JP7462690B2 - Film forming apparatus and film forming method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method .

In the manufacture of organic EL displays and the like, deposition materials emitted from an evaporation source are deposited on a substrate to form a thin film on the substrate. Patent Document 1 proposes using multiple evaporation sources to deposit multiple types of deposition materials onto a substrate.

JP 2016-196684 A

In a film forming apparatus, it is possible to form a film of multiple layers (e.g., two layers). In such a case, it is desirable to suppress a decrease in the quality of the film formed, for example, due to mixing of the deposition material of the first layer with the deposition material of the second layer.

The present invention provides a technology that suppresses deterioration of film quality when forming multiple layers in a film forming apparatus.

According to one aspect of the present invention,
A film forming apparatus including an evaporation source unit that moves to form a film on a substrate,
the evaporation source unit includes a first evaporation source, a second evaporation source, and a third evaporation source each emitting a deposition material;
the first evaporation source, the second evaporation source, and the third evaporation source are arranged in this order in a moving direction of the evaporation source unit during film formation;
a distance between the first evaporation source and the second evaporation source in the moving direction is longer than a distance between the second evaporation source and the third evaporation source in the moving direction;
The present invention provides a film forming apparatus.

The present invention makes it possible to suppress deterioration in film quality when forming multiple layers in a film forming device.

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a film forming system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view of the film forming apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the evaporation source unit, illustrating the configuration of the evaporation source unit. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view for explaining the positional relationship between an evaporation source and a monitoring device. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of an evaporation source unit. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus in a film forming process. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the evaporation source unit, illustrating the configuration of the evaporation source unit. 1A is an overall view of an organic EL display device, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

First Embodiment
(Overview of the deposition system)
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a film formation system SY in which a film formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment is provided. The film formation system SY is a system that performs a film formation process on a substrate that is carried in and carries out the processed substrate. For example, a manufacturing line for electronic devices is formed by arranging a plurality of film formation systems SY side by side. An example of the electronic device is a display panel of an organic EL display device for a smartphone. In addition to the film formation apparatus 1, the film formation system SY includes a carry-in chamber 60, a substrate transfer chamber 62, an unloading chamber 64, and a mask stock chamber 66. The configuration of the film formation apparatus 1 will be described later.

The substrate 100 on which the film is to be formed in the film forming apparatus 1 is carried into the carry-in chamber 60. The substrate transport chamber 62 is provided with a transport robot 620 for transporting the substrate 100. The transport robot 620 transports the substrate 100 carried into the carry-in chamber 60 to the film forming apparatus 1. The transport robot 620 also transports the substrate 100 on which the film forming process has been completed in the film forming apparatus 1 to the carry-out chamber 64. The substrate 100 transported to the carry-out chamber 64 by the transport robot 620 is carried out from the carry-out chamber 64 to the outside of the film forming system SY. In addition, when a plurality of film forming systems SY are provided side by side, the carry-out chamber 64 of the upstream film forming system SY may also serve as the substrate transport chamber 62 of the downstream film forming system SY. In addition, the mask stock chamber 66 stores the mask 101 used for film formation in the film forming apparatus 1. The mask 101 stored in the mask stock chamber 66 is transported to the film forming apparatus 1 by the transport robot 620.

The inside of the deposition apparatus 1 and each chamber constituting the deposition system SY is maintained in a vacuum state by an exhaust mechanism such as a vacuum pump. In this embodiment, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, in other words, a reduced pressure state.

(Film forming equipment)
(overview)
Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a front view of the film forming apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 2. In the following drawings, arrows X and Y indicate horizontal directions perpendicular to each other, and arrow Z indicates a vertical direction.

The film forming apparatus 1 is a film forming apparatus that performs deposition while moving an evaporation source relative to a substrate. The film forming apparatus 1 is used, for example, in the manufacture of display panels for organic EL display devices for smartphones, and a manufacturing line can be made up of a plurality of such apparatuses. The material of the substrate on which deposition is performed in the film forming apparatus 1 can be appropriately selected from glass, resin, metal, etc., and a substrate on which a resin layer such as polyimide is formed on glass is preferably used. The deposition material can be an organic material, an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.), etc. The film forming apparatus 1 can be applied to a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing electronic devices such as display devices (flat panel displays, etc.), thin-film solar cells, organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin-film imaging elements), and optical components, and is particularly applicable to a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing organic EL panels. In this embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film on a G8H-sized glass substrate (1100 mm x 2500 mm, 1250 mm x 2200 mm), but the size of the substrate on which the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film can be appropriately set.

The film forming apparatus 1 includes an evaporation source unit 10, a moving unit 20, and multiple film forming stages 30A, 30B. The evaporation source unit 10, the moving unit 20, and the film forming stages 30A, 30B are arranged inside a chamber 45 that is maintained at a vacuum during use. In this embodiment, multiple film forming stages 30A, 30B are provided at the top of the chamber 45, spaced apart in the Y direction, and the evaporation source unit 10 and the moving unit 20 are provided below them. The chamber 45 also has multiple substrate loading openings 44A and 44B for loading and unloading substrates 100.

The film forming apparatus 1 also includes a power source 41 that supplies power to the evaporation source unit 10, and an electrical connection section 42 that electrically connects the evaporation source unit 10 and the power source 41. The electrical connection section 42 is configured with electrical wiring passing through the inside of an arm that is movable in the horizontal direction, and as described below, power can be supplied from the power source 41 to the evaporation source unit 10 that moves in the XY directions.

The film forming apparatus 1 also includes a control unit 43 that controls the operation of each component. For example, the control unit 43 may be configured to include a processor such as a CPU, memories such as RAM and ROM, and various interfaces. For example, the control unit 43 realizes various processes by the film forming apparatus 1 by reading a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing it. Note that it is also possible to employ an aspect in which a host computer or the like that comprehensively controls the film forming system SY directly controls the operation of each component of the film forming apparatus 1.

As will be described in more detail later, in the film forming apparatus 1, the evaporation source unit 10 is arranged across the short side of the substrate 100 and moves in the long side of the substrate 100 to form a film.

(Deposition stage)
The film formation stage 30A is a stage where a film is formed on the substrate 100A. The film formation stage 30A supports the substrate 100A and the mask 101A and adjusts their positions. The film formation stage 30A includes a substrate support portion 32A, a mask support portion 34A, a support column 35A, and an alignment mechanism 36A.

The substrate support section 32A supports the substrate 100A. In this embodiment, the substrate support section 32A supports the substrate 100A so that the short side of the substrate 100A extends in the Y direction and the long side of the substrate 100A extends in the X direction. The substrate support section 32A also supports the edge of the substrate 100A from the underside of the substrate 100A. However, the substrate support section 32A may support the substrate by clamping the edge of the substrate 100A, or may support the substrate 100A by adsorbing the substrate 100A with an electrostatic chuck, an adhesive chuck, or the like. For example, the substrate support section 32A can receive the substrate 100A from the transport robot 620 of the substrate transport chamber 62. The substrate support section 32A can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and the substrate 100A received from the transport robot 620 can be superimposed on the mask 101A supported by the mask support section 34A. A known technology such as a ball screw mechanism can be used for the lifting mechanism.

The mask support part 34A supports the mask 101A. In this embodiment, the mask support part 34A is provided with an opening (not shown), and the deposition material is scattered through this opening onto the deposition surface of the substrate 100A that is superimposed on the mask 101A. In addition, the mask support part 34A is supported in the chamber 45 by a support 35A.

The alignment mechanism 36A aligns the substrate 100A and the mask 101A. The alignment mechanism 36A aligns the substrate 100A supported by the substrate support part 32A and the mask 101A supported by the mask support part 32 by adjusting the relative horizontal positions of the substrate support part 32A and the mask support part 34A. Since known techniques can be used for the alignment of the substrate 100A and the mask 101A, detailed explanations are omitted. As an example, the alignment mechanism 36A detects alignment marks formed on the substrate 100A and the mask 101A by a camera (not shown). Then, the alignment mechanism 36A adjusts the positional relationship between the substrate 100A and the mask 101A so that the relationship between the position of the substrate 100A calculated from the mark formed on the substrate 100A and the position of the mask 101A calculated from the mark formed on the mask 101A satisfies a predetermined condition.

When alignment by the alignment mechanism 36A is complete, the substrate support 32A aligns the substrate 100A it supports onto the mask 101A. With the substrate 100A and the mask 101A aligned, the evaporation source unit 10 forms a film on the substrate 100A.

The deposition stage 30B may have the same configuration as the deposition stage 30A. That is, the deposition stage 30B has a substrate support 32B, a mask support 34B, a support 35B, and an alignment mechanism 36B, which correspond to the substrate support 32A, the mask support 34A, the support 35A, and the alignment mechanism 36A, respectively.

The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is a so-called dual-stage film forming apparatus 1 having multiple film forming stages 30A and 30B. For example, while deposition is being performed on the substrate 100A in the film forming stage 30A, alignment of the substrate 100B and the mask 101B can be performed in the film forming stage 30B, and the film forming process can be performed efficiently.

(Evaporation source unit)
Next, a description will be given of the evaporation source unit 10. Here, an overview of each element will be given, and detailed arrangement and operation examples will be described later (see (Arrangement of evaporation source unit) (Operation example)).

Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the evaporation source unit 10, and is a schematic diagram of the evaporation source unit 10 viewed from the side (Y direction). Figure 5 is a schematic plan view for explaining the positional relationship between the evaporation sources 11a to 11r and the monitoring devices 12a to 12r.

The evaporation source unit 10 moves while emitting evaporation material to form a film on the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the evaporation source unit 10 includes a plurality of evaporation sources 11a to 11r, a plurality of monitoring devices 12a to 12r, an adhesion prevention plate 13, a limiting portion 14, a cover portion 15, and shutters 161 to 163.

The multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r emit a deposition material. In this embodiment, each of the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r includes a storage section that stores the deposition material. Each storage section is formed with an emission section for emitting the evaporated deposition material. The emission section may be, for example, an opening formed on the upper surface of the storage section, or a cylindrical member provided on the upper surface of the storage section that connects the inside and outside of the storage section.

The deposition material contained in the storage section is heated and evaporated by a heater (not shown) and is then released from the release section into the internal space 450 of the chamber 45. Note that a sheathed heater using an electric heating wire, for example, can be used as the heater for heating the deposition material contained in the storage section.

In this embodiment, the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r can be divided into three evaporation source groups 17A to 17C spaced apart from each other in the movement direction (X direction) of the evaporation source unit 10. Evaporation source group 17A includes multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11f arranged in a horizontal direction (Y direction) that intersects with the movement direction of the evaporation source unit 10. Evaporation source group 17B includes multiple evaporation sources 11g to 11l arranged in a horizontal direction (Y direction) that intersects with the movement direction of the evaporation source unit 10. Evaporation source group 17C includes multiple evaporation sources 11m to 11r arranged in a horizontal direction (Y direction) that intersects with the movement direction of the evaporation source unit 10.

The three evaporation source groups 17A to 17C are arranged in the following order in the movement direction (X direction) of the evaporation source unit 10: evaporation source group 17A, evaporation source group 17B, evaporation source group 17C. That is, when focusing on the evaporation sources included in the evaporation source groups 17A to 17C, for example, evaporation source 11a, evaporation source 11g, and evaporation source 11m are arranged in this order in the movement direction (X direction) of the evaporation source unit 10.

The multiple monitoring devices 12a to 12r monitor the release state of the deposition material from the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4 for the monitoring device 12a, the monitoring devices 12a to 12r of this embodiment are provided with a quartz oscillator 123 as a film thickness sensor inside the case 121. The deposition material released from the evaporation sources 11a to 11r is introduced and adheres to the quartz oscillator 123 through an introduction portion 122 formed in the case 121. The frequency of the quartz oscillator 123 varies depending on the amount of deposition material adhered. Therefore, the control unit 43 can calculate the film thickness of the deposition material deposited on the substrate 100 by monitoring the frequency of the quartz oscillator 123. The amount of deposition material adhering to the quartz oscillator 123 per unit time is correlated with the amount of deposition material released from the evaporation sources 11a to 11r, so that the release state of the deposition material from the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r can be monitored. In this embodiment, the emission state of the deposition material from each of the evaporation sources 11a to 11r is independently monitored by each of the monitoring devices 12a to 12r, and the output of each of the heating parts of each of the evaporation sources 11a to 11r can be more appropriately controlled based on the results. This makes it possible to effectively control the film thickness of the deposition material deposited on the substrate 100.

The adhesion prevention plate 13 is a plate that prevents deposition material emitted from the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r from adhering to the walls of the chamber 45. The adhesion prevention plate 13 is open at the top and is arranged to surround the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r in a plan view.

The limiting section 14 limits the release range of the deposition material released from the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11r. In this embodiment, the limiting section 14 includes multiple plate members 141 to 145. The plate members 141 and 142 limit the release range in the X direction of the multiple evaporation sources 11a to 11f. The plate member 143 limits the release range in the X direction of the multiple evaporation sources 11g to 11l. The plate member 144 limits the release range in the X direction of the multiple evaporation sources 11g to 11r. The plate member 145 limits the release range in the X direction of the multiple evaporation sources 11m to 11r.

The plate member 141 is provided with cylindrical members 146a to 146f through which the deposition material that scatters to the monitoring devices 12a to 12f passes (FIG. 4 shows cylindrical member 146a as a representative of these). The plate member 143 is provided with cylindrical members 146g to 146l through which the deposition material that scatters to the monitoring devices 12g to 12l passes (FIG. 4 shows cylindrical member 146g as a representative of these). The plate member 145 is provided with cylindrical members 146m to 146r through which the deposition material that scatters to the monitoring devices 12m to 12r passes (FIG. 4 shows cylindrical member 146m as a representative of these).

Here, the height of the opening of the cylindrical member 146g on the evaporation source 11g side is set lower than the upper end of the plate member 144. This makes it possible to prevent the deposition material emitted from the evaporation source 11m from passing through the cylindrical member 146g and reaching the monitoring device 12g. Also, the height of the opening of the cylindrical member 146m on the evaporation source 11m side is set lower than the upper end of the plate member 144. This makes it possible to prevent the deposition material emitted from the evaporation source 11g from passing through the cylindrical member 146m and reaching the monitoring device 12m.

The cover portion 15 prevents the deposition material from reaching the monitoring devices 12a to 12r by going around the plate members 141 to 145. The cover portion 15 includes a cover member 151 that covers the space between the deposition prevention plate 13 and the plate member 141, a cover member 152 that covers the space between the plate members 142 and 143, and a cover member 153 that covers the space between the plate member 145 and the deposition prevention plate 13.

The shutters 161-163 block the evaporation material from scattering onto the substrate 100. In particular, the shutters 161-163 are each provided so as to be displaceable between a blocking position (see FIG. 4) that blocks the evaporation material emitted from the evaporation source groups 17A-17C from scattering onto the substrate 100, and an allowable position (see FIG. 6) that allows the evaporation material to scatter onto the substrate 100. For example, the shutter 161 is provided so as to be displaceable between a blocking position that blocks the evaporation material emitted from the evaporation sources 11a-11f included in the evaporation source group 17A from scattering onto the substrate, and an allowable position that allows the evaporation material emitted from the evaporation sources 11a-11f included in the evaporation source group 17A to scatter onto the substrate. That is, when only shutter 161 is considered, in the blocking position, shutter 161 allows the deposition material emitted from evaporation sources 11g to 11r to scatter onto the substrate, while blocking the deposition material emitted from evaporation sources 11a to 11f from scattering onto the substrate. The same can be said for shutters 162 to 163.

(Mobile unit)
2 and 3 again. The moving unit 20 moves the evaporation source unit 10. That is, the evaporation source unit 10 can form a film on the substrate 100 while being moved by the moving unit 20. The moving unit 20 includes an X-direction moving section 22 that moves the evaporation source unit 10 in the X direction, and a Y-direction moving section 24 that moves the evaporation source unit 10 in the Y direction.

The X-direction moving section 22 includes, as components provided in the evaporation source unit 10, a motor 221, a pinion 222 attached to a shaft member rotated by the motor 221, and a guide member 223. The X-direction moving section 22 also includes a frame member 224 that supports the evaporation source unit 10, a rack 225 formed on the upper surface of the frame member 224 and engaging with the pinion 222, and a guide rail 226 along which the guide member 223 slides. The pinion 222, which rotates when driven by the motor 221, engages with the rack 225, causing the evaporation source unit 10 to move in the X direction along the guide rail 226.

The Y-direction moving unit 24 includes two support members 241A and 241B that extend in the Y direction and are spaced apart in the X direction. The two support members 241A and 241B support the short sides of the frame member 224 of the X-direction moving unit 22. The Y-direction moving unit 24 includes a driving mechanism such as a motor and a rack-and-pinion mechanism (not shown), and moves the evaporation source unit 10 in the Y direction by moving the frame member 224 in the Y direction relative to the two support members 241A and 241B. The Y-direction moving unit 24 moves the evaporation source unit 10 in the Y direction between a position below the substrate 100A supported by the film formation stage 30A and a position below the substrate 100B supported by the film formation stage 30B.

(Arrangement of Evaporation Source Unit)
Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the evaporation source unit 10. Fig. 6 shows emission ranges R1 to R3 of the evaporation sources 11a, 11g, and 11m in the movement direction (X direction) of the evaporation source unit 10. Note that, although the evaporation sources 11a, 11g, and 11m are shown here, the evaporation sources 11b to 11f may have the same configuration as the evaporation source 11a, the evaporation sources 11h to 11l may have the same configuration as the evaporation source 11g, and the evaporation sources 11n to 11r may have the same configuration as the evaporation source 11m.

In this embodiment, the release range R1 is determined by the positional relationship between the release section 110a of the evaporation source 11a and the plate members 141 and 142 of the restriction section 14. The release range R3 is determined by the positional relationship between the release section 110g of the evaporation source 11g and the plate members 143 and 144 of the restriction section 14. The release range R3 is determined by the positional relationship between the release section 110m of the evaporation source 11m and the plate members 144 and 145 of the restriction section 14.

Specifically, the range between the virtual straight line VL1 passing through the upper ends of the emission section 110a and the plate member 141, and the virtual straight line VL2 passing through the upper ends of the emission section 110a and the plate member 142 is the emission range R1. Note that there may be deposition material scattered outside the geometrically defined emission range R1, but the geometrically defined range is referred to as the emission range R1 here. Similarly, the range between the virtual straight line VL3 passing through the upper ends of the emission section 110g and the plate member 143, and the virtual straight line VL4 passing through the upper ends of the emission section 110g and the plate member 144 is the emission range R2. Furthermore, the range between the virtual straight line VL5 passing through the upper ends of the emission section 110m and the plate member 144, and the virtual straight line VL6 passing through the upper ends of the emission section 110m and the plate member 145 is the emission range R3.

Now, when forming a film using an evaporation source unit having multiple evaporation sources, such as the evaporation source unit 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to form multiple layers (e.g., two layers) on the substrate 100 using one evaporation source unit.

For example, in the evaporation source unit 10, evaporation sources 11a to 11f emit lithium fluoride (LiF) or ytterbium (Yb), evaporation sources 11g to 11l emit magnesium (Mg), and evaporation sources 11m to 11r emit silver (Ag). Then, a layer of lithium fluoride or ytterbium (first layer) and a layer of silver magnesium (AgMg) (second layer) are formed on the substrate 100. Note that the above is merely an example, and the film formation materials are not limited.

However, in such a case, if the deposition material of the first layer and the deposition material of the second layer are mixed, this may lead to a decrease in the quality of the film formation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following arrangement configuration is used to suppress the decrease in film formation quality caused by the mixing of deposition materials when forming multiple layers.

That is, in this embodiment, the distance L12 between the evaporation source 11a and the evaporation source 11g in the movement direction (X direction) of the evaporation source unit 10 is longer than the distance L23 between the evaporation source 11g and the evaporation source 11m in the movement direction. This makes it difficult for the evaporation material release range R1 by the evaporation source 11a and the evaporation material release range R2 by the evaporation source 11g to overlap, making it difficult for the evaporation material of the first layer and the evaporation material of the second layer to mix, thereby suppressing deterioration in film formation quality.

Here, distance L12 is the distance between the center of the movement direction (X direction) of evaporation source 11a and the center of the movement direction (X direction) of evaporation source 11g. Also, distance L23 is the distance between the center of the movement direction (X direction) of evaporation source 11g and the center of the movement direction (X direction) of evaporation source 11m.

In addition, in this embodiment, when viewed from the horizontal direction (Y direction) intersecting the movement direction (X direction), the emission angle θ1 of the deposition material from the evaporation source 11a is smaller than the emission angle θ2 of the deposition material from the evaporation source 11g. This makes it difficult for the emission range R1 of the deposition material from the evaporation source 11a and the emission range R2 of the deposition material from the evaporation source 11g to overlap, making it difficult for the deposition material of the first layer and the deposition material of the second layer to mix, thereby suppressing deterioration in film formation quality.

In addition, in this embodiment, the emission angle θ1 of the evaporation source 11a is smaller on the side of the evaporation source 11g than on the side opposite to the evaporation source 11g when viewed from the horizontal direction (Y direction) intersecting with the moving direction (X direction). In detail, the angle θ11 formed by the imaginary vertical line VLc and the imaginary line VL2 passing through the emission section 110a of the evaporation source 11a is smaller than the angle θ12 formed by the imaginary vertical line VLc and the imaginary line VL1. This makes it difficult for the deposition material emitted from the evaporation source 11a to scatter to the side of the evaporation source 11g. Therefore, the emission range R1 of the deposition material by the evaporation source 11a and the emission range R2 of the deposition material by the evaporation source 11g are unlikely to overlap, so that the deposition material of the first layer and the deposition material of the second layer are unlikely to mix, and the deterioration of the film formation quality can be suppressed. In addition, in the emission range R1, the side of the evaporation source 11g is the inside of the evaporation source unit 10, and the side opposite the evaporation source 11g is the outside of the evaporation source unit 10.

In this embodiment, the distance L12 is longer than the distance L23, and the emission angle θ1 is smaller than the emission angle θ2, but a configuration that satisfies only one of these conditions can also be adopted.

In addition, in this embodiment, the release range R1 of the evaporation source 11a and the release range R2 of the evaporation source 11g do not overlap in the movement direction (X direction). In particular, the release range R1 and the release range R2 do not overlap in the movement direction (X direction) at the height of the film formation surface of the substrate 100. This makes it possible to prevent the deposition material released from the evaporation source 11a and the deposition material released from the evaporation source 11g from mixing even when the shutters 161 to 163 are all positioned in the permitted positions. Therefore, two layers can be formed on the substrate 100 in a single film formation operation while moving in one direction, while preventing the deposition material of the first layer and the deposition material of the second layer from mixing.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the release range R2 of the evaporation source 11g and the release range R3 of the evaporation source 11m overlap in the movement direction (X direction). In detail, the release range R2 and the release range R3 overlap in the movement direction (X direction) at the height of the film formation surface of the substrate 100. This makes it possible to perform co-evaporation in which a layer of a compound or mixture of the evaporation material released from the evaporation source 11g and the evaporation material released from the evaporation source 11r is deposited on the substrate 100.

In addition, in this embodiment, the monitoring device 12a, evaporation source 11a, monitoring device 12g, evaporation source 11g, evaporation source 11m, and monitoring device 12m are arranged in this order in the movement direction (X direction). That is, the monitoring device 12g is arranged between evaporation source 11a and evaporation source 11g, which is a longer distance than between evaporation source 11g and evaporation source 11m. Therefore, since the monitoring device 12g is arranged in a space provided to prevent overlapping of emission range R1 and emission range R2, the components of the evaporation source unit 10 can be arranged compactly and the size of the device can be suppressed. In addition, since the monitoring devices 12a to 12r can be arranged near the evaporation sources 11a to 11r to be monitored, a decrease in the monitoring accuracy of the monitoring devices 12a to 12r can be suppressed.

(Example of operation)
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 in the film forming process. In the initial state (before the state ST1 is reached), the evaporation source unit 10 is located at a position (x1, y1). In outline, the evaporation source unit 10 forms a film on the substrate 100A on the film forming stage 30A, and then forms a film on the substrate 100B on the film forming stage 30B. More specifically, the evaporation source unit 10 forms a film on the substrate while moving back and forth in the X direction (the longitudinal direction of the substrate) below the film forming stage 30A and the film forming stage 30B. Here, the evaporation source unit 10 forms a film on each substrate while moving twice, once while moving in the positive X direction and once while moving in the negative X direction. Hereinafter, the first film formation on each substrate may be referred to as the forward film formation, and the second film formation may be referred to as the return film formation.

State ST1 is the state after the evaporation source unit 10 has performed film formation in the forward direction on the substrate 100A. The evaporation source unit 10 performs film formation in the forward direction on the substrate 100A while moving from position (x1, y1) to position (x2, y1). During film formation in this direction, the shutters 161 to 163 are all positioned in the allowable positions. Therefore, after the first layer of film is formed on the substrate 100A by the evaporation source group 17A on the front side in the traveling direction, the second layer of film is formed by the evaporation source groups 17B and 17C on the rear side in the traveling direction.

State ST2 is the state after the evaporation source unit 10 has performed film deposition in the backward direction on the substrate 100A. The evaporation source unit 10 performs film deposition in the backward direction on the substrate 100A while moving from position (x2, y1) to position (x1, y1). During film deposition in this direction, the shutters 162-163 are in the allowable positions, while the shutter 161 is in the blocking position. Therefore, a second layer of film is deposited on 100A by the evaporation source groups 17B and 17C.

In this embodiment, the first layer is deposited only in the forward direction, and the second layer is deposited in both the forward and backward directions. This allows the second layer to be thicker than the first layer. If it is desired to make the first and second layers approximately the same thickness, the shutters 162-163 may be positioned in the blocking position during deposition in the forward direction.

The speed at which the evaporation source unit 10 moves in one direction of movement may be different from the speed at which it moves in the opposite direction. For example, if it is desired to make the second layer thicker than the first layer, the movement speed in the return direction may be slower than the movement speed in the forward direction. In this way, by appropriately adjusting the movement speed of the evaporation source unit 10, the relative relationship of the film thicknesses of the layers in the formation of multiple layers can be adjusted.

In addition, in this embodiment, the evaporation source groups 17B and 17C scatter the deposition material onto the substrate 100A in both the forward and backward directions, so that the deposition material released from the evaporation source group 17B and the deposition material released from the evaporation source group 17C can be mixed uniformly in the thickness direction.

In addition, in this embodiment, the evaporation source unit 10 moves at a constant speed in the movement direction while the substrate 100A and the release ranges R1 to R3 overlap. For example, in film formation in the forward direction on the substrate 100A, acceleration is completed from the start of movement until the position where the film formation surface of the substrate 100A and the release range R1 overlap is reached, and deceleration begins after passing the position where the film formation surface of the substrate 100A and the release range R3 overlap. In this way, by moving at a constant speed during film formation, it is possible to uniformize the movement direction of the film formed on the substrate 100A. From another perspective, since the evaporation source unit 10 moves at a constant speed during film formation, it can be said that the speed changes when the side of movement in the movement direction changes, i.e., when turning around.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 7, state ST3 is the state after the evaporation source unit 10 has moved from film formation stage 30A to film formation stage 30B. The evaporation source unit 10 moves in the Y direction from position (x1, y1) to position (x1, y2) by the Y direction movement part 24 of the movement unit 20. During the movement, the shutters 161-163 may be located in a blocking position to prevent the evaporation material from scattering in the chamber 45, or may be located in a permitting position in preparation for film formation on the next substrate 100B.

State ST4 is the state after the evaporation source unit 10 has performed film formation in the forward direction on the substrate 100B. The evaporation source unit 10 performs film formation in the forward direction on the substrate 100B while moving from position (x1, y2) to position (x2, y2). During film formation in this direction, the shutters 161 to 163 are all positioned in the allowable positions. Therefore, after the first layer of film is formed on 100B by the evaporation source group 17A on the front side in the direction of travel, the second layer of film is formed by the evaporation source groups 17B and 17C on the rear side in the direction of travel.

State ST5 is the state after the evaporation source unit 10 has performed film deposition in the backward direction on the substrate 100B. The evaporation source unit 10 performs film deposition in the backward direction on the substrate 100B while moving from position (x2, y2) to position (x1, y2). During film deposition in this direction, the shutters 162-163 are in the allowable positions, while the shutter 161 is in the blocking position. Therefore, a second layer of film is deposited on 100B by the evaporation source groups 17B and 17C.

State ST6 is the state after the evaporation source unit 10 has moved from film formation stage 30B to film formation stage 30A. The evaporation source unit 10 moves in the Y direction from position (x1, y2) to position (x1, y1) by the Y direction movement part 24 of the movement unit 20. During the movement, the shutters 161 to 163 may be located in a blocking position to prevent the evaporation material from scattering in the chamber 45, or may be located in an allowance position in preparation for film formation on the next substrate 100A. After state ST6, the evaporation source unit 10 returns to state ST1 to perform film formation on the next substrate 100A.

While film formation is being performed on the substrate 100A in the film formation stage 30A, the substrate 100B is loaded and unloaded and the substrate 100B and the mask 101B are aligned as appropriate in the film formation stage 30B. While film formation is being performed on the substrate 100B in the film formation stage 30B, the substrate 100A is loaded and unloaded and the substrate 100A and the mask 101A are aligned as appropriate in the film formation stage 30A.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to suppress deterioration in film formation quality when forming multiple layers in a film forming apparatus.

Second Embodiment
(Overview of the film forming device)
Fig. 8 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus 91 according to an embodiment. The film forming apparatus 91 in Fig. 8 is different from the film forming apparatus 1 in Fig. 2 mainly in that an evaporation source unit 910 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the substrate, and the evaporation source unit 910 performs film formation while moving in the lateral direction (Y direction) of the substrate. Also, the film forming apparatus 91 in Fig. 8 is different in that the direction in which the multiple film forming stages are arranged and the direction in which the evaporation source unit moves to perform film formation are the same or different. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The film forming apparatus 91 includes an evaporation source unit 910. The evaporation source unit 910 includes multiple evaporation sources 911a to 911r. Note that FIG. 8 shows evaporation sources 911a, 911g, and 911m as representatives. Evaporation sources 911b to 911f are arranged side by side with evaporation source 911a in the X direction. Evaporation sources 911h to 911l are arranged side by side with evaporation source 911g in the X direction. Evaporation sources 911n to 911r are arranged side by side with evaporation source 911m in the X direction.

The evaporation source unit 910 can be moved back and forth in the short side direction (Y direction) of the substrate 100 by the moving unit 920. A known technology can be used for the moving unit 920, so a detailed description is omitted. As an example, the moving unit 920 is a linear guide including a moving body 9201 on which multiple evaporation sources 911a to 911r are placed, a rolling body 9202 rotatably supported by the moving body 9201, and a driving unit (not shown). That is, when the moving body 9201 is driven by a driving unit (not shown), such as a rack and pinion, it moves along a rail 451 provided on the floor of the chamber 45 via the rolling body 9202. With this configuration, the movement mechanism of the evaporation sources 911a to 911r is made up of a single axis, so the mechanism inside the chamber 45 can be simplified.

In addition, in this embodiment, the evaporation source unit 910, like the evaporation source unit 10, does not overlap the emission range R91 of the evaporation source 911a and the emission range R92 of the evaporation source 911g in the movement direction (Y direction) of the evaporation source unit 910. That is, like the evaporation source unit 10, the evaporation source unit 910 can suppress the mixing of the deposition material emitted from the evaporation source 911a and the deposition material emitted from the evaporation source 911g. Therefore, it is possible to form two layers on the substrate 100 in a single film formation operation while moving in one direction, while suppressing the mixing of the deposition material of the first layer (the deposition material emitted from the evaporation sources 911a to 911f) and the deposition material of the second layer (the deposition material emitted from the evaporation sources 911g to 911l and the deposition material emitted from the evaporation sources 911m to 911r).

In this embodiment, shutters 916A and 916B are provided below the deposition stages 30A and 30B, respectively. The shutter 916A can move between a blocking position below the deposition stage 30A that blocks the evaporation material from scattering onto the substrate 100A, and a permissive position shifted from the blocking position to the +Y side in the Y direction that allows the evaporation material to scatter onto the substrate 100A. The shutter 916B can move between a blocking position below the deposition stage 30B that blocks the evaporation material from scattering onto the substrate 100B, and a permissive position shifted from the blocking position to the +Y side in the Y direction that allows the evaporation material to scatter onto the substrate 100B. A known technique can be used as the movement mechanism for the shutters 916A and 916B, so a description thereof will be omitted.

(Operation example 1)
9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the film formation process of the film formation apparatus 91. In summary, the evaporation source unit 910 forms a film on the substrate 100A while reciprocating once below the film formation stage 30A, and then forms a film on the substrate 100B while reciprocating once below the film formation stage 30B.

State ST901 is the initial state, in which the evaporation source unit 910 is located at position POS10 on the -Y side of the film formation stage 30A. At this time, the shutters 916A and 916B are both in the blocking position.

In state ST902, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving in the +Y direction while depositing a film on the substrate 100A. At this time, the shutter 916A moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916A moves so as not to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Therefore, after the first layer of film is deposited on the substrate 100A by the evaporation sources 911a to 911f, the second layer of film is deposited by the evaporation sources 911g to 911l and the evaporation sources 911m to 911r. In state ST903, the evaporation source unit 910 has finished depositing a film on the substrate 100A while moving in the +Y direction.

In state ST904, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving in the -Y direction while depositing a film on the substrate 100A. At this time, the shutter 916A moves in the -Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916A moves so as to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Thus, a second layer of film is deposited on the substrate 100A by the evaporation sources 911g-911l and 911m-911r. In state ST905, the evaporation source unit 910 has finished depositing a film on the substrate 100A while moving in the -Y direction.

In state ST906, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving in the +Y direction while depositing a film on the substrate 100B. At this time, the shutter 916B moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916B moves so as not to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Therefore, after the first layer of film is deposited on the substrate 100B by the evaporation sources 911a to 911f, the second layer of film is deposited by the evaporation sources 911g to 911l and the evaporation sources 911m to 911r. In state ST907, the evaporation source unit 910 has finished depositing a film on the substrate 100B while moving in the +Y direction.

In state ST908, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving in the -Y direction while depositing a film on the substrate 100B. At this time, the shutter 916B moves in the -Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916B moves so as to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Thus, a second layer of film is deposited on the substrate 100B by the evaporation sources 911g-911l and 911m-911r. After state ST908, the process returns to state ST901, and a film is deposited on the next substrate 100A.

(Operation example 2)
11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the film formation process of the film formation apparatus 91. In summary, the evaporation source unit 910 forms films on the substrates 100A and 100B in this order while moving to the +Y side in the Y direction.

State ST911 is the initial state, in which the evaporation source unit 910 is located at position POS10 on the -Y side of the film formation stage 30A. At this time, the shutters 916A and 916B are both in the blocking position.

In state ST912, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving in the +Y direction in the Y direction while depositing a film on the substrate 100A. At this time, the shutter 916A moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916A moves so as not to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Therefore, after the first layer of film is deposited on the substrate 100A by the evaporation sources 911a to 911f, the second layer of film is deposited by the evaporation sources 911g to 911l and the evaporation sources 911m to 911r.

State ST913 is a state in which the evaporation source unit 910 has finished film formation on the substrate 100A while moving toward the +Y side in the Y direction. The evaporation source unit 910 continues to move toward the +Y side in the Y direction to proceed to film formation on the substrate 100B. At this time, the shutter 916A is also positioned in the allowable position.

In state ST914, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving further in the +Y direction while depositing a film on the substrate 100B. At this time, the shutter 916B moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916B moves so as not to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Therefore, after the first layer of film is deposited on the substrate 100B by the evaporation sources 911a to 911f, the second layer of film is deposited by the evaporation sources 911g to 911l and the evaporation sources 911m to 911r. At this time, the shutter 916A has moved from the allow position to the blocking position.

State ST915 is the state in which the evaporation source unit 910 has finished depositing a film on the substrate 100B while moving in the +Y direction. At this time, the shutter 916B is in the allowable position.

State ST916 is a state in which the evaporation source unit 910 has started to move toward the -Y side in the Y direction. At this time, the shutter 916B has moved toward the -Y side in the Y direction from the permitting position to the blocking position. Furthermore, the shutter 916B moves toward the -Y side in the Y direction ahead of the evaporation source unit 910 so that the deposition material released from the evaporation source unit 910 does not reach the substrate 100B.

Then, the evaporation source unit 910 continues to move in the -Y direction, returns to state ST911, and performs film formation on the next substrates 100A and 100B.

After deposition of the substrate 100A, while the shutter 916A is in the blocking position (e.g., between state ST914 and state ST911 of the next cycle), the deposition stage 30A appropriately performs loading and unloading of the substrate 100A and alignment of the substrate 100A with the mask 101A. After deposition of the substrate 100B, while the shutter 916B is in the blocking position (e.g., between state ST916 and state ST913 of the next cycle), the deposition stage 30B appropriately performs loading and unloading of the substrate 100B and alignment of the substrate 100B with the mask 101B.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the evaporation source unit 910 moves in one direction (Y direction +Y side) to form a film on the substrates 100A and 100B, and then moves in the opposite direction (Y direction -Y side) to return to the initial position (film formation start position).

Here, the moving speed of the evaporation source unit 910 may be faster during film formation than when returning to the initial position. This allows the proportion of film formation time on the substrate to be increased during the film formation process, allowing the thickness of the film formed on the substrate to be increased.

Third Embodiment
(Overview of the film forming device)
Fig. 13 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a film forming apparatus 991 according to an embodiment. The film forming apparatus 991 in Fig. 3 differs from the film forming apparatus 91 in Fig. 8 mainly in that it has a third shutter 916C. Hereinafter, the same components as those in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described.

The film forming apparatus 991 has three shutters 916A to 916C. The shutter 916A moves between a blocking position POS31 below the film forming stage 30A, which blocks the evaporation material from scattering onto the substrate 100A of the film forming stage 30A, and an allowable position POS32, which is shifted from the blocking position to the -Y side in the Y direction and allows the evaporation material to scatter onto the substrate 100A. The shutter 916B moves between a blocking position POS33 below the film forming stage 30B, which blocks the evaporation material from scattering onto the substrate 100B of the film forming stage 30B, and an allowable position POS34, which is shifted from the blocking position to the +Y side in the Y direction and allows the evaporation material to scatter onto the substrate 100B. The shutter 916C moves between the blocking position POS31 and the blocking position POS33. Between blocking position POS31 and blocking position POS33, there is provided a permissive position POS35 that allows the deposition material to be scattered onto substrates 100A and 100B.

In this embodiment, the film forming apparatus 991 performs the film forming process while allowing or blocking the deposition material from scattering onto the substrates 100A and 100B using three shutters 916A to 916C.

(Example of operation)
14 and 15 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the film formation process of the film formation apparatus 991. In summary, the evaporation source unit 910 forms films on the substrates 100A and 100B in this order while moving to the +Y side in the Y direction.

State ST921 is the initial state, in which the evaporation source unit 910 is located at position POS10 on the -Y side of the film formation stage 30A. At this time, the shutters 916A to 916C are located at the permitted position POS32, the blocking position POS33, and the blocking position POS31, respectively. In other words, the substrate 100A is covered by the shutter 916C, and the substrate 100B is covered by the shutter 916B.

In state ST922, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving in the +Y direction while forming a film on the substrate 100A. At this time, the shutter 916C moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916C moves so as not to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Therefore, after the first layer of film is formed on the substrate 100A by the evaporation sources 911a to 911f, the second layer of film is formed by the evaporation sources 911g to 911l and the evaporation sources 911m to 911r. At this time, the shutter 916A also moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916A moves behind the evaporation source unit 910 in the travel direction so as not to overlap with the emission range R93 in the Y direction.

State ST923 is a state in which the evaporation source unit 910 has finished depositing a film on the substrate 100A while moving toward the +Y side in the Y direction. The evaporation source unit 910 continues to move toward the +Y side in the Y direction to proceed to deposit a film on the substrate 100B. At this time, the shutter 916A is located at the blocking position POS31, and the shutter 916C is located at the permitted position POS35.

In state ST924, the evaporation source unit 910 is moving further in the +Y direction while depositing a film on the substrate 100B. At this time, the shutter 916B moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916B moves so as not to overlap with the emission range R91 in the Y direction. Therefore, after the first layer of film is deposited on the substrate 100B by the evaporation sources 911a to 911f, the second layer of film is deposited by the evaporation sources 911g to 911l and the evaporation sources 911m to 911r. At this time, the shutter 916C also moves in the +Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the evaporation source unit 910. More specifically, the shutter 916C moves behind the evaporation source unit 910 in the travel direction so as not to overlap with the emission range R93 in the Y direction.

State ST925 is the state in which the evaporation source unit 910 has finished depositing a film on the substrate 100B while moving in the +Y direction. At this time, the shutter 916B is located in the permitted position POS34, and the shutter 916C is located in the blocking position POS33. That is, in this state, the evaporation material is blocked from scattering onto the substrates 100A and 100B.

State ST926 is a state in which the evaporation source unit 910 has begun to move to the -Y side in the Y direction. At this time, the shutters 916B and 916C have moved to the -Y side in the Y direction. Furthermore, the shutter 916B moves to the -Y side in the Y direction in conjunction with the evaporation source unit 910 so that the deposition material released from the evaporation source unit 910 does not reach the substrate 100B.

The evaporation source unit 910 then continues to move in the -Y direction, returns to state ST921, and performs film formation on the next substrates 100A and 100B.

In this embodiment, by performing the film formation process using three shutters 916A to 916C, it is possible to ensure a longer period of time during which the substrates 100A and 100B are covered by the shutters 916A to 916C while the deposition material is not scattered onto the substrates 100A and 100B. This allows a longer period of time to load, unload, or align the substrates 100A and 100B.

<Modification>
The number, shape, and other configurations of the evaporation sources can be changed as appropriate. For example, the evaporation source unit 10 includes three evaporation source groups 17A to 17C, but may include two evaporation source groups, or four or more evaporation source groups. The number of evaporation sources included in each evaporation source group can also be changed as appropriate. Instead of an evaporation source group consisting of a plurality of evaporation sources, a single evaporation source may be provided extending in a cross direction that crosses the movement direction of the evaporation source unit 10. This single evaporation source may be provided with a plurality of emission portions spaced apart from each other in the cross direction. A plurality of evaporation sources long in the cross direction may be provided at intervals from each other in the movement direction of the evaporation source unit 10.

The arrangement and configuration of the monitoring devices 12a-12r can also be modified as appropriate. Figure 16 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the evaporation source unit 10, and is a schematic diagram of the evaporation source unit viewed from the side. In this example, monitoring device 12a and monitoring devices 12b-12f (not shown) aligned in the Y direction with monitoring device 12a are provided between evaporation sources 11a-11f and evaporation sources 11g-11l in the X direction. Even with this arrangement, the space provided to prevent overlapping of emission ranges R1 and R2 can be effectively utilized.

<Method of Manufacturing Electronic Device>
Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device will be described. Below, as an example of an electronic device, the configuration of an organic EL display device and a method for manufacturing the same will be described. In this example, a plurality of film forming systems SY as shown in FIG. 1 are provided on a manufacturing line.

First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Figure 17(A) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 50, and Figure 17(B) is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in FIG. 17A, a plurality of pixels 52 each including a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a matrix in a display area 51 of an organic EL display device 50. As will be described in detail later, each light-emitting element has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes.

The pixel here refers to the smallest unit that allows a desired color to be displayed in the display area 51. In the case of a color organic EL display device, the pixel 52 is composed of a combination of multiple sub-pixels of a first light-emitting element 52R, a second light-emitting element 52G, and a third light-emitting element 52B that emit light differently from each other. The pixel 52 is often composed of a combination of three types of sub-pixels, a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, and a blue (B) light-emitting element, but is not limited to this. The pixel 52 needs to include at least one type of sub-pixel, and preferably includes two or more types of sub-pixels, and more preferably includes three or more types of sub-pixels. The sub-pixels that compose the pixel 52 may be, for example, a combination of four types of sub-pixels, a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, a blue (B) light-emitting element, and a yellow (Y) light-emitting element.

Figure 17 (B) is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram taken along line A-B in Figure 17 (A). Pixel 52 has a plurality of sub-pixels on substrate 53, each of which is composed of an organic EL element having a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole transport layer 55, a red layer 56R, a green layer 56G, or a blue layer 56B, an electron transport layer 57, and a second electrode (cathode) 58. Of these, hole transport layer 55, red layer 56R, green layer 56G, blue layer 56B, and electron transport layer 57 are organic layers. Red layer 56R, green layer 56G, and blue layer 56B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively.

The first electrode 54 is formed separately for each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 55, the electron transport layer 57, and the second electrode 58 may be formed in common across multiple light-emitting elements 52R, 52G, and 52B, or may be formed for each light-emitting element. That is, as shown in FIG. 17B, the hole transport layer 55 may be formed as a common layer across multiple sub-pixel regions, and the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B may be formed separately for each sub-pixel region on top of the hole transport layer 55, and the electron transport layer 57 and the second electrode 58 may be formed on top of the hole transport layer 55 as a common layer across multiple sub-pixel regions.

In addition, an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54 to prevent short circuits between adjacent first electrodes 54. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 60 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen.

In FIG. 17(B), the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as a single layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, they may be formed of multiple layers including a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer. In addition, a hole injection layer having an energy band structure that allows holes to be smoothly injected from the first electrode 54 to the hole transport layer 55 may be formed between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55. Similarly, an electron injection layer may be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57.

The red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B may each be formed of a single light-emitting layer, or may be formed by laminating multiple layers. For example, the red layer 56R may be configured of two layers, with the upper layer being a red light-emitting layer and the lower layer being a hole transport layer or an electron blocking layer. Alternatively, the lower layer may be formed of a red light-emitting layer and the upper layer being an electron transport layer or a hole blocking layer. In this way, by providing a layer below or above the light-emitting layer, the light-emitting position in the light-emitting layer can be adjusted, and the optical path length can be adjusted, thereby improving the color purity of the light-emitting element.

Note that, although an example of the red layer 56R is shown here, a similar structure may also be adopted for the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B. The number of layers may be two or more. Furthermore, layers of different materials may be laminated, such as a light-emitting layer and an electron blocking layer, or layers of the same material may be laminated, for example, two or more light-emitting layers may be laminated.

Next, an example of a manufacturing method for an organic EL display device will be specifically described. Here, it is assumed that the red layer 56R is made up of two layers, a lower layer 56R1 and an upper layer 56R2, and the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B are made up of a single light-emitting layer.

First, a substrate 53 is prepared on which a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a first electrode 54 are formed. The material of the substrate 53 is not particularly limited, and it can be made of glass, plastic, metal, or the like. In this embodiment, a substrate in which a polyimide film is laminated on a glass substrate is used as the substrate 53.

A resin layer such as acrylic or polyimide is coated by bar coating or spin coating on the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed, and the resin layer is patterned by lithography so that an opening is formed in the portion where the first electrode 54 is formed, forming an insulating layer 59. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting region where the light-emitting element actually emits light. Note that in this embodiment, processing is performed on the large substrate up to the formation of the insulating layer 59, and after the insulating layer 59 is formed, a division process is carried out to divide the substrate 53.

The substrate 53 with the patterned insulating layer 59 is carried into the first film-forming apparatus 1, and the hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 54 in the display area. The hole transport layer 55 is formed using a mask with an opening for each display area 51 that will eventually become the panel portion of each organic EL display device.

Next, the substrate 53 on which the hole transport layer 55 has been formed is carried into the second film forming apparatus 1. The substrate 53 and the mask are aligned, the substrate is placed on the mask, and the red layer 56R is formed on the hole transport layer 55 in the portion of the substrate 53 where the red-emitting element is arranged (the region where the red subpixel is formed). Here, the mask used in the second film forming chamber is a high-definition mask in which openings are formed only in the multiple regions that will become the red subpixels among the multiple regions on the substrate 53 that will become the subpixels of the organic EL display device. As a result, the red layer 56R including the red light-emitting layer is formed only in the region that will become the red subpixel among the multiple regions on the substrate 53 that will become the subpixels. In other words, the red layer 56R is selectively formed in the region that will become the red subpixel, without being formed in the region that will become the blue subpixel or the green subpixel among the multiple regions on the substrate 53 that will become the subpixels.

Similar to the formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G is formed in the third film formation apparatus 1, and then the blue layer 56B is formed in the fourth film formation apparatus 1. After the formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B is completed, the electron transport layer 57 is formed over the entire display area 51 in the fifth film formation apparatus 1. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a layer common to the three color layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

The substrate on which the electron transport layer 57 has been formed is moved to the sixth deposition apparatus 1, where the second electrode 58 is formed. In this embodiment, the first deposition apparatus 1 to the sixth deposition apparatus 1 form each layer by vacuum deposition. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the second electrode 58 in the sixth deposition apparatus 1 may be formed by sputtering. Thereafter, the substrate on which the second electrode 58 has been formed is moved to a sealing apparatus, and the protective layer 60 is formed by plasma CVD (sealing process), completing the organic EL display device 50. Note that, although the protective layer 60 is formed by the CVD method here, the method is not limited to this, and it may be formed by the ALD method or the inkjet method.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention.

1: Film forming device, 10: Evaporation source unit, 11a to 11r: Evaporation source, 100: Substrate, 101: Mask

Claims (12)

A film forming apparatus including an evaporation source unit that moves to form a film on a substrate,
the evaporation source unit includes a first evaporation source, a second evaporation source, and a third evaporation source each emitting a deposition material;
the first evaporation source, the second evaporation source, and the third evaporation source are arranged in this order in a moving direction of the evaporation source unit during film formation;
a distance between the first evaporation source and the second evaporation source in the moving direction is longer than a distance between the second evaporation source and the third evaporation source in the moving direction;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
When viewed from a lateral direction intersecting the moving direction, an emission angle of the deposition material of the first evaporation source is smaller than an emission angle of the deposition material of the second evaporation source.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
a discharge range of the deposition material from the first evaporation source and a discharge range of the deposition material from the second evaporation source do not overlap in the moving direction;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
a discharge range of the deposition material from the first evaporation source and a discharge range of the deposition material from the second evaporation source do not overlap in the moving direction;
a discharge range of the deposition material from the second evaporation source and a discharge range of the deposition material from the third evaporation source overlap in the moving direction;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
the first evaporation source emits a first deposition material;
the second evaporation source emits a second evaporation material different from the first evaporation material;
the film forming apparatus further includes a shutter that blocks the first evaporation material from scattering onto the substrate while allowing the second evaporation material to scatter onto the substrate;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
a first speed at which the evaporation source unit moves to a first side in the moving direction is different from a second speed at which the evaporation source unit moves to a second side opposite to the first side;
the shutter blocks the first deposition material from scattering onto the substrate while the evaporation source unit is moving to the second side;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 6,
While the evaporation source unit is moving to the second side, the first evaporation material and the second evaporation material are allowed to scatter onto the substrate.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
the evaporation source unit moves at a constant speed in the moving direction while the substrate and a discharge range of the evaporation material overlap each other;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 8,
The speed of the evaporation source unit changes when the side of the evaporation source unit that moves in the moving direction changes.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
the apparatus further includes a first monitoring means, a second monitoring means and a third monitoring means for monitoring the emission states of the deposition material from the first evaporation source, the second evaporation source and the third evaporation source, respectively;
the first monitoring means, the first evaporation source, the second monitoring means, the second evaporation source, the third evaporation source, and the third monitoring means are arranged in this order in a moving direction of the evaporation source unit during film formation;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
a discharge angle of the deposition material from the first evaporation source is smaller on a side of the second evaporation source than on a side opposite to the second evaporation source when viewed from a lateral direction intersecting the moving direction;
A film forming apparatus comprising: A film is formed on a substrate using the film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
A film forming method comprising:

Images