KR20220044133A - Film forming apparatus, detection device, detection method, and manufacturing method of electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

An objective of the present invention is to suppress a deterioration in the precision of alignment of a substrate and a mask. To achieve the objective, a film forming apparatus includes: a chamber maintaining a vacuum therein; an adsorption plate installed in the chamber to adsorb a substrate; a mask platform installed in the chamber to allow a mask to be placed thereon; an alignment means performing an alignment operation by adjusting a relative position, which is with respect to a plane along a film formation surface of the substrate, of the substrate adsorbed by the adsorption plate and the mask placed on the mask platform; a moving means moving the adsorption plate relatively in a crossing direction crossing with a plane with respect to the mask platform; and a detection means detecting a position in a crossing direction of the mask placed on the mask platform.

Description

A film-forming apparatus, a detection apparatus, a detection method, and the manufacturing method of an electronic device TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, a detection apparatus, a detection method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device.

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. Patent Document 1 discloses alignment by bringing the substrate and the mask closer to each other in a state in which the substrate is adsorbed to a suction plate such as an electrostatic chuck.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2019-099910

Here, as a result of vapor deposition on a plurality of substrates, the mask may be replaced because the mask is soiled. However, due to the individual difference in thickness for each mask, a mask having a different thickness may be exchanged. For this reason, when performing the alignment of the mask and the substrate, even if there is an individual difference in the thickness of the mask, it is necessary to take a large distance between the mask and the substrate so that the mask and the substrate do not come into contact. there was.

The present invention provides a technique for suppressing a decrease in precision of alignment between a substrate and a mask.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a chamber for maintaining the inside in a vacuum,

a suction plate installed inside the chamber to adsorb the substrate;

a mask stand installed inside the chamber and on which the mask is placed;

alignment means for performing alignment by adjusting the relative positions of the substrate adsorbed on the suction plate and the mask placed on the mask stand in a plane along a film-formed surface of the substrate;

moving means for relatively moving the suction plate in an intersecting direction intersecting the plane with respect to the mask stand;

and detecting means for detecting a position of the mask placed on the mask stand in the crossing direction is provided.

In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, a chamber for maintaining the inside in a vacuum,

A suction plate installed inside the chamber and capable of adsorbing a substrate;

a mask stand installed inside the chamber and on which the mask is placed;

alignment means for performing alignment by adjusting the relative positions of the substrate adsorbed on the suction plate and the mask placed on the mask stand in a plane along a film-formed surface of the substrate;

A detection device mounted on a film forming apparatus comprising moving means for relatively moving the suction plate in a direction intersecting the plane with respect to the mask stand,

There is provided a detection device comprising: detecting means for detecting a position of the mask placed on the mask stand in the crossing direction.

In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, a chamber for maintaining the inside in a vacuum,

A suction plate installed inside the chamber and capable of adsorbing a substrate;

a mask stand installed inside the chamber and on which the mask is placed;

A method for detecting a film forming apparatus comprising: alignment means for performing alignment by adjusting the relative positions of the substrate adsorbed on the suction plate and the mask placed on the mask stand in a plane along a film formation surface of the substrate,

a moving step of relatively moving the suction plate in an intersecting direction intersecting the plane with respect to the mask stand;

A detection method comprising a detection step of detecting a position of the mask placed on the mask stand in the crossing direction is provided.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the precision fall of the alignment of a board|substrate and a mask can be suppressed.

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;
It is explanatory drawing of a board|substrate support unit and a suction plate.
It is explanatory drawing of the electric wiring of a suction plate.
5 is an explanatory diagram of a measurement unit;
6 is an explanatory diagram of an adjustment unit;
It is explanatory drawing of the superposition process of the board|substrate and mask using a suction plate.
8(A) to 8(C) are explanatory views of the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5;
Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a control process;
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a display unit;
11 is a flowchart showing an example of a control process;
Fig. 12(A) is an overall view of an organic EL display device, and Fig. 12(B) is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.
Fig. 13(A) shows the vacuum chamber in a state in which no mask is installed, Fig. 13(B) shows the vacuum chamber before replacement of the mask, and Figs. 13(C) to 13(D) show the vacuum chamber after replacement of the mask. drawing.
Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a control process;

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiment does not limit the invention which concerns on a claim. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiment, not all of these plurality of features are necessarily essential to the invention, and a plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, in an accompanying drawing, the same reference number is attached|subjected to the same or similar structure, and overlapping description is abbreviate|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, and the substrate 100 is sequentially transferred to the film forming block 301 , and the organic EL 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 the transfer chamber 302 having an octagonal shape in plan view, before and after use. A mask storage room 305 in which a mask of In the transfer chamber 302 , a transfer robot 302a that transfers the substrate 100 is disposed. The transfer robot 302a includes a hand that holds the substrate 100 and an articulated arm that moves the hand in the horizontal direction. 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 when not distinguished, the film forming chamber 303 is denoted.

In the transfer direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100 , a buffer chamber 306 , a swirl chamber 307 , and a transfer chamber 308 are respectively disposed on the upstream side and 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 some film-forming block 301 is a buffer chamber ( 306 ), a vortex chamber 307 , and a transmission chamber 308 are configured to be connected by a connecting device. In addition, the structure of the connection device is not limited to this, For example, you may be comprised with the buffer chamber 306 or the delivery chamber 308 only.

The transfer robot 302a carries in the substrate 100 from the transfer chamber 308 on the upstream side into 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 operation condition of the manufacturing line. The buffer chamber 306 is provided with a substrate storage shelf, also called a cassette, and a lifting mechanism. The substrate storage shelf has a multi-stage structure that can accommodate a plurality of substrates 100 while maintaining a horizontal state in which the processing target surface (film formation surface) of the substrate 100 faces downward in the gravitational direction. The raising/lowering mechanism raises and lowers the board|substrate storage shelf in order to align the stage from which the board|substrate 100 is carried in or carried out to a conveyance 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 transfer chamber 308 , thereby entering the buffer chamber 306 and the transfer chamber. At 308, the front and rear ends of the substrate are switched. Thereby, since the direction when the substrate 100 is loaded into the film formation chamber 303 becomes the same in each film formation block 301 , the scan direction of the film formation with respect to the substrate S 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 which installs a mask in the mask storage chamber 305 in each film-forming block 301 can be matched, management of a mask is 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 when they are 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. The film forming apparatus 1 installed in the film forming chamber 303 is an apparatus for forming a vapor deposition material on the substrate 100 , and forms a thin film of the vapor deposition material having a predetermined pattern by using the mask 101 . Materials, such as glass, resin, and a metal, can be suitably selected as a material of the board|substrate 100 on which film-forming is performed in the film-forming apparatus 1, and a resin layer, such as a polyimide, formed on glass is used preferably. 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 an electronic device such as a display apparatus (a flat panel display, etc.), a thin film solar cell, an organic photoelectric conversion element (organic thin film imaging element), an optical member, etc. And, in particular, it 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, the arrow Z indicates the vertical direction (the direction of gravity), and the arrow X and the arrow Y indicate the horizontal direction orthogonal to each other.

The film forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 3 (also simply referred to as a chamber) capable of holding the inside in a vacuum. The internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas. In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber 3 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). In addition, in this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with a gas having 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 for supporting the substrate 100 in a horizontal posture, a mask stand 5 for supporting the mask 101 , a film forming unit 4 , and a plate A unit 9 and a suction plate 15 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 placed on the mask stand 5 . On the other hand, the mask stand 5 can be replaced with another form of means for fixing the mask 101 at a predetermined position. As the mask 101, a mask having a structure in which a mask foil having a thickness of several μm to several tens of μm 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 includes 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 has a function of cooling the substrate 100 adsorbed to the suction plate 15 at the time of film formation by contacting with the suction plate 15 mentioned later at the time of film-forming. The cooling plate 10 is provided with a water cooling mechanism, etc., and is not limited to actively cooling the substrate 100 , and is not provided with a water cooling mechanism, etc., but to absorb heat from the substrate 100 by contacting the suction plate 15 . A plate-shaped member may be used. 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.

In addition, the cooling plate 10 and the magnet plate 11 may be abbreviate|omitted suitably. For example, when the cooling mechanism is provided in the suction plate 15, the cooling plate 10 may not be needed. In addition, when the suction plate 15 adsorb|sucks the mask 101, the magnet plate 11 may not be needed.

The film forming unit 4 is constituted by 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 in a row in the X direction, and vapor deposition material is emitted from each nozzle. For example, the linear evaporation source is reciprocally moved in the Y direction (depth direction of the apparatus) by an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown). In this embodiment, the film-forming unit 4 is provided in the same vacuum chamber 3 as the alignment apparatus 2 mentioned later. However, in the embodiment in which the film forming process is performed in a chamber different from the vacuum chamber 3 in which the alignment is performed, the film forming unit 4 is not disposed in the vacuum chamber 3 .

<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 device 2 includes a substrate support unit 6 , a suction plate 15 , a position adjustment unit 20 , a distance adjustment unit 22 , a plate unit elevating unit 13 , measurement units 7 and 8 , and adjustment. A unit 17 , a floating unit 19 , and a detection unit 16 are provided. Hereinafter, each structure of an alignment apparatus is demonstrated.

(substrate support unit)

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 the suction plate 15, It is the figure which looked at these from the lower side.

The substrate support unit 6 includes a plurality of base portions 61a to 61d constituting the outer frame, and a plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 protruding inward from the base portions 61a to 61d. On the other hand, the mounting units 62 and 63 may also be called "receiving fingers" or "fingers". The base portions 61a to 61d are supported by a support shaft R3, respectively. The plurality of mounting portions 62 are arranged at intervals on the base portions 61a to 61d so as to receive the long side of the periphery of the substrate 100 . Moreover, the some mounting part 63 is arrange|positioned at intervals in the base parts 61a-61d so that the short side of the peripheral part of the board|substrate 100 may be received. The substrate 100 carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302a is supported by the plurality of mounting units 62 and 63 . Hereinafter, when the base portions 61a to 61d are generically referred to, or when not distinguished, the base portion 61 is denoted.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of mounting units 62 and 63 are formed of leaf springs, and when the substrate 100 supported by the plurality of mounting units 62 and 63 is sucked by the suction plate 15 , The substrate 100 may be pressed against the suction plate 15 by the elastic force of the leaf spring.

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 3 , a quadrangular frame with a cutout is partially constituted by the four base parts 61 , but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the base part 61 is the outer periphery of the quadrangular-shaped substrate 100 . It may be a rectangular frame with no cutouts to enclose it. However, when the transfer robot 302a transfers the board|substrate 100 to the mounting parts 62 and 63 by providing a cutout by the some base part 61, the transfer robot 302a lifts the base part 61. damage can be avoided. Thereby, the efficiency of conveyance and delivery of the board|substrate 100 can be improved.

On the other hand, the substrate support unit 6 is provided with a plurality of clamp portions corresponding to the plurality of placement portions 62 and 63 , and the periphery of the substrate 100 placed on the placement portions 62 and 63 is connected to the clamp portion by the clamp portion. An aspect in which it is clamped and held may be employed.

(Suction plate)

Reference is continued to FIGS. 2 and 3 . The alignment apparatus 2 is provided in the inside of the vacuum chamber 3, and the suction plate 15 which can adsorb|suck the board|substrate 100 is provided. In this embodiment, the suction plate 15 is provided between the board|substrate support unit 6 and the plate unit 9, and is supported by one or several support shaft R1. In this embodiment, the suction plate 15 is supported by four support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the support shaft R1 is a cylindrical shaft.

In addition, in this embodiment, the suction plate 15 is an electrostatic chuck which attracts the board|substrate 100 by electrostatic force. For example, the suction plate 15 has a structure in which an electric circuit such as a metal electrode is embedded in a matrix (also called a substrate) made of ceramic material. For example, when positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are applied to the metal electrode disposed in the electrode arrangement region 151 , polarized charges are induced in the substrate 100 through the ceramic matrix, and the substrate 100 and The substrate 100 is adsorbed and fixed to the suction surface 150 of the suction plate 15 by the electrostatic attraction (electrostatic force) between the suction plates 15 .

On the other hand, the electrode arrangement region 151 can be appropriately set. For example, although a plurality of electrode arrangement regions 151 are provided to be spaced apart from each other in this embodiment, even if one electrode arrangement region 151 is formed over substantially the entire surface of the suction surface 150 of the suction plate 15 , do.

Moreover, the some touch sensor 1621 which detects the contact of the suction plate 15 and the board|substrate 100 is embedded in the suction plate 15. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a total of nine touch sensors 1621 are provided. In the periphery of the suction plate 15, four are provided along both long sides, respectively, and one is provided in the center part of the suction plate 15. As shown in FIG. As described above, by installing the touch sensors 1621 at a plurality of positions of the suction plate 15 , it can be confirmed that the entire surface of the substrate 100 is absorbed by the suction surface 150 . On the other hand, the number and arrangement of the touch sensors 1621 can be appropriately changed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 mechanically detects the contact between itself and an object. As an example, the tip of the touch sensor 1621 is provided such that the tip protrudes from the suction surface 150 in a state where the tip is pressed by a spring or the like, and the tip is not in contact with the substrate 100 or the like. And, when the substrate 100 comes into contact with the tip of the touch sensor 1621, the tip is pressed against the substrate 100 and enters the suction plate 15 side, and a predetermined electrical signal is output by contacting the internal contact. On the other hand, the shape of the tip is not particularly limited, and may be a button shape or a rod shape. By appropriately setting the length at which the tip of the tip in a state not in contact with the object protrudes from the suction surface 150 , the touch sensor 1621 can substantially detect the contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 . Moreover, the some touch sensor 1621 comprises the detection unit 16 which detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 so that it may mention later (refer <detection unit>).

In addition, in this embodiment, the fiber sensor 1622 which confirms the adsorption|suction state to the suction plate 15 of the board|substrate 100 is provided in the suction plate 15. As shown in FIG. The fiber sensor 1622 includes a light emitting unit 1622a and a light receiving unit 1622b. The light emitting part 1622a and the light receiving part 1622b are provided below the suction plate 15, for example, so that it may form the optical path 1622c below several mm - several tens of mm of the suction plate 15. As shown in FIG. When a part of the substrate 100 is not adsorbed to the suction plate 15 , the part droops downward due to gravity. When sag occurs in the substrate 100 after the adsorption process of the substrate 100 to the suction plate 15 is performed, the sag of the substrate 100 is detected because the portion of the sag blocks the optical path 1622c. That is, it can detect that the adsorption|suction of the board|substrate 100 is not performed properly. In addition, the fiber sensor 1622 may be omitted.

In addition, a plurality of openings 152 are formed in the suction plate 15 , and measurement units (the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 ) described later pass through the plurality of openings 152 . The mask mark is imaged.

Reference is also made to FIG. 4 . 4 : has shown typically the structure from the suction plate 15 to support shaft R1. In addition, FIG. 4 is an explanatory drawing of the electric wiring of the suction plate, and the wiring for supplying electricity to the electrode arrange|positioned in the electrode arrangement area|region 151 of the suction plate 15 is shown. In the case of this embodiment, the some support shaft R1 which supports the suction plate 15 is formed in the hollow cylindrical shape. In addition, wires 153 for applying positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are wired so as to pass through the inside. In the example of FIG. 4 , a total of two wires 153 for applying positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are shown, one each. Moreover, the electric wire 153 extending from the lower part of the support shaft R1 to the vacuum chamber 3 extends along the short side of the suction plate 15, and is connected to the electrical connection part 154 provided substantially in the center of the short side. That is, the electric wire 153 is guided from the outside to the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 through the support shaft R1 , and is connected to the electrical connection part 154 . Further, electric power supplied from the electric wire 153 to the electrical connection portion 154 is supplied to each electrode disposed in the electrode arrangement region 151 .

In addition, in this embodiment, four support shafts R1 are provided, and various electric wires (cables) are guided into the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 via these support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the wires 153 for supplying electricity to the suction plate 15 each pass through the inside of the two support shafts R1 installed diagonally, the inside of the remaining two support shafts R1, A cable such as a touch sensor 1621 or a fiber sensor 1622 to be described later passes through in a bundled state.

(Positioning unit)

The alignment apparatus 2 adjusts the relative position between the substrate 100 supported by the periphery of the substrate support unit 6 or the substrate 100 sucked by the suction plate 15 and the mask 101 . A position adjustment unit (20) is provided. 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 or the suction plate 15 on the X-Y plane. That is, the position adjustment unit 20 can also be said to be a unit which adjusts the horizontal position of the mask 101 and the board|substrate 100. As shown in FIG. For example, 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 X-Y plane on which the substrate 100 or the mask 101 is displaced is an example of a plane along the deposition target surface of the substrate 100 (the surface facing downward of the substrate 100 in FIG. 2 ). Since the substrate 100 may sag due to its own weight, the film formation surface of the substrate 100 may not be parallel to the X-Y plane. Also in this case, as a plane along the film-forming surface, the plane on which adjustment by the position adjustment unit 20 is performed is set suitably. In addition, adjustment of the relative position in the plane or adjustment of the horizontal position means adjusting the position in the corresponding plane of each projection when the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are projected on a certain plane, This does not mean that the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are disposed on the same plane.

In this embodiment, the position adjustment unit 20 is provided with the fixed plate 20a, the movable plate 20b, and the some actuator 201 arrange|positioned between these plates. The fixing plate 20a is fixed on the upper wall part 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 . Moreover, the frame-shaped mount 21 is mounted on the movable plate 20b, and the distance adjustment unit 22 and the plate unit raising/lowering unit 13 are supported by the mount 21. When the movable plate 20b is displaced in the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed plate 20a by the actuator 201, the mount 21, the distance adjusting unit 22, and the plate unit lifting unit 13 are integrally displaced. .

The plurality of actuators 201 include, for example, an actuator capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the X direction and an actuator capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the Y direction, etc., and are movable by controlling their movement amounts. The plate 20b can be displaced in the direction of rotation about the axis in the X direction, the Y direction and the Z direction. For example, the plurality of actuators 201 may include a motor that is a driving source and a mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism that converts the driving force of the motor into linear motion.

(distance adjustment unit)

The distance adjustment unit 22 adjusts the distance between these and the mask base 5 by raising/lowering the suction plate 15 and the board|substrate support unit 6, and sets the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 to the board|substrate 100. Approach and separate (separate) in the thickness direction (Z direction) of In other words, the distance adjusting unit 22 approaches the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the overlapping direction, or makes them spaced apart in the opposite direction. On the other hand, the "distance" adjusted by the distance adjustment unit 22 is a so-called vertical distance (or vertical distance), and the distance adjustment unit can also be said to be a unit for adjusting the vertical position of the mask 101 and the substrate 100 . there is. The Z direction is an example of an intersecting direction intersecting a plane (X-Y plane in this embodiment) along the film-forming surface of the substrate 100 . When the plane along the film-forming surface is an X-Y plane, if the Z-direction component is included, the direction in which the suction plate 15 moves may not be perpendicular to the X-Y plane. That is, the distance adjustment unit 22 raises and lowers the suction plate 15 in any intersecting direction intersecting the plane along the film-forming surface of the substrate 100 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the distance adjusting 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 (up and down direction) along the guide rail 21a.

The first lifting plate 220 supports the suction plate 15 via the plurality of support shafts R1 . When the first elevating plate 220 elevates, the suction plate 15 elevates accordingly. In other words, the first lifting plate 220 supports the plurality of support shafts R1 supporting the suction plate 15 , and the plurality of support shafts R1 are synchronized by the lifting and lowering of the first lifting plate 220 . It raises and lowers, and the suction plate 15 raises and lowers in the state which maintained the parallelism. Further, the first lifting plate 220 supports the substrate support unit 6 via the plurality of actuators 65 and the plurality of support shafts R3 . When the first lifting plate 220 is raised and lowered, the substrate support unit 6 is raised and lowered accordingly. In addition, the plurality of actuators 65 can move the plurality of supporting shafts R3 to be connected in the vertical direction. The substrate support unit 6 is relatively moved in the vertical direction with respect to the suction plate 15 by the plurality of actuators 65 . The plurality of actuators 65 may be configured to be able to move the support shaft R3 in the vertical direction by, for example, a motor and a ball screw mechanism.

Elevation of the first lifting plate 220 will be described in more detail. The distance adjustment unit 22 is supported by the mount 21 , and includes a drive unit 221 as an actuator that raises and lowers the first lifting plate 220 . The driving unit 221 is a mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor 221a as a driving source to the first lifting plate 220 . As the transmission mechanism of the drive unit 221 , in the present embodiment, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 22lb and a ball nut 221c is employed. The ball screw shaft 22lb is installed to extend 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 22lb. By the rotation of the ball screw shaft 22lb and the switching of the rotational direction, the first lifting plate 220 may 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 position in the Z direction of the suction plate 15 which adsorb|sucks and supports the board|substrate 100 can be controlled, and the contact and separation|separation of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be controlled. Moreover, the adjustment unit 17 mentioned later is provided in the upper part of the 1st raising/lowering plate 220. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, although the distance adjustment unit of this embodiment fixes the position of the mask stand 5, moves the board|substrate support unit 6 and the suction plate 15, and adjusts these Z-direction distance, it is not limited to this. . The position of the substrate support unit 6 or the suction plate 15 may be fixed, and the mask stand 5 may be moved to adjust, or the substrate support unit 6 , the suction plate 15 , and the mask stand 5 . You may move each to adjust the distance from each other.

(plate unit elevating unit)

The plate unit elevation unit 13 is connected to the second elevation plate 12 by elevation of the second elevation 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 through one or a plurality of support shafts R2. In this embodiment, the plate unit 9 is supported by two support shafts R2. The support shaft R2 extends upward from the magnet plate 11 , and includes an opening in the upper wall 30 , each opening in the fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b , and the first lifting plate 220 . It is connected to the second lifting plate 12 through the opening of the.

The second lifting plate 12 is movable in the Z direction along the guide shaft 12a. The plate unit raising/lowering unit 13 is supported by the mount 21 and is provided with a drive mechanism for raising/lowering the second raising/lowering plate 12 . The drive mechanism included in the plate unit raising/lowering unit 13 is a mechanism for transmitting the driving force of the motor 13a serving as a drive source to the second lifting plate 12 . As a transmission mechanism of the plate unit raising/lowering unit 13, in this embodiment, the ball screw mechanism which has the ball screw shaft 13b and the ball nut 13c is employ|adopted. The ball screw shaft 13b is installed to extend in the Z direction, and rotates around the axis in the Z direction 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 of the plate unit 9 in the Z direction can be controlled, and the contact and separation|separation of the plate unit 9 and the board|substrate 100 can be controlled.

The opening of the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 through which each of the above-described supporting shafts R1 to R3 passes has a size in which each of the supporting shafts R1 to R3 can be displaced in the X and Y directions. In order to maintain the airtightness of the vacuum chamber 3, a bellows or the like is provided in the opening of the upper wall portion 30 through which each of the supporting shafts R1 to R3 passes. For example, the support shaft R1 which supports the 1st lifting plate 220 is covered with the bellows 31 (refer FIG. 4 etc.).

(Measuring unit)

The alignment apparatus 2 includes a measurement unit (a first measurement unit 7 and a second measurement unit ( 8)) 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 position shift 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 are imaged 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 10lb are formed on the mask 101 . Hereinafter, the board|substrate rough alignment mark 100a is called the board|substrate rough mark 100a, the board|substrate fine alignment mark 100b is called the board|substrate fine mark 100b, and both may be collectively called a board|substrate mark. In addition, the mask rough alignment 101a is called a mask rough mark 101a, the mask fine alignment mark 10lb is called a mask fine mark 10lb, and both are collectively called a mask mark 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 at 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. In addition, mask fine marks 10lb are formed at four corners of the mask 101 in correspondence with the substrate fine marks 100b.

Four second measurement units 8 are provided so as to image each set (four sets in this embodiment) of the corresponding substrate fine mark 100b and mask fine mark 10lb (second measurement) units 8a to 8d). 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 is capable of detecting positional displacement between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . Measure 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 positional shift between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . In the example of FIG. 5, although the structure which imaged the group 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 installed 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 this embodiment, after performing rough position adjustment of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 based on the measurement result of the 1st measurement unit 7, based on the measurement result of the 2nd measurement unit 8, the board|substrate Precise positioning of (100) and the mask (101) is performed.

(adjustment unit)

The alignment device 2 includes an adjustment unit 17 . 6 : is explanatory drawing of the adjustment unit 17 (adjustment apparatus). The adjustment unit 17 is a unit that adjusts the relative inclination of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 . In the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 17 adjusts the relative inclination of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 by moving the suction plate 15 . In addition, the relative inclination of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 is adjusted by adjusting the position of the axial direction of at least one part support shaft R1 among some support shaft R1.

The adjustment unit 17 has a plurality of operation units 171 operated by an operator. In this embodiment, the some operation part 171 is provided corresponding to each of the some support shaft R1. And, when the manipulation unit 171 is operated, the corresponding support shaft R1 moves in the vertical direction, which is the axial direction, independently of the other support shaft R1. That is, each of the plurality of operation units 171 can independently adjust the position in the vertical direction at which the corresponding support shaft R1 supports the suction plate 15 . Accordingly, the relative inclination of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 is adjusted by the operator operating the operation unit 171 . In order to increase the degree of freedom of adjustment, it is preferable that the operation part 171 is provided on each of the plurality of support shafts R1, but when the operation part 171 is installed on at least one support shaft R1, the suction plate 15 and the mask The relative inclination of the stand 5 can be adjusted within a certain range.

In this embodiment, the operation part 171 is an adjustment nut which moves the support shaft R1 in the vertical direction which is the axial direction. It is provided so that the adjustment nut and the screw thread 172 formed in the support shaft R1 may engage, and when an adjustment nut is turned by an operator, the support shaft R1 moves.

In addition, in this embodiment, the operation part 171 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 3 . Specifically, the support shaft R1 is supported by the first lifting plate 220 through the slide bush 173 , and the operation unit 171 is provided above the slide bush 173 . Since the operation unit 171 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 3 , the operator can perform the adjustment by the adjustment unit 17 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum.

In addition, between the support shaft R1 and the sucker plate 15, the angle of the sucker plate 15 with respect to the support shaft R1 is variable, and the bending part 18 which connects the support shaft R1 and the sucker plate 15 is provided. installed. In this embodiment, the bent part 18 is a spherical bearing, and contains the spherical-shaped part 181 and the bearing part 182 which receives the spherical-shaped part 181 slidably.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of support shafts R1 are configured to be movable only in the vertical direction (axial direction). Therefore, in the state in which the suction plate 15 is horizontally hold|maintained like state ST1 shown to the left of FIG. 6, and the state in which the suction plate 15 inclines like the state ST2 shown in the right side of FIG. The angle formed by the suction plate 15 with respect to the axis R1 is different. In this embodiment, since the suction plate 15 is bent with respect to the support shaft R1 by the bending part 18, even in the state where the suction plate 15 is inclined, the support shaft R1 can support the suction plate 15. . On the other hand, the bending part 18 can set suitably the structure which connects two members, such as a universal joint, so that the connection angle can be changed.

Here, the configuration of the adjustment unit 17 will be described in comparison with the distance adjustment unit 22 . When the first lifting plate 220 of the distance adjusting unit 22 is raised or lowered, all of the plurality of support shafts R1 supported by the first lifting plate 220 are raised and lowered by the same amount. That is, the plurality of support shafts R1 are synchronously raised and lowered. Therefore, the suction plate 15 is raised and lowered in a state in which parallelism or relative inclination of the suction plate 15 with respect to the mask table 5 is maintained. Meanwhile, the adjustment unit 17 may move any one of the plurality of support shafts R1 in a vertical direction (axial direction) with respect to the first lifting plate 220 independently of the other support shaft R1 . . For example, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the position of the axial direction of the remaining one support shaft R1, without changing the position of three support shaft R1. Thereby, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the inclination of the suction plate 15 supported by several support shaft R1.

(Floating part)

The alignment device 2 includes a floating part 19 . The floating portion 19 is provided between the bent portion 18 and the suction plate 15 . The floating part 19 includes an elastic member 191 , a bush 192 , a shaft member 193 , a suction plate support part 194 , and a flange 195 . The shaft member 193 is provided extending downward from the bent portion 18 . The bush 192 is provided so that it may be interposed between the shaft member 193 and the suction plate support part 194, and reduces friction between them, or reduces rattling. For example, the bush 192 is formed of a metal sintered material having good sliding properties or the like. The suction plate support 194 supports the suction plate 15 . The elastic member 191 is provided between the suction plate support part 194 and the flange 195 provided in the shaft member 193, and is comprised so that the load of the suction plate 15 may be received. That is, the floating part 19 is connected to the support shaft R1 through the bent part 18 , and the elastic member 191 of the floating part 19 supports the suction plate 15 . In this way, the support shaft R1 supports the suction plate 15 through the elastic member 191 of the floating part 19 , so that when the suction plate 15 comes into contact with the mask 101 , it is applied to the mask 101 . While reducing the load, escape of the suction plate 15 when the suction plate 15 and the mask 101 contact is securable.

(detection unit)

The alignment device 2 includes a detection unit 16 . Reference is again made to FIGS. 2 and 3 . The detection unit 16 detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 . Parallelism is a grade which shows the degree of the relative inclination of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the detection unit 16 is comprised including the some touch sensor 1621 mentioned above provided in the suction plate 15 side. The plurality of touch sensors 1621 are attached to the suction plate 15 so that the lengths protruding from the suction surface 150 of the tip end are substantially equal to each other. By attaching the touch sensor 1621 to the suction plate 15 , even if the vacuum chamber 3 is deformed by atmospheric pressure, a change occurring in the relative position between the suction plate 15 and the touch sensor 1621 can be reduced. That is, even in a vacuum state, the protrusion length of the tip of the touch sensor 1621 hardly changes, and remains approximately equal to each other. Therefore, when the suction plate 15 is moved, if all of the plurality of touch sensors 1621 react almost simultaneously, the degree of parallelism is high, in other words, it is determined that the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 is small. can A predetermined non-parallel inclination can also be set as a target value by changing the length which protrudes from the adsorption|suction surface 150 of the front-end|tip part appropriately. The detection operation of the parallelism of the suction plate 15 using the detection unit 16 is mentioned later. In addition, in this embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 performs both detection of the contact of the suction plate 15 and the board|substrate 100, and the parallelism detection between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5. As shown in FIG. Thereby, compared with the case where the sensor which detects these is provided separately, the number of sensors can be reduced.

<control unit>

The control device 14 controls the entire film forming device 1 . The control device 14 includes a processing unit 141 , a storage unit 142 , an input/output interface (I/O) 143 , a communication unit 144 , a display unit 145 , and an input unit 146 . The processing unit 141 is a processor typified 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 such as a ROM, RAM, or 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 . The display unit 145 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various types of information. The input unit 146 is, for example, a keyboard or a pointing device, and receives various inputs from the user. 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 and mask overlapping process>

7 : is explanatory drawing of the superimposition process of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 using the suction plate 15. As shown in FIG. 7 shows each state of the process.

State ST100 is a state after the substrate 100 is loaded into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302a and the transfer robot 302a is retracted. At this time, the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate support unit 6 .

State ST101 is a preparatory step for adsorption|suction of the board|substrate 100 by the adsorption|suction plate 15, Comprising: It is a state in which the board|substrate support unit 6 raised. The substrate support unit 6 rises so as to approach the suction plate 15 by the actuator 65 from the state ST100. In state ST101, the periphery of the board|substrate 100 supported by the board|substrate support unit 6 is in contact with the suction plate 15, or exists in the position slightly spaced apart. On the other hand, since the center part of the board|substrate 100 sags by its own weight, it exists in the position spaced apart from the suction plate 15 compared with the peripheral part.

State ST102 is a state in which the substrate 100 is adsorbed by the suction plate 15 . When a voltage is applied to the electrodes disposed in the electrode arrangement region 151 of the suction plate 15 , the substrate 100 is attracted to the suction plate 15 by electrostatic force.

State ST103 is a state at the time of confirming whether the board|substrate 100 is adsorb|sucked by the suction plate 15 normally. In a state in which the substrate supporting unit 6 is lowered and separated from the substrate 100 , whether or not the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the suction plate 15 is confirmed based on the detection value of the touch sensor 1621 . For example, as for the control apparatus 14, when all the touch sensors 1621 embedded in the suction plate 15 detect contact with the board|substrate 100, the board|substrate 100 normally attaches to the sucker board 15. judged to be adsorbed. In the case where the fiber sensor 1622 is provided, it may be determined based on the output from the fiber sensor 1622 whether or not the substrate 100 is adsorbed normally.

State ST104 is a state during the alignment operation of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 . The control device 14 lowers the suction plate 15 by the distance adjustment unit 22 and performs an alignment operation by the position adjustment unit 20 in a state where the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are brought close to each other. .

State ST105 is a state in which the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are brought into closer contact with the magnet plate 11 . The control device 14 lowers the plate unit 9 by the plate unit raising/lowering unit 13 after the alignment operation is finished. When the magnet plate 11 approaches the substrate 100 and the mask 101 , the mask 101 is attracted to the substrate 100 side, and the adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is improved.

By the operation described above, the overlapping process of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is completed. For example, after the end of this process, the vapor deposition process by the film-forming unit 4 is performed.

By the way, when performing alignment of the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the process demonstrated above, the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 may affect the precision of alignment. By performing alignment with the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 being close to each other, the precision of alignment can be improved. However, if there is a relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 , there is a possibility that a part of the substrate 100 may come into contact with the mask 101 , thereby causing a scratch or the like on the substrate 100 . occurs As the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is increased to protect the substrate 100 , the alignment accuracy may be reduced. Therefore, in general, parallel adjustment of the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 may be performed in the environment where the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is atmospheric pressure. Parallel adjustment in an atmospheric pressure environment is performed, for example, by inserting a shim into the connecting portion of the substrate support unit 6 .

8(A) to 8(C) are explanatory views of the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 . Fig. 8(A) shows a state after the internal space 3a is inclination-adjusted to a state of atmospheric pressure. In the state shown in FIG.8(A), the suction plate 15 and the mask base|base 5 are hold|maintained substantially parallel. On the other hand, FIG.8(B) has shown the state which exhausted the air of the internal space 3a from the state shown in FIG.8(A) and made it into a vacuum. Even when the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 are adjusted in parallel in an atmospheric pressure environment, when the internal space 3a is evacuated, deformation or the like occurs in the vacuum chamber 3 due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vacuum chamber 3 . , an inclination may occur between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 . However, when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is vacuum, the adjustment similar to the parallel adjustment in the atmospheric pressure environment as mentioned above may not be performed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 suppresses the fall of alignment precision by adjusting the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 in a vacuum state. .

<Explanation of adjustment operation>

9 is a flowchart showing an example of the control processing of the processing unit 141 , and has shown processing at the time of performing the adjustment operation of the inclination by the adjustment unit 17 . For example, this flowchart is executed when the air in the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 under the atmospheric pressure environment is exhausted by a vacuum pump or the like not shown, and the internal space 3a becomes a vacuum state. do. Also, for example, this flowchart is executed at a predetermined cycle while the internal space 3a is in a vacuum state. Also, for example, in this flowchart, the mask 101 is not placed on the mask stand 5 , the substrate 100 is not adsorbed on the suction plate 15 , and the substrate ( 100) is executed in an unsupported state.

In step S1 (hereinafter simply referred to as S1. The same is applied to other steps), the processing unit 141 executes parallelism detection processing between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 . In this embodiment, in the parallelism detection process, the processing part 141 detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5, and performs the process of determining whether the detected parallelism is within an allowable range. In addition, the specific example of this process is mentioned later (refer FIG. 11).

In S2, the processing unit 141 ends the flowchart if the parallelism is within the allowable range based on the processing result of S1, and proceeds to S3 if the parallelism is not within the allowable range. For example, in the case of the state shown in FIG.8(B), in S1, it is determined that the parallelism or inclination is outside the allowable range, and it progresses to the process of S3.

In S3, the processing unit 141 instructs the inclination adjustment. In one embodiment, the processing part 141 displays by the display part 145 to the effect of instructing an operator to adjust the inclination of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display screen 145a of the display unit 145 . In the example of FIG. 10, as a display example to the effect of instructing inclination adjustment, "Operate the operation part of the support shaft C to lower the support shaft C. In the example of FIG. The character string ' is shown. In addition, the processing part 141 may display information, such as the operation amount of the support shaft R1 of an operation target, and a movement direction. On the other hand, the processing unit 141 transmits information to instruct the inclination adjustment from the host device 300, and the host device 300 that has received the information displays an indication to instruct the adjustment on a display unit (not shown) or the like. also be

FIG. 8(C) is an explanatory diagram of the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5, in which the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is in a vacuum state by an operator by the adjustment unit 17 It is a figure which shows the state after performing inclination adjustment. Compared with the state shown in FIG. 8(B), in the state shown in FIG. 8(C), the support shaft R1 on the right side of the figure is moving downward by the adjustment unit 17. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 is reduced. For example, the operator executes the operation by the adjustment unit 17 based on the instruction made in S3.

In S4, the processing unit 141 accepts the end of the adjustment. The processing part 141 receives from the input part 146 the input to the effect that the adjustment by the operator who specifically, performed the inclination adjustment of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 was complete|finished. For example, when the operator selects the "adjustment end" button 145b shown in FIG. 10 by the input unit 146 such as a pointing device, the processing unit 141 may determine that the adjustment has been completed. When the processing unit 141 accepts the end of the adjustment, it returns to S1. By the process demonstrated above, the inclination adjustment of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 is performed until the parallelism of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 falls within an allowable range.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the parallelism detection processing of Fig. 9 . In S11 , the processing unit 141 starts lowering the suction plate 15 by the distance adjustment unit 22 . In S12 , the processing unit 141 checks which touch sensor 1621 among the plurality of touch sensors 1621 detects the contact, and if the contact is detected, proceeds to S13 , and the touch is not detected. In this case, the determination of S12 is repeated. That is, after starting the descending of the suction plate 15 in S11, the process part 141 continues descend|falling of the suction plate 15 until which touch sensor 1621 detects a contact.

In S13 , the processing unit 141 lowers the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount by the distance adjustment unit 22 . That is, the processing unit 141 further lowers the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount from the state in which a certain touch sensor 1621 first detected the contact. The amount of descent|fall of the suction plate 15 here can be set suitably according to the parallelism made into the objective. In one embodiment, for example, the suction plate 15 may be lowered by 5 to 10 mm. On the other hand, the processing part 141 may make the suction plate 15 stop temporarily when a certain touch sensor 1621 detects a contact, and may make the suction plate 15 fall by a predetermined amount from there. In addition, the processing part 141 may stop the suction plate 15 at the time point where the suction plate 15 descend|falls by a predetermined amount after a certain touch sensor 1621 detects a contact in the state which is lowering the suction plate 15. That is, continuous operation|movement may be sufficient as the descending|falling operation|movement of the suction plate 15 started by S11, and the descending operation|movement of the suction plate 15 in S13 may be respectively independent operation|movement.

In S14, the processing unit 141 checks whether all the touch sensors 1621 have detected the contact, and if all the touch sensors 1621 detect the contact, proceeds to S15, and at least one touch sensor ( 1621) does not detect a contact, the process proceeds to S16.

Here, when the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 are parallel or their inclination is relatively small, all the touch sensors 1621 installed on the suction plate 15 detect contact with the mask table 5 almost simultaneously. . For this reason, all the touch sensors 1621 can detect the contact with the mask stand 5 when the suction plate 15 is lowered by a predetermined amount in S13.

On the other hand, when the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 is relatively large, a touch with a relatively large distance to the mask base 5 at the point in time when a certain touch sensor 1621 detects the contact with the mask base 5 . A sensor 1621 is present. Referring to the example of FIG. 8B , when the touch sensor 1621 on the left side of the figure contacts the mask base 5 , the touch sensor 1621 on the right side of the figure has a relatively large distance from the mask base 5 . there is. At this time, when the distance between the touch sensor 1621 and the mask base 5 is larger than the predetermined amount in S13, even if the suction plate 15 is lowered by a predetermined amount in S13, all the touch sensors 1621 make contact. will not be detected.

That is, by confirming whether all the touch sensors 1621 detected contact while lowering the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount from the height at which the touch sensor 1621 detected the contact, the suction plate 15 and the mask stand It can be checked whether the inclination of (5) is smaller than a predetermined value. Therefore, from a certain point of view, the lowering amount of the suction plate 15 in S13 can be set based on an allowable value of the parallelism (or inclination) between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 . When adjusting to a higher parallelism, ie, when the allowable range of parallelism is narrow, what is necessary is just to set the descent|fall amount of the suction plate 15 in S13 small.

In S15, the processing unit 141 determines that the degree of parallelism is within an allowable range. On the other hand, when proceeding to S16, the processing unit 141 determines that the degree of parallelism is outside the allowable range.

In S17, the process part 141 raises the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount, and complete|finishes a flowchart. Meanwhile, the predetermined amount here may be a value different from the predetermined amount in S13. In one embodiment, the processing part 141 raises the suction plate 15 to the height at the time of starting descent of the suction plate 15 in S11.

By the above process, it can be determined whether the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 is in an allowable range. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the processing unit 141 checks whether all the touch sensors 1621 have detected the contact in S14, but if a plurality of predetermined touch sensors 1621 detect the contact, the process proceeds to S15. Thus, it may be determined that the parallelism is within the allowable range. For example, if the touch sensors 1621 provided in the four corners of the suction plate 15 detect a contact, the processing part 141 may determine that the parallelism is in an allowable range. In addition, if the touch sensor 1621 of the predetermined number in S14 detects a contact, the processing part 141 may progress to S15 and may determine that the parallelism is within an allowable range. For example, the processing unit 141 determines that the degree of parallelism is within the allowable range when, among the nine touch sensors 1621 provided in the suction plate 15 , five or more touch sensors 1621 , which is a majority, detect a contact. You can do it.

<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. 12(A) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 50, and Fig. 12(B) is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in Fig. 12A, 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. As shown in FIG. In the case of a color organic EL display device, the pixel 52 is constituted 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. has been 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. 12(B) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along line A-B of Fig. 12(A). The pixel 52 is, on the substrate 53 , a first electrode (anode) 54 , a hole transport layer 55 , a red layer 56R, a green layer 56G, or a blue layer 56B. It has a plurality of sub-pixels composed of one, an electron transport layer 57 , and an organic EL element including 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 (sometimes referred to 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. 12B , the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B are formed over the hole transport layer 55 as a common layer over a plurality of sub-pixel regions. Each region may be formed separately, 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 or oxygen, a protective layer 60 for protecting the organic EL element with moisture or oxygen is provided.

Although the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as one layer in FIG. 12B , depending on the structure of the organic EL display device, it may be formed of a plurality of layers having a hole blocking layer or an electron blocking layer. do. 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 is provided. 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 as 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, the same structure may be employ|adopted also for the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B. In addition, the number of layers may be two or more. Further, 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, two or more light emitting layers are laminated.

Next, an example of a manufacturing method of the organic EL display device will be specifically described. 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. Meanwhile, 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 film of polyimide was laminated|stacked on the glass substrate is used.

A resin layer such as acryl 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 applied to the portion where the first electrode 54 is formed by lithography. An insulating layer 59 is formed by patterning to form an opening. This opening corresponds to the light emitting region in which the light emitting element actually emits light. On the other hand, in this embodiment, processing is performed with respect to a large substrate until formation of the insulating layer 59, and the division|segmentation process of dividing the board|substrate 53 is performed after formation of the insulating layer 59. As shown in FIG.

The substrate 53 on which the insulating layer 59 has been patterned 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 of the display area. The hole transport layer 55 is formed into a film 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 on which the hole transport layer 55 has been formed is loaded into the second film formation chamber 303 . Alignment of the substrate 53 with the mask is performed, the substrate is placed on the mask, and on the hole transport layer 55, in the portion (region where the red sub-pixel is formed) where the element emitting red of the substrate 53 is arranged. , a red layer 56R is formed. Here, the mask used in the second film formation chamber is a high-precision mask in which openings are formed only in a plurality of regions serving as red sub-pixels among a plurality of regions on the substrate 53 serving as sub-pixels of the organic EL display device. . As a result, the red layer 56R including the red light emitting layer is formed only in the region serving as the red sub-pixel among regions serving as a 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 layer common to the three-color layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

The substrate on which the electron transport layer 57 has been formed is moved to the sixth film formation chamber 303 , and the second electrode 58 is formed into a film. In the present embodiment, each layer is formed by vacuum vapor deposition in the first to 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 on which up to the second electrode 58 has been formed is moved to a sealing device to form a protective layer 60 by plasma CVD (sealing step), and the organic EL display device 50 is completed. In addition, although it was assumed here that the protective layer 60 was formed by the CVD method, it is not limited to this, You may form by the ALD method or the 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. In the case 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.

<Measure the position of the mask>

Here, while vapor deposition is performed on the plurality of substrates 100 , the mask 101 may be exchanged. For example, when a different mask 101 is used to perform a vapor deposition process on a different type of substrate 100, or when the mask 101 is soiled by the vapor deposition process, the mask 101 is replaced. There are cases. There are individual differences in the thickness of the mask 101 or the mask base 5, and the precision of alignment may be reduced by the difference in the thickness of the mask 101 or the mask base 5 before and after replacement. By carrying out alignment with the distance between the board|substrate 100 and the mask 101 close, the precision of alignment can be improved. However, due to individual differences between the mask 101 and the mask base 5, a part of the substrate 100 may come into contact with the mask 101, which may cause a scratch or the like on the substrate 100. do. If the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is increased to protect the substrate 100 , the accuracy of alignment may be reduced by that amount.

Then, in this embodiment, the parameter concerning the position of a mask is measured, and the process which uses the measured parameter for an alignment process is demonstrated.

Fig. 13(A) shows the positional relationship between the mask table 5 and the suction plate 15 in the case of performing parallelism adjustment processing between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 in the vacuum state of Figs. It is a drawing. FIG. 13(A) shows a state in which the touch sensor 1621 is in contact with the mask base 5 . Therefore, the substrate is not adsorbed to the suction plate 15 . The processing unit 141 memorizes the amount of descent of the suction plate 15 in the state where the touch sensor 1621 is in contact. In FIG. 13A , specifically, the descent amount Z is stored in the storage unit 142 . The amount of descent is a parameter indicating the distance from a certain reference to the surface of the suction plate 15 on the side of the mask stand 5 . In FIG. 13A , the descent amount Z is shown as a distance from a reference line on the outside of the vacuum chamber 3 . However, the reference of the descent amount is arbitrarily set. For example, it is good also as the maximum position to which the suction plate 15 can raise|raise|lift, or it is good also considering the predetermined position of the movable range of the suction plate 15 as a reference. Therefore, the amount of descent is not the same as the distance that the suction plate 15 actually moved. In other words, the descent amount corresponds to the position of the suction plate 15 with respect to a certain reference.

After the descent amount Z is measured, the suction plate 15 rises, and the mask 101a before replacement|exchange is attached to the mask stand 5. As shown in FIG. FIG. 13(B) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the mask stand 5 and the suction plate 15 before mask replacement. In FIG.13(B), the mask 101a is mounted on the mask stand 5. In FIG. The point where the board|substrate is not adsorb|sucked by the suction plate 15 is the same as that of FIG. 13(A). Here, the processing unit 141 lowers the suction plate 15 until the touch sensor 1621 detects contact with the mask 101a. Then, when the touch sensor 1621 detects a contact, the position of the suction plate 15 when the contact is detected is used as a reference point, for example, the descending amount Za of the suction plate 15 is stored in the storage unit 142 . remember And from the descent amounts Z and Za, it can be specified that the thickness of the mask is Z-Za. In other words, it turns out that the surface by the side of the suction plate 15 of the mask 101a exists in the position close|similar to the suction plate 15 only by distance Z-Za from the mask stand 5.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7 , the substrate 100 is placed on the substrate support unit 6 , the substrate 100 absorbed by the suction plate 15 , and the mask 101a mounted on the mask stand 5 . of alignment processing is performed. Here, the position Za (corresponding to the amount of descent Za of the suction plate 15 described above) in the Z direction of the surface on the side of the suction plate 15 of the mask 101a is the mask 101a and the substrate ( 100) is used for alignment processing. The Z-direction is an intersecting direction intersecting a plane along the film-forming surface of the substrate 100 , and in this embodiment is an up-down direction. For example, the thickness of the substrate 100 is T, and in the alignment process, the distance between the mask 101a and the substrate 100 so that they do not come into contact is called a gap, and the substrate 100 is located at the position Za-T-gap. Alignment is performed by lowering the suction plate 15 which has adsorbed. Thereby, alignment of the mask 101a and the board|substrate 100 can be performed at the position in the Z direction appropriate|suitable according to the thickness of the mask 101a.

FIG. 13(C) shows a state in which the mask 101a placed on the mask stand 5 is replaced with the mask 101b after FIG. 13(B), and the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is evacuated. . After the exchange of the mask, the processing unit 141 lowers the suction plate 15 to a position at which a predetermined margin is secured from the amount of descent Za saved in FIG. 13B . In the example of FIG. 13(C), the predetermined margin is set to m, and the suction plate 15 is lowered to the position Za-m. Then, detection of the mask by the touch sensor 1621 is started.

After FIG. 13(C), the lowering of the suction plate 15 is continued until the touch sensor 1621 detects the mask 10lb. And, when a contact is detected as shown in FIG.13(D), the position of the suction plate 15 at the time of detecting a contact is made into a new reference point, for example, the descent|fall amount Zb of the suction plate 15 is stored in a storage part. (142) remember. And the above-mentioned alignment process WHEREIN: The descent|fall amount Zb is used. For example, in ST104 of FIG. 7 , it is used to determine the position of the substrate 100 in the Z direction when the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are aligned. Thereby, even when the thickness of the mask 101a and the mask 101b are different, the distance between the mask and the board|substrate 100 can be kept constant, and the fall of alignment precision can be prevented. Specifically, since the individual difference of the mask 101 is reflected in the position Za or the position Zb, it becomes easy to set the separation distance gap small. As a result, the fall of alignment precision can be prevented.

Next, with reference to FIG. 14, an example of the control process performed by the processing part 141 is demonstrated. This flowchart is executed when the air in the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 under the atmospheric pressure environment is exhausted by a vacuum pump or the like not shown, and the internal space 3a becomes a vacuum state. In addition, for example, this flowchart has shown the process when replacing|exchanging a mask and measuring the thickness after replacement|exchange of a mask. The processing shown in FIG. 14 may be realized, for example, when the processing unit 141 acquires and executes the program stored in the storage unit 142 , or may be realized in cooperation with the host device 300 .

First, in S101, the process part 141 acquires the reference value regarding the Z-direction position of the suction plate 15 memorize|stored in the memory|storage part 142. For example, the reference value may correspond to the coordinate of the Z direction in the position where the touch sensor 1621 detected the mask 101 before replacing|exchanging the mask as mentioned above. That is, in one example, the reference value of S101 is such that the suction plate 15 is a predetermined distance (zero in the case of contact) from the mask 101 before replacement, as in the descent amount Za in Fig. 13B. position, and corresponds to the amount of lowering for lowering the suction plate 15 . Alternatively, the reference value of S101 is a position at which the suction plate 15 becomes a predetermined distance from the mask stand 5 in a state in which the mask 101 is not placed, as in the descent amount Z of FIG. 13(A) . Therefore, it corresponds to the amount of descent for lowering the suction plate 15 . Alternatively, the reference value regarding the position in the Z direction may be a constant value regardless of the mask 100 .

In another example, the identifier (ID) of the mask 101 and the thickness value of the mask are previously recorded in association with each other in the storage unit 142 . In this case, the processing unit 141 may accept a user input for designating the ID of the mask 101 via the I/O 143 in S101. And from the thickness value of the mask acquired based on the descent|fall amount Z in the case where the mask 101 as FIG. 13(A) does not exist and ID of the received mask 101, exchange with the suction plate 15 You may specify the reference value from which the distance of the mask 101 later becomes a predetermined value. The thickness value of the mask recorded in advance may be a nominal value of the thickness for each type of mask foil used for the mask 101, or may be an average value of the thickness for each type of the mask 101 measured so far. That is, in one example, the reference value of S101 respond|corresponds to the descent|fall amount for lowering the suction plate 15 to the position where the distance between the suction plate 15 and the mask 101 after replacement|exchange is expected to become a predetermined value.

On the other hand, in order to acquire the type of the mask 101 , the processing unit 141 may analyze the image acquired through the first measurement unit 7 to specify the type of the mask 101 , and the mask 101 may be RFID In the case of having a communication unit such as a tag, the type of the mask 101 may be specified through the communication unit 144 .

Subsequently, the processing unit 141 advances the processing to S102, lowers the suction plate 15 to a predetermined position (detection start position) according to the acquired reference value, and starts determining whether the touch sensor 1621 has detected a contact. do. When the descent amounts Z and Za based on the mask base 5 or the mask 100 are used as reference values, a predetermined margin m (for example, 1 mm) is set as shown in FIG. 13(C). In order to ensure, you may descend|fall the suction plate 15 to the position of reference value -m.

Subsequently, the processing unit 141 advances the processing to S103 and starts the detection processing to determine whether the touch sensor 1621 has detected a contact. When the touch sensor 1621 does not detect a contact (NO in S103), the processing unit 141 advances the processing to S104, and lowers the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount. After lowering the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount in S104, the processing unit 141 returns the processing to S103 to determine whether the touch sensor 1621 has detected a contact. On the other hand, in S104, since the touch sensor 1621 descends the suction plate 15 at the position of the Z-direction which may contact the mask 101, the descending speed of the suction plate 15 in S104 is S102. It may be slower than the lowering speed of the suction plate 15 . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the touch sensor 1621 from strongly contacting the mask 101 and the mask 101 being damaged.

When it is determined that the touch sensor 1621 has detected the contact (YES in S103), the processing unit 141 advances the processing to S105, and specifies the amount of descent to the position where the sensor detected the contact. Subsequently, the processing unit 141 advances the processing to S106 and adjusts the position in the Z direction for alignment. For example, as described above, the position where the sensor detects the contact is Z, the thickness of the substrate 100 is T, and the distance between the mask 101a and the substrate 100 so that they do not come into contact with each other is set as a gap, Z-T After lowering the suction plate 15 to the position of -gap, you may perform the above-mentioned alignment process.

By the above process, even when the thickness of a mask changes before and after replacement|exchange of the mask 101, an alignment process can be performed without degrading precision. In addition, in this embodiment, although the mask stand 5 and the suction plate 15 were made to be parallel and demonstrated as what performed the position measurement of a mask, it is not limited to this. For example, when which touch sensor 1621 detects a contact in S103 of FIG. 14, you may make the suction plate 15 fall by a predetermined amount, and it may determine whether all the sensors detected a contact. That is, in addition to the position measurement of the mask, the parallelism detection process of the mask stand 5 and the suction plate 15 may be performed.

<Other embodiment>

In the above embodiment, the process for detecting the position of the mask while the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum has been described. You can measure it.

Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated that the position detection of a mask is performed after the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 are adjusted in parallel, even when the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 are not parallel, a mask position detection may be performed. For example, when the distance between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 is made small, one touch sensor 1621 that comes into contact with the mask base 5 for the first time is used to attach the mask ( The position of the mask in the Z direction can be detected by measuring the descent amount Z at which the mask 101 and the suction plate 15 become a predetermined distance in the state where 101 is placed.

In addition, in the said embodiment, in order to detect the position of the mask 101 mounted on the mask stand 5, the process in the case of using the touch sensor 1621 was demonstrated. However, the position of the mask 101 may be detected using other types of range-finder sensors, such as an infrared sensor, a visible light sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

In addition, in the said embodiment, the process which detects the position of the mask 101 in the state which the suction plate 15 is not adsorb|sucking the board|substrate 100 was demonstrated. However, if the sensor is arranged so that the distance to the mask 101 can be measured while the suction plate 15 is adsorbing the substrate 100, the position of the mask may be detected while the substrate 100 is being sucked. .

In addition, in the said embodiment, although the adjustment unit 17 is comprised so that an operator can perform an adjustment operation manually, it may be comprised so that the axial position of the support shaft R1 can be adjusted by a motor etc. For example, by individually installing a servo motor on each support shaft R1, and operating the operation part 171 provided on the support shaft R1 with an individual servo motor (in the example of the above embodiment, by rotating a nut) , each support shaft R1 may be raised and lowered independently. In addition, when employ|adopting such a structure, you may raise/lower the suction plate 15 whole by synchronously driving an individual servomotor. In addition, when the adjustment unit 17 is equipped with a motor, the motor and the operation part 171 may be provided in the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 . However, since these are provided outside the vacuum chamber 3 , generation of particles inside the vacuum chamber 3 , etc. can be suppressed.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 is adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the suction plate 15, even if these relative inclinations are adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the mask base 5, do. However, in the above embodiment, the adjustment can be performed more reliably by adjusting the inclination on the side of the suction plate 15 made of a ceramic material or the like having relatively high rigidity than the mask base 5 made of an aluminum plate or the like. .

In addition, in the said embodiment, although the parallelism of the suction plate 15 and the mask stand 5 is detected by the some touch sensor 1621, the detection of parallelism may be performed by another sensor. For example, at a plurality of positions, a sensor group (a plurality of ranging sensors) of an optical system capable of measuring the distance between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 may be provided. And even if the parallelism of the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 is detected based on the difference of the detection result of each sensor, ie, the difference of the distance between the suction plate 15 and the mask base 5 in a measurement position, do. However, in the above embodiment, by employing the touch sensor 1621, it is possible to reduce the size of the sensor and to simplify the electrical wiring compared with the case where the sensor of the optical system is employed. On the other hand, by reducing the size of the sensor, the area of the electrode arrangement region 151 can be made larger, and the suction power of the suction plate 15 can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the suction plate 15 is an electrostatic chuck, but the suction plate 15 may have a different configuration. For example, the suction plate 15 may be a PSC (Physical Sticky Chuck) or the like having physical adhesiveness on the surface thereof.

In addition, in the said embodiment, the mask 101 is not mounted on the mask stand 5, the board|substrate 100 is not adsorb|sucked to the suction plate 15, The board|substrate 100 is not attached to the board|substrate support unit 6, The adjustment operation is performed in an unsupported state. However, the adjustment operation may be performed in the state in which the mask 101 is mounted on the mask stand 5 .

The present invention provides a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus through 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 disclose the scope of the invention.

1: film forming device
2: alignment device
5: mask stand
141: processing unit
16: detection unit
100: substrate
101: mask
1621: touch sensor

Claims (23)

A chamber for maintaining a vacuum inside;
a suction plate installed inside the chamber to adsorb the substrate;
a mask stand installed inside the chamber and on which the mask is placed;
alignment means for performing alignment by adjusting a relative position between the substrate adsorbed on the suction plate and the mask placed on the mask stand in a plane along the film-forming surface of the substrate;
moving means for relatively moving the suction plate in an intersecting direction intersecting the plane with respect to the mask stand;
and detecting means for detecting a position of the mask placed on the mask stand in the crossing direction. According to claim 1,
Control means for determining the position of the said suction plate in the said intersection direction at the time of performing the said alignment based on the detection result of the said detection means is further provided, The film-forming apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. According to claim 1,
and control means for determining a position of the suction plate in the crossing direction that is a predetermined distance from the mask placed on the mask stand based on a detection result of the detection means. 3. The method of claim 2,
The said control means determines the detection start position of the said suction plate in the said crossing direction for starting detection by the said detection means. 5. The method of claim 4,
The said control means determines the said detection start position based on the past detection result by the said detection means, The film-forming apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising a specific means for specifying the type of the mask placed on the mask stand,
The said control means sets the said detection start position based on the said kind of the said mask specified by the said specific means, The film-forming apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The method of claim 4,
The moving means relatively moves the suction plate in the crossing direction from the detection start position to the mask base,
The detection means detects the position of the mask in the crossing direction based on the displacement amount of the suction plate from the detection start position to the contact position where the suction plate comes into contact with the mask mounted on the mask stand. A film forming apparatus, characterized in that. 5. The method of claim 4,
wherein the moving means moves the suction plate to the detection start position in a state in which the suction plate does not adsorb the substrate. 5. The method of claim 4,
and the moving means moves the suction plate to the detection start position while the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum. According to claim 1,
The said detection means detects the position of the said mask in the said crossing direction in the state in which the said suction plate does not adsorb|suck a board|substrate, The film-forming apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. According to claim 1,
The detecting means detects the position of the mask in the crossing direction while the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum. According to claim 1,
The said detection means is provided in the side of the said suction plate, The film-forming apparatus characterized by including the touch sensor which detects contact with the said mask. 13. The method of claim 12,
The said touch sensor detects that the said board|substrate came into contact with the suction surface of the said suction plate, The film-forming apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. According to claim 1,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means includes a range-ranging sensor that measures a distance between the suction plate and the mask band in the crossing direction. According to claim 1,
The detection means includes a touch sensor that is installed on the side of the suction plate and detects contact with the mask,
The moving means, in a state in which the suction plate does not adsorb the substrate, moves the suction plate to the first position,
The moving means relatively moves the suction plate from the first position to at least a second position where the touch sensor detects a contact so that the suction plate approaches the mask stand in the crossing direction;
The said detection means detects the position of the said mask in the said crossing direction based on the displacement amount of the said suction plate from the said 1st position to the said 2nd position, The film-forming apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. According to claim 1,
and determination means for determining the degree of parallelism between the suction plate and the mask band based on the detection result of the detection means. 17. The method of claim 16,
and adjusting means for adjusting the relative inclination of the suction plate and the mask stand while the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum. According to claim 1,
The suction plate is an electrostatic chuck. According to claim 1,
and film-forming means for forming a film on the film-forming surface of the substrate through the mask. A chamber for maintaining a vacuum inside;
A suction plate installed inside the chamber and capable of adsorbing a substrate;
a mask stand installed inside the chamber and on which the mask is placed;
alignment means for performing alignment by adjusting a relative position between the substrate adsorbed on the suction plate and the mask placed on the mask stand in a plane along the film-forming surface of the substrate;
A detection device mounted on a film forming apparatus having a moving means for relatively moving the suction plate in a direction intersecting the plane with respect to the mask stand,
and detecting means for detecting a position of the mask placed on the mask stand in the crossing direction. A chamber for maintaining a vacuum inside;
A suction plate installed inside the chamber and capable of adsorbing a substrate;
a mask stand installed inside the chamber and on which the mask is placed;
A method for detecting a film forming apparatus comprising alignment means for aligning the substrate adsorbed on the suction plate and the mask placed on the mask stand by adjusting a relative position in a plane along a film-forming surface of the substrate. ,
a moving step of relatively moving the suction plate in an intersecting direction intersecting the plane with respect to the mask stand;
and a detection step of detecting a position of the mask placed on the mask stand in the crossing direction. 22. The method of claim 21,
The moving process is
a first moving step of moving the suction plate to a first position in a state in which the suction plate does not adsorb the substrate;
a second moving step of relatively moving the suction plate from the first position to at least a second position where the suction plate is in contact with the mask so that the suction plate approaches the mask stand in the crossing direction;
The said detection process detects the position of the said mask in the said intersection direction based on the displacement amount of the said suction plate from the said 1st position to the said 2nd position, The detection method characterized by the above-mentioned. The process of detecting the position of the said mask in the said crossing direction by the detection method of Claim 21;
An alignment step in which the suction plate is moved to an alignment position in the crossing direction determined based on the detection result in the detection step, and the substrate sucked by the suction plate and the mask mounted on the mask stand are aligned. class,
and a film forming step of forming a film on the substrate through the mask.

Images