KR20230032936A - Apparatus for lifting substrate and film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a substrate lifting apparatus, which can be suitably applied to different types of substrates, and a film forming apparatus. To this end, the present invention provides a substrate lifting apparatus which lifts a substrate while placing the substrate on the front end of a plurality of support pins installed to be able to penetrate through holes of a substrate carrier, wherein the plurality of support pins include a first support pin group including a plurality of first support pins (411A) and a second support pin group including a plurality of second support pins (411B), and the first support pin group and the second support pin group are lifted independently of each other.

Description

Substrate lifting device and film forming device {APPARATUS FOR LIFTING SUBSTRATE AND FILM FORMING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a substrate elevating device and a film forming device.

In a film forming apparatus such as a vacuum evaporation apparatus, a substrate is moved while being held by a substrate carrier, and various processes such as a film forming process are performed on the substrate. In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a substrate elevating device is provided to elevate a substrate while the substrate is placed on the tips of a plurality of support pins installed so as to be able to penetrate through holes of a substrate carrier. By lifting the substrate with this substrate lifting device, the substrate can be loaded on the substrate carrier or the substrate can be separated from the substrate carrier.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-46517

In the substrate lifting device described above, it is preferable to be applicable to a plurality of types of substrates in order to improve versatility. However, the proper contact position of the support pin with respect to the substrate may vary depending on the substrate. In the apparatus of Citation Document 1, since all the support pins are moved up and down simultaneously, it is difficult to properly support the substrate depending on the type of substrate or the type of device formed on the substrate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate elevating device and a film forming device capable of appropriately supporting a plurality of types of substrates.

A substrate lifting device according to an aspect of the present invention,

A substrate elevating device for elevating a substrate in a state in which the substrate is placed on the tips of a plurality of support pins installed to be able to penetrate through holes of a substrate carrier,

The plurality of support pins include a first support pin group including a plurality of first support pins and a second support pin group including a plurality of second support pins,

The first support pin group and the second support pin group are characterized in that they move up and down independently of each other.

According to the present invention, a plurality of types of substrates can be appropriately supported.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate lifting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a plan view of a substrate lifted by the substrate lift device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a plan view of a substrate carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a main configuration diagram of a lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a film formation processing chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is an explanatory diagram of an organic EL display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail illustratively based on an Example with reference to drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to these unless otherwise specified.

(Example)

<Film formation device>

Referring to Fig. 1, the entire configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a film forming apparatus called an in-line type will be described as an example. In an in-line film forming apparatus, a plurality of rooms are arranged so as to line up, and substrates, substrate carriers, and masks are sequentially transported to each room, and various processes are performed in each room. For conveyance, conveyance rollers and linear motors are used. In each room, it is comprised so that it can set it as a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere for every room or every several adjacent rooms.

In FIG. 1, among a plurality of yarns, only the yarns subjected to the representative treatment are denoted by the symbol R, and the other yarns are omitted with black dots. In FIG. 1 , arrows of thin solid lines represent transport procedures of the substrate carrier 100 , arrows of dotted lines represent transport procedures of substrates 200 , and arrows of thick solid lines represent transport procedures of the mask M there is. The operation of devices provided in each room is controlled by a controller C such as a computer. Regarding the control unit C, it may be provided individually for each device, or a common control unit C may be provided for a plurality of devices. In general, since it is a well-known technology that various operations are controlled by a control unit, description of the specific configuration of the control unit C and the like is omitted.

First, the substrate carrier 100 and the substrate 200 are sent to the substrate loading chamber R1, and the substrate 200 is held above the substrate carrier 100 in the substrate loading chamber R1. The substrate carrier 100 and the substrate 200 held by the substrate carrier 100 are transported to the reverse chamber R2. In the inverting chamber R2, the substrate carrier 100 rotates 180 degrees together with the substrate 200 so that the substrate 200 is held on the lower side of the substrate carrier 100. The mask M is transferred to the transfer chamber R2 from a path different from that of the substrate carrier 100 . In the inversion chamber R2, the substrate carrier 100 holding the substrate 200 on the lower side is placed on the mask M. Then, the substrate 200 held by the substrate carrier 100 together with the mask M sent to the inversion chamber R2 is conveyed to the film formation chamber R3. On the other hand, rotation of the substrate carrier 100, merging with the mask M, and placement on the mask M may be performed in different chambers. Subsequently, in the film formation chamber R3, after the thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate 200 through the mask M having an opening at the desired film formation position, the substrate carrier 100 and the like are moved to the mask carrying room R4. is returned to On the other hand, generally, a plurality of film formation chambers R3 are provided as shown in the figure so that thin films can be formed using different materials. Therefore, film formation processing is normally performed in one specific film formation chamber R3 by transporting the substrate 200 once.

After film formation, the substrate 200 held by the substrate carrier 100 is lifted from the mask M in the mask carrying room R4 . The mask M, the number of times of use of which has reached a predetermined number of times, is carried out from the mask carry-out room R4 to the outside of the apparatus. The substrate 200 held by the substrate carrier 100 and the mask M to be reused are transported from the mask delivery room R4 to the relay room R5. The mask M of the relay chamber R5 is conveyed toward the inversion chamber R2. After the substrate carrier 100 and the substrate 200 in the relay room R5 are inverted in an unillustrated inverting room, they are conveyed to the substrate separation room R6.

Then, in the substrate separation chamber R6, the substrate 200 is separated from the substrate carrier 100. Thereafter, the substrate carrier 100 is carried out of the film forming apparatus or transported to the substrate loading chamber R1 again. Further, the substrate 200 separated from the substrate carrier 100 is taken out.

<Substrate elevating device>

The configuration of the substrate lifting device disposed in the substrate placing chamber R1 and the operation of placing the substrate 200 on the substrate carrier 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 . The substrate elevating device includes a carrier transfer chamber 300, an elevating mechanism, and a clamp rotating mechanism 500 as clamp driving means. The substrate lifting device according to the present embodiment includes a first lifting mechanism 400A, a second lifting mechanism 400B, and a third lifting mechanism 400C as lifting mechanisms. All of these lifting mechanisms have a function for moving the substrate 200 up and down, and can adopt the same configuration except for arrangement or shape. Therefore, in FIGS. 2 to 6, in order to make the configuration of each part easier to understand, the first lifting mechanism 400A is shown as a representative, and the second lifting mechanism 400B and the third lifting mechanism 400C are omitted. there is.

The carrier transfer chamber 300 includes an opening 311 through which the substrate carrier 100 passes, a carrier gate valve 312 capable of opening and closing the opening 311, an opening 321 through which the substrate 200 passes, A substrate gate valve 322 capable of opening and closing this opening 321 is provided. On the other hand, the opening 311 and the gate valve 312 for the carrier are respectively installed on the inner side and the front side of the paper in FIG. 2 . In addition, although illustration is abbreviate|omitted, the opening part 311 and the gate valve 312 for carriers are provided also on the right side of the carrier delivery room 300. As a result, the substrate carrier 100 enters the carrier transfer chamber 300 from the inside of the paper and is carried out to the outside of the carrier transfer chamber 300 towards the front of the paper.

Further, in the carrier delivery room 300 , a carrier support member 330 is installed to support the substrate carrier 100 when the substrate 200 is placed on the substrate carrier 100 . The carrier support member 330 supports the outer periphery of the substrate carrier 100 so as not to interfere with the operation of the support pin provided in the lifting mechanism. Alternatively, the carrier support member 330 may have an opening provided in a region through which the support pin passes. In addition, although omitted in FIG. 2 , a conveying roller for conveying the substrate carrier 100 may be provided in the substrate placing chamber R1 (carrier delivery chamber 300 ). In this case, when the substrate 200 is placed on the substrate carrier 100, the transport roller may support the substrate carrier 100.

In addition, an imaging means (a camera or the like) 350 is installed in the carrier delivery room 300 . In each figure, although only one imaging means 350 is shown, in general, a plurality of imaging means 350 is provided. By capturing an image of the positional relationship between the substrate carrier 100 and the substrate 200 by the imaging means 350 , the position of the substrate 200 relative to the substrate carrier 100 can be adjusted (aligned). In addition, the imaging means 350 may have a role as a determination means for discriminating the type of the substrate carrier 100 or the type of the substrate 200. For example, various marks may be pasted according to the type of substrate carrier 100, and the type of substrate carrier 100 may be determined based on the marks captured by the imaging unit 350. The imaging means 350 used to perform the alignment and the imaging means 350 as the discrimination means may be provided separately, or one of the imaging means 350 generally provided in plurality for alignment may be used as the discrimination means. may be

In this embodiment, only the support pins are inserted into the carrier transfer chamber 300 for the elevating mechanism, and only the press-fit pins 511 are inserted into the clamp rotating mechanism 500. In this way, penetration of lubricants, wear powder, and the like into the carrier transfer chamber 300 can be suppressed. On the other hand, the entire substrate lifting device may be disposed in the substrate placing chamber R1, or the carrier transfer chamber 300 may correspond to the substrate placing chamber R1. In the latter case, most of the components of the elevating mechanism (structures other than the support pins) and most of the components of the clamp rotation mechanism 500 (structures other than the press-fit pins 511) are outside the substrate loading chamber R1. will be placed

The first lifting mechanism 400A includes a plurality of first support pins 411A, a first plate 410A supporting the plurality of first support pins 411A, and a first plate 410A that lifts the first plate 410A. It is provided with 420 A of ball screw mechanisms as 1 lifting means. The ball screw mechanism 420A includes a motor 421A, a screw shaft 422A rotated by the motor 421A, and a nut that moves up and down along the screw shaft 422A according to the rotational motion of the screw shaft 422A. A portion 423A and a post 424A that is fixed to the nut portion 423A and moves up and down together with the nut portion 423A are provided. Between the inner circumferential surface of the nut portion 423A and the outer circumferential surface of the screw shaft 422A, a plurality of balls are configured to circulate infinitely. In addition, the first plate 410A is supported by the post 424A.

In the present embodiment, the case where a ball screw mechanism is employed as the lifting means for lifting the plate is shown, but other known techniques such as a rack and pinion system may be employed as the lifting means.

In addition, the substrate lifting device is an alignment means for adjusting the position of the substrate 200 relative to the substrate carrier 100 by moving the plurality of first support pins 411A in a direction perpendicular to the lifting direction of the substrate 200. It is equipped with the alignment mechanism 430A as . Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the elevation direction of the substrate 200 is a vertical direction. Therefore, the alignment mechanism 430A is configured to be able to move the plurality of first support pins 411A in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the alignment mechanism 430A includes a first rail 431A extending in the left-right direction (hereinafter referred to as "X-axis direction") in the drawing, and a direction perpendicular to the first rail 431A (hereinafter, referred to as "X-axis direction"). and a second rail 432A extending in the "Y-axis direction"). Meanwhile, both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are perpendicular to the vertical direction. The 2nd rail 432A is comprised so that it can reciprocate along the 1st rail 431A.

And in 430 A of alignment mechanisms, 433 A of pedestals on which 400 A of 1st lifting mechanisms are mounted are provided. This pedestal 433A is configured to be reciprocally movable along the second rail 432A. In addition, the alignment mechanism 430A includes a first shaft portion 434A fixed to the pedestal 433A and extending in the X-axis direction, and a second shaft portion fixed to the pedestal 433A and extending in the Y-axis direction. (436A). Furthermore, the alignment mechanism 430A includes a movement mechanism 435A that moves the first axis portion 434A in the X-axis direction and a movement mechanism (not shown) that moves the second axis portion 436A in the Y-axis direction. are equipped For these moving mechanisms, various known technologies such as a ball screw mechanism and a mechanism of a rack and pinion system can be employed.

By moving the first elevating mechanism 400A together with the pedestal 433A in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by the alignment mechanism 430A configured as described above, the plurality of first support pins 411A are moved in the horizontal direction. can be moved to Accordingly, the substrate 200 mounted on the plurality of first support pins 411A can be moved and adjusted in the horizontal direction, and the position of the substrate 200 relative to the substrate carrier 100 can be adjusted. On the other hand, in the substrate lifting device according to the present embodiment, the alignment mechanism can also move the second lifting mechanism 400B and the third lifting mechanism 400C in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Also about the 2nd lifting mechanism 400B and the 3rd lifting mechanism 400C, you may make it move all the lifting mechanisms simultaneously by mounting it on pedestal 433A attached to the said alignment mechanism 430A. Moreover, you may provide an alignment mechanism individually with respect to the 2nd lifting mechanism 400B and the 3rd lifting mechanism 400C.

The clamp rotation mechanism 500 includes a plurality of press-fit pins 511, a clamp plate 510 supporting the plurality of press-fit pins 511, and a ball screw mechanism 520 for lifting the clamp plate 510. is provided. The ball screw mechanism 520 includes a motor 521, a screw shaft 522 rotated by the motor 521, and a nut that moves up and down along the screw shaft 522 according to the rotational motion of the screw shaft 522. A portion 523 and a post 524 fixed to the nut portion 523 and moving up and down together with the nut portion 523 are provided. Between the inner circumferential surface of the nut portion 523 and the outer circumferential surface of the screw shaft 522, a plurality of balls are configured to circulate infinitely. Further, the plate 510 for clamping is supported by the post 524 . On the other hand, although the case where a ball screw mechanism is employed as a lifting means for lifting the clamp plate 510 has been shown, other known techniques such as a rack and pinion method can also be employed as the lifting means.

An operation of holding the substrate 200 in the substrate carrier 100 using the substrate lifting device configured as described above will be described. First, by the operation of the carrier gate valve 312, the opening 311 is opened, and the substrate carrier 100 is carried into the carrier transfer chamber 300. The substrate carrier 100 carried into the carrier transfer room 300 is supported by a carrier support member 330 (see FIG. 3 ). On the other hand, in order to make it easy to understand the structure of each part, the opening part 311 and the gate valve 312 for carriers are abbreviate|omitted in FIG. 3 and subsequent drawings.

The substrate carrier 100 is provided with a plurality of clamps 110 for holding the substrate 200 in the substrate carrier 100 . The clamp 110 is attached to the substrate carrier 100 so as to be able to rotate in a state of being biased in the first rotation direction, which is a direction in which the substrate 200 to be held by the substrate carrier 100 is sandwiched. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, the clamp 110 on the left is rotatably installed on the substrate carrier 100 in a state of being biased clockwise, and the clamp 110 on the right is biased in a counterclockwise direction. It is installed in the carrier 100 so as to be able to rotate.

After the substrate carrier 100 is supported by the carrier support member 330, the opening 321 is opened by the operation of the substrate gate valve 322, and the substrate 200 is moved into the carrier transfer chamber 300. is brought into The substrate 200 is carried into the carrier transfer room 300 by a transfer robot. On the other hand, in FIG. 4, only a part of the hand part 250 which supports the board|substrate 200 in a transfer robot is shown. It is common that this hand part 250 is installed in the shape of a comb so as not to interfere with the operation of support pins such as the first support pin 411A.

Furthermore, the plurality of first support pins 411A are raised to a predetermined position together with the first plate 410A by the first lifting mechanism 400A. In addition, the plurality of first support pins 411A are installed to be able to pass through the plurality of through holes provided in the substrate carrier 100, and the tips of the plurality of first support pins 411A are connected to the substrate carrier 100. It moves to a position above the upper surface of the substrate 200 and below the lower surface of the substrate 200 carried in. Furthermore, by the clamp rotating mechanism 500, a plurality of press-fit pins 511 are raised together with the plate 510 for clamps, and the tip of each press-fit pin 511 holds the corresponding clamp 110, respectively. press in Accordingly, the clamp 110 rotates in the second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, and the substrate 200 can be placed on the substrate carrier 100 from above (see FIG. 4 ).

On the other hand, the carrying operation of the substrate 200 into the carrier transfer chamber 300, the lifting operation of the first plate 410A by the first lifting mechanism 400A, and the plate for clamping by the clamp rotation mechanism 500. The order of the raising operation in 510 is not particularly limited, and may be performed simultaneously.

After the substrate 200 is placed on the tips of the plurality of first support pins 411A and the hand portion 250 of the transfer robot is retracted, the first plate 410A is moved to a predetermined level by the first lifting mechanism 400A. Descend to position. By this, the substrate 200 is in a state sufficiently close to the substrate carrier 100 (see FIG. 5).

In this state, the movement of the substrate 200 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is adjusted by the alignment mechanism 430A, and the position of the substrate 200 relative to the substrate carrier 100 is adjusted. After that, the first plate 410A is further lowered by the first lifting mechanism 400A, and the tips of the plurality of first support pins 411A move downward from the lower surface of the substrate carrier 100 . In this process, the substrate 200 is placed on the substrate carrier 100 . On the other hand, a plurality of suction pads 130 are installed on the substrate carrier 100 (see FIG. 9 ), and the substrate 200 is in a state of being attracted to the plurality of suction pads 130 . On the other hand, simply placing the substrate 200 on the substrate carrier 100 may result in insufficient suction by the suction pad 130. Therefore, by pressing the substrate 200 downward, the suction pad 130 ), it is common to go through a process to ensure adsorption by

After the substrate 200 is placed on the substrate carrier 100, the clamp plate 510 is lowered by the clamp rotation mechanism 500. As a result, the press-fit pin 511 separates from the clamp 110, and the clamp 110 rotates in the first rotation direction to clamp the substrate 200 into the substrate carrier 100. By this, the substrate 200 is held by the substrate carrier 100 (see Fig. 6). As described above, after the substrates 200 are held by the substrate carrier 100, they are taken out of the carrier transfer chamber 300 and transported to the inversion chamber R2.

<Substrate peeling operation>

Also in the substrate separation chamber R6, a substrate lifting device structured as described above is installed. Hereinafter, an operation of peeling the substrate 200 from the substrate carrier 100 using the substrate lifting device configured as described above will be described. First, with the first plate 410A and the clamping plate 510 waiting below, the substrate carrier 100 holding the substrate 200 is carried into the carrier transfer room 300, and they support the carrier. It is supported by member 330.

After that, by the clamp rotation mechanism 500, the plurality of press-fit pins 511 are raised together with the clamp plate 510, and the tip of each press-fit pin 511 moves to the corresponding clamp 110, respectively. press in As a result, the clamp rotates in the second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction, and the substrate 200 can be separated from the substrate carrier 100 . Then, the plurality of first support pins 411A are raised to a predetermined position together with the first plate 410A by the first lifting mechanism 400A. In this process, the substrate 200 is press-fitted by the plurality of first support pins 411A, separated from the substrate carrier 100, and raised to a predetermined position.

After that, the board|substrate 200 is carried out from the carrier transfer room 300 by the transfer robot. Further, after the plurality of first support pins 411A are lowered together with the first plate 410A, the substrate carrier 100 is taken out of the carrier transfer chamber 300 and taken out of the film forming apparatus, or Again, it is transported to the substrate mounting chamber R1.

<Substrate and Substrate Carrier>

The substrate lifting device according to the present embodiment can be suitably applied to two types of first substrate 200X and second substrate 200Y. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, a first substrate 200X and a second substrate 200Y, and two types of first substrate carriers 100X and second substrate carriers 100Y respectively used for these substrates explain about

As the material of the substrate, any material other than glass, such as a semiconductor (for example, silicon), a film of a polymeric material, or a metal, can be selected. Further, for example, a substrate in which a film such as polyimide is laminated on a silicon wafer or a glass substrate may be employed.

The first substrate 200X is cut in a post-process along cutting lines 211X and 212X indicated by dashed-dotted lines in the figure. When used for a display, the inner portion surrounded by dotted lines in the drawing serves as an image display portion and corresponds to the display element area. The second substrate 200Y is cut in a post-process along cutting lines 211Y, 212Y, 213Y, and 214Y indicated by dashed-dotted lines in the drawing. In the case of being used for a display, in the drawing, the inner portion surrounded by dotted lines serves as an image display portion and corresponds to a display element area.

As described above, a plurality of clamps 110X and 110Y are attached to the first substrate carrier 100X and the second substrate carrier 100Y, respectively. The number and arrangement of the clamps 110X and 110Y may be appropriately set according to the size and weight of the substrate carrier and the substrate.

In the first substrate carrier 100X, a plurality of through holes 121X provided in a predetermined area in the center of the first substrate carrier 100X (in the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 8(a) ), and the first substrate A plurality of through holes 122X provided along the outer periphery of the carrier 100X are provided. In a state where the first substrate 200X is held by the first substrate carrier 100X, the plurality of through holes 121X are provided along the cutting lines 211X and 212X in the first substrate 200X. 7 (a), and is installed so as to be located outside the region surrounded by the dotted line. Further, in a state where the first substrate 200X is held by the first substrate carrier 100X, the plurality of through holes 122X are provided along the outer circumference of the first substrate 200X, as shown in FIG. 7 (a). ), it is installed so as to be located outside the area enclosed by the dotted line.

The plurality of through holes 121X and 122X are used for the purpose of passing the support pin 411 and the purpose of mounting the suction pad 130 thereon. Arrangement of the through hole used for the support pin 411 to pass through and the through hole used for the suction pad 130 to be attached thereto can be set appropriately, such as alternately installing them. The hole diameter of the through hole used for the support pin 411 to pass through and the hole diameter of the through hole used to mount the suction pad 130 may be set to be the same or different. Here, a plurality of through holes used for passing the support pin 411 among the plurality of through holes 121X are referred to as “first through holes”. Also, among the plurality of through holes 122X, a plurality of through holes used for passing the support pin 411 are referred to as “third through holes”.

In the second substrate carrier 100Y, a plurality of through holes 121Y provided in a predetermined area in the center of the second substrate carrier 100Y (in the area surrounded by dotted lines in FIG. 8(b) ), and a second substrate A plurality of through holes 122Y provided along the outer periphery of the carrier 100Y are provided. In a state where the second substrate 200Y is held by the second substrate carrier 100Y, the plurality of through holes 121Y form the cutting lines 211Y, 212Y, 213Y, and 214Y in the second substrate 200Y. , and is installed to be located outside the region surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 7 (b). Further, in a state where the second substrate 200Y is held by the second substrate carrier 100Y, the plurality of through holes 122Y are provided along the outer circumference of the second substrate 200Y, as shown in FIG. 7(b). ), it is installed so as to be located outside the area enclosed by the dotted line.

The plurality of through holes 121Y and 122Y are used for the support pin 411 to pass through and for the suction pad 130 to be mounted. Arrangement of the through hole used for the support pin 411 to pass through and the through hole used for the suction pad 130 to be attached thereto can be set appropriately, such as alternately installing them. The hole diameter of the through hole used for the support pin 411 to pass through and the hole diameter of the through hole used to mount the suction pad 130 may be set to be the same or different. Here, a plurality of through holes used for passing the support pin 411 among the plurality of through holes 121Y are referred to as “second through holes”. Also, among the plurality of through holes 122Y, a plurality of through holes used for passing the support pin 411 are referred to as “third through holes”.

The arrangement of the third through hole provided in the first substrate carrier 100X and the third through hole provided in the second substrate carrier 100Y are configured to be the same.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the substrate carrier 100 will be described in more detail. On the other hand, Fig. 9 is an AA cross-sectional view in Fig. 8(b). As shown in FIG. 9 , the hole diameter of the through hole (in FIG. 9 , the through hole 121Y of the second substrate carrier 100Y) used for the support pin 411 to pass through is the support pin 411 ) is set to be larger than the outer diameter of As a result, the support pin 411 can pass through the through hole, and the support pin 411 can move in the horizontal direction with respect to the substrate carrier during alignment. On the other hand, a misalignment prevention member 411a made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided at the front end of the support pin 411 to suppress the displacement of the substrate 200 .

Further, the suction pad 130 is attached to the substrate carrier (the second substrate carrier 100Y in Fig. 9) in a state of being inserted into the through hole for the suction pad. The suction pad 130 includes a pad body 131 made of metal having a flange portion 131a, an adhesive member 132 attached to the front end of the pad body 131 through an adhesive layer (not shown), and the pad body 131 ) is provided with a fixing member 133 for fixing to the through hole. On the other hand, the flange portion 131a and the fixing member 133 are integrated by a known method. In addition, the fixing member 133 and the substrate carrier can be fixed by a known technique such as a bolt. As the material of the adhesive member 132, it is preferable to employ fluororubber that does not contain a siloxane bond in order to suppress the generation of outgas that adversely affects the manufacturing process under vacuum. In addition, as for the material constituting the adhesive layer, it is preferable to use a known adhesive or double-sided tape that does not release outgas components in the same way. This adhesive member 132 is configured to be adjustable in the vertical direction in the figure within a certain range using a spacer (not shown) so as to be able to manage the amount of protrusion on the surface of the substrate carrier. The amount of protrusion described above varies depending on the size of the member constituting the suction pad 130 and the compression characteristics of the adhesive member 132, but is less than the thickness of the substrate 200. The hole diameter of the through hole for the suction pad is larger than the outer diameter of the portion inserted into the through hole of the pad main body 131, and the pad main body 131 is allowed to move up and down in the vertical direction as well as swing to some extent.

The clamp 110 is attached to the substrate carrier 100 (the second substrate carrier 100Y in FIG. 9 ) so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 110a. Further, this clamp 110 is biased in the first rotational direction by a spring 110b as a biasing member. As described above, when press-fitted by the press-fit pin 511, the clamp 110 rotates in the second rotational direction against the biasing force of the spring 110b, and when the press-fit pin 511 falls, the spring 110b rotates. It rotates in the first rotation direction by a negative force. On the other hand, in FIG. 9, the state of the clamp 110 rotated in the second rotational direction by the press-fit pin 511 is shown with a solid line, and the press-fit pin 511 is separated and the clamp 110 rotates in the first rotation direction. The state is indicated by a dotted line. The clamp 110 rotates around the shaft portion 110a along the film formation surface of the substrate. Therefore, in a state where the clamp 110 is press-fitted by the press-fit pin 511, the clamp 110 can be retracted from above the substrate holding area of the substrate carrier 100. In this way, with a simple configuration, a path for placing the substrate 200 on the substrate carrier 100 can be secured.

<Elevating Mechanism>

Referring to Fig. 10, the elevating mechanism according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail. 10, in addition to the plan view of the entire lifting mechanism (a plan view of a state in which the first lifting mechanism 400A, the second lifting mechanism 400B, and the third lifting mechanism 400C are assembled), a plan view of each lifting mechanism is shown. indicates

The first lifting mechanism 400A includes a first plate 410A supporting a plurality of first support pins 411A, and a ball screw mechanism 420A as a first lifting means for lifting the first plate 410A ( 2 to 6). The plurality of first support pins 411A are installed so as to be able to pass through each of the plurality of first through holes (through holes 121X) installed in the first substrate carrier 100X.

The 2nd lifting mechanism 400B is provided with the 2nd plate 410B which supports the some 2nd support pin 411B, and the 2nd lifting means which lifts the 2nd plate 410B. As described above, the second elevating means can adopt the same structure as the first elevating means, and is not particularly shown in the drawings. The plurality of second support pins 411B are provided so as to be able to pass through each of the plurality of second through holes (through holes 121Y) installed in the second substrate carrier 100Y.

The 1st lifting means (ball screw mechanism 420A) and the 2nd lifting means are independently controlled by the control part C. That is, the plurality of first support pins 411A supported by the first plate 410A and the plurality of second support pins 411B supported by the second plate 410B are installed so as to be independently movable. Therefore, the plurality of support pins 411 installed in the substrate lifting device according to the present embodiment include a group of a plurality of first support pins 411A and a plurality of second support pins installed to be independently liftable. It can be said to include the group of (411B).

400 C of 3rd lifting mechanisms are provided with the 3rd plate 410C which supports 411 C of some 3rd support pins, and the 3rd lifting means which lifts 410 C of 3rd plates. As described above, the third elevating means can adopt the same configuration as the first elevating means, and is not particularly shown in the drawings. The plurality of third support pins 411C include a plurality of third through holes (through holes 122X) provided in the first substrate carrier 100X and a plurality of third through holes provided in the second substrate carrier 100Y. It is provided so that penetration is possible for both sides of (through hole 122Y), respectively.

Also, the control unit C can control the third lifting means independently of the first lifting means and the second lifting means. Therefore, the plurality of support pins 411 are installed to be movable independently of the group of the plurality of first support pins 411A and the group of the plurality of second support pins 411B. It can be said to include the group of (411C).

In the case of performing the film forming process on the first substrate 200X, the first substrate carrier 100X is used, and the control unit C has a plurality of first support pins by means of the first elevating means and the third elevating means. 411A and the plurality of third support pins 411C are controlled to move up and down in synchronization. At this time, the plurality of second support pins 411B are not lifted. In addition, when performing the film-forming process on the 2nd substrate 200Y, the 2nd substrate carrier 100Y is used, and the control part C uses the 2nd elevating means and the 3rd elevating means, and a plurality of 2nd elevating means The support pin 411B and the plurality of third support pins 411C are controlled to move up and down in synchronization. At this time, the plurality of first support pins 411A are not lifted. As described above, the substrate lifting device according to the present embodiment has a mode of synchronizing the plurality of first support pins 411A and the plurality of third support pins 411C, the plurality of second support pins 411B and the plurality of It is configured to be able to switch to a mode for synchronizing the third support pin 411C.

In this embodiment, as described above, the type of the substrate carrier 100 is determined by the imaging unit 350 as the determination unit. The controller C determines which one of the plurality of first support pins 411A and the plurality of second support pins 411B is to be moved up and down according to the determination result by the determination means, and selects any one of the above modes. control based on

Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the second plate 410B is disposed at the top in the vertical direction, the first plate 410A is disposed in the middle, and the third plate 410C is disposed at the bottom. The lifting mechanism is constituted. An opening 412B is provided in the uppermost second plate 410B so as not to hinder the movement of the plurality of first support pins 411A supported by the first plate 410A. On the other hand, since the plurality of third support pins 411C supported by the third plate 410C move outside the outer periphery of the first plate 410A and the second plate 410B, they are not hindered by these plates. An opening 412A for arranging the second elevating means is provided in the first plate 410A disposed in the middle. Further, an opening 412C for arranging the first elevating means (ball screw mechanism 420A) and the second elevating means is provided in the third plate 410C disposed at the bottom.

Meanwhile, as another embodiment of the substrate carrier 200, the substrate carrier 200 includes a plurality of first through holes (through holes 121X) passing through the plurality of first support pins 411A, and a plurality of first through holes 121X. Both sides of a plurality of second through holes (through holes 121Y) passing through the two support pins 411B may be provided. In this case, based on the type of substrate 100 or the type of mask M used, the control unit C determines which of the first support pins 411A and the second support pins 411B is to be moved. do.

<Tabernacle>

Referring to Fig. 11, the film formation process in the film formation chamber R3 will be described in more detail. An evaporation source 600 as a film formation source is installed in the film formation chamber R3. The substrates 200 held by the substrate carrier 100 are supported in a positioned state in the film formation chamber R3 so that they face down. Further, a mask M is also disposed on the lower side of the substrate 200 while being positioned relative to the substrate 200 . In the mask M, openings are provided at positions corresponding to positions where a thin film is to be formed on the substrate 200 . Thus, film formation is performed through the mask M on the substrate 200 held by the substrate carrier 100 .

In this embodiment, film formation (evaporation) is performed by vacuum evaporation. Specifically, a film formation material is evaporated or sublimated from an evaporation source 600 as a film formation source, and the film formation material is deposited on the substrate 200 to form a thin film on the substrate 200 . About the evaporation source 600, since it is a well-known technique, the detailed description is abbreviate|omitted. For example, the evaporation source 600 can be constituted by a container for accommodating the film formation material, such as a crucible, and a heating device for heating the container. On the other hand, the film formation source is not limited to the evaporation source 600, and the film formation source may be a sputtering cathode for forming a film by sputtering.

<Method of manufacturing electronic device>

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the configuration of an organic EL display device is shown as an example of an electronic device, and a manufacturing method of the organic EL display device is illustrated.

First, an organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Fig. 12(a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 700, and Fig. 12(b) shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

As shown in Fig. 12(a), in the display area 701 of the organic EL display device 700, a plurality of pixels 702 having a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix form. Details will be described later, but each of the light emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. On the other hand, the term "pixel" as used herein refers to a minimum unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display area 701 . In the case of the organic EL display device according to the present embodiment, a pixel 702 is formed by a combination of a first light emitting element 702R, a second light emitting element 702G, and a third light emitting element 702B emitting different light. has been The pixel 702 is often composed of a combination of a red light emitting element, a green light emitting element, and a blue light emitting element, but may be a combination of a yellow light emitting element, a cyan light emitting element, and a white light emitting element, and is not particularly limited as long as it is of at least one color. don't

Fig. 12(b) is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram taken along line B-B in Fig. 12(a). The pixel 702 is composed of a plurality of light emitting elements, and each light emitting element includes, on a substrate 703, a first electrode (anode) 704, a hole transport layer 705, light emitting layers 706R, 706G, 706B), an electron transport layer 707, and a second electrode (cathode) 708. Among these, the hole transport layer 705, the light emitting layers 706R, 706G, and 706B, and the electron transport layer 707 correspond to organic layers. In this embodiment, the light emitting layer 706R is an organic EL layer emitting red, the light emitting layer 706G is an organic EL layer emitting green, and the light emitting layer 706B is an organic EL layer emitting blue. The light-emitting layers 706R, 706G, and 706B are formed in a pattern corresponding to a light-emitting element (sometimes described as an organic EL element) emitting red, green, and blue, respectively.

In addition, the first electrode 704 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 705, the electron transport layer 707, and the second electrode 708 may be formed in common for a plurality of light emitting elements 702R, 702G, and 702B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. Meanwhile, in order to prevent the first electrode 704 and the second electrode 708 from being short-circuited by foreign matter, an insulating layer 709 is provided between the first electrode 704. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer is degraded by moisture or oxygen, a protective layer 710 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture or oxygen.

In FIG. 12(b), the hole transport layer 705 and the electron transport layer 707 are shown as one layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, a plurality of layers including a hole blocking layer or an electron blocking layer may be used. may be formed. In addition, a hole injection layer having an energy band structure capable of smoothly injecting holes from the first electrode 704 to the hole transport layer 705 is provided between the first electrode 704 and the hole transport layer 705. can also be formed. Similarly, an electron injection layer may also be formed between the second electrode 708 and the electron transport layer 707 .

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be described in detail.

First, a substrate (mother glass) 703 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving an organic EL display device and a first electrode 704 are formed is prepared.

Acrylic resin is formed on the substrate 703 on which the first electrode 704 is formed by spin coating, and the acrylic resin is patterned by lithography to form an opening in the portion where the first electrode 704 is formed to form an insulating layer ( 709) form. This opening corresponds to a light emitting region in which the light emitting element actually emits light.

The substrate 703 on which the insulating layer 709 is patterned is placed on a substrate carrier on which an adhesive member is disposed. The substrate 703 is held by the adhesive member. It is carried into the first organic material film forming apparatus, and after inversion, the hole transport layer 705 is formed as a common layer over the first electrode 704 in the display region. The hole transport layer 705 is formed by vacuum deposition. In practice, since the hole transport layer 705 is formed in a size larger than that of the display area 701, a fine (high definition) mask is unnecessary.

Next, the substrate 703 formed up to the hole transport layer 705 is carried into the second organic material film forming apparatus. The substrate and the mask are aligned, the substrate is placed on the mask, and a red light emitting layer 706R is formed on a portion of the substrate 703 where a red light emitting element is disposed.

Similar to the film formation of the light emitting layer 706R, the green light emitting layer 706G is formed by the third organic material film forming apparatus, and further, the blue light emitting layer 706B is formed by the fourth organic material film forming apparatus. After the film formation of the light emitting layers 706R, 706G, and 706B is completed, the electron transport layer 707 is formed over the entire display region 701 by the fifth film forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 707 is formed as a layer common to the three color light emitting layers 706R, 706G, and 706B.

The substrate formed up to the electron transport layer 707 is transferred to a metallic deposition material film forming apparatus to form a film of the second electrode 708 .

Thereafter, it is moved to a plasma CVD apparatus to form a protective layer 710 to complete the film forming process on the substrate 703 . After inversion, the substrate 703 is separated from the substrate carrier by peeling the adhesive member from the substrate 703 . After that, the organic EL display device 700 is completed through cutting.

From the time the substrate 703 on which the insulating layer 709 is patterned is loaded into the film forming apparatus until the film formation of the protective layer 710 is completed, when exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen, the light emitting layer made of an organic EL material is formed. It may be deteriorated by moisture or oxygen. Therefore, in this embodiment, loading and unloading of substrates between film forming apparatuses is performed under a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

<Excellence of the substrate lifting device and film forming device according to the present embodiment>

According to the substrate lifting device according to the present embodiment, since the group of the plurality of first support pins 411A and the group of the plurality of second support pins 411B can be moved independently of each other, two types of substrates (first It can be preferably applied to the first substrate 200X and the second substrate 200Y. That is, since the first substrate 200X is lifted by the plurality of first support pins 411A and the second substrate 200Y is moved by the plurality of second support pins 411B, the support pin relative to the substrate The contact position of can be set to an appropriate position according to the substrate. For example, when the substrate is used for a display, as in the present embodiment, the support pin can be touched at a position avoiding the image display portion (display element region), and deterioration in image quality can be suppressed.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the substrate lifting device applicable to two types of substrates has been described as an example, but it can also be configured so that it can be applied to three or more types of substrates. Also in this case, substrate carriers corresponding to a plurality of types of substrates may be prepared, and a plurality of elevating mechanisms may be provided so that the support pins respectively touch the positions corresponding to the respective substrates.

(etc)

In the case of a large substrate 200, when the substrate 200 is supported from below in the vertical direction, the substrate 200 is in a state of sagging so that the center vicinity is downward due to its own weight. Therefore, when the substrate 200 is supported by a plurality of support pins, the supporting position of the substrate 200 is supported along the sagging shape of the substrate 200 in order to equalize the load on each support pin. It is desirable to install pins. Accordingly, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of support pins 411AX having different heights so that the height gradually increases from the center toward the end portion, for example, as indicated by the thick dotted line in FIG. 2 .

1: substrate carrier
110, 110X, 110Y: clamp
200: substrate
410: plate
411: support pin
420A: ball screw mechanism

Claims (13)

A substrate elevating device for elevating a substrate in a state in which the substrate is placed on the tips of a plurality of support pins installed to be able to penetrate through holes of a substrate carrier,
The plurality of support pins include a first support pin group including a plurality of first support pins and a second support pin group including a plurality of second support pins,
The substrate lifting device, characterized in that the first support pin group and the second support pin group lift independently of each other. According to claim 1,
A first plate supporting the plurality of first support pins;
a second plate supporting the plurality of second support pins;
first elevating means for elevating the first plate;
A substrate elevating device comprising a second elevating means for elevating the second plate. According to claim 2,
The plurality of first support pins are installed to be able to pass through each of the plurality of first through holes installed in the first substrate carrier,
The plurality of second support pins are configured to be installed to pass through a plurality of second through holes installed in a second substrate carrier having a different through hole arrangement from that of the first substrate carrier, respectively. Device. According to claim 3,
The plurality of first through holes are installed in the first substrate carrier along a cutting line by which the first substrate held in the first substrate carrier is cut in a later process;
The plurality of second through holes are installed in the second substrate carrier along a cutting line on which the second substrate held by the second substrate carrier is cut in a later step. According to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The plurality of support pins include a group of a plurality of third support pins installed to be movable independently of the group of the plurality of first support pins and the group of the plurality of second support pins,
A third plate supporting the plurality of third support pins;
A third elevating means for elevating the third plate,
A mode in which the plurality of first support pins and the plurality of third support pins are synchronized by the first lifting means and the third lifting means, and the plurality of support pins by the second lifting means and the third lifting means. A substrate lifting device characterized in that it is configured to be able to switch to a mode in which the second support pin and the plurality of third support pins are synchronized. According to claim 5,
The plurality of first support pins are installed to be capable of penetrating each of the plurality of first through holes installed in the first substrate carrier,
The plurality of second support pins are installed to be capable of penetrating each of the plurality of second through holes installed in the second substrate carrier,
The plurality of third support pins are installed to penetrate both of the plurality of third through holes installed in the first substrate carrier and the plurality of third through holes installed in the second substrate carrier, respectively. A substrate lifting device characterized in that. According to claim 6,
The plurality of third through holes are provided in the first substrate carrier so as to follow the outer circumference of the first substrate held by the first substrate carrier, and are provided in the second substrate held by the second substrate carrier. A substrate lifting device characterized in that it is installed on the second substrate carrier so as to follow the outer circumference. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
and determining which of the plurality of first support pins and the plurality of second support pins is to be moved up and down according to a determination result by the determination means. A substrate lifting device that does. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The substrate carrier is provided with a clamp rotatably installed on the substrate carrier in a state of being biased in a first rotation direction, which is a direction in which the substrate to be held by the substrate carrier is inserted, and lifting the substrate. Device. According to claim 9,
and a clamp driving means for rotating the clamp in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
and an alignment means for adjusting the position of the substrate with respect to the substrate carrier by moving the plurality of support pins in a direction perpendicular to the lifting direction of the substrate. According to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The plurality of support pins are arranged such that a position for supporting the substrate is low at the center of the substrate and gradually increases toward an end portion of the substrate. a film formation source for forming a thin film on the substrate held by the substrate carrier;
A film forming apparatus comprising the substrate lifting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images