KR20230019792A - Carrier supporting device, alignment apparatus, film forming apparatus, mask mounting method, film forming method, and manufacturing method of electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

According to a carrier supporting apparatus for mounting a substrate carrier, which holds and supports a substrate, on a mask, it is possible to improve control accuracy of a relative position between the substrate carrier and the mask. A carrier supporting unit for supporting a substrate carrier, which holds and supports a substrate, comprises: a plurality of first supporting portions installed side by side in a first direction along a film formation surface of the substrate, and supporting a peripheral part of a first side of the substrate carrier in the first direction; and a plurality of second supporting portions installed side by side in the first direction, and supporting a peripheral part of a second side of the substrate carrier in the first direction, wherein the carrier supporting unit supports the substrate carrier in a separated state when a height of a supporting surface of a part of the plurality of first supporting portions is different from a height of a supporting surface of another part of the plurality of first supporting portions, and a height of a supporting surface of a part of the plurality of second supporting portions is different from a height of a supporting surface of another part of the plurality of second supporting portions.

Description

Carrier supporting device, alignment device, film forming device, mask mounting method, film forming method, and electronic device manufacturing method

The present invention relates to a carrier support device, an alignment device, a film forming device, a mask mounting method, a film forming method, and a manufacturing method of an electronic device.

In a film forming apparatus for forming a film by overlapping a substrate and a mask, a mask having openings formed in a predetermined pattern is positioned on the film forming surface of the substrate, and then a film forming process is performed by vapor deposition or sputtering. As the size of a thin plate such as glass or resin used as a substrate of an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device becomes large, sagging when supported horizontally increases, making it difficult to transport it alone. Patent Literature 1 describes a technique for conveying even a large-sized substrate while suppressing sagging by conveying the substrate while being held by a highly rigid substrate carrier. Further, in Patent Literature 1, a substrate held by a substrate carrier is brought into an alignment room, a mask and a substrate are aligned in the alignment room, the mask and the substrate are brought into close contact, and then the substrate is brought into a separate film formation room to form a film. The technique to do this is described.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0067031

In the prior art, a specific method for placing a substrate carrier holding a substrate on a mask has not been studied. Therefore, there is a problem in the accuracy of position control, such as a large deviation in the relative position of the substrate carrier and the mask after the substrate carrier is placed on the mask.

An object of the present invention is to improve the control accuracy of the relative position of a substrate carrier and a mask in a carrier holding device for mounting a substrate carrier holding a substrate on a mask.

The present invention provides a carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier holding a substrate;

a mask support means for supporting the mask;

A carrier including moving means for moving at least one of the carrier support means and the mask support means so as to switch between a separation state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placement state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask. As a support device,

The carrier support means,

a plurality of first support portions installed side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate and supporting a periphery of a first side of the substrate carrier along the first direction;

a plurality of second support portions installed side by side in the first direction and supporting a periphery of a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction;

The height of the support surface of some of the plurality of first support parts is different from the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of first support parts, and the height of the support surface of some of the plurality of second support parts, The carrier support device is characterized in that the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier in the spaced state in a state different from the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of second support parts.

Further, the present invention provides a carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier holding a substrate;

a mask support means for supporting the mask;

A carrier including moving means for moving at least one of the carrier support means and the mask support means so as to switch between a separation state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placement state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask. As a support device,

The mask support means,

a plurality of first support portions provided side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate and supporting a periphery of a first side of the mask along the first direction;

a plurality of second support portions installed side by side in the first direction and supporting a periphery of a second side of the mask along the first direction;

The height of the support surface of some of the plurality of first support parts is different from the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of first support parts, and

The mask supporting means supports the mask in the spaced apart state in a state in which the heights of support surfaces of some of the plurality of second support parts are different from the heights of the support surfaces of other parts of the plurality of second support parts. A characterized carrier support device.

In addition, the present invention is a mask mounting method for mounting a mask on a substrate carrier holding a substrate,

In a spaced state in which the substrate carrier is spaced apart from the mask, a height of a portion of the substrate carrier at a first side along a first direction along a film formation surface of the substrate is different from other heights, and Supporting the periphery of the first side of the substrate carrier and the periphery of the second side of the substrate carrier at a plurality of positions such that a height of a part of the second side along the first direction of the carrier is different from other heights. A carrier support process;

A mask supporting step of supporting the mask in the spaced state;

a placing step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask by moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier supporting step and the mask supported by the mask supporting step;

It is a mask mounting method characterized in that it has.

In addition, the present invention is a mask mounting method for mounting a mask on a substrate carrier holding a substrate,

In a spaced state in which the substrate carrier is spaced apart from the mask, a height of a part of the mask at a first side along a first direction along a film formation surface of the substrate is different from other heights, and furthermore, the height of the mask A mask supporting step of supporting the periphery of the first side of the mask and the periphery of the second side of the mask at a plurality of positions so that the height of a part of the second side along the first direction is different from other heights; ,

In the spaced state, a carrier support step of supporting the substrate carrier;

a placing step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask by moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier supporting step and the mask supported by the mask supporting step;

It is a mask mounting method characterized in that it has.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the carrier support apparatus which mounts the substrate carrier holding the board|substrate on a mask, the control precision of the relative position of a substrate carrier and a mask can be improved.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an alignment device according to an embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing configurations of a substrate and a substrate carrier according to an embodiment.
4 is an enlarged view of a part of the support structure of the substrate and mask of the embodiment.
5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the alignment device of the embodiment.
6 is a diagram showing a state in which the substrate carrier and mask of the embodiment are conveyed by conveyance rollers.
7 : is a figure which shows the structure of the alignment device of embodiment.
Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a process of placing the substrate carrier supported by the carrier support means of the embodiment on a mask.
Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a contact state between a seating block and a mask, and a carrier receiving finger and a substrate carrier according to the embodiment.
10 is a diagram illustrating a process of placing a substrate carrier supported by a carrier support unit according to another embodiment on a mask.
Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the rotational translation means of the embodiment.
Fig. 12 is a diagram explaining alignment marks of the substrate and mask of the embodiment.
Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the alignment of the embodiment and the processing of placing the substrate on the mask.
14 is a schematic configuration diagram of an inline manufacturing system for an organic EL display device according to an embodiment.
15 is an explanatory diagram of an organic EL display device according to an embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, with reference to drawings, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated by way of example. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the constituent parts are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those, unless otherwise specified.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 11 , a carrier supporting device, a film forming device, a mask mounting method, a film forming method, an alignment device, and an electronic device manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, an example in which the present invention is applied to a carrier support device provided in an apparatus for manufacturing an electronic device will be described. In Embodiment 1, a vacuum deposition method is employed as a film forming method for manufacturing an electronic device. On the other hand, the present invention is applicable also when a sputtering method is employed as a film forming method. Further, the carrier support device and the like of the present invention can be applied to various devices for mounting a mask on a substrate in addition to devices used in the film forming step, and can be particularly suitably applied to devices for processing large-sized substrates. On the other hand, as the material of the substrate, any material such as a semiconductor such as glass or silicon, a film of a polymer material, or a metal can be selected. Moreover, as a board|substrate, the board|substrate in which the film of polyimide etc. was laminated|stacked on a silicon wafer or a glass substrate can also be employ|adopted. In the case of forming a plurality of layers on a substrate, it is referred to as a "substrate" including layers already formed up to one previous step. In addition, there are cases where suffixes such as a and b are attached to a plurality of members that are the same or corresponding, but suffixes are appropriately omitted when there is no misunderstanding.

<Entire configuration>

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an inline film forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing the configuration and arrangement of each member of the film forming apparatus. Fig. 1(b) is an enlarged view showing a portion including a substrate carrier and a mask in Fig. 1(a). The width direction of the substrate 5 is the X direction, the longitudinal direction of the substrate 5 is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. The board|substrate 5 and the mask 6 are quadrilaterals with short sides parallel to the X direction and long sides parallel to the Y direction, and the transport direction by the transport roller 15 is assumed to be parallel to the Y direction. Fig. 1 (a) and Fig. 1 (b) show a cross section along a virtual plane perpendicular to the Y direction. 2 is a perspective view of an alignment device in the film forming device of Embodiment 1 viewed from diagonally downward.

The film forming apparatus 1 includes a chamber 4 and an alignment apparatus 60 .

The alignment device 60 has carrier support means 8 for supporting the substrate carrier 9 and mask support means 16 for supporting the mask 6 . The alignment device 60 includes a rotational translation means 11 for moving the carrier support means 8 in the horizontal direction, a carrier elevating means for moving the carrier support means 8 in the vertical direction, and a mask support means 16 in the vertical direction. It has a mask lifting means for moving to. The alignment device 60 is configured to move the substrate carrier 9 away from the mask 6 by moving the carrier support member 8 up and down, and the substrate carrier 9 placed on the mask 6. It is a means of transportation that converts Further, the alignment device 60 moves the carrier support means 8 in the direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5 when the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are in a spaced apart state, so that the substrate carrier ( 9) relative to the mask 6. Thereby, alignment is performed to adjust the relative positions of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 held by the substrate carrier 9 . On the other hand, if the alignment device 60 is configured to align the substrate 5 and the mask 6 by horizontally moving at least one of the carrier support unit 8 and the mask support unit 16, the configuration described above not limited to For example, the alignment device 60 may perform alignment by moving the mask 6 in the horizontal direction, or may perform alignment by moving both the substrate 5 and the mask 6 in the horizontal direction. Further, the alignment device 60 switches between the separation state and the mounting state of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 by moving at least one of the carrier support means 8 and the mask support means 16 in the vertical direction. If it is a structure, it is not limited to the said structure.

Inside the chamber 4, the substrate carrier 9 holding the substrate 5 and the mask 6 are transported from the outside by the transport roller 15, respectively. First, the substrate carrier 9 is carried into the chamber 4 by the conveying roller 15, and is conveyed from the conveying roller 15 to the carrier support means 8. The carrier support means 8 is retracted upward from the conveyance path by the carrier elevating means in a state where the substrate carrier 9 is supported. Next, the mask 6 is carried into the chamber 4 by the conveying roller 15, and is conveyed from the conveying roller 15 to the mask holding means 16. As a result, the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 have a positional relationship such that the positions in the Z direction are different and the positions in the XY directions overlap, respectively, by the carrier support means 8 and the mask support means 16. It becomes a supported spaced state.

The alignment device 60 aligns the substrate 5 and the mask 6 when the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are separated from each other, and the relative position of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is determined. make an adjustment After the alignment is completed, the substrate carrier 9 is lowered toward the mask 6 by means of the carrier elevating means to place the substrate carrier 9 on the mask 6 and switch to a placed state. The substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 in the placed state are further lowered toward the conveying roller 15 by the mask elevating means, and are conveyed to the conveying roller 15 . The conveying roller 15 conveys the integrated substrate carrier 9 and mask 6 to an apparatus where the next step is performed.

The internal pressure of the chamber 4 can be adjusted by a pressure controller (not shown) provided with a vacuum pump or a pressure gauge. Further, inside the chamber 4, an evaporation source 7 accommodating a film formation material is installed, and a reduced pressure film formation space 2 is formed. In the film formation space 2, film formation materials fly from the evaporation source 7 toward the substrate 5, and film formation is performed by upward deposition in a state where the film formation surface of the substrate 5 faces downward in the vertical direction. all. On the other hand, in a configuration in which at least one member of the substrate carrier and the mask may droop or sag, if the configuration has a carrier support device that aligns the substrate carrier and the mask in a spaced state and then switches to a placement state , the positional relationship between the evaporation source 7 and the substrate 5 is not limited to the above example. For example, an apparatus for forming a film by downward deposition with the film formation surface of the substrate facing upward in the vertical direction, or a state in which the substrate 5 is erected vertically and the film formation surface is substantially parallel to the vertical direction. It may be an apparatus that forms a film by low-side deposition. The chamber 4 has an upper partition wall 4a, a side wall 4b, and a bottom wall 4c. The inside of the chamber 4 is maintained under a reduced pressure atmosphere, a vacuum atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas, or the like. On the other hand, "vacuum" in this specification refers to a state in a space filled with gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and typically refers to a state in a space filled with gas at a pressure lower than 1 atm (1013 hPa).

The mask 6 has a structure in which a mask foil 6b having a thickness of about several μm to several tens of μm is welded and fixed to a frame-shaped mask frame 6a. The mask frame 6a supports the mask foil 6b so that the mask foil 6b does not droop in a state in which the mask foil 6b is stretched in the plane direction (X direction and Y direction). Openings are formed in the mask foil 6b according to the pattern to be formed on the substrate 5 . When using a glass substrate or a substrate on which a resin film such as polyimide is formed as the substrate 5, as a main material for the mask frame 6a and the mask foil 6b, iron or an iron alloy, for example, is used. For example, an iron alloy containing nickel may be used. As the iron alloy containing nickel, an invar material containing 34 mass% or more and 38 mass% or less nickel, and a super invar containing cobalt in addition to 30 mass% or more and 34 mass% or less nickel material, a low thermal expansion Fe-Ni-based plating alloy containing 38% by mass or more and 54% by mass or less of nickel, or the like can be used.

The evaporation source 7 has a material accommodating part such as a crucible for accommodating the film formation material, and a heating means such as a sheath heater for heating the film formation material. In addition, a mechanism for moving the material accommodating portion in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 and a mechanism for moving the entire evaporation source 7 are provided to inject the film formation material during film formation. By moving the position of the outlet relative to the substrate 5 inside the chamber 4, film formation is uniformly performed on the substrate 5.

The controller 50 controls the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 . Specifically, the controller 50 controls the horizontal movement of the carrier support means 8 in the XYθ direction by the rotational translation means 11, the movement of the carrier support means 8 in the Z direction by the lifting slider 10, Operations such as deposition by the evaporation source 7 are controlled. The control unit 50 is constituted by, for example, a computer having a processor, memory, storage, I/O, and the like. The functions of the control unit 50 are realized when a processor executes a program stored in memory or storage. As a computer, a general-purpose personal computer may be used, and an embedded computer or PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) may be used. In addition, some or all of the functions of the control unit 50 may be constituted by dedicated parts such as ASICs or FPGAs. On the other hand, when an electronic device manufacturing apparatus has a plurality of film forming apparatuses, a control unit 50 may be provided for each film forming apparatus, or one control unit 50 may control a plurality of film forming apparatuses.

<Substrate carrier>

3 is a perspective view of the substrate carrier 9 and the substrate 5 in a state supported by the carrier support means 8 as seen from the side of the film formation surface of the substrate 5 . The substrate carrier 9 has a carrier face plate 30 , a seating block 31 , and a chuck member 32 .

The carrier face plate 30 is a plate-shaped face plate member made of metal such as aluminum or aluminum alloy, and constitutes a holding surface for holding the substrate 5 . The carrier face plate 30 has a rigidity at least higher than that of the substrate 5, and holds the substrate 5 while suppressing sagging of the substrate 5 along the holding surface.

The seating block 31 is a seating member protruding from the holding surface of the carrier face plate 30, and is arranged in plurality outside the holding surface. The seating block 31 is provided so as to protrude toward the mask 6 from the substrate 5 in a state where the substrate 5 is held by the substrate carrier 9 . The substrate carrier 9 is seated on the outer periphery of the mask frame 6a via the seating block 31 .

The chuck member 32 is a member that exerts a holding force in order to hold the substrate 5 along the holding surface constituted by the carrier face plate 30 . In Embodiment 1, the chuck member 32 is disposed inside a plurality of holes provided in the carrier face plate 30 . An adhesive pad, which is an adhesive member having adhesive force to the substrate 5, is disposed on a portion of the chuck member 32 facing the substrate 5, and the substrate 5 is attached to the carrier face plate 30 by this adhesive force. It is held on the holding surface. On the other hand, the chuck member 32 may be disposed according to the shape of the mask 6 . In particular, what is necessary is just to install in the position corresponding to the lattice part of the mask 6. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the influence of the contact between the chuck member 32 and the substrate 5 on the temperature distribution in the film formation region of the substrate 5 . On the other hand, in Embodiment 1, an example in which an adhesive pad holding the substrate 5 by adhesive force is used as the chuck member 32 has been described, but the chuck member 32 has a holding force for holding the substrate 5 As long as it is a member to exert, it is not limited to this example. For example, the chuck member 32 may be an electrostatic chuck that holds the substrate 5 by electrostatic force.

The substrate carrier 9 has an unillustrated magnetic adsorption means for magnetically adsorbing the mask 6 via the substrate 5 being held. As the magnetic adsorption means, a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, a magnetic plate equipped with zero-electromagnetic magnets, or the like can be used. Further, the magnetic adsorption means may be provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the carrier face plate 30 . More specifically, the magnetic adsorption means may be provided so that the distance between them and the carrier face plate 30 can be changed.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a part of FIG. 1 (b) further enlarged.

The carrier supporting means 8 has a carrier receiving finger 42 installed so as to protrude from the lower end of the supporting portion 80 toward the substrate carrier 9 . The upper surface of the carrier receiving finger 42 is the carrier receiving surface 41, and the periphery of the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the carrier receiving surface 41, so that the carrier support means 8 is the substrate carrier 9 support bowel movement In the mask support means 16, the upper end of the support portion 160 is the mask receiving surface 33, and the periphery of the mask frame 6a is placed on the mask receiving surface 33, so that the mask support means 16 is The long side of the mask 6 is supported.

5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the alignment device 60.

<Carrier support means>

The carrier support means 8 supports the long sides 91 and 92 of the substrate carrier 9 or the region of the periphery of the substrate carrier 9 along the long sides 91 and 92 at a plurality of positions at different positions in the Y direction. It has a plurality of support parts 80 to do. A plurality of support portions 80 are arranged side by side along the Y-direction. A carrier receiving finger 42 is installed at the lower end of each of the plurality of support parts 80, and the long sides 91 and 92 of the substrate carrier 9 are installed on the upper surface of the carrier receiving finger 42, the carrier receiving surface 41. It is witty.

In Embodiment 1, the Y direction, that is, the conveyance direction by the conveyance roller 15 is the 1st direction along the film-formation surface of the board|substrate 5. The long side 91 is a first side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the first direction, and a plurality of support parts 80 supporting the long side 91 at a plurality of positions are the first support parts. The long side 92 is the second side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the first direction, and the plurality of support parts 80 supporting the long side 92 at a plurality of positions are the second support parts.

<Mask Support Means>

The mask support means 16 has a plurality of support portions 160 that support the long sides 71 and 72 of the mask 6 at a plurality of different positions in the Y direction. A plurality of support parts 160 are arranged side by side along the Y-direction. A mask receiving surface 33 is installed at the upper end of each of the plurality of support parts 160 , and the long sides 71 and 72 of the mask 6 are placed on the mask receiving surface 33 .

On the other hand, in Embodiment 1, an example has been shown in which the carrier support means 8 supports the long side of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask support means 16 supports the long side of the mask 6, but the carrier support means 8 ) and the sides supported by the mask support means 16 may be short sides of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6, respectively. When the substrate carrier 9 or mask 6 has a square shape, one set of sides parallel to the first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5 is supported.

<Conveyance roller>

A plurality of conveyance rollers 15 are arranged side by side along the Y direction so as to be located below the long sides 71 and 72 of the mask 6 supported by the mask support means 16 in the vertical direction. As the mask support means 16 descends, the mask 6 supported by the mask support means 16 is conveyed to the conveying roller 15 .

<Carrier elevating means>

A plurality of guides 18a to 18d for guiding the elevating slider 10 in the vertical direction are fixed to the side surface of the elevating base 13 . In Embodiment 1, the number of guides 18 is four, but the number is not limited to this example. At the center of the lifting slider 10, a ball screw 27 for transmitting the driving force of the motor 26 fixed to the lifting base 13 to the lifting slider 10 is installed.

The motor 26 incorporates an encoder (not shown), and the position or movement amount of the lift slider 10 in the Z direction is obtained based on the number of revolutions of the encoder. By controlling the driving of the motor 26 by the controller 50, the position of the lift slider 10 in the Z direction is controlled. On the other hand, the lifting mechanism of the lifting slider 10 using the motor 26, the ball screw 27, and the rotary encoder is an example, and is not limited thereto. For example, a mechanism in which a linear motor and a linear encoder are combined, or a mechanism for raising and lowering the lifting slider 10 may be used.

The shaft 12 is installed across the outside and inside of the chamber 4 through a through hole provided in the upper partition wall 4a of the chamber 4 . The lower part of the shaft 12 is inside the film formation space 2, and the carrier supporting means 8 is connected to the lower part of the shaft 12. The shaft 12 supports the substrate 5 via the carrier support means 8 and the substrate carrier 9 .

Since the inner diameter of the through hole provided in the upper partition wall 4a is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 12, the shaft 12 and the upper partition wall 4a do not interfere. A portion of the shaft 12 above the through hole of the upper bulkhead 4a, that is, a portion from the through hole to the fixed portion with the lifting slider 10 is a bellows fixed to the lifting slider 10 and the upper bulkhead 4a. covered by (40). The inner space of the bellows 40 communicates with the inner space of the chamber 4, and both form one closed space. Therefore, the entirety of the shaft 12 exists in the same space as the film formation space 2 under conditions such as pressure. The bellows 40 preferably has flexibility not only in the Z direction but also in the XY direction. Accordingly, the resistance force generated when the bellows 40 is displaced by the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 can be reduced, and the load applied to the drive source or component members during alignment can be reduced.

<Mask elevating means>

The mask supporting means 16 is moved up and down while being guided by a platform guide 34 mounted on the mask stand base 19 . The mask support means 16 is driven up and down by a lifting device (not shown) provided inside or outside the platform guide 34 .

<Rotation Translation Means>

The rotational translation means 11 is installed on the upper partition wall 4a of the chamber 4 . Therefore, the alignment device 60 is installed outside the chamber 4 . Since the alignment device 60 is disposed outside the film formation space 2, generation of particles resulting from the operation of movable parts can be suppressed in the film formation space 2 or the space for alignment. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in film formation accuracy due to contamination of the mask 6 or the substrate 5 by generation of particles.

An elevating base 13 is connected to the rotational translation means 11 . The rotational translation means 11 drives the elevating base 13 in the X, Y, and θ directions (collectively referred to as XYθ directions) in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6. do. In Embodiment 1, a plane substantially parallel to the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 is a horizontal plane. In addition, a guide 18 is installed on the elevating base 13, and the elevating slider 10 is installed to be movable in the Z direction along the guide 18. The elevating slider 10 is connected to the carrier support means 8 via a shaft 12 .

The rotational translation means 11 transmits the driving force in the XYθ direction to the carrier support means 8 by driving the elevating base 13, the elevating slider 10 and the shaft 12 integrally in the XYθ directions. As a result, the substrate 5 held by the substrate carrier 9 moves in the XYθ directions within a plane substantially parallel to the substrate 5 and the mask 6 . On the other hand, the mask 6 and the substrate 5 sag due to gravity as will be described later, but a plane substantially parallel to the substrate 5 and the mask 6 here means the substrate 5 in an ideal state where no sagging occurs. ) and a plane approximately parallel to the mask 6. For example, in a configuration in which film formation is performed by upward deposition or downward deposition, the substrate 5 and the mask 6 are horizontally disposed, and the rotational translation means 11 moves the substrate 5 in a horizontal plane. Further, when the elevating slider 10 moves in the Z direction with respect to the elevating base 13 along the guide 18, the driving force in the Z direction is applied to the carrier support means 8 via the shafts 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d. this is transmitted On the other hand, in FIG. 2, the shaft 12d is not shown because it is in a position covered by the substrate 5 and the mask 6. As a result, the substrate 5 moves in the Z direction, and the distance of the substrate 5 to the mask 6 in the Z direction changes.

11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the rotational translation means 11. As shown in FIG. The rotational translation means 11 has a plurality of (four here) driving units 21a, 2lb, 21c, 21d provided at four corners of a rectangular base 28. Each driving unit 21 is installed in a direction rotated by 90 degrees around the Z-axis so that directions in which driving force is generated differ by 90 degrees.

Each drive unit 21 has a first guide 22 , a second guide 23 , a rotation bearing 24 , and a motor 25 . As the driving force generated by the motor 25 is transmitted through the ball screw 46, the first guide 22 slides in the first direction, and the second guide 23 is perpendicular to the first direction in the XY plane. Slide in 2 directions. The rotary bearing 24 is rotatable around the Z axis. For example, in the case of the drive unit 21d, the first guide 22 slides in the X direction, and the second guide 23 slides in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction. The other drive units 21a, 21b, and 21c each have the same structure as the drive unit 21d, except that the directions in which they are arranged differ by 90 degrees from each other.

The motor 25 incorporates a rotary encoder (not shown), and the position or movement amount of the first guide 22 is obtained based on the number of revolutions of the encoder. In each drive unit 21, by controlling the drive of the motor 25 by the controller 50, the position of the elevating base 13 in the XYθ direction is controlled.

When moving the elevating base 13 in the +X direction, the motor 25 generates a sliding force in the +X direction in each of the drive unit 21a and the drive unit 21d, so that the elevating base 13 can transmit force in the +X direction to Further, when moving the elevating base 13 in the +Y direction, by generating a sliding force in the +Y direction in each of the driving unit 2lb and the driving unit 21c by the motor 25, the elevating base ( 13) can transmit the force in the +Y direction.

When the elevating base 13 is rotated by +θ around a rotation axis parallel to the Z axis (clockwise rotation by θ), drive units 21a and 21 d disposed diagonally are used to rotate around the Z axis. By generating a force for +θ rotation by the motor 25, the force in the +θ direction can be transmitted to the elevating base 13. Alternatively, force required for rotation may be transmitted to the elevating base 13 using the driving unit 21b and the driving unit 21c.

<Conveyance by conveyance roller>

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the mask 6 on which the substrate carrier 9 is placed is conveyed by the conveyance roller 15. As shown in FIG. 6 : is the figure which looked at the mask 6 and the conveyance roller 15 on which the board|substrate carrier 9 was mounted from the X direction. After the alignment of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is completed in a spaced state, the carrier support means 8 is lowered and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6 to be placed. Further, the mask support means 16 is lowered, and the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are transferred to the transport roller 15 and transported by the transport roller 15 . The substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 conveyed to the conveyance roller 15 are conveyed along the Y direction in which the conveyance rollers 15 are aligned. The mask 6, the substrate carrier 9, and the substrate 5 integrally pass through the evaporation source 7 vertically upward while being conveyed by the conveying roller 15, thereby masking the mask foil of the substrate 5 ( A thin film of the film forming material is formed in a region other than the portion blocked by 6b).

<Carrier support means>

Referring to Fig. 7, as one form that the carrier support means of this embodiment can take, a form in which the height of the support surface is constant will be described. On the other hand, this form is not necessarily employed, and is additionally used so that the height of the support surface to be described later can be deformed into some other form. By using a configuration in which the height of the support portion is variable, such a deformation is possible.

Fig. 7(a) shows a schematic configuration of an alignment device of a film forming device. 7(b) shows a state in which the substrate carrier 9X and the mask 6X are supported by respective support means in the alignment device. In Fig. 7, the width direction of the substrate 5X is the X direction, the longitudinal direction of the substrate 5X is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. In some cases, the position in the Z direction is referred to as "height". The board|substrate 5X and the mask 6X are rectangles with a short side in the X direction and a long side in the Y direction, and the conveyance direction by the conveyance roller 15X is assumed to be parallel to the Y direction.

The carrier support means 8X for supporting the substrate carrier 9X has a plurality of support portions 80X that support one long side 91X of the substrate carrier 9X at a plurality of positions at different positions in the Y direction. The heights of positions supported by each of the plurality of support portions 80X are equal to each other. The other long side 92X of the substrate carrier 9X is also supported by the carrier support means 8X in a similar manner. In the state supported by the carrier support means 8X, the cross-sectional shape of the substrate carrier 9X by a virtual plane perpendicular to the X direction becomes a shape parallel to the Y-direction, and the cross-section by a virtual plane perpendicular to the Y-direction. The shape sags downward in the vertical direction and becomes a downward convex shape. The mask support means 16X that supports the mask 6X has a plurality of support portions 160X that support the long side of the mask 6X at a plurality of positions at different positions in the Y direction. The heights of positions supported by each of the plurality of support portions 160X are equal to each other. In the state supported by the mask support means 16X, the cross-sectional shape of the mask 6X by a virtual plane perpendicular to the X direction becomes a shape parallel to the Y-direction, and the cross-sectional shape by a virtual plane perpendicular to the Y-direction. is sagging downward in the vertical direction and becomes a downward convex shape.

After aligning the substrate 5X held by the substrate carrier 9X and the mask 6X, the carrier support means 8X supporting the substrate carrier 9X is lowered toward the mask 6X, thereby lowering the substrate carrier (9X) is placed on the mask 6X. At this time, since both the long side of the substrate carrier 9X supported by the carrier support means 8X and the long side of the mask 6X supported by the mask support means 16X are parallel to the Y direction, When the two come close, contact is initiated between the long sides or between the regions extending along the long sides. In an ideal situation in which the long sides approaching each other contact each other while maintaining a parallel relationship, the entire long sides of both sides can be brought into contact simultaneously.

In practice, contact starts from a part of the long side due to the influence of disturbance or the like. The influence of the disturbance is not constant, and the verticality of each part of the elevating mechanism of the carrier support means 8X or the vibration during operation causes variations in the posture of the substrate carrier 9X during elevation. Therefore, the contact start position when the long side of the substrate carrier 9X and the long side of the mask 6X come into contact is not constant and is changed each time. When the contact start position is changed, the reaction force received by the substrate carrier 9X from the mask 6X at the time of contact is also changed, and the displacement caused when the substrate carrier 9X is seated on the mask 6X is also changed. Therefore, the reproducibility of the manner in which the substrate carrier 9X and the mask 6X are seated is lowered, and there is a possibility that alignment accuracy and film formation accuracy are lowered.

Thus, with reference to FIG. 8, another form that the carrier support means of this embodiment can take will be described. In (a) of FIG. 8 , the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8, the mask 6 is supported by the mask support means 16, and the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the mask 6. ) It is a diagram showing a spaced state that is spaced apart from. (b) of FIG. 8 shows that in the process of switching from the separation state to the placement state, the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support means 8 is attached to the mask 6 supported by the mask support means 16. It is a drawing showing the state in which contact has started.

The carrier support means 8 is installed side by side in the Y direction, which is the first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5, and has a periphery along the long side 91, which is the first side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the Y direction. , a plurality of first support portions 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86 supported at a plurality of positions at different positions in the Y direction (hereinafter, when the plurality of first support portions are not distinguished, the first support portion 80 ) has). Although not shown in Fig. 8(a), the carrier support means 8 is provided side by side in the Y direction, which is the first direction, and the long side 92, which is the second side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the Y direction, is It also has a plurality of second supports that support the periphery along the periphery at a plurality of positions at different positions in the Y direction (hereinafter, when the first support part and the second support part are not distinguished, the second support part is also assigned a reference numeral 80).

In the spaced state, the carrier support means 8 has a height at which the first support portions 83 and 84, which are some of the plurality of first support portions 80, support the other portion of the plurality of first support portions 80. The periphery along the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 is supported so that one support portion 81, 82, 85, 86 is different from the height of the supported position. That is, in a state in which the heights of some of the support surfaces of the plurality of first support parts 80 are different from the heights of the support surfaces of other parts of the plurality of first support parts 80, the carrier support means 8 is separated from each other. supports the substrate carrier 9 of the

In Embodiment 1, as shown in (a) of FIG. 8 , the position supported by the first support portions 83 and 84, which are some of the plurality of first support portions 80, is the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9. In, it is located between the first support parts 81 and 82 and the first support parts 85 and 86, which are other parts of the plurality of first support parts 80. In addition, the height of the position supported by the first support parts 83 and 84, which are part of the plurality of first support parts 80, is the first support part 81, 82, 85 and 86 which is another part of the plurality of first support parts 80 is lower than the height of the supporting position. Although not shown in (a) of FIG. 8, the second support portion 80 of the carrier support means 8 is also similar to the first support portion 80, and the long side 92 of the substrate carrier 9 is Support the main cast that follows.

In this way, by varying the height of the position where the plurality of first supporters 80 support the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9, the substrate carrier 9 in a state supported by the carrier support means 8 The shape changes from a shape parallel to the Y direction in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction as shown in Fig. 7(b). The shape of the substrate carrier 9 when supported by the carrier support means 8 is determined according to the height of the position where the plurality of first support portions 80 support the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9. do.

For example, as shown in FIG. When positioned between , the shape of the substrate carrier 9 is convex downward in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction. In the case of (a) of FIG. 8 , since the first support portions 83 and 84 having a low height are located in the center of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9, the first support portions 83 and 84 The height of the support position becomes the lowest among the long sides 91. In the separated state, the lowest part of the first side of the substrate carrier 9 is located at the center of the first side, and the lowest part of the second side of the substrate carrier 9 is located at the center of the second side. To be positioned, the carrier support means 8 supports the substrate carrier 9 .

In addition, among the plurality of first support parts 80, the first support part 81 supporting the position closest to one end of the long side 91 has the lowest height and the first support part 81 supports the position closest to the other end. When the height of the support portion 86 is the highest and the height of the supporting position from the first support portion 81 to the first support portion 86 increases monotonically, in the +Y direction on the long side 91, the first support portion 81 ) is the lowest among the long sides 91.

In the substrate carrier 9 , a plurality of seating blocks 31 are provided on the outside of the holding surface for holding the substrate 5 so as to protrude from the substrate 5 toward the mask 6 . In Embodiment 1, the plurality of seating blocks 31 are provided at least in the lowest position among the long sides 91 and the lowest positions among the long sides 92 of the substrate carrier 9 in a spaced state. . A portion of the plurality of first support portions 80 having a height lower than the others, and the first support portion 80 next to the portion, at least one of the plurality of seating blocks 31 therebetween. It is sandwiched and supports the substrate carrier (9). A portion of the plurality of second support portions 80 having a lower support surface height than the others, and the second support portion 80 next to the portion, at least one of the plurality of seating blocks 31 therebetween. It is sandwiched and supports the substrate carrier (9). In the case of (a) of FIG. 8, the central part of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 is in the lowest position in the separated state, and the seating block indicated by the reference numeral 31a is provided in this part.

In addition, when the height of the 1st support part 81 is the lowest, the height of the 1st support part 86 is the highest, and the height of the support position from the 1st support part 81 to the 1st support part 86 becomes monotonously high , since the height of the position close to the end of the long side 91 in the +Y direction in the separated state is the lowest among the long sides 91, a seating block indicated by the reference numeral 31b is provided at this portion.

When the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8 in the aspect shown in Fig. 8(a) in the separated state, the carrier support means 8 is required to switch from the separated state to the placement state. As it descends toward the mask 6, as shown in FIG. ) to contact

In this way, from the separated state in which the substrate carrier 9 is supported so that the height of the position supported by some of the plurality of first support parts 80 is lower than the height of the position supported by other parts, the substrate carrier 9 and the mask (6) is relatively approached to place the substrate carrier (9) on the mask (6). Accordingly, the heights of some of the support surfaces of the plurality of first support portions 80 are lower than the heights of the other portions of the support surfaces. As a result, when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6, always from the seating block 31 provided at the lowest position among the long sides 91 of the substrate carrier 9 in the separated state, the mask Contact can be initiated at (6). Therefore, since the deviation of the position where the substrate carrier 9 starts contacting the mask 6 can be suppressed and the seating position becomes constant, the reproducibility of the seating pattern of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 it rises

On the other hand, when the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8 in the aspect shown in FIG. becomes a convex shape. Therefore, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 showing the cross section perpendicular to the Y-direction, originally, the bottom of the cross section of the substrate carrier 9 should have been drawn in a downward convex shape that should be seen from the inside, but the drawing becomes complicated. In order to avoid this, the description was omitted.

<Relationship of friction force>

In Embodiment 1, the frictional force generated between one of the plurality of seating blocks 31 first contacting the mask 6 and the mask 6 is applied to the plurality of first support portions 80 of the carrier support means 8 and It is set to be greater than the frictional force generated between each of the second support portions 80 and the substrate carrier 9.

Specifically, the frictional force generated in the horizontal direction at the contact portion between the mask frame 6a and the seating block 31 installed at the lowest position of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 in the separated state is referred to as Fc. . The frictional force generated in the horizontal direction at the contact portion of each carrier receiving surface 41 of the plurality of first support portions 80 of the carrier support means 8 and the substrate carrier 9 is referred to as Fa. This frictional force relationship is designed to satisfy Fc>Fa.

As a result, as shown in Fig. 8(b), after the central seating block 31a and the mask 6 start contacting, at the contact portion between the central seating block 31a and the mask 6, the horizontal direction As a force, a relatively large frictional force acts. Therefore, the central seating block 31a does not move relative to the mask 6 . On the other hand, a relatively small frictional force acts as a force in the horizontal direction at the contact portion between the carrier receiving surface 41 of the plurality of first support portions 80 and the substrate carrier 9 . As a result, the substrate carrier 9 slides and moves relative to the carrier receiving surface 41 .

The seating blocks 31a disposed at the center of the long side 91 of the substrate carrier 9 start contacting the mask 6, and then all the seating blocks 31 of the substrate carrier 9 move toward the mask 6. Since the state of frictional force Fc>Fa is maintained until it sits on the mask 6, movement from the position where it first contacted the mask 6 is suppressed. As a result, when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6, the seating block 31a provided at the lowest position in the separated state and the substrate carrier 9 after the mask 6 starts to come into contact with each other. Positional displacement of the mask 6 is suppressed. Accordingly, stability of seating of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 is improved. In addition, the central seating block 31a first contacting the mask 6 can be used as a reference for alignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 .

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a contact mode between the seating block 31 and the mask 6 and a contact mode between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier support means 8 . Fig. 9(a) shows a state of contact between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a in a state where the substrate carrier 9 is seated on the mask frame 6a via the seating block 31. . The hatched portion A indicates a contact portion between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a. Figure 9 (b) shows the state of contact between the carrier receiving surface 41 of the carrier support unit 8 and the substrate carrier 9 in a state where the carrier support unit 8 supports the substrate carrier 9. indicates The hatched portion B represents a contact portion between the carrier receiving surface 41 and the substrate carrier 9 .

Since the seating block 31 receives a vertical downward load from the substrate carrier 9 and contacts the mask 6, the contact between the seating block 31 and the mask 6 is as shown in FIG. 9(a). As shown in the oblique portion A of , substantially the entire surface of the lower surface of the seating block 31 comes into surface contact with the mask 6 . On the other hand, in the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support means 8, as shown in FIG. . Therefore, when the size of the substrate carrier 9 is large, in particular, the periphery along the Y direction (long side direction) of the substrate carrier 9 is in a curved state, and each first support portion 80 of the carrier support means 8 is raised. It is supported by the carrier receiving surface 41 of ). Therefore, the contact between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier receiving surface 41 of each first support portion 80 supporting the periphery along the long side of the substrate carrier 9 is the oblique portion B in FIG. ), it becomes an aspect close to line contact. As shown in FIG. 9 , the contact area between the seating block 31 and the contact portion A of the mask 6 is greater than the contact area between each first support portion 80 and the contact portion B of the substrate carrier 9 . .

The friction coefficient at the contact portion A between the seating block 31 and the mask 6 is μ1, the frictional force is Fc, the friction coefficient at the contact portion B between the carrier receiving surface 41 and the substrate carrier 9 is μ2, The frictional force is called Fa. When the load of the substrate carrier 9 applied to each contact portion is the same, the frictional forces Fc and Fa in the horizontal direction generated at the contact portions A and B in a state in which the substrate carrier 9 is seated on the mask 6 are The magnitude relationship is determined by the magnitude relationship of the friction coefficients μ1 and μ2 at the contact portions A and B. In Embodiment 1, the coefficient of friction between one of the plurality of seating blocks 31 first contacting the mask 6 and the contact portion of the mask 6 is determined by determining the plurality of first support portions 80 and second support portions 80. The coefficient of friction between each of and the substrate carrier 9 is greater. As a result, µ1 > µ2, and in the process of seating the substrate carrier 9 on the mask 6, the relationship of Fc > Fa from the initial point in time when the central seating block 31 starts contacting the mask 6. is achieved Therefore, in the process of seating the substrate carrier 9 on the mask 6, positional displacement due to relative movement of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 in the horizontal direction is suppressed.

A portion of the seating block 31 corresponding to the contact portion A that contacts the mask frame 6a and a portion of the mask frame 6a corresponding to the contact portion A that contacts the seating block 31 are made of stainless steel or It can be made of metal, such as iron. In this case, the contact surface between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a in the contact portion A becomes a metal-to-metal contact. Further, the contact surface between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a in the contact portion A may be constituted by a ground surface or a polished surface. The contact at the contact portion A is in a vacuum environment, and since water molecules on the metal surface volatilize in the vacuum environment, the lubricating effect is reduced, so the friction coefficient becomes a value close to 1.0. Therefore, the coefficient of friction (μ1) of the contact portion A between the seating block 31 and the mask frame 6a can be increased. In addition, the carrier receiving surface 41 is a contact portion B with the substrate carrier 9, when the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8 alone, the substrate carrier 9 slides off. The low-friction treatment may be performed by coating with any one of an inorganic material, a fluorine-based coat, a ceramic-based coat, or a DLC coat while ensuring the frictional force to the extent that there is no friction. In general, the friction coefficient of the coating applicable to solid lubrication in a vacuum environment is 0.1 to 0.4, and the friction coefficient (μ2) between the carrier receiving surface 41 and the contact portion B of the substrate carrier 9 can be reduced. there is. This makes it possible to satisfy the relationship of friction coefficient μ1>μ2 and to satisfy the relationship of frictional force Fc>Fa.

On the other hand, the method for forming a difference between the slipperiness between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 and the slipperiness between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier support means 8 is the above method. Not limited. In order to make the contact part between the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 less slippery than the contact part between the substrate carrier 9 and the carrier support means 8 in the seating process, in addition to the relationship between the frictional force and coefficient of friction as described above, the contact surface Various conditions may be set, such as a combination of properties and materials, a method of applying a load or force, and a positional relationship between other members constituting the device and the contact portion.

<Camera for alignment>

Position measurement for aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6 will be described. 1 and 5, imaging devices 14 (14a, 14b, 14c, 14d) are provided on the outer surface of the upper partition wall 4a. Further, a through hole for imaging is provided on the optical axis of the camera of the imaging device 14 in the upper partition 4a. The imaging device 14 installed outside the chamber 4 simultaneously captures a substrate mark, which is an alignment mark of the substrate 5, and a mask mark, which is an alignment mark of the mask 6, through the through hole. do. Based on the images of the mask mark and the substrate mark captured by the imaging device 14, information on the relative positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is acquired.

The through hole for imaging is sealed by the window glass 17 (17a, 17b, 17c, 17d). Thereby, imaging of the inside of the chamber 4 from the outside and maintenance of the atmospheric pressure inside the chamber 4 become compatible. A lighting device (not shown) is installed inside or near the imaging device 14, and light is irradiated to the vicinity of the alignment marks of the substrate 5 and the mask 6. Thereby, the alignment mark can be imaged clearly. On the other hand, in Fig. 1, the imaging devices 14c and 14d and the window glasses 17c and 17d are covered by other members and are not shown.

<Alignment mark>

Referring to Fig. 12, a method of acquiring information of the relative positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 using the imaging device 14 will be described.

Fig. 12(a) is a view of the substrate 5 held by the carrier face plate 30 of the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support means 8, viewed from above in the -Z direction. On the substrate 5, substrate marks 37a, 37b, 37c, and 37d are provided at four corners of the substrate 5 as alignment marks for capturing images with the imaging device 14. Each of the substrate marks 37a to 37d is simultaneously imaged by each of the corresponding four imaging devices 14a to 14d, and the position of the center point of each of the substrate marks 37a to 37d is acquired based on the captured images. do. By calculating the amount of translation and rotation of the substrate 5 from the positional relationship of the four points, the positional information of the substrate 5 can be acquired. In the carrier face plate 30 of the substrate carrier 9, a through hole is provided at a position corresponding to the substrate mark 37. Accordingly, the substrate mark 37 of the substrate 5 under the carrier face plate 30 can be imaged by the imaging device 14 from the upper part of the carrier face plate 30 .

Fig. 12(b) is a view of the mask 6 viewed from above in the -Z direction. In the mask frame 6a, mask marks 38a, 38b, 38c, and 38d are provided at four corners of the mask frame 6a as alignment marks for imaging with the imaging device 14. Each of the mask marks 38a to 38d is simultaneously imaged by each of the corresponding four imaging devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, and based on the captured image, the center point of each of the mask marks 38a to 38d is determined. get the location of The positional information of the mask 6 can be obtained by calculating the amount of translation and rotation of the mask 6 from the positional relationship of four points.

FIG. 12(c) is a view schematically illustrating a field of view 44 of the imaging device 14 and a set of mask marks 38 and substrate marks 37 captured within the field of view 44 . When both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are simultaneously in the field of view 44 of the imaging device 14, the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark ( 38) can acquire the positional relationship of the center point. The coordinates of the central points of the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are obtained by image processing performed by the control unit 50 based on an image obtained by imaging with the imaging device 14 . On the other hand, image processing may be performed by an image processing device installed separately from the control unit 50. Further, the shapes of the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are not limited to the rectangular or circular shapes illustrated in FIG. 12 . As the marks for alignment, such as the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38, it is preferable to use a shape having symmetry such as an Х mark or a cross so that the center position can be easily calculated.

When high-precision alignment is required, a high-magnification CCD camera having a high resolution of about several μm is used as the imaging device 14 . The field of view of a high-magnification CCD camera is narrow, for example, several millimeters in diameter. Therefore, depending on the position where the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the carrier receiving finger 42 of the carrier holding means 8, the substrate mark 37 is out of the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera and cannot be captured. there is. Therefore, as the imaging device 14, it is preferable to provide a low-magnification CCD camera with a wide field of view in addition to the high-magnification CCD camera. In that case, in the alignment step, rough alignment, which is rough alignment, is first performed using a low-magnification CCD camera so that the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 simultaneously enter the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera. After performing the rough alignment, the relative positional relationship between the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 is obtained using a high-magnification CCD camera, and the substrate 5 and the mask 6 are aligned in fine, high-precision alignment. do an alignment

By using a high-magnification CCD camera as the imaging device 14, the relative positions of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 can be adjusted with an accuracy of several micrometers. On the other hand, the imaging device 14 is not limited to a CCD camera, and may be, for example, an imaging device having a CMOS sensor as an imaging element. In addition, when performing a rough alignment and a fine alignment, it is not limited to the structure which arrange|positions a high-magnification camera and a low-magnification camera separately. For example, a camera capable of exchanging a high-magnification lens and a low-magnification lens or a zoom lens may be used, so that high-magnification and low-magnification images are captured with a single camera.

The control unit 50 obtains information on the relative position of the mask 6 and the substrate 5 from the images of the alignment marks of the mask 6 and the substrate 5 captured by the imaging device 14, and Based on the positional information, the amount of driving of the driving devices such as the lift slider 10 and the rotation translation unit 11 is controlled. Thereby, alignment of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is performed.

<Alignment processing flow>

The alignment of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 and the flow of processing for placing the substrate 5 on the mask 6 will be described with reference to a flowchart in FIG. 13 . The processing shown in this flowchart is executed by the control unit 50 controlling the operation of each unit of the film forming apparatus 1 .

In step S101, the substrate carrier 9 holding the substrate 5 is carried into the chamber 4 from the outside through the gate valve, and is placed on the carrier receiving finger 42 of the carrier holding means 8. witted in

In step S102, the control unit 50 lowers the substrate carrier 9, and sets the position of the substrate carrier 9 in the Z direction to a position where an image can be captured by the low-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14.

In step S103, the control unit 50 captures an image of the substrate mark 37 provided on the substrate 5 with the low-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14. The control unit 50 acquires positional information of the substrate 5 based on the picked-up image and stores it in a memory.

Step S104 may be executed subsequent to step S103, or executed following NO determination in step S107 or step S110.

In step S104 executed following step S103, the control unit 50 lowers the substrate carrier 9 to set the substrate carrier 9 at a height for alignment. And based on the positional information of the board|substrate 5 acquired in step S103, the alignment apparatus 60 is controlled, and alignment which adjusts the horizontal position of the board|substrate 5 is performed. Specifically, the controller 50 performs rough alignment to move the substrate 5 in the XYθ direction so that the substrate mark 37 is within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14 . On the other hand, the position of the mask 6 relative to the high-magnification CCD camera has been previously adjusted so that the mask mark 38 falls within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14 . Therefore, the rough alignment performed here can be said to be a horizontal position adjustment of the substrate carrier 9 performed so that both the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 fall within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14. can On the other hand, it is preferable to position the mask mark 38 in advance so as to be located in the center of the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera.

Here, the distance in the Z direction of the mask 6 and the carrier receiving surface 41 on the upper surface of the carrier receiving finger 42 at step S104 is the distance between the substrate carrier 9 at step S103 by the low-magnification CCD camera. It is set to a distance smaller than the distance at the time of being in the imaging position and at which the substrate 5 and the mask 6 do not come into contact with each other due to their own weight. Therefore, when the substrate carrier 9 is moved in the horizontal direction for alignment, the film formation surface of the substrate 5 or the already formed thin film does not come into contact with the mask 6 and be damaged. On the other hand, the distance between the carrier receiving surface 41 on the upper surface of the carrier receiving finger 42 and the mask 6 in the Z direction in step S104 may be the same as the distance in step S103.

In step S105, the controller 50 lowers the substrate carrier 9 so that the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14 places the substrate at a height where both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are in focus. (5) is set. Since the depth of field of the high-magnification CCD camera is shallow, the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 may not be brought into focus when the substrate 5 is at a height at which an alignment operation with the mask 6 is possible. . Even in such a case, the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are imaged by lowering the substrate carrier 9 to a height at which both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 can be brought into focus with a high-magnification CCD camera. It becomes possible to take an image.

In step S106, the control unit 50 captures both the substrate mark 37 of the substrate 5 and the mask mark 38 of the mask 6 into the visual field by the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14. Take a picture with it inserted. The control unit 50 acquires information on the relative position of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 based on the captured image. The relative positional information is, specifically, information regarding the distance between the center positions of the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 and the direction of positional displacement.

In step S107, the control unit 50 determines whether the amount of positional displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 acquired in step S106 is equal to or less than a threshold value. The threshold value is a value set in advance based on an upper limit value of the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 capable of appropriately performing the film forming process. In Embodiment 1, the threshold value is a value of about several μm. The threshold value is appropriately set according to the required element characteristics and film formation accuracy.

In step S107, when it is determined that the amount of displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 exceeds the threshold value (step S107: NO), the control unit 50 returns to step S104. Alignment is executed, and further processing after step S105 is continued. In step S107, when it is determined that the amount of displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S107: YES), the controller 50 proceeds to step S108.

In step S104 executed when the determination in step S107 is NO, the controller 50 raises the substrate carrier 9 and sets the substrate carrier 9 to a height for alignment. Then, the alignment device 60 is controlled based on the information on the relative positions of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 obtained in step S106 to adjust the horizontal position of the substrate 5 . Specifically, the control unit 50 moves the substrate 5 in the XYθ direction so as to bring the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 closer together to reduce the amount of displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 Perform fine alignment as requested.

Here, in step S105, when the substrate carrier 9 is lowered to a height at which both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 can be focused by the high-magnification CCD camera, the substrate 5 sags due to its own weight. There is a possibility that some of them may come into contact with the mask 6 . Therefore, in step S104 executed when the determination in step S107 is NO, the substrate carrier 9 is raised to a height at which the substrate 5 sagging due to its own weight does not come into contact with the mask 6. . Thereby, the film formation surface of the board|substrate 5 or the thin film already formed does not come into contact with the mask 6 and are damaged during alignment.

In step S108, the controller 50 further lowers the substrate carrier 9 so that the entire substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. Thereby, from a spaced state in which the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support means 8 is spaced apart from the mask 6 supported by the mask support means 16, the substrate carrier 9 moves to the mask 6. ) is switched to the state of being placed in. Here, both the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are supported by the mask support means 16 .

In step S109, the control unit 50 determines that both the substrate mark 37 of the substrate 5 and the mask mark 38 of the mask 6 are in the visual field by the high-magnification CCD camera of the imaging device 14. Take a picture while entering. The control unit 50 acquires information on the relative position of the substrate 5 and the mask 6 based on the captured image, and measures the amount of displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 .

In step S110, the control unit 50 determines whether the amount of positional displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 measured in step S109 is equal to or less than a threshold value. The threshold value is a value set in advance based on an upper limit value of the amount of misalignment between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 capable of performing the film forming process with sufficient accuracy.

In step S110, when it is determined that the amount of displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 exceeds the threshold value (step S110: NO), the control unit 50 determines the carrier of the carrier support means 8. The receiving finger 42 is raised to the height of the substrate carrier 9, the carrier support means 8 supports the substrate carrier 9, and the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are separated from each other. do. And it returns to step S104, and an alignment operation|movement is executed. After that, the process from step S105 continues. On the other hand, a case determined as NO in step S110 may occur, for example, when displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 occurs due to vibration or the like between steps S107 and S110. can

In step S110, when it is determined that the amount of displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S110: YES), the controller 50 proceeds to step S111.

In step S110 , the control unit 50 lowers the mask holding means 16 and transfers the mask 6 on which the substrate carrier 9 is mounted to the conveying roller 15 . Thus, the process of aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6 and placing the substrate 5 on the mask 6 ends.

According to the above-described alignment processing and placement processing of Embodiment 1, the substrate carrier 9 is separated from the mask 6 in a spaced state, parallel to the first direction (Y direction) along the film formation surface of the substrate 5. of the substrate carrier 9 such that the heights of some positions on the first and second sides (long sides 91 and 92 parallel to the Y direction) of one substrate carrier 9 are different from the heights of other positions. A carrier support step is performed in which the periphery along the first side and the second side is supported by the carrier support means 8 at a plurality of positions at different positions in the first direction. Further, a mask supporting step is performed in which the mask 6 is supported by the mask supporting means 16 in a separated state. In Embodiment 1, the position of a part on the 1st side and the 2nd side of the substrate carrier 9 is located between other positions, and the position of a part on the 1st side and the 2nd side of the substrate carrier 9 The substrate carrier 9 is supported so that its height is lower than the height of other positions. Further, the position of the part on the first side and the second side of the substrate carrier 9 is located in the center of the first side and the second side, and the position of the part on the first side and the second side of the substrate carrier 9 The substrate carrier 9 is supported such that the height of is the lowest among the first side and the second side. Then, in step S108, at least one of the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support step and the mask 6 supported by the mask support step is moved in the height direction, thereby removing the substrate carrier 9 as a mask. The mounting process of mounting in (6) is performed.

Therefore, the substrate carrier 9, in a state supported by the carrier support means 8, sags in a convex shape downward in the cross section perpendicular to the X direction, and the central portion has the smallest distance from the mask 6. When the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6 in this state, the seating block 31 provided in the central portion of the substrate carrier 9 comes into contact with the mask 6 first and is seated on the mask 6 . At this time, the frictional force generated between the mask 6 and the seating block 31 at the center of the substrate carrier 9 described in FIG. 9 is greater than the frictional force generated between the carrier support means 8 and the substrate carrier 9. Therefore, the seating block 31 in the central portion does not move from the initially seated position. The substrate carrier 9 and Displacement of the mask 6 does not occur easily.

8(b), in a state where the central portion of the substrate carrier 9 is convex toward the mask 6, the seating block 31 at the central portion of the substrate carrier 9 moves to the seating block 31 at the end portion. ), so that a gap is not easily formed between the substrate 5 and the mask 6. Thereby, since a situation in which it is judged NO in step S110 and it becomes necessary to perform fine alignment again does not occur easily, it is possible to suppress an increase in the time required for alignment. In addition, the decrease in film formation accuracy due to the formation of a gap between the substrate 5 and the mask 6 can be suppressed. In addition, since the position where the substrate 5 is seated on the mask 6 is always constant in the central seating block 31 in the transport direction, it is possible to align the substrate 5 and the mask 6 with high precision. As a result, the reproducibility of the seating state and the stability of the close contact state are increased, and the film formation accuracy can be improved.

In addition, when the substrate carrier 9 is switched from the separated state to the placed state, after contacting the mask 6, in the horizontal direction, the carrier of the carrier support means 8 is more slippery to the mask 6. It is supported by the carrier support means 8 so as to increase the ease of sliding on the receiving surface 41 . Therefore, even if deformation occurs such that the position of both ends in the Y direction is displaced in the Y direction with the resolution of the sagging state of the substrate carrier 9, the displacement of the both ends is not caused by slipping with the mask 6, but rather by the carrier carrier 9. It can be absorbed and eliminated by sliding of the support means 8 with the carrier receiving surface 41 . Accordingly, displacement in the horizontal direction when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6 is effectively suppressed.

(Embodiment 2)

In Embodiment 1, when the carrier supporting means 8 supports the periphery along the long side of the substrate carrier 9 at a plurality of positions, in a state where the height of some positions is lower than that of other positions, the substrate carrier ( 9) on the mask 6 was shown. According to this configuration, when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6, contact with the mask 6 always starts from a predetermined position among the long sides of the substrate carrier 9, that is, a position supported at a low position. Therefore, the reproducibility of the seating behavior of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 could be improved.

In Embodiment 2, when the mask support means supports the periphery along the long side of the mask at a plurality of positions, the substrate carrier 9 is moved to the mask 6 in a state in which the height of some positions is higher than that of other positions. Describe the configuration to be placed in . On the other hand, the same reference numerals as those in Embodiment 1 are used for components equivalent to Embodiment 1, and detailed descriptions are omitted.

10(a) shows that the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8, the mask 6 is supported by the mask support means 16, and the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the mask 6. ) It is a diagram showing a spaced state that is spaced apart from. In (b) of FIG. 10 , in the process of switching from the separation state to the placement state, the substrate carrier 9 supported by the carrier support means 8 is supported by the mask support means 16 and attached to the mask 6. It is a drawing showing the state in which contact has started.

The carrier support means 800 is installed side by side in the Y direction, which is the first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5, and has a periphery along the long side 91, which is the first side of the substrate carrier 9 parallel to the Y direction. , has a plurality of first support portions 801 supported at a plurality of positions at different positions in the Y direction. In Embodiment 2, unlike Embodiment 1, the height of a plurality of positions where the plurality of first support portions 801 support the substrate carrier 9 is the same.

The mask support means 20 is installed side by side in the Y direction, which is the first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 5, and the periphery along the long side 71, which is the first side of the mask 6 parallel to the Y direction, A plurality of first support portions 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, and 176 supported at a plurality of positions having different positions in the Y direction (hereinafter, when the plurality of first support portions are not distinguished, the first support portion 170) is called). Although not shown in FIG. 10(b) , the mask support means 20 are provided side by side in the Y direction, which is the first direction, along the long side 72, which is the second side of the mask 6 parallel to the Y direction. It also has a plurality of second supports that support the periphery at a plurality of positions at different positions in the Y direction (hereafter, when the first support section and the second support section are not distinguished, the second support section is also assigned a numeral 170).

In the spaced state, the mask support means 20 has a height of a position supported by the first support parts 173 and 174, which are part of the plurality of first support parts 170, when the other part of the plurality of first support parts 170 The periphery along the long side 71 of the mask 6 is supported so that one support portion 171 , 172 , 175 , 176 has a different height from the supported position.

In Embodiment 2, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the position supported by the first support portions 173 and 174, which are some of the plurality of first support portions 170, is on the long side 71 of the mask 6. , It is located between the first support parts 171 and 172 and the first support parts 175 and 176, which are other parts of the plurality of first support parts 170. In addition, the height of the position supported by the first support parts 173 and 174, which are part of the plurality of first support parts 170, is the first support part 171, 172, 175 and 176 which is another part of the plurality of first support parts 170. is higher than the height of the supporting position. Although not shown in (a) of FIG. 10 , the second support portion 170 of the mask support means 20 is also in the same manner as the first support portion 170 along the long side 72 of the mask 6 support the lead

In this way, the shape of the mask 6 in a state supported by the mask support means 20 is changed by varying the height of the position where the plurality of first support parts 170 support the long side 71 of the mask 6. , It changes from a shape parallel to the Y direction in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction as shown in Fig. 8(a) of Embodiment 1. The shape of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20 is determined according to the height of the position where the plurality of first support parts 170 support the long side 71 of the mask 6 .

For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 10 , the first support portions 173 and 174 having a high support height support the first support portions 171 and 172 and the first support portions 175 and 176 having a low support height. When positioned between , the shape of the mask 6 is convex upward in a cross section perpendicular to the X direction. In the case of (a) of FIG. 10 , since the first support portions 173 and 174 having a high supporting height are located at the center of the long side 71 of the mask 6, the first support portions 173 and 174 are supported. The height of the position is the highest among the long sides 71.

In addition, among the plurality of first support parts 170, the first support part 171 supporting the position closest to one end of the long side 71 has the highest height and the first support part 171 supports the position closest to the other end. When the height of the support portion 176 is the lowest and the height of the supporting position from the first support portion 171 to the first support portion 176 is monotonically lowered, in the +Y direction on the long side 71, the first support portion ( The height of the position close to the end on the 170 side is the highest among the long sides 71.

In the substrate carrier 9 , a plurality of seating blocks 31 are provided on the outside of the holding surface for holding the substrate 5 so as to protrude from the substrate 5 toward the mask 6 . In Embodiment 2, the plurality of seating blocks 31 are located at least in a position facing the highest position among the long sides 71 of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20; And it is installed in the position facing the part which exists in the highest position among the long side 72 of the mask 6 at the time of being supported by the mask support means 20. In the case of (a) of FIG. 10 , the central part of the long side 71 of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20 is at the highest position, and in the substrate carrier 9, this part (long side) A seating block indicated by reference numeral 31a is provided at a position opposite to the central portion (71).

In addition, when the height of the first support part 171 is the highest, the height of the first support part 176 is the lowest, and the height of the supporting position from the first support part 171 to the first support part 176 is monotonically lowered. , since the height of the position close to the end in the +Y direction among the long sides 71 of the mask 6 when supported by the mask support means 20 is the highest among the long sides 71, the substrate carrier 9 , a seating block indicated by the symbol 3lb is provided at a position opposite to this portion (a position close to the end in the +Y direction).

When the substrate carrier 9 is supported by the carrier support means 8 and the mask 6 is supported by the mask support means 20 in the aspect shown in Fig. 10(a) in the separated state, When the carrier support means 8 descends toward the mask 6 in order to switch from the separated state to the placed state, as shown in FIG. 10(b), among the long sides 91 of the substrate carrier 9, the mask Among the long sides 71 of (6), the seating block 31a provided in the part facing the highest position contacts the mask 6 first.

In this way, the substrate carrier 9 and the mask ( 6) is placed relatively close to the substrate carrier 9 on the mask 6. Accordingly, the heights of some of the support surfaces of the plurality of first support parts 170 are higher than the heights of the other parts of the support surfaces. As a result, when the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6, the substrate carrier 9 always faces the highest position among the long sides 71 of the mask 6 in a separated state among the long sides 91 of the substrate carrier 9. From the seating block 31 provided in the part, contact with the mask 6 can be started. Therefore, since the deviation of the position where the substrate carrier 9 starts contacting the mask 6 can be suppressed and the seating position becomes constant, the reproducibility of the seating pattern of the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 it rises

On the other hand, in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the structure in which the substrate carrier is vertically above the mask in the separation state was described as an example, but the structure in which the mask is vertically above the substrate carrier in the separation state may be used. In addition, although the case where the shapes of the substrate, the substrate carrier, and the mask are rectangular has been described as an example, the shape is not limited to the rectangular shape. For example, when the substrate carrier is not rectangular, the carrier support means may support the peripheral edge along the side close to parallel to the transport direction among the sides of the substrate carrier at a plurality of different positions along the transport direction. Furthermore, an example has been described in which at least one of the substrate carrier and the mask is moved in the vertical direction when switching between the separation state and the placement state, but the movement direction is the vertical direction as long as the placement operation and seating operation of the substrate carrier and the mask can be performed. not limited to

Further, in Embodiment 1, the plurality of support members of the carrier support member are positioned along the periphery along the long side of the substrate carrier at a plurality of different positions so that the height of the central portion of the long side of the substrate carrier is lowest in a state supported by the carrier support member. Although an example of support has been described, the shape of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier support means is not limited to this example. The lowest position on the long side of the substrate carrier may be at a position away from the center of the long side.

The shape of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier support means is such that, in a cross section by a virtual plane parallel to the first direction and the vertical direction along the film formation surface of the substrate (virtual plane perpendicular to the X direction), the position at which the height is the lowest is It is only necessary that the plurality of supporting parts of the carrier supporting means support the periphery along the long side of the substrate carrier at a plurality of different positions so that the shape is determined by one. That is, in the spaced state, the carrier supporting means supports the substrate carrier so that a portion having the lowest height on each of the first side and the second side of the substrate carrier is determined as one. Accordingly, when the substrate carrier is placed on the mask, the reproducibility of the position where the substrate carrier first comes into contact with the mask can be improved. Further, when placing the substrate carrier on the mask, a seating block is installed at the position with the lowest corresponding height, and a frictional force is set so that the contact portion between the substrate carrier and the carrier support means is more slippery than the contact portion between the seating block and the mask. It is possible to suppress the displacement of the position where the mask is initially brought into contact with the mask during the placement process.

Similarly, in Embodiment 2, an example in which the plurality of supporters of the mask support means supports the periphery along the long side of the mask at a plurality of different positions so that the height of the central part of the long side of the mask is the highest in the state supported by the mask support means. has been described, the shape of the mask supported by the mask support means is not limited to this example. The highest position on the long side of the mask may be at a position deviated from the center of the long side.

The position where the height of the mask supported by the mask support means is the highest in a cross section along a virtual plane (virtual plane perpendicular to the X direction) parallel to the first direction and the vertical direction along the film formation surface of the substrate is 1 It is only necessary to have a structure in which a plurality of support portions of the mask support means support the periphery along the long side of the mask at a plurality of different positions so that the shape is determined by one. Accordingly, when the substrate carrier is placed on the mask, the reproducibility of the position where the substrate carrier first comes into contact with the mask can be improved. Further, a seating block is provided at a position of the substrate carrier opposite to the highest position, and a frictional force is set so that the contact portion between the substrate carrier and the carrier support means is more slippery than the contact portion between the seating block and the mask. When the carrier is placed on the mask, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the position where the carrier first came into contact with the mask during the placement process.

(Embodiment 3)

Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In Embodiment 1, a film forming apparatus for performing both the alignment of the substrate and the mask and the film forming within one chamber has been described. The film formation apparatus of Embodiment 3 forms a mask for at least a first chamber serving as a mask chamber for aligning a substrate and a mask and placing a substrate on the mask, and a film formation surface of a substrate held by a substrate carrier placed on the mask. and a second chamber serving as a film formation chamber through which film formation is performed. On the other hand, in the description of Embodiment 3, the same reference numerals are used for configurations common to those of Embodiment 1, and detailed descriptions are omitted. Matters not particularly described in Embodiment 3 are the same as in Embodiment 1.

14 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. The film forming apparatus 300 constitutes a part of an apparatus for in-line manufacturing of an organic EL panel. The film forming apparatus 300 includes an input chamber 90 , a mask chamber 100 , and a film forming chamber 110 . In the loading chamber 90, the substrate 5 and the mask 6 are loaded into the line. The mask chamber 100 has an alignment device 60, the substrate 5 held by the substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 are aligned, and the substrate carrier 9 is placed on the mask 6. do. The mask 6 on which the substrate carrier 9 is placed is conveyed to the film formation chamber 110 by the conveyance roller 15 . In the film formation chamber 110, vacuum deposition using the evaporation source 7 was performed while conveying the brought substrate carrier 9 and the mask 6 along the Y direction, which is the first direction, by the conveying roller 15. all. As a result, a thin film of the film forming material is formed on the film forming surface of the substrate 5 .

(Embodiment 4)

A method of manufacturing an electronic device using the film forming apparatus of the above embodiment will be described. Here, a method of manufacturing an organic EL element used in an organic EL display as an electronic device will be described as an example. On the other hand, the electronic device is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to the manufacture of thin-film solar cells or organic CMOS image sensors. In the manufacturing method of the electronic device of this embodiment, it has the process of forming an organic film on the board|substrate 5 using the film-forming apparatus of the said embodiment. Further, after forming the organic film on the substrate 5, there is a step of forming a metal film or a metal oxide film. The structure of the organic EL display device 600 using the organic EL element manufactured by these steps will be described below.

FIG. 15(a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 600, and FIG. 15(b) shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel of the organic EL display device 600. As shown in (a) of FIG. 15 , in the display area 61 of the organic EL display device 600, a plurality of pixels 62 having a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix form. Each of the light emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. On the other hand, the pixel here refers to the minimum unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display area 61 . In the organic EL display device 600, a pixel 62 is configured by a combination of a first light emitting element 62R, a second light emitting element 62G, and a third light emitting element 62B emitting light in different colors. there is. The first light emitting element 62R, the second light emitting element 62G, and the third light emitting element 62B are a red light emitting element, a green light emitting element, and a blue light emitting element, respectively. On the other hand, the number of light-emitting elements per pixel and the combination of light-emitting colors are not limited to this example. For example, a combination of a yellow light emitting element, a cyan light emitting element, and a white light emitting element, or at least one color may be used. Further, each light emitting element may be configured by laminating a plurality of light emitting layers.

The pixel 62 is composed of a plurality of light emitting elements that emit light of the same color, and a color filter in which different color conversion elements are arranged to correspond to each light emitting element is used, so that one pixel 62 can display a desired color. You can do it. For example, a color filter may be used in which the pixel 62 is composed of three white light emitting elements, and red, green, and blue color conversion elements are arranged so as to correspond to each light emitting element. Alternatively, a color filter may be used in which the pixel 62 is composed of three blue light emitting elements, and red, green, and colorless color conversion elements are arranged so as to correspond to each light emitting element. On the other hand, the number of light-emitting elements per pixel and the combination of light-emitting colors are not limited to these examples. In the latter case, by using a quantum dot color filter (QD-CF) using a quantum dot (QD) material as a material constituting the color filter, the display color gamut is wider than that of an organic EL display device that does not use a quantum dot color filter. can do.

Fig. 15(b) is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram taken along line A-B of Fig. 15(a). The pixel 62 includes, on the substrate 5, a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, a light emitting layer 66R, 66G, or 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a second electrode (cathode). ) 68 is formed. The hole transport layer 65, the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, and the electron transport layer 67 are organic layers. The light emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer emitting red, the light emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer emitting green, and the light emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer emitting blue. On the other hand, in the case of using a color filter or a quantum dot color filter, the color filter or quantum dot color filter is disposed on the light exit side of each light emitting layer, that is, above or below in FIG. 15(b).

The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are organic EL elements that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively. The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed according to the arrangement pattern of the light-emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B. The first electrodes 64 are formed for each light emitting element and are separated from each other. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the second electrode 68 may be formed to be shared among a plurality of light emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B, or may be formed separately for each light emitting element. In order to prevent the first electrode 64 and the second electrode 68 from being shorted by foreign matter, an insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrodes 64 . Since the organic EL layer is degraded by moisture or oxygen, a protective layer P is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture or oxygen.

A method for manufacturing an organic EL display device as an electronic device will be described.

First, a circuit (not shown) for driving an organic EL display device and a substrate 5 on which a first electrode 64 is formed are prepared.

Next, a resin layer such as acrylic resin or polyimide is formed by spin coating on the substrate 5 on which the first electrode 64 is formed, and the resin layer is formed on the portion where the first electrode 64 is formed by lithography. An insulating layer 69 is formed by patterning to form an opening therein. This opening corresponds to a light emitting region in which the light emitting element actually emits light.

Next, the substrate 5 on which the insulating layer 69 is patterned is carried into the first film forming apparatus, the substrate is held by the substrate holding unit, and the hole transport layer 65 is attached to the first electrode 64 of the display area. ) is formed as a common layer on top. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum deposition. In practice, since the hole transport layer 65 is formed in a size larger than that of the display region 61, a very fine (high definition) mask is unnecessary. Here, the film formation apparatus used in the film formation in this step and the film formation of the following layers is the film formation apparatus described in any one of the above embodiments.

Next, the substrate 5 formed up to the hole transport layer 65 is carried into the second film forming apparatus and held by a substrate holding unit. After aligning the substrate 5 and the mask 6, the substrate 5 is placed on the mask 6, and a red light emitting layer 66R is placed on a portion of the substrate 5 where a red light emitting element is disposed. form a tabernacle By using the film forming apparatus of Embodiment 4, the alignment of the mask 6 and the substrate 5 can be performed with high precision, and the mask 6 and the substrate 5 can be brought into close contact with each other. can do

Similar to the film formation of the light emitting layer 66R, the green light emitting layer 66G is formed by the third film forming device, and further, the blue light emitting layer 66B is formed by the fourth film forming device. After the film formation of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, the electron transport layer 67 is formed as a film over the entire display region 61 by the fifth film forming apparatus. Each of the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B may be a single layer or a layer formed by stacking a plurality of different layers. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a layer common to the three color light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B. In Embodiment 4, the electron transport layer 67 and the light emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed by vacuum deposition.

Next, a second electrode 68 is formed on the electron transport layer 67 . The second electrode may be formed by vacuum deposition or sputtering. Thereafter, the substrate 5 on which the second electrode 68 is formed is moved to a sealing device, and a sealing step of forming a protective layer P by plasma CVD is performed, and the organic EL display device 600 is completed. On the other hand, although it was assumed that the protective layer P was formed by the CVD method here, it is not limited to this, You may form it by the ALD method or the inkjet method.

The substrate 5 is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen during the period from carrying the substrate 5 on which the insulating layer 69 is patterned to the film forming apparatus until the film formation of the protective layer P is completed. There is a possibility that the light emitting layer is deteriorated by moisture or oxygen. In Embodiment 4, loading and unloading of the substrate 5 between the film forming apparatuses is performed under a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

5: substrate
6: mask
8: carrier support means
9: substrate carrier
16: mask support means
20: mask support means
60: alignment device
71: first side
72: second side
80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86: first support part, second support part
91: first side
92: second side
170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176: first support, second support
800: carrier support means

Claims (27)

carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier holding a substrate;
a mask support means for supporting the mask;
A carrier including moving means for moving at least one of the carrier support means and the mask support means so as to switch between a separation state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placement state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask. As a support device,
The carrier support means,
a plurality of first support portions installed side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate and supporting a periphery of a first side of the substrate carrier along the first direction;
a plurality of second supports installed side by side in the first direction and supporting a periphery of a second side of the substrate carrier along the first direction;
The height of the support surface of some of the plurality of first support parts is different from the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of first support parts, and the height of the support surface of some of the plurality of second support parts, The carrier support device, characterized in that the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier in the spaced state in a state different from the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of second support parts. According to claim 1,
In the spaced state, the carrier support device supports the substrate carrier so that a portion having the lowest height on each of the first side and the second side of the substrate carrier is determined as one. According to claim 1 or 2,
In the spaced state, the lowest part of the first side of the substrate carrier is located at the center of the first side, and the lowest part of the second side of the substrate carrier is located at the center of the second side. The carrier support device, characterized in that the carrier support means supports the substrate carrier so as to be positioned at. According to claim 2,
the substrate carrier has a plurality of seating members provided outside a holding surface for holding the substrate and protruding toward the mask from the substrate;
at least one of the plurality of seating members is installed at a position having the lowest height among the first sides of the substrate carrier in the separated state;
The carrier support device according to claim 1 , wherein another one of the plurality of seating members is installed at least at a position having the lowest height among the second sides of the substrate carrier in the separated state. According to claim 4,
A frictional force generated between one of the plurality of seating members first contacting the mask and the mask is greater than a frictional force generated between each of the plurality of first support parts and the plurality of second support parts and the substrate carrier. Carrier support device to be. According to claim 4 or 5,
A coefficient of friction between one of the plurality of seating members first contacting the mask and the mask is greater than a coefficient of friction between each of the plurality of first support parts and the plurality of second support parts and the substrate carrier. Carrier support device to be. According to claim 4 or 5,
A contact area between each of the plurality of seating members and the mask is larger than a contact area between each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions and the substrate carrier. According to claim 4 or 5,
A portion of each of the plurality of seating members in contact with the mask and a portion of the mask in contact with each of the plurality of seating members are made of metal. According to claim 4 or 5,
A carrier characterized in that a portion of each of the plurality of seating members in contact with the mask and a portion of the mask in contact with each of the plurality of seating members are constituted by a polished surface or a ground surface. support device. According to claim 1,
The part of the plurality of first supports is located between the other part of the plurality of first supports in the first direction;
The part of the plurality of second supports is located between the other part of the plurality of second supports in the first direction;
In the spaced state, the carrier support means,
The height of the support surface of the part of the plurality of first support parts is lower than the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of first support parts, and
The carrier support device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate carrier is supported so that a height of a support surface of the part of the plurality of second support parts is lower than a height of a support surface of the other part of the plurality of second support parts. According to claim 10,
In the spaced state, the carrier support means,
The height of the support surface of the part of the plurality of first support parts is the lowest among the plurality of first support parts,
The carrier support device according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate carrier is supported such that a height of a support surface of the portion of the plurality of second support portions is lowest among the plurality of second support portions. According to claim 10 or 11,
the substrate carrier has a plurality of seating members provided outside a holding surface for holding the substrate and protruding toward the mask from the substrate;
The part of the plurality of first support parts and the first support part next to the part sandwiches at least one of the plurality of seating members therebetween and supports the substrate carrier;
wherein the part of the plurality of second support parts and the second support part next to the part sandwiches at least one of the plurality of seating members therebetween, and supports the substrate carrier. support device. According to claim 12,
A frictional force generated between one of the plurality of seating members first contacting the mask and the mask is greater than a frictional force generated between each of the plurality of first support parts and the plurality of second support parts and the substrate carrier. Carrier support device to be. According to claim 12,
A coefficient of friction between one of the plurality of seating members first contacting the mask and the mask is greater than a coefficient of friction between each of the plurality of first support parts and the plurality of second support parts and the substrate carrier. Carrier support device to be. According to claim 13,
A contact area between each of the plurality of seating members and the mask is larger than a contact area between each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions and the substrate carrier. According to claim 12,
A portion of each of the plurality of seating members in contact with the mask and a portion of the mask in contact with each of the plurality of seating members are made of metal. According to claim 12,
A carrier characterized in that a portion of each of the plurality of seating members in contact with the mask and a portion of the mask in contact with each of the plurality of seating members are constituted by a polished surface or a ground surface. support device. According to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11,
A portion in contact with the substrate carrier in each of the plurality of first support portions and the plurality of second support portions is coated with any one of an inorganic material, a fluorine-based coat, a ceramic-based coat, and a DLC coat. carrier support device. According to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11,
The mask has a frame-shaped mask frame and a mask foil supported by the mask frame,
When switching from the separation state to the placement state, the substrate carrier first contacts the mask frame. According to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11,
The height of the support surface of some of the plurality of first support parts is different from the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of first support parts, and the height of the support surface of some of the plurality of second support parts, The carrier support device according to claim 1 , wherein the moving means brings the substrate carrier in the separated state into contact with the mask in a state different from a height of a support surface of another part of the plurality of second support members. carrier support means for supporting a substrate carrier holding a substrate;
a mask support means for supporting the mask;
A carrier including moving means for moving at least one of the carrier support means and the mask support means so as to switch between a separation state in which the substrate carrier is separated from the mask and a placement state in which the substrate carrier is placed on the mask. As a support device,
The mask support means,
a plurality of first support portions provided side by side in a first direction along the film formation surface of the substrate and supporting a periphery of a first side of the mask along the first direction;
a plurality of second support portions installed side by side in the first direction and supporting a periphery of a second side of the mask along the first direction;
The height of the support surface of some of the plurality of first support parts is different from the height of the support surface of the other part of the plurality of first support parts, and
The mask supporting means supports the mask in the spaced apart state in a state in which the heights of support surfaces of some of the plurality of second support parts are different from the heights of the support surfaces of other parts of the plurality of second support parts. Characterized by the carrier support device. The carrier support device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 21;
an alignment means for adjusting the relative positions of the substrate held by the substrate carrier and the mask in a direction along the film formation surface in the spaced state;
The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the moving means switches from the spaced state to the placed state after the relative positions of the substrate and the mask are adjusted by the alignment means. A mask for placing the substrate carrier on the mask, comprising the carrier support device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 21. thread fruit,
a film formation chamber having film formation means for performing film formation through the mask on the film formation surface of the substrate held by the substrate carrier placed on the mask;
and conveying means for conveying the mask on which the substrate carrier is placed in the mask chamber along the first direction within the film deposition chamber. A mask mounting method for mounting a substrate carrier holding a substrate on a mask, comprising:
In a spaced state in which the substrate carrier is spaced apart from the mask, a height of a portion of the substrate carrier at a first side along a first direction along a film formation surface of the substrate is different from other heights, and Supporting the periphery of the first side of the substrate carrier and the periphery of the second side of the substrate carrier at a plurality of positions such that a height of a part of the second side along the first direction of the carrier is different from other heights. A carrier support process;
A mask supporting step of supporting the mask in the spaced state;
a placing step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask by moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier supporting step and the mask supported by the mask supporting step;
A mask mounting method characterized by having a. A mask mounting method for mounting a substrate carrier holding a substrate on a mask, comprising:
In a spaced state in which the substrate carrier is spaced apart from the mask, a height of a part of the mask at a first side along a first direction along a film formation surface of the substrate is different from other heights, and furthermore, the height of the mask A mask supporting step of supporting the periphery of the first side of the mask and the periphery of the second side of the mask at a plurality of positions so that the height of a part of the second side along the first direction is different from other heights; ,
In the spaced state, a carrier support step of supporting the substrate carrier;
a placing step of placing the substrate carrier on the mask by moving at least one of the substrate carrier supported by the carrier supporting step and the mask supported by the mask supporting step;
A mask mounting method characterized by having a. A film formation method characterized by forming a film on a substrate held by the substrate carrier placed on the mask by the mask mounting method according to claim 24 or 25. A method of manufacturing an electronic device comprising a step of forming an organic film on a substrate by using the film forming method according to claim 26.

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