Film forming apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a technology capable of more appropriately performing adsorption of a substrate by an adsorption plate. A film forming apparatus includes a chamber having an inside kept in vacuum, an adsorption plate (15) provided in the inside of the chamber and adsorbing a substrate, and a substrate support portion (6) provided in the inside of the chamber and having a plurality of substrate placement portions (62, 63) supporting the substrate (100) below the adsorption plate (15). The film forming apparatus includes a detection mechanism (801) detecting respective heights of the plurality of substrate placement portions (62, 63) with respect to the adsorption plate (15) in a state where the inside of the chamber is kept in vacuum, and an adjustment mechanism (811) adjusting placement positions of the respective substrates (100) of the plurality of substrate placement portions (62, 63) based on a detection result of the detection mechanism (81) in the state where the inside of the chamber is kept in vacuum.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a film-forming apparatus for forming thin films on a substrate. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacture of organic EL displays, a thin film is formed on a substrate using a mask and a film-forming material. As a pretreatment step for film formation, the mask and substrate are aligned to ensure they overlap. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for aligning the substrate by bringing it close to a mask while the substrate is held in place by an electrostatic chuck or similar adsorption plate. Furthermore, it discloses a technique for ensuring that the heights of the multiple support portions supporting the substrate are different during substrate adsorption.

[0003] [Existing Technical Documents]

[0004] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-117922 Summary of the Invention

[0006] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0007] When depressurizing the interior of the chamber, if the chamber walls deform due to atmospheric pressure, the position of the device inside the chamber may sometimes deviate, and the height of the support may change from the intended height. As a result, the substrate may be difficult to adhere to the adsorption plate.

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a technique that enables more appropriate adsorption of a substrate by an adsorption plate.

[0009] [Solutions for solving the problem]

[0010] To address the aforementioned issues, the present invention employs the following solution.

[0011] That is, the film-forming apparatus of the present invention comprises:

[0012] A chamber that maintains its interior as a vacuum;

[0013] An adsorption plate, wherein the adsorption plate is disposed inside the chamber, adsorbs the substrate; and

[0014] A substrate support portion is disposed inside the chamber and has multiple substrate mounting portions below the adsorption plate to support the substrate.

[0015] The film-forming apparatus is characterized by comprising:

[0016] A detection mechanism that detects the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions while the interior of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum state; and

[0017] An adjustment mechanism, which, while maintaining a vacuum inside the chamber, adjusts the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions based on the detection result of the detection mechanism.

[0018] [Invention Effects]

[0019] According to the present invention, the adsorption of the substrate onto the adsorption plate can be performed more appropriately. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a part of an electronic equipment production line.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a film-forming apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0022] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram of the substrate support unit and the adsorption plate.

[0023] Figure 4 This is an illustration of the electrical wiring of the adsorption plate.

[0024] Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram of the measurement unit.

[0025] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram of the adjustment unit.

[0026] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram of the process of aligning a substrate with a mask using an adsorption plate.

[0027] Figures 8(a) and 8(b) are explanatory diagrams of the contact sensor.

[0028] Figure 9 This is a flowchart representing a control processing example.

[0029] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of height adjustment of the mounting section.

[0030] Figures 11(a) and 11(b) are explanatory diagrams of an organic EL display device.

[0031] [Explanation of Labels in the Attached Image]

[0032] 1…film forming apparatus, 2…alignment apparatus, 5…mask stage, 6…substrate support unit, 141…processing unit, 16…second detection unit, 17…adjustment unit, 22…distance adjustment unit, 100…substrate, 101…mask Detailed Implementation

[0033] The embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features can be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or identical structures, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0034] [Implementation Method]

[0035] <Electronic Equipment Production Line>

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing a portion of the structure of an electronic production line in which the film-forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied. Figure 1 For example, in the production line for manufacturing display panels for organic EL display devices used in smartphones, substrate 100 is sequentially conveyed to film deposition block 301 to deposit organic EL film on substrate 100. It should be noted that, although a cluster-type manufacturing apparatus is described as an example in this embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus using the film deposition apparatus of the present invention can also be applied to a series-type manufacturing apparatus.

[0037] In the film-forming block 301, a plurality of film-forming chambers 303a to 303d for film-forming the substrate 100 are arranged around a transfer chamber 302, which has an octagonal shape when viewed from above, and a mask storage chamber 305 for storing the mask before and after use. A transfer robot 302a for transferring the substrate 100 is arranged in the transfer chamber 302. The transfer 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 block 301 is a cluster-type film-forming unit in which a plurality of film-forming chambers 303a to 303d are arranged to surround the transfer robot 302a. It should be noted that when collectively referred to as film-forming chambers 303a to 303d, or when not distinguishing between film-forming chambers 303a to 303d, they are referred to as film-forming chamber 303.

[0038] In the transport direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100, a buffer chamber 306, a swirl chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308 are respectively arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the film forming block 301. During the manufacturing process, each chamber is maintained in a vacuum state. It should be noted that... Figure 1 In the illustration, only one film-forming block 301 is shown, but the production line of this embodiment has multiple film-forming blocks 301, which are connected by a connecting device consisting of a buffer chamber 306, a swirl chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308. It should be noted that the configuration of the connecting device is not limited to this, and it may be composed of only the buffer chamber 306 or the transfer chamber 308.

[0039] The transfer robot 302a performs the following: feeding the substrate 100 from the upstream transfer chamber 308 to the transfer chamber 302; transferring the substrate 100 between the film forming chambers 303; transferring the mask between the mask storage chamber 305 and the film forming chamber 303; and feeding the substrate 100 from the transfer chamber 302 to the downstream buffer chamber 306.

[0040] The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber used to temporarily store substrates 100 according to the operating conditions of the production line. The buffer chamber 306 is equipped with a substrate storage shelf, also referred to as a box, and a lifting mechanism. The substrate storage shelf has a multi-segment structure capable of storing multiple substrates 100 in 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 align the segments for feeding or feeding substrates 100 to the conveying position. Thus, multiple substrates 100 can be temporarily stored and held in the buffer chamber 306.

[0041] The rotating chamber 307 is equipped with a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the rotating chamber 307 rotates the orientation of the substrate 100 by 180 degrees using a transfer robot provided in the rotating chamber 307. The transfer robot provided in the rotating chamber 307 rotates 180 degrees while supporting the substrate 100 received by the buffer chamber 306 and delivers it to the transfer chamber 308, thereby alternating 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 fed into the film deposition chamber 303 becomes the same in each film deposition block 301, thus enabling the scanning direction for film deposition on the substrate S and the orientation of the mask to be consistent in each film deposition block 301. By adopting such a structure, the orientation of the mask placed in the mask storage chamber 305 can be consistent in each film deposition block 301, simplifying mask management and improving usability.

[0042] The production line control system includes a host computer 300 that controls the entire line as a main computer, 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. It should be noted that, when referring to all control devices 14a-14d, or when not distinguishing between them, they are designated as control device 14.

[0043] Control device 309 controls the transfer robot 302a. Control device 310 controls the transfer robot located in the rotary chamber 307. The host device 300 sends information related to the substrate 100, transfer timing, and other instructions to each control device 14, 309, and 310, and each control device 14, 309, and 310 controls each structure based on the received instructions.

[0044] <Overview of the film-forming device>

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a film-forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment. The film-forming apparatus 1, provided in the film-forming chamber 303, is an apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate 100 using a film-forming material, and a film with a predetermined pattern is formed using a mask 101. The material of the substrate 100 to which the film is formed by the film-forming apparatus 1 can be appropriately selected, such as glass, resin, or metal; for example, a material with a resin layer such as polyimide formed on glass is preferred. Organic materials, inorganic materials (metals, metal oxides, etc.), etc., can be used as the vapor deposition material. The film-forming apparatus 1 can be applied to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing electronic devices, optical components, such as display devices (flat panel displays, etc.), thin-film solar cells, organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin-film imaging elements), etc., and is particularly applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing organic EL panels. In the following description, an example of film-forming apparatus 1 forming a film on a substrate 100 by vacuum vapor deposition will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various film-forming apparatuses performing sputtering or CVD, etc. It should be noted that in each figure, arrow Z represents the vertical direction, and arrows X and Y represent mutually orthogonal horizontal directions.

[0046] The film-forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 3 (also simply referred to as a chamber) capable of maintaining an internal vacuum. 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 (not shown). It should be noted that, in this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with a gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure; in other words, a depressurization state. The internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is provided with a substrate support unit 6 that supports the substrate 100 in a horizontal position, a mask stage 5 that supports the mask 101, a film-forming unit 4, a plate unit 9, and an adsorption plate 15. The mask 101 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern formed on the substrate 100, and is placed on the mask stage 5. It should be noted that the mask stage 5 can be replaced with other mechanisms for fixing the mask 101 in a predetermined position. As the mask 101, a mask with a thickness of a few μm to tens of μm can be used, having a mask foil of about a few μm to tens of μm welded and fixed on a frame-shaped mask frame. The material of the mask 101 is not particularly limited, but a metal with a low coefficient of thermal expansion, such as Invar alloy, is preferred. The film deposition process is performed with the substrate 100 placed on the mask 101 and the substrate 100 and the mask 101 overlapping each other.

[0047] 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 and can be displaced in the Z direction. The cooling plate 10 has the function of contacting the adsorption plate 15 during film formation, thereby cooling the substrate 100 adsorbed by the adsorption plate 15. The cooling plate 10 is not limited to a structure that actively cools the substrate 100 by having a water cooling mechanism or the like; it can also be a plate-shaped member that removes heat from the substrate 100 by contacting the adsorption plate 15 even without a water cooling mechanism or the like. The magnet plate 11 is a plate that attracts the mask 101 by magnetic force and is placed on the upper surface of the substrate 100, thereby improving the adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during film formation.

[0048] It should be noted that a structure without the cooling plate 10 and the magnet plate 11 can also be used. For example, if the adsorption plate 15 is equipped with a cooling mechanism, the cooling plate 10 can be omitted. Furthermore, if the adsorption plate 15 adsorbs the mask 101, the magnet plate 11 can be omitted.

[0049] The film-forming unit 4 is a unit with an evaporation source, which, in addition to the evaporation source, also includes a heater, a baffle, a drive mechanism for the evaporation source, and an evaporation rate monitor. More specifically, in this embodiment, the film-forming unit 4 is a linear evaporation source in which multiple nozzles (not shown) are arranged along the X direction and the vapor-deposited material is emitted from each nozzle. For example, the linear evaporation source is reciprocated along the Y direction (the depth direction of the device) by an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown). In this embodiment, the film-forming unit 4 is disposed in the same vacuum chamber 3 as the alignment device 2 described later. However, in embodiments where film-forming processing is performed in a different chamber than the vacuum chamber 3 used for alignment, the film-forming unit 4 is not disposed in the vacuum chamber 3.

[0050] Alignment device

[0051] The film forming apparatus 1 includes an alignment device 2, which serves as an alignment mechanism for aligning the substrate 100 and the mask 101. The alignment device 2 includes a substrate support unit 6, an adsorption plate 15, a position adjustment unit 20, a distance adjustment unit 22, a plate unit lifting unit 13, measuring units 7 and 8, an adjustment unit 17, a floating part 19, and a detection unit (second detection unit) 16. The structure of each part of the alignment device will be described below.

[0052] (Substrate support unit)

[0053] The alignment device 2 includes a substrate support unit 6 that supports 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 the adsorption plate 15, which is a view of them from below.

[0054] The substrate support unit 6 includes multiple base portions 61a to 61d forming its outer frame and multiple mounting portions 62 and 63 protruding inward from the base portions 61a to 61d. It should be noted that the mounting portions 62 and 63 are sometimes also referred to as "support claws" or "finger-like structures". The base portions 61a to 61d are each supported by a support shaft R3. The multiple mounting portions 62 are spaced apart from each other on the base portions 61a to 61d so as to support the long side of the periphery of the substrate 100. Furthermore, the multiple mounting portions 63 are spaced apart from each other on the base portions 61a to 61d so as to support the short side of the periphery of the substrate 100. The substrate 100, fed into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302a, is supported by the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63. Hereinafter, the base portions 61a to 61d will be collectively referred to as base portion 61, or if the base portions 61a to 61d are not distinguished, they will be referred to as base portion 61.

[0055] In this embodiment, the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 are composed of leaf springs. When the substrate 100 supported by the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 is adsorbed onto the adsorption plate 15, the elastic force of the leaf springs can press the substrate 100 against the adsorption plate 15.

[0056] It should be noted that, in Figure 3 In the example, a rectangular frame with locally present cutouts is formed by four base portions 61. However, it is not limited to this; the base portions 61 can also be a seamless rectangular frame that surrounds the outer periphery of the rectangular substrate 100. However, by using multiple base portions 61 to provide cutouts, when the transfer robot 302a delivers the substrate 100 to the placement portions 62 and 63, the transfer robot 302a can avoid the base portions 61 and retreat. As a result, the efficiency of transferring and handing over the substrate 100 can be improved.

[0057] It should be noted that a plurality of clamping parts may also be provided on the substrate support unit 6 corresponding to a plurality of mounting parts 62 and 63, and the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 placed on the mounting parts 62 and 63 may be clamped and held by the clamping parts.

[0058] (Adsorption plate)

[0059] Next, refer to Figure 2 and 3 The alignment device 2 includes an adsorption plate 15 disposed inside the vacuum chamber 3, capable of adsorbing the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the adsorption plate 15 is disposed between the substrate support unit 6 and the plate unit 9, and is supported by one or more support shafts R1. In this embodiment, the adsorption plate 15 is supported by four support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the support shafts R1 are cylindrical shafts.

[0060] In this embodiment, the adsorption plate 15 is an electrostatic chuck that adsorbs the substrate 100 using electrostatic force. For example, the adsorption plate 15 has a structure in which electrical circuits such as metal electrodes are embedded inside a ceramic matrix (also called a substrate). For example, in each electrode arrangement region 151, a pair of electrodes to which positive and negative voltages are applied are arranged to generate electrostatic attraction. The positive and negative electrodes are alternately arranged in one electrode arrangement region 151. When a positive (+) and a negative (-) voltage are applied to the metal electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151, a polarization charge is induced in the substrate 100 by the ceramic matrix, and the substrate 100 is adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption surface 150 of the adsorption plate 15 by the electrostatic attraction (electrostatic force) between the substrate 100 and the adsorption plate 15.

[0061] In addition, the adsorption plate 15 includes a voltage control unit (not shown) that controls the magnitude of the voltage applied to the opposing electrodes, the start time of voltage application, the duration of voltage application, and the order of voltage application. The voltage control unit can independently control the voltage applied to the multiple electrode arrangement regions 151.

[0062] It should be noted that the electrode configuration area 151 can be appropriately set. For example, in this embodiment, multiple electrode configuration areas 151 are arranged separately from each other, but it is also possible that one electrode configuration area 151 is formed covering approximately the entire surface of the adsorption surface 150 of the adsorption plate 15.

[0063] In addition, multiple contact sensors 1621 for detecting the contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate 100 are embedded in the adsorption plate 15. In this embodiment, a total of nine contact sensors 1621 are provided. Four are provided along each of the two long sides of the periphery of the adsorption plate 15, and one is provided in the center of the adsorption plate 15. In this way, by providing contact sensors 1621 at multiple locations on the adsorption plate 15, it is possible to confirm whether the entire surface of the substrate 100 is adsorbed onto the adsorption surface 150. It should be noted that the number and arrangement of the contact sensors 1621 can be appropriately changed.

[0064] In this embodiment, the contact sensor 1621 mechanically detects its contact with the object. For example, the contact sensor 1621 is configured such that its front end is subjected to force by a spring or the like, and protrudes from the adsorption surface 150 when the front end is not in contact with the substrate 100. Furthermore, when the substrate 100 contacts the front end of the contact sensor 1621, the front end is pressed by the substrate 100 and drawn towards the adsorption plate 15, outputting a predetermined electrical signal through contact with internal contacts. It should be noted that the shape of the front end is not particularly limited and can be a button shape or a rod shape. By appropriately setting the length of the front end protruding from the adsorption surface 150 when not in contact with the object, the contact sensor 1621 can substantially detect the contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate 100. Moreover, multiple contact sensors 1621, as described later, constitute a second detection unit 16 (see (Second Detection Unit)) for detecting the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5.

[0065] In this embodiment, an optical fiber sensor 1622 for detecting the adsorption state of the substrate 100 onto the adsorption plate 15 is provided on the adsorption plate 15. The optical fiber sensor 1622 includes a light-emitting part 1622a and a light-receiving part 1622b. The light-emitting part 1622a and the light-receiving part 1622b are arranged such that a light path 1622c is formed below the adsorption plate 15, for example, a few mm to tens of mm below the adsorption plate 15. When a portion of the substrate 100 is not adsorbed onto the adsorption plate 15, this portion bends downward due to gravity. When the substrate 100 bends after the adsorption process of the substrate 100 onto the adsorption plate 15 has been performed, the bend will block the light path 1622c, thereby detecting the bend of the substrate 100. That is, it is possible to detect when the adsorption of the substrate 100 is not performed properly. It should be noted that a structure without the optical fiber sensor 1622 may also be used.

[0066] In addition, a plurality of openings 152 are formed in the adsorption plate 15, and the measuring units (first measuring unit 7 and second measuring unit 8) described later take pictures of the mask marks described later through the plurality of openings 152.

[0067] Refer to together Figure 4 . Figure 4 The structure from the adsorption plate 15 to the support shaft R1 is schematically shown. Furthermore, Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram of the electrical wiring of the adsorption plate, showing the wiring for supplying power to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement area 151 of the adsorption plate 15. In this embodiment, the plurality of support shafts R1 supporting the adsorption plate 15 are formed as hollow cylinders. Furthermore, wires 153 for applying positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are wired through their interior. Figure 4In this example, one wire 153 is shown for applying positive (+) and one for applying negative (-) voltage, for a total of two wires. Furthermore, the wire 153, extending from the lower part of the support shaft R1 towards the vacuum chamber 3, extends along the short side of the adsorption plate 15 and connects to an electrical connection portion 154 located approximately at the center of the short side. That is, the wire 153 is guided from the outside of the vacuum chamber 3 to the inside via the support shaft R1 and connected to the electrical connection portion 154. Moreover, the power supplied from the wire 153 to the electrical connection portion 154 is supplied to each electrode disposed in the electrode arrangement area 151.

[0068] In this embodiment, four support shafts R1 are provided to guide various wires (cables) into the vacuum chamber 3. In one embodiment, the wires 153 that supply power to the adsorption plate 15 pass through the inner sides of two diagonally opposite support shafts R1, while the cables of the contact sensor 1621, the fiber optic sensor 1622 (described later), etc., pass through the inner sides of the other two support shafts R1 in a bundled state.

[0069] (Position Adjustment Unit)

[0070] The alignment device 2 includes a position adjustment unit 20, which adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 or the substrate 100 adsorbed by the adsorption plate 15 with the mask 101. 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 or the adsorption plate 15 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. For example, the position adjustment unit 20 can displace the substrate support unit 6 with respect to the rotational directions of the X and Y directions and about the Z direction. In this embodiment, the position of the mask 101 is fixed and the substrate 100 is displaced to adjust their relative position, but it is also possible to adjust by displacing the mask 101, or to displace both the substrate 100 and the mask 101.

[0071] In this embodiment, 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 is fixed to the upper wall 30 of the vacuum chamber 3. Furthermore, a frame-like platform 21 is mounted on the movable plate 20b, and a distance adjustment unit 22 and a plate unit lifting unit 13 are supported on the platform 21. When the movable plate 20b is moved horizontally relative to the fixed plate 20a by the actuators 201, the platform 21, the distance adjustment unit 22, and the plate unit lifting unit 13 are moved together.

[0072] The plurality of actuators 201 include, for example, actuators capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the X direction and actuators capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the Y direction. Furthermore, by controlling their movement, the movable plate 20b can be displaced relative to the X and Y directions and in the rotational direction about the Z direction. For example, the plurality of actuators 201 may include a motor as a drive source and a ball screw mechanism that converts the driving force of the motor into linear motion.

[0073] (Distance adjustment unit)

[0074] The distance adjustment unit 22 adjusts the distance between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate support unit 6 and the mask stage 5 by raising and lowering them, so that the substrate 100 and the mask 101 approach and move away (separate) along the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. In other words, the distance adjustment unit 22 makes the substrate 100 and the mask 101 approach each other in the overlapping direction, or move away from each other in the opposite direction. It should be noted that the "distance" adjusted by the distance adjustment unit 22 is the so-called vertical distance (or vertical distance), and the distance adjustment unit can be said to be a unit that adjusts the vertical position of the mask 101 and the substrate 100.

[0075] like Figure 2 As 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.

[0076] The first lifting plate 220 supports the adsorption plate 15 via multiple support shafts R1. When the first lifting plate 220 rises or falls, the adsorption plate 15 rises or falls simultaneously. In other words, the first lifting plate 220 supports the multiple support shafts R1 that support the adsorption plate 15, and the multiple support shafts R1 rise or fall synchronously with the rise and fall of the first lifting plate 220, ensuring the parallelism of the adsorption plate 15. Furthermore, the first lifting plate 220 supports the substrate support unit 6 via multiple actuators 65 and multiple support shafts R3. When the first lifting plate 220 rises or falls, the substrate support unit 6 rises or falls simultaneously. Moreover, the multiple actuators 65 can move the multiple support shafts R3, each connected to one of these actuators 65, in the vertical direction. The substrate support unit 6 moves relative to the adsorption plate 15 in the vertical direction via the multiple actuators 65. The multiple actuators 65 are configured, for example, electric motors and ball screw mechanisms, thereby enabling the support shafts R3 to move in the vertical direction.

[0077] The lifting and lowering of the first lifting plate 220 will be described more specifically. The distance adjustment unit 22 includes a drive unit 221, which is supported on the frame 21 and acts as an actuator to lift and lower the first lifting plate 220. The drive unit 221 is a mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor 221a, which is the drive source, to the first lifting plate 220. In this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 221b and a ball nut 221c is used as the transmission mechanism of the drive unit 221. The ball screw shaft 221b extends along the Z direction and rotates about the Z-axis by the driving force of the motor 221a. The ball nut 221c is fixed to the first lifting plate 220 and engages with the ball screw shaft 221b. The first lifting plate 220 is lifted and lowered along the Z direction by the rotation of the ball screw shaft 221b and the switching of its rotation direction. The lifting amount of the first lifting plate 220 can be controlled, for example, by the detection result of a sensor such as a rotary encoder that detects the rotation amount of the motor 221a. Therefore, the position of the adsorption plate 15 that adsorbs and supports the substrate 100 in the Z direction can be controlled, and the contact and distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be controlled. Furthermore, an adjustment unit 17, which will be described later, is provided on the upper part of the first lifting plate 220.

[0078] It should be noted that in the distance adjustment unit 22 of this embodiment, the position of the mask stage 5 is fixed, and the distance between the substrate support unit 6 and the adsorption plate 15 in the Z direction is adjusted by moving them. However, the distance adjustment unit is not limited to such a structure. The position of the substrate support unit 6 or the adsorption plate 15 can be fixed, and the mask stage 5 can be moved for adjustment. Alternatively, a mechanism can be used to adjust the mutual distance by moving the substrate support unit 6, the adsorption plate 15, and the mask stage 5 respectively.

[0079] (Plate unit lifting unit)

[0080] The plate unit lifting unit 13 lifts and lowers the plate unit 9, which is connected to the second lifting plate 12 and disposed inside the vacuum chamber 3, by lifting and lowering the second lifting plate 12 disposed outside the vacuum chamber 3. The plate unit 9 is connected to the second lifting plate 12 via one or more support shafts R2. In this embodiment, the plate unit 9 is supported by two support shafts R2. The support shafts R2 extend upward from the magnet plate 11, pass through 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 first lifting plate 220, and are connected to the second lifting plate 12.

[0081] The second lifting plate 12 can move freely up and down in the Z direction along the guide shaft 12a. The plate unit lifting unit 13 has a drive mechanism supported on the frame 21 and for raising and lowering the second lifting plate 12. This drive mechanism is a mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor 13a, which is the drive source, to the second lifting plate 12. In this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 13b and a ball nut 13c can be used as the transmission mechanism of the plate unit lifting unit 13. The ball screw shaft 13b extends along the Z direction and rotates about the Z-direction axis by the driving force of the motor 13a. The ball nut 13c is fixed to the second lifting plate 12 and engages with the ball screw shaft 13b. The second lifting plate 12 is raised and lowered in the Z direction by the rotation of the ball screw shaft 13b and the switching of its rotation direction. The amount of raising and lowering of the second lifting plate 12 can be controlled, for example, by the detection result of a sensor such as a rotary encoder that detects the rotation amount of the motor 13a. Therefore, by controlling the position of the control board unit 9 in the Z direction, it is possible to control the contact or distance between the control board unit 9 and the substrate 100.

[0082] The openings of the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 through which the aforementioned support shafts R1 to R3 pass have a range that allows each support shaft R1 to R3 to move in both the X and Y directions. To maintain the airtightness of the vacuum chamber 3, bellows or similar conduits are provided at the openings of the upper wall portion 30 through which the support shafts R1 to R3 pass. For example, the support shaft R1 supporting the first lifting plate 220 is provided by a bellows 31 (see reference 31). Figure 4 (etc.) coverage.

[0083] (Measuring unit)

[0084] The alignment device 2 includes a measurement unit (first measurement unit 7 and second measurement unit 8) for measuring the positional deviation between the substrate 100, whose peripheral portion is supported by the substrate support unit 6, and the mask 101. In addition... Figure 2 In addition, refer to Figure 5 Please provide an explanation. Figure 5 This is an explanatory diagram of the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8, showing the measurement configuration of the positional deviation 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 inside the vacuum chamber 3 through a window (not shown) formed in the upper wall portion 30.

[0085] 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. Moreover, 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.

[0086] A substrate coarse mark 100a is formed at the center of the short side of the substrate 100. A substrate fine mark 100b is formed at the four corners of the substrate 100. A mask coarse mark 101a is formed at the center of the short side of the mask 101, corresponding to the substrate coarse mark 100a. Furthermore, a mask fine mark 101b is formed at the four corners of the mask 101, corresponding to the substrate fine mark 100b.

[0087] Four second measurement units 8 are provided to capture each set (four sets in this embodiment) of the corresponding substrate fine marks 100b and mask fine marks 101b. The second measurement units 8 are high-magnification CCD cameras (precision cameras) with high resolution (e.g., a few μm) despite their relatively narrow field of view, used to measure the positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 with high precision. One first measurement unit 7 is provided to capture each set (two sets in this embodiment) of the corresponding substrate coarse marks 100a and mask coarse marks 101a.

[0088] The first measurement unit 7 is a low-magnification CCD camera (coarse camera) with a relatively wide field of view but low resolution. The measurement substrate 100 is approximately offset from the mask 101. Figure 5 In the example shown, a structure is illustrated in which a first measurement unit 7 simultaneously captures two sets of substrate coarse marks 100a and mask coarse marks 101a, but this is not a limitation. Similar to the second measurement unit 8, two first measurement units 7 can be arranged at positions corresponding to each set, in such a way that they capture each set of substrate coarse marks 100a and mask coarse marks 101a separately.

[0089] In this embodiment, after the approximate position adjustment 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 of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement results of the second measurement unit 8.

[0090] (Adjustment unit)

[0091] The alignment device 2 is equipped with an adjustment unit 17. Figure 6This is an explanatory diagram of the adjustment unit 17 (adjustment device). The adjustment unit 17 is a unit for adjusting the relative tilt of the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5. In this embodiment, the adjustment unit 17 adjusts the relative tilt of the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 by moving the adsorption plate 15. Furthermore, the relative tilt of the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is adjusted by adjusting the axial position of at least a portion of the plurality of support shafts R1.

[0092] The adjustment unit 17 has multiple operating sections 171 operated by the operator. In this embodiment, the multiple operating sections 171 are respectively provided corresponding to multiple support shafts R1. Furthermore, when an operating section 171 is operated, the corresponding support shaft R1 moves independently along its axial direction, i.e., the vertical direction, from the other support shafts R1. That is, the multiple operating sections 171 can individually adjust the vertical position of the corresponding support shaft R1 supporting the adsorption plate 15. Therefore, the operator adjusts the relative tilt of the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 by operating the operating sections 171. In order to improve the degree of freedom of adjustment, it is preferable to provide operating sections 171 on each of the multiple support shafts R1, but as long as an operating section 171 is provided on at least one support shaft R1, the relative tilt of the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 can be adjusted within a certain range.

[0093] In this embodiment, the operating part 171 is an adjusting nut that moves the support shaft R1 along its axial direction, i.e., the vertical direction. The adjusting nut is screwed into the thread 172 formed on the support shaft R1, and the support shaft R1 moves when the operator rotates the adjusting nut.

[0094] In this embodiment, the operation unit 171 is located outside the vacuum chamber 3. Specifically, the support shaft R1 is supported on the first lifting plate 220 via the sliding sleeve 173, and the operation unit 171 is provided on the upper side of the sliding sleeve 173. Because the operation unit 171 is located outside the vacuum chamber 3, the operator can perform adjustments based on the adjustment unit 17 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 remains under vacuum.

[0095] Furthermore, a curved portion 18 is provided between the support shaft R1 and the adsorption plate 15, allowing the angle of the adsorption plate 15 relative to the support shaft R1 to be variable, thus connecting the support shaft R1 and the adsorption plate 15. In this embodiment, the curved portion 18 is a spherical bearing, including a spherical portion 181 and a bearing portion 182 that supports the spherical portion 181 so that it can slide.

[0096] In this embodiment, the multiple support shafts R1 are capable of moving only in the vertical direction (axial direction). Therefore, in situations such as Figure 6 As shown on the left side of ST1, the adsorption plate 15 is ensured to be in a horizontal position and as shown on the left side of ST1. Figure 6As shown in state ST2 on the right, the angle between the adsorption plate 15 and the support shaft R1 is different when the adsorption plate 15 is tilted. In this embodiment, at the bend 18, the adsorption plate 15 is bent relative to the support shaft R1, so that even when the adsorption plate 15 is tilted, the support shaft R1 can support the adsorption plate 15. It should be noted that the bend 18 can be appropriately provided with a structure such as a universal joint to connect the two components in a way that allows for changing their connection angle.

[0097] Here, the structure of the adjustment unit 17 will be explained in comparison with the distance adjustment unit 22. When the first lifting plate 220 of the distance adjustment unit 22 is raised or lowered, all the multiple support shafts R1 supported on the first lifting plate 220 are raised or lowered by the same amount; that is, the multiple support shafts R1 are raised or lowered synchronously. Therefore, the adsorption plate 15 is raised or lowered while maintaining parallelism or relative tilt with respect to the mask stage 5. On the other hand, the adjustment unit 17 can move any one of the multiple support shafts R1 independently of the other support shafts R1 relative to the first lifting plate 220 in the vertical direction (axial direction). For example, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the axial position of the remaining support shaft R1 without changing the positions of three support shafts R1. Thus, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the tilt of the adsorption plate 15 supported by the multiple support shafts R1.

[0098] (Floating section)

[0099] The alignment device 2 includes a floating section 19. The floating section 19 is disposed between the curved section 18 and the adsorption plate 15. The floating section 19 includes an elastic member 191, a sleeve 192, a shaft member 193, an adsorption plate support 194, and a flange 195. The shaft member 193 extends downward from the curved section 18. The sleeve 192 is disposed in an annular gap between the shaft member 193 and the adsorption plate support 194 to reduce friction between them or reduce wobbling. For example, the sleeve 192 is formed of a highly slippery sintered metal material. The adsorption plate support 194 supports the adsorption plate 15. The elastic member 191 is disposed between the adsorption plate support 194 and the flange 195 disposed on the shaft member 193, bearing the load of the adsorption plate 15. That is, the floating section 19 is connected to the support shaft R1 via the curved section 18, and the elastic member 191 of the floating section 19 supports the adsorption plate 15. In this way, the support shaft R1 supports the adsorption plate 15 via the elastic member 191 of the floating part 19, thereby reducing the load applied to the mask 101 by the adsorption plate 15 when it comes into contact with the mask 101, and ensuring that the adsorption plate 15 avoids contact with the mask 101.

[0100] (Second Detection Unit)

[0101] The alignment device 2 includes a second detection unit 16. (Refer to the previous section.) Figure 2 and 3The second detection unit 16 detects the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5. In this embodiment, parallelism refers to the degree of relative tilt between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5. In this embodiment, the second detection unit 16 is composed of the aforementioned plurality of contact sensors 1621, etc., provided on the side of the adsorption plate 15. The plurality of contact sensors 1621 are mounted on the adsorption plate 15 with approximately equal protrusion lengths from the adsorption surface 150 at the front end. By mounting the contact sensors 1621 on the adsorption plate 15, even if the vacuum chamber 3 deforms due to atmospheric pressure, the change in the relative position between the adsorption plate 15 and the contact sensors 1621 can be reduced. That is, even in a vacuum state, the protrusion length of the front end of the contact sensors 1621 hardly changes and remains approximately equal. Therefore, when the adsorption plate 15 moves, if all the plurality of contact sensors 1621 react approximately simultaneously, it can be determined that the parallelism is high, in other words, the relative tilt between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is small. By appropriately changing the length of the protrusion from the adsorption surface 150 at the front end, the non-parallelism can be set to a target value. The detection operation of the parallelism of the adsorption plate 15 using the second detection unit 16 will be described later. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the contact sensor 1621 performs both the detection of contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate 100, and the detection of the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5. Therefore, compared to the case where separate sensors are provided for detection and assessment, the number of sensors can be reduced.

[0102] <Control Device>

[0103] The control device 14 controls the entire film-forming apparatus 1. The control device 14 includes a processing unit 141, a storage unit 142, an input / output interface (I / O) 143, a communication unit 144, a display unit 145, and an input unit 146. The processing unit 141, represented by a CPU, is a processor that executes the program stored in the storage unit 142 to control the film-forming apparatus 1. The storage unit 142 is a storage device such as ROM, RAM, or HDD, which stores not only the program executed by the processing unit 141 but also various control information. 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. The display unit 145 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) that displays various information. The input unit 146 is, for example, a keyboard or a pointing device, which accepts various inputs from the user. It should be noted that all or part of the control devices 14, 309, 310, and the host device 300 may also be composed of a PLC, ASIC, or FPGA.

[0104] <Substrate and mask alignment process>

[0105] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram of the process of overlapping the substrate 100 and the mask 101 using the adsorption plate 15. Figure 7 The status of each process step is shown.

[0106] State ST100 is the state after the transfer robot 302a has been fed into the film forming apparatus 1 and then withdrawn. At this time, the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate support unit 6.

[0107] State ST101 shows the substrate support unit 6 rising as part of the preparation stage for the adsorption of the substrate 100 by the adsorption plate 15. Starting from state ST100, the substrate support unit 6 rises in a manner close to the adsorption plate 15 via the actuator 65. In state ST101, the peripheral portion of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 is in contact with or slightly separated from the adsorption plate 15. On the other hand, the central portion of the substrate 100 flexes due to its own weight, and therefore is in a position separated from the adsorption plate 15 compared to the peripheral portion.

[0108] State ST102 shows the state in which the substrate 100 is adsorbed by the adsorption plate 15. By applying a voltage to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151 of the adsorption plate 15, the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15 by electrostatic force.

[0109] State ST103 indicates the state when detecting whether the substrate 100 is properly adsorbed onto the adsorption plate 15. With the substrate support unit 6 lowered and separated from the substrate 100, the adsorption of the substrate 100 onto the adsorption plate 15 is detected based on the detection value of the contact sensor 1621. For example, if all the contact sensors 1621 embedded in the adsorption plate 15 detect contact with the substrate 100, the control device 14 determines that the substrate 100 is properly adsorbed onto the adsorption plate 15. Furthermore, if the fiber optic sensor 1622 is provided, the determination of whether the adsorption of the substrate 100 is proceeding normally can also be made based on the output from the fiber optic sensor 1622.

[0110] State ST104 indicates the state during the alignment operation of substrate 100 and mask 101. When the control device 14 lowers the adsorption plate 15 via distance adjustment unit 22 to bring substrate 100 and mask 101 closer together, the position adjustment unit 20 performs the alignment operation.

[0111] State ST105 shows a state where the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are more closely attached by the magnet plate 11. After the alignment operation is completed, the control device 14 lowers the plate unit 9 by means of the plate unit lifting unit 13. The substrate 100 is brought closer to the mask 101 by the magnet plate 11, thereby attracting the mask 101 toward the substrate 100 side, and the adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is improved.

[0112] The process of overlapping the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is completed through the actions described above. For example, after this process is completed, a vapor deposition process based on the film deposition unit 4 is performed.

[0113] However, during the alignment of the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the process described above, the tilt between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 can sometimes affect the alignment accuracy. Alignment accuracy can be improved by bringing the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer together. However, when there is a relative tilt between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5, a portion of the substrate 100 may come into contact with the mask 101, potentially causing damage to the substrate 100. Increasing the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 to protect the substrate 100 results in a decrease in alignment accuracy. Therefore, it is common practice to perform parallel adjustment of the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 under atmospheric pressure conditions inside the vacuum chamber 3. Parallel adjustment under atmospheric pressure conditions is performed, for example, by inserting shims into the connecting portion of the substrate support unit 6.

[0114] Next, a detection mechanism for detecting the height of each of the multiple mounting portions (substrate mounting portions) 62 and 63 when the vacuum chamber 3 is kept in a vacuum state will be specifically described, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of each of the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63 based on the detection result of the detection mechanism when the vacuum chamber 3 is kept in a vacuum state.

[0115] <Height detection mechanism for substrate mounting>

[0116] Figure 8(a) is a diagram illustrating the mechanism of the detection mechanism and adjustment mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the substrate support unit 6, which serves as a substrate support portion. Figure 8(b) is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the situation where the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate mounting portion after height adjustment based on the adjustment mechanism, and the substrate 100 is adsorbed based on the adsorption plate 15. It should be noted that one mounting portion 62 is shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), but the following description is also applicable to other mounting portions 62 and 63. Moreover, in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), regarding the support mechanism of the adsorption plate 15 (see Figure 8(a) and 8(b)... Figure 4 , Figure 6 (Illustrations omitted)

[0117] The mounting portion 62 has a contact sensor 801, which serves as a contact detection mechanism for detecting contact with the adsorption plate 15. The contact sensor 801 includes a contact 802 that is inserted into a hole 628 provided in the mounting portion 62, and a spring 803, which is located deep within the hole 628 and applies force to the contact 802. The contact 802 is supported in the hole 628 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting surface (upper surface) 620 of the mounting portion 62. A pair of electrical contacts 804 are provided on the inner circumferential surface of the hole 628, which function as outputs to a control device an electrical signal indicating whether the contact 802 is in contact with the adsorption plate 15.

[0118] The contact 802 is forced by the spring 803 in a direction protruding from the substrate mounting surface 620 of the mounting portion 62. When not in contact with the adsorption plate 15 or the substrate 100, the front end (upper end) of the contact 802 protrudes (exposes) from the substrate mounting surface 620. Furthermore, the rear end (lower end) of the contact 802 is separated from the pair of electrical contacts 804. The distance adjustment unit 22 lowers the adsorption plate 15 relative to the mounting portion 62. When the front end of the contact 802 contacts the lower surface of the adsorption plate 15, the contact 802 is pressed by the adsorption plate 15 and displaces inward toward the hole 628. When the contact 802 is compressed by the spring 803 and sinks into the hole 628 to a predetermined depth, the rear end of the contact 802 contacts the pair of electrical contacts 804 and becomes conductive, outputting a detection signal indicating that the contact sensor 801 is in contact with the adsorption plate 15. Thus, in the output section of this embodiment, the presence or absence of contact between the contact 802 and the pair of electrical contacts 804 can be used to output whether the contact 802 is in contact with or not with the adsorption plate 15. This allows the output section to output different electrical signals depending on whether the contact 802 is in contact with or not with the adsorption plate 15. In other words, the output section can output a signal indicating whether the adsorption plate 15 is in contact with the substrate mounting surface 620 based on the displacement of the contact 802. It should be noted that the structure of the output section is not limited to the structure described above; any known technology can be used as long as it can detect whether the contact 802 is in contact with the adsorption plate 15. Furthermore, the shape and structure of the contact 802 are not particularly limited; besides the structure shown in the figure, it can be a button shape or a rod shape.

[0119] Here, by appropriately setting the length by which the tip of the contact 802, in a state of non-contact with the adsorption plate 15 or the substrate 100, protrudes from the substrate mounting surface 620, the contact sensor 801 can detect whether the adsorption plate 15 is substantially in contact with the substrate mounting surface 620. The displacement of the contact 802 from its position in a state of non-contact with the adsorption plate 15 to its position in contact with a pair of electrical contacts 804 is a "gap" from when the contact 802 actually contacts the adsorption plate 15 until the output unit outputs a signal indicating contact. In one embodiment, the displacement of the gap is equal to or slightly smaller than the length of the contact 802 protruding from the substrate mounting surface 620. With this structure, when the adsorption plate 15 contacts the substrate mounting surface 620, a signal indicating contact can be output through the output unit. That is, the contact sensor 801 can detect substantial contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate mounting surface 620. It should be noted that one embodiment is a structure in which the height of each of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 62 to be detected is obtained by detecting the contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate mounting surface 620. For example, the height of each of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 62 can be detected by progressively detecting the degree of indentation of the contact 802 generated by contact with the adsorption plate 15. In other embodiments, the displacement of the clearance and the length of the contact 802 protruding from the substrate mounting surface 620 are not limited to the above-described relationship and can be arbitrarily set.

[0120] Furthermore, by arranging contact sensors 801 on each of the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63, the contact sensors 801 constitute a first detection unit for detecting the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate support unit 6. It should be noted that the structure of the sensor used to detect the height of each of the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63 while maintaining a vacuum inside the vacuum chamber 3 is not limited to the contact type sensor described above. For example, other sensors capable of determining whether there is contact, such as pressure sensors, electrostatic capacitance sensors, and laser rangefinders, can be used instead of the contact sensor 801.

[0121] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the structure of the detection mechanism for the height of the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63 under vacuum conditions includes a distance adjustment unit 22 for raising (lowering) the adsorption plate 15 as a first lifting mechanism. However, the structure of this embodiment is not limited to the structure that changes the relative position (height) between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 to enable the contact sensor 801 to operate. For example, the height of the mounting portions 62 and 63 can be detected by the distance adjustment unit 22 for raising (lowering) the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63, by the raising and lowering of the mounting portions 62 and 63 based on the driving unit 811 described later, or by a driving structure that combines them with the lowering of the adsorption plate 15.

[0122] <Height adjustment mechanism for substrate mounting section>

[0123] The substrate support unit 6 has a drive unit 811, which serves as a second lifting mechanism, capable of independently displacing the heights of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 63. The drive unit 811 can individually adjust the height of each of the mounting portions 62, 63 relative to the support shaft R3 that supports them. In the parallelism adjustment described later, the drive unit 811, under the control of a control device, drives the plurality of mounting portions 62, 63 to a desired height based on the output from the contact sensor 801.

[0124] The drive unit 811 includes a motor 812 as a drive source, a shaft 813 that rotates in both directions via the motor 812, and a nut 814 that moves along the shaft 813 according to its rotation. Threaded portions are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft 813 and the inner circumferential surface of the nut 814, with multiple balls disposed between them. The nut 814 is fixed to a support portion 612 that supports the mounting portion 62. The support portion 612 is supported on the support shaft R3 by means of a guide 815 provided on the support shaft R3, which allows displacement along a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting surface 620 of the mounting portion 62. The direction in which the shaft 813 extends is parallel to the direction in which the support portion 612 can be displaced relative to the support shaft R3. With this structure, by controlling the rotation of the shaft 813 based on the motor 812, the support portion 612 can reciprocate along the guide 815 in the vertical direction. The height of the mounting portion 62 (the height of the substrate mounting surface 620) can be adjusted by the vertical displacement of the support portion 612. It should be noted that in this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism is shown as the drive portion 811, but various known technologies such as rack and pinion mechanisms can be used as the moving mechanism.

[0125] <The parallelism of the first detection unit was adjusted>

[0126] Next, the adjustment of the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15, which uses multiple contact sensors 801 (first detection units), and the substrate support unit 6 will be explained. Even when the adsorption plate 15 is adjusted to be parallel with the mounting portions 62 and 63 under atmospheric pressure, strain will occur in the vacuum chamber 3 due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vacuum chamber 3 when the internal space 3a is a vacuum, and tilting may sometimes occur between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63. However, when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum, it is sometimes impossible to perform the same adjustment as the parallelism adjustment under atmospheric pressure as described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, by adjusting the tilt between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum, the decrease in adsorption performance can be suppressed.

[0127] <Explanation of Adjustment Actions>

[0128] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a control processing example of the processing unit 141, showing the processing when performing an adjustment operation based on the tilt of the drive unit 811. This flowchart is executed when the air inside the vacuum chamber 3, which is under atmospheric pressure, is exhausted by a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like, and the internal space 3a becomes a vacuum. Moreover, this flowchart can be executed at predetermined intervals while the internal space 3a is in a vacuum state. Furthermore, this flowchart is executed when the adsorption plate 15 is not adsorbing the substrate 100 and the substrate support unit 6 is not supporting the substrate 100. That is, after adjusting the placement position (height of the substrate placement surface) of the substrate 100 of each of the multiple mounting units 62, 63, the support of the substrate 100 by the mounting units 62, 63 and the adsorption of the substrate 100 by the adsorption plate 15 are performed as shown in FIG. 8(b).

[0129] In step S1 (hereinafter simply referred to as S1. The same applies to other steps.), the processing unit 141 performs a parallelism detection process between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63. In this embodiment, the processing unit 141 performs a parallelism detection process to detect the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 and to determine whether the detected parallelism is within the allowable range.

[0130] Here, parallelism can be obtained, for example, based on the time difference between the contact times of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 63 and the adsorption plate 15. For example, the time from the start of the descent of the adsorption plate 15 to the time when each of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 63 contacts the adsorption plate 15 can be obtained, and the difference between this time and the shortest of these times can be used as an index representing parallelism. For example, the average of the time differences between the contact times of the first mounting portion that contacts the adsorption plate 15 and the contact times of subsequent mounting portions can be obtained and used as the parallelism.

[0131] In S2, the processing unit 141, based on the processing results of S1, terminates the flowchart if the parallelism is within the allowable range, and proceeds to S3 if the parallelism is not within the allowable range. For example, it can be determined whether the average value of the contact timing between the multiple placement units 62, 63 and the adsorption plate 15 is within a specified threshold time.

[0132] In S3, the processing unit 141 instructs the operator to adjust the tilt. In one embodiment, the processing unit 141 can display a notification indicating to the operator to adjust the tilt of the suction plate 15 and the mounting sections 62 and 63 via the display unit 145. As an example of displaying the intention to adjust the tilt, for example, the text "Please operate the drive unit of mounting section X to lift mounting section X" can be displayed. That is, information related to the mounting section 62 that is the object of adjustment by the drive unit 811 and its adjustment direction is displayed. In addition, the processing unit 141 can also display information such as whether adjustment based on the drive unit 811 is needed and the amount of adjustment based on the drive unit 811. It should be noted that the processing unit 141 can send the information indicating the intention to adjust the tilt to the upper device 300, and the upper device 300, upon receiving the information, displays the intention to adjust on a display unit (not shown) or the like.

[0133] In S4, the processing unit 141 accepts the completion of the adjustment. Specifically, the processing unit 141 accepts the operator's intention to end the adjustment after tilting the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 via the input unit 146. For example, if the operator selects the "Adjustment Complete" button on the display unit via an input unit such as a positioning device, the processing unit 141 can determine that the adjustment has been completed. When the adjustment is completed, the processing unit 141 returns to S1. Through the processing described above, the tilting adjustment of the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 is performed until the parallelism of the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 converges within the allowable range.

[0134] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of height adjustment of the mounting sections 62 and 63. In S11, the processing unit 141 initiates the descent of the adsorption plate 15 via the distance adjustment unit 22. In S12, the processing unit 141 checks whether any of the multiple contact sensors 801 has detected contact. If contact is detected, the process proceeds to S13; otherwise, the determination in S12 is repeated. In other words, from the start of the descent of the adsorption plate 15 in S11, the processing unit 141 continues the descent of the adsorption plate 15 until any contact sensor 801 detects contact.

[0135] In S13, the processing unit 141 lowers the adsorption plate 15 by a predetermined amount via the distance adjustment unit 22. That is, the processing unit 141 lowers the adsorption plate 15 by a further predetermined amount from the point where any contact sensor 801 first detects contact. The amount of descent of the adsorption plate 15 can be appropriately set according to the parallelism of the target. In one embodiment, for example, the adsorption plate 15 can be lowered by 5 to 10 mm. It should be noted that the processing unit 141 can temporarily stop the adsorption plate 15 at the point where any contact sensor 801 detects contact, and then lower the adsorption plate 15 by a predetermined amount from that point. That is, the descent of the adsorption plate 15 can be continuous or performed step-by-step. Furthermore, the processing unit 141 can stop the adsorption plate 15 at the point where, after any contact sensor 801 detects contact while the adsorption plate 15 is lowering, the adsorption plate 15 has been lowered by a further predetermined amount. In other words, the descent of the adsorption plate 15 starting in S11 and the descent of the adsorption plate 15 in S13 can be continuous or independent actions.

[0136] In S14, the processing unit 141 confirms whether all contact sensors 801 have detected contact. If all contact sensors 801 have detected contact, it proceeds to S15. If at least one contact sensor 801 has not detected contact, it proceeds to S16.

[0137] Here, when the adsorption plate 15 is parallel to the mounting portions 62 and 63 or their inclination is relatively small, all the contact sensors 801 provided on the adsorption plate 15 detect contact with the mounting portions 62 and 63 approximately simultaneously. Therefore, at the point in S13 when the adsorption plate 15 is lowered by a predetermined amount, all the contact sensors 801 can detect contact with the mounting portions 62 and 63.

[0138] On the other hand, when the relative tilt between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 is relatively large, at the point when any contact sensor 801 detects contact with the mounting portions 62 and 63, there are contact sensors 801 that are relatively far from the mounting portions 62 and 63. If the distance between the contact sensor 801 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 at this time is greater than the predetermined amount in S13, even if the adsorption plate 15 is lowered by a predetermined amount in S13, not all contact sensors 801 will detect contact.

[0139] That is, during the period from the height at which contact is detected by any contact sensor 801 to the point where the adsorption plate 15 descends by a predetermined amount, by confirming whether all contact sensors 801 have detected contact, it can be confirmed whether the tilt of the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 is less than a predetermined value. Therefore, from a certain point of view, the amount of descent of the adsorption plate 15 in S13 can be set based on the allowable value of the parallelism (or tilt) between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63. When adjusting to a higher parallelism, that is, when the allowable range of parallelism is narrow, it is sufficient to set the amount of descent of the adsorption plate 15 in S13 to be small.

[0140] In S15, the processing unit 141 determines that the parallelism is within the acceptable range. On the other hand, when proceeding to S16, the processing unit 141 determines that the parallelism is outside the acceptable range.

[0141] In S17, the processing unit 141 raises the adsorption plate 15 by a predetermined amount, thus ending the flowchart. It should be noted that this predetermined amount may be a different value than the predetermined amount in S13. In one embodiment, the processing unit 141 raises the adsorption plate 15 to the height at the point in S11 when the descent of the adsorption plate 15 begins.

[0142] Through the above processing, it can be determined whether the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63 is within the allowable range. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the processing unit 141 checks in S14 whether all contact sensors 801 have detected contact. However, it may also proceed to S15 and determine that the parallelism is within the allowable range if a predetermined number of contact sensors 801 have detected contact. For example, if the contact sensors 801 located at the four corners of the adsorption plate 15 have detected contact, the processing unit 141 can determine that the parallelism is within the allowable range. Furthermore, if a predetermined number of contact sensors 801 have detected contact in S14, the processing unit 141 can proceed to S15 and determine that the parallelism is within the allowable range. For example, if more than half (five or more) of the nine contact sensors 801 located on the adsorption plate 15 have detected contact, the processing unit 141 can determine that the parallelism is within the allowable range.

[0143] When the heights of the mounting portions 62 and 63 are automatically adjusted, after S14, the mounting portions 62 and 63 having contact sensors 801 that do not contact the adsorption plate 15 are identified, and their heights are raised by a predetermined amount. Alternatively, the mounting portions 62 and 63 having contact sensors 801 that contact the adsorption plate 15 can be lowered by a predetermined amount. This predetermined amount can be, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the amount lowered in S13 by a certain ratio less than 1.

[0144] As described above, according to this embodiment, even when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum, adjustments similar to those made under atmospheric pressure can be performed. Therefore, when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum, by adjusting the tilt between the adsorption plate 15 and the mounting portions 62 and 63, a decrease in adsorption performance can be suppressed. That is, the substrate can be properly adsorbed onto the adsorption plate.

[0145] <Manufacturing Methods of Electronic Devices>

[0146] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film-forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, as an example of an electronic device, the structure of an organic EL display device will be shown, and a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be illustrated.

[0147] First, the manufactured organic EL display device will be described. Figure 11(a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 60, and Figure 11(b) shows a cross-sectional structure of a pixel.

[0148] As shown in Figure 11(a), in the display area 51 of the organic EL display device 50, a plurality of pixels 52, each having a plurality of light-emitting elements, are arranged in a matrix. Each light-emitting element has a structure having an organic layer held by a pair of electrodes, as detailed below. It should be noted that a pixel, as referred to here, is the smallest unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display area 51. In the case of the organic EL display device of this embodiment, the pixel 52 is constructed by a combination of a first light-emitting element 52R, a second light-emitting element 52G, and a third light-emitting element 52B that exhibit different light emission. The pixel 52 is mostly constructed by a combination of red, green, and blue light-emitting elements, but it can also be a combination of yellow, cyan, and white light-emitting elements, as long as there is at least one color, there is no particular limitation.

[0149] Figure 11(b) is a partial cross-sectional view along line AB in Figure 11(a). Pixel 52 is composed of multiple light-emitting elements, each of which has a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole transport layer 55, any one of light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B, an electron transport layer 57, and a second electrode (cathode) 58 on substrate 53. The hole transport layer 55, light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, 56B, and electron transport layer 57 are equivalent to organic layers. Furthermore, in this embodiment, light-emitting layer 56R is a red-emitting organic EL layer, light-emitting layer 56G is a green-emitting organic EL layer, and light-emitting layer 56B is a blue-emitting organic EL layer. Light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B are formed in patterns corresponding to the red, green, and blue light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements), respectively. Moreover, the first electrode 64 is formed separately according to each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 55, electron transport layer 57, and second electrode 58 can be formed in a shared manner among multiple light-emitting elements 52R, 52G, and 52B, or they can be formed separately for each light-emitting element. It should be noted that an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrode 54 and the second electrode 58 to prevent short circuits due to impurities. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture or oxygen, a protective layer 40 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture or oxygen.

[0150] In Figure 11(b), the hole transport layer 55 or electron transport layer 57 is represented by a single layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, it may also be formed by multiple layers having hole block layers or electron block layers. Furthermore, a hole injection layer with an energy band structure can be formed between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55 to facilitate smooth injection of holes from the first electrode 54 into the hole transport layer 55. Similarly, an electron injection layer can be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57.

[0151] Next, we will give a specific example of how to manufacture an organic EL display device.

[0152] First, a substrate 53 is prepared having a circuit (not shown) for driving an organic EL display device and a first electrode 54.

[0153] Acrylic resin is spin-coated onto a substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed. The acrylic resin is then patterned using photolithography to form an opening in the portion where the first electrode 54 is formed, thus forming an insulating layer 59. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting area where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

[0154] A substrate 53 with an insulating layer 59 patterned on it is fed into a first organic material film-forming apparatus. The substrate is held using a substrate support stage and an electrostatic chuck, and a hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 54 of the display area. The hole transport layer 55 is formed by vacuum evaporation. In fact, the hole transport layer 55 is formed to a size larger than the display area 51, so a high-precision mask is not required.

[0155] Next, the substrate 53 to which the hole transport layer 55 is formed is fed into the second organic material film forming apparatus and held by a substrate support stage and an electrostatic chuck. The substrate and the mask are aligned, the substrate is placed on the mask, and a red light-emitting layer 56R is formed on the portion of the substrate 53 where the red element is arranged.

[0156] Similar to the deposition of the light-emitting layer 56R, a green light-emitting layer 56G is deposited using a third organic material film-forming apparatus, and a blue light-emitting layer 56B is then deposited using a fourth organic material film-forming apparatus. After the deposition of the light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B is completed, an electron transport layer 57 is deposited over the entire display area 51 using a fifth film-forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a common layer on the three-color light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

[0157] The second electrode 58 is formed by moving the substrate to form the electron transport layer 57 using a metallic vapor deposition material film forming apparatus.

[0158] Then it moves to the plasma CVD device to form a protective film 40, and the organic EL display device 50 is completed.

[0159] From the moment the substrate 53 with the insulating layer 59 is fed into the film-forming apparatus until the film formation of the protective layer 40 is completed, if exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen, the light-emitting layer made of organic EL material may deteriorate due to moisture or oxygen. Therefore, in this embodiment, the feeding and unloading of the substrate between the film-forming apparatuses is performed under a vacuum atmosphere or an inactive gas atmosphere.

[0160] The above embodiments illustrate one example of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the structure of the above embodiments, and appropriate modifications can be made within the scope of its technical concept.

Claims

1. A film-forming apparatus, comprising: A chamber that maintains its interior as a vacuum; A position adjustment unit is fixed to the outer side of the upper wall of the chamber to adjust the position of the base plate; An adsorption plate is disposed inside the chamber to adsorb the substrate; A substrate support portion is disposed inside the chamber and has a plurality of substrate mounting portions supporting the substrate below the adsorption plate. and Multiple support shafts, connected to the position adjustment unit, pass through openings in the upper wall of the chamber to support the multiple substrate mounting portions. The film-forming apparatus is characterized by comprising: A detection mechanism that detects the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions while the interior of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum state; and An adjustment mechanism, which, while maintaining a vacuum inside the chamber, independently adjusts the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions based on the detection result of the detection mechanism.

2. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection mechanism includes: A first lifting mechanism, wherein the first lifting mechanism causes the adsorption plate to rise and fall; and A contact detection mechanism detects contact between the adsorption plate and each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions. When the plurality of substrate mounting portions are not supporting the substrate, the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions relative to the adsorption plate is detected based on the detection result of the contact detection mechanism when the adsorption plate is lowered by the first lifting mechanism.

3. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The contact detection mechanism includes contacts that are exposed to the mounting surfaces of the respective substrates of the plurality of substrate mounting portions.

4. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism includes a second lifting mechanism that allows the plurality of substrate mounting portions to be raised and lowered independently while the interior of the chamber is kept under vacuum. The height of the plurality of substrate mounting portions is adjusted independently in such a way that the time difference between the contact points of the plurality of contacts with the adsorption plate converges within a predetermined time.

5. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism independently adjusts the height of each of the multiple substrate mounting portions by means of a predetermined time difference in the timing of the contact between the multiple contacts and the adsorption plate.

6. A film-forming apparatus, comprising: A chamber that maintains its interior as a vacuum; A position adjustment unit is fixed to the outer side of the upper wall of the chamber to adjust the position of the base plate; An adsorption plate is disposed inside the chamber to adsorb the substrate; A substrate support portion is disposed inside the chamber and has multiple substrate mounting portions that support the substrate below the adsorption plate. and Multiple support shafts, connected to the position adjustment unit, pass through openings in the upper wall of the chamber to support the multiple substrate mounting portions. The film-forming apparatus is characterized by comprising: The detection mechanism detects contact between each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions and an object located above the substrate mounting portion; and An adjustment mechanism, which, while maintaining a vacuum inside the chamber, independently adjusts the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions based on the detection result of the detection mechanism.

7. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The film-forming device also includes a first lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the adsorption plate. The detection mechanism detects contact with the adsorption plate. When the plurality of substrate mounting portions are not supporting the substrate, the adjustment mechanism independently adjusts the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions relative to the adsorption plate based on the detection result of the detection mechanism when the adsorption plate is lowered by the first lifting mechanism.

8. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The detection mechanism includes contacts that are exposed to the mounting surfaces of the respective substrates of the plurality of substrate mounting portions.

9. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The detection mechanism includes contacts that expose the mounting surfaces of the respective substrates of the plurality of substrate mounting portions. The adjustment mechanism includes a second lifting mechanism that allows the plurality of substrate mounting portions to be raised and lowered independently while the interior of the chamber is kept under vacuum. The height of each of the multiple substrate mounting portions is independently adjusted such that the time difference between the timing of the contact between the multiple contacts and the adsorption plate converges within a specified time.

10. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism independently adjusts the height of each of the multiple substrate mounting portions by means of a predetermined time difference in the timing of the contact between the multiple contacts and the adsorption plate.

11. The film-forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, After the mounting positions of the respective substrates of the plurality of substrate mounting portions are independently adjusted by the adjustment mechanism, the substrate support portion supports the substrates.

12. The film-forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The adsorption plate adsorbs the substrates supported on the substrate support after the placement positions of the respective substrates of the plurality of substrate mounting portions have been independently adjusted by the adjustment mechanism.

13. The film-forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The film-forming apparatus also includes: A mask stage, disposed inside the chamber, holds a mask; and An alignment mechanism aligns the substrate adsorbed on the adsorption plate with the mask placed on the mask stage.

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