KR20110116210A - Film forming device, film forming method, and organic el element - Google Patents

Abstract

(Problem) The deterioration of the metal layer of the organic electroluminescent element which forms an electron injection layer is prevented.
(Solution means) The film forming apparatus PM1 includes a processing container 100 that performs a desired process on a substrate therein, and an evaporation source 200 that stores organic materials and heats and vaporizes the stored organic materials. 1 evaporation source) and a first ejection mechanism which is embedded in the processing container 100 and connected to the evaporation source 200 and ejects the organic material vaporized from the evaporation source 200 toward the substrate G in the processing container. The vaporizer 300 (a second deposition source) for storing the alkali metal materials such as lithium, the alkali metal materials such as lithium, and heating and vaporizing the stored alkali metal materials; and the vaporizer ( And a second ejection mechanism 130 for ejecting the alkali metal material vaporized in the vaporizer 300 toward the substrate G in the processing vessel.

Description

FILM FORMING DEVICE, FILM FORMING METHOD, AND ORGANIC EL ELEMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, a film forming method, and an organic EL element, and more particularly, to a film structure included in an organic EL element, and a film forming apparatus and a film forming method for forming the film structure.

Recently, an organic EL display using an organic EL (Organic Electroluminescence) device that emits light using an organic compound has attracted attention. This organic EL device has characteristics such as self-luminous, fast reaction speed, low power consumption, and the like. For this reason, the image is not only very beautiful compared to the liquid crystal display, but also requires no backlight, so that a thin film is possible, and in particular, application to a display portion of a portable device is expected.

The organic EL element is formed on a glass substrate and has a structure in which an organic layer is sandwiched by an anode layer (anode) and a cathode layer (cathode). When a current of several V is applied to the organic EL element from outside to flow current, electrons are injected into the organic layer from the cathode side, and holes are injected into the organic layer from the anode side. The injection of electrons and holes causes the organic material vapor to be excited, but when the electrons and holes recombine and the excited organic material vapor returns to its original base state, the extra energy is emitted as light. .

When electrons are injected into the organic layer, if the electron injection barrier can be lowered and electrons can be efficiently injected into the organic layer from the cathode side, a high-performance organic EL device can be manufactured. For this reason, forming the electron injection layer which consists of materials, such as alkali metal with a low work function, is generally performed in the interface of an organic layer and a cathode (for example, refer nonpatent literature 1).

In Non-Patent Document 1, forming an organic layer doped with a metal between each cathode and emitter layer is disclosed. As a dopant metal, lithium (Li), strontium (Sr), or samarium (Sm) is mentioned as an example, for example.

 “Bright organic electroluminescent devices having a metal-doped electron-injecting layer” 1998 American Institute of Physics, Applied Physics Letters, VOLUME 73, NUMBER 20, 16 NOVEMBER 1998

Alkali metal is preferable as a material which forms an electron injection layer because a work function is small. However, since alkali metal is a highly active species, on the other hand, even in a processing chamber in a high vacuum state, it easily reacts with moisture, nitrogen, oxygen, etc. remaining in the room. Therefore, when the electron injection layer is formed in a state where such impurities are present on the surface of the organic layer serving as the base of the electron injection layer, impurities such as lithium and metal react at the interface, for example, lithium oxide ( Deterioration occurred in the film, such as becoming an insulator of Li ₂ O). For this reason, conventionally, the method of forming a thin film of lithium has been taken in consideration of the change of metals such as lithium into insulators such as lithium oxide. However, this also caused problems such as unevenness of the performance of the organic EL device due to poor film in-plane uniformity when a very thin film of lithium was formed.

Then, in order to solve the said problem, this invention provides the film-forming apparatus, the film-forming method, and organic electroluminescent element which prevented the deterioration of the metal layer which forms an electron injection layer, and raised the electron injection efficiency of the same layer.

That is, in order to solve the said subject, according to one Embodiment of this invention, the processing container which performs a desired process on a to-be-processed object inside, an organic material is accommodated, and the accommodated organic material is heated, A first evaporation mechanism to be vaporized, a first ejection mechanism which is embedded in the processing vessel and connected to the first evaporation source, and ejects the organic material vaporized in the first deposition source toward the object to be processed in the processing vessel; And a second deposition source for storing alkali metal and heating and vaporizing the stored alkali metal, and an alkali metal vaporized in the second deposition source while being embedded in the processing container and connected to the second deposition source. There is provided a film forming apparatus having a second ejection mechanism for ejecting toward an object in a processing container.

According to this, the first ejection mechanism which ejects the organic material vaporized by the 1st deposition source toward the to-be-processed object in a processing container, and the 2nd ejection of the alkali metal vaporized from the 2nd deposition source toward the to-be-processed object in the said processing container are carried out. Has a blowing mechanism. According to this, the 1st blowing mechanism which blows out the material vapor of organic material, and the 2nd blowing mechanism which blows off the vaporization atom of alkali metal are provided in one process container. According to this, after forming an organic layer, an alkali metal layer can be formed in the same chamber, without conveying a to-be-processed object toward another processing apparatus. As a result, impurities such as moisture, nitrogen and oxygen can be avoided from adhering to the surface of the organic layer. Thereby, deterioration of the film, such as an alkali metal layer, reacting with the impurity adhering to the surface of an organic layer, and becoming an insulator can be prevented. As a result, electron injection efficiency can be improved and a high performance organic electroluminescent element can be manufactured.

In addition, since the deterioration of the alkali metal layer can be prevented as described above, the film can be formed thicker than in the prior art. For example, an alkali metal layer can be formed into a film in thickness of 0.5 nm-100 nm. By film-forming an alkali metal layer to some extent, the nonuniformity of the performance of an organic EL element can be suppressed. In addition, by providing a certain thickness in the alkali metal layer, not only the alkali metal layer can function as an electron injection layer, but also can function as a cathode of an organic EL element.

However, in order to prevent the active alkali metal layer from reacting with residual moisture, nitrogen, oxygen, etc. in the processing container, the alkali metal layer may be protected by a protective film such as a metal, a resin, or a silicon oxynitride film such as SiN immediately after forming the alkali metal layer. There is a need.

Thus, the film forming apparatus includes a third deposition source that accommodates the protective film material and heats and vaporizes the stored protective film material, and is connected to the third deposition source while being embedded in the processing container, and the third deposition source. You may further have the 3rd blowing mechanism which sprays the protective film material vaporized in the inside toward the to-be-processed object in the said processing container.

You may further have the sputter apparatus built in the said processing container and sputter | spatting the target which consists of a protective film material.

And a holding stage for placing the object to be conveyed to the processing container, wherein the mounting table has the object to be placed in an upward, downward, or vertical direction from the first ejection mechanism side to the second ejection mechanism side. It may be made to slide toward.

The rollers are provided at both ends of the processing container and the rollers at both ends are wound to move the film wound on the rollers at both ends from the first ejection mechanism side toward the second ejection mechanism side. good.

The said processing container may be provided with the exhaust apparatus at least on the said 1st blowing mechanism side.

A partition may be provided between the said 1st blowing mechanism and the said 2nd blowing mechanism.

The first deposition source is formed of a plurality of crucibles containing a plurality of organic materials, and the first ejection mechanism is formed of a plurality of ejection portions connected to a plurality of crucibles, and a plurality of organic vaporized in the plurality of crucibles By spraying materials from the plurality of spraying portions formed in the first spraying mechanism, respectively, an organic layer in which a plurality of organic materials are laminated on the target object may be continuously formed.

The alkali metal may be any of lithium, cesium, sodium, potassium or rubidium.

Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, according to another embodiment of this invention, the organic material accommodated in the 1st deposition source is heated and vaporized, and the organic material vaporized in the said 1st deposition source to the said 1st deposition source. An organic layer is formed into a to-be-processed object in the said processing container by the said ejected organic material, and the alkali metal stored in the 2nd vapor deposition source is heated and vaporized by the said 1st blowing mechanism connected to the processing container, 2 Alkali metal vaporized in the evaporation source is ejected into the processing vessel from the second ejection mechanism connected to the second evaporation source, and by the ejected alkali metal, a metal layer directly on the organic layer of the object to be processed in the processing vessel. A film forming method for forming a film is provided.

At this time, an electrometallic layer may be formed into a thickness of 0.5 nm to 100 nm. According to this, the metal layer can function as an electron injection layer and an electrode.

The protective film material contained in the third deposition source is heated and vaporized, and the protective film material vaporized in the third deposition source is ejected into the processing vessel from the third ejection mechanism connected to the third deposition source, and the ejected protective film You may form a protective film immediately on the metal layer of a to-be-processed object in the said processing container with the material for it.

A target made of a protective film material may be sputtered by a sputtering device incorporated in the processing container, and a protective film may be formed directly on the metal layer of the object in the processing container by the sputtered protective film material.

The surface of the said metal layer is etched by the etching apparatus arrange | positioned outside the said processing container, the sputter | spatter apparatus arrange | positioned outside the said processing container sputter | spatters the target which consists of materials for protective films, and the said process container with the said sputtered protective film material You may form a protective film immediately on the metal layer of a to-be-processed object outside.

The surface of the metal layer is etched by the etching apparatus disposed outside the processing container, the plasma is excited from the protective film material gas by the CVD apparatus disposed outside the processing container, and the excited plasma is used to A protective film may be formed directly on the metal layer.

Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, according to another embodiment of the present invention, any one of lithium, cesium, sodium, potassium or rubidium on the organic layer formed on the ITO of the object to be treated and on the organic layer is 0.5 nm to 100 nm. An organic EL device comprising a metal layer functioning as an electron injection layer and an electrode by forming a film with a thickness of and a protective film formed on the metal layer is provided.

According to this, by forming the organic layer and the alkali metal layer continuously in the same space in the processing container, the alkali metal reacts with the residual moisture, nitrogen, oxygen, etc. in the processing container, and deteriorates at the interface between the alkali metal layer and the organic layer. have. Thereby, the high performance organic electroluminescent element which maintained the electron injection efficiency high can be manufactured.

In order to solve the said subject, according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a processing chamber for performing a desired treatment on a target object inside, a first deposition source for storing organic materials and heating and vaporizing the stored organic materials. And a first ejection mechanism embedded in the processing container and connected to the first deposition source, for ejecting an organic material vaporized from the first deposition source toward the object to be processed in the processing container, and embedded in the processing container. And a first sputtering device for sputtering a target made of an alkali metal material, and a second sputtering device embedded in the processing container and sputtering a target made of a protective film material.

The said processing container may be provided with the exhaust apparatus at least on the said 1st blowing mechanism side.

A partition may be provided between the said 1st blowing mechanism and the said 1st sputter apparatus.

As described above, according to the present invention, the deterioration of the metal layer forming the electron injection layer can be prevented, and the electron injection efficiency of the copper layer can be improved.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing system according to a first to fourth embodiment and a modification thereof.
2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a manufacturing process of an organic EL device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the first embodiment.
4 is a diagram showing an organic EL element formed by six-layer continuous film forming processes according to the first to fourth embodiments.
5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the modification of the first embodiment.
6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the second embodiment.
7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the third embodiment.
8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the modification of the third embodiment.
9 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the fourth embodiment.

(Form to carry out invention)

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Each embodiment of this invention is described in detail, referring an accompanying drawing below. In addition, in the following description and an accompanying drawing, overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol about the component which has the same structure and function.

In addition, it demonstrates according to the procedure shown below.

[1] First embodiment

[1-1] Overall structure of substrate processing system

[1-2] Internal structure of the film forming apparatus

[1-3] Modified Example of First Embodiment

[2] Second Embodiment

[2-1] Internal structure of the film forming apparatus

[3] Third embodiment

[3-1] Internal structure of the film forming apparatus

[3-2] Modified Example of Third Embodiment

[4] Fourth Embodiment

[1] First embodiment

[1-1] Overall structure of substrate processing system

First, the whole structure of the substrate processing system containing the film-forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. The organic EL element is manufactured in, for example, a cluster-type substrate processing system Sys shown in FIG. 1.

In the substrate processing system Sys, a plurality of processing containers are connected to the cluster side. In practice, the substrate processing system Sys includes a load lock module (LLM), a transfer device (TM), a cleaning device (pre-processing chamber) (CM; cleaning module), and a film forming apparatus ( It has PM1; Process Module, an etching apparatus PM2, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus PM3, and a sputter apparatus PM4. Film-forming apparatus PM1 is corresponded to the film-forming apparatus which continuously forms an organic layer and an alkali metal layer in the same process container.

The load lock apparatus LLM holds the inside in a reduced pressure state in order to convey the glass substrate G (henceforth board | substrate G) conveyed from the atmospheric system to the conveying apparatus TM in a pressure reduction state ( It is a vacuum conveyance chamber which was a guarantee. The conveying arm TM is provided in the conveying apparatus TM with the articulated-shaped conveying arm which can be bent, extended | contracted, and swiveled in the substantially center. The board | substrate G is conveyed from the loadlock apparatus LLM to the cleaning apparatus CM first using the conveyance arm Arm. Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) as an anode layer is formed in the substrate G, and the cleaning device CM removes contaminants (mainly organic substances) adhered to the surface thereof.

2, the manufacturing process of an organic electroluminescent element is shown. As shown to Fig.2 (a), the cleaning board | substrate G is carried in film-forming apparatus PM1. In the film forming apparatus PM1, as shown in FIG. 2B, six organic layers 20 are successively formed on the ITO surface of the substrate by vapor deposition. After forming an organic layer, in the film-forming apparatus PM1, as shown to FIG.2 (c), the metal layer 30 is formed by vapor deposition immediately. A vaporizer is used to form the metal layer 30. The metal forming the metal layer 30 is preferably an alkali metal having a low work function, and particularly preferably lithium, cesium, sodium, potassium or rubidium. These alkali metals are highly active and unstable, in particular, in the case of a thin film, it is difficult to achieve in-plane uniformity. In this embodiment, the organic layer 20 and the metal layer in the same space of the film forming apparatus PM1. The film 30 is formed continuously. In the present embodiment, this will be described later with an example in which lithium is used as the alkali metal.

Next, the board | substrate G is gripped by the arm Arm of the conveying apparatus TM, and is conveyed to the etching apparatus PM2. In etching apparatus PM2, as shown in FIG.2 (d), the surface of the metal layer 30 is soft-etched and the impurity adhering to the surface of the metal layer 30 is removed. Then, the board | substrate G is hold | gripped by the arm Arm of the conveying apparatus TM, and is conveyed by the sputter apparatus PM4. In sputter apparatus PM4, the atom of the protective film material which protrudes is laminated | stacked on the metal layer 30 by sputtering the target which consists of protective film materials, such as aluminum and silver. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2E, the protective film 40 is formed on the metal layer 30.

When light is taken out from the top of the laminated film, it is necessary to transmit the light through the metal layer 30, so that the metal layer 30 needs to be formed thin. In this case, since the metal layer 30 is a thin film, the soft etching shown in FIG. 2D may not be possible. Therefore, a transparent oxide film such as an ITO film may be formed on the surface of the metal layer 30 so as not to perform soft etching.

CVD apparatus PM3 may be used in place of the sputter apparatus PM4 for the formation of the protective film 40. Also in this case, as shown in FIG.2 (d), the surface of the metal layer 30 is soft-etched first, and the impurity adhering to the surface of the metal layer 30 is removed. Thereafter, the substrate G is conveyed to the CVD apparatus PM3. In the CVD apparatus PM3, plasma is excited from the protective film material gas, and the protective film 40 is formed on the metal layer of the substrate G by the excited plasma. Also by this, as shown in FIG.2 (e), the protective film 40 is formed on the metal layer 30. FIG. In addition, the CVD apparatus PM3 excites a gas such as a capacitively coupled (parallel flat) plasma processing apparatus, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) plasma processing apparatus, an ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance), or a microwave plasma processing apparatus. Any device may be used as long as the device generates a plasma and forms the substrate G using the generated plasma.

(Controller)

The controller 50 has a ROM 50a, a RAM 50b, a CPU 50c, and an input / output I / F (interface) 50d. In the ROM 50a and the RAM 50b, for example, the evaporation rate of the organic material when forming the organic layer 20 is controlled, or the evaporation rate of the alkali metal when forming the metal layer 30 is controlled. The data and control program to be stored are stored.

Each device of the substrate processing system Sys is controlled by the controller 50. Specifically, the CPU 50c generates a drive signal for controlling the conveyance and the process in the substrate processing system Sys by using the data and the control program stored in the ROM 50a and the RAM 50b. The input / output I / F 50d outputs the drive signal generated by the CPU 50c to the substrate processing system Sys, and accordingly inputs the response signal output from the substrate processing system Sys, and the CPU 50c. To pass).

[1-2] Internal structure of the film forming apparatus

Next, the internal structure of film-forming apparatus PM1 is demonstrated in detail, referring FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the present embodiment. The film-forming apparatus PM1 has the processing container 100, the vapor deposition source 200 as a 1st vapor deposition source, and the vaporizer | carburetor 300 as a 2nd vapor deposition source.

The processing container 100 is a rectangular parallelepiped and incorporates a slideable mounting base 110, six first blowing mechanisms 120a to 120f, one second blowing mechanism 130, a partition wall 140, and a partition wall 150. do. On the side wall of the processing container 100, gate valves 160a and 160b, which can carry in and take out the substrate G by opening and closing, are provided.

The mounting base 110 electrostatically adsorbs the substrate G carried in from the gate valve 160a by a high voltage applied from a high voltage power supply (not shown). In the state where the mounting base 110 puts the board | substrate G in the downward direction in this way, the 2nd ejection mechanism 130 side is moved from the 1st ejection mechanism 120a side on the rail 110a provided in the ceiling surface. Slid toward. Thereby, the board | substrate G moves in parallel in the slight air | atmosphere of each ejection opening in order of the 1st blowing mechanism 120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e, 120f, and the 2nd blowing mechanism 130. FIG.

The first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f have the same shape and structure, and are arranged at equal intervals in parallel to each other. The 1st blowing mechanism 120a-120f has the hollow shape (hollow space S) rectangular inside, and blows out organic material vapor from the opening formed in the upper center. Lower portions of the first blowing mechanisms 120a to 120f are connected to the deposition source 200 via first gas supply pipes 170a to 170f passing through the bottom wall of the processing container 100.

In the same space of the processing container 100, the 2nd blowing mechanism 130 is provided in a little distance from the 1st blowing mechanism 120f. The lower part of the 2nd blowing mechanism 130 is connected to the vaporizer | carburetor 300 via the 2nd gas supply pipe 180 which penetrates the bottom wall of the processing container 100. FIG. In the first gas supply pipes 170a to 170f and the second gas supply pipe 180, valves V1 and V2 for controlling supply, interruption, and flow rate of the organic material and the alkali metal material conveyed to the processing container side are respectively provided. .

The partition walls 140 and 150 which divide each blowing mechanism are provided on both sides of the 1st blowing mechanism 120a-120f and the 2nd blowing mechanism 130, respectively. This prevents mixing of various organic materials and alkali metal materials ejected from the ejection openings of the adjacent first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f and the second ejection mechanism 130 with each other.

In the processing container 100, an exhaust port 190a is formed on the first ejection mechanism 120a side. When the exhaust device 195a connected to the exhaust port 190a is driven, residues of the organic material ejected from the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f are discharged out of the processing vessel from the exhaust port 190a. Moreover, the exhaust port 190b is formed in the processing container 100 at the 2nd blowing mechanism 130 side. When the exhaust device 195b connected to the exhaust port 190b is driven, residual atoms of alkali metal material vapor ejected from the second ejection mechanism 130 are discharged out of the processing vessel from the exhaust port 190b. In particular, in the film formation by vapor deposition, the vaporized atoms reach the substrate G while flying in the processing container and are used for film formation. Even if the gas atom once adsorb | sucked to the board | substrate G exists, it may fly again inside the process container away from the board | substrate G. As described above, in the deposition by vapor deposition, the vaporized atoms tend to diffuse very widely in the processing container.

Therefore, by exhausting the organic material vapor which remained from the 1st blowing mechanism 120a side, it can suppress that an organic material vapor is flying to the 2nd blowing mechanism 130 side, and to be mixed in the metal layer 30. FIG. In addition, by evacuating the remaining lithium from the second ejection mechanism 130 side, it is possible to suppress that lithium flows to the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f and is mixed in the organic layer 20. During the film formation of the organic layer 20, only the exhaust device 195a is driven to prevent the residual organic material vapor from flying toward the second ejection mechanism 130, and during the film formation of the metal layer 30, the exhaust device 195b. The bay may be driven to prevent residual lithium from flying toward the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f. During film formation, the inside of the processing container is maintained at a reduced pressure of about 10 ⁻² Pa to 10 ⁻³ Pa by driving the respective exhaust devices 195a and 195b.

Six crucibles 210a to 210f having the same shape and structure are built in the deposition source 200. Each crucible 210a-210f accommodates different organic materials A-F inside, respectively. The heaters 220a to 220f are embedded in the bottom of the container in which the organic materials A to F are stored, respectively. By heating the heaters 220a to 220f respectively, the vaporization rates of the organic materials A to F are controlled by setting the crucibles 210a to 210f at a high temperature of about 200 to 500 ° C. In addition, vaporization includes not only the phenomenon in which a liquid turns into a gas, but also the phenomenon in which a solid turns directly into a gas without passing through a liquid state (that is, sublimation).

The crucibles 210a to 210f are provided with a gas line for supplying argon gas Ar. The argon gas supplied from the gas line into the crucible 210f receives the organic material vapors A through F vaporized in the crucibles 210a through 210f through the first gas supply pipes 170a through 170f. It is conveyed to -120f, and it is discharged | emitted into the process container 100 from the blower outlet of 1st blowing mechanism 120a-120f. An exhaust port 230 is formed in the deposition source 200. By driving the exhaust device 240, the inside of the processing container is maintained at a desired vacuum degree.

The first gas supply pipes 170a to 170f that allow the argon gas and the organic material vapor to pass through are also controlled at a temperature of 200 ° C. or higher similarly to the crucible. As a result, when the organic material vapor is conveyed by the argon gas, it can be prevented from adhering to the first gas supply pipes 170a to 170f and the like to liquefy. Thereby, the material efficiency at the time of forming the organic layer 20 into a film can be improved.

The vaporizer | carburetor 300 which heats and vaporizes lithium is provided in the exterior of the processing container 100. As shown in FIG. Inside the vaporizer | carburetor 300, the evaporation container Ds1 which can accommodate alkali metals, such as lithium, is provided. The power source Ds2 is connected to the evaporation vessel Ds1. A desired voltage is applied to the power source Ds2 based on the drive signal output from the controller 50, and a predetermined current flows through the evaporation vessel Ds1. Thereby, the evaporation container Ds1 is heated and hold | maintained at a desired temperature. In this way, the amount of evaporation of lithium stored in the evaporation container Ds1 is adjusted. The material contained in the evaporation vessel Ds1 may be any one of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and the like as long as the work function is an alkali metal material having a low work function.

The vaporizer | carburetor 300 is connected to the vacuum pump 310 via the opening degree adjustable valve V3. The inside of the vaporizer | carburetor 300 is controlled by desired vacuum pressure by adjusting the opening degree of the valve V3 based on the drive signal output from the controller 50. As shown in FIG.

In addition, the vaporizer | carburetor 300 is connected to the argon gas supply source 320 through the mass flow controller MFC and valve V4 which adjust the flow volume of gas. The supply, interruption, and flow rate of the argon gas are adjusted by controlling the massflow controller MFC and the valve V4 based on the drive signal output from the controller 50.

Accordingly, lithium evaporated in the vaporizer 300 is conveyed to the second ejection mechanism 130 through the second gas supply pipe 180 using the argon gas of the predetermined amount sent into the vaporizer 300 as the carrier gas. From the spout, into the processing vessel. In addition, as an apparatus which ejects alkali metal from the 2nd ejection mechanism 130, it is not limited to the said vaporizer | carburetor 300, You may use the mechanism which makes it eject directly by evaporating an alkali metal single body.

The second gas supply pipe 180 and the vaporizer 300 which allow the argon gas and the organic material vapor to pass through are controlled at a temperature of 200 ° C or higher. Thereby, while controlling the evaporation rate of lithium, when lithium is conveyed by argon gas, it can prevent it from adhering to the 2nd gas supply pipe 180 etc. and liquefying. Thereby, the material efficiency at the time of forming the metal layer 30 can be improved.

In addition, in order to form the metal layer 30, the vapor deposition source of the same structure as the crucible used for forming the organic layer 20 instead of the vaporizer | carburetor 300 may be used, and a heater, such as a resistance heating board, may be used.

According to the film-forming apparatus PM1 demonstrated above, the organic layer 20 is formed of the organic material vapor sprayed from the 1st blowing mechanism 120a-120f, and the organic sprayed from the 2nd blowing mechanism 130 after that is formed. The organic layer 20 is formed continuously by the material vapor.

Specifically, among the organic material vapors ejected from the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f, first of all, the organic material vapors ejected from the first ejection mechanism 120a advance above the ejection mechanism 120a at a certain speed. By attaching to ITO (anode) on the substrate G, as shown in FIG. 4, the organic material vapor A ejected from the first ejection mechanism 120a is deposited on the substrate G, thereby depositing the first on the substrate. A hole injection layer of layers is formed. Subsequently, when the substrate G moves from the first ejection mechanism 120b to the first ejection mechanism 120f in order, the organic material vapors B to F ejected from the first ejection mechanisms 120b to 120f are respectively. By depositing on the substrate G, the organic layers (second to sixth layers) are formed in order. Finally, lithium discharged from the second ejection mechanism 130 is deposited on the substrate G, whereby the metal layer 30 is formed.

In this way, the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 are continuously formed in the same processing apparatus, whereby deterioration of the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 can be prevented. This will be described in detail. Alkali metals, such as lithium and cesium, are preferable as a material which forms the electron injection layer of organic electroluminescent element, because a work function is small. However, since alkali metal is a highly active species, on the other hand, even in a processing chamber in a high vacuum state, it easily reacts with moisture, nitrogen, oxygen, etc. remaining in the room. Therefore, when the metal layer 30 is formed on the surface of the organic layer 20 that is the base of the metal layer 30 in the presence of such impurities, alkali is formed at the interface between the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30. Deterioration occurs in the metal layer 30, for example, the metal and the impurities attached to the organic layer react to form an insulator of lithium oxide (Li ₂ O). For this reason, conventionally, the method of forming a lithium film very thinly has been taken in consideration of the change of alkali metals, such as lithium, into an insulator. However, this also caused problems such as unevenness of the performance of the organic EL device due to poor film in-plane uniformity when a very thin film of lithium was formed.

On the other hand, in the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on this embodiment, it is not necessary to convey a board | substrate to a separate chamber after film-forming of the organic layer 20 and before film-forming of the metal layer 30. FIG. Thus, the probability that impurities are deposited on the organic layer is very low. Therefore, the probability that the metal layer 30 formed directly on the organic layer in the same processing container is insulated by reacting with impurities at the interface of the organic layer 20 is also very low. As a result, the electron injection efficiency of the metal layer 30 can be improved, and the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the organic layer 20 can be improved.

In addition, according to the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the probability that the metal layer 30 reacts with impurities at the interface of the organic layer 20 to be insulated is very low, thereby reducing the electron injection efficiency. An alkali metal film can be formed to be thicker than conventionally without making it happen. For this reason, according to this film-forming apparatus PM1, the metal layer 30 can be formed into a thickness of 0.5 nm-100 nm, for example, and it becomes the film thickness which can manage a film-forming process. By forming the metal layer 30 to a certain thickness, the in-plane uniformity of the metal layer 30 can be improved, and the nonuniformity of the performance of an organic EL element can be suppressed.

In addition, by forming the metal layer 30 to a certain thickness, it is possible to make the electrode injection of the electron injection layer conventionally impossible because the film is too thin. That is, according to the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the metal layer 30 can be functioned as an electron injection layer and an electrode (cathode) by forming the metal layer 30 to a thickness of, for example, about 50 nm to 100 nm. . In addition, by forming the metal layer 30 to a certain thickness, the metal layer 30 can absorb the damage to the sputter of the protective film in a later step, thereby reducing the damage to the organic layer 20 by the sputter. Can be.

After forming the metal layer 30, the board | substrate G is conveyed to the etching apparatus PM2 of FIG. 1, soft-etches the metal layer 30 of lithium which is easy to react, and cleans the surface ((d) of FIG. ) Reference). Thereafter, the sputtering atom Ag is driven out by directly conveying to the sputtering device PM4 and colliding ions of argon gas with the sputtering material formed of aluminum (Al) or silver (Ag). The sputtered atoms Ag dripped are deposited on the metal layer 30. As a result, the protective film 40 shown in Fig. 2E is formed. The protective film 40 prevents oxidation of the metal layer 30 which is a high activation species.

When light is taken out from the top of the laminated film, it is necessary to transmit the light through the metal layer 30, so that the metal layer 30 needs to be formed thin. In this case, since the metal layer 30 is a thin film, the soft etching shown in FIG. 2D may not be possible. Therefore, a transparent oxide film such as an ITO film may be formed on the surface of the metal layer 30 so as not to perform soft etching.

In addition, as long as it is a material which can protect the metal layer 30 of the alkali metal which is a high activation species, the protective film 40 can use resin etc. other than silver and aluminum. However, when using resin for the protective film 40, since the film-forming method by a sputter | spatter cannot be used, the film-forming method by vapor deposition and CVD is used.

In the case of the organic EL element which emits light from the ITO side, it is preferable to use silver or aluminum with high reflectance of light as the protective film 40. In addition, when the protective film 40 is thin, light is transmitted, so that the thickness of the protective film 40 is required to emit light from the ITO side. In this case, resin which does not reflect light cannot be used for the protective film 40.

On the other hand, in the case of the organic EL element which extracts light from the side opposite to the ITO side (protective film side), it is better to form a thin film of silver or aluminum as the protective film 40 so as to transmit light easily. In this case, the resin can be used for the protective film 40 as long as it is hard to absorb light and easily transmits light.

In addition, by optimizing the ratio of the thickness of the metal layer 30 such as lithium and the protective film 40 such as aluminum or silver, the light transmittance and the light reflectance of the metal layer 30 and the protective film 40 can be optimized. have.

As described above, according to the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the present embodiment, the organic layer 20 is formed by depositing material vapor of the organic material ejected from the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f onto the substrate G. Immediately thereafter, vaporization atoms of alkali metals ejected from the second ejection mechanism 130 in the same space are deposited on the substrate G, thereby forming the metal layer 30. According to this, after forming the organic layer 20, the metal layer 30 can be formed in the same chamber, without conveying the board | substrate G toward another processing apparatus. As a result, impurities such as moisture, nitrogen, oxygen, and the like may be prevented from adhering to the surface of the organic layer 20, and the metal layer 30 reacts with the impurities attached to the surface of the organic layer 20 to be oxidized and insulated. Deterioration of the film can be prevented. As a result, an organic electroluminescent element with high electron injection efficiency and high performance can be manufactured.

In addition, since the deterioration of the metal layer 30 can be prevented as described above, the metal layer 30 can be made thicker than in the prior art. For example, the metal layer 30 can be formed into a thickness of 0.5 nm-100 nm. By providing the metal layer 30 with a certain thickness, not only the metal layer 30 functions as an electron injection layer but also a cathode of an organic EL element. Moreover, the nonuniformity of the performance of organic electroluminescent element can be suppressed.

[1-3] Modified Example of First Embodiment

A modification of the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the first embodiment, the substrate G was formed in a downward manner.

On the other hand, in the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment, the mounting base 110 is provided in the bottom face of the processing container 100, as shown in FIG. The mounting base 110 mounts the substrate G carried in from the gate valve 160a in an upward state. In addition, when gas transport film-forming is possible, the film-forming base material may be not only upward (face up) but downward (face down) and vertical direction (side). The mounting base 110 slides on the rail 110a provided in the bottom face of the processing container from the 1st blowing mechanism 120a side toward the 2nd blowing mechanism 130 side. Thereby, the board | substrate G moves in parallel in the slight air | atmosphere of each ejection opening in order of the 1st blowing mechanism 120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e, 120f, and the 2nd blowing mechanism 130. FIG. As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 are continuously formed in the same processing container 100.

According to this, the film-forming process is performed in the state which raised the board | substrate G upward. Therefore, even in the case of a large sized board | substrate, the conveyance can be made easy, without bending the board | substrate G. In addition, the in-plane uniformity of the film formed on the substrate can be increased.

[2] Second Embodiment

Next, the film-forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. In addition, the substrate processing system Sys which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, and organic electroluminescent element is manufactured in the cluster type substrate processing system Sys shown in FIG.

[2-1] Internal structure of the film forming apparatus

In the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the present embodiment, the deposition of the organic layer 20, the deposition of the metal layer 30, and the deposition of the protective film 40 are continuously processed in the processing container 100. Therefore, in the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on this embodiment, the vapor deposition source 200 (1st vapor deposition source) which was provided in order to deposit the organic layer 20 in the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and 1st In addition to the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f, the vaporizer 300 (second deposition source) and the second ejection mechanism 130 provided for depositing the metal layer 30, the sputtering apparatus 400 described below is provided. It is installed inside the processing container.

The sputtering apparatus 400 is provided in the vicinity of the second jet mechanism 130 inside the processing container 100. Similarly to the partitions 140 and 150 provided between the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f and the second ejection mechanism 130, between the second ejection mechanism 130 and the sputtering device 400. The partition 410 is provided.

The sputtering apparatus 400 excites argon gas to generate a plasma, sputters a silver target with ions of argon, and drives off silver atoms. The driven silver is deposited on the substrate, whereby a protective film 40 is formed.

Specifically, the sputtering apparatus 400 includes the target materials 420a and 420b, the backing plates 430a and 430b, the target holders 440a and 440b, the magnetic field generating means 450a and 450b, and the gas shower head 460. Have

The pair of target materials 420a and 420b are disposed to face each other so that the sputter surface is parallel. It is preferable that the target materials 420a and 420b are silver or aluminum with low electrical resistance and high reflectance of light as a protective film material. In this embodiment, the target materials 420a and 420b are formed of silver.

The pair of target materials 420a and 420b are held by the target holders 440a and 440b via the backing plates 430a and 430b. The magnetic field generating means 450a, 450b is a magnet in this embodiment, and the magnet of the north pole is located in the target material 420a on the target material 420a, and the magnet of the north pole on the target 420b on the back surface of each target material 420a, 420b. It is arranged. Thereby, the magnetic field perpendicular | vertical to each target material 420a and 420b generate | occur | produces in the opposing space of target material 420a and 420b so that this space may be enclosed.

Argon gas output from the argon gas supply source 320 is supplied from the gas shower head 460 into the processing container. The supply, stop, and flow rate of argon gas are adjusted by controlling the massflow controller MFC and the valve V5 based on the drive signal output from the controller 50.

The DC power supply 470 uses the target materials 420a and 420b as the cathode and the backing plate 430b as the anode, and a desired DC voltage (DC) based on the drive signal output from the controller 50 shown in FIG. Static power) is applied. As a result, plasma is generated in the opposing spaces of the target materials 420a and 420b. The kind of power is not limited to DC constant power, but may be AC power, RF power, MF power, pulsed DC power, or the like, or may be a superimposed power thereof. In addition, the DC power supply 470 is an example of an energy source which supplies desired energy to the inside of the processing container 100.

In the vicinity of the sputtering apparatus 400, an exhaust port 480 and an exhaust device 490 connected to the exhaust port 480 are provided. By driving the exhaust device 490, the remaining target atoms in the processing container are exhausted to the outside. do.

Here, the pressure inside the processing container 100 will be described. The internal pressure of the processing container 100 has a great influence on each film formation. For example, the film quality deteriorates when the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 react with moisture, nitrogen, oxygen, and the like. Therefore, the pressure in the processing vessel at the time of deposition is about 10 ^-2 ㎩ preferred. In particular, the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 are delicate films, and the environment at the time of film formation greatly affects the film quality. For example, in a state where the pressure in the processing container is high and there are many impurities in the processing container, the organic layer 20 film reacts with moisture or the like, resulting in dark spots or the like in the film, thereby deteriorating the photoelectric conversion efficiency, The lifetime of an organic EL element is deteriorated. In addition, since a highly active metal such as lithium is used for the metal layer 30, in a state where the pressure in the processing container is high and there are many impurities, the metal layer 30 reacts with oxygen or the like to become an insulator, and the electron injection efficiency is deteriorated. do. Therefore, it is to deposit the organic layer 20 and metal layer 30 in a state the pressure in the processing chamber to a low degree of vacuum than 10 ^-2 ㎩ undesirable.

In this embodiment, the pressure in the processing container is maintained at about 10 ⁻² to 10 ⁻³ Pa so that the deposition of the organic layer 20, the deposition of the metal layer 30, and the sputter of the protective film 40 are continuously processed in the same container. A film forming apparatus is realized.

According to the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on this embodiment, the high quality organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 can be formed into a film, preventing the oxidation and nitriding of organic material and alkali metal material. At the same time, the argon gas can be plasma ignited by the sputtering apparatus 400 installed in the same process chamber, and the sputtering atoms Ag are driven out by the ions of the argon gas, and accordingly, FIG. The protective film 40 shown in Fig. 1 can be formed in the same chamber.

According to this, after forming the metal layer 30, it is not necessary to convey the board | substrate G to the exterior of the processing container 100. FIG. As a result, impurities such as moisture, nitrogen, oxygen and the like can be avoided from adhering to the surface of the metal layer 30, and the metal layer 30 is impurity in the processing container before the protective film 40 is formed on the metal layer 30. Can be oxidized and insulated to prevent degradation of the film. In this manner, by forming the protective film 40 in the same chamber before the highly active species metal layer 30 is oxidized, an organic EL device having high electron injection efficiency and high performance can be manufactured.

In addition, in this embodiment, the process of soft etching (FIG. 2 (d)) performed as a pre-process of sputtering in 1st Embodiment becomes unnecessary. Thereby, throughput can be raised and productivity can be improved.

Moreover, according to this embodiment, sputtering can be performed about 10 <^{-2> -10 <-3>} Pa of a low vacuum compared with the former. For this reason, exhaust efficiency becomes high and the time taken for conveyance and processing of the board | substrate G can be shortened compared with the past. Thereby, throughput can be improved and productivity can be improved.

[3] Third embodiment

Next, the film-forming apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. In addition, the substrate processing system Sys which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, and an organic electroluminescent element is manufactured in the cluster type substrate processing system Sys shown in FIG.

[3-1] Internal structure of the film forming apparatus

In the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the present embodiment, the deposition of the organic layer 20, the deposition of the metal layer 30, and the deposition of the protective film 40 are continuously processed in the processing container 100. Therefore, in the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on this embodiment, the vapor deposition source 200 (1st vapor deposition source) which was provided in order to deposit the organic layer 20 in the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and 1st In addition to the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f, the vaporizer 300 (second deposition source) and the second ejection mechanism 130 provided for depositing the metal layer 30, the vaporizer 500 (described below) 3 and a third jet mechanism 510 are provided inside the processing container.

The vaporizer | carburetor 500 which vaporizes silver or aluminum is provided in the outside of the processing container 100 in addition to the vaporizer | carburetor 300 which heats and vaporizes lithium. The vaporizer | carburetor 500 is connected to the vacuum pump 520 via the opening degree adjustable valve V6. The inside of the vaporizer | carburetor 500 is controlled by desired vacuum pressure by adjusting the opening degree of the valve V6 based on the drive signal output from the controller 50. FIG.

In addition, the vaporizer 500 is connected to the argon gas supply source 320 through the mass flow controller MFC and the valve V7 for adjusting the flow rate of the gas. The supply, stop, and flow rate of argon gas are adjusted by controlling the massflow controller MFC and the valve V7 based on the drive signal output from the controller 50. The vaporizer | carburetor 500 and the 3rd blowing mechanism 510 are connected by the 3rd gas supply pipe 530. As shown in FIG. The third gas supply pipe 530 is provided with a valve V8 for controlling the supply, interruption, and flow rate of the protective film material conveyed to the processing container side.

As a result, aluminum or silver evaporated in the vaporizer 500 transfers the argon gas of the predetermined amount sent into the vaporizer 500 as a carrier gas and passes through the passage inside the third gas supply pipe 520 to the inside of the processing container. do.

A partition 540 is provided between the second jet mechanism 130 and the third jet mechanism 510. In addition, an exhaust port 550 is formed on the third ejection mechanism 510 side of the processing container 100. The exhaust port 550 is connected to the exhaust device 560. When the exhaust device 560 is driven, residual atoms of silver ejected from the third ejection mechanism 510 are exhausted from the exhaust port 550 out of the processing vessel.

In addition, in order to form the protective film 40, the vapor deposition source of the same structure as the crucible used for forming the organic layer 20 instead of the vaporizer 500 may be used. However, since the protective film material gas is a metal material, attention such as not forming an alloy is necessary.

According to the continuous film-forming apparatus demonstrated above, when the board | substrate G moves above the 1st blowing mechanism 120b-120f in order, the organic material vapor A-F blown off from the 1st blowing mechanism 120b-120f. Are deposited on the substrate G, so that the organic layers (first to sixth layers) are formed in order. Next, lithium discharged from the second ejection mechanism 130 is deposited on the substrate G, whereby the metal layer 30 is formed. Finally, the silver emitted from the third jet mechanism 510 is deposited on the substrate G, whereby the protective film 40 is formed.

According to this, the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 of high quality can be formed into a film, preventing the oxidation and nitriding of an organic material and an alkali metal material. In addition, according to the film-forming apparatus PM1 which concerns on this embodiment, the protective film 40 is formed directly on the metal layer 30 by the silver sprayed from the 3rd blowing mechanism 510 provided in the same process chamber.

According to this, after forming the metal layer 30, it is not necessary to convey the board | substrate G to the exterior of the processing container 100. FIG. As a result, impurities such as moisture, nitrogen, oxygen and the like can be avoided from adhering to the surface of the metal layer 30, and the metal layer 30 is impurity in the processing container before the protective film 40 is formed on the metal layer 30. Can be oxidized and insulated to prevent degradation of the film. In this manner, by forming the protective film 40 in the same chamber before the highly active species metal layer 30 is oxidized, an organic EL device having high electron injection efficiency and high performance can be manufactured.

Moreover, the soft etching process (FIG. 2 (d)) which was performed as a pre-process of sputtering in 1st Embodiment becomes unnecessary. Thereby, throughput can be raised and productivity can be improved.

[3-2] Modified Example of Third Embodiment

In each of the above embodiments, the substrate G was placed on the mounting table 110, and each layer was continuously formed on the substrate G by sliding the mounting table 110 using the rails 110a. On the other hand, in the modification of 3rd Embodiment, instead of putting the board | substrate G on the mounting base 110, as shown in FIG. 8, the rollers 610 and 620 are provided in the both ends of a processing container, By winding the rollers 610 and 620 at both ends, the film Flm wound on the rollers 610 and 620 at both ends is passed through the second ejection mechanism 130 from the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f. It winds toward 3 jet mechanism (510). In the meantime, organic materials A-F, lithium, and silver are ejected from the 1st blowing mechanism 120a-120f, the 2nd blowing mechanism 130, and the 3rd blowing mechanism 510, respectively, and the film Flm In order to be deposited. Thereby, the organic layer 20, the metal layer 30, and the protective film 40 can be formed into a film Flm continuously in the same space in a process container. Thereby, deterioration in the film-forming of the organic layer 20 and the metal layer 30 which reacts delicately to the atmosphere in film-forming can be prevented. As a result, a long-life organic EL device having high photoelectric conversion efficiency and electron injection efficiency on the film Flm can be manufactured, and the film Flm is replaced with the substrate G. By using it as a to-be-processed object, manufacturing cost can be reduced. As the film Flm, PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) or PPE (Polyphenylene Ether) can be used.

[4] Fourth Embodiment

Next, the internal structure of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG. In the film forming apparatus PM1 according to the present embodiment, two different sputtering processes using two different targets are continuously processed in the same processing container 100 after deposition of the organic layer 20.

Specific processing will be described. First, when the organic layer 20 is deposited, the organic material vapors vaporized in the vapor deposition source 200 are ejected from the first ejection mechanisms 120a to 120f toward the substrate, respectively, whereby six layers of the organic layer 20 are formed. Continuous film formation is performed.

The sputtering apparatus 401 is built in the processing container 100 to form the metal layer 30 in the vicinity of the first blowing mechanism 120f. In addition, the sputtering apparatus 402 is built in the vicinity of the sputtering apparatus 401 in order to form the protective film 40. Since the main internal structures of the sputter apparatus 401 and the sputter apparatus 402 are the same as the sputter apparatus 400 demonstrated in 2nd Embodiment, description is abbreviate | omitted here. In addition, the sputter apparatus 401 corresponds to a 1st sputter apparatus, and the sputter apparatus 402 is corresponded to a 2nd sputter apparatus.

After film-forming of the organic layer 20, a board | substrate moves below the sputter apparatus 401, and the metal layer 30 with a high work function is formed there from. The sputtering apparatus 401 sputter | spatters the target which consists of magnesium (Mg), for example, and laminate | pasted out the magnesium (Mg) dripped on the board | substrate, and forms the metal layer 30. FIG.

After the formation of the metal layer 30, the substrate moves to the lower side of the sputtering device 402 to form a protective film 40 that functions as a cathode. The sputtering apparatus 402 sputter | spatters the target which consists of silver (Ag), for example, laminate | pastes the dripped silver (Ag) atom on a board | substrate, and forms the protective film 40. FIG. Aluminum (Al) may be used for the protective film 40. In addition, you may use an alkali dispenser instead of the sputter apparatus 401,402.

Further, on the protective film 40, a sealing film (not shown) made of a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ ), a silicon nitride film (SiN), or the like is formed, whereby an organic EL element is manufactured.

In the deposition of organic material vapor, the organic material vapor diffuses and reaches the substrate. On the other hand, the sputter atom reaches the substrate relatively linearly. Therefore, the organic material vapor is more likely to fly nearer to the sputter atom. Therefore, it is preferable to provide at least one exhaust mechanism on the organic film-forming side so that the organic material vapors fly to the sputtering device and do not adversely affect the film-forming of the metal layer 30. In this embodiment, the exhaust apparatus 195b is provided in the 1st blowing mechanism 120f side, mainly exhausts the organic material vapor blown off from the 1st blowing mechanism 120a-120f, and organic material vapor | steam sputter | spatter apparatus The flight to 401 is prevented. Similarly, the partition wall 410 between the first blowing mechanism 120f and the sputtering device 401 also prevents organic material vapors from flying to the sputtering device 401. Of course, these structures also prevent sputter atoms from flying to the organic film formation side.

Also in this embodiment, the organic layer 20, the metal layer 30, and the protective film 40 can be formed into a film, preventing oxidation and nitriding of an organic material and an alkali metal material. In this embodiment, since the deposition of the organic layer 20, the formation of the metal layer 30, and the protective film 40 can be performed continuously in the same processing container, the productivity can be improved and the cost at the time of manufacturing can be reduced. can do. In particular, by arranging the sputter apparatuses 401 and 402 side by side, film formation under different conditions, different apparatus structures, and sputter deposition of different materials can be carried out continuously, so that there is an effect of separation of functions and time reduction in the same processing container.

In addition, although two sputter apparatuses were listed in this embodiment, you may list three or more sputter apparatuses.

As explained above, according to each embodiment, a high performance organic EL device can be manufactured stably, without oxidizing alkali metals which are easy to activate.

In the above embodiment, the operations of the respective parts are related to each other, and can be substituted as a series of operations while taking into account the relationship with each other. And by substituting in this way, embodiment of the film-forming apparatus for manufacturing the said organic electroluminescent element is embodiment of the film-forming method for manufacturing the said organic electroluminescent element, and embodiment of the organic electroluminescent element manufactured using the said film-forming apparatus. You can do

As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this example. Those skilled in the art can clearly think that various changes or modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims, and they are naturally understood to belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in this invention, although alkali metal was vaporized and formed into a film, since alkali metal has a low melting point, it can also supply continuously with a liquid. Therefore, in this case, the film formation can be performed while continuously supplying alkali metal as a liquid using a dedicated container instead of the vaporizer. On the other hand, continuous supply of materials is difficult in the vaporizer. For this reason, in order to supply the material continuously by a vaporizer | carburetor, the invention of preparing two or more vaporizers, replacing each vaporizer | carburetor, etc. is required.

In addition, the alkali metal material used for this invention can be used individually or as a compound. However, when using a compound, it is necessary to enclose a getter material in a vaporizer so that materials other than the metal vapor necessary for forming a film may not mix in a film | membrane.

In this embodiment, although the processing container 100 and the vapor deposition source 200 of the film-forming apparatus were provided separately, you may embed the vapor deposition source of each organic material in one process container.

The substrate to be processed may be a substrate of 730 mm x 920 mm or more, or a silicon wafer of 200 mm or 300 mm or more.

In addition, the organic layer and the work function vapor deposition layer (metal layer) may be formed by mixing the material vapors with each other. For example, the organic material vapor remaining from the first ejection mechanism 120a side may flow to the second ejection mechanism 130 side to be mixed in the metal layer 30. Moreover, you may make it mix in the organic layer 20 so that lithium may fly to the 1st blowing mechanism 120a-120f side.

10: ITO
20: organic layer
30: metal layer
40: protective film
50: controller
100 processing container
110: wit
120a-120f: 1st blowing mechanism
130: second ejection mechanism
140, 150, 410, 540: bulkhead
195a, 195b, 240, 490, 560: exhaust system
200: deposition source
300, 500: carburetor
400, 401: sputter device
420a, 420b: target material
510: third jet mechanism
610, 620: Roller
G: Substrate
Sys: Substrate Processing System
PM1: film forming apparatus
PM2: Etching Equipment
PM3: CVD Equipment
PM4: Sputter Device
CM: Cleaning Device
TM: Carrier
LLM: Loadlock Device
Flm: Film

Claims (12)

A processing container which performs a desired treatment on the processing target object therein;
A first deposition source for storing an organic material and heating and vaporizing the stored organic material;
A first ejection mechanism embedded in the processing vessel and connected to the first deposition source, for ejecting an organic material vaporized from the first deposition source toward an object in the processing vessel;
A second deposition source for storing an alkali metal material and heating and vaporizing the stored alkali metal material;
A second ejection mechanism which is embedded in the processing container and is connected to the second deposition source, and ejects an alkali metal material vaporized in the second deposition source toward the object to be processed in the processing container;
Film forming apparatus provided with. The method of claim 1,
A third evaporation source for storing the protective film material and heating and vaporizing the stored protective film material;
A third ejection mechanism which is embedded in the processing container and is connected to the third deposition source and ejects the protective film material vaporized in the third deposition source toward the object to be processed in the processing container;
Film deposition apparatus further comprising. The method of claim 1,
And a sputtering apparatus embedded in the processing container, the sputtering apparatus for sputtering a target made of a protective film material. The method of claim 1,
It is provided with a holding stage which puts the to-be-processed object conveyed to the said processing container,
The placing table slides the object to be placed in an upward, downward, or longitudinal direction from the first jet mechanism side toward the second jet mechanism side. The method of claim 1,
Rollers are provided at both ends of the processing container;
The film-forming apparatus which moves the film wound by the roller of the both ends from the said 1st blowing mechanism side toward the said 2nd blowing mechanism side by winding the roller of both ends. The method of claim 1,
A film forming apparatus, wherein the processing container is provided with an exhaust device at least on the first ejection mechanism side. The method of claim 1,
The film-forming apparatus in which the partition is provided between the said 1st blowing mechanism and the said 2nd blowing mechanism. The method of claim 1,
The first deposition source is formed of a plurality of crucibles for storing a plurality of organic materials,
The first jet mechanism is formed of a plurality of jet parts connected to a plurality of crucibles,
The film-forming apparatus which continuously forms the organic layer which laminated | stacked the some organic material on the to-be-processed object by spraying each of the some organic material vaporized by the said several crucible from the some ejection part provided in the said 1st blowing mechanism. The method of claim 1,
The alkali metal material is any one of lithium, cesium, sodium, potassium or rubidium. A processing container which performs a desired processing on the target object inside.
A first deposition source for storing an organic material and heating and vaporizing the stored organic material;
A first ejection mechanism embedded in the processing vessel and connected to the first deposition source, for ejecting an organic material vaporized from the first deposition source toward an object in the processing vessel;
A first sputtering device embedded in the processing container and configured to sputter a target made of an alkali metal material;
A second sputtering device embedded in the processing container and configured to sputter a target made of a protective film material
Film forming apparatus provided with. The method of claim 10,
A film forming apparatus, wherein the processing container is provided with an exhaust device at least on the first ejection mechanism side. The method of claim 10,
A film forming apparatus, wherein a partition wall is provided between the first blowing mechanism and the first sputtering device.

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