Film forming apparatus, film forming method, alignment apparatus and alignment method

Abstract

Provided is a technique capable of performing high-precision alignment by measuring more portions of a substrate and a mask. A film forming apparatus that forms a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, the film forming apparatus being characterized by being provided with: an alignment member that aligns the film forming surface of the substrate on the basis of the position of an alignment mark provided in a surface along the film forming surface of the mask and the substrate; aligning the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film formation surface; and a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark, the measuring member measuring the position of the alignment mark to be measured while moving relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film formation surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming device, a film forming method, an alignment device and an alignment method. Background Art

[0002] A flat panel display device such as an organic EL display device and a liquid crystal display device is used. For example, an organic EL display device includes an organic EL element of a multilayer structure, in which a functional layer having a light-emitting layer as an organic material layer for emitting light is formed between two opposing electrodes. The functional layer and the electrode layer of the organic EL element are formed by attaching a film-forming material to a substrate such as glass via a mask in a chamber of a film-forming device. In order to improve the quality of the manufactured panel, it is required to align (adjust the position) the substrate and the mask with high precision and make them close before the film-forming material is attached to the substrate. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is described that before the substrate and the mask are brought into close contact, the respective marks of the substrate and the mask are photographed with a camera, thereby aligning the substrate and the mask.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-083311 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In the film forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, a substrate and a mask are arranged at a predetermined alignment measurement position for alignment, and in this state, the positions of alignment marks provided on the substrate and alignment marks provided on the mask are measured by a camera, and the relative positions of the substrate and the mask are adjusted based on the measurement results, thereby performing alignment. Therefore, the parts on the substrate and the mask that can be measured by the camera are limited to specific parts determined by the relative positional relationship between the substrate and the mask in the state of being arranged at the alignment measurement position and the camera, and the number of cameras set. For example, in the case of the film forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, alignment marks are provided at the center of the short sides of the substrate and the mask for rough alignment, and alignment marks are provided at the four corners of the substrate and the mask for fine alignment. Corresponding to these marks, two cameras are used to photograph the marks for rough alignment, and four cameras are used to photograph the marks for fine alignment.

[0008] However, in order to perform more precise alignment, it is sometimes required to measure more parts of the substrate and the mask. For example, when using a mask composed of a mask frame and a mask foil fixed to the mask frame, due to the influence of deformation of the mask frame, even if the mask frame and the substrate are aligned, the position of the film pattern forming area of ​​the mask foil and the position of the film forming object area of ​​the substrate may sometimes be offset. In order to perform high-precision alignment that also takes such positional offsets into account, it is required to measure the position of the mask foil. In order to meet such requirements, additional cameras need to be installed in the previous film forming devices, which has problems in terms of cost and device size.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technology capable of performing high-precision alignment by measuring more locations of a substrate and a mask.

[0010] Means for solving problems

[0011] The present invention is a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, and is characterized in that the film forming device comprises:

[0012] an alignment member for aligning the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface; and

[0013] a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark,

[0014] The measuring member measures the position of the alignment mark to be measured while relatively moving the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film formation surface.

[0015] The present invention is a film forming method, which forms a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, and is characterized in that the film forming method has:

[0016] an alignment step in which the mask and the substrate are relatively moved in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface, thereby aligning the mask and the substrate; and

[0017] a measuring step, in which the position of the alignment mark is measured using a measuring member,

[0018] In the measuring step, the position of the alignment mark to be measured is measured while the measuring member is relatively moved in a first direction along the film formation surface with respect to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured.

[0019] The present invention is an alignment device for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, wherein the alignment device comprises:

[0020] an alignment member for aligning the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface; and

[0021] a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark,

[0022] The measuring member measures the position of the alignment mark to be measured while relatively moving the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film formation surface.

[0023] The present invention is an alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, wherein the alignment method comprises:

[0024] A step of aligning the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface; and

[0025] a measuring step of measuring the position of the alignment mark by using a measuring member,

[0026] In the measuring step, the position of the alignment mark to be measured is measured while the measuring member is relatively moved in a first direction along the film formation surface with respect to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured.

[0027] The present invention is a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, and is characterized in that the film forming device comprises:

[0028] an alignment member for performing alignment between the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface;

[0029] a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark; and

[0030] a moving member that moves the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface,

[0031] The measuring member measures positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction.

[0032] The present invention is a film forming method, which forms a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, and is characterized in that the film forming method has:

[0033] an alignment step in which the mask and the substrate are relatively moved in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface, thereby aligning the mask and the substrate;

[0034] a measuring step of measuring the position of the alignment mark using a measuring member; and

[0035] a moving step of moving the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface,

[0036] In the measuring step, positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction are measured in the moving step.

[0037] The present invention is an alignment device for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, wherein the alignment device comprises:

[0038] an alignment member for performing alignment between the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface;

[0039] a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark; and

[0040] a moving member that moves the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface,

[0041] The measuring member measures positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction.

[0042] The present invention is an alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, wherein the alignment method comprises:

[0043] A step of aligning the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface, thereby performing alignment of the mask and the substrate;

[0044] a measuring step of measuring the position of the alignment mark using a measuring member; and

[0045] a moving step of moving the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface,

[0046] In the measuring step, positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction are measured in the moving step.

[0047] Effects of the Invention

[0048] According to the present invention, it is possible to perform high-precision alignment by measuring more locations of the substrate and the mask. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Figure 1 It is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a film forming apparatus.

[0050] Figure 2 It is a diagram schematically showing a substrate supporting unit.

[0051] Figure 3 This is a diagram schematically showing a conveying device using a magnetic levitation system.

[0052] Figure 4 It is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring an alignment mark.

[0053] Figure 5 It is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring an alignment mark.

[0054] Figure 6 It is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring an alignment mark.

[0055] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing the structure of a mask.

[0056] Figure 8 It is a diagram schematically showing a control device of a film forming apparatus.

[0057] Fig. 9 It is a diagram for explaining the influence of deformation of the mask frame.

[0058] Fig.10 It is a flowchart showing the alignment and film forming process.

[0059] Fig.11 It is a diagram showing the structure of an organic EL display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The following embodiments of the present invention are described in detail. However, the following embodiments are merely illustrative of the preferred structures of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these structures. In addition, the hardware structure and software structure, processing flow, manufacturing conditions, size, material, shape, etc. of the device in the following description, unless there is a particularly specific description, are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these.

[0061] The film forming apparatus, film forming method and method for manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention are described. The film forming apparatus of the present embodiment is an apparatus for forming a thin film by depositing a film forming material on the surface of a substrate via a mask. As film forming methods, vacuum evaporation and sputtering can be exemplified. Film formation is performed by aligning the substrate and the mask, thereby forming a thin film having a pattern corresponding to the opening pattern of the mask on the substrate. When multiple layers are formed on a substrate, the layers formed until the previous step are sometimes also referred to as a "substrate". The film forming apparatus of the present embodiment adjusts the relative positions of the substrate and the mask in order to form a thin film via a mask with high precision.

[0062] As the material of the substrate, examples include semiconductors such as glass and silicon, films of polymer materials, metals, etc. In addition, as the substrate, examples include silicon wafers and substrates with films such as polyimide stacked on the substrate. As film-forming materials, examples include organic materials, inorganic materials (metals, metal oxides), etc. As a mask, an example includes a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to a thin film pattern formed on the substrate. As electronic devices manufactured using the manufacturing method of this embodiment, examples include semiconductor devices, magnetic devices, electronic components, various electronic devices, optical components, light-emitting elements, photoelectric conversion elements, touch panels, display devices with light-emitting elements (such as organic EL display devices), lighting devices (such as organic EL lighting devices), sensors with photoelectric conversion elements (such as organic CMOS image sensors), etc. It is particularly suitable for the manufacture of organic light-emitting elements such as OLEDs and organic photoelectric conversion elements such as organic thin-film solar cells.

[0063] In the following, the direction parallel to the conveying direction in the direction along the film-forming surface of the substrate is set as the X direction, the direction perpendicular to the X direction is set as the Y direction, the direction intersecting the film-forming surface of the substrate is set as the Z direction, and the rotation around the Z axis is set as the θ direction. In this embodiment, the XY plane is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z direction is parallel to the vertical direction. It should be noted that when the conveying direction is not parallel to the horizontal direction, the X direction is not parallel to the horizontal direction, and the Z direction is not parallel to the vertical direction.

[0064] <Film forming device>

[0065] Figure 1 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the film forming apparatus 1. The film forming apparatus 1 forms a film on a film forming surface of a substrate 102 via a mask 103. In the film forming apparatus 1, a series of film forming processes are performed, including the delivery of the substrate 102 and the mask 103, the adjustment (alignment) of the relative position of the substrate 102 and the mask 103, the fixing of the mask 103 and the substrate 102, and film formation, etc., by a conveying device that conveys the substrate 102 and the mask 103 from the outside to the film forming apparatus 1.

[0066] The film forming apparatus 1 includes a vacuum chamber 200 . The interior of the vacuum chamber 200 is maintained in a vacuum environment or an inert gas environment such as nitrogen. A substrate support unit 210 , a mask 103 , a mask stage 215 , a cooling plate 230 , and an evaporation source 240 are provided inside the vacuum chamber 200 .

[0067] The substrate support unit 210 is a substrate support member that supports the substrate 102 received from the conveying device described later. The mask 103 has an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film formed on the film forming surface of the substrate 102. As the mask 103, for example, a metal mask having a structure in which a metal foil having an opening pattern is stretched on a frame with high rigidity is used. The mask stage 215 having a frame-like structure is a mask support member on which the mask 103 is set. In this embodiment, after the substrate 102 and the mask 103 are aligned, the substrate 102 is placed on the mask 103 to form a film.

[0068] The cooling plate 230 is a plate-shaped member that contacts the surface of the substrate 102 on the opposite side of the surface in contact with the mask 103 during film formation, and suppresses the temperature rise of the substrate 102 during film formation. By cooling the substrate 102 by the cooling plate 230, the deterioration and degradation of the organic material are suppressed. The cooling plate 230 can also cool the mask 103 in contact with the substrate 102 through the substrate 102. The cooling plate 230 can also be used as a magnet plate, which is used to improve the close contact between the substrate 102 and the mask 103 during film formation by attracting the mask 103 with magnetic force. It should be noted that in order to improve the close contact between the substrate 102 and the mask 103, the substrate support unit 210 can also hold both the substrate 102 and the mask 103.

[0069] The evaporation source 240 is composed of a crucible as a container for accommodating the evaporation material, a heater for heating the crucible, a shutter that can be opened and closed for controlling the scattering of the evaporation material, an evaporation rate monitor, etc. The film forming device 1 may also include a driving mechanism for moving the evaporation source 240. Through the operation of the driving mechanism, the evaporation source 240 forms a film while moving, thereby making the film thickness on the substrate 102 uniform. The driving mechanism may also be a structure that retreats the evaporation source 240 to a predetermined position (starting position) other than when forming a film, and moves the evaporation source 240 when film forming starts. Since the film forming device 1 of this embodiment is an evaporation device, the evaporation source 240 that heats the film forming material (evaporation material) to evaporate it is used as the evaporation source. However, the evaporation source is not limited to the evaporation source 240, and for example, it may be a sputtering device using a sputtering target. The evaporation source 240 is a film forming member that forms a film on the substrate 102 via the mask 103 after the substrate 102 and the mask 103 are in close contact.

[0070] A substrate Z actuator 250, a clamping member Z actuator 251, and a cooling plate Z actuator 252 are provided on the upper outer side of the vacuum chamber 200. Each actuator is composed of, for example, a motor and a ball screw, a motor and a linear guide, etc. An alignment stage 280 is also provided on the upper outer side of the vacuum chamber 200.

[0071] The substrate Z actuator 250 is a driving member that moves the entire substrate support unit 210 up and down in the Z-axis direction. The clamp Z actuator 251 is a driving member that opens and closes the clamp mechanism of the substrate support unit 210. The cooling plate Z actuator 252 is a driving member that moves the cooling plate 230 up and down.

[0072] The alignment stage 280 moves the substrate 102 in the XY direction and rotates the substrate 102 in the θ direction, thereby changing the position of the substrate 102 relative to the mask 103. The alignment stage 280 is an alignment member that performs a process of aligning the substrate 102 and the mask 103. The alignment stage 280 includes a chamber fixing portion 281 connected and fixed to the vacuum chamber 200, an actuator portion 282 for performing XYθ movement, and a connection portion 283 connected to the substrate support unit 210. It should be noted that the alignment stage 280 and the substrate support unit 210 can also be considered as an alignment member.

[0073] As the actuator unit 282, an actuator formed by stacking an X actuator, a Y actuator, and a θ actuator may also be used. In addition, a UVW type actuator in which a plurality of actuators cooperate may also be used. Regardless of the type of actuator unit 282, it is driven according to a control signal sent from the control device 3 described later, so that the substrate 102 moves in the X direction and the Y direction and rotates in the θ direction. If it is a stacked actuator, the control signal indicates the amount of movement of each XYθ actuator, and if it is a UVW actuator, the control signal indicates the amount of movement of each UVW actuator.

[0074] The substrate support unit 210 is moved in XYθ by the alignment stage 280. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, a structure for adjusting the position of the substrate 102 is adopted, but any relative positional relationship between the substrate 102 and the mask 103 in the XY plane can be adjusted. Therefore, a structure for adjusting the position of the mask 103 or a structure for adjusting the positions of both the substrate 102 and the mask 103 may be adopted.

[0075] Reference Figure 2 The structural example of the substrate support unit 210 is described with reference to a stereoscopic view. The substrate support unit 210 comprises: a support frame 701 provided with a plurality of support members 700 for supporting the respective sides of the substrate 102; and a clamping component 703 provided with a plurality of pressing members 702. The plurality of pressing members 702 and the plurality of support members 700 clamp and fix the substrate 102 in the middle. A pair of support members 700 and pressing members 702 constitute a clamping mechanism 305. However, the number and configuration of the clamping mechanism 305 are not limited thereto. In addition, instead of a clamping method, a method in which the substrate 102 is placed on a support member may be used. Alternatively, an electrostatic suction cup that uses electrostatic force to adsorb the substrate 102 may be used.

[0076] The alignment stage 280 finely adjusts the relative position of the substrate 102 with respect to the mask 103 by transmitting a driving force to the substrate support unit 210 that holds the substrate 102. During the Z-direction movement of the substrate 102, the substrate Z actuator 250 is driven to move the substrate support unit 210, so that the substrate 102 is raised or lowered. Thus, the substrate 102 and the mask 103 are brought close to or separated from each other. By further lowering the substrate 102, the substrate 102 and the mask 103 can be brought into close contact, and therefore, the substrate Z actuator 250 is a close contact member that performs a close contact process of the substrate 102 and the mask 103. During the XYθ movement of the substrate 102, the alignment stage 280 moves the substrate 102 in translation in the XY direction or in rotation in the θ direction. During alignment, the movement of the substrate 102 is a movement within the XY plane where the substrate 102 is arranged, and the XY plane is substantially parallel to the plane where the mask 103 is arranged. That is, when the substrate 102 moves in XYθ, the distance between the substrate 102 and the mask 103 in the Z direction does not change, but the position of the substrate 102 in the XY plane changes. Thus, the substrate 102 and the mask 103 are aligned in the XY plane.

[0077] The film forming apparatus 1 configured as described above has a conveying device of a magnetic levitation type, which uses the magnetic force generated by the magnetic force generating member to suspend the substrate carrier 101 capable of holding the substrate 102 and the mask 103 and convey them in a non-contact manner. The conveying device is used to convey the substrate 102 and the mask 103 to the film forming apparatus 1 and within the film forming apparatus 1. The conveying device of the film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is described below.

[0078] <Conveying device>

[0079] Figure 3 It is a figure which shows schematically the conveying device of this Example. Figure 3 (A) is a diagram of the conveying device 2 as viewed from the Y direction. Figure 3 (B) is a view of the conveying device 2 viewed along the X direction. The conveying device 2 is a magnetic levitation conveying device using a movable magnet type linear motor, a movable permanent magnet type linear motor, or a movable excitation type linear motor. The conveying device 2 functions as a fixed part relative to the substrate carrier 101 as a movable part, does not have a guide device such as a linear guide, and conveys the substrate carrier 101 in a non-contact manner. It should be noted that Figure 3 (A) shows an example in which one substrate carrier 101 is transported by the transport device 2 , but a plurality of substrate carriers 101 may be transported by the transport device 2 .

[0080] The conveying device 2 conveys the substrate 102 held on the substrate carrier 101 to the film forming device 1 that performs film forming on the substrate 102 by conveying the substrate carrier 101. The substrate carrier 101 has an electrostatic suction cup that holds the substrate 102 by electrostatic attraction generated by applying a voltage. The method of holding the substrate 102 is not limited to this example, and for example, a clamping mechanism or adsorption rubber may be used to hold the substrate 102. In addition, the substrate carrier 101 has a mask holding member that holds the mask 103, and can hold and convey the mask 103.

[0081] Figure 3 (B) is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of the substrate carrier 101 along a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction X. The substrate carrier 101 has a substrate holding member that holds the substrate 102 on the substrate carrier 101 , and conveys the substrate 102 as a conveying object while being placed or mounted on the upper surface or the lower surface.

[0082] At the Y-direction end of the upper surface of the substrate carrier 101, a plurality of permanent magnets 104a and 104b are installed at positions symmetrical to the Y-direction center of the substrate carrier 101. It should be noted that, hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the permanent magnets 104a and 104b, they are simply referred to as permanent magnets 104. The permanent magnets 104 are arranged along the Y-direction in such a way that the polarities of the magnetic poles on the side facing the upper portion of the conveying device 2 are alternately different. Figure 3 In (B), the permanent magnet 104 is composed of two permanent magnets, but the number is not limited as long as there are multiple permanent magnets. In addition, the direction in which the multiple permanent magnets constituting the permanent magnet 104 are arranged is not limited to Figure 3 The Y direction shown in (B) may be any direction that intersects the X direction (transport direction). In other words, the permanent magnet 104 is a magnet group composed of a plurality of permanent magnets arranged in a direction intersecting the X direction (transport direction) in such a manner that the polarity of the magnetic poles is alternating. Figure 3 In (B), the magnet groups are arranged in two rows along the X direction at the Y direction end portions of the upper surface of the substrate carrier 101 .

[0083] A yoke 108 is provided at an end portion in the Y direction of the upper surface of the substrate carrier 101, and the permanent magnet 104 is attached to the yoke 108. The yoke 108 is made of a material having a large magnetic permeability, such as iron.

[0084] At the Y-direction end of the upper portion 2011 of the conveying device 2, a plurality of coils 202 arranged at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction of the substrate carrier 101, i.e., the X-direction, are installed in a manner facing the permanent magnet 104 provided on the upper surface of the substrate carrier 101. Each coil 202 is installed in a manner such that its central axis faces the Y-direction. It should be noted that the coil 202 is a structure in which a winding is wound on a core, and in this embodiment, the position of the coil 202 represents the position of the core.

[0085] The plurality of coils 202 are current-controlled in groups of a predetermined number of coils 202. The group of a predetermined number of coils 202 that is a unit of current control is referred to as a coil unit 203. One or more coil units 203 may be stored in a coil box, and the coil box may be arranged on the upper portion 2011 of the conveyor 2 along the X direction.

[0086] By energizing the coil 202 , a magnetic force is generated between the coil 202 disposed in the conveyor device 2 and the permanent magnet 104 disposed in the substrate carrier 101 . The magnetic force controls the posture of the substrate carrier 101 and provides a propulsive force in the X direction.

[0087] On the lower surface of the substrate carrier 101, a linear scale 105, a Y target 106, and a Z target 107 are provided along the X direction. The Z target 107 is installed on both sides of the linear scale 105 and the Y target 106 in the Y direction.

[0088] A plurality of linear encoders 204 , a plurality of Y sensors 205 , and a plurality of Z sensors 206 are provided at the lower portion 2012 of the conveying device 21 b .

[0089] The plurality of linear encoders 204 are mounted on the conveyor 2 along the X direction so as to face the linear scale 105 of the substrate carrier 101 . Each linear encoder 204 can detect and output the relative position of the substrate carrier 101 with respect to the linear encoder 204 by reading the linear scale 105 mounted on the substrate carrier 101 .

[0090] The plurality of Y sensors 205 are mounted on the conveyor device 2 along the X direction so as to face the Y targets 106 of the substrate carrier 101 . Each Y sensor 205 can detect and output the relative distance in the Y direction to the Y target 106 mounted on the substrate carrier 101 .

[0091] The plurality of Z sensors 206 are mounted in two rows along the X direction on the conveyor device 2 so as to face the Z targets 107 of the substrate carrier 101 . Each Z sensor 206 can detect and output the relative distance in the Z direction to the Z target 107 mounted on the substrate carrier 101 .

[0092] The plurality of linear encoders 204 are installed on the conveying device 2 at intervals such that one of the linear encoders can certainly measure the position of one substrate carrier 101 during the conveyance of the substrate carrier 101. In addition, the plurality of Y sensors 205 are installed on the conveying device 2 at intervals such that two of the linear encoders can certainly measure the position of the Y target 106 of one substrate carrier 101. In addition, the plurality of Z sensors 206 are installed on the conveying device 2 at intervals such that three of the two rows can certainly measure the position of the Z target 107 of one substrate carrier 101.

[0093] A plurality of permanent magnets 207 as first magnets are provided on the lower surface of the substrate carrier 101, and a plurality of permanent magnets 211 as second magnets located below the first magnets are provided on the lower portion 2012 of the conveying device 2. The arrangement direction of the plurality of permanent magnets 207 and the arrangement direction of the plurality of permanent magnets 211 are the same, and the permanent magnets 207 and the permanent magnets 211 face each other in the Z direction. The substrate carrier 101 is suspended and supported in the vertical direction by the repulsive force generated by the magnetic force generated between the permanent magnets 207 and the permanent magnets 211. The permanent magnets 211 provided on the conveying device 21b constitute a magnetic force generating member. It should be noted that the magnetic force generating member that generates the magnetic force for magnetically suspending the substrate carrier 101 may also be an electromagnet instead of a permanent magnet. In addition, in the case where the substrate carrier 101 is suspended only by the permanent magnets 104a and 104b on the upper surface of the substrate carrier 101, the permanent magnets 207 and 211 may be not provided.

[0094] Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 The diagram is for explaining a method of measuring an alignment mark for aligning the substrate 102 and the mask 103 performed in the film forming apparatus 1 .

[0095] Figure 4 , Figure 5 The figure shows a state where the mask 103 which has been previously transported to the film forming apparatus 1 through a transport path of a system different from that of the substrate carrier 101 is placed on the mask stage 215 provided in the lower portion 2012 of the transport device 2 in the film forming apparatus 1 . Figure 4 1 shows a state where a substrate carrier 101 holding a substrate 102 to be film-formed is carried into the film-forming apparatus 1. Figure 5 The substrate carrier 101 is shown being transported toward the mask 103 along the X direction. Figure 6 The substrate 102 that has completed the film forming process in the film forming apparatus 1 is shown being transported in the −X direction by the transport device 2 in order to be transported out of the film forming apparatus 1 to the outside.

[0096] <Masks, Mask Marks, Mask Foil Marks>

[0097] like Figure 4As shown in (A), the mask 103 has a frame-shaped mask frame 31 and a plurality of mask foils 32 fixed to the mask frame 31. A plurality of mask foils 32 are arranged along the X direction. The mask foil 32 has a thickness of about several μm to several tens of μm, and its two ends in the Y direction are welded and fixed to the sides along the X direction of the mask frame 31. The mask frame 31 supports the mask foil 32 in a state where the mask foil 32 is stretched in its surface direction (X direction and Y direction) so that the mask foil 32 does not bend. On each mask foil 32, a plurality of pattern areas 33 having opening patterns corresponding to the thin film formed on the film forming surface of the substrate 102 are arranged along the Y direction (second direction), and there is a non-pattern area 34 where no film forming pattern is formed around the pattern area 33. The mask 103 has mask marks 43 provided at the four corners of the mask frame 31 and mask foil marks 44 provided at the two ends in the Y direction of the non-pattern area 34 of the mask foil 32 as alignment marks to be the position measurement object in alignment.

[0098] <First Substrate Marking, Second Substrate Marking>

[0099] In this embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown in (C), the case where the lower panel pattern 25 has been formed on the film-forming target surface of the substrate 102 is described as an example. It should be noted that the present invention can also be applied to the case where the lower panel pattern is not formed on the film-forming target surface of the substrate 102 (the case where the first layer of the panel pattern is film-formed). After the alignment of the substrate 102 and the mask 103 is completed, the next layer is film-formed on the lower panel pattern 25. Therefore, the area where the lower panel pattern 25 is formed is the film-forming target area. Hereinafter, the lower panel pattern 25 is also referred to as the film-forming target area 25.

[0100] The substrate 102 has a plurality of film forming target areas 25 along the X direction and the Y direction. The substrate 102 has first substrate marks 41 provided at the four corners of the substrate 102 and second substrate marks 42 provided at both ends of the film forming target area 25 in the Y direction, as alignment marks to be position measurement objects in alignment. The first substrate mark 41 is an alignment mark for aligning with the mask mark 43. The second substrate mark 42 is an alignment mark for aligning with the mask foil mark 44. The second substrate mark 42 is formed when the lower panel pattern 25 is formed and is provided on the substrate 102. In the case of forming the panel pattern of the first layer on the substrate 102, if the lower panel pattern is not formed, the second substrate mark 42 cannot be formed by the film forming of the lower panel pattern. In this case, the second substrate mark 42 can also be provided in advance on the film forming target surface of the substrate 102 by the same method as the first substrate mark 41. In addition, as described later, alignment without using the measurement result of the second substrate mark 42 can also be performed. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the second substrate mark 42.

[0101] <Third Substrate Marking>

[0102] In this embodiment, the mask 103 has an opening pattern for forming a measurement mark on the film forming surface of the substrate 102, such as Figure 6 As shown in (C), by film forming on the substrate 102 through the mask 103, in addition to the panel pattern 22 formed on the lower panel pattern 25, a third substrate mark 45 is formed as a measurement mark. A plurality of third substrate marks 45 are formed in the X direction and the Y direction.

[0103] <First Camera>

[0104] A first camera 51 capable of photographing in the +Z direction is provided at the lower part 2012 of the conveying device 2. The substrate carrier 101 is moved in the X direction by the conveying device 2, so that the substrate 102 and the first camera 51 are relatively moved in the X direction. The first camera 51 photographs in the +Z direction while moving relative to the substrate 102, and can photograph the substrate 102 at a position facing the first camera 51 during photographing. In this embodiment, the first camera 51 is a photographing member arranged in a plurality along the Y direction (second direction) intersecting the X direction (first direction) in a plane (in the XY plane) along the film forming surface of the substrate 102. The plurality of first cameras 51 are arranged so as to include at least the first substrate mark 41, the second substrate mark 42, and the third substrate mark 45 of the substrate 102 held on the substrate carrier 101 within the photographing range, and also include the side 23 along the X direction and the side 24 along the Y direction of the substrate 102 within the photographing range. Therefore, the first camera 51 is a measuring member that measures the positions of the first substrate mark 41, the second substrate mark 42, and the third substrate mark 45, which are alignment marks provided on the substrate 102, while moving relatively in the X direction (first direction) relative to the substrate 102. In the case of this embodiment, the substrate 102 is moved by the substrate carrier 101 that holds the substrate 102 and transports the substrate 102 in the X direction (first direction) relative to the film forming apparatus 1, and the first camera 51 as the measuring member is fixed relative to the film forming apparatus 1, thereby realizing the relative movement.

[0105] <Second Camera>

[0106] The substrate carrier 101 is provided with a second camera 52 capable of photographing in the -Z direction. The substrate carrier 101 is moved in the X direction by the conveying device 2, so that the mask 103 and the second camera 52 are relatively moved in the X direction. The second camera 52 photographs in the -Z direction while moving relative to the mask 103, and can photograph the mask 103 at a position facing the second camera 52 during photographing. In this embodiment, the second camera 52 is a photographing member arranged in a plurality along the Y direction (second direction) intersecting the X direction (first direction) in the plane (XY plane) along the film forming surface of the substrate 102. The plurality of second cameras 52 are arranged so as to include the mask foil mark 44 at least within the photographing range. Therefore, the second camera 52 is a measuring member that measures the position of the mask foil mark 44, which is an alignment mark provided on the mask 103, while moving relative to the mask 103 in the X direction (first direction). In the present embodiment, the substrate 102 is moved by the substrate carrier 101 that holds the substrate 102 and transports the substrate 102 in the X direction (first direction) relative to the film forming apparatus 1 , and the second camera 52 as a measuring member is fixed to the substrate carrier 101 , thereby achieving the relative movement.

[0107] <Third Camera>

[0108] The substrate carrier 101 is provided with a third camera 53 capable of photographing in the -Z direction. The substrate carrier 101 is moved in the X direction by the conveying device 2, so that the mask 103 and the third camera 53 move relatively in the X direction. The third camera 53 photographs in the -Z direction while moving relatively with respect to the mask 103, and can photograph the mask 103 at a position facing the third camera 53 during photographing. In the present embodiment, the third cameras 53 are provided at the four corners of the substrate carrier 101. The four third cameras 53 are arranged so as to include at least the mask mark 43 within the photographing range.

[0109] It should be noted that the number and positions of the alignment marks provided on the substrate 102 and the mask 103, and the number, positions and imaging ranges of the first camera 51, the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 are not limited to the above examples. They are appropriately determined according to conditions such as cost and device size so that the substrate 102 and the mask 103 can be aligned at least with the target accuracy.

[0110] For example, the example in which the mask foil marks 44 are provided at both ends of the non-pattern region 34 in the Y direction is shown, but Figure 7 As shown, mask foil marks 46 may also be provided in non-pattern areas 34 between adjacent pattern areas 33 .

[0111] <Control device>

[0112] Figure 8 : is a diagram schematically showing a control device of the film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. The control device 3 includes an integrated controller 301, a coil controller 302, and a sensor controller 304, and controls the film forming apparatus 1 and the conveying apparatus 2. The coil controller 302, the sensor controller 304, the first camera 51, the second camera 52, the third camera 53, the substrate Z actuator 250, the clamp Z actuator 251, the cooling plate Z actuator 252, and the actuator unit 282 are connected to the integrated controller 301 so as to be communicable.

[0113] The plurality of current controllers 303 are connected to the coil controller 302 so as to be communicable. The coil controller 302 and the plurality of current controllers 303 connected thereto are provided corresponding to each column of the coil 202. The coil unit 203 is connected to each current controller 303. The current controller 303 controls the current applied to each coil 202 of the connected coil unit 203.

[0114] The coil controller 302 indicates a target current value to each connected current controller 303. The current controller 303 controls the current applied to the connected coil 202 based on the target current value. The coil 202 and the current controller 303 are installed on both sides of the upper part 2011 of the conveying device 2 in the Y direction along the X direction of conveying the substrate carrier 101.

[0115] The plurality of linear encoders 204, the plurality of Y sensors 205, and the plurality of Z sensors 206 are connected to the sensor controller 304 so as to be communicable. The integrated controller 301 determines the current values ​​to be applied to the plurality of coils 202 based on the outputs from the linear encoders 204, the Y sensors 205, and the Z sensors 206, and transmits the current values ​​to the coil controller 302. The coil controller 302 instructs the current controller 303 on the current value based on the target current value obtained from the integrated controller 301.

[0116] The control device 3 obtains the position information of each alignment mark of the first substrate mark 41, the second substrate mark 42, the mask mark 43, and the mask foil mark 44 by analyzing the image data captured by each camera of the first camera 51, the second camera 52, and the third camera 53. The control device 3 calculates the movement amount of the actuator unit 282 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction based on the acquired position information of the alignment mark, and drives the actuator unit 282. As a result, the substrate 102 is moved in the XY plane, and the substrate 102 and the mask 103 are aligned. In addition, the control device 3 performs inspection of the substrate 102 and the mask 103, inspection of the film formation result, etc. by analyzing the image data captured by each camera. In addition, the control device 3 performs motion control of the evaporation source 240, lifting and lowering control of the substrate support unit 210 by the substrate Z actuator 250, opening and closing control of the clamping mechanism of the substrate support unit 210 by the clamping member Z actuator 251, lifting and lowering control of the cooling plate 230 by the cooling plate Z actuator 252, conveying control and posture control of the substrate carrier 101 by the conveying device 2, etc.

[0117] The control device 3 can be composed of a computer having a processor, memory, storage, I / O, etc. In this case, the function of the control device 3 is realized by the processor executing a program stored in the memory or storage. As the computer, a general personal computer can be used, or an embedded computer or PLC (programmable logic controller) can be used. Alternatively, part or all of the functions of the control device 3 can also be composed of a circuit such as ASIC or FPGA. It should be noted that the control device 3 can be set for each film forming device, and multiple film forming devices can also be controlled by one control device 3.

[0118] <Influence of Deformation of Mask Frame>

[0119] Fig. 9 This is a diagram schematically illustrating a situation in which film formation accuracy is reduced due to deformation of the mask frame 31 of the mask 103 . Fig. 9 (A) and Fig. 9 (B) shows an ideal situation where the mask frame 31 does not deform. Fig. 9 (C) and Fig. 9 (D) shows a case where the mask frame 31 is deformed and the positions of the plurality of mask foil strips 32 are displaced in the Y direction due to the deformation. Fig. 9 (A) and Fig. 9 (C) represents a mask 103, Fig. 9 (B) and Fig. 9 (D) shows the film formation target surface of the substrate 102 .

[0120] On the film forming target surface of the substrate 102, a plurality of panel patterns 22 are formed at positions corresponding to the plurality of pattern regions 33 of the mask foil 32. In an ideal case where the mask frame 31 does not deform, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown in (B), the position ΔY of the panel pattern 22 relative to the first substrate mark 41 is the same among the plurality of panel patterns 22 having different positions in the X direction. Fig. 9 In the case of deformation as shown in (C), Fig. 9 As shown in (D), between the plurality of panel patterns 22 a and 22 b having different positions in the X direction, the positions ΔYa and ΔYb of the panel patterns 22 a and 22 b relative to the first substrate mark 41 are not equal.

[0121] Therefore, even if the first substrate mark 41 and the mask mark 43 are accurately aligned to perform film forming processing, for example, the panel pattern 22a and the lower panel pattern 25 (see Figure 4 (C) etc.) has a high overlap accuracy (PPA: Pixel Position Accuracy, pixel position accuracy), but the panel pattern 22b and the lower panel pattern 25 (see Figure 4 (C) etc.) has low overlay accuracy, and as a result, high-precision film formation cannot be performed. The larger the size of the mask 103 is, the easier it is for the mask frame 31 to deform, which is the main cause of the reduction in overlay accuracy of the panel pattern.

[0122] <When feeding: Mask foil mark + second substrate mark>

[0123] In this embodiment, in order to perform high-precision film formation even when the mask frame 31 is deformed, in addition to the position measurement of the mask mark 43 and the first substrate mark 41, the position measurement of the mask foil mark 44 and the second substrate mark 42 is also performed, and the substrate 102 and the mask 103 are aligned based on these measurement results.

[0124] Specifically, when the substrate carrier 101 is fed into the film forming apparatus 1, the first camera 51 and the substrate carrier 101 are relatively moved, and the first camera 51 captures the first substrate mark 41 and the second substrate mark 42, and the positions of the first substrate mark 41 and the second substrate mark 42 are measured. Also, when the substrate carrier 101 is fed, the second camera 52 and the mask 103 are relatively moved, and the second camera 52 captures the mask foil mark 44, and the positions of the mask foil mark 44 are measured. Also, when the substrate carrier 101 is fed, the third camera 53 and the mask 103 are relatively moved, and the third camera 53 captures the mask mark 43, and the positions of the mask mark 43 are measured. In this embodiment, the first camera 51 as the measuring means measures the positions of the first substrate mark 41 and the second substrate mark 42 while the substrate 102 fed into the film forming apparatus 1 by the substrate carrier 101 is relatively moved in the X direction (first direction) relative to the substrate 102. In addition, when the substrate 102 carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the substrate carrier 101 is transported in the X direction (first direction), the second camera 52 as the measuring means measures the position of the mask foil mark 44 while moving relative to the mask 103 in the X direction (first direction).

[0125] <Photographing before and after relative movement>

[0126] As a method of performing photographing with the first camera 51 while relatively moving the first camera 51 and the substrate carrier 101, for example, when it is determined that the second substrate mark 42 located at the position closest to the first camera 51 in the X direction enters the photographing range of the first camera 51, the substrate carrier 101 is stopped and photographed with the first camera 51. After photographing, the conveyance of the substrate carrier 101 is restarted, and when it is determined that the second substrate mark 42 located at the position second closest to the first camera 51 in the X direction enters the photographing range of the first camera 51, the substrate carrier 101 is stopped and photographed with the first camera 51. In this way, by performing photographing with the first camera 51 multiple times before and after the action of relatively moving the first camera 51 and the substrate carrier 101, it is possible to photograph a plurality of second substrate marks 42 provided in the X direction (first direction) in the direction of relative movement using the same first camera 51. In this embodiment, the moving member that moves the first camera 51 as the measuring member relative to the substrate carrier 101 having the alignment mark (second substrate mark 42) as the measuring object in the first direction (X direction) along the film forming surface is the conveying device 2 that conveys the substrate carrier 101. In this case, although the object actually moved is the substrate carrier 101, from the viewpoint of relatively moving it, it can be considered that by moving the substrate carrier 101, the first camera 51 is relatively moved relative to the substrate carrier 101. The method of taking pictures with the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 while moving the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 relative to the mask 103 is the same.

[0127] The relative movement of the substrate carrier 101 and the first camera 51 in the X direction (first direction) and the relative movement of the mask 103 and the second and third cameras 52 and 53 can be controlled based on the position information of the substrate carrier 101 obtained from the output of the linear encoder 204 .

[0128] <Alignment>

[0129] In this way, the control device 3 measures the position of each alignment mark based on the image data obtained by taking pictures using the first camera 51, the second camera 52, and the third camera 53 in the process of feeding the substrate carrier 101 into the film forming device 1. The substrate carrier 101 fed into the film forming device 1 delivers the substrate 102 to the substrate support unit 210, and the control device 3 aligns the substrate 102 and the mask 103 based on the position information of each alignment mark measured. The control device 3 that performs such alignment is an alignment member that moves the mask 103 and the substrate 102 relatively in the direction along the film forming surface based on the positions of the alignment marks provided in the mask 103 and the substrate 102 along the film forming surface, thereby aligning the mask 103 and the substrate 102. The first camera 51, the second camera 52, and the third camera 53 are measuring components capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark. As described above, they measure the position of the alignment mark of the measurement object while moving relative to the mask 103 or substrate 102 having the alignment mark of the measurement object in the first direction along the film forming surface (in the X direction in the present embodiment).

[0130] The control device 3 calculates the positional deviation between the mask 103 and the substrate 102 based on the measured position information of the mask mark 43 and the first substrate mark 41, and calculates the movement amount of the actuator unit 282 in the XYθ direction required to reduce the positional deviation. The control device 3 drives the actuator unit 282 based on the calculated movement amount in the XYθ direction to move the substrate 102 relative to the mask 103 in the XY plane.

[0131] Next, the control device 3 performs alignment between the substrate 102 and the mask 103 based on the measured position information of the mask foil mark 44 and the second substrate mark 42. As an alignment method based on the measured position information of the mask foil mark 44 and the second substrate mark 42, for example, for a plurality of combinations of the mask foil mark 44 and the second substrate mark 42, the deviation of the positional offset amount of the mask foil mark 44 and the second substrate mark 42 is minimized.

[0132] Therefore, even if the mask frame 31 is deformed, the Fig. 9 (D) shows an example of a certain panel pattern 22a having a significantly high overlapping accuracy with respect to the lower panel pattern 25, while another panel pattern 22b has a significantly low overlapping accuracy with respect to the lower panel pattern 25. Therefore, in any panel pattern 22, film formation can be performed with the same degree of overlapping accuracy with respect to the lower panel pattern 25, and the film formation accuracy when the substrate 102 is viewed as a whole can be improved.

[0133] It should be noted that in this embodiment, since the third camera 53 is disposed at the four corners of the substrate carrier 101, the mask mark 43 and the first substrate mark 41 can be photographed while the substrate 102 and the mask 103 are stationary at the alignment position, as in the past. Therefore, after alignment is performed based on the positions of the mask mark 43 and the first substrate mark 41 measured in the process of feeding the substrate carrier 101 as described above, alignment can be further performed based on the positions of the mask mark 43 and the first substrate mark 41 measured while stationary at the alignment position. Thus, the positions of the mask mark 43 and the first substrate mark 41 can be measured multiple times for alignment, so that alignment can be performed with higher accuracy.

[0134] <When feeding: Mask foil mark only>

[0135] It should be noted that, in the above example, the alignment based on the measured position information of the mask foil marks 44 and the second substrate marks 42 is illustrated, but an alignment method based only on the measured position information of the mask foil marks 44 may be considered. For example, the deviation of the position offset amount between the measured value of the position of the mask foil marks 44 and the theoretical value of the position of the mask foil marks 44 in an ideal case where the mask frame 31 is not deformed may be minimized for a plurality of mask foil marks 44. The theoretical value in this case is calculated based on the design information of the mask 103.

[0136] As described above, the mask 103 and the substrate 102 can be aligned based on the positions of the mask foil marks 44 measured by the second camera 52 so that the deviations of the positions of the plurality of pattern regions 33 provided on the mask foil 32 from the target positions are reduced among the plurality of pattern regions 33 .

[0137] <When sending out: third substrate mark>

[0138] In the present embodiment, the position of the third substrate mark 45 may be measured, and based on the measurement result, an offset amount for correcting the movement amount of the substrate 102 during alignment may be calculated.

[0139] Specifically, a film is formed on the substrate 102 in the film forming device 1. After the film forming process is completed, the substrate 102 is delivered from the substrate support unit 210 to the substrate carrier 101, and the substrate carrier 101 is sent out from the film forming device 1 by the conveying device 2. When the sent substrate 102 is transported along the -X direction (first direction), the first camera 51 moves relative to the substrate 102 in the X direction (first direction) while measuring the position of the third substrate mark 45 as a measurement mark. That is, while the first camera 51 and the substrate carrier 101 are relatively moved, the third substrate mark 45 is photographed by the first camera 51, and the position of the third substrate mark 45 is measured. The method of photographing by the first camera 51 while the first camera 51 and the substrate carrier 101 are relatively moved is the same as the above method, and the first camera 51 is used to take multiple shots before and after the relative movement. The relative movement can be controlled based on the predicted value of the position of the third substrate mark 45 and the position information of the substrate carrier 101 obtained from the output of the linear encoder 204. The predicted value of the position of the third substrate mark 45 is obtained based on the design value of the position of the pattern corresponding to the third substrate mark 45 in the pattern region 33 of the mask 103 .

[0140] Whether the alignment result based on the position information measured when feeding in is appropriate can be determined based on the offset between the measured position information of the third substrate mark 45 and the predicted value of the position of the third substrate mark 45. For example, with respect to a plurality of third substrate marks 45, when the deviation between the measured position information and the predicted value is larger than a threshold value, the offset is calculated in such a way as to minimize the deviation of the offset, and the movement amount of the actuator part 282 in the next alignment is offset. In this way, when the substrate carrier 101 is fed out, the third substrate mark 45 is photographed while the substrate carrier 101 and the first camera 51 are relatively moved, thereby enabling the film formation result to be fed back to the next alignment, and higher-precision film formation can be performed.

[0141] <Inspection of substrate and mask>

[0142] In addition, in this embodiment, a plurality of first cameras 51 are arranged in the Y direction, and the edge 23 along the X direction and the edge 24 along the Y direction of the substrate 102 are included in the shooting range. Therefore, when the substrate carrier 101 is brought in or out, it is possible to check whether cracks are generated at the end of the substrate 102 based on the image data obtained by using the first camera 51 to shoot the edge 23 or the edge 24 while the first camera 51 and the substrate carrier 101 are relatively moved. Similarly, since a plurality of second cameras 52 are arranged in the Y direction, when the substrate carrier 101 is brought in or out, it is possible to check whether the mask 103 is abnormal by using the second camera 52 to shoot the mask 103 while the second camera 52 and the mask 103 are relatively moved.

[0143] <Modification>

[0144] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the following structure is illustrated: when the mask 103 and the first camera 51 are fixed to the film forming device 2, the substrate carrier 101 holding the substrate 102 and the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 arranged thereon move, thereby, the mask 103 and the first camera 51 and the substrate carrier 101 and the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 arranged thereon move relative to each other, but it can also be a structure in which the mask 103 and the first camera 51 move, and the substrate carrier 101 and the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 arranged thereon are fixed, and the two move relative to each other; it can also be a structure in which the mask 103 and the first camera 51 move, and the substrate carrier 101 and the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 arranged thereon also move, and the two move relative to each other.

[0145] In addition, in the present embodiment, as a camera that moves relative to the mask 103, a structure having a plurality of second cameras 52 arranged along the Y direction on the substrate carrier 101 and a third camera 53 arranged at the four corners of the substrate carrier 101 is exemplified. However, if the second camera 52 is configured to be able to measure both the mask mark 43 and the mask foil mark 44, the third camera 53 may not be provided.

[0146] <Flowchart>

[0147] Reference Fig.10 The flowchart of FIG. 1 illustrates the flow of the alignment and film forming process. The process shown in the flowchart is executed by the control device 3 controlling the operation of each part of the film forming device 1 and the transport device 2 .

[0148] In step S101 , the substrate carrier 101 is transported into the film forming device 1 by the transport device 2 .

[0149] In step S102, the first camera 51 is used to photograph the first substrate mark 41 and the second substrate mark 42 while the substrate carrier 101 and the first camera 51 are relatively moved. In addition, the second camera 52 is used to photograph the mask foil mark 44 while the third camera 53 is used to photograph the mask mark 43 while the second camera 52 and the third camera 53 are relatively moved with the mask 103.

[0150] In step S103 , based on the image data obtained by the imaging in step S102 , position information of the first substrate mark 41 , the second substrate mark 42 , the mask mark 43 , and the mask foil mark 44 is acquired.

[0151] In step S104 , the substrate carrier 101 reaches a predetermined alignment position, and the substrate 102 is delivered from the substrate carrier 101 to the substrate supporting unit 210 .

[0152] In step S105, based on the position information of the mask mark 43 and the first substrate mark 41 obtained in step S103, the movement amount of the substrate 102 in the XYθ direction caused by the actuator unit 282 used to align the mask 103 and the substrate 102 is calculated, and the actuator unit 282 is driven to move the substrate 102 in the XY plane for alignment.

[0153] In step S106 , the third camera 53 captures the first substrate mark 41 and the mask mark 43 after the alignment in step S105 .

[0154] In step S107 , based on the image data obtained by the imaging in step S106 , position information of the first substrate mark 41 and the mask mark 43 is acquired.

[0155] In step S108, it is determined whether the positional deviation between the first substrate mark 41 and the mask mark 43 is less than a threshold value. If it is greater than the threshold value, the process returns to step S105, and if it is less than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S109.

[0156] In step S109 , based on the position information of the mask foil marks 44 and the second substrate marks 42 acquired in step S103 , the movement amount of the substrate 102 in the XYθ direction caused by the actuator unit 282 for aligning the mask 103 and the substrate 102 is calculated, and the actuator unit 282 is driven to move the substrate 102 in the XY plane for alignment.

[0157] In step S110 , the substrate 102 and the mask 103 after the alignment in step S109 are brought into close contact, and a film forming material is evaporated from the evaporation source 240 to form a film on the film formation target surface of the substrate 102 through the mask 103 .

[0158] In step S111 , the substrate 102 after film formation is removed from the mask 103 , the substrate 102 is transferred from the substrate support unit 210 to the substrate carrier 101 , and the substrate carrier 101 is transported out of the film forming apparatus 1 by the conveying device 2 .

[0159] In step S112 , while the substrate carrier 101 and the first camera 51 are relatively moved, the third substrate mark 45 and the sides 23 and 24 of the substrate 102 are photographed by the first camera.

[0160] In step S113, the position information of the third substrate mark 45 is acquired based on the image data obtained by the imaging in step S112, and the offset used in the calculation of the movement amount of the actuator unit 282 in the alignment is calculated based on the position information of the third substrate mark 45. The calculated offset is stored in the storage device of the control device 3, and is referred to when the next alignment is performed, and is used for the calculation of the movement amount of the actuator unit 282.

[0161] In step S114, the presence or absence of abnormalities such as cracks on the sides 23 and 24 of the substrate 102 is checked based on the image data obtained by the imaging in step S112. Based on the inspection results, a predetermined control for notifying abnormalities is executed.

[0162] <Method for manufacturing electronic device>

[0163] A method for manufacturing an electronic device by forming an organic film on a substrate using the film forming device of this embodiment is described. Here, a method for manufacturing an organic EL element for an organic EL display as an electronic device is described as an example. It should be noted that the electronic device is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the manufacture of thin-film solar cells and organic CMOS image sensors. In the method for manufacturing an electronic device of this embodiment, there is a process of forming an organic film on a substrate using the film forming device of the above embodiment. In addition, there is a process of forming a metal film or a metal oxide film after forming the organic film on the substrate. Below, the structure of an organic EL display device 600 using an organic EL element manufactured by such a process is described.

[0164] Fig.11 (A) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 600. Fig.11 (B) shows the cross-sectional structure of one pixel of the organic EL display device 600. Fig.11As shown in (A), in the display area 61 of the organic EL display device 600, a plurality of pixels 62 having a plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a matrix. Each light-emitting element has a structure having an organic layer sandwiched by a pair of electrodes. It should be noted that the pixel referred to here refers to the minimum unit that can display the desired color in the display area 61. The organic EL display device 600 is composed of pixels 62 by a combination of a first light-emitting element 62R, a second light-emitting element 62G, and a third light-emitting element 62B that emit light in different colors. The first light-emitting element 62R, the second light-emitting element 62G, and the third light-emitting element 62B are red light-emitting elements, green light-emitting elements, and blue light-emitting elements, respectively. It should be noted that the number of light-emitting elements and the combination of light-emitting colors of each pixel are not limited to this example. For example, as long as it is at least one color, it can also be a combination of yellow light-emitting elements, cyan light-emitting elements, and white light-emitting elements. In addition, each light-emitting element can also be composed of a plurality of stacked light-emitting layers.

[0165] A color filter in which a pixel 62 is composed of a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit light in the same color and different color conversion elements are arranged in a manner corresponding to each light-emitting element can also be used, so that one pixel 62 can display a desired color. For example, a color filter in which a pixel 62 is composed of three white light-emitting elements and red, green, and blue color conversion elements are arranged in a manner corresponding to each light-emitting element can also be used. In addition, a color filter in which a pixel 62 is composed of three blue light-emitting elements and red, green, and colorless color conversion elements are arranged in a manner corresponding to each light-emitting element can also be used. It should be noted that the number of light-emitting elements per pixel and the combination of light-emitting colors are not limited to these examples. In the latter case, by using a quantum dot color filter (QD-CF) using a quantum dot (QD: Quantum Dot) material as a material constituting the color filter, the display color gamut can be expanded compared to an organic EL display device that does not use a quantum dot color filter.

[0166] Fig.11 (B) Yes Fig.11 (A) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view at line AB. The pixel 62 has an organic EL element having a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, a light-emitting layer 66R, 66G or 66B, an electron transport layer 67 and a second electrode (cathode) 68 formed on a substrate 102. The hole transport layer 65, the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, 66B and the electron transport layer 67 are organic layers. The light-emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer that emits red light, the light-emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer that emits green light, and the light-emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer that emits blue light. It should be noted that when a color filter or a quantum dot color filter is used, on the light emitting side of each light-emitting layer, that is, Fig.11(B) is provided with a color filter or a quantum dot filter on the upper or lower part.

[0167] The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are light-emitting elements that emit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively, that is, organic EL elements. The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed according to the arrangement pattern of the light-emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B. The first electrode 64 is formed for each light-emitting element and is separated from each other. The hole transport layer 65, the electron transport layer 67, and the second electrode 68 can be formed in a manner shared by multiple light-emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B, or can be formed separately for each light-emitting element. In order to prevent the first electrode 64 and the second electrode 68 from being short-circuited due to foreign matter, an insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrode 64. Since the organic EL layer will deteriorate due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer P is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen corrosion.

[0168] A method for manufacturing an organic EL display device as an electronic device will be described.

[0169] First, a substrate 102 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and the first electrode 64 are formed is prepared.

[0170] Next, a resin layer such as acrylic resin or polyimide is formed by spin coating on the substrate 102 having the first electrode 64 formed thereon, and the resin layer is patterned by photolithography to form an opening in the portion having the first electrode 64 formed thereon to form an insulating layer 69. The opening corresponds to a light emitting region where the light emitting element actually emits light.

[0171] Next, the substrate 102 patterned with the insulating layer 69 is fed into the first film forming device, the substrate is held by the substrate holding unit, and the hole transport layer 65 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 64 of the display area. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum evaporation. In fact, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to a size larger than the display area 61, so a high-precision mask is not required. Here, the film forming device used in the film forming in this step and the film forming of the following layers is a film forming device using the evaporation device described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0172] Next, the substrate 102 formed up to the hole transport layer 65 is sent to the second film forming device and held by the substrate holding unit. The substrate 102 and the mask 103 are aligned, the substrate 102 is placed on the mask 103, and the light emitting layer 66R emitting red light is formed on the portion of the substrate 102 where the element emitting red light is arranged. By using the film forming device of this embodiment, the mask 103 and the substrate 102 can be aligned with high precision, and the mask 103 and the substrate 102 can be brought into close contact with each other, so that high-precision film formation can be performed.

[0173] Similar to the film formation of the light-emitting layer 66R, the third film forming device is used to form the light-emitting layer 66G that emits green light, and the fourth film forming device is used to form the light-emitting layer 66B that emits blue light. After the film formation of the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, the electron transport layer 67 is formed in the entire display area 61 using the fifth film forming device. Each of the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B can be a single layer or a layer obtained by stacking a plurality of different layers. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a common layer on the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B of the three colors. In this embodiment, the electron transport layer 67 and the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed by vacuum evaporation.

[0174] Next, a second electrode 68 is formed on the electron transport layer 67. The second electrode can be formed by vacuum evaporation or sputtering. After that, the substrate 102 formed with the second electrode 68 is moved to a sealing device, and a sealing process of forming a protective layer P by plasma CVD is performed, and the organic EL display device 600 is completed. It should be noted that, here, the protective layer P is formed by CVD method, but it is not limited to this, and it can also be formed by ALD method or inkjet method.

[0175] If the substrate 102 is exposed to an environment containing moisture and oxygen during the period from when the substrate 102 having the insulating layer 69 patterned thereon is introduced into the film forming apparatus to when the film forming of the protective layer P is completed, the light emitting layer may be degraded by the moisture and oxygen. In this embodiment, the substrate 102 is introduced into and out of the film forming apparatus in a vacuum environment or an inert gas environment.

[0176] Description of Reference Numerals

[0177] 1: film forming device, 2: conveying device, 3: control device, 41: first substrate mark, 42: second substrate mark, 43: mask mark, 44: mask foil mark, 51: first camera, 52: second camera, 53: third camera, 102: substrate, 103: mask, 282: actuator unit.

Claims

1. A film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, characterized in that: The film forming device comprises: an alignment member for performing alignment between the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface; as well as a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark, The measuring member measures the position of the alignment mark to be measured while relatively moving the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film formation surface.

2. The film forming device according to claim 1, wherein: The measuring member measures the position of a substrate mark which is an alignment mark provided on the substrate while moving relative to the substrate in the first direction.

3. The film forming device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The film forming device includes a substrate carrier that holds the substrate and transports the substrate in the first direction relative to the film forming device. The measuring member is fixed to the film forming device.

4. The film forming device according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the substrate carried into the film forming apparatus by the substrate carrier is transported in the first direction, the measuring member measures the position of the substrate mark while moving relative to the substrate in the first direction.

5. The film forming device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mask has an opening pattern for forming a measurement mark on the film formation surface of the substrate. The film forming device forms a film, and when the substrate sent out from the film forming device by the substrate carrier is transported in the first direction, the measuring member measures the position of the measuring mark while moving relative to the substrate in the first direction.

6. The film forming device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The measuring means includes a plurality of imaging means arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction in a plane along the film forming surface.

7. The film forming device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The measuring means inspects the side of the substrate along the second direction based on the image data captured by the imaging means.

8. The film forming device according to claim 1, wherein: The measuring member measures the position of a mask mark which is an alignment mark provided on the mask while moving relative to the mask in the first direction.

9. The film forming device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The film forming device includes a substrate carrier that holds the substrate and transports the substrate in the first direction relative to the film forming device. The measuring member is fixed to the substrate carrier.

10. The film forming device according to claim 9, wherein: When the substrate carried into the film forming apparatus by the substrate carrier is transported in the first direction, the measuring member measures the position of the mask mark while moving relative to the mask in the first direction.

11. The film forming device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: The measuring means includes a plurality of imaging means arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction in a plane along the film forming surface.

12. The film forming device according to claim 11, wherein: The mask comprises a mask frame and a mask foil fixed to the mask frame, The mask mark comprises a mask foil mark provided on the mask foil, The measuring means measures the position of the mask foil mark using the imaging means.

13. The film forming device according to claim 12, wherein: On the mask foil, a plurality of pattern regions are arranged along the second direction, and the pattern regions are formed with opening patterns corresponding to the thin film formed on the film forming surface of the substrate, The alignment means aligns the mask and the substrate based on the positions of the mask foil marks measured by the measuring means so that deviations of the positions of the plurality of pattern regions from target positions are reduced among the plurality of pattern regions.

14. The film forming device according to claim 1, wherein: The film forming apparatus includes an encoder for controlling relative movement in the first direction between the measuring member and the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured.

15. The film forming device according to claim 3 or 9, characterized in that: The conveying device that conveys the substrate carrier in the first direction includes a magnetic force generating member that generates a magnetic force, and the substrate carrier is conveyed by levitating the substrate carrier using the magnetic force of the magnetic force generating member.

16. A film forming method, comprising forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, wherein: The film forming method has the following features: an alignment step in which the mask and the substrate are relatively moved in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface, thereby aligning the mask and the substrate; as well as a measuring step, in which the position of the alignment mark is measured using a measuring member, In the measuring step, the position of the alignment mark to be measured is measured while the measuring member is relatively moved in a first direction along the film formation surface with respect to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured.

17. An alignment device for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, characterized in that: The alignment device comprises: an alignment member for performing alignment between the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface; as well as a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark, The measuring member measures the position of the alignment mark to be measured while relatively moving the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film formation surface.

18. An alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, characterized in that: The alignment method has: A step of aligning the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface, thereby performing alignment of the mask and the substrate; as well as a measuring step of measuring the position of the alignment mark by using a measuring member, In the measuring step, the position of the alignment mark to be measured is measured while the measuring member is relatively moved in a first direction along the film formation surface with respect to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured.

19. A film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, characterized in that: The film forming device comprises: an alignment member for performing alignment between the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface; a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark; as well as a moving member that moves the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface, The measuring member measures positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction.

20. The film forming device according to claim 19, wherein: The measuring means measures the positions of the plurality of alignment marks of the measurement target by measuring the alignment marks before and after the relative movement by the moving means.

21. The film forming device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The moving member moves the measuring member relative to the substrate in the first direction. The measuring member measures positions of a plurality of alignment marks provided on the substrate, that is, a plurality of substrate marks in the first direction.

22. The film forming device according to claim 21, characterized in that: The film forming device includes a substrate carrier that holds the substrate and transports the substrate in the first direction relative to the film forming device. The measuring member is fixed to the film forming device.

23. The film forming device according to claim 22, characterized in that: When the substrate carried into the film forming device by the substrate carrier is transported in the first direction, the moving member moves the measuring member relative to the substrate in the first direction, and the measuring member measures positions of the plurality of substrate marks.

24. The film forming device according to claim 22, characterized in that: The mask has an opening pattern for forming a plurality of measurement marks on the film forming surface of the substrate. Film formation is performed in the film forming device, and when the substrate sent out from the film forming device is transported along the first direction using the substrate carrier, the moving member causes the measuring member to move relative to the substrate in the first direction, and the measuring member measures the positions of the multiple measurement marks.

25. The film forming device according to any one of claims 21 to 24, characterized in that: The measuring means includes a plurality of imaging means arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction in a plane along the film forming surface.

26. The film forming device according to claim 25, characterized in that: The measuring means inspects the side of the substrate along the second direction based on the image data captured by the imaging means.

27. The film forming device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The moving member moves the measuring member relative to the mask in the first direction. The measuring member measures positions of a plurality of alignment marks provided on the mask, that is, a plurality of mask marks in the first direction.

28. The film forming device according to claim 27, characterized in that: The film forming device includes a substrate carrier that holds the substrate and transports the substrate in the first direction relative to the film forming device. The measuring member is fixed to the substrate carrier.

29. The film forming device according to claim 28, characterized in that: When the substrate carried into the film forming apparatus by the substrate carrier is transported in the first direction, the moving member moves the measuring member relative to the mask in the first direction, and the measuring member measures positions of the plurality of mask marks.

30. The film forming device according to any one of claims 27 to 29, characterized in that: The measuring means includes a plurality of imaging means arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction in a plane along the film forming surface.

31. The film forming device according to claim 30, characterized in that: The mask comprises a mask frame and a mask foil fixed to the mask frame, The mask mark comprises a mask foil mark provided on the mask foil, The measuring means measures the position of the mask foil mark using the imaging means.

32. The film forming device according to claim 31, characterized in that: On the mask foil, a plurality of pattern regions are arranged along the second direction, and the pattern regions are formed with opening patterns corresponding to the thin film formed on the film forming surface of the substrate, The alignment means aligns the mask and the substrate based on the positions of the mask foil marks measured by the measuring means so that deviations of the positions of the plurality of pattern regions from target positions are reduced among the plurality of pattern regions.

33. The film forming device according to claim 19, characterized in that: The film forming apparatus includes an encoder for controlling relative movement in the first direction between the measuring member and the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured.

34. The film forming device according to claim 22 or 28, characterized in that: The conveying device that conveys the substrate carrier in the first direction includes a magnetic force generating member that generates a magnetic force, and the substrate carrier is conveyed by levitating the substrate carrier using the magnetic force of the magnetic force generating member.

35. A film forming method, comprising forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, wherein: The film forming method has the following features: an alignment step in which the mask and the substrate are relatively moved in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface, thereby aligning the mask and the substrate; a measuring step, in which a position of the alignment mark is measured using a measuring member; as well as a moving step of moving the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface, In the measuring step, positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction are measured in the moving step.

36. An alignment device for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, characterized in that: The alignment device comprises: an alignment member for performing alignment between the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface; a measuring member capable of measuring the position of the alignment mark; as well as a moving member that moves the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface, The measuring member measures positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction.

37. An alignment method for aligning a mask and a substrate in a film forming device for forming a film on a film forming surface of a substrate via a mask, characterized in that: The alignment method has: A step of aligning the mask and the substrate by relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a direction along the film forming surface based on positions of alignment marks provided in the mask and the substrate along the film forming surface, thereby performing alignment of the mask and the substrate; a measuring step of measuring the position of the alignment mark by using a measuring member; as well as a moving step of moving the measuring member relative to the mask or the substrate having the alignment mark to be measured in a first direction along the film forming surface, In the measuring step, positions of a plurality of alignment marks of the measurement object in the first direction are measured in the moving step.

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