JPH11131232A - Tray-carrying type film forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent generation of particles by suppressing the deposition of a thin film on a tray, and to prevent the productivity from being dropped even when the tray must be changed. SOLUTION: A tray 1 is covered by a mask so as to prevent adhesion of a thin film to the tray 1 on which a substrate 2 on which a film is formed is placed. The mask is located so as to cover the tray 1 with a first auxiliary chamber 45 from a lower part, and then, a film forming chamber 42, a second auxiliary chamber 46, and the first auxiliary chamber 45 are carried in this order, only the tray 1 and a substrate 2 are taken out to the atmosphere side in the first auxiliary chamber 45, the mask is moved so as to cover another tray 1 on which the substrate is placed from a lower part, and used without taken out to the atmosphere side during a plurality of film-forming treatments. Because the tray 1 is taken out to the atmosphere side, it can easily be replaced by another kind of tray 1 on which a plurality of substrates 2 are simultaneously placed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tray transfer type film forming apparatus for transferring a substrate placed on a tray to form a predetermined thin film on the surface of the substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of film forming apparatuses for forming a thin film on the surface of a substrate, such as a vacuum evaporation apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, and a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) apparatus, are known. Among these apparatuses, a tray transfer type apparatus that places a substrate on a tray and transports the substrate to form a predetermined thin film on the surface of the substrate is conventionally known. FIG. 7 is a schematic front sectional view illustrating the configuration of a conventional tray-conveying film forming apparatus.

[0003] The apparatus shown in FIG.
The substrate 2 is placed on the tray 1 and the tray 1 is transported horizontally by the tray transport system 3. Specifically, a plurality of vacuum chambers 41, 42, 43 are provided vertically along the tray transfer line. Each vacuum chamber 41, 42, 4
Reference numeral 3 is hermetically connected via a gate valve 40.
Each of the vacuum chambers 41, 42, 43 includes a charging chamber 41, a film forming chamber 4
2. A collection chamber 43 is provided.

[0004] The film forming chamber 42 includes a film forming means 5 configured according to a film forming method. The film forming means 5
For example, when film formation is performed by vacuum evaporation, the film is formed of an evaporation source such as an electron beam heating method, and generates a vapor flow of a film forming material in the film forming chamber 42 to reach the substrate 2;
A film is formed. The substrate 2 is loaded on the tray 1 and carried into the preparation chamber 41, and is moved to the film forming chamber 42 by the tray transport system 3 transporting the tray 1. After the film formation as described above, the tray 1 and the substrate 2 are carried out of the collection chamber 43, and thereafter, the substrate 2
Are collected from the tray 1. Therefore, the tray 1 is sent in the order of the atmosphere side, the vacuum atmosphere, and the atmosphere side.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional tray transport type film forming apparatus, the thin film adheres and deposits not only on the surface of the substrate but also on the surface of the tray. Further, the tray is sent in the order of air side, vacuum atmosphere, and air side. That is, the tray alternates between the atmosphere side and the film forming chamber. For this reason, when the substrate on which the thin film is deposited is opened to the atmosphere and the substrate is mounted, the thin film is contaminated by moisture and organic substances in the air, and a contaminated layer is formed on the surface of the thin film. In this case, when the tray is transported again into the film formation chamber and used for film formation, a thin film is further deposited on the surface contaminated layer, and a film having an interface of the contaminated layer is laminated. . As described above, the film having the interface of the contaminated layer is easily peeled, and the peeled film becomes particles and floats in the film forming chamber, and causes serious problems such as surface defects of the film due to adhesion to the substrate. .

In order to solve such a problem, it is effective to always arrange the tray in a vacuum atmosphere so that the tray is not taken out to the atmosphere. For example, a configuration in which a tray is sequentially transported along an endless circulation path that passes through a charging chamber, a film formation chamber, and a collection chamber, and a substrate is placed on the tray to form a film in a part of the circulation path. Can be considered. However, if the tray is always in a vacuum atmosphere, in order to change the tray to another type, it is necessary to open the chamber in which the tray is located to the atmosphere and remove the tray from the chamber. After placing another type of tray in the chamber, the chamber must be evacuated again. Therefore, the operation of the apparatus must be stopped for a long time to replace the tray,
This may cause a decrease in productivity.

The invention of the present application has been made to solve such a problem, and it is necessary to suppress deposition of a thin film on a tray to prevent generation of particles due to peeling of the thin film, and to replace the tray. It is an object of the present invention to provide a practical tray-conveying film-forming apparatus that does not lower the productivity even in the case where there is.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application provides a film-forming chamber having a film-forming means for forming a predetermined thin film on the surface of a substrate, An auxiliary chamber in which a substrate is temporarily placed when loading and unloading a substrate into and from the film formation chamber, and a tray transporter that carries a substrate loaded tray into the film formation chamber and performs film formation The apparatus is provided with a mask for covering the tray to prevent the thin film from adhering to the tray, and the mask is not taken out to the atmosphere side during a plurality of film forming processes on the substrate. It has a configuration in which it is located in the chamber or in the film forming chamber and in the auxiliary chamber to prevent the thin film from adhering to the tray during a plurality of film forming processes. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the configuration of the first aspect, the tray is taken out to the atmosphere every time one or more film forming processes are performed. And when it is taken out to the atmosphere side, it can be replaced with another type of tray. Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a third aspect is provided.
The invention described in claim 2 has a configuration in which, in the configuration of claim 2, the tray or the another type of tray is capable of mounting a plurality of substrates so that film formation can be performed on the plurality of substrates simultaneously. . According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the configuration of the first, second, or third aspect, the mask prevents a thin film from adhering to the tray and a specific surface of the substrate. It has a configuration that it is also used as a substrate mask for depositing a thin film only on a region. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising:
According to the invention described in claim 1, in the configuration of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, before the film formation in the film formation chamber, the inside of the auxiliary chamber or another chamber provided separately from the auxiliary chamber is provided. A heating means for heating the substrate or the substrate and the tray or the mask is provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. 1 to 5 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic front view illustrating the configuration of a tray transport type film forming apparatus according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a substrate formed by the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of a transport mechanism, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of a transport mechanism having an elevating unit, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic side sectional view illustrating an attaching / detaching operation.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a so-called in-line apparatus, and has a plurality of vacuum chambers 44, 45, 4.
2 and 46 are vertically arranged in an airtight manner along the transfer line of the substrate 2. A plurality of transfer chambers 44, 45,
Reference numerals 42 and 46 indicate a load lock chamber 44, a first auxiliary chamber 45, a film forming chamber 42, and a second auxiliary chamber 46 in order from the left in FIG.
Each of the chambers 44, 45, 42, and 46 can be evacuated to a predetermined pressure by a dedicated or shared exhaust system (not shown). Further, each of the chambers 44, 45, 42,
A gate valve 40 is provided at a boundary portion 46.

The load lock chamber 44 is a chamber in which the substrate 2 is temporarily located when the substrate 2 is taken in and out between the atmosphere side and the vacuum side. The substrate 2 is placed on the tray 1 outside the load lock chamber 44 and is carried into the load lock chamber 44.

The configuration of the tray 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, a film formation process is performed on a square substrate 2. Tray 1
Is a rectangular frame-shaped member into which the substrate 2 can be inserted. The substrate 2 is loaded on the tray 1 while being supported by the fingers 5 of the mounting robot provided outside the load lock chamber 44. The tray 1 is formed with a concave portion serving as a retreat space for the finger 5.

The substrate 2 thus placed on the tray 1
The load lock chamber 44,
The first auxiliary chamber 45, the film forming chamber 42, the second auxiliary chamber 46, and the film are conveyed again in the order of the film forming chamber 42, and the film forming process is performed when the film is carried into the film forming chamber 42 for the second time. Has become. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the substrate 2 is transported on an upper horizontal transport line (hereinafter referred to as an upper transport line) and reaches the second auxiliary chamber 46, where a predetermined distance is provided within the second auxiliary chamber 46. Descend. Then, the substrate 2 is transferred on a horizontal transfer line (hereinafter, referred to as a lower transfer line) lower than the upper transfer line to form a film, and returns to the first auxiliary chamber 45. Then, after slightly rising in the first auxiliary chamber 45, it is transferred on a horizontal transfer line (a transfer line for unloading) having a height between the upper transfer line and the lower transfer line, and is transferred to the load lock chamber 44. I'm going back.

Next, the configuration of the transport mechanism for performing the above transport will be described with reference to FIG. In the apparatus of the present embodiment, the transport mechanism transports the substrate 2 placed on the tray 1 in the horizontal direction. The transport mechanism is provided in each of the chambers 44, 45, 42, 46. The details of the transfer mechanism are slightly different for each of the chambers 44, 45, 42, 46, but the configuration of the main part is the same.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer mechanism includes a large number of transfer rollers 61 provided on the right and left on the transfer line of the substrate 2.
A rotating shaft 62 holding the transport rollers 61 at the tip, a holding plate 63 holding the rotating shaft 62 with a bearing interposed, and a pulley 64 fixed to the rear end of the rotating shaft 62;
It mainly comprises a belt 65 wound around a pulley 64, a drive shaft 66 fixed to the selected pulley 64, and a rotation drive source 67 for rotating the drive shaft 66. FIG. 3 shows only one mechanism, but the transport mechanism is symmetrical in the left and right direction, and a similar mechanism is provided on the other side.

The holding plate 63 includes the chambers 44, 45, 4
2 and 46 are fixed to a fixing portion (not shown) provided in the inside. The drive shaft 66 includes the chambers 44, 45, 42, 46
Through the side wall of the airtight. A mechanical seal 661 using a magnetic fluid is provided in the penetrating portion.
The rotation drive source 67 is connected to the drive shaft 6 via a speed reducer 671.
6 is rotated.

Next, the structure of the transfer mechanism in the second auxiliary chamber 46 will be supplementarily described with reference to FIG.
As can be seen from FIG. 1, the substrate 2 descends in the second auxiliary chamber 46 and is then carried into the film forming chamber 42 again. Therefore, the transport mechanism in the second auxiliary chamber 46 has the elevating means 68. FIG. 4 shows the structure of the elevating means 68. That is, as can be seen by comparing FIGS. 3 and 4, in the transport mechanism of FIG. 4, the tip of the column 681 is fixed to the center of the holding plate 63. The support column 681 supports a large number of the transport rollers 61 and the rotating shafts 62 and the like integrally via the holding plate 63.

The column 681 extends downward and passes through the bottom plate of the second auxiliary chamber 46 in an airtight manner, and a vertical drive source 682 provided below the second auxiliary chamber 46.
It is connected to the. The vertical drive source 682 is a linear drive source such as an air cylinder, and moves the support roller 681 up and down so that each transport roller 61, the rotating shaft 62, the holding plate 63, the pulley 64, and the belt 65 move up and down integrally. Has become. In addition, the support 681 is the second auxiliary chamber 46.
The part penetrating the bottom plate is also a mechanical seal 6
An air-tight seal 83 is provided while allowing the column to move up and down. The elevating means 68 is similarly provided on the transport rollers 61 and the like on both sides, and the transport rollers 61 on both sides, the rotating shaft 62, the holding plate 63, the pulley 64, and the belt 65 move up and down integrally. ing.

In the transport mechanism shown in FIG.
6 is provided with a detachable joint 662. The detachable joint 662 removes the roller unit from the drive shaft 66 when the transport roller 61, the rotating shaft 62, the holding plate 63, the pulley 64, and the belt 65 (hereinafter, referred to as a roller unit) are integrally moved. This is for mounting on the drive shaft 66. The detachable joint 662 is a member having a shape to which the distal end of the drive shaft 66 fits, and the fitting is released when the drive shaft 66 moves in the vertical direction.

Although not shown in FIG. 4, in the second auxiliary chamber 46, another set of a drive shaft 66, a speed reducer 671, and a rotary drive source 67 is provided above the one shown. I have. A detachable joint 662 is also provided on the upper drive shaft 66 (not shown). When the vertical drive source 682 is driven in the state shown in FIG. 4, the roller unit moves up as a whole, and the fitting of the distal end of the drive shaft 66 in the detachable joint 662 is released. Then, when the roller unit rises to the height of the upper pair (not shown),
A roller unit is attached to the upper set of detachable joints 662. As a result, each of the transport rollers 61 is rotated by the rotation drive source 67 of the upper group.

Next, the configuration of the mask 7, which is a major feature of the apparatus of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. In the apparatus of the present embodiment, the surface of the tray 1 is covered with the mask 7 to prevent the thin film from adhering to the tray 1. The mask 7 covers the tray 1 from below the tray 1 as shown in FIG. Mask 7
Is a rectangular frame-shaped member having substantially the same size as the tray 1. The cross section of one side of the mask 7 is L-shaped, and the tray 1 is dropped into the step.

The operation of coating the tray 1 with the mask 7 is performed in the first auxiliary chamber 45. Mask 7
After the film forming process on the substrate 2, the tray 1 is returned to the first auxiliary chamber 45 again, the mask 7 is removed in the first auxiliary chamber 45, and the coating is released. ing. Regarding the attachment / detachment operation of the mask 7,
This will be described with reference to FIG. The attachment and detachment of the mask 7 is performed by a transfer mechanism provided in the first auxiliary chamber 45. The transport mechanism in the first auxiliary chamber 45 is essentially the same as the transport mechanism shown in FIG. 3, except that the first transport mechanism 6A for transporting the tray 1 covered with the mask 7 and only the tray 1 And a second transport mechanism 6B for transporting.

The first transport mechanism 6A includes a large number of left and right transport rollers 61 and a rotating shaft 62 for rotating each transport roller 61.
A pulley 64 fixed to each rotating shaft 62;
4 and a rotation drive source 67 for rotating a drive shaft 66 fixed to the selected pulley 64. As can be seen from FIG. 5, each transport roller 61
It is provided so as to contact the lower surface of the mask 7. When each transport roller 61 is rotated by the rotation drive source 67, the mask 7 moves in the horizontal direction. As a result, the tray 1 dropped on the mask 7 and the substrate 2 placed on the tray 1 also move in the horizontal direction. It has become. The rotary drive source 67 is mounted on a base plate 672, and is provided with a vertical drive source 674 for vertically moving a column 673 that supports the base plate 672. Vertical drive source 67
When the roller 4 is driven, the transport roller 61, the rotating shaft 62, the pulley 64, the rotary drive source 67, and the like move up and down integrally.

The second transport mechanism 6B includes a large number of left and right transport rollers 61, a rotating shaft 62 for rotating each transport roller 61, a pulley 64 fixed to each rotary shaft 62, and a winding around the pulley 64. Belt 65 and the selected pulley 64
And a rotation drive source 67 for rotating a drive shaft 66 fixed to the drive shaft 66. As shown in FIG. 5, each transport roller 61
The tray 1 is provided so as to contact the lower surface of the flange portion. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotary drive source 67 is provided outside the first auxiliary chamber 45, and the drive shaft 66 penetrates the side wall of the first auxiliary chamber 45 in an airtight manner. In addition, a mechanical seal 663 is similarly provided in this penetrating portion.

In the second transport mechanism 6B, similarly to the transport mechanism shown in FIG. 4, a holding plate 63 is supported by a column 631, and a vertical drive source 632 is provided on the column 631. As a result, the roller unit moves up and down. The drive shaft 66 is provided with a detachable joint 664 similar to that shown in FIG. And FIG.
As shown in (1), the rotary drive source 67 and the drive shaft 66 of the second transport mechanism 6B are provided at the height of the unloading transport line shown in FIG.

The attachment / detachment operation of the mask 7 will be described with reference to FIG.
No. 2 normally positions the roller unit at the lower standby position. When the substrate 2 on which film formation has been completed is placed on the tray 1, dropped into the mask 7, and transported, the vertical drive source 632 of the second drive mechanism 6B operates to raise the roller unit. As a result, the roller unit of the second drive mechanism 6B comes into contact with the flange of the tray 1 and lifts the tray 1. As a result, the covering with the mask 7 is released.
Further, the vertical drive source 632 is driven, and the roller unit is
It reaches a high position on the unloading transport line and stops. As a result, the roller unit is mounted on the detachable joint 664 of the drive shaft 66. Then, the rotation drive source 67 operates,
Each transport roller 61 moves the tray 1 and carries it out of the first auxiliary chamber 45 to the load lock chamber 44.

Next, the vertical drive mechanism 674 of the first transport mechanism 6A is driven, and the roller unit is moved up integrally. As a result, the remaining tray 1 is raised. The tray 1 on which the substrate 2 is placed is transported by the transport mechanism as shown in FIG. 3 and stopped on the upper transport line. The vertical drive source 674 of the first transport mechanism 6A raises the mask 7 to the upper transport line so that the lower side of the tray 1 is covered with the mask 7. Then, the rotation drive source 67 of the first transport mechanism 6A operates, and the mask 7, the tray 1, and the substrate 2 are transported integrally to the film forming chamber 42.

Next, the configuration inside the film forming chamber 42 will be supplementarily described. In the present embodiment, a thin film is formed by vacuum evaporation. That is, a crucible 421 in which a material to be formed is stored and an evaporator 422 for heating and evaporating the material in the crucible 421 are provided in the film forming chamber 42.
And As the evaporating means 422, a thermionic beam source for irradiating a material in the crucible 421 with a thermionic beam to heat the material is employed. Then, a magnet 423 for deflecting the thermoelectron beam by the effect of the magnetic field is provided.

As described above, when the substrate 2 is transferred from the first auxiliary chamber 45 to the second auxiliary chamber 46, it is temporarily located in the film forming chamber 42. At this time, if the film-forming material reaches the substrate 2 and a thin film is deposited, it becomes difficult to control the film thickness. In this case, the film-forming material is prevented from reaching. In particular,
An adhesion-preventing plate 424 is provided between the upper transfer line and the lower transfer line of the film forming chamber 42 so that the film forming material does not reach the substrate 2 on the upper transfer line.

A heating means (not shown) is provided in the first auxiliary chamber 45, the second auxiliary chamber 46, and the film forming chamber 42. As the heating means, a radiant heating means such as an infrared lamp is suitably used. When the substrate 2 is heated to a predetermined temperature to form a film, thermal energy is used to grow the film, and there is an effect that the film forming speed is improved. However, in the case of a glass substrate 2 as described below, if it is heated rapidly, it may be damaged by thermal shock, and it is necessary to heat it with a low temperature gradient of not exceeding Δ20 ° C. per minute. Therefore, in the apparatus of the present embodiment, not only the film forming chamber 42 but also the first auxiliary chamber 4
A heating means is also provided in the fifth and second auxiliary chambers 46 so that a long heating time can be obtained. With such a configuration, the substrate 2 can be heated to a predetermined temperature while preventing the substrate 2 from being damaged. When the film is formed after the substrate 2 is heated, an adsorbed gas on the surface of the substrate 2 and an occluded gas inside the substrate 2 are released in advance, which also has an effect of improving the quality of the thin film.

An example of film formation will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a substrate for a plasma display is formed. The material of the substrate 2 is soda-lime glass such as PD200 manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd., and the thin film to be formed is an MgO film or the like. The heating temperature of the substrate 2 that is heated and maintained during the transfer to the first auxiliary chamber 45, the second auxiliary chamber 45, and the film forming chamber 42 is about 200 to 250 ° C.

As can be understood from the above description, in the apparatus of the present embodiment, the film is formed in a state where the surface of the tray 1 is covered with the mask 7. For this reason, the adhesion of the thin film to the tray 1 is suppressed, and even when the tray 1 is taken out to the atmosphere side, the problem is caused by the fact that the thin film is again used for film formation while being contaminated by moisture and organic substances in the atmosphere. Does not occur. Further, since the tray 1 can be taken out to the atmosphere side, it is not necessary to open the chamber to the atmosphere even when changing the tray 1 to another type. Therefore, there is no need to stop the operation of the apparatus for a long period of time for replacing the tray 1, and there is no cause of a decrease in productivity.

As can be understood from the above description, the mask 7 circulates along the set transport line through each of the chambers 44, 45, 42 and 46, and is used for the next film forming process of the substrate 2. ing. That is, in the apparatus of the present embodiment, the mask 7 is configured to cover the tray 1 during the multiple film forming processes without being taken out to the atmosphere side during the multiple film forming processes and on the vacuum side. I have. As in the case of the tray 1, if the mask 7 is taken out to the atmosphere side each time the processing is performed, the thin film on the surface of the mask 7 is contaminated because the thin film adheres to the surface of the mask 7. A problem similar to the conventional one occurs.

How many times the mask 7 is used by repeating the process is determined by the amount of the accumulated thin film adhering to the mask 7. That is, when the accumulated amount of the thin film is increased and the film thickness is increased, the thin film is easily peeled off due to stress in the film thickness, its own weight, and the like. When the thin film is peeled off, dust called particles is generated, which reaches the surface of the substrate 2 and causes local defects such as abnormal film thickness. Then, after repeating the film forming process so that the film thickness on the surface of the mask 7 reaches a certain amount, the mask 7 is taken out to the atmosphere side. Then, maintenance such as replacing the mask 7 with a new one or removing a thin film on the surface is performed.

In the above description, the tray 1 is taken out to the atmosphere every time one process is performed. However, the tray 1 may be taken out every time a plurality of processes are performed. Specifically, the tray 1 is circulated by the same mechanism as that of the mask 7, so that the tray 1 is used for a plurality of film forming processes. Then, for example, only when it is necessary to replace the tray 1 with another type, the tray 1 is taken out to the atmosphere side. In the case where the thin film adheres to the tray 1 although it is covered by the mask 7, if the number of times that the tray 1 is taken out to the atmosphere side is reduced, the contamination is suppressed even for this slight thin film. It becomes suitable.

Next, another configuration of the tray 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating another configuration of the tray 1. The tray 1 is configured so that a plurality of substrates 2 can be placed at the same time. In particular,
It is configured so that three rectangular substrates 2 having different shapes can be placed at the same time. The tray 1 is plate-shaped, and has openings suitable for the shapes of the three substrates 2. The edge of each opening is provided with a step on which the edge of each substrate 2 is placed, and each substrate 2 is placed on the tray 1 so as to be dropped into this step.

In forming a film on the substrate 2 for a plasma display or the substrate 2 for a liquid crystal display, the type of thin film to be formed is the same, but the dimensions and shape of the substrate 2 may differ depending on the type of display to be manufactured. Many. In this case, it is very preferable that a plurality of substrates 2 having different dimensions and shapes are placed on the tray 1 so that they can be simultaneously formed into a film. Of course, even when a plurality of substrates 2 having the same size and shape are simultaneously placed and formed into a film, the effect of improving the productivity can be obtained.

The mask 7 of the above-described embodiment is also used as a substrate mask for depositing a thin film only on a specific region on the surface of the substrate 2. Specifically, the square opening of the mask 7 has a similar shape slightly smaller than the size of the substrate 2. For this reason, a thin film is not deposited on a margin having a certain width from the periphery of the substrate 2. The margin portion is a portion for holding the substrate 2 in a later step or fixing the substrate 2 when the substrate 2 is assembled as a display. If a thin film is deposited on this portion, the thin film is peeled off during holding and fixing, and dust is easily generated. For this reason, the mask 7 is used as a substrate mask to prevent thin film deposition on the margin. Another example of the substrate mask is prevention of film deposition at a central portion of an information recording substrate such as a hard disk, and deposition of a predetermined circuit pattern on a printed circuit board or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the tray 1 is dropped into the mask 7 is adopted, but this configuration is not essential, and a single plate-like member simply moves the tray 1 from below or from above. Covering configuration may be used. The mask 7 is circulated along the endless transport path and used for a plurality of film forming processes. For example, a load lock chamber, a film forming chamber, and another load lock chamber may be used. If the chamber arrangement is airtightly connected in a straight line,
In some cases, the mask 7 is configured to be used for a plurality of film forming processes while moving back and forth on a straight transport path connecting the load lock chamber, the film forming chamber, and another load lock chamber.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A mask is provided to cover the tray so as to prevent the thin film from adhering to the tray, and the mask is not taken out to the atmosphere during a plurality of film forming processes on the substrate and is not taken out in the film forming chamber or the film forming chamber. It is located in the auxiliary chamber to prevent the thin film from adhering to the tray during multiple film forming processes, so that even when the tray is taken out to the atmosphere side, the thin film is contaminated by atmospheric moisture and organic substances. There is no problem caused by being used again for film formation. Further, since the tray can be taken out to the atmosphere side, it is not necessary to open the chamber to the atmosphere even when changing the tray to another type. Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the operation of the apparatus for a long period of time for replacing the tray, and the cause of the decrease in productivity does not occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view illustrating the configuration of a tray transport type film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of a substrate formed by the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, a tray and a mask used for film formation.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a transport mechanism used in the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a transport mechanism provided with a lifting unit.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view illustrating a mask mounting / removing operation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating another configuration of the tray.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a conventional tray transport type film forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 tray 2 substrate 40 gate valve 42 film forming chamber 421 crucible 422 evaporating means 423 magnet 424 deposition prevention plate 44 load lock chamber 45 first auxiliary chamber 46 second auxiliary chamber 6A first transport mechanism 6B second transport mechanism 61 Conveyance Roller 62 Rotary Shaft 63 Holding Plate 64 Pulley 65 Belt 66 Drive Shaft 67 Rotation Drive Source 7 Mask

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A film forming chamber provided with a film forming means for forming a predetermined thin film on a surface of a substrate, and the substrate is temporarily arranged when loading and unloading the substrate between the atmosphere side and the inside of the film forming chamber. This is a tray-conveying film-forming apparatus that is installed vertically with an auxiliary chamber to be loaded and carries a tray on which a substrate is loaded into the film-forming chamber to form a film, and covers the tray to prevent thin films from adhering to the tray. A mask is provided, and the mask is not taken out to the atmosphere side during a plurality of film forming processes on the substrate and is located in the film forming chamber or in the film forming chamber and the auxiliary chamber. Wherein a thin film is prevented from adhering to the tray during the process. 2. The tray is taken out to the atmosphere every time one or more film forming processes are performed, and can be replaced with another type of tray when taken out to the atmosphere. The tray transport type film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The tray transport according to claim 2, wherein said tray or said another type of tray is capable of mounting a plurality of substrates so that a film can be formed on a plurality of substrates simultaneously. Type film forming equipment. 4. The mask according to claim 1, wherein the mask is used not only for preventing the thin film from adhering to the tray, but also as a substrate mask for applying the thin film only to a specific region on the surface of the substrate. 4. The tray transport type film forming apparatus according to 2, 3 or 4. 5. In the auxiliary chamber or another chamber provided separately from the auxiliary chamber, the substrate or the substrate and the tray or the mask may be placed before the film formation in the film formation chamber. 4. A heating means for performing heating by heating is provided.
Or a tray transport type film forming apparatus according to 4.