CN106256925B

CN106256925B - Vacuum evaporation apparatus, method for manufacturing evaporated film, and method for manufacturing organic electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN106256925B
Application number: CN201610416499.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 三泽启太; 后藤亮太; 风间良秋; 七五三木浩一
Original assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Current assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Priority date: 2015-06-18
Filing date: 2016-06-14
Publication date: 2020-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 2036-06-14
Also published as: KR20160150034A; KR102046684B1; KR102360558B1; CN106256925A; CN112011765B; CN112011765A; KR20190044604A

Abstract

The invention provides a vacuum evaporation device, a manufacturing method of an evaporation film and a manufacturing method of an organic electronic device, wherein the vacuum evaporation device can prevent thermal deformation in evaporation so as to form a film with a desired pattern with high precision. A vacuum vapor deposition device in which an evaporation source (2) for performing vapor deposition on a substrate through a mask and an evaporation source moving mechanism or a substrate moving mechanism for relatively moving the evaporation source (2) with respect to the substrate during vapor deposition are provided in a vapor deposition chamber (1), wherein the evaporation source moving mechanism or the substrate moving mechanism is configured to: the mask is preheated by the evaporation source (2) before starting vapor deposition on the substrate.

Description

Vacuum evaporation apparatus, method for manufacturing evaporated film, and method for manufacturing organic electronic device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vacuum deposition apparatus, a method for manufacturing a deposited film, and a method for manufacturing an organic electronic device.

Background

A vapor deposition apparatus for depositing a film forming material evaporated from an evaporation source on a substrate through a mask having a predetermined mask pattern formed thereon to form a thin film, the vapor deposition apparatus comprising: the mask is thermally deformed by heat from an evaporation source during vapor deposition (during film formation), and the position of the mask and the substrate is displaced by the thermal deformation of the mask, so that the pattern of the thin film formed on the substrate is displaced from a desired position. In particular, in the manufacture of organic electronic devices such as display panels for mobile phones, televisions, and the like, a mask having a high-definition pattern is used, and therefore the influence of thermal deformation is large.

Therefore, as disclosed in patent document 1, for example, it is proposed to use a mask made of invar alloy material as a low thermal expansion material in order to suppress thermal deformation, but even if a low thermal expansion material is used for the mask, it is difficult to set the linear expansion coefficient to 0, and in such a case, thermal deformation may still become a problem.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2004-323888

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and an object thereof is to provide a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus capable of forming a film in a desired pattern with high accuracy by suppressing thermal deformation of a mask during vapor deposition.

The gist of the present invention is explained with reference to the drawings.

The present invention according to the 1 st aspect relates to a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus in which an evaporation source 2 for performing vapor deposition on a substrate through a mask and an evaporation source moving mechanism or a substrate moving mechanism for relatively moving the evaporation source 2 with respect to the substrate at the time of vapor deposition are provided in a vapor deposition chamber 1, the substrate moving mechanism relatively moving the substrate with respect to the evaporation source at the time of vapor deposition, the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus being characterized in that the evaporation source moving mechanism or the substrate moving mechanism is configured to: the mask is preheated by the evaporation source 2 before starting vapor deposition on the substrate.

Further, the present invention relates to a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, wherein the mask is preheated by heat emitted from the evaporation source 2 in preheating before vapor deposition for stabilizing a film formation rate of the film formation material evaporated from the evaporation source 2.

The present invention also relates to a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, wherein a shutter 7 is provided in the evaporation source 2, and the mask is preheated by changing the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the mask in a state where the shutter 7 is closed.

Further, the present invention relates to a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, wherein the evaporation source moving mechanism is configured to align a substrate on which vapor deposition is performed first in the continuous vapor deposition with a mask and to heat the mask in advance at the same time.

Further, the present invention relates to a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, wherein a plurality of

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 for vapor deposition on the substrate are provided in parallel in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the evaporation source in the vapor deposition chamber 1, and retreat regions for retreating the evaporation source are provided outside the vapor deposition regions for the plurality of

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4, respectively, the evaporation source moving mechanism is configured to move the evaporation source 2 in the same direction as the direction in which the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 are provided in parallel and to be movable from one vapor deposition region to another vapor deposition region, and the evaporation source moving mechanism is configured to: when the masks respectively arranged in the plurality of

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 are heated in advance, after the mask arranged in one vapor deposition region is heated, the evaporation source 2 is moved in the direction in which the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 are arranged side by side without being evacuated into the evacuation region, and is moved to the other vapor deposition region.

The invention according to claim 2 is a method for producing a vapor deposited film, comprising: a step of disposing a substrate in a deposition chamber; a step of heating a film forming material stored in an evaporation source to stabilize a film forming speed; and a step of depositing vapor of the film forming material on the substrate through a mask, wherein the mask is heated by heat of the evaporation source while changing a relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate in the step of stabilizing the film forming rate.

The 3 rd aspect of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an organic electronic device including a plurality of elements each including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes on a substrate, the method including: a step of setting a substrate on which a plurality of electrodes are formed in a vapor deposition chamber; aligning a mask having a plurality of openings with respect to the substrate; a step of heating a film forming material stored in an evaporation source to stabilize a film forming speed; and a step of forming at least a part of the organic layer by depositing vapor of the film-forming material on the substrate through the mask, wherein the mask is heated by heat of the evaporation source while changing a relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate in the step of stabilizing the film-forming rate.

According to the present invention, thermal deformation of a mask during vapor deposition can be suppressed, and a film can be formed with a desired pattern with high accuracy.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic explanatory perspective view of the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic explanatory plan view of the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic explanatory plan view of the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic explanatory plan view of the present embodiment.

Fig. 5 (a) is a perspective view of an organic EL display device manufactured by using the vacuum deposition apparatus of the present invention, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-B in (a).

Description of the reference symbols

1: an evaporation chamber;

2: an evaporation source;

3. 4: an evaporation area;

7: and a baffle plate.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

A vacuum vapor deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus including, in a vapor deposition chamber: an evaporation source (material storage section) that performs vapor deposition on a substrate through a mask; and an evaporation source moving mechanism that moves the evaporation source relative to the substrate during vapor deposition. The evaporation source moving mechanism has the following functions: the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate, more specifically, the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate in a plane direction parallel to the film formation surface of the substrate, is changed. The evaporation source moving mechanism is configured in such a manner that: before starting vapor deposition on the substrate while maintaining the vacuum state of the vapor deposition chamber, the evaporation source is moved relative to the mask, and the mask is preheated by heat emitted from the evaporation source. In the present embodiment, the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate is changed by moving the evaporation source by the evaporation source moving mechanism, but the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate may be changed by moving the substrate by providing a substrate moving mechanism in the vapor deposition chamber, or the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate may be changed by moving both the substrate and the evaporation source. Therefore, the evaporation source moving mechanism and the substrate moving mechanism described herein can be also referred to as a relative positional relationship changing mechanism of the evaporation source and the substrate.

Fig. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus with a wall of a vapor deposition chamber 1 partially removed so that the inside of the apparatus can be seen, and fig. 2 is a plan view of the vapor deposition chamber 1 as viewed from the upper surface side. In the vapor deposition chamber 1, a plurality of

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 for vapor deposition on a substrate are provided in parallel in a direction perpendicular to a film formation movement direction (vapor deposition region movement direction). In addition to the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4, evacuation regions for evacuating the evaporation source 2 are provided in the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4, respectively.

Further, mask bases (not shown) for holding masks and substrates are provided in the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4, respectively. The substrates carried in from the respective carry-out/carry-in

ports

8 and 9 corresponding to the respective

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 are aligned with the mask positions by the alignment mechanisms provided in the respective

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4, and then are set and held in the mask holder in a state of being fixed so as to overlap the mask.

The vapor deposition region is a region where the film forming material evaporated from the evaporation source 2 is deposited on the substrate.

In the present embodiment, in order to stabilize the deposition rate of the vapor deposition film formed by the vapor emitted from the evaporation source 2, the evaporation source moving mechanism is configured as follows: in the preheating before the start of vapor deposition, the mask is preheated by heat emitted from the evaporation source 2. Specifically, before the start of vapor deposition, the evaporation source 2 is reciprocated in the film formation moving direction in the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 with any one of the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the substrate as the film formation moving direction, and the thermo-adaptive operation is performed. The movement does not necessarily have to be a reciprocating movement, but may be a circular movement or the like. Further, if the variation in the film forming rate is suppressed as compared with the case where the preheating is not performed, the preheating is heating for stabilizing the film forming rate. Preferably, the preheating is performed so that the variation in the film forming rate falls within a predetermined range. However, whether or not the film is within the predetermined range may be determined by a preliminary experiment or the like without performing verification every film formation.

This preheating is performed to stabilize the molten state of the film forming material so as to stabilize the degassing and film forming rate of the film forming material stored in the evaporation source 2, and is performed by, for example, heating the evaporation source 2 to the same temperature as the heating temperature at the time of film formation for several minutes. The evaporation source 2 of the present embodiment is composed of 3 line sources as shown in fig. 2.

In addition, the alignment of the substrate to be initially vapor-deposited and the mask can be performed simultaneously while the preheating of the evaporation source 2 is performed.

That is, it is preferable that the mask is preheated by a vapor deposition preparation period such as the alignment of the substrate and the mask and the preheating of the evaporation source 2.

In order to further shorten the time required to start film formation, it is preferable to set the preheating temperature of the evaporation source 2 and the moving speed of the evaporation source 2 by the evaporation source moving mechanism so that the preliminary heating of the mask is ended at the time when the alignment of the substrate and the mask is completed. This can reduce the standby time for only preheating the mask, and preheat the mask using the vapor deposition preparation period, thereby preventing the mask from being thermally deformed by heat emitted from the evaporation source 2 during vapor deposition. Further, the heat source for preheating is the evaporation source 2, and there is no need to prepare another heat source, and the heat generated by the evaporation source 2 at the time of preheating is used, so that the preheating can be efficiently performed.

Further, in the conventional technique, the evaporation source is preheated by being arranged in the retreat region (region where the vapor deposition material does not adhere to the substrate), and therefore, the preheating of the evaporation source does not contribute to the preheating of the mask.

Preferably, the composition is: as shown in fig. 1, a shutter 7 is provided in the evaporation source 2, and the shutter 7 is reciprocated relative to the mask in a closed state to heat the mask in advance. Specifically, the shutter 7 is provided at a position above the evaporation source 2 so as to be slidable to open and close. Even when the baffle plate 7 is provided, the baffle plate 7 is heated by the evaporation source 2, and the mask is also heated by the heated baffle plate 7. As represented in this example, the following structure is a preferred embodiment of the present invention: the evaporation source is heated while changing the relative position of the evaporation source and the substrate in a state where a shutter of the evaporation source is closed. With this configuration, the mask can be efficiently preheated in a state where the evaporation source is present directly below the substrate, and the film can be prevented from adhering to the substrate in the preheating step. Further, the vapor emitted from the evaporation source may be shielded from adhering to the substrate, and it is not always necessary to provide a baffle plate in the evaporation source.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the evaporation source moving mechanism is configured as follows: the evaporation source 2 is moved in the same direction (deposition region moving direction) as the direction in which the

deposition regions

3 and 4 are arranged side by side, and can be moved from one deposition region 3 to the other deposition region 4.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, a rail 10 extending in the vapor deposition region moving direction is provided on the bottom surface of the vapor deposition chamber 1, and a frame-shaped vapor deposition region moving slider 6 capable of reciprocating sliding with respect to the rail 10 is further provided. Further, the structure is as follows: a rail 11 extending in the film forming moving direction is provided on the upper surface of the vapor deposition region moving slider 6, and a film forming moving slider 5 capable of reciprocating sliding with respect to the rail 11 is also provided, and the evaporation source 2 and the shutter 7 are provided on the film forming moving slider 5. An arm member 12 for moving the film formation moving slider 5 is connected to the bottom surface of the film formation moving slider 5. A control device for driving the arm member 12 to move the film forming movement slider 5 (evaporation source 2) in the film forming movement direction or the evaporation region movement direction is provided outside the evaporation chamber 1, and constitutes an evaporation source movement mechanism.

Therefore, one evaporation source 2 can be moved back and forth in the film formation moving direction in one vapor deposition region 3 to perform preheating or film formation, and then moved in the vapor deposition region moving direction to perform preheating or film formation in the other vapor deposition region 4 in the same manner.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the evaporation source moving mechanism is configured in the following manner: when the masks respectively arranged in the plurality of

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 are heated in advance, the evaporation source 2 is moved in the direction in which the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 are arranged side by side without being retracted into the retraction region, and is moved from one vapor deposition region 3 to the other vapor deposition region 4.

In fig. 3, the trajectory of the evaporation source 2 after the start of vapor deposition on the substrate is shown by a thick line. When forming a film on a substrate provided in one vapor deposition region 3, the evaporation source 2 is reciprocated a predetermined number of times so as to pass through the vapor deposition region 3 from one to the other of 2 retreat regions provided in the direction in which the rail 10 extends across the vapor deposition region 3. When a film is formed on a substrate provided in the vapor deposition region 3 and then a film is formed on a substrate provided in the other vapor deposition region 4, the evaporation source 2 located in the retreat region outside the vapor deposition region 3 moves in the movement direction of the vapor deposition region until it reaches the retreat region outside the vapor deposition region 4. Then, the following operations are repeated: the evaporation source 2 is reciprocated a predetermined number of times so as to pass through the vapor deposition region 4 from one to the other of 2 retreat regions provided in the direction in which the rail 10 extends across the vapor deposition region 4. In this way, the film can be formed on each of the substrates provided in the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4.

In contrast, fig. 4 shows the trajectory of the evaporation source 2 in the case where the mask is preheated before the start of vapor deposition by a thick line. When the mask provided in one vapor deposition region 3 is heated in advance, the evaporation source 2 is reciprocated a predetermined number of times in the film formation movement direction along the rail 11 in the vapor deposition region 3 as shown in fig. 4. Then, when the mask provided in the other vapor deposition region is heated in advance, the evaporation source 2 is moved in the vapor deposition region moving direction from the end of the vapor deposition region 3 until it reaches the corresponding end of the other vapor deposition region 4 without being moved to the retreat region outside the vapor deposition region 3. Then, the mask provided in the vapor deposition region 4 is preheated by repeating the operation of reciprocating the evaporation source 2 in the vapor deposition region 4 a predetermined number of times in the film formation moving direction. In this way, the mask can be heated in advance until the masks provided in the

vapor deposition regions

3 and 4 are saturated with heat.

When the mask is preheated, unlike the case of vapor deposition, the mask can be preheated more efficiently by not moving the evaporation source 2 to the retreat region.

As described above, in this embodiment, when vapor deposition is performed, the mask in each vapor deposition region is heated in advance before vapor deposition is started, and after the mask is saturated with heat, vapor deposition is continuously performed on the substrates sequentially arranged in each

vapor deposition region

3, 4. By performing the film formation in this manner, thermal deformation of the mask during the vapor deposition is suppressed, and the pattern of the thin film formed on the substrate is not easily changed during the vapor deposition, so that the film formation with high accuracy can be stably realized.

Since the inside of the vapor deposition chamber 1 is kept in a vacuum state, the masks can be kept in a thermally saturated state after being heated in advance before starting vapor deposition. Therefore, even if vapor deposition is continuously performed on a plurality of substrates, highly accurate film formation can be stably achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and the specific configurations of the respective components can be appropriately designed.

Next, the following examples will be explained: an organic EL display device is manufactured as an example of an organic electronic device using the vacuum deposition apparatus of the present invention.

First, an organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Fig. 5 (a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 40, and fig. 5 (b) shows a cross-sectional structure of 1 pixel.

As shown in fig. 5 (a), a plurality of pixels 42 are arranged in a matrix in a display region 41 of a display device 40, and each pixel 42 includes a plurality of light-emitting elements. Although details will be described later, the light emitting elements each have the following structure: the structure includes an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. The pixel herein refers to the smallest unit that can display a desired color in the display region 41. In the case of the display device of the present embodiment, the pixel 42 is configured by a combination of the 1 st light-emitting element 42R, the 2 nd light-emitting element 42G, and the 3 rd light-emitting element 42B which display different light emissions from each other. The pixel 42 is often configured by 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 at least one color is present.

Fig. 5 (B) is a partial sectional view at the line a-B in fig. 5 (a). The pixel 42 includes an organic EL element including a 1 st electrode (anode) 44, a hole transport layer 45, an electron transport layer 47 of any one of the light-emitting

layers

46R, 46G, and 46B, and a 2 nd electrode (cathode) 48 on a substrate 43. The hole transport layer 45, the light-emitting

layers

46R, 46G, and 46B, and the electron transport layer 47 correspond to organic layers. In this embodiment, the light-emitting layer 46R is an organic EL layer that emits red, the light-emitting layer 46G is an organic EL layer that emits green, and the light-emitting layer 46B is an organic EL layer that emits blue. The light-emitting

layers

46R, 46G, and 46B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue colors, respectively. In addition, the 1 st electrode 44 is formed separately for each light emitting element. The hole transport layer 45, the electron transport layer 47, and the 2 nd electrode 48 may be formed together with the plurality of light emitting elements 42, or may be formed for each light emitting element. In order to prevent the 1 st electrode 44 and the 2 nd electrode 48 from being short-circuited by foreign matter, an insulating layer 49 is provided between the 1 st electrodes 44. Further, since the organic EL layer is deteriorated by moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 50 for protecting the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen is provided.

In order to form an organic EL layer in a light-emitting element unit, a method of forming a film through a mask is used. In recent years, the definition of display devices has been advanced, and masks having openings of several tens of μm in width have been used for forming organic EL layers. When film formation is performed using such a mask, if the mask is thermally deformed by heat from an evaporation source during film formation, the mask and the substrate are misaligned, and a pattern of a thin film formed on the substrate is formed by being misaligned from a desired position. Therefore, the vacuum deposition apparatus of the present invention is suitably used for forming these organic EL layers.

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

First, a substrate 43 is prepared, and a 1 st electrode 44 and a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device are formed on the substrate 43.

An acrylic resin is formed on the substrate 43 on which the 1 st electrode 44 is formed by a spin coating method, and is patterned by a photolithography method in such a manner that an opening is formed at a portion where the 1 st electrode 44 is formed, thereby forming the insulating layer 49. The opening corresponds to a light-emitting region where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

The substrate 43 on which the insulating layer 49 is formed is carried into a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, and the hole transport layer 45 is formed as a common layer on the 1 st electrode 44 in the display region. The positive hole transport layer 45 is formed by vacuum evaporation. In fact, since the positive hole transporting layer 45 is formed to be larger in size than the display region 41, a high-definition mask is not required.

Next, a light-emitting layer 46R that emits red color is formed at a portion where an element for emitting red color is to be arranged, using a vapor deposition mask. First, the substrate 43 on which the through-hole transport layer 45 has been formed is carried into the vapor deposition region 3 of the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus of fig. 1, and is aligned with (aligned with) a mask having an opening corresponding to a region where the 1 st light-emitting element 42R is to be formed.

In the case where the mask used is not in a state of thermal saturation, there is a concern that: the mask is thermally deformed by heat from the evaporation source during film formation, and the mask and the substrate are displaced from each other, so that the light-emitting layer 46R cannot be formed at a desired position. Therefore, it is desirable to heat the substrate 43 in advance by the heat of the evaporation source 2 until the mask is saturated with heat. Whether or not the mask is thermally saturated can be checked to see whether or not the temperature of the mask is stable, specifically, whether or not the temporal variation of the temperature of the mask, which is increased by the heat of the evaporation source 2, is within a predetermined range. The predetermined range may be determined according to the accuracy required for film formation.

On the other hand, the evaporation source 2 contains an organic EL material as a material of the light-emitting layer 46R, and is preheated in preparation for evaporating and adhering the organic material to the substrate. Preheating means that: in order to stabilize the molten state of the film forming material stored in the evaporation source 2, the evaporation source 2 is heated at the same temperature as the heating temperature at the time of film formation for several minutes. Whether or not the molten state of the film forming material is stable can be determined by observing the temporal change in the film forming speed (deposition rate) obtained by using a film thickness monitor (not shown). When the molten state of the film-forming material is stable, the amount of vapor of the film-forming material released from the evaporation source 2 is stable, and therefore, the variation in the film-forming rate falls within a predetermined range.

In this example, the preheating of the mask is performed by using the heat generated in the preheating of the evaporation source 2 and the time required for the preheating. Specifically, the mask is heated by reciprocating the evaporation source 2 in the vapor deposition region in a state where the shutter 7 is closed and vapor is not attached to the substrate. If the temperature of the mask is stable until the completion of the preheating, the film can be formed while the preheating of the evaporation source 2 is completed. In order to start film formation while preheating of the evaporation source 2 is completed, it is more efficient if the alignment of the substrate and the mask is performed in advance during the period in which the mask is preheated. In the case where the mask temperature is unstable even after the preheating is completed, the heating of the mask by the evaporation source 2 is continued until the mask temperature is stable.

After confirming that the mask is thermally stable and the alignment of the substrate and the mask is completed, the evaporation source 2 is moved into one of 2 retreat regions provided in the direction in which the rail 10 extends across the vapor deposition region 3. Then, the shutter 7 is opened, and the evaporation source 2 starts moving toward the other retreat region, thereby starting vapor deposition, and the evaporation source 2 reciprocates between the 2 retreat regions, thereby forming the light-emitting layer 46R.

As described above, according to this example, since the mask is not deformed during the formation of the light-emitting layer 46R, the light-emitting layer 46R can be formed on the substrate in a predetermined pattern. Further, it is not only unnecessary to provide a separate heating device, but also unnecessary to take time only for the preliminary heating of the mask. That is, the preheating of the evaporation source 2 can be performed with high efficiency by using the heat generated during the preheating or the waiting time for the preheating.

Next, the light-emitting layer 46G emitting green is formed using a mask having an opening corresponding to the region where the 2 nd light-emitting element 42G is to be formed, similarly to the formation of the light-emitting layer 46R. Next, using a mask having an opening corresponding to a region where the 3 rd light emitting element 42B is to be formed, a light emitting layer 46B emitting blue is formed. When the

light emitting layers

46G and 46B are formed, the evaporation source 2 is moved relative to the mask in the same manner as that performed before the light emitting layer 46R is formed, and film formation is started after the mask is confirmed to be saturated with heat.

The mask used once for forming each of the light-emitting

layers

46R, 46G, and 46B is kept in a standby state in a vacuum vapor deposition chamber until the next substrate is provided. Therefore, the heat of the mask is maintained by the vacuum, and thus the thermal saturation state of the mask is maintained. Therefore, the preheating of the mask before the film formation on the next substrate is started can be omitted. When the mask and the substrate are aligned and brought into contact with each other, heat of the mask escapes to the substrate to cause a decrease in the temperature of the mask, or when the film formation rate of the vapor deposition film is to be changed, the mask can be heated in advance by the heat from the evaporation source 2 before the vapor deposition on the newly provided substrate is started.

After the completion of the deposition of the light-emitting

layers

46G and 46B, the electron transport layer 47 is formed over the entire display region 41. The electron transport layer 47 is formed as a layer common to the 1 st to 3 rd light emitting layers.

The substrate on which the electron transport layer 47 was formed was moved to a sputtering apparatus to form the 2 nd electrode 48, and then moved to a plasma CVD apparatus to form the protective layer 50, thereby completing the organic EL display apparatus 40.

If the substrate 43 on which the pattern of the insulating layer 49 is formed is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen before being carried into the vacuum evaporation apparatus and the formation of the protective layer 50 is completed, the light-emitting layer made of an organic EL material deteriorates due to moisture or oxygen. Therefore, in this example, the substrate is carried in and out between the film deposition apparatuses in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

In the above example, the mask is previously heated when the light-emitting layer is formed, but the mask may be previously heated when another layer is formed.

The organic EL display device thus obtained can form a light-emitting layer with high accuracy for each light-emitting element. Therefore, if the above-described manufacturing method is employed, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a defect in the organic EL display device caused by the positional displacement of the light-emitting layer.

Further, although the method for manufacturing the organic EL display device is described here, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied similarly to all methods for manufacturing organic electronic devices in which a pattern of an organic layer is formed using a mask at the time of vapor deposition. The present invention is not limited to the organic film, and can be similarly applied to the formation of an inorganic film.

Claims

1. A method for producing a vapor-deposited film, characterized in that,

the method for producing the vapor deposition film comprises the following steps:

a step of disposing a substrate in a deposition chamber;

a step of heating a film forming material stored in an evaporation source to stabilize a film forming speed; and

a step of allowing vapor of the film forming material to adhere to the substrate through a mask,

during the step of stabilizing the film formation rate, the mask is heated by heat from the evaporation source while changing the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate.

2. The method of producing a vapor-deposited film according to claim 1,

while the mask is heated by the heat of the evaporation source, vapor of the film-forming material is shielded from adhering to the substrate.

3. The method of producing a vapor-deposited film according to claim 2,

heating the mask until the temperature of the mask is stabilized, before the step of depositing the vapor of the film forming material on the substrate.

4. A method of manufacturing an organic electronic device having a plurality of elements each including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes on a substrate,

the method for manufacturing the organic electronic device comprises the following steps:

a step of setting a substrate on which a plurality of electrodes are formed in a vapor deposition chamber;

aligning a mask having a plurality of openings with respect to the substrate;

a step of forming at least a part of the organic layer by allowing vapor of the film forming material to adhere to the substrate through the mask,

during the step of stabilizing the film formation rate, the relative positional relationship between the evaporation source and the substrate is changed, and the mask is heated by heat from the evaporation source.

5. The method of manufacturing an organic electronic device according to claim 4,

6. The method of manufacturing an organic electronic device according to claim 5,