KR20220000820A - Alignment apparatus, film forming apparatus, alignment method, manufacturing method of electronic device, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to the alignment of a substrate cut from a large-sized substrate to suppress a deviation in alignment accuracy or time caused by a difference between cut regions. An alignment device capable of superimposing a mask on a substrate when the amount of misalignment is within an allowable range comprises: a substrate support means for supporting a peripheral portion of one substrate obtained by dividing a large-sized substrate; an approach and separation means for approaching and separating the substrate and the mask in a direction of gravity; a measuring means for measuring the amount of position shift between the substrate and the mask; a position adjusting means for adjusting a relative position of the substrate and the mask; and an acquisition means for acquiring substrate information on a region of the substrate in the large-sized substrate before division. A control means controls the position adjusting means based on the amount of position shift and the substrate information when the relative position is adjusted in a state that the substrate and the mask are separated after the amount of position shift is measured.

Description

An alignment apparatus, a film forming apparatus, an alignment method, a manufacturing method of an electronic device, a program, and a storage medium TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an alignment technique of a substrate and a mask.

In manufacture of an organic electroluminescent display etc., a vapor deposition material is formed into a film on a board|substrate using a mask. As a pretreatment for film formation, alignment of the mask and the substrate is performed, and both are overlapped. In alignment, measurement of the position shift of a board|substrate and a mask, and adjustment of the relative position of a board|substrate and a mask based on a measurement result are performed. It is disclosed by patent document 1 to adjust the relative position of a board|substrate and a mask so that the error resulting from the characteristic inherent in an apparatus may be eliminated.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-4358

The organic EL display is manufactured by forming a plurality of layers on a substrate by various film forming processes. At this time, due to the circumstances of the manufacturing line, processing is performed on a large substrate (also called mother glass) up to a certain step, and then the large substrate is cut and divided into a plurality of smaller substrates, and thereafter In the process, a process such as film formation may be performed on the divided substrate. For example, in the production of organic EL displays for smartphones, the backplane process (TFT forming process, anode forming process, etc.) is a film forming process for the 6th generation large-sized substrate (about 1500 mm × about 1850 mm). is done After that, this large substrate is cut in half to obtain a 6th generation half-cut substrate (approximately 1500 mm x approx. 925 mm), and in subsequent steps, film formation and the like are performed on this 6th generation half-cut substrate. .

In this case, the board|substrate from which a cut-out site|part differs in the alignment apparatus with which the film-forming apparatus used for the film-forming process later than a division|segmentation process is equipped is carried in one by one, and alignment is performed. However, in a board|substrate cut out from a large-sized board|substrate, depending on which part of a large-size board|substrate is cut out (for example, it is a left half part of a mother glass, or a right half part), the board|substrate like size and rigidity distribution may have different characteristics. Substrates having different characteristics of the substrate also have different behaviors during alignment. As a result, there is a case where the alignment accuracy and time variation between the substrates are caused.

[0001] The present invention relates to alignment of a substrate cut out from a large substrate, and to provide a technique for suppressing variations in alignment accuracy and time due to differences in cut-out portions.

According to the present invention, for example,

Substrate support means for supporting the periphery of any one of the plurality of substrates obtained by dividing the large substrate;

a mask support means for supporting the mask;

approach separation means for approaching and separating the substrate supported by the substrate support means and the mask supported by the mask support means in a gravitational direction;

measuring means for measuring an amount of displacement between the substrate and the mask;

positioning means for adjusting the relative positions of the substrate and the mask;

and control means for controlling the position adjustment means;

An alignment device for overlapping the substrate and the mask with each other when the amount of position shift is within an allowable range,

Acquisition means for acquiring the substrate information regarding the site|part in the said large-sized board|substrate before division|segmentation of the board|substrate supported by the said board|substrate support means is provided;

The control means measures the amount of position shift by the measurement means in a state where the substrate and the mask are in partial contact, and then adjusts the position in a state where the substrate and the mask are separated by the approach separation means. An alignment device characterized in that when adjusting the relative position by means, the position adjustment means is controlled based on the amount of position shift measured by the measurement means and the substrate information acquired by the acquisition means do.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is related with the alignment of the board|substrate cut out from a large board|substrate, Comprising: The technique which suppresses the dispersion|variation in alignment precision and time by the difference of cut-out sites can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram of a part of the manufacturing line of an electronic device.
2 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an explanatory view of a substrate support unit.
It is explanatory drawing of an adjustment unit.
5 is an explanatory diagram of a measurement unit;
It is a figure which shows the example of a large size board|substrate and a cut board|substrate.
7A and 7B are explanatory views showing examples of the influence of the characteristics of the substrate.
8 is a flowchart showing an example of a control process.
9 is a flowchart showing an example of a control process.
10(A) - (C) are operation explanatory diagrams of an alignment apparatus.
11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the alignment device.
12A to 12C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the alignment device.
13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the alignment device.
Fig. 14 (A) and (B) are operation explanatory diagrams of the alignment device.
Fig. 15A is an overall view of an organic EL display device, and Fig. 15B is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment is described in detail with reference to an accompanying drawing. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the plurality of features are described in the embodiment, it cannot be said that all of these plurality of features are necessarily essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are attached to the same or the same components, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

<Electronic device manufacturing line>

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram which shows a part of the structure of the manufacturing line of the electronic device to which the film-forming apparatus of this invention is applicable. The manufacturing line of FIG. 1 is, for example, used for manufacturing a display panel of an organic EL display device for a smartphone, the substrate 100 is sequentially transferred to the film formation block 301 , and the organic EL substrate 100 is transferred to the substrate 100 . the tabernacle of the

The film formation block 301 includes a plurality of film formation chambers 303a to 303d in which film formation processing is performed on the substrate 100 around a transfer chamber 302 having an octagonal shape in plan view, and before and after use. A mask storage room 305 in which a mask is stored is disposed. In the transfer chamber 302 , a transfer robot (transfer means) 302a that transfers the substrate 100 is disposed. The transfer robot 302a includes a hand holding the substrate 100 and an articulated arm that horizontally moves the hand. In other words, the film forming block 301 is a cluster type film forming unit in which a plurality of film forming chambers 303a to 303d are arranged to surround the transfer robot 302a. On the other hand, when the film forming chambers 303a to 303d are generically referred to or not distinguished, they are denoted as the film forming chamber 303 .

In the conveyance direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100 , a buffer chamber 306 , a vortex chamber 307 , and a path chamber 308 are respectively arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the film formation block 301 . During the manufacturing process, each chamber is maintained in a vacuum state. On the other hand, although only one film-forming block 301 is shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing line which concerns on this embodiment has several film-forming block 301, The several film-forming block 301 is a buffer chamber ( 306 ), the swirl chamber 307 , and the pass chamber 308 are connected by a connecting device. In addition, the structure of the connection device is not limited to this, For example, you may be comprised only with the buffer chamber 306 or the path chamber 308.

The transfer robot 302a carries in the substrate 100 from the upstream path chamber 308 to the transfer chamber 302 , transfers the substrate 100 between the film formation chambers 303 , and a mask storage chamber 305 . The mask is transferred between the film formation chamber 303 and the substrate 100 is transported from the transfer chamber 302 to the buffer chamber 306 on the downstream side.

The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber for temporarily storing the substrate 100 according to the operating condition of the manufacturing line. In the buffer chamber 306, a plurality of substrates 100 can be stored in a horizontal state with the processing target surface (film deposition surface) of the substrate 100 facing downward in the gravitational direction, and a multi-stage structure substrate storage shelf (also referred to as a cassette). and a lifting mechanism for elevating the substrate storage shelf in order to align the stage for loading or unloading the substrate 100 to the transfer position. As a result, the plurality of substrates 100 can be temporarily accommodated in the buffer chamber 306 and retained therein.

The turning chamber 307 is provided with a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100 . In the present embodiment, the turning chamber 307 rotates the direction of the substrate 100 by 180 degrees by a transfer robot installed in the turning chamber 307 . The transfer robot installed in the turning chamber 307 rotates 180 degrees while supporting the substrate 100 received in the buffer chamber 306 and delivers it to the pass chamber 308 , thereby entering the buffer chamber 306 and the pass chamber. At 308 , the front end and the rear end of the substrate are interchanged. Thereby, since the direction when the substrate 100 is loaded into the film formation chamber 303 becomes the same direction in each film formation block 301 , the scan direction of the film formation with respect to the substrate 100 and the direction of the mask are set respectively. In the film-forming block 301, it can be matched. By setting it as such a structure, the direction in which the mask is installed in the mask storage chamber 305 in each film-forming block 301 can be matched, management of a mask can be simplified, and usability can be improved.

The control system of the manufacturing line includes, as a host computer, a host computer 300 for controlling the entire line, and control devices 14a to 14d, 309 and 310 for controlling each configuration, and these include a wired or wireless communication line 300a. communication is possible through The control devices 14a to 14d are provided corresponding to the film forming chambers 303a to 303d, and control the film forming apparatus 1 described later. On the other hand, when the control devices 14a to 14d are generically referred to or not distinguished, they are denoted as the control device 14 .

The control device 309 controls the transfer robot 302a. The control device 310 controls the device of the vortex chamber 307 . The host device 300 transmits instructions such as information regarding the substrate 100 and transfer timing to the respective control devices 14, 309, and 310, and the respective control devices 14, 309, and 310 respond to the received instruction. Control each configuration based on

<Outline of film forming apparatus>

2 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The film forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus for forming a deposition material on the substrate 100 , and forms a thin film of the deposition material having a predetermined pattern by using the mask 101 . Materials such as glass, resin, and metal can be appropriately selected for the material of the substrate 100 on which the film is formed by the film forming apparatus 1, and the one in which a resin layer such as polyimide is formed on the glass is preferably used. As a vapor deposition material, they are substances, such as an organic material and an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.). The film forming apparatus 1 is applicable to, for example, a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a display apparatus (such as a flat panel display), an electronic device such as a thin film solar cell, an organic photoelectric conversion element (organic thin film imaging element), or an optical member. and, in particular, is applicable to a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL panel. In the following description, an example in which the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film on the substrate 100 by vacuum deposition is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various film forming methods such as sputtering and CVD are applicable. On the other hand, in each figure, arrow Z represents an up-down direction (gravity direction), and arrow X and arrow Y represent a horizontal direction orthogonal to each other.

The film forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 3 . The internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum atmosphere or is maintained in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas. In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber 3 is connected to a vacuum pump (vacuum exhaust means) not shown. Meanwhile, in the present specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with a gas of a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, in other words, a reduced pressure state. In the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3, a substrate support unit 6 (substrate support means) for supporting the substrate 100 in a horizontal posture, and a mask stand 5 for supporting the mask 101 (mask support) means), a film forming unit 4 , and a plate unit 9 are arranged. The mask 101 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern formed on the substrate 100 , and is being fixed on the mask base 5 . As the mask 101, a mask having a structure in which a mask foil having a thickness of several mu m to several tens of mu m is welded to a frame-shaped mask frame can be used. Although the material of the mask 101 is not specifically limited, It is preferable to use metal with a small thermal expansion coefficient, such as an invar material. The film-forming process is performed in the state where the board|substrate 100 is mounted on the mask 101, and the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 overlap with each other.

The plate unit 9 has a cooling plate 10 and a magnet plate 11 . The cooling plate 10 is suspended below the magnet plate 11 so as to be displaceable in the Z direction with respect to the magnet plate 11 . The cooling plate 10 is a plate for sandwiching the substrate 100 between the mask 101 and the surface (rear surface) opposite to the film-forming surface of the substrate 100 during film formation. The cooling plate 10 has a function of cooling the substrate 100 at the time of film formation by contacting the back surface of the substrate 100 .

On the other hand, the cooling plate 10 is provided with a water cooling mechanism, etc., and is not limited to actively cooling the substrate 100 , and although a water cooling mechanism is not provided, heat of the substrate 100 is removed by contact with the substrate 100 . It may be a plate-shaped member so as to be taken away. The cooling plate 10 may also be called a press plate. The magnet plate 11 is a plate that attracts the mask 101 by magnetic force, and is placed on the upper surface of the substrate 100 to improve adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during film formation. The film forming unit 4 is configured of a heater, a shutter, an evaporation source driving mechanism, an evaporation rate monitor, and the like, and is an evaporation source for depositing a vapor deposition material on the substrate 100 . More specifically, in the present embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is a linear evaporation source in which a plurality of nozzles (not shown) are arranged side by side in the X direction, and vapor deposition material is emitted from each nozzle. The evaporation source 12 is reciprocally moved in the Y direction (depth direction of the apparatus) by an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown).

<alignment device>

The film-forming apparatus 1 is equipped with the alignment apparatus 2 which aligns the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101. As shown in FIG. The alignment apparatus 2 is provided with the substrate support unit 6 which supports the periphery of the board|substrate 100 . It will be described with reference to FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. 2 . 3 : is explanatory drawing of the board|substrate support unit 6, and is the perspective view. The substrate support unit 6 includes a rectangular frame-shaped base portion 60 and a plurality of finger-shaped mounting portions 61 and 62 protruding inward from the base portion 60 . On the other hand, the mounting units 61 and 62 may also be referred to as "receiving fingers" or "fingers". The plurality of mounting units 61 are arranged at intervals on the long side of the base unit 60 , and the plurality of mounting units 62 are arranged at intervals on the short side of the base unit 60 . The periphery of the board|substrate 100 is mounted in each of the mounting parts 61 and 62. As shown in FIG. The base portion 60 is suspended from the beam member 222 via a plurality of posts 64 .

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 3 , the base portion 60 has a rectangular frame type without cut portions to surround the outer periphery of the rectangular substrate 100 , but is not limited thereto, and a rectangular frame type with a partially cut-out portion may be When the substrate 100 is transferred from the transfer robot 302a to the mounting unit 61 of the substrate support unit 6 by forming a cutout in the base portion 60 , the transfer robot 302a is transferred to the base portion 60 . It is possible to avoid and evacuate, thereby improving the efficiency of transport and transfer of the substrate 100 .

The substrate support unit 6 further includes a clamp unit 63 (a clamping part). The clamp unit 63 includes a plurality of clamp portions 66 . Each clamp part 66 is provided corresponding to each mounting part 61, and it is possible to pinch and hold|maintain the peripheral edge of the board|substrate 100 by the clamp part 66 and the mounting part 61. As a supporting aspect of the board|substrate 100, except the aspect which hold|maintains across the periphery of the board|substrate 100 by the clamp part 66 and the mounting part 61 in this way, it mounts without providing the clamp part 66. An aspect in which only the substrate 100 is placed on the portions 61 and 62 is employable.

The clamp unit 63 is further provided with the support member 65 which supports the some clamp part 66. As shown in FIG. The support member 65 is extended along the long side of the base part 60 . The support member 65 is connected to the actuator 64 via an axis R3 . The shaft R3 extends upward from the support member 65 through the opening formed in the beam member 222 and the opening formed in the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 . The actuator 64 is, for example, an electric cylinder, and by raising/lowering the support member 65, the clamp part 66 and the mounting part 61 clamp and release clamping of the periphery of the board|substrate 100 by. The clamp unit 63 includes two sets of the support member 65 , the rod R3 , and the actuator 64 .

The alignment apparatus 2 is provided with the position adjustment unit 20 (position adjustment means) which adjusts the relative position of the mask 101 and the board|substrate 100 whose periphery was supported by the board|substrate support unit 6 . It will be described with reference to FIG. 4 in addition to FIG. 2 . 4 is a perspective view (partial transmittance) of the positioning unit 20 . The position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 by displacing the substrate support unit 6 on the X-Y plane. The positioning unit 20 can displace the substrate supporting unit 6 in rotational directions around axes in the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction. In this embodiment, the position of the mask 101 is fixed and the substrate 100 is displaced to adjust their relative positions. Alternatively, the mask 101 may be displaced and adjusted, or the substrate 100 and the mask ( 101) may be displaced.

The positioning unit 20 includes a fixed plate 20a, a movable plate 20b, and a plurality of actuators 201 disposed between these plates. The fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b are rectangular frame-shaped plates, and the fixed plate 20a is fixed on the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 . In the case of this embodiment, four actuators 201 are provided, and are located in the four corners of the fixed plate 20a.

Each actuator 201 includes a motor 2011 serving as a driving source, a slider 2013 movable along a guide 2012, a slider 2014 installed in the slider 2013, and a rotating body installed in the slider 2014 ( 2015) are provided. The driving force of the motor 2011 is transmitted to the slider 2013 through a transmission mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism, and moves the slider 2013 along the linear guide 2012 . The rotating body 2015 is supported by the slider 2014 so that it can freely move in a direction orthogonal to the slider 2013 . The rotating body 2015 has a fixed part fixed to the slider 2014, and a rotating part freely rotatable about an axis in the Z direction with respect to the fixed part, and the movable plate 20b is supported by the rotating part.

Of the four actuators 201, the moving direction of the slider 2013 of the two actuators 201 positioned on the diagonal of the fixed plate 20a is the X direction, and the slider 2013 of the remaining two actuators 201 The direction of movement is the Y direction. By the combination of the movement amounts of the respective sliders 2013 of the four actuators 201, the movable plate 20b can be displaced with respect to the fixed plate 20a in the rotational directions around the axes in the X-direction, Y-direction and Z-direction. have. The displacement amount is controllable from the detection result of sensors, such as a rotary encoder which detects the rotation amount of each motor 2011, for example.

A frame-shaped mount 21 is mounted on the movable plate 20b, and on the mount 21, an approach separation unit 22 (first elevating unit) and a second elevating unit ( 13) is supported. When the movable plate 20b is displaced, the mount 21, the approach separation unit 22 and the second lifting unit 13 are integrally displaced.

The approach separation unit 22 raises and lowers the substrate support unit 6 , so that the substrate 100 and the mask 101 supported at the periphery by the substrate support unit 6 in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100 . ) to approach and separate (separate). In other words, the approach separation unit 22 may approach the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in an overlapping direction. In this embodiment, since the approach separation unit 22 is a unit which raises and lowers the board|substrate 100, it is also called a "substrate raising/lowering unit." As shown in FIG. 2 , the approach separation unit 22 includes a first lifting plate 220 . A guide rail 21a extending in the Z direction is formed on the side of the mount 21 , and the first lifting plate 220 is movable in the Z direction along the guide rail 21a. The actuator 64 of the clamp unit 63 is supported by the first lifting plate 220 . The beam member 222 of the substrate support unit 6 provided inside the vacuum chamber 3 is attached to the first lifting plate 220 provided outside the vacuum chamber 3 through a plurality of axes R1. It is connected, and the first lifting plate 220 and the integrally lifted. The shaft R1 extends upward from the beam member 222 , passes through the opening of the upper wall portion 30 , and is connected to the first lifting plate 220 . The first lifting plate 220 is also called a “substrate lifting plate” because it is a plate that is raised and lowered integrally with the substrate support unit 6 that supports the substrate 100 .

The approach separation unit 22 is further supported by the mount 21 and is provided with the drive unit 221 which raises and lowers the 1st raising/lowering plate 220. FIG. The drive unit 221 is a mechanism for transmitting the drive force to the first lifting plate 220 using the motor 221a as a drive source, and as a transmission mechanism, in this embodiment, the ball screw shaft 221b and the ball nut 221c ) with a ball screw mechanism is employed. The ball screw shaft 221b is extended in the Z-direction and rotates around the Z-direction axis by the driving force of the motor 221a. The ball nut 221c is fixed to the first lifting plate 220 and is engaged with the ball screw shaft 221b. By rotation of the ball screw shaft 221b and switching of the rotation direction, the first lifting plate 220 can be raised and lowered in the Z direction. The amount of raising/lowering of the 1st raising/lowering plate 220 is controllable from the detection result of sensors, such as a rotary encoder which detects the rotation amount of each motor 221a, for example. Thereby, the positions in the Z direction of the mounting units 61 and 62 supporting the substrate 100 can be controlled, and the contact and separation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be controlled.

The second elevating unit 13 is connected to the second elevating plate 12 by elevating the second elevating plate 12 disposed outside the vacuum chamber 3 , and is disposed inside the vacuum chamber 3 . The plate unit 9 is raised and lowered. The plate unit 9 is connected to the second lifting plate 12 via a plurality of axes R2. The shaft R2 extends upward from the magnet plate 11, and includes an opening in the beam member 222, an opening in the upper wall 30, an opening in the fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b; And it is connected to the lifting plate 12 through the opening of the lifting plate (220). The second elevating unit 13 is also called a “cooling plate elevating unit” or “magnet plate elevating unit”, and the second elevating plate 12 is also referred to as a “cooling plate elevating plate” or “magnet plate elevating/lowering plate”.

The second lifting plate 12 is movable in the Z direction along the guide shaft 12a. The second lifting unit 13 is supported by the mount 21 , and includes a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the second lifting plate 12 . The driving mechanism included in the second lifting unit 13 is a mechanism that uses the motor 13a as a driving source to transmit the driving force to the second lifting plate 12, and as a transmission mechanism, in this embodiment, a ball screw shaft ( A ball screw mechanism having 13b) and a ball nut 13c is employed. The ball screw shaft 13b is extended in the Z-direction and rotates around the Z-direction axis by the driving force of the motor 13a. The ball nut 13c is fixed to the second lifting plate 12 and is engaged with the ball screw shaft 13b. By rotation of the ball screw shaft 13b and switching of the rotation direction, the second lifting plate 12 can be raised and lowered in the Z direction. The amount of raising/lowering of the 2nd raising/lowering plate 12 is controllable from the detection result of sensors, such as a rotary encoder which detects the rotation amount of each motor 13a, for example. Thereby, the position in the Z direction of the plate unit 6 can be controlled, and the contact and separation|separation of the plate unit 6 and the board|substrate 100 can be controlled.

The opening of the upper wall portion 30 through which the respective axes R1 to R3 passes has a size in which the respective axes R1 to R3 can be displaced in the X and Y directions. In order to maintain the airtightness of the vacuum chamber 3, the opening of the upper wall portion 30 through which each of the axes R1 to R3 passes is covered with a bellows or the like.

The alignment apparatus 2 is a measurement unit (first measurement unit 7 and second measurement unit) that measures the amount of positional shift between the mask 101 and the substrate 100 supported by the periphery of the substrate support unit 6 . (8) (measurement means)) is provided. It will be described with reference to FIG. 5 in addition to FIG. 2 . 5 : is explanatory drawing of the 1st measurement unit 7 and the 2nd measurement unit 8, and has shown the measurement aspect of the positional shift amount of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101. FIG. Both the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 of the present embodiment are imaging devices (cameras) that capture images. The first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 are disposed above the upper wall portion 30 , and the image in the vacuum chamber 3 through a window (not shown) formed in the upper wall portion 30 . can be photographed.

A substrate rough alignment mark 100a and a substrate fine alignment mark 100b are formed on the substrate 100 , and a mask rough alignment mark 101a and a mask fine mark 101b are formed on the mask 101 . Hereinafter, the board|substrate rough alignment mark 100a is called a board|substrate rough mark 100a, the board|substrate fine alignment mark 100b is called the board|substrate fine mark 100b, and both may be called a board|substrate mark together. In addition, the mask rough alignment mark 101a is called a mask rough mark 101a, the mask fine alignment mark 101b is called the mask fine mark 101b, and both are called a mask mark together in some cases.

The substrate rough mark 100a is formed in the central portion of the short side of the substrate 100 . The substrate fine marks 100b are formed in the four corners of the substrate 100 . The mask rough mark 101a is formed in the center part of the short side of the mask 101 corresponding to the board|substrate rough mark 100a. Further, the mask fine marks 101b are formed in the four corners of the mask 101 corresponding to the substrate fine marks 101b.

Four second measurement units 8 are provided so as to image each set (four sets in this embodiment) of the corresponding substrate fine marks 100b and mask fine marks 101b. The second measurement unit 8 is a high magnification CCD camera (fine camera) having a relatively narrow field of view but high resolution (eg, on the order of several μm), and the positions of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . The amount of deviation is measured with high precision. One 1st measurement unit 7 is provided, and images each set (two sets in this embodiment) of the corresponding board|substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a.

The first measurement unit 7 is a low magnification CCD camera (rough camera) having a relatively wide field of view but low resolution, and measures the approximate amount of position shift between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . In the example of FIG. 5, although the structure which imaged together the set of the board|substrate rough mark 100a of 2 sets and the mask rough mark 101a with one 1st measurement unit 7 was shown, it is not limited to this. As with the second measurement unit 8, two first measurement units 7 are provided at positions corresponding to each set so as to photograph each set of the substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a, respectively. also be

In the present embodiment, after position adjustment (first alignment) of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement result of the first measurement unit 7 , the measurement result of the second measurement unit 8 is Based on this, precise position adjustment (second alignment) of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed.

Here, in order to improve the precision of the position adjustment by alignment, it is calculated|required to raise the detection precision of each mark by a measurement unit. Therefore, it is preferable to use a camera capable of acquiring an image with high resolution as the second measurement unit 8 (fine camera) used in the second alignment (fine alignment) in which position adjustment with high precision is required. However, since the depth of field becomes shallow when the resolution of the camera is increased, both marks are combined with the second measurement unit ( 8), it is necessary to approach it further in the direction of the optical axis.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, when the substrate fine mark 100b and the mask fine mark 101b are detected in the second alignment, the substrate 100 reaches a position where the substrate 100 partially contacts the mask 101 . to approach the mask 101 . Because the periphery of the substrate 100 is supported, the central portion of the substrate 100 is brought into a drooping state by its own weight, so typically, the central portion of the substrate 100 is in a state in which the mask 101 is partially in contact.

On the other hand, in the first alignment (rough alignment), in a state in which the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are spaced apart, the detection of the substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a, the substrate 100 and the mask ( 101) is adjusted. In 1st alignment, by using the 1st measurement unit 7 (rough camera) with a comparatively deep depth of field, alignment can be performed with the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 spaced apart. In this embodiment, after roughly adjusting the position with the substrate 100 and the mask 101 separated by the first alignment in this way, the second alignment with higher accuracy of position adjustment is performed. .

Accordingly, when the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are brought into close contact with each other for detection of marks in the second alignment, the relative positions of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 have already been adjusted to some extent. , the pattern of the film formed on the substrate 100 and the opening pattern of the mask 101 are in contact with each other in a state in which they are aligned to some extent. Therefore, damage to the film formed on the substrate 100 due to the contact between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be reduced.

That is, as in the present embodiment, the first alignment is performed while the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are spaced apart, and the first alignment is roughly performed, and the first alignment process includes a step of partially bringing the substrate 100 and the mask 101 into contact. By performing the two alignments in combination, high-precision positioning can be realized while reducing damage to the film formed on the substrate 100 . Details of the first alignment and the second alignment will be described later.

The control device 14 controls the entire film forming device 1 . The control device 14 includes a processing unit (control means) 141 , a storage unit 142 , an input/output interface (I/O) 143 , and a communication unit 144 . The processing unit 141 is a processor represented by a CPU, and controls the film forming apparatus 1 by executing the program stored in the storage unit 142 . The storage unit 142 is a storage device (storage means) such as ROM, RAM, and HDD, and stores various kinds of control information in addition to the program executed by the processing unit 141 . The I/O 143 is an interface for transmitting and receiving signals between the processing unit 141 and an external device. The communication unit 144 is a communication device that communicates with the host device 300 or other control devices 14, 309, 310 and the like through the communication line 300a, and the processing unit 141 is the host device ( 300 ), or transmits information to the upper device 300 . Meanwhile, all or part of the control devices 14 , 309 , 310 or the host device 300 may be configured by PLC, ASIC, or FPGA.

<substrate>

The board|substrate 100 of this embodiment is a cut board|substrate cut out from a large board|substrate. In other words, the substrate 100 is any one of a plurality of substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate. It is a figure which shows the example of a large size board|substrate and a cut board|substrate. The large substrate MG is a mother glass of the 6th generation full size (about 1500 mm × about 1850 mm), and has a rectangular shape. In some corners of the large substrate MG, an orientation flat (OF) for specifying the direction of the large substrate MG is formed.

On the other hand, although the example in which the orientation flat OF is formed by cutting off only one corner part among four corner parts of the large-sized board|substrate MG is shown here, it is not limited to this. Although all four corner portions are cut, one corner portion is cut larger than the other, so that an orientation flat OF may be formed. In this case, the part cut out in the shape different from the other corner part can be grasped|ascertained as orientation flat OF.

As described above, for example, in the production of an organic EL display for a smartphone, the backplane process (TFT forming process, anode forming process, etc.) is a film forming process for the 6th generation full-size large-sized substrate MG. is done Thereafter, this large-sized substrate MG is cut in half (cutting process), and the substrate 100 of the sixth generation half-cut size (about 1500 mm × about 925 mm) obtained by cutting is manufactured according to the present embodiment It is carried in to the film-forming block 301 which performs film-forming of an organic layer among a line. The substrate 100 carried in the film formation block 301 is any one of two types of divided substrates obtained by cutting out the large substrate MG, and in the present embodiment is the substrate 100A or the substrate 100B. The large-sized substrate MG is cut at a cutting line CTL at a distance L from the reference side, which is one side thereof, to obtain a substrate 100A and a substrate 100B. In the manufacturing line illustrated in FIG. 1, the board|substrate 100A and the board|substrate 100B are mixed, are conveyed as the board|substrate 100, and various processes are performed.

On the other hand, although it is assumed here that the large-sized substrate MG is cut in half, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the large-sized substrate MG may be cut and divided into a plurality of substrates having substantially the same size. For example, the large-sized substrate MG may be divided into four substrates 100 , and this may be loaded into the film forming block 301 .

The substrate 100A and the substrate 100B may have different characteristics of the substrate such as size and stiffness distribution. For example, the substrate 100A is a substrate in which the length of the short side is measured as L, but the length of the short side is not measured in the substrate 100B, and the length of the short side is not measured in the substrate 100A and the substrate 100B. There are different cases. Also, the substrate 100B has an orientation flat OF, but the substrate 100A does not have this. The magnitude of the residual stress in the cut surface may be different between the substrate 100A and the substrate 100B. In addition, the positions of the cut surfaces are different from each other in the right side of the substrate 100A and the left side of the substrate 100B.

Such a difference in the characteristics of the substrate may affect the behavior of the substrate 100 at the time of alignment. 7A and 7B are explanatory views thereof. 7A illustrates the downward sag of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 . As for the board|substrate 100 by which the periphery was supported, the vicinity of a center part sags downward by its own weight. The amount of sagging H may differ depending on the characteristic difference of the board|substrate 100. The difference in the amount of deflection H affects the amount of displacement of the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is brought into contact with the mask 101 or when the substrate 100 is overlapped with the mask 101 . can give FIG. 7B illustrates a position where the sag of the substrate 100 becomes the maximum with respect to the substrate 100 different from that of FIG. 7A . When the stiffness distribution of the substrate 100 is uniform, the position where the deflection is the greatest with respect to the width W0 of the substrate 100 (the position of one side is called 0, and the position of the other side is called W0) ( W1) becomes W1=1/2·W0 as shown in Fig. 7(A), but if there is bias in the stiffness distribution, W1≠1/2·W0 as in the illustrated example. The difference in the position where the maximum amount of sag is also affects the displacement of the position of the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is brought into contact with the mask 101 or when the substrate 100 is overlapped with the mask 101 . can give

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, alignment control is performed according to the portion of the large substrate MG from which the substrate 100 is cut, as will be described below.

<Example of control>

An example of control of the film forming apparatus 1 executed by the processing unit 141 of the control unit 14 will be described. 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing a processing example of the processing unit 141 , and FIGS. 10 to 14 are operational explanatory diagrams of the alignment device 2 .

In step S1 , the processing unit 141 acquires substrate information of the substrate 100 to be processed in the future (acquisition step). The board|substrate information contains site|part information regarding the site|part of the large-sized board|substrate MG from which the board|substrate 100 was cut out of the board|substrate 100 (whether it is the board|substrate 100A or the board|substrate 100B in this embodiment). In other words, this information is information regarding the relative position in the large-sized substrate MG before division, and is also called "cutting information" or "cut information". In this way, the processing unit 141 has a function as an acquisition means for acquiring information regarding the position from which the substrate 100 is cut out of the large substrate MG.

In the case of the present embodiment, the substrate information is managed by the host device 300 . The host device 300 stores the substrate information in which the identification information of each substrate 100 and the region information of the substrate 100 (whether it is the substrate 100A or the substrate 100B) are associated with each other. Then, when the host device 300 instructs the control device 14 or the like to process the substrate 100 , the substrate information is transmitted to the control device 14 or the like of the instruction destination. In step S1 , the processing unit 141 acquires the substrate information by receiving the substrate information from the host device 300 via the communication unit 144 . On the other hand, the host device 300 is, for example, a cutting device (substrate dividing device) for cutting the large substrate MG, another device disposed on the upstream side of the film forming device 1 in a manufacturing line, or a manufacturing line may acquire board|substrate information from the external device of , or may receive an operator input of a manufacturing line, and may make it acquire board|substrate information by an operator's input.

In step S2 , the substrate 100 is transported by the transport robot 302a into the vacuum chamber 3 , and the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate support unit 6 . The substrate 100 is supported by the substrate support unit 6 above the mask 101 , and is maintained spaced apart from the mask 101 . Alignment of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed in step S2 and step S3.

In step S3, 1st alignment is performed. Here, based on the measurement result of the 1st measurement unit 7, the approximate position adjustment of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed. 10A to 10C schematically show the alignment operation in step S3. FIG. 10(A) shows the mode at the time of measurement of the substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a by the first measurement unit 7 . The periphery of the board|substrate 100 is mounted on the mounting parts 61 and 62, and is pinched|interposed between the mounting part 61 and the clamp part 66. As shown in FIG. As for the board|substrate 100, the center part hangs down by its own weight. The plate unit 9 is on standby above the substrate 100 .

The relative positions of the substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a are measured by the first measurement unit 7 . If the measurement result (the amount of position shift of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101) is within an allowable range, 1st alignment is complete|finished. If the measurement result is outside the allowable range, a control amount (displacement amount of the substrate 100) for putting the positional shift amount within the allowable range is set based on the measurement result. In addition, in the following description, "position shift amount" shall include the direction of position shift in addition to the amount of position shift itself. The amount of positional shift here is the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in a projection view (vertical projection) in which the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are projected on the same plane in the Z direction, This refers to the so-called horizontal distance. Based on the set control amount, the positioning unit 20 is operated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B , the substrate support unit 6 is displaced on the X-Y plane, and the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 is adjusted.

Determination of whether the measurement result is within the allowable range, for example, calculates the distance between the corresponding substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a, respectively, and calculates the average value or the sum of squares of the distances in advance This can be done by comparing with a set threshold value. Alternatively, as in the case of the second alignment described later, an ideal position (mask rough mark target position) where each mask rough mark 101a should be located in order to align the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is set, respectively You may calculate each from the board|substrate rough mark 100a corresponding to the mask rough mark 101a of . And you may determine by calculating the distance between the corresponding mask rough mark 101a and the mask rough mark target position, respectively, and comparing the average value and the sum of squares of the distance with a preset threshold value.

After adjustment of the relative position, as shown in FIG. 10C , the relative position of the substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a is again measured by the first measurement unit 7 . If the measurement result is within the allowable range, the first alignment is finished. If the measurement result is outside the allowable range, the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 is adjusted again. Thereafter, the measurement and the relative position adjustment are repeated until the measurement result is within the allowable range. During the first alignment, the substrate 100 is upwardly spaced from the starting mask 101 . Therefore, until the first second alignment (to be described later) is performed, the substrate 100 is kept separated from the mask 101 .

When the first alignment is finished, the second alignment is performed in step S4 of FIG. 8 . Here, based on the measurement result of the 2nd measurement unit 8, precise position adjustment of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed. Details will be described later.

When the second alignment is finished, a process of placing the substrate 100 on the mask 101 is performed in step S5 of FIG. 8 . Here, the drive unit 221 is driven to lower the board|substrate support unit 6, and control which overlaps the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed as shown to Fig.13 (A). Specifically, the substrate support unit 6 is lowered so that the height of the upper surfaces (substrate support surfaces) of the mounting portions 61 and 62 of the substrate support unit 6 coincides with the height of the upper surface of the mask 101 . Thereby, the substrate 100 is placed on the mask 101 and is in a state supported by the substrate support unit 6 and the mask 101 . In this state, the entire surface of the substrate 100 to be processed is in contact with the mask 101 .

Next, the second lifting unit 13 is driven to lower the plate unit 6 , and the cooling plate 10 is brought into contact with the substrate 100 as shown in FIG. 13B . Thereafter, the second lifting unit 13 is driven and the magnet plate 11 is lowered with respect to the cooling plate 10 while maintaining the height of the cooling plate 10 , as shown in FIG. 10C . Similarly, the magnet plate 11 is brought close to the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . By bringing the magnet plate 11 closer to the mask 101 , the mask 101 can be attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet plate 11 , and the mask 101 can be brought into close contact with the substrate 100 .

In step S6 of FIG. 8, the clamp of the peripheral part of the board|substrate 100 is cancelled|released, and the 2nd measurement unit 8 performs final measurement (also called "measuring before film formation"). In the release of the clamp, the clamp portion 66 is raised from the periphery of the substrate 100 by driving the actuator 64 , as shown in FIG. 14A . Thereafter, the substrate supporting unit 6 may be further lowered to separate the substrate supporting unit 6 from the substrate. Accordingly, the substrate 100 can be in a state in which only two of the mask 100 and the cooling plate 10 are in contact. In the final measurement, the amount of position shift between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is measured by the second measurement unit 8 . 14(B) shows the mode at the time of measurement of the substrate fine mark 100b and the mask fine mark 101b by the second measurement unit 8 . The relative positions of the four sets of the substrate fine marks 100b and the mask fine marks 101b are measured by the four second measurement units 8 .

In step S7, based on the result of the measurement before film formation in step S6, the close contact operation shift correction information (mechanical offset amount) for correcting the target position of the control in the second alignment is updated ( Adhesion motion misalignment correction information update process). Details will be described later.

In step S8, it is determined whether the measurement result (the amount of position shift of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101) of the last measurement in step S6 is within an allowable range. If it is within the allowable range, it proceeds to step S9, and if it is outside the allowable range, it returns to step S4 and performs the second alignment again. When returning to step S4, the operation|movement of clamping the periphery of the board|substrate 100 again, raising the plate unit 6, and separating it from the board|substrate 100, and raising the board|substrate 100 is required. In addition, determination of whether a measurement result is within an allowable range can be performed similarly to step S3 and step S4 (However, the contact|adherence operation shift correction of step S13 mentioned later is not reflected).

In step S9 of FIG. 8, a film-forming process is performed. Here, a thin film is formed on the lower surface of the substrate 100 through the mask 101 by the film forming unit 4 . When the film forming process is finished, the substrate 100 is unloaded from the vacuum chamber 3 by the transfer robot 302a in step S10. As a result, the processing ends.

<Second alignment>

The process of the 2nd alignment of step S4 is demonstrated. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the 2nd alignment of step S4. 2nd alignment allows measurement and position adjustment operation including measurement operation (steps S11, S12, S19, S20) and position adjustment operation (steps S15 to S18), measurement result in measurement operation This process is repeated until it is within the range.

In step S11 , an approach operation for bringing the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer to the substrate 100 in the thickness direction (Z direction) is performed. Here, the driving unit 221 is driven to lower the substrate supporting unit 6 so that the substrate 100 is partially in contact with the mask 101 .

11A shows an example of an approach operation. The board|substrate 100 is descend|falling to the height in which the center part drooping downward contacts the mask 101. As shown in FIG. A portion of the substrate 100 other than the central portion is spaced apart from the mask 101 . By approaching the substrate 100 and the mask 101 until the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are in partial contact, the substrate fine mark 100b formed on the substrate 100 and the mask fine formed on the mask 101 . The mark 101b can be simultaneously imaged by the second measuring unit having a shallow depth of field to measure the amount of position shift.

On the other hand, damage to the thin film already formed on the substrate 100 by contact with the mask 101 can be suppressed as much as possible by partially contacting the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during measurement, rather than as a whole. have.

In step S12 of FIG. 9 , the amount of position shift between the partially contacted substrate 100 and the mask 101 is measured by the second measurement unit 8 . FIG. 11B shows the mode at the time of measurement of the substrate fine mark 100b and the mask fine mark 101b by the second measurement unit 8 . The relative positions of the four sets of the substrate fine marks 100b and the mask fine marks 101b are measured by the four second measurement units 8 . In this embodiment, based on the measurement result of the substrate fine mark 100b by the second measurement unit 8, the target positions of the four mask fine marks 101b respectively corresponding to the four substrate fine marks 100b (mask fine mark target position) is calculated respectively. Here, the mask fine mark target position is an ideal position where each mask fine mark 101b should be located in order to align the substrate 100 and the mask 101, and based on the design dimension of the position of each mark. can be calculated.

In step S13 of FIG. 9, the contact|adherence operation shift correction of a measurement result is performed. As shown in FIG. 8, when the 2nd alignment of step S4 is completed, the mounting operation|movement which mounts the board|substrate 100 on the mask 101, the cooling plate 10 is dropped, and the film-forming target of the board|substrate 100 is made. A cooling plate adhesion operation for adhering to the back side of the surface, a mask adhesion operation for lowering the magnet plate 11 to draw the mask 101 in close contact with the film-formed surface of the substrate 100, and clamping of the periphery of the substrate 100 A plurality of mechanical operations accompanying physical contact, such as a clamp releasing operation for releasing . When the relative position between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 deviates from the state in which the last measurement of the second alignment is performed during the period from the last measurement of the second alignment to the measurement before film formation in step S6 due to this close contact operation there is

If such a shift is not taken into consideration, even if it is within the allowable range (alignment OK) in the last measurement of the second alignment, it may fall outside the allowable range (alignment NG) in the measurement before film formation. If the measurement before film formation is out of the allowable range, all various operations such as the clamping operation by the clamping unit 66 , the lifting operation of the magnet plate 11 , the lifting operation of the cooling plate 10 , and the lifting operation of the substrate 100 are performed. In order to re-execute the 2nd alignment again after performing, the tact time increases significantly. As a result, productivity is greatly reduced.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in step S13, the contact|adherence motion shift|offset|difference correction of the measurement result of step S12 is performed. Specifically, the storage unit 142 stores in advance the adhesion operation deviation correction information 142a for canceling the amount of deviation of the substrate 100 caused by the adhesion operation. And the mask fine mark target position calculated in step S12 is corrected by the contact|adherence operation shift correction information 142b. That is, as a result of the second alignment, the target position of the mask fine mark is corrected in advance so that the substrate 100 is positioned at a position shifted in the opposite direction in advance by the amount of deviation expected to occur in the close contact operation. Thereby, the determination result in step S14 and the determination result in step S8 after performing a close_contact|adherence operation can be made close. In other words, it becomes possible to evaluate the amount of positional shift in step S14 including shift due to the close contact operation. By doing in this way, it can suppress that the 2nd alignment has to be performed again due to the position shift at the time of a close_contact|adherence operation|movement. On the other hand, although an example of correcting the mask fine mark target position in the close contact operation misalignment correction has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the position of the substrate fine mark 100b that is the measurement result of step S12 or the mask fine mark 101b The position may be corrected directly.

The amount of displacement of the substrate 100 caused by the adhesion operation can be stored in the storage unit 142 based on the measurement result before film formation when another substrate processed before the substrate 100 to be processed in the future is processed. have. That is, it is updated in the update process of step S7 of FIG. More preferably, it is stored in the storage unit 142 based on the measurement results before film formation when a plurality of other substrates processed before the substrate 100 are processed. By taking, for example, moving average and averaging the measurement results of the plurality of substrates immediately before film formation, and using them, it is possible to respond to variations in deviations due to changes in the environment or time-lapse of the device, and maintain the alignment accuracy. can

On the other hand, in the positional shift of the substrate 100 when the adhesion operation is performed, the shift amount and the shift direction are different between the substrate 100A and the substrate 100B. That is, the shift amount and the tendency of shift direction differ depending on which part of the large-sized board|substrate MG the board|substrate 100 is cut out. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in association with the substrate information, the adhesion operation shift correction information 142a is stored in the storage unit 142 . Thereby, the relative position adjustment in consideration of the behavior of the board|substrate 100 resulting from the cut-out part becomes possible.

In step S14 of FIG. 9, it is determined whether the measurement result (the amount of position shift of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101) of step S12 is within an allowable range. Here, for example, for each of the four sets of the substrate fine mark 100b and the mask fine mark 101b, the mask fine mark target position calculated in step S12 and corrected in step S13, and the mask fine The distances between the positions of the marks 101b and the positions are respectively calculated. Then, the average value or the sum of squares of the calculated distances is compared with a preset threshold value, and when the distance is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined to be within the allowable range, and when the distance exceeds the threshold value, it is determined to be outside the allowable range. If the determination result of step S14 is within the permissible range, 2nd alignment is complete|finished, and if it is outside the permissible range, it progresses to step S15.

In step S15 , a separation operation for separating the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100 is performed. Here, the driving unit 221 is driven to raise the substrate supporting unit 6 , and the substrate 100 is separated from the mask 101 . 11C shows an example of the separation operation. The substrate 100 is raised to a height at which the downwardly drooping central portion does not contact the mask 101 . The substrate 100 is spaced apart from the mask 101 , and the substrate 100 is not in contact with the mask 101 . By separating the substrate 100 and the mask 101 from each other, in the subsequent position adjustment operation of step S17, the region to be deposited on the substrate 100 rubs against the mask 101 so that the thin film already formed on the substrate 100 is formed. You can avoid taking damage.

In steps S16 and S17, processing related to the setting of the control amount for controlling the position adjustment unit 20 is performed. First, in step S16, the control amount based on the measurement result of step S12 corrected in step S13 is set. In this setting, the basic control amount (displacement amount of the board|substrate 100) for putting the positional shift of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 within an allowable range is set. For example, the amount and direction of the displacement of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 with respect to the permissible range are specified, and the control amount is set so that the substrate 100 is displaced by the specified amount in the direction opposite to the specified direction . The amount and direction of the displacement between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are, for example, the mask fine mark target position calculated in step S12 and corrected in step S13, and the mask measured in step S12. It can be calculated from the position of the fine mark 101b.

Next, in step S17, the control amount set in step S16 is corrected based on the board|substrate information acquired in step S1 (FIG. 8). In the case of this embodiment, reference is made to the stage drive correction information 142b stored in the storage unit 142 in correspondence with the substrate information. The stage drive correction information 142b is control information for canceling the alignment effect of the substrate 100 due to the cut-out portion of the substrate 100 . The storage unit 142 stores a plurality of stage drive correction information 142b corresponding to the number (ie, the number of divisions) of the substrates 100 cut out from one large substrate MG.

Furthermore, the stage drive correction information 142b is stored for every number of times of the position adjustment operation S18. In other words, the stage drive correction information 142b is stored in correspondence with the information on the number of times of the position adjustment operation and the substrate information including the site information regarding the site of the large substrate MG from which the substrate 100 is cut out. In the case of this embodiment, the number of divisions is two, and the stage drive correction information 142b includes correction information corresponding to substrate information A (substrate 100A) and correction information corresponding to substrate information B (substrate 100B). A plurality of correction information is stored in the storage unit 142 in correspondence with the number of the position adjustment operation S18, respectively.

The processing unit 141 reads the board information acquired in step S1 (FIG. 8) and correction information 142b corresponding to information on the number of times of this position adjustment operation, and determines the control amount set in step S16. Correct. Information on the number of positioning operations is stored in the storage unit ( 142) to memorize it. Thereby, the relative position adjustment in consideration of the difference between the cut-out portion and the behavior of the substrate 100 caused by the number of positioning operations is attained.

In the case of this embodiment, the stage drive correction information 142b is a correction amount (offset amount) added or subtracted from the basic control amount. The final control amount is set as the control amount = the basic control amount + the offset amount. As another example, the stage drive correction information 142b may be a coefficient multiplied by the basic control amount. In this case, the final control amount is set by the control amount = the correction coefficient x the basic control amount. The stage driving correction information 142b can be set by a prior test or the like.

In step S18 of FIG. 9 , the position adjustment unit 20 is driven according to the control amount set in steps S16 and S17 to adjust the relative positions of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . The action is executed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12A , the substrate support unit 6 is displaced on the X-Y plane, and the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 is adjusted.

When the process of step S18 is complete|finished, in step S19 and step S20, the process similar to step S11 and step S12 is performed. That is, after the position adjustment operation in FIG. 12A , as shown in FIG. 12B , an approach operation (step S19 ) is performed again, and the central portion of the substrate 100 is in contact with the mask 101 . The substrate 100 is lowered to a height of Next, as shown in FIG. 12(C), measurement (step S20) is performed again, and the position shift amount of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 which contacted partially is measured.

In step S21, based on the measurement result of step S20, the stage drive correction amount 142b corresponding to the frequency|count of this position adjustment operation|movement is updated. For example, based on the result of the measurement operation (step S20 ) after the first position adjustment operation S18 is performed, the first of the stage drive correction information 142b stored in the storage unit 142 is The correction amount of the position adjustment operation is updated. In this way, by frequently updating the stage drive correction amount 142a, it is possible to maintain the positioning accuracy of the substrate to be processed next and thereafter in response to changes in the environment or changes with time of the apparatus. In addition, the update process of step S21 does not necessarily need to be performed every time.

After the process of step S21, the process returns to step S13 to repeat the same process. The contact|adherence operation shift|offset|difference correction of step S13 is performed with respect to the measurement result of step S20.

As mentioned above, in this embodiment, in step S17, the cut-out site|part (substrates 100A, 100B) of the board|substrate 100 in large-sized board|substrate MG, and the frequency|count of positioning operation|movement S18. The control amount was corrected accordingly. Thereby, the control which canceled the behavior difference of the board|substrate 100 at the time of alignment resulting from the cut-out site|part and the frequency|count of a position adjustment operation|movement can be performed. As a result, with respect to the alignment of the substrate 100, it is possible to suppress the alignment accuracy and the variation in time due to the difference in the cut-out portions.

This contributes to performing the second alignment precisely and in a shorter time. Specifically, when the substrate 100 partially contacts the mask 101 , the central portion of the substrate 100 drooping downward receives a reaction force upward from the mask 101 . By this reaction force, the substrate 100 is deformed so as to spread outward, and the supporting position of the substrate supporting unit 6 supporting the periphery of the substrate 100 is slightly shifted. Although the periphery of the board|substrate 100 is pinched|interposed by the clamp part 66 and the mounting part 61, the force which the periphery of the board|substrate 100 tries to stretch outward is the clamp part 66 or the mounting part 61 and the board|substrate. When it is larger than the frictional force generated between (100), it slides off. In particular, when the clamp portion 66 is made of a resin such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone resin), a shift in the support position due to the cancellation of the sag of the substrate 100 during partial contact in the measurement operation is likely to occur. . At this time, the characteristic difference between the substrate 100A and the substrate 100B may be markedly displayed.

In the present embodiment, since the difference in characteristics between the substrate 100A and the substrate 100B is already included in the control amount by correction, it is possible to suppress the deviation in alignment accuracy and time due to the difference in the cut-out portions. .

<Method for manufacturing electronic device>

Next, an example of the manufacturing method of an electronic device is demonstrated. Hereinafter, the structure and manufacturing method of an organic electroluminescent display are illustrated as an example of an electronic device. In the case of this example, the film-forming block 301 illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided on a manufacturing line, for example in three places.

First, an organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Fig. 15A is an overall view of the organic EL display device 50, and Fig. 15B is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in FIG. 15A , in the display area 51 of the organic EL display device 50, a plurality of pixels 52 including a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix shape. Although the details will be described later, each of the light emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes.

In addition, the pixel here refers to the minimum unit which enables display of a desired color in the display area 51 . In the case of a color organic EL display device, the pixel 52 is formed by a combination of a plurality of sub-pixels of the first light emitting element 52R, the second light emitting element 52G, and the third light emitting element 52B that emit light different from each other. is composed of The pixel 52 is often constituted by a combination of three types of sub-pixels: a red (R) light emitting element, a green (G) light emitting element, and a blue (B) light emitting element, but is not limited thereto. The pixel 52 may include at least one type of sub-pixel, preferably includes two or more types of sub-pixels, and more preferably includes three or more types of sub-pixels. As the sub-pixel constituting the pixel 52 , for example, a combination of four types of sub-pixels: a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, a blue (B) light-emitting element, and a yellow (Y) light-emitting element. may be

Fig. 15B is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along line A-B of Fig. 15A. The pixel 52 includes a first electrode (anode) 54 on a substrate 53 , a hole transport layer 55 , and any one of a red layer 56R, a green layer 56G, and a blue layer 56B. It has a plurality of sub-pixels constituted by an organic EL element including an electron transport layer 57 and a second electrode (cathode) 58 . Among them, the hole transport layer 55 , the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, the blue layer 56B, and the electron transport layer 57 correspond to the organic layer. The red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B are formed in a pattern corresponding to a light emitting element (which may be described as an organic EL element) emitting red, green, and blue, respectively.

In addition, the 1st electrode 54 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 55 , the electron transport layer 57 , and the second electrode 58 may be formed in common over the plurality of light emitting elements 52R, 52G, and 52B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. That is, as shown in FIG. 15B , after the hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer over a plurality of sub-pixel regions, the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B are negatively formed. It may be formed separately for each pixel region, and further, the electron transport layer 57 and the second electrode 58 may be formed thereon as a common layer over a plurality of sub-pixel regions.

On the other hand, in order to prevent a short circuit between the adjacent first electrodes 54 , an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54 . Furthermore, since the organic EL layer is deteriorated by moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 60 for protecting the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen is provided.

In FIG. 15B , the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as one layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display device, a plurality of layers having a hole blocking layer or an electron blocking layer are formed. may be In addition, between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55 , a hole injection layer having an energy band structure capable of smoothly injecting holes from the first electrode 54 to the hole transport layer 55 . may be formed. Similarly, an electron injection layer may be formed also between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57 .

Each of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B may be formed by a single light emitting layer, or may be formed by laminating a plurality of layers. For example, the red layer 56R may be composed of two layers, the upper layer may be formed of a red light emitting layer, and the lower layer may be formed of a hole transporting layer or an electron blocking layer. Alternatively, the lower layer may be formed of a red light emitting layer, and the upper layer may be formed of an electron transporting layer or a hole blocking layer. By providing the layer below or above the light-emitting layer in this way, there is an effect of improving the color purity of the light-emitting element by adjusting the light-emitting position in the light-emitting layer and adjusting the optical path length.

In addition, although the example of the red layer 56R is shown here, you may employ|adopt a similar structure also for the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B. In addition, two or more layers may be sufficient as the number of lamination|stacking. Furthermore, layers of different materials such as the light emitting layer and the electron blocking layer may be laminated, or layers of the same material may be laminated, for example, by laminating two or more light emitting layers.

Next, the example of the manufacturing method of an organic electroluminescent display apparatus is demonstrated concretely. Here, it is assumed that the red layer 56R consists of two layers, the lower layer 56R1 and the upper layer 56R2, and the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B are formed of a single light emitting layer.

First, a substrate 53 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving an organic EL display device and a first electrode 54 are formed is prepared. On the other hand, the material of the substrate 53 is not particularly limited, and may be made of glass, plastic, metal, or the like. In this embodiment, as the board|substrate 53, the board|substrate by which the polyimide film was laminated|stacked on the glass substrate is used.

A resin layer such as acrylic or polyimide is coated with bar coat or spin coat on the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed, and the resin layer is lithographically opened in the portion where the first electrode 54 is formed. The insulating layer 59 is formed by patterning to form . This opening corresponds to the light emitting region in which the light emitting element actually emits light. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, processing is performed on a large substrate until the formation of the insulating layer 59 , and after the formation of the insulating layer 59 , a division process of dividing the substrate 53 is performed.

The substrate 53 patterned with the insulating layer 59 is loaded into the first film formation chamber 303 , and the hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 54 in the display area. The hole transport layer 55 is formed using a mask in which an opening is formed for each display region 51 that will eventually become a panel portion of each organic EL display device.

Next, the substrate 53 formed up to the hole transport layer 55 is loaded into the second film formation chamber 303 . The substrate 53 and the mask are aligned, the substrate is placed on the mask, and on the hole transport layer 55, in the portion where the element emitting red of the substrate 53 is arranged (region where the red sub-pixel is formed) , a red layer 56R is formed. Here, the mask used in the second film formation chamber has a very fine (extremely fine) opening in which only a plurality of regions serving as red subpixels among a plurality of regions on the substrate 53 serving as subpixels of the organic EL display device are formed. fixed tax) is a mask. As a result, the red layer 56R including the red light emitting layer is formed only in the region serving as the red sub-pixel among the regions serving as the plurality of sub-pixels on the substrate 53 . In other words, the red layer 56R is not formed in a region serving as a blue subpixel or a region serving as a green subpixel among regions serving as a plurality of subpixels on the substrate 53 , but is formed in a region serving as a red subpixel. selectively deposited.

Similar to the film formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G is formed in the third film formation chamber 303, and further, the blue layer 56B is formed in the fourth film formation chamber 303. After the film formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B is completed, the electron transport layer 57 is formed over the entire display area 51 in the fifth film formation chamber 303 . The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a common layer on the three-color layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

The substrate formed up to the electron transport layer 57 is moved to the sixth film formation chamber 303 , and the second electrode 58 is formed. In the present embodiment, each layer is formed by vacuum deposition in the first film formation chambers 303 to the sixth film formation chambers 303 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, the film formation of the second electrode 58 in the sixth film formation chamber 303 may be formed by sputtering. Thereafter, the substrate formed up to the second electrode 68 is moved to a sealing device to form a protective layer 60 by plasma CVD (sealing process), and the organic EL display device 50 is completed. In addition, although it is assumed here that the protective layer 60 is formed by the CVD method, it is not limited to this, You may form by ALD method or an inkjet method.

Here, the film formation in the 1st film-forming chamber 303 - the 6th film-forming chamber 303 is formed into a film using the mask in which the opening corresponding to the pattern of each layer to be formed was formed. At the time of film-forming, after performing relative position adjustment (alignment) of the board|substrate 53 and a mask, the board|substrate 53 is mounted on a mask, and film-forming is performed. Here, the alignment process performed in each film-forming chamber is performed like the alignment process mentioned above.

<Other embodiment>

In the above embodiment, the correction information 142a and 142b are stored in the storage unit 142 of each control device 14 . However, the correction information 142a and 142b are stored separately for each control device 14 in the host device 300, and each control device 14 receives the correction information 142a and 142b from the host device 300 through communication. ) can be obtained.

In addition, in the said embodiment, although correction|amendment of the control amount based on board|substrate information was performed by 2nd alignment, you may perform 1st alignment.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, in 2nd alignment, although the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 were made to contact partially and the position shift was measured, you may measure in the state which brought both together without making contact.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the control apparatus 14 acquired board|substrate information from the host apparatus 300 (step S1). However, the board|substrate information may be acquired by communication from the control apparatus 309 which controls the conveyance robot 302a, for example.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, the control apparatus 14 acquired board|substrate information from the host apparatus 300 by communication (step S1). However, the control device 14 may acquire the substrate information by, for example, attaching a code indicating the substrate information to each substrate 100 and reading the code. The code reading unit is electrically connected to the control device 14 , and may be disposed in the deposition chamber 303 , or may be disposed in the deposition device 1 .

The present invention provides a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by processing. In addition, it can be realized by a circuit (for example, an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims are appended to clarify the scope of the invention.

1: film forming device
2: alignment device
5: Mask stand (mask support means)
6: Substrate supporting unit (substrate supporting means)
8: second measurement unit (measurement means)
141: processing unit (control means, acquisition means, update means)
142: memory unit (memory means)
20: positioning unit (positioning means)
22: approach separation unit (access separation means)
100: substrate
101: mask

Claims (26)

Substrate support means for supporting the periphery of any one of the plurality of substrates obtained by dividing the large substrate;
a mask support means for supporting the mask;
approach separation means for approaching and separating the substrate supported by the substrate support means and the mask supported by the mask support means in a gravitational direction;
measuring means for measuring an amount of displacement between the substrate and the mask;
positioning means for adjusting the relative positions of the substrate and the mask;
a control means for controlling the position adjustment means;
An alignment device for overlapping the substrate and the mask with each other when the amount of position shift is within an allowable range,
Acquisition means for acquiring the substrate information regarding the site|part in the said large-sized board|substrate before division|segmentation of the board|substrate supported by the said board|substrate support means is provided;
The control means measures the amount of position shift by the measurement means in a state where the substrate and the mask are in partial contact, and then adjusts the position in a state where the substrate and the mask are separated by the approach separation means. When adjusting the relative position by means, the position adjustment means is controlled based on the amount of position shift measured by the measurement means and the substrate information acquired by the acquisition means. According to claim 1,
An alignment device characterized in that the measurement operation by the measurement means and the position adjustment operation by the position adjustment means are repeatedly performed until the amount of position shift falls within an allowable range. 3. The method of claim 2,
The said control means controls the said position adjustment means based on the said position shift amount measured by the said measuring means, the said board|substrate information acquired by the said acquisition means, and the frequency|count of the said positioning operation|movement, The alignment characterized by the above-mentioned Device. 4. The method of claim 3,
The number of times of the said positioning operation|movement is the number of times of the said positioning operation|movement already performed with respect to the said board|substrate in order to bring the said displacement amount within an allowable range, The alignment apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The method of claim 3,
and storage means for storing correction information associated with the position of the large substrate and the number of times of the positioning operation;
The control means is
setting a control amount of the position adjustment means based on the position shift amount measured by the measurement means, and
An alignment apparatus characterized by reading the correction information corresponding to the portion indicated by the substrate information from the storage means, and correcting the control amount according to the read correction information. 6. The method of claim 5,
and updating means for updating the correction information. 7. The method of claim 6,
The said update means updates the said correction|amendment information based on the measurement result of the measurement operation|movement by the said measurement means after the position adjustment operation|movement by the said position adjustment means, The alignment apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The method of claim 6,
The said updating means updates the said correction information corresponding to the number of times of the said position adjustment operation based on the measurement result of the measurement operation by the said measurement means after the position adjustment operation by the said position adjustment means, The alignment apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned . According to claim 1,
a storage means for storing correction information associated with the portion of the large substrate;
The control means is
setting a control amount of the position adjustment means based on the position shift amount measured by the measurement means; and
An alignment apparatus characterized by reading the correction information corresponding to the portion indicated by the substrate information from the storage means, and correcting the control amount according to the read correction information. 10. The method of claim 9,
and updating means for updating the correction information. 11. The method of claim 10,
The said update means updates the said correction|amendment information based on the measurement result of the measurement operation|movement by the said measurement means after the position adjustment operation|movement by the said position adjustment means, The alignment apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 11. The method of claim 10,
The update means updates the correction information corresponding to the number of times of the position adjustment operation based on the measurement result of the measurement operation by the measurement means after the position adjustment operation by the position adjustment means. Device. Substrate support means for supporting the periphery of any one of the plurality of substrates obtained by dividing the large substrate;
a mask support means for supporting the mask;
approach separation means for approaching and separating the substrate supported by the substrate support means and the mask supported by the mask support means in a gravitational direction;
measuring means for measuring an amount of displacement between the substrate and the mask;
positioning means for adjusting the relative positions of the substrate and the mask;
a control means for controlling the position adjustment means;
The measurement operation by the measurement means and the position adjustment operation by the position adjustment means are repeatedly performed until the displacement amount is within the allowable range, and when the displacement amount is within the allowable range, the substrate and the mask are separated from each other. An overlapping alignment device comprising:
Acquisition means for acquiring the substrate information regarding the site|part in the said large-sized board|substrate before division|segmentation of the board|substrate supported by the said board|substrate support means is provided;
The said control means controls the said position adjustment means based on the said position shift amount measured by the said measuring means, the said board|substrate information acquired by the said acquisition means, and the frequency|count of the said positioning operation|movement, The alignment characterized by the above-mentioned Device. 14. The method of claim 13,
The number of times of the said positioning operation|movement is the number of times of the said positioning operation|movement already performed with respect to the said board|substrate in order to bring the said displacement amount within an allowable range, The alignment apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 14. The method of claim 13,
and storage means for storing correction information associated with the position of the large substrate and the number of times of the positioning operation;
The control means is
setting a control amount of the position adjustment means based on the position shift amount measured by the measurement means, and
An alignment apparatus characterized by reading the correction information corresponding to the portion indicated by the substrate information from the storage means, and correcting the control amount according to the read correction information. 16. The method of claim 15,
and updating means for updating the correction information. 17. The method of claim 16,
The said update means updates the said correction|amendment information based on the measurement result of the measurement operation|movement by the said measurement means after the position adjustment operation|movement by the said position adjustment means, The alignment apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 17. The method of claim 16,
The update means updates the correction information corresponding to the number of times of the position adjustment operation based on the measurement result of the measurement operation by the measurement means after the position adjustment operation by the position adjustment means. Device. 19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
The position adjusting means adjusts the relative position by moving the substrate support means,
and the approach separation means moves the substrate support means to approach and separate the substrate with respect to the mask. 19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18,
The alignment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate supporting means includes a clamping portion that clamps at least a part of the peripheral portion of the substrate. The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 18;
and film forming means for forming a film on the substrate through the mask. A supporting step of supporting the periphery of any one of the plurality of substrates obtained by dividing the large substrate;
a measurement step of measuring an amount of positional shift between the substrate and the mask in a state in which the substrate and the mask are in partial contact;
After the measurement step, a position adjustment step of adjusting the relative position of the substrate and the mask based on the position shift amount measured in the measurement step in a state where the substrate and the mask are spaced apart;
An alignment method in which the substrate and the mask are overlapped with each other when the amount of position shift is within an allowable range,
an acquisition step of acquiring substrate information regarding a portion of the large substrate before division of the substrate whose relative position is adjusted;
In the said position adjustment process, the relative position of the said board|substrate and the said mask is adjusted based on the said position shift amount measured in the said measurement process, and the said board|substrate information acquired in the said acquisition process, The alignment method characterized by the above-mentioned. A supporting step of supporting the periphery of any one of the plurality of substrates obtained by dividing the large substrate;
a measurement step of measuring an amount of positional shift between the substrate and the mask in a state in which the substrate and the mask are in partial contact;
After the measurement step, a position adjustment step of adjusting the relative position of the substrate and the mask based on the position shift amount measured in the measurement step in a state where the substrate and the mask are spaced apart;
An alignment method in which the measurement process and the position adjustment process are repeatedly performed until the displacement amount is within an allowable range, and when the displacement amount is within the allowable range, the substrate and the mask are overlapped with each other,
an acquisition step of acquiring substrate information regarding a portion of the large substrate before division of the substrate whose relative position is adjusted;
In the position adjustment step, the relative position of the substrate and the mask is adjusted based on the position shift amount measured in the measurement step, the substrate information acquired in the acquisition step, and the number of the position adjustment step Alignment method, characterized in that. An alignment step of aligning the substrate and the mask by the alignment method according to claim 22 or 23;
and a film-forming step of forming a film on the substrate through the mask whose relative position has been adjusted by the alignment step. A program stored in a storage medium for causing a computer to execute the alignment method according to claim 22 or 23. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the alignment method according to claim 22 or 23.

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