-forming object. A film forming method that performs
In a state where the object to be film-formed is not accommodated in the chamber, a shutter provided in a shutter device included in the film-forming apparatus is used to block deposition material evaporated from the container from adhering to the object to be film-formed. a first shielding step of positioning the shielding device in a shielding position capable of
a preparatory heating step of heating the container while keeping the shutter in the shielding position;
Once the evaporation rate of the film-forming material evaporated from the container is stabilized, a carrying step of transporting the film-forming object into the chamber;
When the film-forming object is placed at a predetermined position in the chamber, the shutter is moved to a non-shielding position where it does not block the film-forming material evaporated from the container from adhering to the film-forming object. , a film forming step of forming a film on the film forming object;
a second shielding step of moving the shutter to the shielding position after the film formation on the film-forming object is completed;
a carrying-out step of carrying out the film-forming object from the chamber while leaving the shutter in the shielding position;
It is characterized by including.
In order to achieve the above object, the method for manufacturing an electronic device of the present invention includes:
A method for manufacturing an electronic device having an organic film or a metal film formed on a substrate, the method comprising:
The film forming method of the present invention is characterized in that the organic film or the metal film is formed on the substrate as the film forming object.

According to the present invention, a shutter device with high operational stability and reliability can be provided as a shutter device included in a film forming apparatus.

A schematic cross-sectional view of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention A schematic plan view showing the configuration of a shutter device according to an embodiment of the present invention (when the shutter is open) A schematic plan view showing the configuration of a shutter device according to an embodiment of the present invention (when the shutter is closed) A schematic plan view showing the configuration of a shutter device as a comparative example of the embodiment of the present invention Flowchart of a film formation process according to an embodiment of the present invention Explanatory diagram of organic EL display device

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 these configurations. Furthermore, in the following description, the scope of the present invention is limited to the hardware configuration, software configuration, processing flow, manufacturing conditions, dimensions, materials, shape, etc. of the device, unless otherwise specified. It's not the purpose.

[Example 1]
A film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a shutter device (shutter mechanism) provided therein will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The film forming apparatus according to this embodiment is a film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on a substrate by vacuum evaporation.

The film forming apparatus according to this embodiment is used to manufacture various electronic devices such as various semiconductor devices, magnetic devices, electronic parts, and optical parts on substrates (including those on which a laminate is formed on a substrate). It is used to deposit and form a thin film (a material layer made of an organic film, a metal film, etc.) in a desired pattern by vacuum evaporation. Any material such as glass, resin, or metal can be selected as the material for the substrate, and any material such as an organic material or an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.) can be selected as the vapor deposition material. More specifically, the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment is preferably used in manufacturing electronic devices such as light emitting elements, photoelectric conversion elements, and touch panels. Among these, the film forming apparatus according to this embodiment is particularly preferably applicable to the production of organic light emitting devices such as organic EL (Electro Luminescence) devices and organic photoelectric conversion devices such as organic thin film solar cells. Note that the electronic device in the present invention includes a display device (e.g., an organic EL display device) (display panel thereof) provided with a light emitting element, a lighting device (e.g., an organic EL lighting device), a sensor provided with a photoelectric conversion element (e.g., an organic CMOS image sensors). The film forming apparatus according to this embodiment can be used as part of a film forming system including a sputtering apparatus and the like.

<Film-forming equipment and film-forming process>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a film forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The film forming apparatus 1 includes a vacuum chamber (film forming chamber, vapor deposition chamber) 200 whose interior is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas by an exhaust device 24 and a gas supply device 25. Note that in this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state in a space filled with gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

When the substrate 100, which is the object to be film-formed, is transported into the vacuum chamber 200 by a transport robot (not shown), it is held by a substrate holding unit (not shown) provided in the vacuum chamber 200, and is placed on the upper surface of the mask 220. be placed. The mask 220 is a metal mask having an opening pattern 221 corresponding to a thin film pattern to be formed on the substrate 100, and is installed inside the vacuum chamber 200 in parallel to a horizontal plane. The substrate 100 is placed on the upper surface of the mask 220 by the substrate holding unit, so that the substrate 100 is installed inside the vacuum chamber 200 in parallel to the horizontal plane and in such a manner that the lower surface, which is the surface to be processed, is covered with the mask 220. .

An evaporation source device 300 is provided below the substrate 100 inside the vacuum chamber 200 . The evaporation source device 300 generally includes an evaporation source container (crucible) 301 (hereinafter referred to as container 301) that accommodates a film-forming material (evaporation material) 400, and a heating section (hereinafter referred to as "container 301") that heats the film-forming material 400 contained in the container 301. a heater 302 as a heating source). The film-forming material 400 in the container 301 is evaporated in the container 301 by heating by the heater 302, and is ejected out of the container 301 through a nozzle 303 that is provided at the top of the container 301 and forms an injection port for the film-forming material 400. Ru. The film forming material 400 injected outside the container 301 is deposited on the surface of the substrate 100 placed above the apparatus 300 in correspondence with the opening pattern 221 provided in the mask 220.

The heater 302 has a configuration in which a single linear (wire-shaped) heating element that generates heat when energized is wound around the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion of the container 301 multiple times. Note that a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of heating elements are wound around each other. The heater 302 may be one using a metal heating resistor made of stainless steel or the like as a heating element, or may be a carbon heater or the like.
Although not shown in the drawings, the evaporation source device 300 also includes a reflector and a heat transfer member for increasing the heating efficiency of the heater 302, and a frame body that houses the entire components of the evaporation source device 300 including these. There may be cases where Furthermore, in order to uniformly form a film over the entire substrate 100, the evaporation source device 300 may be configured to be movable relative to the fixedly placed substrate 100.

The film forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a film forming rate monitor device as a means for detecting the amount of vapor of the film forming material 400 ejected from the container 301 or the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate 100. We are prepared. The monitor unit 10 includes a film-forming rate monitor, a monitor head 11, a shielding member (chopper) 12, and the like, and a monitor controller 21. The film-forming rate monitoring device causes a part of the film-forming material 400 ejected from the container 301 to adhere to a crystal resonator provided in the crystal monitor head 11 . By detecting the amount of change (decrease) in the resonant frequency (natural frequency) of the crystal resonator due to the deposition of the film forming material 400, the film forming rate (evaporation rate) corresponding to a predetermined control target temperature is determined. The adhesion amount (deposition amount) of the film forming material 400 per unit time can be acquired. By feeding back this film forming rate to the setting of the control target temperature in the heating control of the heater 302, the film forming rate can be arbitrarily controlled. Therefore, by constantly monitoring the discharge amount of the film-forming material 400 or the film thickness on the substrate 100 during the film-forming process using the film-forming rate monitoring device, highly accurate film-forming becomes possible.

The control unit (computation processing unit) 20 of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a monitor control unit 21 that controls the operation of the monitor unit 10, measures and obtains the film forming rate, and controls the heating of the evaporation source device 300. and a shutter control section 23 that controls opening and closing of a shutter 50 in a shutter mechanism (shutter device) 5, which will be described later.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the film forming process (film forming method) including the opening/closing control of the shutter 50 by the shutter mechanism 5 according to this embodiment. Prior to the start of the film forming process (evaporation process), the shutter 50 is positioned at a predetermined shielding position (closed position) in a state where the substrate 100, which is a film forming target, has not been carried into the vacuum chamber 200 (S101). . This shielding position is a position that can prevent the deposition material 400 evaporated from the container 301 from adhering to the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is placed at a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber 200. be. In this state, the heater 302 starts heating the container 301, and the film forming rate monitoring device starts preparatory heating for monitoring the film forming rate (evaporation rate) (S102). Once the temperature and film formation rate of the container 301 are stabilized, the substrate 100 is carried into the vacuum chamber 200 and placed at a predetermined position (S103), and the shutter 50 is moved from the shielding position to the non-shielding position (open position). S104), and a film forming process (vapor deposition process) is started (S105). When the film forming process is completed, the shutter 50 is moved to the shielding position again (S106), the substrate 100 is carried out from the vacuum chamber 200 (S107), and the film forming process for the substrate 100 is completed.

Even after the above film forming process is completed, the heating state of the container 301 by the heater 302 is maintained, and the film forming process for another substrate 100 is continuously started. The reason for maintaining the heated state of the container 301 is that, for example, if the heating of the heater 302 is stopped while the substrates 100 are being carried in and out, the evaporation of the film-forming material 400 occurs during each film-forming process for one substrate 100. The state will be reset, and each time a new film formation process is started, it will be necessary to stabilize the temperature of the container 301 and the film formation rate through preparatory heating, which will lead to a significant reduction in manufacturing takt time and the substrate This is because it also causes variations in the film formation rate. Therefore, when performing film formation processing on a plurality of substrates 100 continuously, it is preferable to continuously maintain the heating state of the container 301 by the heater 302 and keep the temperature of the container 301 constant. .

Further, according to the film forming process described above, the shutter 50 is positioned at the shielding position except when the film forming process is performed on the substrate 100. The reason for this is that, for example, if the shutter 50 is moved to the non-shielding position even when the film forming process is not being performed, the film forming material 400 evaporated from the container 301 kept heated by the heater 302 will be transferred to the vacuum chamber. There is a concern that the deposits may adhere and accumulate everywhere inside the substrate 200, and the deposits may detach as particles and fall onto the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is subsequently carried in, causing defects in the substrate 100. This is because that.

<Heater power supply control>
The amount of heat generated by the heater 302 is controlled by controlling the amount of power (current value) supplied to the heater 302 by the heating control unit 22 including a power supply circuit. The amount of power supplied is adjusted, for example, by PID control so that the temperature detected by a temperature detection means (not shown) is maintained at a predetermined control target temperature suitable for obtaining a desired film formation rate. A thin film of a desired thickness is formed on the film-forming surface 100a of the substrate 100 by maintaining the amount of heat generated by the heater 302 (power supplied to the heater 302) that can maintain a predetermined film-forming rate for a predetermined period of time. (Film thickness=film formation rate [Å/S]×time [t]).

The film forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is configured to be able to perform switching between rate control and average power control as a method of controlling the power supply in heating control of the heater 302. Note that the power control method is not limited to these.
In rate control, the control target temperature is changed in a timely manner so that the monitored value (actual value) of the deposition rate obtained by the deposition rate monitor device matches the desired target rate (theoretical value), and the set control target is The amount of power supplied to heater 302 is controlled depending on the temperature.
In this embodiment, average power control is used as the power control that determines the amount of power supplied to the heater 302 without depending on the monitored value (actually measured value) of the film forming rate obtained by the film forming rate monitor device. Average power control is a control method in which a moving average of past several samplings of supplied power is used as a target power amount, and the power supply to the heater 302 is controlled to maintain the target power amount. Note that power control may be used to supply power to the heater 302 so as to maintain a preset amount of power (target amount of power). In these power controls, the film thickness is controlled using a theoretical value of the film formation rate that is set based on film formation conditions such as the type of film formation material and the relative speed between the substrate and the evaporation source.

<Features of this embodiment>
A shutter mechanism (shutter device) 5 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the shutter mechanism 5 according to this embodiment, and shows the state when the shutter 50 is in the non-shielding position (open position). FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the shutter mechanism 5 according to this embodiment, and shows the state when the shutter 50 is in the shielding position (closed position).

The shutter mechanism 5 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in a solid line in the non-shielding position shown in FIG. 2, and in a broken line in the shielding position shown in FIG. 1 is a view of the shutter mechanism 5 viewed from the right side to the left side (X-axis direction) in FIGS. 2 and 3, and FIGS. FIG. 3 is a plan view seen in the Z-axis direction.

(Schematic configuration of shutter mechanism)
The shutter mechanism 5 moves the shutter 50 between a shielding position (FIG. 3) where the deposition material 400 evaporated from the evaporation source container 301 is blocked from adhering to the substrate 100 and a non-shielding position (FIG. 2) where it is not blocked. This is a sliding mechanism. In this embodiment, the shutter 50, which is a plate-shaped member, is configured so that its extending direction coincides with the Y-axis direction in FIGS. 1 to 3 and is slid in that direction.

When the shutter 50 is in the shielding position shown in FIG. 3, it prevents the deposition material 400 evaporated from the evaporation source container 301 from adhering to the substrate 100, but allows it to adhere to the crystal resonator of the monitor unit 10. , is configured to block the gap between the injection port of the nozzle 303 of the evaporation source container 301 and the substrate 100. This prevents the evaporated film-forming material 400 from adhering to the substrate 100 in a state where the film-forming rate is unstable when the heating of the evaporation source container 301 (film-forming material 400) has just started in film-forming by vacuum evaporation. can be prevented. Further, it is also possible to prevent impurities mixed in the film forming material 400 evaporated in the initial stage of heating from adhering to the substrate 100. When the deposition rate monitored by the deposition rate monitor device becomes stable and deposition can begin, the shutter 50 moves to a non-shielding position that does not prevent the evaporated deposition material 400 from adhering to the substrate 100. be evacuated.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, three evaporation source containers 301 arranged in a line in a predetermined direction are shielded by one shutter 50. The shutter 50 has a long length (longitudinal direction) in a direction parallel to the direction in which the three evaporation source containers 301 are lined up, and is configured to slide in a direction perpendicular to the direction.

The shutter mechanism 5 includes a shutter 50, a movable base 51 to which the shutter 50 is fixed, a fixed base (support base) 52 that supports the movable base 51, and a motor 53 as a power source for sliding the shutter 50. , is provided. The movable table 51 receives a driving force transmitted from the motor 53 and is configured to be able to reciprocate in one axis direction with respect to the fixed table 52, in this embodiment, in the Y-axis direction in FIGS. 1 to 3. There is. The fixing table 52 is fixed to the bottom surface of the chamber 200, and its relative position with respect to the evaporation source container 301 is fixed. As the movable table 51 performs the above reciprocating movement with respect to the fixed table 52, the shutter 50 slides and reciprocates with respect to the evaporation source container 301 between the shielding position and the non-shielding position.

(Drive mechanism (driving force generator))
A first pinion gear 521 is coaxially fixed to a rotating shaft of the motor 53 that extends vertically upward (in the Z-axis direction), and when the motor 53 rotationally drives the rotating shaft, the first pinion gear 521 rotates. . The movable base 51 is provided with a first rack 511 that meshes with a first pinion gear 521. The first rack 511 extends in the sliding direction (Y-axis direction) of the shutter 50 and is provided so as to face the first pinion gear 521 in the longitudinal and widthwise direction of the shutter 50 . That is, the first rack 511 faces the first pinion gear 521 in a direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the sliding direction and the direction in which the evaporation source container 301 and the substrate 100 face each other (Z-axis direction in this embodiment). It is set up like this.

The fixed base 52 is provided with a rotating body 524 as a structure for ensuring stability of the meshing between the first pinion gear 521 and the first rack 511 and stability of relative movement of the first rack 511 with respect to the first pinion gear 521. 525 are provided. The rotating bodies 524 and 525 are both rotatably provided on the fixed base 52 around an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the first pinion gear 521. The movable table 51 is configured to obtain a driving force (rotational force) from a first pinion gear 521 at a first rack 511 at one end in the width direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the moving direction with respect to the fixed table 52. . The rotating bodies 524 and 525 are arranged so that the locus of movement of the first rack 511 (the direction in which the first rack 511 extends), which moves under the force of the first pinion gear 521, deviates from the direction along the predetermined sliding direction of the shutter 50. The first rack 511 and the movable base 51 have the role of applying a regulating force to the first rack 511 and the movable base 51 so that the first rack 511 and the movable base 51 do not move.

The rotating body 524 as the first rotating member is arranged at a position opposite to the first rack 511 in the width direction of the movable base 51 on the opposite side of the first rack 511 from the side that engages with the first pinion gear 521 . That is, the first rack 511 is sandwiched between the first pinion gear 521 and the rotating body 524 in the width direction of the movable base 51. The rotating body 524 is arranged so as not to come into contact with the first rack 511 while the movable base 51 is sliding at an appropriate relative position with respect to the fixed base 52.

The direction and magnitude of the force that the first rack 511 receives from the first pinion gear 521 changes depending on the phase (angle) of the first pinion gear 521. Includes forces that act in the direction of separation. Therefore, the first rack 511 has an unstable configuration in which its attitude (inclination) with respect to the first pinion gear 521 is likely to change. By rotating and supporting the first rack 511 from behind, the rotating body 524 changes the posture and relative position of the first rack 511 with respect to the first pinion gear 521 without interfering with the sliding movement of the movable base 51. It can be maintained in proper condition.

The rotating body 525 as the second rotating member is configured to restrict the relative position variation of the first rack 511 (movable base 51) with respect to the first pinion gear 521 in the opposite direction to the rotating body 524 as the first rotating member. The movable base 51 is disposed opposite to the movable base 51. That is, the rotating body 525 is arranged so as not to come into contact with the movable base 51 while the movable base 51 is sliding at an appropriate relative position with respect to the fixed base 52.

When the force acting on the first rack 511 from the first pinion gear 521 changes and the attitude of the first rack 511 with respect to the first pinion gear 521 changes, contrary to the above, the first rack 511 There is a case where a relative displacement is attempted so as to approach the 1st pinion gear 521. In such a case, the rotary body 525 contacts and rotates so as to restrict the movement of the movable base 51, so that the first rack 511 relative to the first pinion gear 521 does not prevent the sliding movement of the movable base 51. The posture and relative position of can be maintained in an appropriate state.

(Drive mechanism (guide part))
The movable base 51 is configured such that its movement relative to the fixed base 52 is guided in a predetermined sliding direction by a so-called rack and pinion mechanism. That is, a pair of racks (a second rack 522 and a third rack 523) extending parallel to the direction in which the shutter 50 is to be slid is provided on the upper surface of the fixed base 52. On the other hand, a pair of pinion gears (a second pinion gear 512 and a third pinion gear 513) corresponding to the pair of racks are mounted on the lower surface of the movable table 51, which is a surface opposite to the upper surface of the fixed table 52, and are connected to the longitudinal width of the shutter 50. They are provided rotatably around an axis parallel to the direction (X-axis direction), and are engaged with the respective racks. The set consisting of this rack and pinion gear is arranged at one end and the other end in the longitudinal width direction of the movable base 51 (shutter 50), respectively.

The second pinion gear 512 and the third pinion gear 513 are connected by a shaft 514 as a connecting part so that the rotation amounts of the one end side rotating part and the other end side rotating part match each other. Both ends of the shaft 514 are pivotally supported on the lower surface of the movable base 51. Therefore, the second pinion gear 512, the third pinion gear 513, and the shaft 514 rotate integrally with respect to the movable base 51 around an axis parallel to the longitudinal width direction (X-axis direction) of the shutter 50.

Furthermore, the movable base 51 is provided with wheels 515, 516, and 517 as third rotating members. The wheels 515, 516, and 517 are arranged so that the weight of the movable base 51 (shutter 50) is not applied between the second rack 523 and the second pinion gear 512, and between the third rack and the third pinion gear 513. , plays the role of supporting the movable table 51 with respect to the fixed table 52. Each of the wheels 515, 516, and 517 is provided on the movable base 51 so as to be rotatable around an axis parallel to the longitudinal width direction of the shutter 50, respectively. The size of each wheel 515, 516, 517 and the installation position with respect to the movable base 51 are designed so that the height of the movable base 51 relative to the fixed base 52 is such that the weight of the movable base 51 is not applied to the rack and pinion mechanism. be done.

With the above configuration, the shutter control unit 23 controls the on/off and forward/reverse rotation of the motor 53 to move the movable base 51 relative to the fixed base 52, thereby moving the shutter 50 into the evaporation source container 301. It can be moved by sliding. That is, by driving the motor 53 and rotating the first pinion gear 521 in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, the shutter 50 is slid in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure from the non-shielding state shown in FIG. 2, and the state shifts to the shielding state shown in FIG. 3. can do. In addition, from the shielded state shown in FIG. 3, by driving the motor 53 and rotating the first pinion gear 521 in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure (reverse rotation), the shutter 50 is slid in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, and the shutter 50 is slid in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. It is possible to enter a shielded state.

<Excellent points of this example>
The advantages of the shutter mechanism according to this example will be explained by comparing it with a comparative example (virtual configuration). FIG. 4(a) is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a shutter mechanism according to a comparative example of the present example, and FIG. 4(b) is a schematic plan view showing the state when galling occurs in the shutter mechanism according to the comparative example. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the shutter mechanism according to the comparative example allows the sliding movement of the shutter (movable base) by two linear guides 60 arranged on the left and right sides of the shutter (both ends in the width direction orthogonal to the sliding direction). It is structured to guide you. The linear guide 60 includes a rail 61, a movable block 62 assembled to be movable on the rail 61 via balls, and a movable base 63 supported by the movable block 62. A shutter (not shown) is supported by left and right movable bases 63.

The left and right linear guides 60 are used by adjusting their respective movement amounts, but the adjustment is performed at atmospheric pressure, and a vacuum is created during use. Therefore, there may be a slight difference in the amount of left and right movement due to the influence of member deformation caused by changes in chamber pressure due to maintenance after initial adjustment. This slight difference in the amount of left and right movement, combined with the distortion of the movable parts due to changes in the use environment such as room pressure and room temperature, causes the movable base 63 (shutter) to move towards the rails, as shown in Figure 4(b). A rotational moment that causes the left and right linear guides 60 to tilt with respect to the fixed base 61 may occur in some cases. In this rotational moment, the part where the force acts from the first pinion gear 521 to the first rack 511 and the joint part between the movable block 62 and the movable base 63 in the drive-side linear guide 60 (right side) serve as the points of action and fulcrums. The joint between the movable block 62 and the movable base 63 in the non-drive side linear guide 60 (left side) serves as a point of effort, and a load as shown by the arrow in the figure is generated respectively. This causes a state in which the movable block 62 cannot smoothly move relative to the rail 61 in the left and right linear guides 60, that is, so-called galling occurs. Note that in FIG. 4(b), the inclination of the linear guide 60 is exaggerated in order to clearly show the galling state. In order to enable precise linear position control, the linear guide has a design that does not allow freedom of movement in directions other than the direction of movement. Therefore, there is a possibility that the above-mentioned rotational moment may be generated and the device may become inoperable.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the rotating bodies 524 and 525 are positioned at the horizontal position of the movable base 51 with respect to the fixed base 52 on the driving side (first rack 511 side) of the movable base 51, which is the origin of the rotational moment. In addition, the wheels 515 to 517 support the weight of the movable base 51 and guide the sliding movement while allowing the movable base 51 to be displaced in the left and right direction relative to the fixed base 52. There is. The configuration using such a rotating member makes it possible to effectively release the load that causes the generation of the rotational moment (no load is generated). Thereby, it is possible to smoothly synchronize the movement amount of the left and right rack and pinion mechanisms by the shaft 514, and stable sliding movement of the movable table 51 (shutter 50) with respect to the fixed table 52 can be realized. That is, in a configuration in which the movable base 51 is elongated in the width direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the shutter 50 and receives a driving force at one end in the width direction, the amount of movement on one end in the width direction during sliding movement Matching (synchronization) with the amount of movement at the other end can be achieved with high reliability.

In addition, the configuration of this example has a simple mechanical configuration, so it has a high cost advantage, is easy to maintain, and can maintain stable operation over a long period of time in a usage environment where deposition materials that cannot contribute to vapor deposition accumulate. can be maintained.
Furthermore, there is no need for a space for a dedicated rail like a linear guide, which is advantageous in terms of space saving.

<Others>
The shape of the shutter 50, its arrangement with respect to the evaporation source container 301, etc. are not limited to the configuration shown in this embodiment, and an optimal configuration may be adopted as appropriate depending on the configuration of the film forming apparatus.

Further, in this embodiment, the rotating bodies 524 and 525 are configured to face the first rack 511 and the movable base 51 in opposite directions in the longitudinal and width directions of the shutter 50, but the configuration is not limited to this. isn't it. As long as the posture and relative position of the first rack 511 with respect to the first pinion gear 521 can be maintained in an appropriate state, the number and arrangement of rotating bodies (the position and direction in which the regulating force is exerted) can be changed to a specific configuration. It is not limited to this, and may be set as appropriate depending on the device configuration.

Also, regarding the direction of the rotation axis of the first pinion gear 521 (the direction in which the first pinion gear 521 and the first rack 511 face each other), as long as smooth power transmission to the movable base 51 is possible, this embodiment The configuration is not limited, and other configurations may be adopted as appropriate.

In addition, as means for synchronizing the movement amount of the movable table 51 with respect to the fixed table 52, in this embodiment, a pair of rack-and-pinion mechanisms arranged in parallel is used, but a configuration that can realize the present invention is as follows. The present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, it may be a structure using wheels and rails connected by a shaft like a railway vehicle, or a structure using rotating rollers, caterpillars, etc. that are long in the shutter width direction.

In this embodiment, regarding the wheels 515 to 517 as the third rotating members, two wheels 515 and 516 are arranged on the movable base 51 on the side of the first rack 511 that receives the driving force. Although the number of wheels on the first rack 511 side is increased in order to balance the left and right weight of the movable platform 51 and because the first rack 511 side serves as the starting point for the generation of the rotational moment, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. do not have. The arrangement and number of wheels may be changed as appropriate depending on the device configuration.

Further, the third rotating member may not be the wheels 515 to 517. The movable base 51 (shutter 50) is supported with respect to the fixed base 52, and the contact area with the fixed base 52 is changed by rotation, allowing the relative movement of the movable base 51 with respect to the fixed base 52 in the width direction, while the shutter 50 is supported. Any other member may be used as long as it is a rotating body that can guide the sliding movement.

Note that the XYZ axes directions specified in this example are defined on the assumption that the device configuration of this example is not completed, and if the prerequisite device configuration changes (for example, the evaporation source and the deposition target It goes without saying that the method of specifying each direction will also change if the device configuration is such that the two faces face each other in the horizontal direction).

The configuration of the film forming apparatus is also not limited to the configuration shown in this example. For example, in an apparatus configuration that can accommodate a plurality of substrates, for example two substrates, in a vacuum chamber, a film may be formed on one of the two substrates while the other substrate is being transported in and out. The shutter mechanism according to this embodiment can be suitably applied to the device configuration. In this case, the shutter mechanism is configured to be movable together with the evaporation source container within the chamber between a position where film formation is performed on one substrate and a position where film formation is performed on the other substrate. Then, at the film-forming processing position for one substrate, the above-described shutter opening/closing operation is performed in accordance with the progress of the film-forming processing for one substrate, and during this time, the other substrate is carried in and taken out (replaced). When the film-forming process on one substrate is completed, the shutter mechanism moves together with the evaporation source container to the film-forming process position on the other substrate, and opens and closes the shutter in accordance with the progress of the film-forming process on the other substrate. Needless to say, one of the substrates is carried in and out (exchanged) during this time. By repeating the above process, continuous film formation processing can be efficiently performed on a plurality of substrates.

Further, the opening/closing operation of the shutter is not limited to a simple two-step state change of an open state and a closed state, and the degree of opening in the open state can also be adjusted. That is, the open state can be not only a simple fully open state but also an open state in which the opening area is adjusted. Therefore, the film formation may be performed by controlling the degree of shielding (non-shielding) by the shutter each time.

<Example of manufacturing method of electronic device>
Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described. The configuration and manufacturing method of an organic EL display device will be illustrated below as an example of an electronic device.
First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be explained. FIG. 6A shows an overall view of the organic EL display device 60, and FIG. 6B shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in FIG. 6A, in the display area 61 of the organic EL display device 60, a plurality of pixels 62 each including a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix. Although details will be explained later, each light emitting element has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. Note that the pixel herein refers to the smallest unit that can display a desired color in the display area 61. In the case of the organic EL display device according to this embodiment, a pixel 62 is configured by a combination of a first light emitting element 62R, a second light emitting element 62G, and a third light emitting element 62B that 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 it may also be a combination of a yellow light emitting element, a cyan light emitting element, and a white light emitting element. There are no restrictions.

FIG. 6(b) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along line AB in FIG. 6(a). The pixel 62 includes a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, one of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a second electrode (cathode) 68 on a substrate 63. It has an organic EL element comprising the following. Among these, the hole transport layer 65, the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 correspond to organic layers. Further, in this 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. The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue, respectively. Further, the first electrode 64 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the second electrode 68 may be formed in common with the plurality of light emitting elements 66R, 66G, and 66B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. Note that an insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrodes 64 in order to prevent the first electrodes 64 and the second electrodes 68 from shorting due to foreign matter. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer is degraded by moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 70 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen.

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

First, a substrate 63 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving an organic EL display device and a first electrode 64 are formed is prepared.
Acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 63 on which the first electrode 64 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by lithography so that an opening is formed in the part where the first electrode 64 is formed, and an insulating layer is formed. Form 69. This opening corresponds to the light emitting region where the light emitting element actually emits light.
The substrate 63 on which the insulating layer 69 has been patterned is carried into a first film forming apparatus, the substrate is held by a substrate holding unit, and the hole transport layer 65 is placed on a common layer on the first electrode 64 in the display area. Deposit as a film. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum deposition.

Next, the substrate 63 on which up to the hole transport layer 65 has been formed is carried into a second film forming apparatus and held by a substrate holding unit. The substrate and the mask are aligned, the substrate is placed on the mask, and a light-emitting layer 66R that emits red light is formed on a portion of the substrate 63 where an element that emits red light is to be arranged.
Similarly to the formation of the light-emitting layer 66R, a light-emitting layer 66G that emits green light is formed by the third film-forming device, and a light-emitting layer 66B that emits blue light is further formed by the fourth film-forming device. After the film formation of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, the electron transport layer 67 is formed over the entire display area 61 using a fifth film forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a layer common to the three color light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B.
The substrate on which up to the electron transport layer 67 has been formed is moved to a sputtering device to form a second electrode 68, and then transferred to a plasma CVD device to form a protective layer 70, thereby completing the organic EL display device 60. do.

If the substrate 63 on which the insulating layer 69 has been patterned is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen from the time the substrate 63 on which the insulating layer 69 has been patterned is carried into the film forming apparatus until the film forming of the protective layer 70 is completed, the light emitting layer made of the organic EL material may There is a risk of deterioration due to moisture and oxygen. Therefore, in this example, the substrates are transferred into and out of the film forming apparatus under a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.
In the organic EL display device thus obtained, a light emitting layer is formed for each light emitting element with high precision.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Film-forming apparatus, 100... Substrate, 20... Control part, 200... Vacuum chamber (film-forming chamber), 300... Evaporation source device, 301... Evaporation source container (crucible), 302... Heater (heat source), 303... Nozzle, 10... Monitor unit, 5... Shutter mechanism (shutter device), 50... Shutter, 51... Movable stand, 52... Fixed stand (support stand), 53... Motor (power source), 511... First rack, 521... First pinion gear, 512... Second pinion gear, 522... Second rack, 513... Third pinion gear, 523... Third rack, 514... Shaft, 524... Rotating body (first rotating member), 525... Rotating body (second rotating member), 515, 516, 517...wheels (third rotating member)

Claims (15)

Used in film forming equipment that forms films by vacuum evaporation,
A shutter device including a shutter and a drive mechanism that slides the shutter,
The drive mechanism is
a support stand,
a driving force generating section that generates a force acting on the shutter in the direction of the sliding movement;
One end side and the other end side of the shutter in a width direction of the shutter perpendicular to a sliding direction of the shutter with respect to the support stand, respectively, allowing relative movement between the shutter and the support stand in the width direction. a guide portion that supports the shutter in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction and the width direction, and guides the sliding movement of the shutter;
Equipped with
The driving force generating section is
a power source fixed to the support base and generating rotational force;
a first pinion gear fixed to the support base and rotated by the rotational force around an axis parallel to the sliding direction and the direction perpendicular to the width direction;
a first rack that is provided integrally with the shutter, extends parallel to the sliding direction, and meshes with the first pinion gear in the width direction;
a first rotating member that is rotatably provided on the support base and that faces the first rack in the width direction on a side opposite to the side where the first rack engages with the first pinion gear;
have
A shutter device characterized by: The driving force generating section is
The support base is rotatably provided around an axis parallel to the slide direction and the direction orthogonal to the width direction, and the first rotation member faces the shutter in a direction opposite to the direction in which it faces the first rack. The shutter device according to claim 1 , further comprising a second rotating member. The guide part is
A rotating body rotatably provided on the shutter around an axis parallel to the width direction, the rotating body changing a contact area with the support base by rotation and guiding movement of the shutter in the sliding direction. 3. The rotary body according to claim 1 , further comprising a rotating body configured such that the amount of movement in the sliding direction is the same between one end side and the other end side of the shutter in the width direction. The shutter device described. The rotating body is
a one-end rotating part that guides movement of the shutter in the sliding direction on one end side of the shutter in the width direction;
on the other end side of the shutter in the width direction, an other end side rotation part that guides movement of the shutter in the sliding direction;
a connecting portion that connects the one-end rotating portion and the other-end rotating portion so that their rotation amounts match;
The shutter device according to claim 3 , characterized in that it has: The guide part is
a second pinion gear rotatably provided at one end of the shutter in the width direction about an axis parallel to the width direction;
a third pinion gear rotatably provided at the other end of the shutter in the width direction about an axis parallel to the width direction;
a shaft extending in the width direction that connects the second pinion gear and the third pinion gear;
a second rack provided on the support base that extends in the sliding direction and meshes with the second pinion gear in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction and the width direction;
a third rack provided on the support base that extends in the sliding direction and meshes with the third pinion gear in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction and the width direction;
The shutter device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has: The guide part is
a third rotating member rotatably provided on the shutter around an axis parallel to the width direction, the third rotating member supporting the shutter with respect to the support base and changing the contact area with the support base by rotation; The shutter device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a third rotating member that guides movement of the shutter in the sliding direction while allowing the relative movement. 7. A plurality of said third rotating members are provided in said guide part, and are arranged at least on one end side and the other end side of said shutter in said width direction, respectively. shutter device. The drive mechanism moves the shutter to a shielding position that blocks deposition material evaporated from a container disposed in a chamber that accommodates a film-forming object in the film-forming apparatus from adhering to the film-forming object; 8. The shutter device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter device is slidably moved between a non-shielding position and a non-shielding position. a chamber that accommodates a film-forming object;
a heating unit that heats a container that contains a film-forming material and is placed in the chamber;
A film forming apparatus comprising: the shutter device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , disposed within the chamber. The container is provided with a plurality of injection ports opening toward the object to be film-formed so as to be lined up in a predetermined direction,
10. The film forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the shutter is configured to be elongated in the width direction, with the width direction being the direction in which the plurality of injection ports are lined up. The film forming apparatus according to claim 9 or 10 , further comprising a container that contains a film forming material and is placed in the chamber and is heated by the heating section. Using the film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11 , a film forming material evaporated from a container arranged in the chamber is attached to a film forming target housed in the chamber. A film forming method for forming a film on the film forming object,
In a state where the object to be film-formed is not accommodated in the chamber, a shutter provided in a shutter device included in the film-forming apparatus is used to block deposition material evaporated from the container from adhering to the object to be film-formed. a first shielding step of positioning the shielding device in a shielding position capable of
a preparatory heating step of heating the container while keeping the shutter in the shielding position;
Once the evaporation rate of the film-forming material evaporated from the container is stabilized, a carrying step of transporting the film-forming object into the chamber;
When the film-forming object is placed at a predetermined position in the chamber, the shutter is moved to a non-shielding position where it does not block the film-forming material evaporated from the container from adhering to the film-forming object. , a film forming step of forming a film on the film forming object;
a second shielding step of moving the shutter to the shielding position after the film formation on the film-forming object is completed;
a carrying-out step of carrying out the film-forming object from the chamber while leaving the shutter in the shielding position;
A film forming method characterized by comprising: A method for manufacturing an electronic device having an organic film formed on a substrate, the method comprising:
A method for manufacturing an electronic device, wherein the organic film is formed on a substrate as the film-forming object by the film-forming method according to claim 12 . A method for manufacturing an electronic device having a metal film formed on a substrate, the method comprising:
13. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, wherein the metal film is formed on a substrate as the film-forming object by the film-forming method according to claim 12 . 15. The method of manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 13 , wherein the electronic device is a display panel of an organic EL display device.

Images