CN112626475B

CN112626475B - Film forming apparatus, film forming method, information acquiring apparatus, alignment method, and electronic device manufacturing apparatus and electronic device manufacturing method

Info

Publication number: CN112626475B
Application number: CN202010303197.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 高津和正; 铃木健太郎; 樽茶友昭
Original assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Current assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Priority date: 2019-09-24
Filing date: 2020-04-17
Publication date: 2024-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 2040-04-17
Also published as: CN112626475A; KR20210035706A; JP2021050374A; JP7374684B2

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique for coping with a change in relative posture of a substrate holding mechanism and a mask holding mechanism when the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other after the substrate and the mask are aligned. A film forming apparatus is used, and the film forming apparatus comprises: a substrate holding mechanism for supporting the substrate; a mask holding mechanism for supporting the mask substantially parallel to the substrate; an in-plane moving mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism to change a relative positional relationship between the substrate and the mask in the plane; a distance changing mechanism for changing a distance between the substrate and the mask by moving at least one of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism relative to the other; a posture information acquisition means for acquiring posture information of the substrate holding means with respect to the mask holding means; and a posture control mechanism for controlling the relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information.

Description

Film forming apparatus, film forming method, information acquiring apparatus, alignment method, and electronic device manufacturing apparatus and electronic device manufacturing method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method, an information acquisition apparatus, an alignment method, and an apparatus and a method for manufacturing an electronic device.

Background

In recent years, electronic devices using organic EL elements having excellent light emission characteristics, viewing angle, contrast, and response speed are widely used in display units of various devices such as wall-mounted televisions and mobile devices. The organic EL element is manufactured by forming a thin film such as an organic film on a substrate through a mask in a film forming apparatus such as a vapor deposition apparatus. In this manufacturing process, after the substrate is carried into the depressurized chamber, the substrate and the mask are aligned (positionally aligned) before the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other.

In alignment, for example, a relative distance (positional shift amount) is detected by recognizing the alignment mark on the substrate side and the alignment mark on the mask side by a CCD camera or the like, and the substrate is relatively moved in a plane parallel to the mask surface based on the detected positional shift amount, so that the positions of the alignment marks on the substrate side and the mask side are aligned. Thereafter, the substrate is moved in the vertical direction, and the mask is attracted to the substrate via a magnet mechanism or the like, so that the mask is brought into close contact with the surface of the substrate.

In this case, when the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other, the substrate and the mask may be slightly displaced. Accordingly, patent document 1 describes a technique of acquiring the positional shift amount of the alignment mark before and after the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other, and correcting the positional shift generated when the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other in advance before bringing the substrate and the mask into close contact with each other based on the difference.

That is, in patent document 1, the positional shift amounts of the substrate-side alignment mark and the mask-side alignment mark are calculated before and after the adhesion of the substrate and the mask, respectively, using the image data recognized by the optical mechanism. Then, based on the difference, a mechanical offset amount for correcting the positional offset due to an error inherent to the driving mechanism for alignment and a mechanical error such as backlash is calculated. Then, in the next and subsequent alignment steps, the substrate is moved in advance by an amount corresponding to the calculated mechanical offset before the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact, and the positional offset before and after the contact is offset, thereby improving the alignment accuracy.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-4358

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the technique of patent document 1, even if the mechanical error inherent to the alignment drive mechanism can be corrected in advance, it is actually difficult to completely correct the positional deviation generated by the contact operation of the substrate with the mask.

That is, according to the studies of the present inventors, it is known that a slight inclination of the substrate or the mask holding mechanism at the time of contact of the substrate with the mask is one cause of positional displacement. Specifically, when there is a slight sagging, warpage, or the like, respectively, at the time of contact between the substrate and the mask, the substrate and the mask do not adhere to each other with a uniform surface, and friction at the portion where they are initially contacted increases. Then, as the substrate and the mask approach, a force acts on the initial contact point in the direction in which the holding mechanism of the substrate or the mask is pulled. Under this force, the substrate or the mask holding mechanism is slightly tilted, and the alignment accuracy is lowered. Further, rubbing of the substrate with the mask may cause degradation of the quality of the organic EL element on the substrate.

The manner of occurrence of this positional shift varies depending on individual differences of the substrate or the mask, the holding posture with respect to the holding mechanism, and the direction of movement at the time of alignment. In addition, the initial contact position at the time of approaching the substrate to the mask is also not certain. Therefore, as in the alignment method of patent document 1, the positional shift cannot be completely corrected by merely shifting the correction before the substrate is brought into close contact with the mask so as to cancel the amount of error before and after the previous contact between the substrate and the mask.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for coping with a change in relative posture of a substrate holding mechanism and a mask holding mechanism when the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other after the substrate and the mask are aligned.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention adopts the following structure. That is to say,

a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding mechanism for supporting the substrate;

a mask holding mechanism for supporting the mask substantially parallel to the substrate;

an in-plane moving mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism to change a relative positional relationship between the substrate and the mask on a plane substantially parallel to the substrate and the mask;

a distance changing mechanism that changes a distance between the substrate and the mask by moving at least one of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism relative to the other;

a posture information acquisition means for acquiring posture information indicating a posture of the substrate holding means with respect to the mask holding means; and

And a posture control mechanism for controlling the relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information.

The present invention adopts the following structure. That is to say,

a substrate holding mechanism for supporting the substrate;

a posture information acquisition means for acquiring posture information indicating a relative posture of the substrate holding means and the mask holding means; and

and a posture control mechanism configured to control a relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information when the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism are moved in a relatively approaching direction by the distance changing mechanism.

The present invention adopts the following structure. That is to say,

an information acquisition device mounted on a film forming device for forming a film on a surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming device comprising a substrate holding mechanism for holding the substrate, a mask holding mechanism for supporting the mask substantially parallel to the substrate, and a position alignment mechanism for aligning the substrate and the mask by moving at least one of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism,

the information acquisition device is provided with a posture information acquisition mechanism which acquires posture information indicating the posture of the substrate holding mechanism relative to the mask holding mechanism.

The present invention adopts the following structure. That is to say,

a film forming method using a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a surface of a substrate through a mask, wherein,

the film forming apparatus includes a substrate holding mechanism, a mask holding mechanism, an in-plane moving mechanism, a distance changing mechanism, a posture information acquiring mechanism, and a posture control mechanism,

the film forming method includes:

A step of changing a relative positional relationship between the substrate and the mask on a plane substantially parallel to the substrate and the mask by moving at least one of the substrate holding mechanism for supporting the substrate and the mask holding mechanism for supporting the mask substantially parallel to the substrate;

a step of changing a distance between the substrate and the mask by moving at least one of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism relative to the other;

a step of acquiring posture information indicating a posture of the substrate holding mechanism with respect to the mask holding mechanism by the posture information acquiring mechanism; and

and controlling the relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism by the posture control mechanism based on the posture information.

The present invention adopts the following structure. That is to say,

The film forming method includes:

a step of acquiring posture information indicating a relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism by the posture information acquiring mechanism; and

and a step of controlling the relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information when the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism are moved in a direction to be relatively close to each other by the distance changing mechanism.

The present invention adopts the following structure. That is to say,

an alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate for film formation in a film forming apparatus, wherein,

the alignment method includes:

The present invention adopts the following structure. That is to say,

the alignment method includes:

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for coping with a change in relative posture of a substrate holding mechanism and a mask holding mechanism when the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact with each other after the substrate and the mask are aligned.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a vapor deposition device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vapor deposition apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the alignment mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the rotary translation mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the substrate holding portion.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the substrate holding portion holds the substrate.

Fig. 7 is a bottom view showing a state of holding the substrate and the mask.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing steps of the processing according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a side view showing a state of a substrate and a mask corresponding to the flowchart.

Fig. 10 is another side view showing the states of the substrate and the mask corresponding to the flowchart.

Fig. 11 is another side view showing the state of the substrate and the mask corresponding to the flowchart.

Fig. 12 is another side view showing the state of the substrate and the mask corresponding to the flowchart.

Fig. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a manufacturing system of an organic EL panel according to an embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the electronic apparatus.

Fig. 15 is a system block diagram of each mechanism for controlling the vapor deposition device according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments and examples are merely illustrative of preferred configurations of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these configurations. In the following description, the hardware configuration and software configuration of the apparatus, the processing flow, the manufacturing conditions, the dimensions, the materials, the shapes, and the like are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to only these configurations unless specifically described. In principle, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof is omitted.

The present invention is suitable for a vapor deposition apparatus that performs film formation by vapor deposition on a film formation object such as a substrate through a mask, and is typically applicable to a vapor deposition apparatus that vapor-deposits an organic material or the like on a substrate such as glass in order to manufacture an organic EL panel. The present invention can be applied to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method for forming a film on a substrate by a method other than vapor deposition such as sputtering. The present invention may be used as an information acquisition device that acquires information on the inclination of a substrate, which is an alignment mechanism that can be mounted in a vapor deposition device. The present invention can also be used as an alignment device and an alignment method for aligning a substrate with a mask. The present invention can also be used as an apparatus for manufacturing an electronic device and a method for manufacturing an electronic device. The present invention may also be used as a control method for a vapor deposition apparatus and an information acquisition apparatus, a program for causing a computer to execute the control method, and a storage medium storing the program. The storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium that can be read by a computer.

In addition to the use of the vapor deposition device in the manufacture of organic EL elements of organic EL panels, various electronic devices such as organic thin film solar cells, semiconductor devices, magnetic devices, and electronic devices, optical devices, and the like, thin films can be deposited on a substrate or a structure in which a laminate is formed on the substrate. Typically, vapor deposition apparatuses are preferably used for manufacturing electronic devices such as light emitting elements, photoelectric conversion elements, and touch panels. Examples of the electronic device include a display device including an organic EL element, a lighting device, and the like.

Embodiment 1

(device Structure)

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a vapor deposition device 100 according to the present embodiment, and the arrangement, configuration, and relationship of each portion of the vapor deposition device 100 will be described. In the case where a plurality of identical or corresponding members are provided in the same drawing of the vapor deposition apparatus, subscripts such as a and b are given in the drawing, but in the case where distinction is not required in the specification, description of the subscripts such as a and b is omitted.

The vapor deposition apparatus 100 generally includes a chamber 4 and an alignment apparatus 1, and the alignment apparatus 1 holds a substrate 5 and a mask 6a and performs relative positional alignment. A vapor deposition source 7 (film formation source) containing a vapor deposition material 71 (film formation material) can be disposed in the chamber 4, whereby a reduced-pressure film formation space 2 is formed in the chamber. In the film formation space 2, the vapor deposition material flies from the vapor deposition source 7 toward the substrate 5, and a film is formed on the substrate.

In the example of the figure, description will be given of a structure of vapor deposition (japanese) in which film formation is performed with the film formation surface of the substrate facing downward in the direction of gravity. However, the film may be deposited by vapor deposition (diutan) downward with the film deposition surface of the substrate facing upward in the gravity direction. Further, a structure may be employed in which a film is formed by side vapor deposition (japanese) in a state in which the substrate is vertically erected and the film formation surface is substantially parallel to the gravitational direction.

The present invention can be preferably used in a case where the posture of at least one member of the substrate and the mask is likely to be changed due to sagging or bending of the member when the substrate and the mask are brought into relative proximity.

The chamber 4 has an upper partition wall 3a (ceiling), a side wall 3b, and a bottom wall 3c, and a gate valve 15 for carrying the substrate 5 in and out of the chamber 4 is provided in the side wall 3 b. The chamber 4 is shown in figure 1 with grid-like hatching. The inside of the chamber may be maintained in a vacuum atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen, or the like, in addition to the above-described reduced pressure atmosphere.

The vapor deposition source 7 may include, for example, a container 72 such as a crucible for accommodating the vapor deposition material 71, and a heating mechanism 73 such as a package heater for evaporating and discharging the vapor deposition material 71 by raising the temperature thereof. Further, the container 72 may be provided with a mechanism for moving in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate 5 and the mask 6a, so that the ejection port from which the vapor deposition material 71 is ejected is moved, and the film formation onto the substrate is made uniform. The vapor deposition apparatus having the vapor deposition source 7 as a film formation source is described here, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to a sputtering apparatus having a sputtering cathode having a target and a cathode as a film formation source.

The alignment device 1 generally includes a portion mounted above the upper partition wall 3a of the chamber 4 to be positioned and a portion that exists inside the chamber to hold a substrate or the like. The alignment apparatus 1 has a substrate holding portion 8 (substrate holding mechanism) that holds the substrate 5, a mask holding portion 9 (mask holding mechanism) that holds the mask 6a, and a position alignment mechanism 60 (position alignment mechanism). The substrate holding portion 8 is shown in fig. 1 by hatching in the longitudinal direction. The mask holding portion 9 is shown as a white portion connected to the upper partition wall 3a in fig. 1.

The alignment mechanism 60 is provided outside the chamber 4, and changes the relative positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a or stably maintains the relative positional relationship between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a so that a desired accuracy can be achieved during vapor deposition. The alignment mechanism 60 generally includes a rotation translation mechanism 11 (in-plane moving mechanism), a Z lift table 13, and a Z lift slider 10.

The Z lift table 13 is moved in two dimensions (X, Y direction and rotational direction θ) in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the substrate and the mask by the rotation translation mechanism 11. The Z lift slider 10 moves in the X, Y and θ directions together with the Z lift table 13, and is supported so as to be movable up and down in the Z direction (direction perpendicular to the substrate and the mask) with respect to the Z lift table 13.

The position alignment mechanism 60 further includes a linear scale 52 as a posture information acquisition mechanism (posture detection mechanism) and a voice coil motor 51 as a posture adjustment mechanism (posture control mechanism), as will be described in detail later. The linear scale 52 is a scale which is disposed on the side surface of the Z lift slider 10 and has a scale in the Z direction, and acquires the relative positional relationship between the Z lift table 13 and the Z lift slider 10 together with a detector disposed on the Z lift table 13 facing the scale. As the linear scale 52, an arbitrary linear scale such as an optical scale can be used, and is shown as a black part in fig. 1.

The voice coil motor 51 is composed of a cylindrical coil member disposed on the Z lift slider 10 side and an inner magnet member disposed on the Z lift table 13 side in opposition to each other, and changes the positional relationship with each other in a state where a gap is maintained in a non-contact manner. Voice coil motor 51 is shown in transverse shading in fig. 1. The voice coil motor 51 adjusts the positional relationship between the Z lift table 13 and the Z lift slider 10 by the generation force of the voice coil, thereby adjusting the posture of the substrate 5. As the voice coil motor 51, any voice coil motor such as a moving coil motor and a moving magnet motor can be used.

In this way, by detecting the tilt of the Z lift slider 10 (i.e., the tilt of the substrate 5) by the posture information acquisition means (posture detection means) including the linear scale 52 and the posture adjustment means (posture control means) including the voice coil motor 51, the tilt can be controlled (adjusted or held, etc.) and the posture during the substrate lowering can be stabilized.

Further, the linear scale 52 may be configured to be mounted on the existing alignment device 1 later. That is, the present invention can be used as an information acquisition device provided with a posture information acquisition means for detecting posture information such as inclination of a substrate, which is arranged in an alignment device of a vapor deposition device. In this case, if a mechanism capable of adjusting the vertical and horizontal tilt such as a voice coil motor is provided in the conventional alignment device 1, the attitude control can be realized by adding a linear scale and software for control.

The linear scale 52 and the voice coil motor 51, which are information acquisition devices, may be configured to be mounted on the existing alignment device 1. In this case, the attitude control can be realized by adding software for control to the existing alignment device 1.

The rotation/translation mechanism 11 is mounted on the upper partition wall 3a of the chamber 4, and drives the Z lift table 13 in the xyθ direction, thereby performing positional alignment (alignment) in the surface direction of the substrate and the mask. The Z lift table 13 does not move in the Z direction, and serves as a base for the substrate 5 when moving in the Z direction. Represented in fig. 1 by the hatching of the lower right diagonal.

The Z-lift slider 10 is a member movable in the Z direction along the Z guide 18. The Z guide 18 includes a fixed portion (reference numerals 18a1, 18c 1) fixed to a side surface of the Z lift table 13 and a movable portion (reference numerals 18a2, 18c 2) connected to the Z lift slider 10 movable in the Z direction along the fixed portion. The Z-lift slider 10 is shown in phantom in the upper right diagonal line in fig. 1.

The Z lift slider 10 is connected to the substrate holding portion 8 via a substrate holding shaft 12, and lifts the substrate holding portion 8 relative to the Z lift table 13 to control the distance between the substrate 5 held by the substrate holding portion 8 and the mask 6 a.

In this configuration, when the rotation translation mechanism 11 drives the substrate 5 and the mask 6a in the xyθ direction, the Z lift table 13, the Z lift slider 10, and the substrate holding shaft 12 move integrally, and a driving force is transmitted to the substrate holding unit 8. Then, the substrate 5 is moved in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate 5 and the mask 6 a. When the Z lift slider 10 is driven in the Z direction relative to the Z lift table 13 by the Z guide 18, the driving force is transmitted to the substrate holding section 8 via the substrate holding shaft 12. Then, the distance of the substrate 5 with respect to the mask 6a is changed (away from or close to). That is, the Z lift table 13, and the Z guide 18 function as a distance changing mechanism at the time of positional alignment by the positional alignment mechanism 60.

Further, by disposing the positioning mechanism 60 including the plurality of movable portions outside the film formation space as in the illustrated example, dust generation in the film formation space can be suppressed.

Here, as described above, the Z lift table 13 and the Z lift slider 10 are connected. The Z guide 18 is composed of, for example, a set of a linear guide and a carriage, and the carriage connected to the Z lift slider 10 moves on the linear guide connected to the Z lift table 13 side and extending in the Z direction, whereby the two members of the Z lift table 13 and the Z lift slider 10 can be movably connected.

The Z guide 18 can restrict movement at a desired position and fix the positional relationship with each other. However, when high-precision position control is required (for example, in the order of μm), there is a case where the positional relationship fixed by the Z guide 18 is shifted by an external force. For example, when the substrate holding unit 8 is lowered to bring the substrate 5 into contact with the mask 6a and a reaction force from the mask 6a to the substrate 5 acts, the Z lift slider 10 may tilt with respect to the Z lift table 13 about the nut of the ball screw 20 serving as a fulcrum.

That is, when there is a slight sagging, warpage, or the like, respectively, in the case where the substrate and the mask are in contact with each other, the friction of the portion where the substrate and the mask are initially in contact with each other becomes large, and as the substrate and the mask approach each other, the force acts on the contact point in the direction in which the substrate holding portion 8 is pulled until the opposing surfaces are brought into contact with each other.

As a result, since the mask holding portion 9 is fixed to the chamber 4, the substrate holding portion 8 is inclined with respect to the mask holding portion 9, and a slight inclination occurs with respect to the Z lift slider 10 supporting the substrate holding portion 8 via the substrate holding shaft 12. Such a tilt may reduce alignment accuracy, and may cause problems depending on vapor deposition accuracy.

Such problems also vary depending on individual differences between the substrate and the mask, the holding posture with respect to the holding mechanism, and the moving direction at the time of alignment, and when the substrate and the mask are brought into relative proximity, the initial contact position is not necessarily constant, and therefore, it is difficult to predict.

The alignment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is configured such that the mask holding portion 9 is fixed to the chamber 4, and the substrate holding portion 8 is driven to be rotationally translated and driven to be close to and away from the mask holding portion 9 by the alignment mechanism 60, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the present invention can be applied to an alignment device in which the substrate holding portion 8 is fixed to the chamber 4, and the mask holding portion 9 is rotationally and translationally driven relative to the substrate holding portion 8 by the alignment mechanism 60, and is configured to approach and separate from the drive. In the alignment device having such a structure, the mask holding portion 9 is inclined with respect to the substrate holding portion 8 by the same mechanism.

The substrate holding shaft 12 is provided across the outside and inside of the chamber 4 through a through hole 16 provided in the upper partition wall 3a of the chamber 4. The substrate holding portion 8 is provided below the substrate holding shaft 12 in the film forming space, and can hold the substrate 5 as a film formation object.

Further, a cooling plate and a magnet mechanism may be provided in the chamber. The cooling plate is, for example, a plate-like member that is in contact with a surface of the substrate 5 opposite to a surface in contact with the mask 6a during film formation to suppress an increase in the substrate temperature during film formation. This suppresses deterioration of the organic material. The magnet plate attracts the mask 6a by magnetic force to improve adhesion between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a during film formation.

As described above, 3 sets of voice coil motors 51 (servo motors) and linear scales 52 are disposed on the Z-lift slider 10 at 3 corners of the rectangular Z-lift slider 10 with respect to the XY plane.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device, showing the arrangement of the voice coil motor 51 and the linear scale 52.

The attitude control in the rotation direction with the nut of the ball screw 20 as the rotation center is realized by a combination of voice coil motors 51a, 51b, 51 c.

The thrust forces of the voice coil motors 51a, 51b, and 51c are Fa, fb, and Fc, respectively. When the rotational force about the X axis is fωx and the rotational force about the X axis is fωy, the relationship between the thrust force and the rotational force of each voice coil motor is represented by the following equations (1) to (3).

Fa＝1/Y1×FωX+1/X1×FωY…(1)

Fb＝－1/Y1×FωX…(2)

Fc＝－1/X1×FωY…(3)

Here, X1 represents the interval between the voice coil motors 51a and 51c, and Y1 represents the interval between the voice coil motors 51a and 51 b.

Further, since the total thrust fa+fb+fc=0 in the Z direction, the total thrust fa+fb+fc=0 does not interfere with the Z direction thrust of the ball screw 20 driven in the Z direction.

Next, a method of calculating the posture will be described.

Measurement values of the linear scales 52a, 52b, and 52c are Za, zb, and Zc, respectively. The rotation angle of the Z lift slider 10 around the X axis at the rotation center is set to ωx and the rotation angle around the Y axis is set to ωy. In this case, the rotation angle can be calculated by the following equations (4) and (5).

ωX＝(Zb－Za)/Y1…(4)

ωY＝(Za－Zc)/X1…(5)

That is, the values of ωx and ωy are derived by the linear scales, and the rotational force fω X, F ωy is generated by the combination of the motor thrust Fa, fb and Fc of the voice coils to maintain the posture at the set reference, and the feedback is performed, so that the posture can be controlled at all times regardless of the height of the Z slider 10 in the Z direction.

In addition, 3 voice coil motors and 3 linear scales are used in the present embodiment. However, in order to further stabilize the posture, the posture may be controlled by using 1 voice coil motor and 4 linear scales in total at each of the 4 corners of the Z lift slider 10.

The posture information acquisition mechanism of the Z-lift slider 10 is not limited to a linear scale, and the posture adjustment mechanism is not limited to a voice coil motor. For example, instead of the measurement by the linear scale, the position detection may be performed by a laser displacement meter, the tilt (posture) measurement of the Z lift slider may be performed by a digital level meter, or the like. In addition, a motor other than a voice coil motor may be used. In addition, any mechanism can be employed.

In order to prevent interference between the substrate holding shaft 12 and the upper partition wall 3a, the through hole 16 is designed to be sufficiently large with respect to the outer diameter of the substrate holding shaft 12. The region from the through hole 16 to the portion of the substrate holding shaft 12 fixed to the Z-lift slider 10 is covered with a bellows 40 fixed to the Z-lift slider 10 and the upper partition wall 3 a. Thus, the substrate holding shaft 12 is covered with the closed space communicating with the chamber 4, and therefore, the entire substrate holding shaft 12 can be held in the same state (for example, vacuum state) as the film forming space 2. As the bellows 40, a bellows having flexibility in both the Z direction and the XY direction is preferably used. This can sufficiently reduce the resistance generated when the bellows 40 is displaced by the operation of the alignment device 1, and can reduce the load at the time of position adjustment.

The mask holding portion 9 is provided on the surface of the upper partition wall 3a on the film formation space 2 side in the chamber 4, and can hold a mask. A mask for use in the manufacture of an organic EL panel, for example, has the following structure: the foil-shaped mask 6a having openings corresponding to the film formation pattern is fixed in a state of being stretched over the mask frame 6b having high rigidity. With this structure, the mask holding portion 9 can be held in a state in which the deflection of the mask 6a is reduced.

In the structure of fig. 1, the mask holding portion 9 is fixed to the chamber 4, and only the substrate holding portion 8 is movable. However, the alignment device in the vapor deposition device of the present invention is not limited to this configuration. At least one of the substrate holding portion 8 and the mask holding portion 9 may be movable relative to the other. In addition, both the substrate holding portion 8 and the mask holding portion 9 may be driven.

Various operations of the vapor deposition apparatus 100 (alignment by the rotation/translation mechanism 11, lifting of the Z-lift slider 10 by the distance change mechanism, substrate holding by the substrate holding unit 8, vapor deposition by the vapor deposition source 7, and the like) are controlled by the control unit 50. The control unit 50 is constituted by a computer having a processor, a memory, a storage device, I/O, and the like, for example. In this case, the functions of the control section 50 are realized by the processor executing programs stored in the memory or the storage device. As the computer, a general-purpose personal computer may be used, or an embedded computer or PLC (programmable logic controller) may be used. Alternatively, part or all of the functions of the control unit 50 may be configured by a circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA. The control unit 50 may be provided for each vapor deposition device, or a plurality of vapor deposition devices may be controlled by 1 control unit 50.

Next, the details of the positioning mechanism 60 of the positioning device 1 will be described with reference to fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the alignment mechanism. The guide for guiding the Z lift slider 10 in the vertical Z direction includes a plurality (4 in this case) of Z guides 18a to 18d fixed to the side surface of the Z lift table 13. A ball screw 20 for transmitting driving force is disposed in the center of the Z lift slider, and power transmitted from a motor 19 fixed to the Z lift table 13 is transmitted to the Z lift slider 10 via the ball screw 20.

The motor 19 incorporates a rotary encoder, not shown, and can indirectly measure the Z-direction position of the Z-lift slider 10 by the rotational speed of the encoder. By controlling the driving of the motor 19 by the external controller, precise positioning in the Z direction of the Z lift slider 10 can be achieved. The lifting mechanism of the Z-lift slider 10 is not limited to the ball screw 20 and the rotary encoder, and any mechanism such as a combination of a linear motor and a linear encoder may be used.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the rotary translation mechanism 11 of the position alignment mechanism 60 of the alignment device 1. In the alignment device 1, the Z lift slider 10 and the Z lift table 13 are disposed above the rotary translation mechanism 11, and the entire Z lift table 13 and the Z lift slider 10 can be driven by the rotary translation mechanism 11 in the XY direction and the rotational direction θz (θz is a rotational position with respect to the Z axis).

In the structure of fig. 4, the rotary translation mechanism 11 has a plurality of drive units 21a to 21d at four corners of the base. Each drive unit is configured to rotate the drive units disposed at adjacent angles by an orientation of 90 degrees about the Z-axis.

Each drive unit 21 includes a drive unit motor 41 that generates a drive force. Each drive unit 21 further includes a 1 st guide 22 that slides in the 1 st direction by force of the drive unit motor 41 transmitted via the drive unit ball screw 42, and a 2 nd guide 23 that slides in the 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction in the XY plane. And, a swivel bearing 24 rotatable about the Z axis is provided. For example, in the case of the drive unit 21c, there are the 1 st guide 22 sliding in the X direction, the 2 nd guide 23 sliding in the Y direction orthogonal to the X direction, the rotation bearing 24, and the force of the drive unit motor 41 is transmitted to the 1 st guide 22 via the drive unit ball screw 42.

The drive unit motor 41 incorporates a rotary encoder, not shown, and is capable of measuring the displacement amount of the 1 st guide 22. In each driving unit 21, the driving of the driving unit motor 41 is controlled by the control unit 50, so that the position of the Z lift 13 in the xyθz direction can be precisely controlled.

For example, when the Z lift 13 is moved in the +x direction, a force for sliding in the +x direction may be generated by the drive unit motor 41 in the drive units 21b and 21c, respectively, and the force may be transmitted to the Z lift 13. In addition, when the Z lift 13 is moved in the +y direction, a force for sliding in the +y direction may be generated by the drive unit motor 41 in the drive units 21a and 21d, respectively, and the force may be transmitted to the Z lift 13.

In the case of rotating the Z lift 13 by +θz (rotating by θz in the clockwise direction), the force required for rotating it by +θz about the Z axis can be generated using the driving units 21c and 21b arranged diagonally, and transmitted to the Z lift 13. Alternatively, the force required for rotation may be transmitted to the Z lift table 13 using the driving units 21a and 21 d.

Next, a detailed structure of the substrate holding portion 8 will be described with reference to fig. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the entire substrate holding portion 8 as seen from the alignment device 1 side. Here, the substrate holding portion 8 holds the rectangular substrate 5 along two sides (here, long sides) facing each other. Fig. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are enlarged side views of the portion of the substrate holding portion 8 holding the substrate, where fig. 6 (a) shows a state where the substrate is placed and held, and fig. 6 (b) shows a state where both sides of the substrate are sandwiched and held. In fig. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the substrate 5 does not appear to be deflected by its own weight, but for convenience of illustration, the substrate 5 supported at both ends is actually deformed by its own weight or the like.

As shown in fig. 5, the substrate holding portion 8 has holding stages 25a and 25b corresponding to the two long sides of the substrate 5, respectively. The holding table 25a is fixed to the lower portions of the substrate holding shafts 12a and 12b, and the holding table 25b is fixed to the lower portions of the substrate holding shafts 12c and 12 d. The holding table 25a is controlled in position by the substrate holding shaft 12a and the substrate holding shaft 12b, and the holding table 25b is controlled in position by the substrate holding shaft 12c and the substrate holding shaft 12 d. The holding bases 25a and 25b are plate-like members having a length equal to the long side of the substrate, and a plurality of holding claws 26 are provided along the long side of the substrate. The substrate holding portion 8 includes a plurality of jigs 27, which are controlled in position via driving shafts 34a and 34b, facing the holding claws 26a and 26 b. By controlling the positions of the plurality of jigs 27a, 27b with respect to the plurality of holding claws 26a, 26b, the positions of the substrates can be fixed by sandwiching the edges (ends) of the two sides of the substrates 5 facing each other.

As shown in fig. 5, a plurality of grooves for avoiding interference with the holding claws 26a and 26b when the substrate 5 is placed on the mask 6a are formed in the mask frame 6 b. If the gap between the groove and the holding claws 26a, 26b is set to be about several mm, the mask frame 6b and the holding claws 26a, 26b can be prevented from colliding with each other even if the holding claws 26a, 26b are further lowered after the substrate 5 is placed.

The substrate holding shafts 12a to 12d for controlling the positions of the holding stages 25a and 25b may be controlled in a centralized manner. Alternatively, the substrate holding shafts 12a and 12b and the substrate holding shafts 12c and 12d may be separately controlled. Here, the plurality of jigs 27a, 27b are 1 unit (jig units 28a, 28 b) per each of the holding stages 25a, 25b, and are driven by a driving mechanism per unit. The jigs 27a and 27b may be driven up and down by driving mechanisms provided separately. The jig units 28a, 28b are fixed to the jig sliders 32a, 32b, and guide the jig sliders 32a, 32b in the Z direction through linear bushes 39a, 39b provided between the holding stages 25a, 25b of the substrate holding section 8 and the holding section upper plates 35a, 35 b. The clamp sliders 32a and 32b are fixed to the Z-lift slider 10 via driving shafts 34a and 34b penetrating the upper partition wall 3 a. The clamp sliders 32a, 32b can be driven in the Z direction by force generated from the electric cylinders 36a, 36b via the drive shafts 34a, 34 b.

When the jigs 27a, 27b descend to the lower ends, the jigs 27a, 27b come into contact with the surfaces of the substrates 5 placed on the holding claws 26a, 26b, and the substrates 5 are fixed between the holding surfaces of the holding claws 26a, 26b and the holding surfaces of the jigs 27a, 27 b. This is the state of fig. 6 (b). In order to hold the substrate 5 by applying a constant load to the jigs 27a and 27b, springs 29a and 29b for generating holding force (load) are disposed at the upper portions of the jigs 27a and 27 b. Further, rods 31a, 31b are present between the clamps 27a, 27b and the springs 29a, 29b, the clamps 27a, 27b being guided in the Z-direction. The springs 29a, 29b can adjust the overall length by changing the gap L by the load adjusting screw 30. Therefore, the pushing force (pressing force against the substrate) generated in the jigs 27a, 27b via the rods 31a, 31b can also be adjusted by the pushing amount of the springs 29a, 29b.

Next, an imaging device for simultaneously measuring the positions of the alignment marks in order to detect the positions of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a will be described. As shown in fig. 1 and 3, an imaging device 14, which is a position acquisition mechanism for acquiring the positions of the alignment marks (mask marks) on the mask 6a and the alignment marks (substrate marks) on the substrate 5, is disposed on the outer surface of the upper partition wall 3 a. In the upper partition wall 3a, a through hole for imaging, not shown, is provided on the camera optical axis so that the position of the alignment mark disposed in the chamber 4 can be measured by the imaging device 14. The imaging through hole is provided with a window glass or the like for maintaining the vacuum degree in the chamber. Further, by providing illumination, not shown, in or near the imaging device 14 and irradiating light near the alignment mark of the substrate and the mask, accurate measurement of the mark image can be performed.

A method of measuring the positions of the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 using the imaging device 14 will be described with reference to fig. 7 (a) to 7 (c).

Fig. 7 (a) is a view of the substrate 5 held by the substrate holding portion 8 when viewed from above. On the substrate 5, substrate marks 37a to 37d that can be measured by the imaging device 14 are formed at 4 corners of the substrate. The substrate marks 37a to 37d are measured simultaneously by the 4 imaging devices 14, and the translation amount and rotation amount of the substrate 5 are calculated from the positional relationship of 4 points, which is the center position of each substrate mark, so that the positional information of the substrate can be obtained.

Fig. 7 (b) is a view of the mask 6a from above. Mask marks 38a to 38d that can be measured by a camera are formed on four corners of the foil-shaped mask 6 a. The mask marks 38a to 38d are measured simultaneously by the 4 imaging devices 14a to 14d, and the translation amount, rotation amount, and the like of the mask 6a are calculated from the positional relationship of 4 points, which are the center positions of the mask marks, so that the positional information of the mask can be acquired.

Fig. 7 (c) is a diagram schematically showing the field of view 43 of the captured image when 1 group out of 4 groups of mask marks 38 and substrate marks 37 is measured by the imaging device 14. In this example, the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are measured simultaneously in the field of view 43 of the imaging device 14, and therefore the relative positions of the mark centers can be measured. The marker center coordinates can be obtained by an image processing device, not shown, based on the image obtained by the measurement by the imaging device 14. Note that, as the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37, a square or circular mark is shown, but the shape of the mark is not limited thereto. For example, a shape having an object property such as an x mark or a cross shape, which allows easy calculation of the center position, is preferably used.

In the case where alignment with high accuracy is required, a high-magnification CCD camera having high resolution capable of detecting a positional shift of several μm order is used as the imaging device 14. Since the field of view of such a high-magnification CCD camera is a few mm in diameter, if the positional displacement is large when the substrate 5 is placed on the holding claws 26, the substrate mark 37 deviates from the field of view, and measurement cannot be performed. Therefore, it is preferable that the imaging device 14 be provided with a low-magnification CCD camera having a wide field of view together with a high-magnification CCD camera. In this case, after rough alignment (rough alignment) is performed using a low-magnification CCD camera, position measurement of the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 is performed using a high-magnification CCD camera, and high-precision alignment (fine alignment) is performed so that the mask mark 38 and the substrate mark 37 simultaneously fall into the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera.

By using a high-magnification CCD camera as the imaging device 14, the relative position of the mask 6a and the substrate 5 can be adjusted with accuracy within a few μm of error. However, the imaging device 14 is not limited to a CCD camera, and may be a digital camera including a CMOS sensor as an imaging element, for example. In addition, even if a high-magnification camera and a low-magnification camera are not separately provided at the same time, measurement of high magnification and low magnification can be achieved with a camera capable of exchanging a high-magnification lens and a low-magnification lens, or with a single camera by using a zoom lens.

Based on the positional information of the mask 6a and the positional information of the substrate 5 acquired by the imaging device 14, the relative positional information of the mask 6a and the substrate 5 can be acquired. The relative position information is fed back to the control unit 50 of the alignment device, and the driving amounts of the respective driving units such as the Z lift slider 10, the rotary translation mechanism 11, and the substrate holding unit 8 are controlled.

(control System)

All the above mechanisms are controlled by the control unit 50. Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining a system block 200 for controlling a mechanism to be controlled by the control unit 50.

In fig. 15, as described above, the control unit 50 is configured by a processor, loads and executes a control program via a control program stored in a hard disk (HDD) 207 or an input/output interface (I/O) 206 via a network 209, and controls the operation of each mechanism unit to be controlled. The memory 206 is used for various data processing associated with operation control of each mechanism.

The control unit 50 controls the attitude control block 201, the Z-lift slider control block 202, the alignment block 203, and the substrate holding control block 204.

The alignment block 203 controls the rotation/translation mechanism 11 based on positional deviation information detected by the imaging device 14, and performs alignment between the substrate and the mark. The posture control block 201 controls the inclination of the substrate and the mask by a posture detection mechanism and a posture control mechanism. The Z lift slider control block 202 controls the Z lift slider 10 to lift and control the substrate holding unit 8 to lift and control the substrate toward the mask. The substrate holding control block 204 controls a substrate holding mechanism incorporated in the substrate holding section 8.

(substrate mounting method)

A series of operations of the vapor deposition apparatus, which is configured to mount a substrate on a substrate holding unit, align the substrate with a mask, and place the substrate on the mask, will be described below. This series of operations is performed by the control unit 50 executing a control program and controlling each control object in the configuration shown in the system block diagram of fig. 15.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure performed by the control unit 50 in the vapor deposition device according to the embodiment. Fig. 9 to 12 are schematic diagrams showing states of the substrate and the mask in each step of the flowchart of fig. 8. In the description of the present flow, the vapor deposition device 100 is provided with a low-magnification camera for rough alignment and a high-magnification camera for fine alignment as imaging devices.

First, in step S101, the substrate 5 mounted on a not-shown robot is carried into the chamber 4 through the gate valve 15, and is placed on the holding claws 26 on both sides of the substrate holding section as shown in fig. 9 (a). The holding claws 26a support the substrate along one side thereof, and the holding claws 26b support the substrate along a second side opposite to the one side.

In this step, in order to secure a sufficient working space for the robot, the distance H1 separating the upper surface of the holding claws 26 and the mask 6a is set to be sufficiently large. The substrate 5 mounted on the holding claws 26 is deflected by its own weight, and the shortest distance D1 between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a in the Z direction is shorter than H1. However, since H1 is set to be sufficiently large, the substrate 5 does not come into contact with the mask 6 a. (D1 > 0 if the substrate 5 is positioned above the mask 6a is positive).

Then, in step S102, as shown in fig. 9 (b), the clamp 27 disposed opposite to the holding claws 26 is driven to clamp (clamp) the substrate 5. Specifically, the force generated from the electric cylinder 36 is transmitted to the clamp slider 32 via the drive shaft 34, and the clamp slider 32 is driven in the Z direction. Then, the clamp unit 28 attached to the clamp slider 32 is lowered to contact the substrate 5, and the substrate 5 is clamped between the clamp unit and the holding claws 26. In this configuration, the jig 27a presses the substrate 5 toward the holding claw 26a, and the jig 27b presses the substrate toward the holding claw 26 b.

Then, in step S103, as shown in fig. 10 (a), the substrate 5 is lowered to a height at which photographing is performed by the low-magnification CCD camera. That is, the holding claws 26 are lowered, and the distance between the upper surfaces of the holding claws 26 and the mask 6a is shifted to H2 smaller than H1. (H1 > H2). Here, the substrate 5 deflected by its own weight is set to a height at which it does not contact the mask 6 a. Therefore, the shortest distance D2 between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a in the Z direction in this step satisfies (D1 > D2 > 0). The lifting operation of the substrate holding portion 8 for holding the substrate 5 is performed by lifting and lowering the Z lift slider 10 with respect to the Z lift table 13 by rotating the ball screw 20 by the motor 19.

Then, in step S104, the substrate mark 37 provided on the substrate 5 is photographed by a low-magnification CCD camera. The control unit 50 acquires positional information of the substrate 5 based on the captured image, and stores the positional information in the memory 206 or a memory in the control unit 50.

Step S105 is divided into a case where it is performed next to step S104 and a case where it is performed next to these S109 or S113 when the determination in step S109 or S113 is no.

In step S105, which is performed next to step S104, the substrate 5 is lowered to the position shown in fig. 10 (b), set to the alignment operation height, and the position of the substrate 5 is adjusted based on the position information acquired in step S104.

First, the distance between the upper surface of the spacing claw 26 and the mask 6a is changed to H3 (1 st height) smaller than that in step S104 with respect to the height of the substrate 5 (H2 > H3). Here, the position of the holding claws 26 is set to a height at which the substrate 5 deflected by its own weight does not contact the mask 6 a. If the shortest distance between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a in the Z direction in this step is D3, the distance relationship at this time is (D1 > D2 > D3 > 0).

In addition, step S105 and step S104 may be performed at the same height, in which case h2=h3, d2=d3 > 0.

In the alignment operation in step S105, which is performed next to step S104, the control unit 50 drives the alignment mechanism provided in the alignment apparatus 1 based on the positional information of the substrate 5 acquired in step S104. That is, the control unit 50 adjusts the position of the substrate 5 so that the substrate mark 37 of the substrate 5 is within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera. The relative position of the mask 6a and the high-magnification CCD camera is adjusted in advance so that the mask mark 38 is positioned within the field of view (preferably, the center of the field of view) of the high-magnification CCD camera with respect to the mask 6 a. Therefore, by the alignment operation in step S105 performed next to step S104, both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are adjusted to be within the field of view of the high-magnification CCD camera. At this time, the substrate mark may not be captured by the high-magnification CCD camera due to the depth of field. In addition, in the alignment operation, the substrate 5 is moved in the xyθz direction, but since the substrate 5 deflected by its own weight is moved at a height where it does not contact the mask 6a as described above, even if the relative movement amount of the mask 6a and the substrate 5 in the rough alignment operation is large, the surface of the substrate 5 or the formed film pattern does not slide with the mask 6a and is not damaged.

Then, in step S106, as shown in fig. 11 (a), the substrate 5 is lowered, and the substrate 5 is set to a height at which the high-magnification CCD camera performs photographing. That is, the holding claws 26a and 26b are lowered while the substrate 5 is held by the jigs 27a and 27b, and the distance between the upper surfaces of the holding claws 26a and 26b and the mask 6a is changed to H4 (the 2 nd height) smaller than H3. (H3 > H4).

Here, in order to focus the high-magnification CCD camera with a shallow depth of field on both the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 and take an image, the substrate 5 is brought close to the mask 6a until at least a part (deflected part) of the substrate 5 comes into contact with the mask 6a and the substrate mask contact portion 5c is present.

When a part of the substrate 5 is in contact with the mask 6a in this way, the friction force of the contact portion is large, and therefore, as the substrate 5 is further lowered, the substrate is further brought into contact with the mask, and the deflection of the substrate gradually decreases, and accordingly, a reaction force in the horizontal direction with respect to the substrate 5 is generated, and the reaction force is transmitted to the Z lift slider 10 via the substrate holding portion 8 and the substrate holding shaft 12, and there is a possibility that the positional relationship between the Z lift slider 10 and the Z lift table 13 changes (for example, the posture of the Z lift slider 10 is inclined). If the substrate 5 and the mask 6a are brought closer together in this state, the tilt also changes continuously, and the alignment may become unstable. The inclination is because the substrate mask abutting portion 5c, which is the abutting point where the substrate and the mask initially contact, is not necessarily determined depending on the substrate, and therefore, how the reaction force caused by this acts is also uncertain. The larger the substrate and mask are, the more significant the problem is.

Therefore, in the present invention, as described later, in the step after such contact occurs, the tilt of the Z lift slider 10 is measured, and the posture is adjusted so that the tilt (that is, the relative posture of the substrate holding portion 8 and the mask holding portion 9) is maintained at a constant level. Such posture control is performed within a range in which the substrate holding portion and the mask holding portion 9 reach a predetermined distance or less, which is a distance immediately before the substrate 5 and the mask 6a come into contact.

In order to satisfactorily perform the tilt calculation of the substrate holding unit 8 in the subsequent step, it is preferable that the positional relationship between the Z lift slider 10 and the Z lift table 13 is measured using the linear scale 52 before the sagging portion of the substrate 5 is brought into contact with the mask 6a in S106 and stored in the memory. For example, the measurement using the linear scale 52 may be started from S104 or S105, and the measurement may be performed as needed according to the change in the positional relationship between the Z lift table 13 and the Z lift slider 10 due to the Z lift.

Then, the process proceeds to step S107, and the posture of the Z-lift slider 10 is controlled to be in the on state. The step S107 is a characteristic action in the present invention. First, the movement of the Z lift slider 10 relative to the Z lift table 13 is detected by each of the linear scales 52a to 52c, and the posture (tilt) of the Z lift slider 10 is measured by the formulas (4) and (5) based on the information of the obtained linear scale. The 2-axis posture calculated here is stored, and the voice coil motor 51 shown in fig. 2 is turned on, that is, a thrust force for correcting the inclination by equations (1) to (3) is generated. That is, the posture feedback control for generating the restoring force according to the posture is turned on.

The step of measuring the posture of the Z-elevating slider 10 by the linear scale 52 is preferably performed immediately before the step of the next step S108.

In addition, in the case where the measurement of the linear scale 52 is performed in advance and the result is stored in the memory as described above, the stored measurement value immediately before the abutment and the measurement value after the abutment are compared, and thus the accuracy of calculation of the change in the inclination of the substrate holding portion 8 due to the abutment of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a can be improved.

Then, in step S108, the substrate mark 37 of the substrate 5 and the mask mark 38 of the mask 6a are simultaneously photographed by a high-magnification CCD camera. The control unit 50 acquires relative positional information between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a based on the captured image. The relative position information here specifically refers to information related to the distance between the center positions of the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 and the direction of the positional shift. Step S108 is a measurement step (measurement process) of acquiring relative positional information (relative positional displacement) between the substrate and the mask and measuring the positional displacement between the substrate and the mask.

As described above, the process of step S107 is more effective to be performed immediately before the present step S108. This is because the step of storing the posture when the relative position information of the substrate and the mask is acquired by the high-magnification CCD camera has an effect of aligning the substrate and the mask with high accuracy.

Then, in step S109, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the positional deviation amount of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a measured in step S108 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value is a value set in advance so that the amount of positional displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a falls within a range where there is no obstacle even when film formation is performed. The threshold value is set so that the required positional alignment accuracy of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a can be achieved. The threshold is set to a level within a few μm of the error, for example.

If it is determined in step S109 that the positional deviation amount between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a exceeds the predetermined threshold (no in step S109), the posture control of the linear scale 52 and the voice coil motor 51 is temporarily turned off, and the process returns to step S105 to execute the alignment operation and continues to step S106 and subsequent steps.

In step S105, which is executed when the determination in step S109 is no, the substrate 5 is raised to the position shown in fig. 10 b, set to the alignment operation height (1 st height), and the position of the substrate 5 is adjusted based on the relative position information acquired in step S108.

The distance between the upper surface of the spacing claw 26 and the mask 6a is changed to H3 (H3 > H4) larger than that in step S106 for the height of the substrate 5. At this time, the position of the holding claw 26 is set to D3 (D3 > 0), which is the height at which the substrate 5 deflected by its own weight does not contact the mask 6 a.

In the alignment operation performed when the determination in step S109 is no, the control unit 50 drives the alignment mechanism provided in the alignment apparatus 1 based on the relative position information of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a acquired in step S108. That is, the control unit 50 moves the substrate 5 in the xyθz direction to adjust the position so that the substrate mark 37 of the substrate 5 and the mask mark 38 of the mask 6a are in closer positional relationship.

In the alignment operation, the substrate 5 is moved in the xyθz direction, but since the substrate 5 deflected by its own weight as described above is moved at a height where it does not contact the mask 6a, the surface of the substrate 5 or the formed film pattern is not damaged by sliding with the mask.

Step S105 is an alignment step (alignment process) of moving the substrate so as to reduce the amount of positional displacement between the substrate and the mask, and if the determination in step S109 is no, fine alignment is performed.

If the determination at step S109 is no, the posture control is temporarily turned off, but the posture control is turned on again after the step at step S106, and the posture at this time is corrected to the posture acquired at step S107, which is stored first.

When it is determined in step S109 that the amount of positional deviation between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value (yes in step S109), the routine proceeds to step S110, where the Z lift slider 10 is lowered as shown in fig. 11 b, and the substrate 5 is placed on the mask 6 a. Here, in the present embodiment, the Z-stage slider 10 is lowered while maintaining the posture (inclination) of the Z-stage slider 10 measured by the linear scale 52 during the lowering.

The posture of the Z-lift slider 10 during the lowering is controlled by the control unit 50. That is, the control unit 50 converts the posture of the Z lift slider 10 into angles ωx and ωy indicating the inclination about the X axis and the inclination about the Y axis by the expressions (4) and (5) based on the positional information acquired by the 3 linear scales 52. Then, 3 voice coil motors 51 are instructed to correct the tilt about the X axis and the tilt about the Y axis to be constant during the descent.

For example, measurement by the linear scale 52 is performed at predetermined intervals, and when it is determined that the tilt has changed, the tilt is restored. The predetermined interval may be, for example, several Hz to several hundred Hz.

Further, since the inclination angle is very small, at the time of the final lowering, as shown in fig. 11 (b), the substrate 5 and the mask 6a abut on each other with the entire surface without any problem, and are in close contact with each other.

Then, in step S111, as shown in fig. 12, the holding claws 26 and the jigs 27 disposed opposite thereto are driven to release the substrate 5, and the substrate 5 is released.

When the substrate 5 is in the released state, the process proceeds to step S112, and the substrate mark 37 and the mask mark 38 are photographed by the high-magnification CCD camera, whereby the relative position information of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a is acquired.

Then, in step S113, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the positional deviation amount of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value, based on the relative positional information of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a acquired in step S112. The predetermined threshold is set in advance as a condition that the film is not obstructed even if the film is formed within the threshold.

If it is determined in step S113 that the amount of positional displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a exceeds the predetermined threshold (step S113: no), the holding claws 26 are raised to the height of the substrate 5, and the substrate is held by the jigs 27 on both sides. Further, the no determination may occur, for example, in a case where a positional shift occurs between step S109 to step S114 due to external vibration.

Then, the process returns to step S105 to perform an alignment operation. Thereafter, the processing of step S106 and thereafter is continued.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S113 that the amount of positional displacement between the substrate 5 and the mask 6a is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold (yes in step S113), the routine proceeds to step S114, where the posture control is turned off, and the alignment sequence is completed (end).

At the end of the flow of fig. 8, the substrate is set at a position suitable for forming a pattern by causing the vapor deposition material to fly toward the substrate 5 from the vapor deposition source 7 containing the vapor deposition material. Therefore, a film formation process is performed in which the vapor deposition material is flown from the vapor deposition source 7 toward the substrate to form a film.

Fig. 14 schematically shows a general layer structure of an organic EL element manufactured by an evaporation device. The organic EL element is formed by depositing an anode 2001, a hole injection layer 2002, a hole transport layer 2003, an organic light-emitting layer 2004, an electron transport layer 2005, an electron injection layer 2006, and a cathode 2007 in this order on a substrate 5. The vapor deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment is preferably used when it is necessary to align the substrate 5 and the mask 6a with high accuracy in the formation of each layer. The application scene of the device of the present embodiment is not limited to the film formation of the organic film, and may be a metal material, an oxide material, or the like.

According to the present embodiment, when the relative positions of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a are aligned, the linear scale 52 is used, so that the posture information (tilt) of the substrate holding portion 8 holding the substrate 5 before the substrate is brought into contact with the mask 6a can be obtained. Further, during the lowering of the Z lift slider 10 when the substrate 5 is placed on the mask 6a, the voice coil motor 51 is controlled in accordance with posture information (inclination) acquired before the substrate is contacted, and the posture of the substrate holding portion 8 can be maintained constant even after the substrate 5 is contacted with the mask 6 a. As a result, the positional relationship after alignment can be prevented from being shifted by the relative tilt of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a being changed during the lowering of the substrate 5, and therefore, highly accurate positional alignment of the substrate 5 and the mask 6a can be achieved.

Embodiment 2

Next, a manufacturing system embodying the present invention will be described. Fig. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a manufacturing system embodying the present invention, illustrating a manufacturing system 300 for manufacturing an organic EL panel.

The manufacturing system 300 includes a plurality of vapor deposition apparatuses 100, a plurality of transfer chambers 1101 to 1103, a substrate supply chamber 1105, a mask storage chamber 1106, a transfer chamber 1107, a glass supply chamber 1108, a bonding chamber 1109, a take-out chamber 1110, and the like. The vapor deposition devices 100 may form layers having different functions of the organic EL element. In this case, the vapor deposition material, mask, and the like are different depending on the vapor deposition apparatus. Each vapor deposition apparatus 100 includes an alignment apparatus 1 for adjusting the relative positions of the substrate and the mask, and can perform stable alignment and vapor deposition by the substrate placement method described in embodiment 1.

Each vapor deposition apparatus 100 may have one alignment device per chamber, or may have 2 or more alignment devices per chamber. For example, in the case of providing 2 alignment devices, the substrate that has been vapor deposited and the substrate that has not been vapor deposited can be carried out on the other alignment device side while vapor deposition is being performed on the substrate side by one alignment device, and the carried-in substrate can be aligned.

The substrate is supplied from the outside to the substrate supply chamber 1105. Robots 1120 as transport mechanisms are disposed in the transport chambers 1101 to 1103, respectively. Robot 1120 transports substrates between chambers. At least one of the plurality of vapor deposition devices 100 included in the manufacturing system 300 according to the present embodiment includes a vapor deposition source of an organic material. The plurality of vapor deposition devices 100 included in the manufacturing system 300 may be devices that form films of the same material, or may be devices that form films of different materials. For example, organic materials having different emission colors may be vapor-deposited in each vapor deposition apparatus. In the manufacturing system 300, a film of an inorganic material such as an organic material or a metal material is deposited on a substrate supplied from the substrate supply chamber 1105, thereby manufacturing an organic EL panel.

The robot 1120 conveys the mask, on which the film is deposited, used in each vapor deposition apparatus 100 to the mask stocker 1106. The mask can be cleaned by recovering the mask carried to the mask stocker 1106. The cleaned mask may be stored in the mask stocker 1106 and set in the vapor deposition device 100 by the robot 1120.

The glass material for sealing is supplied from the outside to the glass supply chamber 1108. In the bonding chamber 1109, a glass material for sealing is bonded to a film-forming substrate, thereby manufacturing an organic EL panel. The manufactured organic EL panel is taken out from the take-out chamber 1110.

As described in embodiment 1, when the Z lift slider is lowered after aligning the relative positions of the substrate and the mask, the vapor deposition apparatus included in the manufacturing system lowers the Z lift slider while maintaining the posture of the Z lift slider, and places the substrate on the mask.

Therefore, the vapor deposition device included in the present manufacturing system can improve the accuracy of the alignment operation and stably reproduce the alignment operation, and can provide a film forming system including a vapor deposition device in which the number of alignment operations performed before film formation is reduced.

In the present manufacturing system in which the alignment operation is extremely stable and high-speed, film formation can be performed on a large-area substrate with high accuracy and high speed, and therefore, an organic EL panel with high image quality can be manufactured with high yield and high productivity.

In this way, the present invention can be preferably implemented in a manufacturing system for manufacturing an organic EL element, but may also be implemented in a manufacturing system for manufacturing other devices. In manufacturing an electronic device, the time required for alignment can be reduced, the intermittent time can be shortened, and productivity can be improved.

Other embodiments

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the technical spirit of the present invention.

For example, the arrangement and the number of the substrate supporting portions for supporting the substrate, the mask holding portions for supporting the mask, or the alignment cameras are not limited to the examples of the above embodiments. The number of alignment marks and layout positions can be appropriately changed according to the size and weight of the substrate, the size and weight of the mask, and the like.

Description of the reference numerals

100: vapor deposition device, 1: alignment device, 8: substrate holding portion, 9: mask holding portion, 60: position alignment mechanism, 11: rotation translation mechanism, 10: z lifting slide block, 13: z elevating platform, 18: z guide, 50: control unit, 52: linear scale, 5: substrate, 6a: and (3) masking.

Claims

1. A film forming apparatus that forms a film on a surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding mechanism that supports the substrate;

a mask holding mechanism that supports the mask substantially parallel to the substrate;

a posture information acquisition means that acquires posture information indicating a posture of the substrate holding means with respect to the mask holding means; and

a posture control mechanism that controls a relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information,

the posture information acquisition means acquires, as the posture information, information indicating a tilt of the substrate holding means holding the substrate with respect to the mask holding means.

2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the posture control means adjusts the posture of the substrate holding means so that the substrate holding means maintains the inclination with respect to the mask holding means while the distance changing means brings the substrate holding means and the mask holding means close to each other in order to bring the substrate and the mask into close contact with each other.

3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the film forming apparatus has a chamber for performing the film forming,

the mask holding mechanism is disposed inside the chamber,

the in-plane moving mechanism and the distance changing mechanism are connected to the substrate holding mechanism, and the substrate is aligned with respect to the mask by moving the substrate holding mechanism using the in-plane moving mechanism and the distance changing mechanism,

the distance varying mechanism moves the substrate holding mechanism relative to the mask holding mechanism via a linear guide and a carriage,

the posture information acquisition means acquires a relative positional relationship of the linear guide and the carriage,

the posture control mechanism controls the posture of the substrate holding mechanism to maintain the relative positional relationship.

4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

the posture information acquisition means is a linear scale, and the posture control means is a voice coil motor.

5. A film forming apparatus that forms a film on a surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming apparatus comprising:

A substrate holding mechanism that supports the substrate;

a posture information acquisition means that acquires posture information indicating a relative posture of the substrate holding means and the mask holding means; and

a posture control mechanism that controls a relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information when the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism are moved in a relatively approaching direction by the distance change mechanism,

The posture control means controls the relative postures of the substrate holding means and the mask holding means so as to maintain the relative postures of the substrate holding means and the mask holding means at a constant level within a range in which the distance between the substrate holding means and the mask holding means is within a predetermined distance, when the substrate holding means and the mask holding means are brought close to each other by the distance changing means to a predetermined distance which is a distance immediately before the substrate and the mask are brought into contact with each other.

6. A film forming apparatus that forms a film on a surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding mechanism that supports the substrate;

the in-plane moving mechanism changes the relative positional relationship immediately before the substrate and the mask are brought into contact, and the posture control mechanism maintains the relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism after the change of the relative positional relationship.

7. A film forming apparatus that forms a film on a surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming apparatus comprising:

a substrate holding mechanism that supports the substrate;

the posture information is a tilt of the substrate holding mechanism with respect to the mask holding mechanism.

8. An information acquisition device mounted on a film forming device for forming a film on a surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming device including a substrate holding mechanism for holding the substrate, a mask holding mechanism for supporting the mask substantially parallel to the substrate, and a position alignment mechanism for aligning the substrate and the mask by moving at least one of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism,

The information acquisition device is provided with a posture information acquisition mechanism which acquires posture information indicating the posture of the substrate holding mechanism relative to the mask holding mechanism,

9. The information acquisition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein,

and a posture adjustment mechanism for adjusting the posture of the substrate holding mechanism.

10. A film forming method using a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a surface of a substrate through a mask, characterized in that,

the film forming method comprises the following steps:

a step of controlling the relative posture of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information,

11. A film forming method using a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a surface of a substrate through a mask, characterized in that,

the film forming method comprises the following steps:

a step of controlling the relative postures of the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism based on the posture information when the substrate holding mechanism and the mask holding mechanism are moved in a relatively approaching direction by the distance changing mechanism,

12. A film forming method using a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a surface of a substrate through a mask, characterized in that,

the film forming method comprises the following steps:

13. A film forming method using a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a surface of a substrate through a mask, characterized in that,

the film forming method comprises the following steps:

14. An alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate for film formation in a film forming apparatus, characterized in that,

the alignment method has:

15. An alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate for film formation in a film forming apparatus, characterized in that,

the alignment method has:

16. An alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate for film formation in a film forming apparatus, characterized in that,

the alignment method has:

17. An alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate for film formation in a film forming apparatus, characterized in that,

the alignment method has:

18. A manufacturing apparatus for an electronic device, characterized in that,

the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5 to 7, wherein the electronic device is manufactured by forming a film on the substrate by the film forming apparatus.

19. The apparatus for manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 18, wherein,

the electronic device is an electronic device provided with an organic EL element.

20. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising:

a step of performing positional alignment by controlling the relative posture of the substrate and the mask by the film forming method according to any one of claims 10 to 13; and

And a step of manufacturing an electronic device by forming a film on the substrate through the mask aligned in position with respect to the substrate.