JP2024078166A - Film forming apparatus and film forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of improving uniformity of film deposition.SOLUTION: A film deposition device comprises: first vapor deposition means for emitting a first vapor deposition substance to a substrate; rotation means having a rotary table, on which the first vapor deposition means is mounted, and rotating the rotary table; and movement means for moving the rotation means along a film deposition face of the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method.

Techniques are known for depositing a deposition material on a substrate to form a film. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for forming a film by discharging a deposition material onto a substrate while moving a deposition source. By forming a film while moving the deposition source, it is possible to reduce unevenness caused by the structure or individual differences of the deposition source, and in some cases to improve the uniformity of the film thickness distribution on the substrate.

JP 2004-307880 A

However, conventional deposition equipment leaves room for improvement in terms of deposition uniformity.

The present invention provides a technology that can improve the uniformity of film formation.

According to the present invention,
a first deposition means for ejecting a first deposition material onto the substrate;
a rotating means for rotating a turntable on which the first deposition means is mounted, the rotating means being configured to rotate the turntable;
and a moving means for moving the rotating means in a direction along the film formation surface of the substrate.
The present invention provides a film forming apparatus.

The present invention provides a technology that can improve the uniformity of film formation.

Schematic diagram of a part of a manufacturing line for electronic devices. 1 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a perspective view showing the mechanism around the deposition unit, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the moving unit. 4A to 4D are diagrams illustrating the operation of a mobile unit. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus of FIG. 2 . 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus of FIG. 2 . 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus of FIG. 2 . 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus of FIG. 2 . 4A to 4D are diagrams showing an example of a film forming operation. 4A to 4D are diagrams showing an example of a film forming operation. 6A to 6D are diagrams showing an example of a film formation operation of another film formation apparatus. 6A to 6D are diagrams showing an example of a film formation operation of another film formation apparatus. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the deposition unit. 14A to 14D are diagrams showing an example of a film forming operation in the configuration example of FIG. 13. 14A to 14D are diagrams showing an example of a film forming operation in the configuration example of FIG. 13. 14A to 14D are diagrams showing another example of a film forming operation in the configuration example of FIG. 13. 14A to 14D are diagrams showing another example of a film forming operation in the configuration example of FIG. 13. 13A to 13D are diagrams showing an example of a film forming operation in another configuration example of the moving unit. 13A to 13D are diagrams showing an example of a film forming operation in another configuration example of the moving unit.

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

First Embodiment
<Electronic device manufacturing line>
1 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the configuration of an electronic device manufacturing line 100 to which the film forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied. In each figure, arrows X and Y indicate horizontal directions perpendicular to each other, and arrow Z indicates a vertical direction (gravity direction). The manufacturing line in FIG. 1 is used, for example, for manufacturing light-emitting elements of an organic EL display device. The manufacturing line 100 includes a transfer chamber 120 having an octagonal shape in a plan view. A substrate 101 is transferred into the transfer chamber 120 from a transfer path 110, and the substrate 101 on which a film has been formed is transferred from the transfer chamber 120 to a transfer path 111.

Around the transfer chamber 120, multiple film formation devices 1 are arranged in which film formation processing is performed on the substrate 101. A transfer chamber 130 is arranged adjacent to each film formation device 1. Around the transfer chamber 130, which has an octagonal shape in a plan view, a storage chamber 140 in which the mask 102 is stored is arranged.

A transport unit 121 that transports the substrate 101 is disposed in the transport chamber 120. The transport unit 121 in this embodiment is a horizontal articulated robot that transports the substrate 101 by mounting it in a horizontal position on its hand. The transport unit 121 performs a transport operation to transport the substrate 101 that is transported from the transport path 110 to the film forming apparatus 1, and a transport operation to transport the substrate 101 that has been film-formed in the film forming apparatus 1 from the film forming chamber 1 to the transport path 111.

A transport unit 131 that transports the mask 102 is disposed in each transport chamber 130. In this embodiment, the transport unit 131 is a horizontal articulated robot that transports the mask 102 by mounting it in a horizontal position on its hand portion. The transport unit 131 transports the mask 102 from the storage chamber 140 to the film forming device 1 and transports the mask 102 from the film forming device 1 to the storage chamber 140.

<Film forming equipment>
2 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The film forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus for forming a film of a deposition material on a substrate 101, and forms a thin film of the deposition material in a predetermined pattern using a mask 102. The material of the substrate 101 on which a film is formed in the film forming apparatus 1 can be appropriately selected from materials such as glass, resin, and metal. Particularly in this embodiment, the substrate 101 is, for example, a glass substrate on which a thin film transistor (TFT) is formed or a silicon wafer on which a semiconductor element is formed.

Vapor deposition materials include organic materials and inorganic materials (metals, metal oxides, etc.). The film formation apparatus 1 can be applied to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing electronic devices such as display devices (flat panel displays, etc.), thin-film solar cells, and organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin-film imaging elements), as well as optical components, and is particularly applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing organic EL panels. In the following explanation, an example will be described in which the film formation apparatus 1 forms a film on the substrate 101 by vacuum deposition, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various film formation methods such as sputtering and CVD can be applied.

The film forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 2. The internal space of the vacuum chamber 2 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas. In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber 2 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

A substrate support plate 3 that supports the substrate 101 in a horizontal position is provided in the internal space of the vacuum chamber 2. In this embodiment, the substrate support plate 3 is an electrostatic chuck that attracts and holds the substrate 101 on its underside by electrostatic force. A cooling plate 4 is fixed onto the substrate support plate 3. The cooling plate 4 is equipped with, for example, a water cooling mechanism, and cools the substrate 101 via the substrate support plate 3 during film formation.

The substrate support plate 3 and the cooling plate 4 are suspended from the magnet plate 5 via the support portion 5a so as to be displaceable in the Z direction. The magnet plate 11 is a plate that attracts the mask 102 by magnetic force. During film formation, the substrate 101 is sandwiched between the magnet plate 11 and the mask 102 by magnetic force, which improves the adhesion between the substrate 101 and the mask 102.

The film forming apparatus 1 includes a mask support unit 6 that supports the mask 102 during film formation. In this embodiment, the mask support unit 6 also transfers the substrate 101 between the transport unit 121 and the substrate support plate 3. The mask support unit 6 includes a pair of support members 6a spaced apart in the X direction. Each support member 6a is raised and lowered by a corresponding actuator 6b. In this embodiment, an actuator 6b is provided for each support member 6a, but the pair of support members 6a may be raised and lowered by one actuator 6b. The actuator 6b is, for example, an electric cylinder or an electric ball screw mechanism. The support member 6a includes a claw portion F at its lower end. The peripheral portion of the substrate 101 or mask 102 is placed on the claw portion F. In the example of FIG. 2, the mask 102 is placed on the claw portion F. The pair of support members 6a are raised and lowered synchronously to raise and lower the substrate 101 or mask 102.

The film forming apparatus 1 includes an alignment unit 8 that aligns the substrate 101 and the mask 102. The alignment apparatus 8 includes a drive mechanism 80 and a plurality of measurement units SR. The drive mechanism 80 includes a distance adjustment unit 81, a support shaft 82, a stand 83, and a position adjustment unit 84.

The distance adjustment unit 81 is a mechanism for raising and lowering the support shaft 82 in the Z direction, and includes, for example, an electric cylinder or an electric ball screw mechanism. A magnet plate 5 is fixed to the lower end of the support shaft 82, and the substrate support plate 3 is raised and lowered via the magnet plate 5 by raising and lowering the support shaft 82. By raising and lowering the substrate support plate 3, the distance between the substrate 101 and the mask 102 is adjusted, and the substrate 101 and the mask 102 supported by the substrate support plate 3 are brought closer to and separated from each other in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 101. In other words, the distance adjustment unit 81 brings the substrate 101 and the mask 102 closer to each other in the direction in which they are superimposed, and separates them in the opposite direction. Note that the "distance" adjusted by the distance adjustment unit 81 is the so-called vertical distance (or perpendicular distance), and the distance adjustment unit 81 can also be said to be a unit that adjusts the vertical position of the substrate 101. The distance adjustment unit 81 is mounted on the position adjustment unit 84 via a stand 83.

The position adjustment unit 84 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 101 with respect to the mask 102 by displacing the substrate support plate 3 on the XY plane. In other words, the position adjustment unit 84 can also be said to be a unit that adjusts the horizontal positions of the mask 102 and the substrate 101. The position adjustment unit 84 can displace the substrate support plate 3 in a rotational direction (θ direction) around the X, Y, and Z axes. In this embodiment, the position of the mask 102 is fixed and the substrate 101 is displaced to adjust their relative positions, but the mask 102 may also be displaced to adjust them, or both the substrate 101 and the mask 102 may be displaced.

The position adjustment unit 84 includes a fixed plate 84a and a movable plate 84b. The fixed plate 84a and the movable plate 84b are rectangular frame-shaped plates, and the fixed plate 84a is fixed onto the upper wall portion 20 of the vacuum chamber 2. An actuator is provided between the fixed plate 84a and the movable plate 84b for displacing the movable plate 84b in the X-direction, Y-direction, and rotational directions around the Z-direction axes relative to the fixed plate 84a.

A frame-shaped stand 83 is mounted on the movable plate 84b, and a distance adjustment unit 81 is supported on the stand 83. When the movable plate 84b is displaced, the stand 83 and the distance adjustment unit 81 are displaced together. This allows the substrate 101 to be displaced in the rotational directions around the X-, Y-, and Z-axis axes. The upper wall 20 has openings through which the support shaft 82 and support member 6a pass. These openings are sealed by sealing members (such as bellows) not shown, maintaining airtightness within the vacuum chamber 2.

The measurement unit SR measures the positional misalignment between the substrate 101 and the mask 102. In this embodiment, the measurement unit SR is an imaging device (camera) that captures an image. The measurement unit SR is disposed on the upper wall portion 20 and is capable of capturing an image inside the vacuum chamber 2. The substrate 101 and the mask 102 each have an alignment mark (not shown). The measurement unit SR captures an image of each alignment mark of the substrate 101 and the mask 102. The amount of positional misalignment between the substrate 101 and the mask 102 is calculated based on the position of each alignment mark, and the position adjustment unit 84 adjusts the relative positions of the substrate 101 and the mask 102 to eliminate the amount of positional misalignment.

A deposition unit 7 is disposed in the internal space of the vacuum chamber 2. The deposition unit 7 is disposed below the substrate support plate 3 and includes one deposition source that emits deposition material onto the substrate 101 supported by the substrate support plate 3. The deposition source includes a storage section for the deposition material and a heater that heats the deposition material. An adhesion prevention plate 2a is provided in the internal space of the vacuum chamber 2 to prevent the deposition material from unnecessarily adhering to the upper part of the internal space of the vacuum chamber 2.

In addition to FIG. 2, FIG. 3(A) is also referred to. FIG. 3(A) is a perspective view showing the mechanism around the deposition unit 7. The deposition unit 7 is moved by a rotation unit 9. The rotation unit 9 includes a disk-shaped turntable 90, and the deposition unit 7 is disposed on the turntable 90. The turntable 90 is rotated around a rotation center Z1 by a drive unit 91. The rotation center Z1 is an axis in the Z direction. The drive unit 91 includes, for example, a motor as a drive source, and rotates the turntable 90 by the driving force of the motor. The deposition unit 7 is disposed at a position radially away from the rotation center Z1, and moves along a circular orbit CRT centered on the rotation center Z1 by the rotation of the turntable 90.

The rotation unit 9 is moved together with the deposition unit 7 by the moving unit 10. The moving unit 10 moves the rotation unit 9 in a direction along the film formation surface of the substrate 101. In this embodiment, this movement includes at least movement along a straight line. In addition to FIG. 2, please refer to FIG. 3(B). FIG. 3(B) is a plan view of the moving unit 10. The moving unit 10 includes a pair of movable rails 11 spaced apart in the Y direction and a pair of fixed rails 14 spaced apart in the X direction. Each movable rail 11 extends in the X direction, and each fixed rail 14 extends in the Y direction. Each fixed rail 14 is fixed to the bottom of the vacuum chamber 2.

The moving unit 10 includes a pair of sliders 13. Each slider 13 engages with a corresponding fixed rail 14 and slides in the Y direction guided by the fixed rail 14. The pair of movable rails 11 are fixed to the pair of sliders 13 and are movable in the Y direction. Stoppers 14a that limit the range of movement of the sliders 13 are provided at each end of each fixed rail 14.

The moving unit 10 also includes a pair of sliders 12. Each slider 12 engages with a corresponding movable rail 11 and slides in the X direction guided by the movable rail 11. A stopper 11a is provided at each end of each movable rail 11 to limit the range of movement of the slider 12. The rotating unit 9 is fixed to the pair of sliders 12 and is movable in the X direction. The rotating unit 9 is also movable in the Y direction along the pair of fixed rails 14 together with the pair of movable rails 11. With the above configuration, the rotating unit 9 is movable in the X and Y directions, and in particular, is movable on the track MRT.

The trajectory MRT indicates the movement trajectory of a specific portion of the rotation unit 9 (the position through which the rotation center Z1 passes in this embodiment). The trajectory MRT is a rectangular trajectory, and is composed of two straight trajectories RT01 and RT02 parallel to the Y direction, and two straight trajectories RT11 and RT12 parallel to the X direction.

The moving unit 10 also includes a drive mechanism 15. The drive mechanism 15 includes a drive source 16 and an arm 17. The drive source 16 includes, for example, a motor, and its output shaft rotates around a rotation center Z2. The rotation center Z2 is an axis in the Z direction. One end of the arm 17 is connected to the output shaft of the drive source 16. The other end of the arm 17 is axially supported by the rotation unit 9 so as to be freely rotatable. A joint 17a is provided midway on the arm 17, and the arm 17a can be bent around an axis in the Z direction.

Figures 4 (A) and 4 (B) are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the moving unit 10. Figure 4 (A) shows the case where the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT01. When the output shaft of the drive source 16 rotates clockwise, the rotation unit 9 moves in the Y direction together with the pair of movable rails 11, as shown by the thick arrow in Figure 4 (A). When the output shaft of the drive source 16 continues to rotate, the movement of the pair of movable rails 11 is stopped by stopper 14a, and the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT11 as shown in Figure 4 (B).

Figure 4 (A) shows the case where the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT01. When the output shaft of the drive source 16 rotates clockwise, the rotation unit 9 moves in the Y direction together with the pair of movable rails 11, as shown by the thick arrow in Figure 4 (A). When the output shaft of the drive source 16 continues to rotate, the movement of the pair of movable rails 11 is stopped by the stopper 14a, and the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT11, as shown in Figure 4 (B).

Figure 4 (C) shows the state where the rotation unit 9 has reached the end point of the track RT11. As the output shaft of the drive source 16 continues to rotate, the rotation unit 9 moves in the Y direction on the track RT02 together with the pair of movable rails 11. The tracks RT01 and RT02 are both in the direction in which the rotation unit 9 moves in the Y direction, but the movement directions are opposite.

When the output shaft of the drive source 16 continues to rotate, the movement of the pair of movable rails 11 is stopped by the stopper 14a and the rotation unit 9 reaches the end of the track RT02 as shown in FIG. 4(D). When the output shaft of the drive source 16 continues to rotate, the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT12. On both tracks RT11 and RT12, the rotation unit 9 moves in the Y direction, but in opposite directions. When the rotation unit 9 reaches the end of the track RT12, it returns to the state shown in FIG. 4(A). By rotating the output shaft of the drive source 16 in one direction, the rotation unit 9 moves cyclically on the track RT.

In Figures 4(A) to 4(D), section R is a film formation section. While the rotation unit 9 is moving through the film formation section R, the deposition material discharged from the deposition unit 7 is deposited on the substrate 101 to form a film. The film formation section R is a part of the orbits RT11 and RT12.

The configuration of the moving unit 10 is not limited to this, and other moving mechanisms such as a ball screw mechanism or a rack and pinion mechanism can also be used.

Referring to FIG. 2, the control unit 11 controls the entire film forming apparatus 1. The control unit 30 includes a processing unit 31, a memory unit 32, an input/output interface (I/O) 33, and a communication unit 34. The processing unit 11a is a processor such as a CPU, and controls the film forming apparatus 1 by executing a program stored in the memory unit 32. The memory unit 32 is a storage device such as a ROM, RAM, or HDD, and stores various control information in addition to the program executed by the processing unit 11a. The I/O 33 is an interface that transmits and receives signals between the processing unit 11a and an external device. The communication unit 34 is a communication device that communicates with a higher-level device or other control units via a communication line.

<Control example>
An example of control of the film forming apparatus 1 executed by the processing unit 31 of the control unit 30 will be described below. 5A to 8B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus 1, and show an example of a film forming method using the film forming apparatus 1.

Figure 5 (A) shows the state in which the substrate 101 has been carried into the vacuum chamber 2. The substrate 101 is carried below the substrate support plate 3 by the transport robot 121. Next, the mask support unit 6 transfers the substrate 101 from the transport robot 121 to the substrate support plate 3. Figure 5 (B) shows this operation. By raising the support member 6a, the edge of the substrate 101 is placed on the claw portion F, and the substrate 101 is raised from the transport robot 121 and pressed against the substrate adsorption surface (lower surface) of the substrate support plate 3. The electrostatic chuck of the substrate support plate 3 is operated to adsorb and hold the substrate 101. The lower surface of the substrate 101 is the film formation surface.

Then, the mask 102 is carried into the vacuum chamber 2. FIG. 6(A) shows the state in which the mask 102 has been carried into the vacuum chamber 2. The mask 102 is carried into the vacuum chamber 2 from the storage chamber 140 by the transport robot 131. The mask 102 is positioned directly below the substrate 101. Next, the mask 102 is transferred from the transport robot 131 to the mask support unit 6 and positioned at the alignment position. FIG. 6(B) shows this operation. By raising the support member 6a, the periphery of the mask 102 is placed on the claw portion F, and the mask 102 is raised from the transport robot 131. The mask 102 is supported by the support member 6a, and is further raised to be positioned at the alignment position. At the alignment position, the substrate 101 and the mask 102 are spaced apart in the Z direction. In this embodiment, the mask 102 is raised to be positioned at the alignment position, but the substrate 101 may be lowered to be positioned at the alignment position.

Next, the alignment operation is performed. As shown in FIG. 7(A), the measurement unit SR measures the relative positions of the alignment marks on the substrate 101 and the mask 102. If the measurement result (the amount of misalignment between the substrate 101 and the mask 102) is within the allowable range, the alignment operation is terminated. If the measurement result is outside the allowable range, a control amount (the amount of displacement of the substrate 101) is set based on the measurement result to bring the amount of misalignment within the allowable range.

The "amount of misalignment" is defined as the distance and direction (X, Y, θ) of the misalignment. Based on the set control amount, the position adjustment unit 80 is operated as shown in FIG. 7(B). This displaces the substrate support plate 3 on the XY plane, and adjusts the relative position of the substrate 101 with respect to the mask 102.

Whether the measurement results are within the acceptable range can be determined, for example, by calculating the distance between each alignment mark and comparing the average value or sum of squares of the distances with a preset threshold value.

After adjusting the relative positions, the measurement unit SR again measures the relative positions of the alignment marks on the substrate 101 and the mask 102. If the measurement result is within the tolerance range, the alignment operation ends. If the measurement result is outside the tolerance range, the relative position of the substrate 101 with respect to the mask 102 is adjusted again. Thereafter, the measurement and relative position adjustment are repeated until the measurement result is within the tolerance range.

Next, the film formation operation is performed. First, the substrate 101 is overlapped with the mask 102. Figure 8 (A) shows this operation. When the substrate support plate 3 is lowered, the substrate 101 is placed on the mask 102, and the entire film formation surface (surface to be processed) of the substrate 101 comes into contact with the mask 102. The magnet plate 5 abuts on the cooling plate 4, and from the top, the magnet plate 5, cooling plate 4, substrate support plate 3, substrate 101, and mask 102 are in close contact with each other. The magnetic force of the magnet plate 5 attracts the mask 102, and the mask 102 and the substrate 101 can be brought into close contact with each other as a whole.

The film is now ready to be formed, and deposition of the deposition material onto the substrate 101 begins. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8B, the deposition unit 7 starts releasing the deposition material, and the moving unit 10 starts moving the deposition unit 7 (moving the rotation unit 9). The deposition material reaches the substrate 101 through the mask 102, and a film is formed. Examples of the movement and rotation of the deposition unit 7 will be described later.

With the above, film formation on the substrate 101 is completed. When film formation is completed, the mask 102 and the substrate 101 are removed. The removal operation is generally the reverse of the procedure of the loading operation. With the above, the operations from loading the substrate 101 and mask 102, to film formation on the substrate 101, and removing the substrate 101 and mask 102 are completed.

<Example of movement and rotation of deposition unit>
9(A) to 10(D) show examples of rotation and movement of the deposition unit 7 in the film formation operation. 9(A) to 9(D) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT11 (FIG. 3(B)). While the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the film formation surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, the deposition material is discharged from the deposition unit 7 to deposit a film on half of the substrate 101. When the rotation unit 9 moves in the film formation section R, the turntable 90 is rotated and the deposition unit 7 moves on the circular track CRT.

Figures 10(A) to 10(D) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves on the orbit RT12 (Figure 3(B)). As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the deposition surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition unit 7 to deposit a film on the remaining half of the substrate 101. When the rotation unit 9 is moving in the deposition section R, the turntable 90 is rotated and the deposition unit 7 moves on the circular orbit CRT. In this way, a film of the deposition material is deposited over the entire deposition surface of the substrate 101.

In this embodiment, the deposition material is released from the deposition unit 7 while the deposition unit 7 is moved along the circular orbit CRT, thereby suppressing variation in the film formed on the substrate 101. Therefore, the uniformity of the film formed can be improved.

Figures 11(A) to 12(D) show another example of the rotation and movement of the deposition unit 7 during the film formation operation. Figures 11(A) to 11(C) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves along the orbit RT11 (Figure 3(B)). As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the film formation surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition unit 7 to form a film on half of the substrate 101. The deposition unit 7 is located at the front side in the movement direction of the rotation unit 9 (0 degree orientation relative to the movement direction). When the rotation unit 9 is moving in the film formation section R, the turntable 90 does not rotate.

Figure 11 (D) shows the stage where the rotation unit 9 moves along the orbit RT02 (Figure 3 (B)). During the movement outside the deposition section R, the turntable 90 is rotated and the position of the deposition unit 7 is changed to a position for the next deposition shown in Figures 12 (A) to 12 (C).

Figures 12(A) to 12(C) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves along the track RT12 (Figure 3(B)). As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the deposition surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition unit 7 to deposit a film on the remaining half of the substrate 101. The deposition unit 7 is located at the front in the direction of movement of the rotation unit 9. When the rotation unit 9 is moving in the deposition section R, the turntable 90 does not rotate.

Figure 12 (D) shows the stage where the rotation unit 9 moves along the orbit RT01 (Figure 3 (B)). During the movement outside the deposition zone R, the turntable 90 is rotated and the position of the deposition unit 7 is changed to a position in preparation for deposition on another substrate.

In this embodiment, the deposition unit 7 does not move on the circular orbit CRT in the film formation section R. On the other hand, the turntable 90 is rotated to change the position of the deposition unit 7 when the rotation unit 9 moves on the orbit RT11 and when it moves on the orbit RT12. In this embodiment, the deposition unit 7 is disposed in front of the direction of movement of the rotation unit 9. This allows the discharge conditions of the deposition material discharged from the deposition unit 7 (e.g., the incident angle of the deposition material with respect to the substrate 101) to be the same when forming a film on half of the film formation surface of the substrate 101, and suppresses variation in the film formed on the substrate 101. This improves the uniformity of the film formation.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the film is formed using one deposition unit 7, but the film may be formed using a plurality of deposition units. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a mechanism around the deposition unit in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the evaporation units 70 and 71 are mounted on the rotating table 90. The evaporation units 70 and 71 are disposed below the substrate support plate 3, and each includes one evaporation source that emits an evaporation material onto the substrate 101 supported by the substrate support plate 3. The evaporation source includes a container for the evaporation material and a heater that heats the evaporation material. The evaporation units 70 and 71 are disposed at positions symmetrical to each other on the X-Y plane with respect to the center of rotation Z1. The evaporation units 70 and 71 may emit different types of evaporation material.

For example, deposition unit 70 releases a host material, and deposition unit 71 releases a dopant material. The host material is the main material of the light-emitting layer, and the dopant material is a light-emitting material that determines the emission wavelength. The light-emitting layer is an organic compound layer that is provided between an anode and a cathode and has a light-emitting function. The host material is the material that is most highly concentrated in the light-emitting layer, and the dopant material is the material that is less concentrated in the light-emitting layer than the host material.

Figures 14(A) to 15(D) show an example of the rotation and movement of the deposition units 70 and 71 during the film formation operation. Figures 14(A) to 14(D) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT11 (Figure 3(B)). As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the film formation surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition units 70 and 71 to form a film on half of the substrate 101. When the rotation unit 9 is moving in the film formation section R, the turntable 90 is rotated and the deposition units 70 and 71 move on the circular track CRT.

Figures 15(A) to 15(D) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves on the track RT12 (Figure 3(B)). As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the deposition surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition units 70 and 71 to deposit a film on the remaining half of the substrate 101. When the rotation unit 9 is moving in the deposition section R, the turntable 90 is rotated and the deposition units 70 and 71 move on the circular track CRT. In this way, a film of the deposition material is deposited over the entire deposition surface of the substrate 101.

In this embodiment, by discharging deposition materials from the deposition units 70 and 71 while moving the deposition units 70 and 71 along a circular orbit RT, a mixed layer of different deposition materials can be formed on the substrate 101 while suppressing film variation. Therefore, the uniformity of the film formation can be improved.

Figures 16(A) to 17(D) show another example of the rotation and movement of the deposition units 70 and 71 during the film formation operation. Figures 16(A) to 16(C) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves along the track RT11 (Figure 3(B)). As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the film formation surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition units 70 and 71 to form a film on half of the substrate 101. The deposition units 70 and 71 are arranged side by side in the direction of movement of the rotation unit 9, with the deposition unit 70 at the front and the deposition unit 71 at the rear in the direction of movement. When the rotation unit 9 is moving in the film formation section R, the turntable 90 does not rotate.

Figure 16 (D) shows the stage where the rotation unit 9 moves along the orbit RT02 (Figure 3 (B)). During the movement outside the deposition section R, the turntable 90 is rotated, and the positions of the deposition units 70 and 71 are changed to positions in preparation for the next deposition shown in Figures 17 (A) to 17 (C).

Figures 17(A) to 17(C) show the stages in which the rotation unit 9 moves along the track RT12 (Figure 3(B)). As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the deposition surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition units 70 and 71 to deposit a film on the remaining half of the substrate 101. The deposition units 70 and 71 are arranged side by side in the direction of movement of the rotation unit 9, with the deposition unit 70 at the front and the deposition unit 71 at the rear in the direction of movement. When the rotation unit 9 is moving in the deposition section R, the turntable 90 does not rotate.

Figure 17 (D) shows the stage where the rotation unit 9 moves along the orbit RT01 (Figure 3 (B)). During the movement outside the deposition zone R, the turntable 90 is rotated and the positions of the deposition units 70 and 71 are changed to positions in preparation for deposition on another substrate.

In this embodiment, the deposition units 70 and 71 do not move on the circular orbit CRT in the film formation section R. On the other hand, the rotation table 90 is rotated to change the arrangement of the deposition units 70 and 71 when the rotation unit 9 moves on the orbit RT11 and when it moves on the orbit RT12. In this embodiment, the deposition unit 7 is arranged on the front side with respect to the moving direction of the rotation unit 9. This makes it possible to make the emission conditions, such as the arrival order of the deposition material of each deposition unit 70 and 71 on the deposition surface and the incidence angle of the deposition material, the same when depositing a film on half of the deposition surface of the substrate 101, and suppress the variation in the film deposited on the substrate 101. Therefore, the uniformity of the film deposition can be improved.

In the examples shown in Figures 16(A) to 17(D), deposition units 70 and 71 were arranged in the front-to-rear direction relative to the movement direction of the rotation unit 9 to form a film, but they may be arranged in a direction intersecting the movement direction.

Third Embodiment
In the first and second embodiments, the rotation unit 9 moves on a rectangular movement track MRT, but it may move on a linear track. Figures 18(A) to 18(D) show an example.

In the example of Figures 18(A) to 18(D), deposition units 70 and 71 are mounted on a turntable 90, as in the second embodiment. As the rotation unit 9 moves in the X direction along the deposition surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, deposition material is released from the deposition units 70 and 71 to deposit a film on the entire deposition surface of the substrate 101. When the rotation unit 9 moves in the deposition section R, the turntable 90 is rotated, and the deposition units 70 and 71 move on the circular orbit CRT.

In the example of Figures 19(A) to 19(D), similar to the second embodiment, deposition units 70 and 71 are mounted on a rotating table 90. In Figures 19(A) to 19(C), the rotating unit 9 moves in the X direction along the deposition surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101, while discharging deposition material from the deposition units 70 and 71 to deposit a film on the entire deposition surface of the substrate 101. The deposition units 70 and 71 are arranged side by side in the movement direction of the rotating unit 9, with the deposition unit 70 at the front and the deposition unit 71 at the rear in the movement direction. When the rotating unit 9 is moving in the deposition section R, the rotating table 90 does not rotate.

Figure 19 (D) shows the stage where the turntable 90 is rotating outside the film formation section R. The positions of the deposition units 70 and 71 are changed. The turntable 90 is rotated so that the arrangement of the deposition units 70 and 71 relative to the movement direction is the same on the outward and return journeys. Thereafter, the rotation unit 9 moves in the return journey in the X direction along the film formation surface (lower surface) of the substrate 101 while releasing deposition material from the deposition units 70 and 71 to form a film on the entire film formation surface of the substrate 101. The substrate on which the film is formed can be a different substrate 101 from that on the outward journey.

<Fourth embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the substrate support plate 3 having an electrostatic chuck is exemplified as a mechanism for supporting the substrate 101, but the mechanism for supporting the substrate 101 is not limited to this. For example, a clamp type that mechanically holds the peripheral portion of the substrate 101 may be used. Alternatively, the substrate 101 may be supported from below by rollers that have a transport function in addition to a support function for the substrate 101.

In addition, in the first embodiment, when aligning the substrate 101 and the mask 102, the substrate 101 is displaced to adjust the relative position with the mask 102, but the configuration may be such that the mask 102 is displaced to adjust the relative position with the substrate 101.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the rotation unit 9 is moved linearly two times (orbits RT11 and RT12) to form a film on the entire substrate 101, but the rotation unit 9 may be moved linearly three or more times to form a film on the entire substrate 101.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

1 Film forming device, 7 Evaporation unit, 9 Rotation unit, 10 Movement unit, 90 Rotation table, 101 Substrate, 102 Mask

Claims (10)

a first deposition means for ejecting a first deposition material onto the substrate;
a rotating means for rotating a turntable on which the first deposition means is mounted, the rotating means being configured to rotate the turntable;
and a moving means for moving the rotating means in a direction along the film formation surface of the substrate.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
the moving means rotates the turntable when the rotating means moves through a film formation section in which the first evaporation material is evaporated onto the substrate;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
when the rotating means is moving through a film formation section in which the first evaporation material is evaporated onto the substrate by the moving means, the rotation table is not rotated.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 3,
When the rotating means is located outside the film formation section, the rotating table is rotated.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
a second deposition means for ejecting a second deposition material onto the substrate;
the rotating table carries the second deposition means;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
the moving means rotates the turntable while the rotating means moves through a film formation section in which the first evaporation material and the second evaporation material are evaporated onto the substrate;
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
The movement trajectory of the rotation means by the movement means is
a first linear trajectory for moving the rotating means in a first direction;
a second linear trajectory for moving the rotating means in a direction opposite to the first direction;
the first linear trajectory and the second linear trajectory each include a deposition section for depositing the first deposition material and the second deposition material on the substrate,
When the rotating means is located outside the film formation section, the rotating table is rotated so that the first evaporating means and the second evaporating means are disposed in the same position relative to the moving direction of the rotating table on the first linear trajectory and the second linear trajectory.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 7,
the first deposition means and the second deposition means are disposed at positions symmetrical with respect to a rotation center of the turntable,
The arrangement is an arrangement in which the first deposition means and the second deposition means are aligned in the movement direction.
A film forming apparatus comprising: The film forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
the first deposition material is a host material that forms a light-emitting layer on the substrate;
the second deposition material is a dopant material that forms a light-emitting layer of the substrate;
A film forming apparatus comprising: A film forming method for forming a film on a substrate using the film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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