WO2020144894A1

WO2020144894A1 - Vapor deposition device

Info

Publication number: WO2020144894A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/035545
Authority: WO
Inventors: 僚也北沢; 敬臣倉田
Original assignee: 株式会社アルバック
Priority date: 2019-01-10
Filing date: 2019-09-10
Publication date: 2020-07-16
Also published as: KR102372878B1; TW202026448A; JP7026143B2; CN111684100B; KR20200105675A; JPWO2020144894A1; TWI816883B; CN111684100A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a vapor deposition device that suppresses the effect of a large spreading angle of a vapor deposition material. [Solution] A substrate holding device according to one mode of the present invention comprises an evaporation source, a supporting mechanism, limiting plates, and a chamber. The evaporation source is equipped with a heating mechanism that houses a vapor deposition material and heats the vapor deposition material. The supporting mechanism supports the vapor deposition target at a position facing the evaporation source. The limiting plates are disposed on the vapor deposition target side relative to the midpoint between the evaporation source and the vapor deposition target and limits the spreading path of the vapor deposition material. The chamber houses the evaporation source, the supporting mechanism, and the limiting plates.

Description

Vapor deposition equipment

The present invention relates to a vapor deposition device that vaporizes a vapor deposition material and attaches it to an object to be vapor deposited.

The vapor deposition device that vaporizes vapor deposition material and attaches it to the vapor deposition target is used for manufacturing various products such as organic EL (electro-luminescence) displays and image sensors. The vapor deposition apparatus includes an evaporation source arranged in the chamber, and an evaporation target such as a display panel is arranged so as to face the evaporation source.

The evaporation source can contain a vapor deposition material that is solid or liquid and has a heating mechanism. The vapor deposition material is heated by the heating mechanism, and the generated vapor is supplied to the vapor deposition target. Here, in such an evaporation source, the directivity of the vapor deposition material is weak, and the vapor deposition material scatters in a wide angle range.

A mask that defines the deposition area of the deposition material is often placed on the deposition target, but if the scattering angle of the deposition material is large, the deposition material adheres to the area that should be shielded by the mask and the periphery of the deposition area May cause a masking effect that causes blurring.

On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum vapor deposition device that suppresses a mask effect by adjusting the direction and interval of nozzles from which vapor deposition material is discharged.

International Publication No. 2018/025637

As described in Patent Document 1, in a vapor deposition device, it is required to solve the problem caused by the large scattering angle of the vapor deposition material.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vapor deposition device capable of suppressing the influence of a large scattering angle of the vapor deposition material.

In order to achieve the above object, a vapor deposition device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an evaporation source, a support mechanism, a limiting plate, and a chamber.
The evaporation source contains a vapor deposition material and includes a heating mechanism for heating the vapor deposition material.
The support mechanism supports the evaporation target at a position facing the evaporation source.
The restriction plate is disposed on the side of the evaporation target with respect to the midpoint of the evaporation source and the evaporation target, and restricts the scattering path of the evaporation material.
The chamber houses the evaporation source, the support mechanism, and the limiting plate.

According to this configuration, the scattering angle of the vapor deposition material emitted from the evaporation source can be limited by the limiting plate. By disposing the limiting plate on the vapor deposition target side with respect to the midpoint of the evaporation source and the vapor deposition target, it is possible to suppress the difference in the scattering angle due to the limiting plate.

The evaporation source and the limiting plate may be configured to be movable with respect to the chamber while maintaining their relative positions.

The evaporation source and the limiting plate are fixed to the chamber,
The support mechanism may be configured to be movable with respect to the chamber.

The limiting plate may be a plate member along a plane perpendicular to the moving direction of the evaporation source and the limiting plate.

The limiting plate may be a plate-like member along a plane perpendicular to the moving direction of the support mechanism.

The evaporation source may include a first evaporation source containing a first evaporation material and a second evaporation source containing a second evaporation material.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vapor deposition device capable of suppressing the influence of a large scattering angle of the vapor deposition material.

It is a top view of the vapor deposition device concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a partial configuration of the vapor deposition device. It is a schematic diagram of the evaporation source with which the vapor deposition apparatus is provided. It is a schematic diagram which shows the arrangement|positioning of the limiting plate with which the same vapor deposition apparatus is equipped. It is a schematic diagram which shows the arrangement|positioning of the limiting plate with which the same vapor deposition apparatus is equipped. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation|movement of the same vapor deposition apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation|movement of the same vapor deposition apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows operation|movement of the same vapor deposition apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the scattering angle of the vapor deposition material in the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on a comparative example. It is a graph which shows the film thickness distribution of the film formed with the vapor deposition device which concerns on a comparative example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the scattering angle of the vapor deposition material in the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the size of the chamber in the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on a comparative example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the size of the chamber in the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on a comparative example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the size of the chamber in the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the mask used for vapor deposition. It is a schematic diagram which shows the aspect of co-deposition in the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on a comparative example. It is a graph which shows the relative film thickness for every vapor deposition material of the film formed by the co-evaporation using the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on a comparative example. 7 is a graph showing a film thickness distribution in a film thickness direction of a film formed by co-evaporation using the vapor deposition device according to the comparative example. It is a top view which shows the other structure of the limiting plate with which the vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is equipped.

A vapor deposition device according to an embodiment of the present technology will be described.

[Structure of vapor deposition device]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of a vapor deposition apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a partial configuration of the vapor deposition apparatus 100. In the following figures, three directions orthogonal to each other are referred to as an X direction, a Y direction and a Z direction, respectively. The X direction and the Y direction are, for example, the horizontal direction, and the Z direction is, for example, the vertical direction.

As shown in these drawings, the vapor deposition device 100 includes a chamber 101, a support mechanism 102, an evaporation source 103, and a limiting plate 104.

The chamber 101 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) to maintain the inside at a predetermined pressure. The support mechanism 102, the evaporation source 103, and the limiting plate 104 are housed in the chamber 101.

The support mechanism 102 is arranged in the chamber 101 and supports the vapor deposition target S. The support mechanism 102 is configured to be able to move the vapor deposition target S in the X direction between a position facing the evaporation source 103 and a position not facing the evaporation source 103. The vapor deposition target S is, for example, a display panel.

A mask M is provided on the surface of the vapor deposition target S. The mask M is provided with openings in a predetermined pattern to form a pattern of vapor deposition material on the surface of the vapor deposition object S. When vapor deposition is performed on the entire surface of the vapor deposition object S, the mask M may not be provided.

The evaporation source 103 is arranged in the chamber 101 and supplies a vapor deposition material to the vapor deposition object S.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the evaporation source 103. As shown in the figure, the evaporation source 103 includes a housing box 111, a heating mechanism 112, and a nozzle 113.

The storage box 111 stores the vapor deposition material R. The vapor deposition material R is a metal, an organic substance, or the like and is not particularly limited. A dispersion plate or the like for equalizing the flow of the vapor deposition material R may be provided in the internal space of the accommodation box 111.

The heating mechanism 112 is provided around the housing box 111 and heats and vaporizes the vapor deposition material R. The heating mechanism 112 can generate heat by resistance heating, induction heating, or the like.

The nozzle 113 communicates with the internal space of the housing box 111 and discharges the evaporated vapor deposition material R. A plurality of nozzles 113 are provided, and as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of nozzles 113 can be arranged along the Y direction. The number of nozzles 113 is not particularly limited, and may be one. Further, the evaporation source 103 may not have the nozzle 113 and may have a structure in which the upper surface of the housing box 111 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vapor deposition device 100 may include two evaporation sources 103, a first evaporation source 103a and a second evaporation source 103b. The first evaporation source 103a and the second evaporation source 103b are adjacent to each other in the X direction and supply different evaporation materials R to the evaporation target S.

The limiting plate 104 is arranged between the evaporation source 103 and the vapor deposition target S, and limits the scattering path of the vapor deposition material R. As shown in FIG. 2, the limiting plate 104 is a plate-shaped member along a plane (YZ plane) perpendicular to the moving direction (X direction) of the support mechanism 102. The vapor deposition device 100 includes a pair of limiting plates 104 facing each other in the X direction with the evaporation source 103 interposed therebetween.

4 and 5 are schematic views showing the position of the limiting plate 104, FIG. 4 is a view seen from the Y direction, and FIG. 5 is a view seen from the X direction. As shown in these drawings, the midpoint of the evaporation source 103 and the evaporation target S on the XZ plane is set to a point P, that is, the distance D1 between the point P and the evaporation source 103, the point P, and the evaporation target S. The distance D2 is assumed to be equal.

The limiting plate 104 is provided on the vapor deposition target S side with respect to the point P, that is, closer to the vapor deposition target S than the evaporation source 103.

The limiting plate 104 is supported by the chamber 101 or the evaporation source 103 by a supporting mechanism (not shown), and its relative position to the evaporation source 103 is fixed.

[About the operation of vapor deposition equipment]
The operation of the vapor deposition device 100 will be described. 6 to 8 are schematic views showing the operation of the vapor deposition device 100.

As shown in FIG. 6, the evaporation material R is heated by the heating mechanism 112 (see FIG. 3) in the evaporation source 103, and the evaporation material is discharged from the nozzle 113. The vapor deposition material emitted from the first evaporation source 103a is referred to as vapor deposition material R1, and the vapor deposition material emitted from the second evaporation source 103b is referred to as vapor deposition material R2.

Prior to the start of vapor deposition, the vapor deposition object S is located at a standby position separated from the evaporation source 103 as shown in FIG. When the vapor deposition materials R1 and R2 reach a predetermined temperature, the support mechanism 102 is driven to move the vapor deposition target S to a position facing the evaporation source 103 as shown in FIG.

The vapor deposition materials R1 and R2 scatter from the nozzle 113 toward the vapor deposition target S and adhere to the vapor deposition target S. Further, a part is shielded by the mask M and patterned. At this time, the scattering paths of the vapor deposition materials R1 and R2 are limited by the limiting plate 104 as described later.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the vapor deposition target S reaches the end position, the support mechanism 102 returns the vapor deposition target S to the standby position shown in FIG.

The vapor deposition materials R1 and R2 are vapor deposition targets on both the outward path from the standby position (FIG. 6) of the vapor deposition target S to the end position (FIG. 8) and the return path from the end position (FIG. 8) to the standby position (FIG. 6). It is vapor-deposited on the object S.

Thereby, a film made of the vapor deposition materials R1 and R2 is formed on the surface of the vapor deposition target S. The vapor deposition materials R1 and R2 may form a chemical bond or may be mixed.

[About the effect of the limiting plate]
The effect of the limiting plate 104 will be described in comparison with a comparative example. FIG. 9: is a schematic diagram which shows the vapor deposition apparatus 300 which concerns on a comparative example. As shown in the figure, the vapor deposition device 300 includes an evaporation source 303 and a limiting plate 304. The evaporation source 303 includes a storage box 311 that stores a vapor deposition material and a nozzle 313, and the limiting plate 304 is disposed near the nozzle 313.

When the vapor deposition material is heated, it is assumed that the vapor deposition material has its scattering path restricted by the limiting plate 304 and scatters in the angle range H1 as shown in FIG. A region of the vapor deposition target S where the scattered vapor deposition material reaches in the angle range H1 is shown as a straight region L1.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the film thickness distribution of the vapor deposition target S by the vapor deposition device 300. As shown in the figure, the film thickness from the central portion (left side in the figure) of the vapor deposition target S to the straight region L1 is the same as that when the limiting plate 304 is not provided.

However, the deposition material actually adheres to the outside of the angle range H1 (on the right side in the figure). This is because the vapor deposition material discharged from the side opposite to the limiting plate 304 of the nozzle 313 adheres, as indicated by the angle range H2 in FIG. In FIGS. 9 and 10, a region reached by the vapor deposition material scattered in the angle range H2 is shown as a cross region L2.

As shown in FIG. 10, by providing the limiting plate 304, it is possible to obtain a predetermined film thickness up to the straight region L1, but a film whose film thickness sharply decreases toward the peripheral edge is also formed in the cross region L2. ..

On the other hand, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a mode of vapor deposition by the vapor deposition apparatus 100 according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, since the limiting plate 104 is provided close to the vapor deposition target S, the straight region L1 and the cross region L2 are almost the same region. Although FIG. 9 and FIG. 11 show only one evaporation source, the straight region L1 and the cross region L2 can be substantially matched in the structure of the present invention even when there are two evaporation sources.

12 and 13 are schematic diagrams showing the size of the chamber 301 in the vapor deposition device 300. FIG. 12 shows a standby position of the vapor deposition target S before vapor deposition. As shown in the figure, the standby position needs to be a position separated from the evaporation source 303 so that the vapor deposition material scattered in the angular range H2 does not reach the vapor deposition target S.

Further, FIG. 13 shows the position of the vapor deposition target S at the start of vapor deposition. Since the desired film thickness is not obtained in the cross region L2 as described above, it is necessary to set the position where the vapor deposition material scattered in the angular range H1 reaches as the vapor deposition start position.

As described above, in the vapor deposition device 300, it is necessary to separate the vapor deposition target S from the vaporization source 303 so that the vapor deposition material does not adhere before the vapor deposition is started, and it is necessary to increase the size of the chamber 301 accordingly. is there.

On the other hand, FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the size of the chamber 101 in the vapor deposition device 100. As described above, in the vapor deposition device 100, the arrival position of the vapor deposition material scattered in the angle range H1 and the arrival position of the vapor deposition material scattered in the angle range H2 are substantially the same. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the standby position of the vapor deposition target S before the start of vapor deposition can be brought close to the evaporation source 103, and the size of the chamber 101 can be reduced.

Further, in the vapor deposition device 100, it is possible to suppress the pattern bleeding due to the mask. FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the mask M (see FIG. 1). As shown in the figure, the mask M has a tapered portion 502 whose opening area increases toward the evaporation source 103 side opening 501 and a tapered portion 504 whose opening area increases toward the vapor deposition target S side opening 503. Have.

These tapered portions are formed when the mask M is manufactured. The inclination angle θ of the taper portion 502 and the taper portion 504 is generally about 55°. Here, in the vapor deposition device 300, since the vapor deposition material that enters in the wide angle range of the angle range H2 exists as described above, the vapor deposition material R is obliquely inclined via the taper portion 502 or the taper portion 504 as shown in FIG. Is incident on the vapor deposition target S and adheres to a position wider than the opening 503.

Due to this, the pattern of the deposited film becomes unclear, and the accuracy of the pattern decreases. In particular, as the pattern becomes finer as the resolution of the display becomes higher, the blurring of the pattern becomes a greater problem.

On the other hand, in the vapor deposition apparatus 100, as described above, the angle range H2 is limited to the predetermined angle or less by the limiting plate 104, so that almost no vapor deposition material that enters in a wide angle range exists, and the pattern becomes unclear. It is possible to suppress.

Further, in the vapor deposition device 300, when two types of vapor deposition materials are simultaneously vapor-deposited (co-evaporated) by using the two evaporation sources 303, there is a problem that the concentration distribution of the vapor deposition material in the film becomes non-uniform.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a mode of co-deposition by the vapor deposition apparatus 300. As shown in the figure, the first evaporation material R1 is emitted from the evaporation source 303a, and the second evaporation material R2 is emitted from the evaporation source 303b.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing the film thickness distribution of a film formed by co-evaporation by the vapor deposition device 300, in which the vapor deposition target S is formed in a stationary state with respect to the evaporation source 303. As shown in the figure, the film thickness of the first vapor deposition material R1 is larger than the film thickness of the second vapor deposition material R2 at the right end of the film formation region, and the film thickness of the second vapor deposition material R2 is at the left end of the first vapor deposition material R1. It is larger than the film thickness. This is because, as described above, in the vapor deposition apparatus 300, the vapor deposition material that enters the vapor deposition target S within the angular range H2, which is a wide angular range, exists.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the concentration distribution of the first vapor deposition material R1 (dopant) in the film thickness direction when the vapor deposition target S is reciprocated once with respect to the evaporation source 303. As shown in the figure, the concentration of the first vapor deposition material R1 is high on the vapor deposition target S side (left end in the figure) and the evaporation source 303 side (right end in the figure) of the film, and the concentration of the first vapor deposition material R1 is central. Is getting smaller.

As described above, in the vapor deposition device 300, there is a problem that the concentration distributions of the two types of vapor deposition materials become non-uniform due to the difference between the angle range H1 and the angle range H2 due to the limiting plate 304.

On the other hand, in the vapor deposition device 100, since there is almost no difference between the angle range H1 and the angle range H2 due to the limiting plate 104, it is possible to make the concentration distribution of the vapor deposition material uniform.

Furthermore, in the vapor deposition device 100, it is possible to reduce the amount of vapor deposition material that adheres to the limiting plate 104. In the vapor deposition device 300, since the limiting plate 304 is arranged near the nozzle 313, the vapor deposition material adheres to the limiting plate 304 during vapor deposition. The vapor deposition material attached to the limiting plate 304 does not reach the vapor deposition target S and is wasted.

Further, as the vapor deposition progresses, the volume of the vapor deposition material attached to the limiting plate 304 increases, and the amount attached per unit time also increases, so the vapor deposition material reaching the vapor deposition target S gradually decreases, and the vapor deposition target The film thickness formed by one round trip of S changes continuously.

Although heating of the limiting plate 304 can prevent deposition of the vapor deposition material, the limiting plate 304 serves as a heat source, and the mask M and the vapor deposition target S are affected by thermal deformation and the like. Have difficulty. Therefore, the deposition material is inevitably attached to the limiting plate 304.

On the other hand, in the vapor deposition device 100, since the limiting plate 104 is provided apart from the evaporation source 103, the amount of deposition material deposited on the limiting plate 104 is overwhelmingly smaller than that in the vapor deposition device 300. As a result, the amount of vapor deposition material that is wasted can be suppressed and the material utilization efficiency can be improved. Further, since the change in film thickness over time is suppressed, it is possible to improve the film quality.

[Other configurations of vapor deposition apparatus]
The configuration of the vapor deposition device 100 according to this embodiment is not limited to the above. For example, in the above configuration, the positions of the evaporation source 103 and the limiting plate 104 are fixed with respect to the chamber 101, and the supporting mechanism 102 moves with respect to the chamber 101 to form a film.

On the other hand, conversely, the support mechanism 102 may be fixed to the chamber 101, and the evaporation source 103 and the limiting plate 104 may be movable in the X direction with respect to the chamber. In this case, the evaporation source 103 and the limiting plate 104 need only be fixed in their relative positions, and the evaporation source 103 and the limiting plate 104 can be directly connected or can be moved while maintaining their relative positions by their respective drive mechanisms. It may be configured.

In this configuration, the limiting plate 104 can be a plate-shaped member along a plane (YZ plane) perpendicular to the moving direction (X direction) of the evaporation source 103 and the limiting plate 104.

Moreover, although the pair of the limiting plates 104 is arranged on both sides of the evaporation source 103 in the moving direction (X direction) of the vapor deposition target S, the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a limiting plate 104 having another configuration, and is a view of the evaporation source 103 and the limiting plate 104 viewed from the Z direction. As shown in the figure, the limiting plate 104 may be provided so as to surround the evaporation source 103 when viewed from the Z direction.

Further, in the vapor deposition device 100, typically, the evaporation source 103 is arranged vertically below and the support mechanism 102 is arranged vertically above. However, the vapor deposition device 100 is not limited to this arrangement, and the support mechanism 102 may be arranged vertically below and the evaporation source 103 may be arranged vertically above. Further, the evaporation source 103 and the support mechanism 102 may be arranged horizontally.

100... Vapor deposition apparatus 101... Chamber 102... Support mechanism 103... Evaporation source 104... Limit plate 111... Storage box 112... Heating mechanism 113... Nozzle S... Vapor deposition target M... Mask R... Vapor deposition material

Claims

An evaporation source containing a vapor deposition material and having a heating mechanism for heating the vapor deposition material,
A support mechanism that supports the evaporation target at a position facing the evaporation source,
A chamber that is arranged on the side of the evaporation target with respect to the middle point of the evaporation source and the evaporation target and that restricts the scattering path of the evaporation material, the chamber that houses the evaporation source, the support mechanism, and the restriction plate. And a vapor deposition device comprising.
The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein
The vapor deposition device and the limiting plate are configured to be movable with respect to the chamber while maintaining their relative positions.
The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein
The evaporation source and the limiting plate are fixed with respect to the chamber,
The deposition mechanism is configured so that the support mechanism is movable with respect to the chamber.
The vapor deposition device according to claim 2, wherein
The vapor deposition apparatus, wherein the limiting plate is a plate-like member along a plane perpendicular to the moving directions of the evaporation source and the limiting plate.
The vapor deposition device according to claim 3, wherein
The vapor deposition apparatus, wherein the limiting plate is a plate-shaped member along a plane perpendicular to the moving direction of the support mechanism.
The vapor deposition device according to claim 1, wherein
The evaporation source includes a first evaporation source containing a first evaporation material and a second evaporation source containing a second evaporation material.