Alignment apparatus, film-forming apparatus, alignment method, manufacturing method of electronic devices and storage medium

Abstract

This invention provides an alignment apparatus, a film-forming apparatus, an alignment method, a method for manufacturing an electronic device, and a storage medium, relating to the alignment of a substrate cut from a large substrate, capable of suppressing the influence on measurement accuracy caused by differences in the cut portion. The alignment apparatus includes: a substrate support member that supports a substrate obtained by cutting a large substrate; a distance adjustment member that adjusts the distance in the direction of gravity between the substrate support member and a mask support member that supports a mask; a measuring member that measures the positional offset between the substrate and the mask; and a position adjustment member that adjusts the relative position of the substrate and the mask, ensuring that the substrate and the mask coincide when the positional offset is within an acceptable range. The measurement operation is performed after adjusting the distance between the substrate and the measuring member based on substrate information related to a portion of the substrate in the large substrate before cutting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to alignment apparatus, film forming apparatus, alignment method, manufacturing method of electronic device and storage medium, and particularly to alignment technology of substrate and mask. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacture of organic EL displays, a mask is used to deposit a vapor-deposited material onto a substrate. As a pretreatment for film formation, the mask and substrate are aligned to ensure they overlap. During alignment, the positional offset between the substrate and the mask is measured, and the relative position of the substrate and the mask is adjusted based on the measurement results. Patent Document 1 discloses an alignment process to eliminate errors caused by the type of substrate, such as production substrates or non-production substrates.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-83311 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] Organic EL displays are manufactured by forming multiple layers on a substrate using various film-forming processes. Depending on the production line, sometimes a large substrate (also called the mother glass) is processed before a certain process, and then cut into multiple smaller substrates. In subsequent processes, these smaller substrates undergo film-forming and other processing. For example, in the manufacture of organic EL displays for smartphones, a large sixth-generation substrate (approximately 1500mm x 1850mm) undergoes film-forming processing in the backplane process (TFT formation process, anodizing process, etc.). This large substrate is then cut in half, becoming a sixth-generation half-cut substrate (approximately 1500mm x 925mm), and in subsequent processes, this sixth-generation half-cut substrate undergoes film-forming and other processing.

[0008] In this case, substrates with different cutting portions are sequentially fed into the alignment device of the film-forming apparatus used in a film-forming process following the dicing process, and alignment is performed. However, among the substrates cut from a large substrate, the characteristics of the substrate, such as size and rigidity distribution, can sometimes differ depending on which part of the large substrate it was cut from (e.g., whether it is the left half or the right half of the mother glass). Substrates with different characteristics may have different positions and deflection patterns when measuring the positional offset between the substrate and the mask, which can affect measurement accuracy. As a result, this can sometimes lead to deviations in alignment accuracy and timing between substrates.

[0009] This invention relates to the alignment of substrates cut from large substrates, and provides a technique that can suppress the influence on measurement accuracy caused by differences in the cut portions.

[0010] Technical solutions for solving the problem

[0011] According to the present invention, an alignment device is provided, the alignment device comprising:

[0012] A substrate support component that supports any one of a plurality of substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate.

[0013] A mask support component that supports the mask;

[0014] A distance adjustment component that adjusts the distance between the substrate support component and the mask support component in the direction of gravity;

[0015] The measuring component performs a measuring action to measure the positional offset between the substrate supported by the substrate support component and the mask supported by the mask support component;

[0016] A position adjustment component, wherein the position adjustment component performs a position adjustment action to adjust the relative position of the substrate and the mask; and

[0017] A control unit that controls the position adjustment unit and the distance adjustment unit.

[0018] With the positional offset within an acceptable range, the substrate and the mask are made to coincide with each other.

[0019] Its features are,

[0020] The alignment device includes an acquisition component that acquires substrate information related to a portion of the large substrate before slitting, on the substrate supported by the substrate support component.

[0021] After the distance adjustment component adjusts the distance between the substrate and the measuring component based on the substrate information, the measuring component performs the measurement operation.

[0022] Furthermore, according to the present invention, an alignment device is provided, the alignment device comprising:

[0023] A substrate support component that supports any one of a plurality of substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate.

[0024] A mask support component that supports the mask;

[0025] A distance adjustment component that adjusts the distance between the substrate support component and the mask support component in the direction of gravity;

[0026] The measuring component performs a measuring action to measure the positional offset between the substrate supported by the substrate support component and the mask supported by the mask support component;

[0027] A position adjustment component, wherein the position adjustment component performs a position adjustment action to adjust the relative position of the substrate and the mask; and

[0028] A control unit that controls the position adjustment unit and the distance adjustment unit.

[0029] With the positional offset within an acceptable range, the substrate and the mask are made to coincide with each other.

[0030] Its features are,

[0031] The alignment device includes an acquisition component that acquires substrate information related to a portion of the large substrate before slitting, on the substrate supported by the substrate support component.

[0032] The measuring component performs the measurement action by adjusting the distance between the substrate and the measuring component based on the substrate information obtained by the acquiring component.

[0033] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a film-forming apparatus is provided, characterized in that...

[0034] The film-forming apparatus includes:

[0035] The aforementioned alignment device; and

[0036] A film-forming component that forms a film on the substrate via the mask.

[0037] Furthermore, according to the present invention, an alignment method is provided, the alignment method comprising:

[0038] The substrate support process involves supporting any one of the multiple substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate.

[0039] The measurement process involves using a measuring component to measure the positional offset between the substrate and the mask.

[0040] A position adjustment step, following the measurement step, involves adjusting the relative position of the substrate and the mask; and

[0041] In the overlap process, the substrate and the mask are overlapped while the positional offset is within an acceptable range.

[0042] Its features are,

[0043] The alignment method also has the following features:

[0044] The acquisition process includes acquiring substrate information related to a portion of the large substrate before slicing, of the substrate on which the positional offset measurement is performed; and

[0045] In the distance adjustment process, based on the substrate information obtained in the acquisition process, the distance between the substrate and the measuring component is adjusted.

[0046] The measurement process is performed after the distance adjustment process.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the present invention, an alignment method comprises:

[0048] The substrate support process involves supporting any one of the multiple substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate.

[0049] The measurement process involves using a measuring component to measure the positional offset between the substrate and the mask.

[0050] A position adjustment step, following the measurement step, involves adjusting the relative position of the substrate and the mask; and

[0051] In the overlap process, the substrate and the mask are overlapped while the positional offset is within an acceptable range.

[0052] Its features are,

[0053] The alignment method further includes an acquisition step, in which substrate information related to a portion of the large substrate before segmentation is acquired for the measurement of the positional offset.

[0054] In the measurement process, based on the substrate information obtained in the acquisition process, the distance between the substrate and the measuring component is made different, and the position offset is measured.

[0055] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a method for manufacturing an electronic device is provided, characterized in that,

[0056] The method for manufacturing the electronic device includes:

[0057] The alignment process involves aligning the substrate and the mask using the aforementioned alignment method; and

[0058] In the film-forming process, a film is formed on the substrate via the mask whose relative position has been adjusted through the alignment process.

[0059] In addition, according to the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a program for causing a computer to perform the above-described alignment method.

[0060] The effects of the invention

[0061] According to the present invention, regarding the alignment of substrates cut from a large substrate, a technique can be provided that can suppress the influence on measurement accuracy caused by differences in the cut-out portions. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a part of an electronic device production line.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a film-forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram of the substrate support unit.

[0065] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram of the adjustment unit.

[0066] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram of the measurement unit.

[0067] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a large substrate and a cut substrate.

[0068] Figure 7 (A) and (B) are illustrative diagrams showing examples of the effects on the properties of the substrate.

[0069] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a control processing example.

[0070] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a control processing example.

[0071] Figure 10 (A) to (C) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the alignment device.

[0072] Figure 11 (A) to (C) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the alignment device.

[0073] Figure 12 (A) to (C) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the alignment device.

[0074] Figure 13 (A) to (C) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the alignment device.

[0075] Figure 14 (A) and (B) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the alignment device.

[0076] Figure 15 (A) is an overall view of an organic EL display device, and (B) is a view showing the cross-sectional structure of a pixel.

[0077] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0078] 1 Film forming apparatus, 2 Alignment apparatus, 5 Mask stage (mask support component), 6 Substrate support unit (substrate support component), 8 Second measurement unit (measurement component), 141 Processing unit (control component, acquisition component), 142 Storage unit (storage component), 20 Position adjustment unit (position adjustment component), 22 Distance adjustment unit (distance adjustment component), 100 Substrate, 101 Mask. Detailed Implementation

[0079] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments do not limit the technical solutions of the claims. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features can be arbitrarily combined. Moreover, in the drawings, the same or identical structures are labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0080] <Production Line of Electronic Components>

[0081] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a portion of the structure of an electronic device production line to which the film-forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied. Figure 1 In production lines, for example, for manufacturing display panels for organic EL display devices used in smartphones, substrate 100 is sequentially transported to film deposition module 301, and organic EL film is deposited on substrate 100.

[0082] In the film-forming module 301, a plurality of film-forming chambers 303a-303d for film-forming the substrate 100 and a mask storage chamber 305 for storing the mask before and after use are arranged around a transport chamber 302, which has an octagonal shape when viewed from above. A transport robot (transporting component) 302a for transporting the substrate 100 is arranged in the transport chamber 302. The transport robot 302a includes a hand that holds the substrate 100 and a multi-joint arm that moves the hand in the horizontal direction. In other words, the film-forming module 301 is a cluster-type film-forming unit in which a plurality of film-forming chambers 303a-303d are arranged around the transport robot 302a. Furthermore, the film-forming chambers 303a-303d are collectively referred to as film-forming chamber 303 when no distinction is made.

[0083] Along the transport direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100, a buffer chamber 306, a rotation chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308 are respectively arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the film deposition module 301. During manufacturing, each chamber is maintained in a vacuum state. Furthermore, in Figure 1 Only one film-forming module 301 is illustrated, but the production line of this embodiment has multiple film-forming modules 301, which are connected by a connecting device consisting of a buffer chamber 306, a rotary chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308. Furthermore, the structure of the connecting device is not limited to this; for example, it may consist of only the buffer chamber 306 or the transfer chamber 308.

[0084] The transport robot 302a performs the following operations: moving the substrate 100 from the upstream transfer chamber 308 to the transport chamber 302; transporting the substrate 100 between the film forming chambers 303; transporting the mask between the mask storage chamber 305 and the film forming chamber 303; and moving the substrate 100 from the transport chamber 302 to the downstream buffer chamber 306.

[0085] The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber used to temporarily store substrates 100 according to the operating status of the production line. The buffer chamber 306 is equipped with a multi-layered substrate storage shelf (also referred to as a box) and a lifting mechanism. The multi-layered substrate storage shelf can store multiple substrates 100 while maintaining a horizontal state with the processed surface (film-forming surface) of the substrate 100 facing downwards in the direction of gravity. The lifting mechanism raises and lowers the substrate storage shelf to match the layer into which the substrate 100 is moved or removed with the transport position. Thus, multiple substrates 100 can be temporarily accommodated and retained in the buffer chamber 306.

[0086] The rotary chamber 307 is equipped with a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the rotary chamber 307 rotates the orientation of the substrate 100 by 180 degrees using a transport robot installed in the rotary chamber 307. The transport robot installed in the rotary chamber 307 rotates 180 degrees while supporting the substrate 100 received from the buffer chamber 306 and delivers it to the transfer chamber 308, thereby exchanging the front and rear ends of the substrate in the buffer chamber 306 and the transfer chamber 308. As a result, the orientation of the substrate 100 when it is moved into the film deposition chamber 303 is the same in each film deposition module 301, thus making the scanning direction of film deposition relative to the substrate S and the orientation of the mask consistent in each film deposition module 301. With such a structure, the orientation of the mask placed in the mask storage chamber 305 in each film deposition module 301 is consistent, which simplifies mask management and improves usability.

[0087] The production line control system includes a host device 300 that controls the entire production line as the main unit, and control devices 14a-14d, 309, and 310 that control various structures. These devices can communicate via wired or wireless communication line 300a. Control devices 14a-14d are provided corresponding to film-forming chambers 303a-303d and control the film-forming apparatus 1, which will be described later. Furthermore, control devices 14a-14d are referred to collectively, or, if no distinction is made, as control device 14.

[0088] Control device 309 controls the handling robot 302a. Control device 310 controls the device in the rotary chamber 307. The host device 300 sends information related to the substrate 100, handling timing, and other instructions to each control device 14, 309, and 310. Each control device 14, 309, and 310 controls its respective structure based on the received instructions.

[0089] <Overview of the film-forming device>

[0090] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of a film-forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The film-forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus for forming a film of a vapor-deposited material on a substrate 100, using a mask 101 to form a thin film of the vapor-deposited material with a predetermined pattern. The material of the substrate 100 in which the film is formed in the film-forming apparatus 1 can be suitably selected from materials such as glass, resin, and metal, and preferably a material on which a resin layer such as polyimide is formed. The vapor-deposited material can be an organic material, an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.), etc. The film-forming apparatus 1 can be applied, for example, to manufacturing apparatuses for electronic devices and optical components such as display devices (flat panel displays, etc.), thin-film solar cells, and organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin-film imaging elements), and particularly to manufacturing apparatuses for organic EL panels. In the following description, an example of film formation on a substrate 100 by vacuum vapor deposition using the film-forming apparatus 1 will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various film-forming methods such as sputtering or CVD can be applied. Furthermore, in each figure, arrow Z indicates the vertical direction (direction of gravity), and arrows X and Y indicate mutually orthogonal horizontal directions.

[0091] The film-forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 3. The internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inactive gas atmosphere such as nitrogen. In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber 3 is connected to a vacuum pump (vacuum exhaust component) not shown. Furthermore, in this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with a gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; in other words, it refers to a depressurization state. Inside the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3, there is a substrate support unit 6 (substrate support component) that supports the substrate 100 in a horizontal orientation, a mask stage 5 (mask support component) that supports the mask 101, a film-forming unit 4, and a plate unit 9. The mask 101 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern formed on the substrate 100, and is fixed on the mask stage 5. As the mask 101, a mask having a structure in which a mask foil with a thickness of about a few μm to tens of μm is welded and fixed on a frame-shaped mask frame can be used. The material of the mask 101 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a metal with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, such as Invar alloy. The film formation process is performed with the substrate 100 placed on the mask 101 and the substrate 100 and the mask 101 overlapping each other.

[0092] The plate unit 9 includes a cooling plate 10 and a magnet plate 11. The cooling plate 10 is suspended below the magnet plate 11 in a manner that allows it to be displaced relative to the magnet plate 11 in the Z direction. The cooling plate 10 is a plate used to contact the side (back side) opposite to the film-forming surface of the substrate 100 during film formation and to clamp the substrate 100 between itself and the mask 101. The cooling plate 10 has the function of cooling the substrate 100 during film formation by contacting the back side of the substrate 100.

[0093] Furthermore, the cooling plate 10 is not limited to actively cooling the substrate 100 by means of a water-cooling mechanism, etc., but can also be a plate-shaped member that absorbs heat from the substrate 100 by contact with it even without a water-cooling mechanism. The cooling plate 10 can also be called a pressure plate. The magnetic plate 11 is a plate that attracts the mask 101 by magnetic force and is placed above the substrate 100, improving the adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during film formation. The film formation unit 4 is composed of a heater, a baffle, a drive mechanism for the evaporation source, an evaporation rate monitor, etc., and is an evaporation source that deposits the vapor deposition material onto the substrate 100. More specifically, in this embodiment, the film formation unit 4 is a linear evaporation source in which a plurality of nozzles (not shown) are arranged in the X direction and the vapor deposition material is discharged from each nozzle. The evaporation source is reciprocated in the Y direction (depth direction of the device) by means of an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown).

[0094] Alignment device

[0095] The film forming apparatus 1 includes an alignment device 2 for aligning the substrate 100 and the mask 101. The alignment device 2 includes a substrate support unit 6 for supporting the periphery of the substrate 100. In addition... Figure 2 In addition, refer to Figure 3 Please provide an explanation. Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram of the substrate support unit 6, and is a perspective view thereof. The substrate support unit 6 includes a rectangular frame-shaped base portion 60 and a plurality of claw-shaped mounting portions 61 and 62 protruding inward from the base portion 60. The mounting portions 61 and 62 are sometimes referred to as "receiving claws" or "finger-like members". The plurality of mounting portions 61 are spaced apart on the long side of the base portion 60, and the plurality of mounting portions 62 are spaced apart on the short side of the base portion 60. The peripheral portion of the substrate 100 is mounted on each mounting portion 61, 62. The base portion 60 is suspended from the beam member 222 by a plurality of support columns 64a.

[0096] In addition, Figure 3 In the example, the base portion 60 is a seamless rectangular frame that surrounds the outer periphery of the rectangular substrate 100, but it is not limited to this and may also be a rectangular frame with partial cuts. By providing cuts in the base portion 60, the transport robot 302a can avoid the base portion 60 and back away when transferring the substrate 100 from the transport robot 302a to the mounting portion 61 of the substrate support unit 6, thereby improving the efficiency of transporting and transferring the substrate 100.

[0097] The substrate support unit 6 also includes a clamping unit 63 (clamping portion). The clamping unit 63 includes a plurality of clamping portions 66. Each clamping portion 66 is provided corresponding to each mounting portion 61, and the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 can be held by clamping the clamping portion 66 and the mounting portion 61. As a support form for the substrate 100, in addition to the form in which the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 is held by clamping the clamping portion 66 and the mounting portion 61, it is also possible to adopt a form in which the substrate 100 is placed only on the mounting portion 61 and the mounting portion 62 without providing the clamping portion 66.

[0098] The clamping unit 63 also includes a support member 65 that supports a plurality of clamping portions 66. The support member 65 extends along the long side of the base portion 60. The support member 65 is connected to the actuator 64 via a shaft R3. The shaft R3 extends upward from the support member 65 through an opening formed in the beam member 222 and an opening formed in the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3. The actuator 64 is, for example, an electric cylinder, which performs clamping and releasing of the peripheral portion of the base plate 100 based on the clamping portions 66 and the mounting portion 61 by raising and lowering the support member 65. The clamping unit 63 includes two sets of support members 65, shaft R3 and actuator 64.

[0099] The alignment device 2 includes a position adjustment unit 20 (position adjustment component), which adjusts the relative position of the mask 101 and the substrate 100 whose peripheral portion is supported by the substrate support unit 6. In addition to Figure 2 In addition, refer to Figure 4 Please provide an explanation. Figure 4 This is a perspective view (partial perspective view) of the position adjustment unit 20. The position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 by displacing the substrate support unit 6 in the XY plane. That is, the position adjustment unit 20 can also be described as a unit that adjusts the horizontal position of the mask 101 and the substrate 100. The position adjustment unit 20 is capable of displacing the substrate support unit 6 in the rotational directions about the axes in the X, Y, and Z directions. In this embodiment, the position of the mask 101 is fixed and the substrate 100 is displaced to adjust their relative position, but the adjustment can be performed by displacing the mask 101 or by displacing both the substrate 100 and the mask 101.

[0100] The position adjustment unit 20 includes a fixed plate 20a, a movable plate 20b, and a plurality of actuators 201 disposed between these plates. The fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b are rectangular frame-shaped plates, and the fixed plate 20a is fixed to the upper wall 30 of the vacuum chamber 3. In this embodiment, four actuators 201 are provided and located at the four corners of the fixed plate 20a.

[0101] Each actuator 201 includes a motor 2011 as a drive source, a slider 2013 movable along a guide 2012, a slider 2014 disposed on the slider 2013, and a rotating body 2015 disposed on the slider 2014. The driving force of the motor 2011 is transmitted to the slider 2013 via a transmission mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism, causing the slider 2013 to move along the linear guide 2012. The rotating body 2015 is supported on the slider 2014 in a manner that allows it to move freely in a direction orthogonal to the slider 2013. The rotating body 2015 has a fixed part fixed to the slider 2014 and a rotating part that can rotate freely about an axis in the Z direction relative to the fixed part, and a movable plate 20b is supported on the rotating part.

[0102] Of the four actuators 201, the sliders 2013 of the two actuators 201 located diagonally opposite each other on the fixed plate 20a move in the X direction, while the sliders 2013 of the remaining two actuators 201 move in the Y direction. By combining the movements of the sliders 2013 of the four actuators 201, the movable plate 20b can be displaced relative to the fixed plate 20a in rotational directions about axes in the X, Y, and Z directions. For example, the displacement can be controlled based on the detection results of sensors such as rotary encoders that detect the rotation of each motor 2011.

[0103] A frame-like platform 21 is mounted on the movable plate 20b, and a distance adjustment unit 22 (first lifting unit) and a second lifting unit 13, which serve as distance adjustment components, are supported on the platform 21. When the movable plate 20b is displaced, the platform 21, the distance adjustment unit 22, and the second lifting unit 13 are displaced as a whole.

[0104] The distance adjustment unit 22 adjusts the distance between the substrate support unit 6 and the mask stage 5 by raising and lowering the substrate support unit 6, thereby bringing the mask 101 closer to and separating (separating) from the substrate 100, whose peripheral portion is supported by the substrate support unit 6, in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. In other words, the distance adjustment unit 22 is a contact component that brings the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer together in the overlapping direction or separates them in the opposite direction. Furthermore, the "distance" adjusted by the distance adjustment unit 22 is the so-called vertical distance (or vertical distance), and the distance adjustment unit can also be described as a unit that adjusts the vertical position of the mask 101 and the substrate 100. In this embodiment, since the distance adjustment unit 22 is a unit that raises and lowers the substrate 100, it is also referred to as a "substrate raising and lowering unit". Figure 2As shown, the distance adjustment unit 22 includes a first lifting plate 220. A guide rail 21a extending in the Z direction is formed on the side of the frame 21, and the first lifting plate 220 can move freely up and down in the Z direction along the guide rail 21a. The actuator 64 of the clamping unit 63 is supported on the first lifting plate 220. The beam member 222 of the substrate support unit 6, which is located inside the vacuum chamber 3, is connected to the first lifting plate 220 located outside the vacuum chamber 3 via multiple shafts R1, and moves up and down integrally with the first lifting plate 220. The shafts R1 extend upward from the beam member 222 and are connected to the first lifting plate 220 through the opening of the upper wall portion 30. Since the first lifting plate 220 is a plate that moves up and down integrally with the substrate support unit 6 that supports the substrate 100, it is also called a "substrate lifting plate".

[0105] The distance adjustment unit 22 also includes a drive unit 221 supported on the frame 21 and used to raise and lower the first lifting plate 220. The drive unit 221 is a mechanism that uses a motor 221a as a drive source and transmits its driving force to the first lifting plate 220. In this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism with a ball screw shaft 221b and a ball nut 221c is used as the transmission mechanism. The ball screw shaft 221b extends in the Z direction and rotates about an axis in the Z direction using the driving force of the motor 221a. The ball nut 221c is fixed to the first lifting plate 220 and meshes with the ball screw shaft 221b. By rotating the ball screw shaft 221b and switching its rotation direction, the first lifting plate 220 can be raised and lowered in the Z direction. For example, the raising and lowering amount of the first lifting plate 220 can be controlled based on the detection results of sensors such as rotary encoders that detect the rotation amount of each motor 221a. Therefore, the Z-direction position of the mounting portions 61 and 62 of the support substrate 100 can be controlled, and the contact and separation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be controlled.

[0106] Furthermore, while the distance adjustment unit in this embodiment fixes the position of the mask stage 5 and moves the substrate support unit 6 to adjust their distance in the Z direction, it is not limited to this. The position of the substrate support unit 6 can be fixed while the mask stage 5 is moved for adjustment, or both the substrate support unit 6 and the mask stage 5 can be moved to adjust their distance.

[0107] The second lifting unit 13 lifts the plate unit 9, which is connected to the second lifting plate 12 and disposed inside the vacuum chamber 3, by lifting the second lifting plate 12 disposed outside the vacuum chamber 3. The plate unit 9 is connected to the second lifting plate 12 via a plurality of shafts R2. The shafts R2 extend upward from the magnet plate 11 and are connected to the lifting plate 12 through the openings of the beam member 222, the openings of the upper wall portion 30, the openings of the fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b, and the opening of the lifting plate 220. The second lifting unit 13 is also referred to as a "cooling plate lifting unit" or "magnetic plate lifting unit", and the second lifting plate 12 is also referred to as a "cooling plate lifting plate" or "magnetic plate lifting plate".

[0108] The second lifting plate 12 can move freely up and down in the Z direction along the guide shaft 12a. The second lifting unit 13 has a drive mechanism supported on the frame 21 and for raising and lowering the second lifting plate 12. The drive mechanism of the second lifting unit 13 is a mechanism that uses the motor 13a as a drive source and transmits its driving force to the second lifting plate 12. As the transmission mechanism, in this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism with a ball screw shaft 13b and a ball nut 13c is used. The ball screw shaft 13b extends along the Z direction and rotates about the Z-axis by the driving force of the motor 13a. The ball nut 13c is fixed to the second lifting plate 12 and meshes with the ball screw shaft 13b. By rotating the ball screw shaft 13b and switching its rotation direction, the second lifting plate 12 can be raised and lowered in the Z direction. For example, the lifting amount of the second lifting plate 12 can be controlled based on the detection results of sensors such as rotary encoders that detect the rotation amount of each motor 13a. Therefore, the position of the plate unit 9 in the Z direction can be controlled, and the contact and separation between the plate unit 9 and the substrate 100 can be controlled.

[0109] The openings of the upper wall portion 30 through which each shaft R1 to R3 passes have a size that allows each shaft R1 to R3 to move in the X and Y directions. In order to maintain the airtightness of the vacuum chamber 3, the openings of the upper wall portion 30 through which each shaft R1 to R3 passes are covered by a bellows or the like.

[0110] The alignment device 2 includes a measurement unit (first measurement unit 7 and second measurement unit 8 (measurement component)) for measuring the positional offset between the mask 101 and the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 at its periphery. In addition... Figure 2 In addition, refer to Figure 5 Please provide an explanation. Figure 5This is an explanatory diagram of the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8, showing the measurement configuration of the positional offset between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. In this embodiment, both the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 are imaging devices (cameras) for capturing images. The first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 are disposed above the upper wall portion 30 and are capable of capturing images of the vacuum chamber 3 through a window (not shown) formed in the upper wall portion 30.

[0111] A substrate coarse alignment mark 100a and a substrate fine alignment mark 100b are formed on the substrate 100, and a mask coarse alignment mark 101a and a mask fine alignment mark 101b are formed on the mask 101. Hereinafter, the substrate coarse alignment mark 100a is sometimes referred to as substrate coarse mark 100a, the substrate fine alignment mark 100b is sometimes referred to as substrate fine mark 100b, and both are referred to as substrate marks. In addition, the mask coarse alignment mark 101a is sometimes referred to as mask coarse mark 101a, the mask fine alignment mark 101b is sometimes referred to as mask fine mark 101b, and both are referred to as mask marks.

[0112] A coarse substrate mark 100a is formed at the center of the short side of the substrate 100. A fine substrate mark 100b is formed at the four corners of the substrate 100. A coarse mask mark 101a is formed at the center of the short side of the mask 101, corresponding to the coarse substrate mark 100a. Similarly, fine mask marks 101b are formed at the four corners of the mask 101, corresponding to the fine substrate mark 101b.

[0113] Four second measurement units 8 (8a-8d) are provided to capture images of the corresponding fine markings 100b on the substrate and fine markings 101b on the mask (four sets in this embodiment). The second measurement unit 8 is a high-magnification CCD camera (fine camera) with a relatively narrow field of view but high resolution (e.g., on the order of a few μm), which measures the positional offset between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 with high precision. One first measurement unit 7 is provided to capture images of the corresponding coarse markings 100a on the substrate and coarse markings 101a on the mask (two sets in this embodiment).

[0114] The first measurement unit 7 is a low-magnification CCD camera (coarse camera) with a relatively wide field of view but low resolution, used to measure the approximate positional offset between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. Figure 5 The example shows a structure in which two sets of substrate rough markings 100a and mask rough markings 101a are photographed together using a first measurement unit 7, but it is not limited to this. Similar to the second measurement unit 8, two first measurement units 7 can also be provided at positions corresponding to each set, so as to photograph each set of substrate rough markings 100a and mask rough markings 101a respectively.

[0115] In this embodiment, after the position adjustment (first alignment) of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement results of the first measurement unit 7, the precise position adjustment (second alignment) of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement results of the second measurement unit 8.

[0116] Here, in order to improve the accuracy of the alignment-based position adjustment, it is required to improve the detection accuracy of each mark by the measuring unit. Therefore, as the second measuring unit 8 (fine camera) used in the second alignment (fine alignment) for position adjustment requiring high accuracy, it is preferable to use a camera capable of acquiring images at high resolution. However, when the camera resolution is increased, the depth of field becomes shallower. Therefore, in order to simultaneously photograph the mark formed on the substrate 100 and the mark formed on the mask 101, which are the subjects of the photograph, it is necessary to bring the two marks closer together in the optical axis direction of the second measuring unit 8.

[0117] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the substrate fine mark 100b and the mask fine mark 101b are detected during the second alignment, the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are brought close together until the substrate 100 partially contacts the mask 101. Since the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 is supported, the central portion becomes bent due to its own weight. Therefore, typically, the central portion of the substrate 100 partially contacts the mask 101.

[0118] Furthermore, in the first alignment (coarse alignment), the substrate coarse mark 100a and the mask coarse mark 101a are detected and the positions of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are adjusted while the substrate 100 is separated from the mask 101. In the first alignment, by using the first measurement unit 7 (coarse camera) with a greater depth of field, alignment can be performed while the substrate 100 is separated from the mask 101. In this embodiment, the first alignment is performed to roughly adjust the position while the substrate 100 is separated from the mask 101, and then a second alignment with higher positional precision is performed.

[0119] Therefore, in the second alignment, when the substrate 100 and mask 101 are brought close together and in contact for the purpose of detecting the mark, since the relative positions of the substrate 100 and mask 101 have been adjusted to a certain extent, the pattern of the film formed on the substrate 100 and the opening pattern of the mask 101 are in contact in a state of being neatly arranged to a certain extent. Therefore, damage to the film formed on the substrate 100 caused by the contact between the substrate 100 and mask 101 can be reduced.

[0120] That is, by combining and performing a first alignment that substantially adjusts the position while the substrate 100 is separated from the mask 101, as in this embodiment, and a second alignment that includes a process of partially contacting the substrate 100 and the mask 101, damage to the film formed on the substrate 100 can be reduced, and high-precision position adjustment can be achieved. Details of the first and second alignments will be described later.

[0121] The control device 14 controls the entire film-forming apparatus 1. The control device 14 includes a processing unit (control unit) 141, a storage unit 142, an input / output interface (I / O) 143, and a communication unit 144. The processing unit 141 is a processor, such as a CPU, that executes the program stored in the storage unit 142 and controls the film-forming apparatus 1. The storage unit 142 is a storage device (storage unit) such as ROM, RAM, or HDD, which stores various control information in addition to the program executed by the processing unit 141. The I / O 143 is an interface for transmitting and receiving signals between the processing unit 141 and external devices. The communication unit 144 is a communication device that communicates with the host device 300 or other control devices 14, 309, 310, etc., via the communication line 300a. The processing unit 141 receives information from or sends information to the host device 300 via the communication unit 144. In addition, all or part of the control devices 14, 309, 310 and the host device 300 can also be composed of PLC, ASIC and FPGA.

[0122] <Substrate>

[0123] In this embodiment, the substrate 100 is a cut substrate cut from a large substrate. Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an example of a large substrate and a cut substrate. The large substrate MG is a sixth-generation full-size (approximately 1500mm × approximately 1850mm) mother glass with a rectangular shape. An orientation plane OF is formed at a corner of a portion of the large substrate MG to determine its orientation.

[0124] Furthermore, an example is shown here of forming an orientation plane OF by cutting off only one of the four corners of a large substrate MG, but this is not a limitation. It is also possible to form an orientation plane OF by cutting off all four corners, but cutting off only one corner, which is larger than the other corners. In this case, the portion cut into a shape different from the other corners can be understood as the orientation plane OF.

[0125] As described above, for example, in the manufacturing of organic EL displays for smartphones, a sixth-generation full-size large substrate MG is subjected to film deposition in the backplane process (TFT formation process, anodizing process, etc.). Afterwards, the large substrate MG is cut in half (cutting process), and the resulting sixth-generation half-cut substrate 100 (approximately 1500mm × approximately 925mm) is fed into the film deposition module 301 for organic layer deposition in the production line of this embodiment. The substrate 100 fed into the film deposition module 301 is either one of two types of segmented substrates obtained by cutting the large substrate MG, which in this embodiment is substrate 100A or substrate 100B. For the large substrate MG, substrate 100A and substrate 100B are obtained by cutting the large substrate MG using a cutting line CTL located at a distance L from a reference edge that serves as one of its sides. Figure 1 In the illustrated production line, substrates 100A and 100B are mixed together, transported as substrate 100, and subjected to various processes.

[0126] Furthermore, it is assumed here that the large substrate MG is cut in half, but it is not limited to this. It is acceptable to cut the large substrate MG into multiple substrates of approximately the same size. For example, the large substrate MG may be divided into four substrates 100 and then placed into the film forming module 301.

[0127] There are cases where substrates 100A and 100B have different characteristics, such as dimensions and rigidity distribution. For example, substrate 100A is a substrate with a short side length of L, but the short side length of substrate 100B is not measured, resulting in a difference in the short side length between substrates 100A and 100B. Furthermore, substrate 100B has an orientation plane OF, but substrate 100A does not. The magnitude of residual stress at the cut surface also differs between substrates 100A and 100B. Additionally, the cut surface is located on the right side in substrate 100A and on the left side in substrate 100B, indicating different locations.

[0128] The different characteristics of such substrates can sometimes affect the measurement of substrate 100 during alignment. Figure 7 (A) and Figure 7 (B) is its explanatory diagram. Figure 7(A) illustrates the downward deflection of a substrate 100 supported by a substrate support unit 6. The central portion of the substrate 100, supported at its periphery, deflects downward due to its own weight. Depending on the characteristics of the substrate 100, the amount of deflection H varies. When the substrate 100 is in contact with the mask 101, this difference in the amount of deflection H affects the relative position of the second measuring unit 8 and the substrate fine mark 100b on the substrate 100. For example, when the amount of deflection H is large, compared to when the amount of deflection H is small, the contact area between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 increases, and the overall deformation of the substrate 100 increases. As a result, the position (height) of the substrate fine mark 100b in the Z direction changes. Even when the substrate 100 is not in contact with the mask 101, the position (height) of the periphery of the substrate 100 may change depending on the magnitude of the amount of deflection H. If the distance between the second measuring unit 8 and the fine marking 100b on the substrate 100 changes due to the deflection H, the fine marking 100b may deviate from the depth of field of the second measuring unit 8, resulting in a decrease in image clarity. If the image clarity decreases, the position detection accuracy will decrease when analyzing the acquired image and detecting the position of the fine marking 100b.

[0129] Regarding Figure 7 (A) Different substrates 100, Figure 7 (B) illustrates the location where the deflection of the substrate 100 reaches its maximum. If the rigidity of the substrate 100 is uniformly distributed, then relative to the width W0 of the substrate 100 (with one side's position set to 0 and the other side's position set to W0), the location W1 where the deflection reaches its maximum is as follows: Figure 7 As shown in (A), W1 = 1 / 2·W0, but if there is a deviation in the rigidity distribution, then as in the example shown, W1 ≠ 1 / 2·W0. When the substrate 100 is in contact with the mask 101, the difference in the position where the deflection reaches its maximum can be a major cause of the variation in the distance between the second measuring unit 8 and the substrate fine mark 100b of the substrate 100. In particular, when the position where the deflection reaches its maximum is significantly offset from the center of the substrate 100, the distance between each of the multiple substrate fine marks 100b and the corresponding second measuring unit 8 may differ for each substrate fine mark 100b. For example, in this embodiment, the distance between the second measuring unit 8a and the substrate fine mark 100b corresponding to the four second measuring units 8a to 8d may sometimes differ from the distance between the second measuring unit 8c and the substrate fine mark 100b corresponding to the second measuring unit 8c.

[0130] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described below, alignment control is performed corresponding to the portion from which the large substrate MG is cut from the substrate 100, particularly adjusting the position of the substrate 100 in the Z direction. This allows the distance between the substrate 100 and the second measuring unit 8 to be changed depending on the portion from which the substrate 100 is cut, enabling measurement at a distance suitable for that portion.

[0131] <Control Example>

[0132] An example of the control of the film-forming apparatus 1 performed by the processing unit 141 of the control device 14 will be described. Figure 8 and Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the processing unit 141. Figures 10-14 This is a diagram illustrating the operation of alignment device 2.

[0133] In step S1, the processing unit 141 obtains substrate information of the substrate 100 to be processed next (acquisition step). The substrate information includes location information (in this embodiment, substrate 100A or substrate 100B) related to the location from which the large substrate MG will be cut from the substrate 100. In other words, this information is related to the relative position within the large substrate MG before being divided, and is also referred to as "cutting information" or "cutting details". In this way, the processing unit 141 functions as an acquisition member that obtains information related to which position of the large substrate MG the substrate 100 will be cut from.

[0134] In this embodiment, the substrate information is managed by the host device 300. The host device 300 stores substrate information that establishes a correspondence between the identification information of each substrate 100 and the location information of that substrate 100 (substrate 100A or substrate 100B, also referred to as "cutting information"). Furthermore, when the host device 300 instructs the control device 14 or the like to process the substrate 100, the substrate information is sent to the control device 14 or the like, which is the destination of the instruction. In step S1, the processing unit 141 obtains the substrate information by receiving the substrate information from the host device 300 via the communication unit 144. In addition, the host device 300 can obtain the substrate information, for example, from a cutting device (substrate slitting device) that cuts a large substrate MG, other devices arranged upstream of the film deposition apparatus 1 in the production line, or devices outside the production line, or it can obtain the substrate information by accepting input from the production line operator.

[0135] In step S2, the substrate 100 is transported into the vacuum chamber 3 using the handling robot 302a, and the substrate 100 is supported on the substrate support unit 6. The substrate 100 is supported above the mask 101 by the substrate support unit 6 and is maintained in a state separated from the mask 101. Alignment of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed in steps S2 and S3.

[0136] In step S3, a first alignment is performed. Here, based on the measurement results of the first measurement unit 7, the approximate positions of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are adjusted. Figure 10 (A) ~ Figure 10 (C) schematically illustrates the alignment action of step S3. Figure 10 (A) shows the configuration when measuring the substrate coarse mark 100a and the mask coarse mark 101a using the first measuring unit 7. The peripheral portion of the substrate 100 is placed on the mounting portions 61 and 62 and is clamped between the mounting portion 61 and the clamping portion 66. The central portion of the substrate 100 flexes downward due to its own weight. The board unit 9 is on standby above the substrate 100.

[0137] The relative positions of the substrate coarse mark 100a and the mask coarse mark 101a are measured using the first measuring unit 7. If the measurement result (positional offset between substrate 100 and mask 101) is within the allowable range, the first alignment is completed. If the measurement result is outside the allowable range, a control quantity (displacement of substrate 100) is set based on the measurement result to bring the positional offset within the allowable range. Furthermore, in the following description, "positional offset" includes not only the amount of positional offset itself but also the direction of positional offset. The amount of positional offset referred to here is the distance between substrate 100 and mask 101 in the projection diagram (vertical projection) obtained by projecting substrate 100 and mask 101 relative to the same plane in the Z direction; it refers to the so-called horizontal distance. The position adjustment unit 20 is activated based on the set control quantity. Thus, as... Figure 10 As shown in (B), the substrate support unit 6 is displaced in the XY plane to adjust the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101.

[0138] For example, it is possible to determine whether the measurement result is within the acceptable range by calculating the distance between the corresponding substrate rough mark 100a and the mask rough mark 101a, and comparing the average or sum of squares of these distances with a preset threshold. Alternatively, similar to the second alignment case described later, it is also possible to calculate the ideal position (mask rough mark target position) of each mask rough mark 101a for aligning the substrate 100 and the mask 101 based on the substrate rough mark 100a corresponding to each mask rough mark 101a. Furthermore, it is also possible to determine whether the measurement result is within the acceptable range by calculating the distance between the corresponding mask rough mark 101a and the mask rough mark target position, and comparing the average or sum of squares of these distances with a preset threshold.

[0139] After adjusting the relative positions, such as Figure 10As shown in (C), the relative positions of the substrate coarse mark 100a and the mask coarse mark 101a are measured again using the first measuring unit 7. If the measurement result is within the acceptable range, the first alignment ends. If the measurement result is outside the acceptable range, the relative position of the substrate 100 relative to the mask 101 is adjusted again. Thereafter, the measurement and relative position adjustment are repeated until the measurement result is within the acceptable range. During the first alignment, the substrate 100 is always separated from the mask 101 from above. Therefore, the substrate 100 is maintained in a state separated from the mask 101 until the initial second alignment is performed (described later).

[0140] At the end of the first alignment, Figure 8 In step S4, a second alignment is performed. Here, based on the measurement results of the second measuring unit 8, precise positional adjustment is made between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. Details will be described later.

[0141] At the end of the second alignment, Figure 8 In step S5, the substrate 100 is placed on the mask 101. Here, the driving unit 221 is driven, and the substrate support unit 6 is lowered, as shown... Figure 13 (A) shows the control that aligns the substrate 100 with the mask 101. Specifically, the substrate support unit 6 is lowered so that the height of the upper surfaces (substrate support surfaces) of the mounting portions 61 and 62 of the substrate support unit 6 is the same as the height of the upper surface of the mask 101. Thus, the substrate 100 is placed on the mask 101, becoming a state supported by the substrate support unit 6 and the mask 101. In this state, the entire surface of the substrate 100 to be processed is in contact with the mask 101.

[0142] Next, the second lifting unit 13 is driven to lower the plate unit 9, as follows: Figure 13 (B) The cooling plate 10 is brought into contact with the substrate 100 as shown. Then, the second lifting unit 13 is driven to lower the magnet plate 11 relative to the cooling plate 10 while maintaining the height of the cooling plate 10, as shown. Figure 10 (C) The magnet plate 11 is brought close to the substrate 100 and the mask 101 as shown. By bringing the magnet plate 11 close to the mask 101, the magnetic force of the magnet plate 11 can be used to attract the mask 101 and make the mask 101 in close contact with the substrate 100.

[0143] exist Figure 8 In step S6, the clamping of the periphery of the substrate 100 is released, and a final measurement (also known as "pre-film formation measurement") is performed based on the second measurement unit 8. During the release of the clamping, the actuator 64 is driven, such as... Figure 14(A) The clamping part 66 is raised from the periphery of the substrate 100 as shown. Then, the substrate support unit 6 can be further lowered to separate it from the substrate. This allows the substrate 100 to be in contact only with the mask 101 and the cooling plate 10. In the final measurement, the positional offset between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is measured using the second measuring unit 8. Figure 14 (B) shows the configuration when measuring the substrate fine mark 100b and the mask fine mark 101b using the second measuring unit 8. The relative positions of the four sets of substrate fine marks 100b and mask fine marks 101b are measured using the four second measuring units 8.

[0144] In step S7, it is determined whether the final measurement result (positional offset between substrate 100 and mask 101) from step S6 is within the allowable range. If it is within the allowable range, proceed to step S8; if it is outside the allowable range, return to step S4 and perform the second alignment again. When returning to step S4, the following actions are required: clamp the periphery of substrate 100 again, raise the board unit 9 to separate it from substrate 100, and raise substrate 100. Furthermore, the determination of whether the measurement result is within the allowable range can be performed in the same way as in steps S3 and S4.

[0145] exist Figure 8 In step S8, a film formation process is performed. Here, a thin film is formed on the lower surface of the substrate 100 via a mask 101 using the film formation unit 4. At the end of the film formation process, in step S9, the substrate 100 is removed from the vacuum chamber 3 using a handling robot 302a. The process is then completed through the above steps.

[0146] <Second Alignment>

[0147] The second alignment process in step S4 will be explained. Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the second alignment process in step S4. The second alignment process is as follows: repeatedly performing measurement / position adjustment actions that include measurement actions (steps S11, S12) and position adjustment actions (steps S14, S15) until the measurement results in the measurement actions are within the allowable range.

[0148] In step S11, a proximity action is performed to bring the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer together in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. Here, the driving unit 221 is driven and the substrate support unit 6 is lowered, so that the substrate 100 and the mask 101 come into partial contact.

[0149] Figure 11(A) illustrates an example of a proximity action. The substrate 100 descends to a height where its downwardly flexed central portion contacts the mask 101. The portion of the substrate 100 other than its central portion separates from the mask 101. By bringing the substrate 100 close to the mask 101 until the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are in partial contact, it is possible to simultaneously capture images of the substrate fine mark 100b formed on the substrate 100 and the mask fine mark 101b formed on the mask 101 using a second measurement unit with a shallow depth of field, and to measure the positional offset.

[0150] Furthermore, by making the substrate 100 partially contact the mask 101 instead of the entire substrate 100 during measurement, it is possible to minimize damage to the thin film already formed on the substrate 100 due to contact with the mask 101.

[0151] When lowering the substrate support unit 6, based on step S1 ( Figure 8 The substrate information obtained from the measurement unit is used to control its position in the Z direction. Therefore, based on the portion of the substrate 100 cut from the large substrate MG, the position of the substrate support unit 6 in the Z direction is adjusted; in other words, the position of the substrate 100 in the Z direction is adjusted. This adjusts the distance between the substrate 100, particularly the area of ​​the substrate 100 where the fine substrate markings 100b are formed, and the second measurement unit 8.

[0152] In this embodiment, distance adjustment information 142a, corresponding to the substrate information, is stored in the storage unit 142. Distance adjustment information 142a is control information used to reduce the variation in distance between the second measuring unit 8 and the substrate fine mark 100b of the substrate 100 caused by the cutting portion of the substrate 100. For example, it is the coordinate information of the position in the Z direction where the substrate support unit 6 is lowered. The storage unit 142 stores multiple distance adjustment information 142a corresponding to the number of substrates 100 cut from a large substrate MG (i.e., the number of cuts). In this embodiment, the large substrate MG has two portions, and for distance adjustment information 142a, the storage unit 142 stores distance adjustment information corresponding to substrate information A (substrate 100A) and distance adjustment information corresponding to substrate information B (substrate 100B).

[0153] Furthermore, the distance adjustment information 142a stored in the storage unit 142 corresponding to a cut-out portion may not be a single coordinate information of the position of the substrate support unit 6 in the Z direction. For example, the substrate support unit 6 may be configured to allow the plurality of claw-shaped mounting portions 61 and 62 constituting the substrate support unit 6 to rise and fall independently in the Z direction. In such a case, the distance adjustment information 142a may also include coordinate information of the position of each of the plurality of mounting portions 61 and 62 in the Z direction. Thus, the height of the plurality of claw-shaped mounting portions 61 and 62 can be adjusted individually based on the distance adjustment information 142a. As a result, even when the heights of the plurality of substrate fine marks 100b change respectively, the height of the area of ​​the substrate 100 where the substrate fine marks 100b are formed can be adjusted individually, and the distance between the substrate fine marks 100b and the second measuring unit can be made consistent.

[0154] Processing unit 141 reads and in step S1 ( Figure 8 The distance adjustment information 142a corresponding to the substrate information obtained from the computer is used to control the distance adjustment unit 22 according to the read distance adjustment information 142a, so that the substrate support unit 6 is lowered to the target position. The distance adjustment information 142a can be set in advance through testing, etc.

[0155] exist Figure 9 In step S12, the positional offset between the locally contacting substrate 100 and mask 101 is measured using the second measurement unit 8. Figure 11 (B) shows the configuration when measuring the substrate fine markings 100b and mask fine markings 101b using the second measuring unit 8. Four second measuring units 8 are used to measure the relative positions of the four sets of substrate fine markings 100b and mask fine markings 101b. In this embodiment, in step S11, the height of the substrate fine markings 100b on the substrate 100 is adjusted by adjusting the position of the substrate support unit 6 in the Z direction according to the cutting portion of the substrate 100 from the large substrate MG. Therefore, higher precision measurements can be performed on both substrates 100A and 100B.

[0156] In step S12, after measuring the substrate fine marks 100b using the second measuring unit 8, the target positions (mask fine mark target positions) of the four mask fine marks 101b corresponding to the four substrate fine marks 100b are calculated based on the measurement results. Here, the mask fine mark target positions are set as the ideal positions that each mask fine mark 101b should be in in order to align the substrate 100 with the mask 101, and are calculated based on the design dimensions of the position of each mark.

[0157] Furthermore, in step S12, if the substrate fine mark 100b in the image obtained by the second measurement unit 8 is not clear, a search operation (search operation) can be performed within the depth of field of the second measurement unit 8 to find the height of the substrate support unit 6 into which the substrate fine mark 100b enters. During the search operation, the substrate support unit 6 is raised and lowered to change its position in the Z direction, and images are acquired multiple times using the second measurement unit 8. Then, the images are analyzed sequentially, and based on trends in sharpness and contrast, the height of the substrate support unit 6 that yields a higher-resolution image is found and determined. After the search operation, the height of the substrate support unit 6 discovered as a result of the search operation can be updated to new distance adjustment information 142a and stored in the storage unit 142. In the case of such processing (update processing), the processing unit 141 functions as an update component for updating the distance adjustment information 142a.

[0158] exist Figure 9 In step S13, it is determined whether the measurement result (positional offset between substrate 100 and mask 101) in step S12 is within the allowable range. Here, for example, for each of the four sets of substrate fine marks 100b and mask fine marks 101b, the distance between the target position of the mask fine mark calculated in step S12 and the position of the mask fine mark 101b is calculated. Then, the average or sum of squares of the calculated distances is compared with a preset threshold. If the distance is below the threshold, it is determined to be within the allowable range; if the distance exceeds the threshold, it is determined to be outside the allowable range. If the determination result of step S13 is within the allowable range, the second alignment ends; if it is outside the allowable range, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0159] In step S14, a separation action is performed to separate the substrate 100 from the mask 101 in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. Here, the drive unit 221 is driven and the substrate support unit 6 is raised to separate the substrate 100 from the mask 101. Figure 11 (C) shows an example of the separation operation. The substrate 100 rises to a height where its downwardly flexed central portion does not contact the mask 101. The substrate 100 separates from the mask 101, and the substrate 100 no longer contacts the mask 101. By separating the substrate 100 from the mask 101, damage to the thin film already formed on the substrate 100 can be avoided during the subsequent position adjustment operation in step S17, as this could be prevented from rubbing against the mask 101.

[0160] exist Figure 9In step S15, based on the measurement results of step S12, a position adjustment operation is performed to adjust the relative position of the substrate 100 and the mask 101. Here, the displacement amount of the substrate 100 is set based on the measurement results of step S12, and the adjustment unit 20 is activated based on the set displacement amount. Thus, as Figure 12 As shown in (A), the substrate support unit 6 is displaced in the XY plane to adjust the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101.

[0161] When the process in step S15 ends, return to step S11 and repeat the same process. That is, in Figure 12 After the position adjustment action of (A), such as Figure 12 As shown in (B), the approach action (step S11) is performed again, causing the substrate 100 to descend to a height where the center of the substrate 100 contacts the mask 101. Then, as... Figure 12 As shown in (C), the measurement is performed again (step S12) to measure the positional offset between the locally contacting substrate 100 and the mask 101.

[0162] As described above, in this embodiment, in step S11, the distance in the Z direction between the substrate support unit 6 and the mask stage 5 is adjusted according to the cut-out portions (substrate 100A, 100B) of the substrate 100 in the large substrate MG. This allows for measurement while suppressing variations in the distance between the second measurement unit 8 and the substrate fine mark 100b of the substrate 100 caused by the cut-out portions. As a result, measurement accuracy is improved, and deviations in alignment accuracy and timing caused by differences in the cut-out portions are suppressed.

[0163] <Methods for Manufacturing Electronic Devices>

[0164] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device will be described. Hereinafter, as an example of an electronic device, the structure and manufacturing method of an organic EL display device will be illustrated. In this example, Figure 1 The film-forming module 301 is exemplified by having three locations on the production line.

[0165] First, let me describe the organic EL display device to be manufactured. Figure 15 (A) is an overall view showing the organic EL display device 50. Figure 15 (B) is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of a pixel.

[0166] like Figure 15 As shown in (A), a plurality of pixels 52, each equipped with a plurality of light-emitting elements, are arranged in a matrix in the display area 51 of the organic EL display device 50. Details will be described later, but each light-emitting element has a structure having an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes.

[0167] Furthermore, the term "pixel" as used herein refers to the smallest unit capable of displaying a desired color within the display area 51. In the case of a color organic EL display device, pixel 52 is constructed by a combination of multiple sub-pixels, namely a first light-emitting element 52R, a second light-emitting element 52G, and a third light-emitting element 52B, which emit different colors. Pixel 52 is typically constructed by a combination of three sub-pixels: red (R) light-emitting elements, green (G) light-emitting elements, and blue (B) light-emitting elements, but is not limited thereto. Pixel 52 may contain at least one sub-pixel, preferably two or more sub-pixels, and more preferably three or more sub-pixels. For example, the sub-pixels constituting pixel 52 may be a combination of four sub-pixels: red (R) light-emitting elements, green (G) light-emitting elements, blue (B) light-emitting elements, and yellow (Y) light-emitting elements.

[0168] Figure 15 (B) is Figure 15 (A) is a partial cross-sectional view at line AB. Pixel 52 has multiple sub-pixels on substrate 53 composed of organic EL elements. The organic EL elements include a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole transport layer 55, any one of a red layer 56R, a green layer 56G, or a blue layer 56B, an electron transport layer 57, and a second electrode (cathode) 58. The hole transport layer 55, red layer 56R, green layer 56G, blue layer 56B, and electron transport layer 57 are equivalent to organic layers. The red layer 56R, green layer 56G, and blue layer 56B are respectively formed into patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue light.

[0169] Furthermore, the first electrode 54 is formed separately for each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 55, the electron transport layer 57, and the second electrode 58 can be formed either shared across multiple light-emitting elements 52R, 52G, and 52B, or they can be formed separately for each light-emitting element. That is, as shown... Figure 15 As shown in (B), it is also possible that, based on the hole transport layer 55 being formed as a shared layer across multiple sub-pixel regions, the red layer 56R, green layer 56G, and blue layer 56B are formed separately according to each sub-pixel region, and then the electron transport layer 57 and the second electrode 58 are formed as a shared layer across multiple sub-pixel regions on top of it.

[0170] Furthermore, to prevent short circuits between the adjacent first electrodes 54, an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54. Moreover, since the organic EL layer can deteriorate due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 60a is provided to protect the organic EL element from the effects of moisture and oxygen.

[0171] exist Figure 15In (B), the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are represented by a single layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, they may be formed by multiple layers having a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer. Alternatively, a hole injection layer with a band structure that allows for smooth injection of holes from the first electrode 54 to the hole transport layer 55 may be formed between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55. Similarly, an electron injection layer may also be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57.

[0172] Each of the red layer 56R, green layer 56G, and blue layer 56B can be formed either by a single emitting layer or by stacking multiple layers. For example, the red layer 56R can be composed of two layers, with the red emitting layer forming the upper layer and a hole transport layer or an electron blocking layer forming the lower layer. Alternatively, the red emitting layer can form the lower layer, and an electron transport layer or a hole blocking layer can form the upper layer. By setting layers on the lower or upper side of the emitting layer in this way, the emitting position of the emitting layer can be adjusted, and by adjusting the optical path length, the color purity of the emitting element can be improved.

[0173] Furthermore, an example of red layer 56R is shown here, but the same structure can also be used in green layer 56G and blue layer 56B. Additionally, the number of layers can be two or more. Moreover, layers of different materials can be stacked, such as light-emitting layers and electron-blocking layers, or layers of the same material can be stacked, for example, by stacking two or more light-emitting layers.

[0174] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described. Here, it is assumed that the red layer 56R is composed of two layers, the lower layer 56R1 and the upper layer 56R2, and the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B are composed of a single light-emitting layer.

[0175] First, a circuit (not shown) for driving an organic EL display device and a substrate 53 on which a first electrode 54 is formed are prepared. Furthermore, the material of the substrate 53 is not particularly limited and can be made of glass, plastic, metal, etc. In this embodiment, a substrate on which a polyimide film is laminated on a glass substrate is used as the substrate 53.

[0176] A resin layer such as acrylic or polyimide is coated onto the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed by rod coating or spin coating. The resin layer is patterned by photolithography to form an opening in the area where the first electrode 54 is formed, and an insulating layer 59 is formed. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting area where the light-emitting element actually emits light. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the large substrate is processed before forming the insulating layer 59, and a dicing process is performed to divide the substrate 53 after forming the insulating layer 59.

[0177] A substrate 53 with a patterned insulating layer 59 is moved into a first film-forming chamber 303, and a hole transport layer 55 is formed on the first electrode 54 of the display area as a common layer. The hole transport layer 55 is formed using a mask with openings in each display area 51 of the panel portion that ultimately becomes an organic EL display device.

[0178] Next, the substrate 53 to which the hole transport layer 55 is formed is moved into the second film deposition chamber 303. Alignment is performed between the substrate 53 and the mask, and the substrate is placed on the mask. A red layer 56R is formed on the portion of the hole transport layer 55 where the red light-emitting element of the substrate 53 is disposed (the region forming the red sub-pixel). Here, the mask used in the second film deposition chamber is a high-precision mask with openings formed only in the regions of the substrate 53 that become red sub-pixels, among the multiple regions that become sub-pixels in the organic EL display device. Therefore, the red layer 56R containing the red light-emitting layer is formed only in the regions of the multiple sub-pixels on the substrate 53 that become red sub-pixels. In other words, the red layer 56R is selectively formed only in the regions of the multiple sub-pixels on the substrate 53 that become red sub-pixels, without forming blue or green sub-pixels.

[0179] Similar to the deposition of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G is deposited in the third deposition chamber 303, and the blue layer 56B is deposited in the fourth deposition chamber 303. After the deposition of the red layer 56R, green layer 56G, and blue layer 56B is completed, the electron transport layer 57 is deposited over the entire display area 51 in the fifth deposition chamber 303. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a common layer on the three color layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

[0180] The substrate to which the electron transport layer 57 is formed is moved to the sixth film deposition chamber 303, where the second electrode 58 is deposited. In this embodiment, each layer is deposited by vacuum evaporation in the first to sixth film deposition chambers 303. However, the present invention is not limited to this; for example, the second electrode 58 in the sixth film deposition chamber 303 can also be deposited by sputtering. Afterward, the substrate to which the second electrode 68 is formed is moved to a sealing device, where the protective layer 60a is deposited by plasma CVD (sealing process), and the organic EL display device 50 is completed. Furthermore, while the protective layer 60a is formed by CVD, it is not limited to this method; it can also be formed by ALD or inkjet printing.

[0181] Here, for film deposition in the first to sixth film deposition chambers 303, a mask with openings corresponding to the patterns of each layer to be formed is used for film deposition. During film deposition, after adjusting (aligning) the relative positions of the substrate 53 and the mask, the substrate 53 is placed on the mask and film deposition is performed. Here, the alignment process performed in each film deposition chamber is performed as described above.

[0182] <Other Implementation Methods>

[0183] In the above embodiment, the distance adjustment information 142a is stored in the storage unit 142 of each control device 14. However, it is also possible that the distance adjustment information 142a is stored separately in the host device 300 for each control device 14, and each control device 14 obtains the distance adjustment information 142a from the host device 300 via communication.

[0184] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the distance between the substrate 100 and the second measuring unit 8 in the Z direction based on substrate information is adjusted during the second alignment, but this can also be performed during the first alignment. During the first alignment, the distance between the substrate rough mark 100a and the first measuring unit 7 may differ due to variations in the amount of deflection of the substrate 100 caused by the cutting portion and the position of maximum deflection. Therefore, by also adjusting the distance during the first alignment, the measurement accuracy can be improved.

[0185] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the distance between the substrate 100 and the second measuring unit 8 in the Z direction is adjusted by adjusting the position of the substrate support unit 6 in the Z direction, but this is not a limitation. The distance between the substrate 100 and the second measuring unit 8 in the Z direction can also be adjusted by adjusting the position of the mask stage 5 (which serves as a mask support member) in the Z direction, or by adjusting the positions of both the substrate support unit 6 and the mask stage 5 in the Z direction. By adjusting the position of the mask stage 5 in the Z direction, the size of the contact area between the mask 101 and the substrate 100 can be changed, thereby allowing adjustment of the distance between the substrate 100 and the second measuring unit 8 in the Z direction.

[0186] In addition, in the above embodiment, during the second alignment, the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are partially brought into contact and the positional offset is measured, but the measurement can also be performed in a non-contact manner with both sides close to each other.

[0187] In addition, in the above embodiment, the control device 14 obtains the substrate information from the host device 300 (step S1). However, the substrate information can also be obtained from the control device 309 that controls the handling robot 302a via communication, for example.

[0188] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the control device 14 obtains substrate information from the host device 300 via communication (step S1). However, for the substrate information, for example, each substrate 100 may be pre-assigned a code representing substrate information, and the control device 14 obtains the substrate information by reading the code. The code reading unit is electrically connected to the control device 14 and can be configured in the film deposition chamber 303 or provided in the film deposition apparatus 1.

[0189] The present invention can also be implemented by supplying a program that implements one or more functions of the above embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. Alternatively, the present invention can also be implemented by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0190] This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An alignment device, comprising: a substrate support member that supports a peripheral portion of any one of a plurality of substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate; a mask support member that supports a mask; a distance adjustment member that adjusts a distance between the substrate support member and the mask support member in a gravitational direction; a measurement member that performs a measurement operation of measuring a positional displacement between the substrate supported by the substrate support member and the mask supported by the mask support member; a position adjustment member that performs a position adjustment operation of adjusting a relative position between the substrate and the mask; and a control member that controls the position adjustment member and the distance adjustment member, wherein the substrate and the mask are made to coincide with each other in a case where the positional displacement is within an allowable range, and wherein the alignment device comprises an acquisition member that acquires substrate information about a position in the large substrate before division, of a substrate supported by the substrate support member, and the measurement member performs the measurement operation after the distance adjustment member adjusts the distance between the substrate and the measurement member based on the substrate information and according to a difference in a deflection amount caused by a difference in a length of a side of a substrate.

2. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the distance adjustment member moves the substrate support member in the gravitational direction based on the substrate information, and adjusts the distance between the substrate and the measurement member.

3. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the distance adjustment member moves the mask support member in the gravitational direction based on the substrate information, and adjusts the distance between the substrate and the measurement member.

4. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support member supports a peripheral portion of the substrate, the measurement member performs the measurement operation in a state where the substrate and the mask are locally in contact with each other by the distance adjustment member, and the position adjustment member performs the position adjustment operation in a state where the substrate and the mask are separated from each other by the distance adjustment member.

5. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement operation and the position adjustment operation are repeatedly performed until the positional displacement becomes within the allowable range.

6. The alignment device according to claim 4, wherein the substrate support member includes a clamping portion that clamps at least a portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate.

7. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the alignment device comprises a storage member that stores distance adjustment information in which the substrate information is associated, and the control member reads out the distance adjustment information corresponding to the substrate information from the storage member, and controls the distance adjustment member in accordance with the read distance adjustment information. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 8. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the position adjustment member moves the substrate support member to adjust the relative position.

9. The alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement member is a camera that takes an image of an alignment mark of the substrate and an alignment mark of the mask.

10. An alignment device comprising: a substrate support member that supports a peripheral portion of any one of a plurality of substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate; a mask support member that supports a mask; a distance adjustment member that adjusts a distance between the substrate support member and the mask support member in a direction of gravity; a measurement member that performs a measurement operation of measuring a positional displacement between the substrate supported by the substrate support member and the mask supported by the mask support member; a position adjustment member that performs a position adjustment operation of adjusting a relative position of the substrate and the mask; and a control member that controls the position adjustment member and the distance adjustment member, causes the substrate and the mask to coincide with each other when the positional displacement is within an allowable range, characterized in that the alignment device includes an acquisition member that acquires substrate information about a portion in the large substrate before division, of a substrate supported by the substrate support member, the measurement member performs the measurement operation based on the substrate information acquired by the acquisition member and according to a difference in a deflection amount caused by a difference in a length of a side of a substrate, so that a distance between the substrate and the measurement member differs.

11. The alignment device according to claim 10, wherein the distance adjustment member moves the substrate support member in the direction of gravity based on the substrate information to adjust the distance between the substrate and the measurement member.

12. The alignment device according to claim 10, wherein the distance adjustment member moves the mask support member in the direction of gravity based on the substrate information to adjust the distance between the substrate and the measurement member.

13. The alignment device according to claim 10, wherein the substrate support member supports a peripheral portion of the substrate, the measurement member performs the measurement operation in a state where the substrate and the mask are brought into partial contact by the distance adjustment member, the position adjustment member performs the position adjustment operation in a state where the substrate and the mask are separated by the distance adjustment member.

14. The alignment device according to claim 10, wherein the measurement operation and the position adjustment operation are repeatedly performed until the positional displacement becomes within the allowable range.

15. The alignment device according to claim 13, wherein the substrate support member includes a clamping portion that clamps at least a portion of the peripheral portion of the substrate. ​ 16. The alignment device according to claim 10, wherein the alignment device comprises a storage section that stores distance adjustment information in association with the substrate information, the control section reads out the distance adjustment information corresponding to the substrate information from the storage section, and controls the distance adjustment section in accordance with the read distance adjustment information.

17. The alignment device according to claim 10, wherein the position adjustment section moves the substrate support section to adjust the relative position.

18. The alignment device according to claim 10, wherein the measurement section is a camera that captures an alignment mark of the substrate and an alignment mark of the mask.

19. A film formation device, comprising: the alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 18; and a film formation section that forms a film on the substrate via the mask.

20. An alignment method, comprising: a substrate support process of supporting a peripheral portion of any one of a plurality of substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate; a measurement process of measuring a positional displacement amount of the substrate and a mask using a measurement section; a position adjustment process of adjusting a relative position of the substrate and the mask after the measurement process; and an alignment process of aligning the substrate and the mask with each other in a case where the positional displacement amount is within an allowable range, the alignment method further comprising: a process of acquiring substrate information of a substrate on which the measurement of the positional displacement amount is performed, the substrate information being related to a position in the large substrate before the division; and a distance adjustment process of adjusting a distance between the substrate and the measurement section based on the substrate information acquired in the process of acquiring and in accordance with a difference in a deflection amount caused by a difference in a length of a side of a substrate, the measurement process being performed after the distance adjustment process.

21. An alignment method, comprising: a substrate support process of supporting a peripheral portion of any one of a plurality of substrates obtained by dividing a large substrate; a measurement process of measuring a positional displacement amount of the substrate and a mask using a measurement section; a position adjustment process of adjusting a relative position of the substrate and the mask after the measurement process; and an alignment process of aligning the substrate and the mask with each other in a case where the positional displacement amount is within an allowable range, the alignment method further comprising a process of acquiring substrate information of a substrate on which the measurement of the positional displacement amount is performed, the substrate information being related to a position in the large substrate before the division. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ In the measurement process, the positional displacement is measured while the distance between the substrate and the measurement member is made different based on the substrate information acquired in the acquisition process and in accordance with a difference in the amount of deflection caused by a difference in the length of the edge of the substrate.

22. A method of manufacturing an electronic device, characterized by comprising: the method of manufacturing the electronic device includes: an alignment process in which alignment of a substrate and a mask is performed by the alignment method according to claim 20 or 21; and a film formation process in which the substrate is subjected to film formation via the mask whose relative positional adjustment has been performed by the alignment process.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by storing a program for causing a computer to execute the alignment method according to claim 20 or 21.

24. A computer program product for causing a computer to execute the alignment method according to claim 20 or 21.

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