Alignment apparatus, film forming apparatus, and film forming method

Abstract

The invention relates to an alignment apparatus, a film forming apparatus and a film forming method. An alignment apparatus includes: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate; a mask holder configured to hold a mask such that the mask opposes the substrate; a support member configured to support the substrate holder and the mask holder; a position detection unit configured to detect a first relative position between the substrate holder and the mask holder; and a first driving mechanism configured to generate an electromagnetic force between the substrate holder and the mask holder based on the information about the first relative position. The substrate holder is supported by the support member in a non-contact manner via the first vibration isolation mechanism or the first suspension mechanism, and the mask holder is supported by the support member in a non-contact manner via the second vibration isolation mechanism or the second suspension mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] As is well known, organic electroluminescent (EL) displays (organic EL displays) are one type of display device. The application areas of organic EL displays are not limited to smartphones, televisions, and automotive displays, but have also expanded to virtual reality head-mounted displays (VR HMDs), etc. In particular, displays used in VR HMDs are expected to have a pixel pattern formed with high precision, that is, high resolution, in order to reduce dizziness in users.

[0003] In the manufacture of organic EL displays, when forming the organic light-emitting element (OLED) included in the device, a film-forming material released from a film-forming source in a film-forming device is passed through a mask having a pixel pattern formed therein to form a film on a substrate. In this way, the organic layer and metal layer of the organic EL element are formed.

[0004] In such film-forming apparatuses, an alignment step is performed before the film-forming step to improve film-forming accuracy. This alignment step measures the relative position between the substrate and mask before the film-forming step and adjusts the relative position by moving the substrate and mask if the relative positions are misaligned.

[0005] In a film forming apparatus as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-33468, misalignment of relative positions is detected using an alignment camera for photographing alignment marks provided on a substrate and a mask, and the substrate and the mask are aligned using an alignment stage mechanism for driving a substrate supporting unit and a mask stage.

[0006] However, in recent years, as substrate sizes have increased, the substrate support unit and mask stage driven by the alignment stage mechanism have become heavier, and the distance between the drive mechanism and the substrate or mask to be aligned has also increased. As a result, the impact of post-alignment device vibration has become non-negligible.

[0007] In light of the above, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-80558 describes a film-forming apparatus comprising a substrate holder drive mechanism, a mask holder drive mechanism, and a position detection mechanism for detecting the relative position between the substrate holder and the mask holder. The film-forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-80558 has a configuration in which a vibration suppression member is installed between a support member and at least one of the drive mechanisms. This film-forming apparatus allows control while detecting the relative position between the substrate and mask, and prevents degradation of control performance due to vibration interference during drive, thereby suppressing degradation of alignment accuracy.

[0008] However, in the configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-80558, if the rigidity of the structure forming the support member, substrate holder, and mask holder is low, the inherent vibration of these components may lead to a decrease in control performance. In particular, with the recent increase in substrate size, the mass of the substrate holder and mask holder has also increased. Therefore, it is difficult to avoid a significant increase in device cost in order to ensure the rigidity of the structure including the rod portion extending from the top plate of the device supporting these components. Summary of the Invention

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide an alignment device with which control performance can be improved while reducing or avoiding the influence of natural vibration of a structure, and high alignment accuracy can be achieved while maintaining low device cost even when the substrate size increases.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, an alignment apparatus is provided, comprising: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate; a mask holder configured to hold a mask so that the mask is opposed to the substrate; a support member configured to support the substrate holder and the mask holder; a position detection unit configured to detect a first relative position between the substrate holder and the mask holder; and a first drive mechanism configured to generate an electromagnetic force between the substrate holder and the mask holder based on information regarding the first relative position. The substrate holder is supported by the support member in a non-contact manner via a first vibration isolation mechanism or a first suspension mechanism, and the mask holder is supported by the support member in a non-contact manner via a second vibration isolation mechanism or a second suspension mechanism.

[0011] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2A1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a relative position detection unit and an alignment mechanism in the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2B : is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a relative position detection unit and an alignment mechanism in the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-80558.

[0016] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a spring-mass model of a film forming apparatus as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-80558.

[0017] Figure 4B : is a schematic diagram showing a spring-mass model of the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5 Shown Figure 4A and Figure 4B Graph of the frequency characteristics of the transfer function of the spring-mass model shown in FIG.

[0019] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the film forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] [First embodiment]

[0027] Reference Figures 1 to 7 An alignment apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first to fourth embodiments, a film forming apparatus having an alignment function is described as the alignment apparatus.

[0028] First, refer to Figures 1 to 2B The configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment is described. Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2A 1 is a schematic top view showing the configuration of the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18 in the film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2B 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18 in the film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0029] In the following description, first, the vertical direction is referred to as the "Z direction," and by using an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which a horizontal plane orthogonal to the vertical direction is referred to as the XY plane, the axis along the Z direction is referred to as the "Z axis," the axis along the X direction in the XY plane is referred to as the "X axis," and the axis along the Y direction in the XY plane is referred to as the "Y axis." Furthermore, the rotation angle about the X axis is represented by θx, the rotation angle about the Y axis is represented by θy, and the rotation angle about the Z axis is represented by θz. The X axis, Y axis, and Z axis are not limited to being orthogonal to each other, but may be axes that intersect with each other.

[0030] The film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes a vacuum chamber 11, a substrate holder 12 for holding a substrate W, and a mask holder (mask placement table) 13 for holding a mask M. In addition, the film forming apparatus 1 includes a support member 14 for supporting the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13, a film forming source 15, a Z lifting / lowering mechanism 16, and a vacuum pump P. The substrate holder 12, the mask holder 13, and the film forming source 15 are installed inside the vacuum chamber 11. The support member 14 is a member for supporting the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13, and includes a mask holder rod 141, a support top plate 142, a substrate holder rod 143, a support member 144, and a vacuum bellows 145. The vacuum chamber 11 also has a function as the support member 14.

[0031] The vacuum chamber 11 is mounted on the ground via a support member 111. The vacuum chamber 11 is a chamber within which film formation is performed on a substrate W. During film formation, a vacuum pump P connected to the vacuum chamber 11 maintains a vacuum atmosphere at a predetermined vacuum level. Maintaining this vacuum atmosphere allows the film-forming material released from the film-forming source 15 to adhere to the substrate W with a uniform film thickness. The film-formed product obtained by forming a film of the film-forming material on the substrate W is referred to as an "article."

[0032] The substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 disposed inside the vacuum chamber 11 are supported by the support member 14 in the following manner.

[0033] The substrate holder 12 is an electrostatic chuck that attracts the substrate W using electricity to hold the substrate W. It can hold even large substrates W without causing them to warp. The substrate holder 12 holds the substrate W so that the surface of the substrate W on which a film is to be formed faces downward. The substrate holder 12 is not particularly limited as long as it can hold the substrate W, and various holders other than an electrostatic chuck can be used.

[0034] The upper surface of the substrate holder 12 is secured to each of four substrate holder rods 143 via a vibration isolation mechanism 121. The number of substrate holder rods 143 is not limited to four and may be a plurality. The four substrate holder rods 143 are secured to a support member 144 disposed above the substrate holder 12 and outside the vacuum chamber 11. The outer periphery of the substrate holder rods 143 is covered with a vacuum bellows 145. The vacuum bellows 145 has a vertically retractable structure. While the airtightness of the vacuum chamber 11 is ensured by the vacuum bellows 145, the substrate holder 12 inside the vacuum chamber 11 and the support member 144 outside the vacuum chamber 11 are connected to each other via the substrate holder rods 143. The support member 144 is mounted to the Z lift / lower mechanism 16. Thus, the substrate holder 12 is coupled to the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 via the substrate holder rods 143 and the support member 144. The substrate holder 12 is configured to be vertically driven in the Z direction by the vertical drive performed by the Z lift / lower mechanism 16.

[0035] The Z elevating / lowering mechanism 16 includes an elevating / lowering motor 161, a ball screw 162, and a linear guide 163. The Z elevating / lowering mechanism 16 is mounted on the upper surface of the support top plate 142, which is arranged outside the vacuum chamber 11 and located between the top plate of the vacuum chamber 11 and the support member 144. The Z elevating / lowering mechanism 16 is configured to vertically drive the support member 144 and the substrate holder 12 connected thereto in the Z direction along the linear guide 163 through the linear motion of the ball screw 162 caused by the elevating / lowering motor 161. The Z elevating / lowering mechanism 16 drives the substrate holder 12 to an elevated position when transporting a substrate W in or out, and drives the substrate holder 12 to a lowered position below the elevated position during alignment drive for performing alignment between the substrate W and the mask M and during film formation.

[0036] The mask holder 13 is a mask placement table on which the mask M is to be placed. On the mask holder 13, the mask M is placed opposite to the surface to be film-formed of the substrate W held by the substrate holder 12. The lower surface of the mask holder 13 is fastened to each of the four mask holder rods 141 via a vibration isolation mechanism 131. The number of mask holder rods 141 is not limited to four, but may be a plurality other than four. The four mask holder rods 141 are fixed to a support top plate 142 arranged between the vacuum chamber 11 and the support member 144 and located outside the vacuum chamber 11. The mask holder 13 is not particularly limited as long as the mask holder 13 can hold the mask M so that the mask M is opposite to the substrate W held by the substrate holder 12, and various holders other than the mask placement table can be used.

[0037] In this manner, the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 are supported by the common support member 14 including the support top plate 142 separated from the vacuum chamber 11. In this manner, the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 are less susceptible to deformation of the vacuum chamber 11 caused when the vacuum chamber 11 is evacuated.

[0038] The camera unit 20 is mounted on the supporting top plate 142 and is oriented in a photographing direction, which is a direction toward the top plate side of the vacuum chamber 11. A glass window 11a is provided on the top plate of the vacuum chamber 11. The camera unit 20 can capture an image of the alignment marks formed on each of the substrate W and the mask M through the glass window 11a, thereby obtaining a relative positional relationship between the substrate W and the mask M.

[0039] The film forming source 15 is configured to heat the film forming material stored therein to evaporate or sublime the film forming material and release the film forming material. A rack 151 is mounted on the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 11. In addition, a gear 152 is mounted on the film forming source 15. The film forming source 15 can be driven in the Y direction by a rack and pinion mechanism formed by the rack 151 and the gear 152. The film forming source 15 performs film formation by depositing the film forming material released by evaporation or sublimation onto the substrate W through the mask M, thereby producing a film-formed product. An anti-sticking plate 112 is mounted in the vacuum chamber 11 to prevent the film forming material from adhering to any portion other than the lower surface of the substrate W and the lower surface of the mask M.

[0040] The film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment further includes a relative position detection unit 17 and an alignment mechanism 18 . Figure 1 The dotted-line frame shown in FIG is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18. The relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18 are installed between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13.

[0041] The relative position detection unit 17 is a sensor for detecting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. In the first embodiment, an optical encoder 171 is mounted on the substrate holder 12 side, and an optical scale 172 is mounted on the mask holder 13 side opposite the optical encoder 171. The optical encoder 171 and the optical scale 172 form the relative position detection unit 17. In this case, the relative position detection unit 17 detects the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 in the X or Y direction by reading the optical scale 172 with the optical encoder 171. A relative position detection unit for the X direction and a relative position detection unit for the Y direction are installed as the relative position detection unit 17. The type of detection sensor used as the relative position detection unit 17 is not particularly limited. The detection sensor can be formed, for example, by a magnetic encoder and scale. Other examples include a laser interferometer length measuring machine including a laser interferometer and a reflector, an electrostatic capacitance sensor, an eddy current sensor, and the like. The relative position detection unit 17 outputs position information on the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 detected as described above.

[0042] The alignment mechanism 18 is an actuator serving as a driving mechanism for applying an electromagnetic force between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to drive the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. The alignment mechanism 18 generates an electromagnetic force between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 based on position information related to the relative position obtained by the relative position detection unit 17. In this way, the alignment mechanism 18 adjusts the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to adjust the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M, thereby performing alignment between the substrate W and the mask M. In the first embodiment, a permanent magnet unit 181 is mounted on the substrate holder 12 side, and a coil unit 182 is mounted on the mask holder 13 side, opposite the permanent magnet unit 181. The permanent magnet unit 181 is formed of multiple permanent magnets. The coil unit 182 is formed of multiple coils. The permanent magnet unit 181 and the coil unit 182 together form the alignment mechanism 18. When current flows through the coil of the coil unit 182, an electromagnetic force is generated between the permanent magnet unit 181 and the coil unit 182, and this electromagnetic force acts between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. The coil of the coil unit 182 can be a type that includes an iron core (also called a "core") or a type that does not include an iron core. In addition, the installation positions of the permanent magnet unit 181 and the coil unit 182 can be reversed, so that the permanent magnet unit 181 is installed on the mask holder 13 side and the coil unit 182 is installed on the substrate holder 12 side. In other words, it is only necessary to install the permanent magnet unit 181 on one side of the substrate holder 12 or the mask holder 13, and install the coil unit 182 on the other side of the substrate holder 12 or the mask holder 13.

[0043] Figure 2A 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18, and is a top view of the mask holder 13. To simplify the description, a portion of the permanent magnet unit 181 installed on the substrate holder 12 side and the outer shape of the mask M are indicated by hidden lines. Figure 2B It is from Figure 2A 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA as viewed in the direction of arrows, and illustrates the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18 .

[0044] In this case, regarding the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18, in order to distinguish the relative position detection unit and alignment mechanism for the X direction from the relative position detection unit and alignment mechanism for the Y direction, the suffix "x" is used to indicate the relative position detection unit and alignment mechanism for the X direction, the suffix "y" is used to indicate the relative position detection unit and alignment mechanism for the Y direction, the suffix "L" is used to indicate the left side when facing the +X direction side, and the suffix "R" is used to indicate the right side when facing the +X direction side. In this case, as Figure 2A As shown, relative position detection units 17xL, 17xR, 17yL, and 17yR are arranged as relative position detection units 17, and alignment mechanisms 18xL, 18xR, 18yL, and 18yR are arranged as alignment mechanisms 18. The relative position detection units 17 and alignment mechanisms 18 are arranged at the four corners of the substrate holder 12 and the four corners of the mask holder 13. Two sets of relative position detection units and alignment mechanisms for the X direction are arranged at opposite corners, and two sets of relative position detection units and alignment mechanisms for the Y direction are arranged at opposite corners. That is, one set of relative position detection units 17xR and alignment mechanisms 18xR for the X direction and one set of relative position detection units 17xL and alignment mechanisms 18xL for the X direction are arranged at opposite corners that are tilted from the right to the left when facing the +X direction. In addition, a pair of relative position detection units 17yL and alignment mechanisms 18yL for the Y direction and a pair of relative position detection units 17yR and alignment mechanisms 18yR for the Y direction are arranged at diagonal positions that are inclined from the left side to the right side when facing the +X direction. In this way, the relative position detection units 17xL, 17xR, 17yL, and 17yR are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center point O of the mask holder 13.

[0045] In alignment mechanism 18, permanent magnet unit 181 includes an N-pole magnet 181N and an S-pole magnet 181S. Furthermore, coil unit 182 includes a triple coil 182a, 182b, and 182c. Thus, alignment mechanism 18 can generate the following electromagnetic forces acting between permanent magnet unit 181 and coil unit 182: forces in the q-axis direction (horizontal direction), i.e., forces in the X and Y directions; and forces in the d-axis direction (vertical direction), i.e., forces in the Z direction.

[0046] The relative position detection unit 17 also includes a Z sensor 173 and a Z sensor detection block 174 for detecting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 in the Z direction. The Z sensor 173 is, for example, an eddy current sensor, and senses the size of the eddy current generated on the surface of the Z sensor detection block 174 made of metal, which serves as a target, to measure the distance to the Z sensor detection block 174. The material of the Z sensor detection block 174 is not particularly limited as long as the Z sensor detection block 174 is a conductive member, but, for example, iron can be used from the perspective of increasing the detection distance. Similar to the optical encoder 171, the type of detection sensor for detecting the relative position in the Z direction is not particularly limited, and various sensors can be used. The relative position detection unit 17 outputs position information about the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 detected as described above.

[0047] Through the above structure, based on the information about the relative position detected by the relative position detection unit 17, the relative position and posture between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 can be calculated in a total of six axes, including the X direction, Y direction, Z direction, θx direction, θy direction, and θz direction. The θx direction is the direction of rotation around the X axis, the θy direction is the direction of rotation around the Y axis, and the θz direction is the direction of rotation around the Z axis. The drive controller 602, which will be described later, can calculate this position and posture. Six-axis control is performed by outputting torque in the q-axis direction and the d-axis direction to each coil based on the position and posture calculated by the drive controller 602. The term "torque" used here includes force and moment, and torque in a direction along an axis such as the X direction, Y direction, or Z direction refers to force.

[0048] In this case, the relative position detection unit 17xL outputs sensor information x1 indicating the relative position in the X direction and sensor information z1 indicating the relative position in the Z direction. Furthermore, the relative position detection unit 17xR outputs sensor information x2 indicating the relative position in the X direction and sensor information z2 indicating the relative position in the Z direction. Furthermore, the relative position detection unit 17yL outputs sensor information y1 indicating the relative position in the Y direction and sensor information z3 indicating the relative position in the Z direction. Furthermore, the relative position detection unit 17yR outputs sensor information y2 indicating the relative position in the Y direction and sensor information z4 indicating the relative position in the Z direction.

[0049] Furthermore, in the alignment mechanism 18xL, a torque FqxL is generated in the q-axis direction (X direction) and a torque FdxL is generated in the d-axis direction (Z direction). Furthermore, in the alignment mechanism 18xR, a torque FqxR is generated in the q-axis direction (X direction) and a torque FdxR is generated in the d-axis direction (Z direction). Furthermore, in the alignment mechanism 18yL, a torque FqyL is generated in the q-axis direction (Y direction) and a torque FdyL is generated in the d-axis direction (Z direction). Furthermore, in the alignment mechanism 18yR, a torque FqyR is generated in the q-axis direction (Y direction) and a torque FdyR is generated in the d-axis direction (Z direction).

[0050] Furthermore, the distance in the Y direction between the optical encoder 171 of the relative position detection unit 17xL and the optical encoder 171 of the relative position detection unit 17xR is represented by Wx. Furthermore, the distance in the X direction between the optical encoder 171 of the relative position detection unit 17yL and the optical encoder 171 of the relative position detection unit 17yR is represented by Ly. Furthermore, the distance in the Y direction between the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17yL and the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17xR is represented by Wz. Furthermore, the distance in the X direction between the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17yL and the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17xL is represented by Lz. The distance in the Y direction between the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17xL and the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17yR is also Wz. Furthermore, the distance in the X direction between the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17xR and the Z sensor 173 of the relative position detection unit 17yR is also Lz.

[0051] In this case, the relative position and posture of the mask holder 13 with respect to the substrate holder 12 are expressed by the following expressions (1) to (6).

[0052] X=(x1+x2) / 2…(1)

[0053] Y=(y1+y2) / 2…(2)

[0054] Z=(z1+z2+z3+z4) / 4…(3)

[0055] θx=((z1+z3) / 2-(z2+z4) / 2) / Wz…(4)

[0056] θy=((z1+z4) / 2-(z2+z3) / 2) / Lz…(5)

[0057] θz=((x1-x2) / Wx+(y1-y2) / Ly) / 2...(6)

[0058] In this embodiment, the case where the relative position detection units 17 are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center point O has been described, but the relative position detection units 17 do not always need to be symmetrical (such as point-symmetrical), and the number of relative position detection units 17 is not particularly limited. When the arrangement of the relative position detection units 17 is asymmetrical or when the number of relative position detection units 17 increases, the position or orientation can be obtained by obtaining a regression line or regression plane using the least squares method based on the installation position information of the sensors of the relative position detection units 17 relative to the center point O.

[0059] The drive controller 602 described later calculates the torque (Tx, Ty, Tz, Tθx, Tθy, and Tθz) to be applied in the direction of the corresponding axis based on the position and posture information about the six axes obtained as described above, and performs six-axis control by allocating the calculated torque as the torque to be generated in the corresponding alignment mechanism 18. The symbols Tx, Ty, and Tz respectively represent the X-direction component, Y-direction component, and Z-direction component of the force. In addition, the symbols Tθx, Tθy, and Tθz respectively represent the θx-direction component, θy-direction component, and θz-direction component of the torque. The drive controller 602 can control the torque to be applied by controlling the coil current of the coil unit 182 to be caused to flow through the alignment mechanism 18.

[0060] For example, when a torque in the +X direction is to be applied, the drive controller 602 causes a current to flow through each coil so that each of the torques FqxL and FqxR becomes a torque in the +X direction. When a torque in the +Y direction is to be applied, the drive controller 602 causes a current to flow through each coil so that each of the torques FqyL and FqyR becomes a torque in the +Y direction. When a torque in the +Z direction is to be applied, the drive controller 602 causes a current to flow through each coil so that each of the torques FdxL, FdxR, FdyL, and FdyR becomes a torque in the +Z direction.

[0061] Similarly, in the rotational direction, when a torque in the +θx direction is applied, the drive controller 602 causes a current to flow through each coil so that each of the torques FdxL and FdyL becomes a torque in the +Z direction, and each of the torques FdxR and FdyR becomes a torque in the -Z direction. When a torque in the +θy direction is applied, the drive controller 602 causes a current to flow through each coil so that each of the torques FdxL and FdyR becomes a torque in the -Z direction, and each of the torques FdxR and FdyL becomes a torque in the +Z direction.

[0062] Preferably, at least one set of alignment mechanisms for the X direction and two sets of alignment mechanisms for the Y direction are installed as alignment mechanisms 18, or at least two sets of alignment mechanisms for the X direction and one set of alignment mechanisms for the Y direction are installed. Furthermore, depending on the layout space, required thrust, and other factors, a greater number of alignment mechanisms 18 than described above may be installed. Furthermore, the arrangement of alignment mechanisms 18 is not particularly limited, and various arrangements are possible. In this embodiment, the alignment mechanisms 18 are arranged point-symmetrically, eliminating the need to consider interference from other axes during position calculation and torque distribution. This facilitates integration with control-related software.

[0063] Furthermore, when alignment is performed only in the horizontal three axes (X direction, Y direction, and θz direction), which are directly related to film formation quality, there is no need to install the Z sensor 173 and the Z sensor detection block 174. Examples of the advantages of also performing alignment control in the vertical three axes (Z direction, θx direction, and θy direction) include facilitating plane adjustment between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 and suppressing residual vibration when performing Z up / down drive by the Z up / down mechanism 16.

[0064] In the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment described above, a vibration isolation mechanism 121 is provided for the substrate holder 12, and a vibration isolation mechanism 131 is provided for the mask holder 13. In the present embodiment, these vibration isolation mechanisms 121 and 131 can suppress the transmission of floor vibrations or vibrations when the film forming source is driven, which could interfere with the position control performed by the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18.

[0065] Furthermore, in the film-forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the alignment mechanism 18 is configured so that electromagnetic force acts directly between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. In this embodiment, this configuration reduces or avoids the influence of resonant vibration of the support member 14, while enabling the relative position detection unit 17 and the alignment mechanism 18 to perform position control at a higher frequency and in a stable manner. Consequently, the alignment accuracy between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 can be improved.

[0066] Next, refer to Figures 3 to 5 The influence on the control of the resonant vibration of the support member 14 is described.

[0067] Figure 3 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus 311 as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-80558. Figure 3As shown, inside the vacuum chamber 321, there are arranged a substrate holder 324 for holding a substrate W, a mask holder 323 for holding a mask M, and a film formation source 325. An alignment camera unit 327 is mounted on the upper outer side of the vacuum chamber 321. The film formation apparatus 311, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-80558, is configured to perform alignment using a substrate holder drive mechanism 322 and a mask holder drive mechanism 328. The film formation apparatus 311 includes a control unit 330 for controlling the substrate holder drive mechanism 322 and the mask holder drive mechanism 328. The substrate holder 324 is fixed to a support member 317 via a substrate holder support member 315. The mask holder 323 is fixed to the support member 317 via a mask holder support member 316, a mask holder drive mechanism 328, and a vibration isolation mechanism 329. Fine alignment between the substrate W and the mask M is performed by the substrate holder drive mechanism 322. The position of the substrate W is detected by position detection mechanisms 331 and 332. The substrate holder driving mechanism 322 is a stage mechanism using magnetic levitation, and operates by causing electromagnetic force to act between the substrate holder supporting member 315 and the substrate holder 324 .

[0068] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a spring-mass model of the film forming apparatus 311 as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-80558. Figure 4B Schematic diagrams showing the spring-mass model of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. In order to simplify the description, in both models, mass points m1 to m5 are shown. Figure 4A , m1 represents the supporting member 317, m2 represents the substrate holder supporting member 315, m3 represents the mask holder driving mechanism 328, m4 represents the substrate holder 324, and m5 represents the mask holder 323. Figure 4B , m1 represents the vacuum chamber 11, m2 and m3 represent the supporting members 14, m4 represents the substrate holder 12, and m5 represents the mask holder 13. Figure 4A and Figure 4B , the displacement of the substrate holder 12 or 324 is represented by x1, the displacement of the mask holder 13 or 323 is represented by x2, and the force applied by the mechanism for performing alignment is represented by F.

[0069] Figure 4A The model shown is Figure 4B The difference between the models shown is the part where the vibration isolation mechanism is inserted and where the force is applied. Figure 4A In the model shown, the portion between the support member 317 (m1) and the mask holder drive mechanism 328 (m3) is the vibration isolation mechanism 329. Figure 4BIn the model shown, the portion between the support member 14 (m2) and the substrate holder 12 (m4) is the vibration isolation mechanism 121 on the substrate holder 12 side, and the portion between the support member 14 (m3) and the mask holder (m5) is the vibration isolation mechanism 131 on the mask holder 13 side. Figure 4A In the model shown, a force F is applied between the substrate holder support member 315 (m2) and the substrate holder 324 (m4). Figure 4B In the model shown, a force F is applied between the substrate support 12 (m4) and the mask support 13 (m5).

[0070] Figure 5 Shown by analysis Figure 4A and Figure 4B A graph of the results obtained for the transfer function of the spring-mass model shown in . Figure 5 The graph shows the frequency characteristics when the input is force (F) and the output is the relative position (x1-x2) between the substrate holder and the mask holder. The upper graph represents the gain characteristics, and the lower graph represents the phase characteristics. The horizontal axes of the upper graph and the lower graph indicate frequency [Hz], the vertical axis of the upper graph indicates gain [dB], and the vertical axis of the lower graph indicates phase [deg]. Figure 5 The part indicated by the dotted line is Figure 4A The parts that characteristically appear in the model shown in .

[0071] exist Figure 5 In FIG. 1 , the rise in the gain characteristic indicated by “ωdump” is the resonant frequency generated by the spring-mass model of the vibration isolation mechanisms 329, 121, and 131. The resonant frequencies of these vibration isolation mechanisms 329, 121, and 131 are Figure 4A and Figure 4B The spring-mass model shown is set to the lowest and is from about 2 Hz to about 3 Hz. The effect of setting the resonance frequency of the vibration isolation mechanisms 329, 121, and 131 low is that the amplitude of vibration at frequencies higher than the resonance frequency is reduced, and the transmission to the vibration isolation mechanism 329, 121, and 131 can be suppressed. Figure 4A The substrate support driving mechanism 322 or Figure 4B The influence of disturbing vibrations of the alignment mechanism 18.

[0072] exist Figure 4A In the model of the film forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-80558, the rise in gain characteristics and the fall in phase characteristics occur at Figure 5ω0 in the figure. This rise and fall is caused by the resonant frequency of the support member, and even with the vibration transmission suppression effect of the vibration isolation mechanism 329 described above, such a resonance peak will appear depending on the magnitude of the resonant frequency of the support member and the mass ratio of the front and rear of the support member. As the conditions for this analysis, the mass ratio was set to 1:1 in all cases, the resonant frequency "ωdump" of the vibration isolation mechanisms 329, 121, and 131 was set to 2.5 Hz, and the resonant frequency ω0 of the substrate holder support member 315 and support member 14 was set to 15 Hz. In addition to the resonant frequency of the support member, for example, even when the resonant frequency of the support member 111 for supporting the vacuum chamber 11 is low, a resonance peak may also be caused.

[0073] When the gain and phase characteristics have the above-mentioned resonance peaks, the phase drops below -180°, so the frequency band in which the controller can perform control cannot be increased to ω0 or greater. Therefore, the responsiveness of the control cannot be increased, and the improvement of alignment accuracy is hindered.

[0074] On the other hand, Figure 4B In the model of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment shown, no Figure 4A The resonance peak caused in the model shown is because the force (F) as input and the relative position (x1-x2) between the substrate holder and the mask holder as output are separated from other structures by the vibration isolation mechanisms 121 and 131. Through such a configuration, in this embodiment, the structures that may affect the frequency characteristics of the controller are limited to the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. In addition, in the film forming apparatus 1, the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 are generally formed in a plate shape, so it is relatively easy to create both the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 with high rigidity in the horizontal direction directly related to the film forming quality. When the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 are formed to have high rigidity, the control performance can be improved while being able to reduce or avoid the influence of the natural vibration of the structures forming the support member 14, the substrate holder 12, the mask holder 13, etc. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the responsiveness of the control can be increased and the alignment accuracy can be improved. In addition, even when the size of the substrate W increases, there is no need to add special configurations according to the increase in size, so the device cost can be kept low.

[0075] As described above, according to the present embodiment, control performance is improved while reducing or avoiding the influence of natural vibration of the structure, and high alignment accuracy can be achieved while keeping the device cost low even when the size of the substrate W increases.

[0076] Next, refer to Figure 6 The configuration of a control system for controlling the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is described. Figure 6 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a control system 6 for controlling the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The control system 6 may form a part of the film forming apparatus 1 .

[0077] like Figure 6 As shown, the control system 6 includes an integrated controller 601, a drive controller 602, a camera control controller 603, and a Z lift / lowering controller 604. The control system 6 serves as a control unit for controlling the alignment mechanism 18, the camera unit 20, and the Z lift / lowering mechanism 16. The drive controller 602, the camera control controller 603, and the Z lift / lowering controller 604 are connected to the integrated controller 601, allowing communication therebetween. The integrated controller 601 controls each controller to control the overall operation of the film forming apparatus 1.

[0078] Multiple coil units 182, multiple optical encoders 171, and multiple Z sensors 173 are connected to the drive controller 602. Each coil unit 182 is connected to a current sensor 611 and a current controller 610. The current sensor 611 detects the value of the current flowing through the coil of the connected coil unit 182. The current controller 610 controls the amount of current flowing through the coil of the connected coil unit 182.

[0079] The drive controller 602 calculates a current command value and commands a desired current amount to the current controller 610 based on the calculated current command value. The current controller 610 detects the current value detected by the current sensor 611 and controls the current amount so that the desired current amount flows through the coil of the coil unit 182.

[0080] A counter substrate 612 is connected to each optical encoder 171. The counter substrate 612 calculates a count value based on a signal from the optical encoder 171 and transmits the count value to the drive controller 602.

[0081] A sensor amplifier 613 is connected to each Z sensor 173. The sensor amplifier 613 converts a detection value obtained by the Z sensor 173 into position information and transmits the position information to the drive controller 602.

[0082] The drive controller 602 calculates the relative position and orientation between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 based on the count value received from the counter substrate 612 and the position information received from the sensor amplifier 613. Based on the calculated position and orientation, the drive controller 602 controls the current flowing through the coils of the coil unit 182. In this way, the drive controller 602 controls the torque generated in each alignment mechanism 18 to control the relative position and orientation between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 along six axes.

[0083] The configuration of the control system 6 is not limited to Figure 6 The configuration shown. For example, the counter substrate 612 and the sensor amplifier 613 may be formed as a common sensor controller. In addition, a control controller including a calculation unit for calculating the position and posture and a calculation unit for calculating the current command value may be provided separately from the drive controller 602. In this case, the drive controller 602 is connected to the control controller so as to allow communication therebetween, thereby performing current control of the coil unit 182 based on the current command value and the position and posture received from the control controller.

[0084] Next, refer to Figure 7 The operation of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 7 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The operation of the film forming apparatus 1 described below is controlled by a control system 6 including an integrated controller 601, a drive controller 602, and the like.

[0085] In the initial state (starting state) when film formation starts, the mask M is placed on the mask holder 13, and the substrate W is not held by the substrate holder 12. In addition, in the starting state, the Z raising / lowering mechanism 16 is raised to the retracted position, the relative position detection unit 17 is in a state out of the detection range, and the alignment mechanism 18 is also in a state out of the control range.

[0086] First, the hand of a transport robot (not shown) holding a substrate W is moved to a substrate transfer position (step S1). Next, a substrate receiving claw (not shown) supporting the outer periphery of the substrate W is raised to the substrate receiving position, and the substrate W is received from the hand of the transport robot and picked up (step S2).

[0087] Next, the transport robot hand is moved to the retracted position (step S3). Next, the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is lowered to the substrate receiving position, and the substrate holder 12 opens the electrostatic chuck. Thus, the substrate holder 12 receives the substrate W from the substrate receiving claw and holds the substrate W (step S4).

[0088] Next, the substrate receiving claw is moved to the retracted position (step S5), and then the Z lifting / lowering mechanism 16 is lowered to the alignment position (step S6). In this way, the relative position detection unit 17 can detect the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. When the relative position detection is allowed, the alignment mechanism 18 is switched from servo off to servo on to start position control (step S7). When the Z lifting / lowering mechanism 16 is lowered to the alignment position, a sensor (such as an optical fiber sensor (not shown)) mounted on the mask holder 13 can detect that the substrate holder 12 has entered the controllable range, and the alignment mechanism 18 can automatically switch to servo on. Moreover, when the vertical three axes (Z direction, θx direction and θy direction) of the alignment mechanism 18 can be controlled, the undershoot and residual vibration caused when the Z lifting / lowering mechanism 16 is lowered can be suppressed.

[0089] Next, the camera unit 20 captures the alignment marks of the substrate W and the alignment marks of the mask M (step S8). Next, the correction amounts on the horizontal three axes (X direction, Y direction, and θz direction) are calculated based on the results of capturing the alignment marks. In this case, the correction amounts to be calculated are correction amounts for correcting the misalignment between the alignment marks, and are correction amounts for correcting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. Then, the relative position is moved by the alignment mechanism 18 with the calculated correction amount (step S9). After the movement is completed, the camera unit 20 captures images of the alignment marks of the substrate W and the alignment marks of the mask M again (step S10). The misalignment amount between the alignment marks is calculated based on the results of capturing the alignment marks, and when the misalignment amount is equal to or less than the set value, the Z lifting / lowering mechanism 16 is lowered to the film forming position (step S11). When the misalignment amount is greater than the set value, the correction amount of the relative position is calculated again, and the relative position is moved by the alignment mechanism 18 with the calculated correction amount (step S9). Thus, electromagnetic force acts between the substrate holder 12 holding the substrate W and the mask holder 13 holding the mask M, thereby correcting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 , thereby performing alignment between the substrate W and the mask M.

[0090] After the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 lowers the substrate W to the film formation position, the film formation source 15 heats the evaporation source to release the film formation material. The film formation source 15 is then driven in the Y direction at a constant speed while maintaining the temperature. In this manner, a film formation step is performed on the substrate W using the film formation material (step S12). After the film formation step is completed, the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is raised to the substrate transfer position (step S13), and the substrate receiving claw is moved to the substrate receiving position. Thereafter, the electrostatic chuck of the substrate holder 12 is deactivated, allowing the substrate W to be transferred from the substrate holder 12 to the substrate receiving claw (step S14).

[0091] Afterwards, the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is raised to its retracted position (step S15), and the transport robot hand reaches the substrate receiving position (step S16). Finally, the substrate receiving claw is lowered to the substrate receiving standby position to transfer the substrate W that has undergone film formation to the transport robot hand (step S17). The transport robot hand, which has already transferred the substrate W, is moved to its retracted position while holding the substrate W, to transport the substrate W to the next step (step S18). The state then returns to the starting state, and the above operation is repeated for other substrates W that require film formation.

[0092] [Second embodiment]

[0093] refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 A film forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Components similar to those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0094] First, refer to Figure 8 The configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is described. Figure 8 : is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire configuration of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0095] like Figure 8 As shown, in addition to the configuration of the film deposition apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the configuration of the film deposition apparatus 1 according to this embodiment further includes a coarse alignment mechanism 50. The coarse alignment mechanism 50 is a drive mechanism for driving the substrate holder 12 relative to the vacuum chamber 11. Compared to the alignment mechanism 18, the coarse alignment mechanism 50 has a larger operating stroke, so although the accuracy is coarse, the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 can be controlled over a wide range.

[0096] Furthermore, in the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the substrate holder 12, the mask holder 13, and the film forming source 15 are installed inside the vacuum chamber 11, and the support member 14 supports the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. The mask holder 13, the support member 14, and the film forming source 15 have a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment, and therefore description of these members is omitted.

[0097] Figure 8 The dashed box shown in FIG is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a relative position detection unit 17 and an alignment mechanism 18 installed between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13, similar to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, to distinguish from the coarse alignment mechanism 50, the relative position detection unit 17 is referred to as a "fine relative position detection unit 17," and the alignment mechanism 18 is referred to as a "fine alignment mechanism 18" for ease of description.

[0098] Similar to the first embodiment, the substrate holder 12 is fastened to each substrate holder rod 143 via the vibration isolation mechanism 121, and the support member 144 to which the substrate holder rod 143 is fixed is mounted to the Z raising / lowering mechanism 16. Thus, similar to the first embodiment, the substrate holder 12 is configured to be driven vertically in the Z direction by the vertical drive performed by the Z raising / lowering mechanism 16.

[0099] The Z raising / lowering mechanism 16 includes an raising / lowering motor 161, a ball screw 162, and a linear guide 163. The Z raising / lowering mechanism 16 drives the substrate holder 12 to the raised position when the substrate W is carried in or out, and drives the substrate holder 12 to the lowered position when driven for alignment between the substrate W and the mask M and during film formation.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a coarse alignment mechanism 50 is mounted on the upper surface of the support top plate 142. The Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is fixed to the coarse alignment mechanism 50. The Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is configured to be moved or rotated in the X, Y, and θz directions by the coarse alignment mechanism 50. When the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is moved or rotated by the coarse alignment mechanism 50, the substrate holder 12 can be driven to move or rotate via the vibration isolation mechanism 121. The mounting position of the coarse alignment mechanism 50 is not particularly limited. The coarse alignment mechanism 50 can be mounted on the vacuum chamber 11 instead of on the support member 14.

[0101] Coarse alignment mechanism 50 includes a fixed platen 504 located on the lower side, a movable platen 501 located on the upper side, a coarse relative position detection unit 502, and a linear drive unit 503 for moving movable platen 501. Coarse relative position detection unit 502 detects the relative position between fixed platen 504 and movable platen 501 and outputs position information regarding the relative position.

[0102] The coarse relative position detection unit 502 may be configured to detect a position by, for example, an optical encoder and an optical scale. Similar to the fine relative position detection unit 17, the type of detection sensor used as the coarse relative position detection unit 502 is not particularly limited.

[0103] The linear drive unit 503 is configured to drive the movable platen 501 through, for example, a linear guide and a ball screw. The driving method of the linear drive unit 503 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a linear motor type including a coil unit and a permanent magnet unit. The linear drive unit 503 drives the movable platen 501 to drive the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 and the support member 14 mounted to the Z lift / lower mechanism 16, thereby driving the substrate holder 12 via the vibration isolation mechanism 121. Due to the linear drive unit 503, the coarse alignment mechanism 50 is configured to have an operating stroke that is relatively larger than the operating stroke of the fine alignment mechanism 18. When a movement operation is performed in a predetermined direction, the operating stroke may also be referred to as the "minimum movement amount" in the predetermined direction.

[0104] The camera unit 20 may include a coarse alignment camera for roughly adjusting the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M, and a micro alignment camera for highly accurately adjusting the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M. The coarse alignment camera has a relatively wide viewing angle and low resolution. Compared to the coarse alignment camera, the micro alignment camera has a relatively narrow viewing angle but high resolution.

[0105] The coarse alignment mechanism 50 drives the substrate holder 12 when roughly adjusting the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M. Meanwhile, the fine alignment mechanism 18 directly drives the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 when adjusting the relative position between the substrate W and the mask M with high precision.

[0106] As described above, the film-forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment further includes the coarse alignment mechanism 50, thereby reducing the operating stroke required to drive the fine alignment mechanism 18. Consequently, in this embodiment, the size of the permanent magnets of the permanent magnet unit 181 and the coils of the coil unit 182 in the fine alignment mechanism 18 can be reduced. Consequently, the fine alignment mechanism 18 can be easily installed even in the vacuum chamber 11, where installation space is significantly limited. Furthermore, the reduced coil size allows for a reduction in the coil's time constant and an increase in the current's rise rate. Consequently, the fine alignment mechanism 18 can achieve more responsive position control.

[0107] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 described later, the suction position of the substrate W can be corrected by the fine alignment mechanism 18 when the substrate W is transferred to the substrate holder 12. Therefore, the accuracy of the robot hand in conveying the substrate W can be relaxed, and the time required for alignment can be shortened.

[0108] Next, refer to Figure 9 The configuration of a control system for controlling the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is described. Figure 91 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a control system for controlling the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The control system 6 may form a part of the film forming apparatus 1 .

[0109] like Figure 9 As shown, the control system 6 includes an integrated controller 601, a drive controller 602, a camera control controller 603, a Z up / down controller 604, and a coarse motion controller 905. The drive controller 602 is a controller for controlling the fine motion alignment mechanism 18. The coarse motion controller 905 is a controller for controlling the coarse motion alignment mechanism 50. In this embodiment, in order to distinguish it from the coarse motion controller 905, the drive controller 602 is referred to as "fine motion controller 602" for ease of description. The control system 6 serves as a control unit for controlling the fine motion alignment mechanism 18, the camera unit 20, the Z up / down mechanism 16, and the coarse motion alignment mechanism 50. The fine motion controller 602, the camera control controller 603, the Z up / down controller 604, and the coarse motion controller 905 are connected to the integrated controller 601, thereby allowing communication between them. The integrated controller 601 controls each controller to control the overall operation of the film forming apparatus 1. The fine movement controller 602 , the camera control controller 603 , and the Z up / down controller 604 have similar configurations to those in the first embodiment, and therefore descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0110] Coarse motion alignment mechanism 50 is connected to coarse motion controller 905. Coarse motion alignment mechanism 50 includes coarse motion relative position detection unit 502 and linear drive unit 503 as described above. Coarse motion relative position detection unit 502 and linear drive unit 503 are connected to coarse motion controller 905.

[0111] Coarse motion controller 905 calculates a command pulse signal based on the position information obtained by coarse motion relative position detection unit 502, and controls the current flowing through linear drive unit 503 in response to the command pulse signal, thereby performing position control of movable platen 501. Instead of a configuration in which coarse motion controller 905 performs each operation from calculation of the command pulse signal to current control, a configuration may be adopted in which a coarse motion driver is arranged between coarse motion controller 905 and linear drive unit 503. In this case, coarse motion controller 905 calculates the command pulse signal and transmits the command pulse signal to the coarse motion driver, and the coarse motion driver controls the current flowing through linear drive unit 503 in response to the received command pulse signal, thereby performing position control of movable platen 501.

[0112] In addition, if Figure 9As shown by the dotted lines in FIG, coarse motion controller 905 and fine motion controller 602 can be connected to each other, thereby allowing communication between them. In this case, coarse motion controller 905 and fine motion controller 602 can synchronously control coarse motion alignment mechanism 50 and fine motion alignment mechanism 18. In this way, the coarse alignment operation and the fine alignment operation to be described later can be performed simultaneously, and the time required for alignment can be shortened.

[0113] Next, refer to Figure 10 The operation of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 10 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The operation of the film forming apparatus 1 described below is controlled by a control system 6 including an integrated controller 601, a drive controller 602, and the like.

[0114] In the initial state (starting state) at the start of film formation, the mask M is placed on the mask holder 13, and the substrate W is not held by the substrate holder 12. In addition, in the starting state, the Z raising / lowering mechanism 16 is raised to the retracted position, the fine movement relative position detection unit 17 is in a state out of the detection range, and the fine movement alignment mechanism 18 is also in a state out of the control range.

[0115] First, the hand of a transport robot (not shown) holding a substrate W is moved to a substrate transfer position (step S101). Next, a substrate receiving claw (not shown) supporting the outer periphery of the substrate W is raised to the substrate receiving position, and the substrate W is received from the hand of the transport robot and picked up (step S102).

[0116] Next, the transport robot hand is moved to the retracted position (step S103). Next, the Z lifting / lowering mechanism 16 is lowered to the substrate receiving position. Subsequently, the coarse alignment camera of the camera unit 20 captures images of the alignment marks of the substrate W and the alignment marks of the mask M (step S104). Next, the correction amounts on the horizontal three axes (X direction, Y direction, and θz direction) are calculated based on the results of photographing the alignment marks. In this case, the correction amounts to be calculated are correction amounts for correcting misalignment between the alignment marks, and are correction amounts for correcting the position of the substrate holder 12. Then, the substrate holder 12 is moved by the coarse alignment mechanism 50 by the calculated correction amount. In this way, in a state where the position of the substrate W is aligned by the movement of the substrate holder 12, the substrate holder 12 turns on the electrostatic chuck. In this way, the substrate holder 12 takes over the substrate W from the substrate receiving claw and holds the substrate W (step S105).

[0117] Next, the substrate receiving claw is moved to the retracted position (step S106), and the Z lifting / lowering mechanism 16 is lowered to the alignment position (step S107). This allows the fine relative position detection unit 17 to detect the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. Once relative position detection is enabled, the fine alignment mechanism 18 is switched from servo-off to servo-on to initiate speed control (step S108). During speed control, speed control is performed to reduce the speed of the fine alignment mechanism 18 to zero, that is, to reduce the relative speed between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to zero. This suppresses residual vibration of the substrate holder 12 and shaking caused by interfering vibrations when the coarse alignment mechanism 50 is driven in the next step. At this point, in a configuration where the coarse motion controller 905 and the fine motion controller 602 are connected to each other to allow communication therebetween, the fine alignment mechanism 18 can be set to servo-on through position control.

[0118] When the Z lift / lowering mechanism 16 is lowered to the alignment position, a sensor (such as an optical fiber sensor (not shown) mounted on the mask holder 13 detects that the substrate holder 12 has entered the controllable range, and the fine alignment mechanism 18 automatically switches to servo-on. Furthermore, by enabling control of the three vertical axes (Z, θx, and θy) of the alignment mechanism 18, undershoot and residual vibration caused when lowering the Z lift / lowering mechanism 16 can be suppressed.

[0119] Next, the coarse alignment camera of the camera unit 20 captures images of the alignment marks on the substrate W and the alignment marks on the mask M (step S109). Next, correction amounts are calculated along the three horizontal axes (X, Y, and θz) based on the results of capturing the alignment marks. In this case, the correction amounts to be calculated are those for correcting misalignment between the alignment marks and for correcting the position of the substrate holder 12. The coarse alignment mechanism 50 then moves the substrate holder 12 by the calculated correction amounts (step S110). In this manner, coarse alignment of the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 is achieved through the coarse alignment operation of the coarse alignment mechanism 50.

[0120] When the coarse alignment mechanism 50 is operating, the fine alignment mechanism 18 operates based on the residual vibration caused by the coarse alignment mechanism 50. In other words, the fine alignment mechanism 18 operates to suppress the residual vibration. Specifically, when the coarse alignment mechanism 50 is operating, the fine alignment mechanism 18 operates in a speed-controlled manner such that the relative speed between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 becomes zero, as described above, thereby suppressing the residual vibration caused by the coarse alignment mechanism 50.

[0121] After the coarse alignment mechanism 50 stops to complete coarse alignment and the substrate holder 12 completes movement, the micro-alignment camera of the camera unit 20 captures images of the alignment marks on the substrate W and the mask M (step S111). Next, correction amounts are calculated along the three horizontal axes (X, Y, and θz) based on the images of the alignment marks. The correction amounts calculated are for correcting misalignment between the alignment marks and for correcting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. When the correction amount is equal to or less than a set value, that is, when it falls within the drive range of the micro-alignment mechanism 18, control of the micro-alignment mechanism 18 switches from speed control to position control (step S112). Thus, the micro-alignment mechanism 18 operates in a position-controlled manner while the coarse alignment mechanism 50 is stopped. When the correction amount exceeds the set value, the coarse alignment mechanism 50 moves the substrate holder 12 again by the calculated correction value (step S110).

[0122] Next, the fine alignment mechanism 18 performs relative position shifting using the calculated correction amount (step S113). Thus, through the fine alignment operation of the fine alignment mechanism 18, fine alignment is performed between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. In this case, the fine alignment mechanism 18 detects the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to directly drive the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. Therefore, the fine alignment mechanism 18 can perform alignment operations with higher accuracy than the coarse alignment mechanism 50. After the shifting is completed, the micro alignment camera of the camera unit 20 again captures images of the alignment marks on the substrate W and the alignment marks on the mask M (step S114). Based on the results of the images of the alignment marks, the misalignment between the alignment marks is calculated. When the misalignment is equal to or less than a set value, the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is lowered to the film formation position (step S115). If the misalignment is greater than the set value, the relative position correction amount is recalculated, and the fine alignment mechanism 18 performs relative position shifting using the calculated correction amount (step S113). Thus, electromagnetic force acts between the substrate holder 12 holding the substrate W and the mask holder 13 holding the mask M, thereby correcting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 , thereby performing alignment between the substrate W and the mask M.

[0123] After the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 lowers the substrate W to the film formation position, the film formation source 15 heats the evaporation source to release the film formation material. The film formation source 15 is then driven in the Y direction at a constant speed while maintaining the temperature. In this manner, a film formation step is performed on the substrate W using the film formation material (step S116). After the film formation step is completed, the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is raised to the substrate transfer position (step S117), and the substrate receiving claw is moved to the substrate receiving position. Thereafter, the electrostatic chuck of the substrate holder 12 is deactivated, allowing the substrate W to be transferred from the substrate holder 12 to the substrate receiving claw (step S118).

[0124] Afterwards, the Z lift / lower mechanism 16 is raised to the retracted position (step S119), and the transport robot hand reaches the substrate receiving position (step S120). Finally, the substrate receiving claw is lowered to the substrate receiving standby position to transfer the substrate W that has undergone film formation to the transport robot hand (step S121). The transport robot hand, which has transferred the substrate W to it, is moved to the retracted position while holding the substrate W, to transport the substrate W to the next step (step S122). The state then returns to the starting state, and the above operation is repeated for other substrates W that require film formation.

[0125] In this embodiment, the coarse alignment mechanism 50 is configured to drive the substrate holder 12, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The coarse alignment mechanism 50 may be configured to drive the mask holder 13 instead of the substrate holder 12. In this case, the linear drive unit 503 of the coarse alignment mechanism 50 may be configured to drive the support member 14, thereby driving the mask holder 13 via the vibration isolation mechanism 131. Furthermore, the coarse alignment mechanism 50 may be configured to drive both the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. As described above, the coarse alignment mechanism 50 may be configured to drive at least one of the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13.

[0126] [Third embodiment]

[0127] refer to Figure 11 A film forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Components similar to those of the first and second embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0128] The film forming apparatus according to this embodiment is different from the film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment in that the mask holder 13 is supported in a non-contact manner by the support member 14 via a suspension mechanism instead of the vibration isolation mechanism 131. Figure 11 The configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is described. Figure 11 : is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire configuration of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0129] like Figure 11 As shown, compared to the first embodiment, the film-forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 in place of the vibration isolation mechanism 131. The mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 is a levitation mechanism for driving the mask holder 13 relative to the vacuum chamber 11 so as to levitate the mask holder 13. The mask holder 13 is supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner via the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52. Therefore, in this embodiment, the vibration isolation mechanism 131 is not required on the mask holder 13 side.

[0130] Furthermore, in the film forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the substrate holder 12, the mask holder 13, and the film forming source 15 are installed inside the vacuum chamber 11, and the support member 14 supports the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. In this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the substrate holder 12 is supported by the support member 14 via the vibration isolation mechanism 121, but the mask holder 13 is supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner via the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52. The mask holder 13, the support member 14, and the film forming source 15 have similar configurations to those of the first embodiment, and therefore, descriptions of these components are omitted.

[0131] Figure 11 The dashed box shown in FIG is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relative position detection unit 17 and alignment mechanism 18 installed between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13, similar to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, in addition to these mechanisms, a mask holder position detection unit 51 and a mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 are installed between the mask holder 13 and the mask holder rod 141.

[0132] Similar to the first embodiment, the relative position detection unit 17 is a sensor for detecting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13, and the alignment mechanism 18 is an actuator for causing electromagnetic force to act between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to drive the relative position therebetween.

[0133] In the present embodiment, the mask holder 13 is configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the supporting member 14 by the mask holder position detecting unit 51 and the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 .

[0134] The mask holder position detection unit 51 is a sensor for detecting the relative position between the mask holder 13 and the mask holder rod 141 forming the support member 14. An optical encoder 511 is mounted on the mask holder rod 141 side, and an optical scale 512 is mounted on the mask holder 13 side opposite the optical encoder 511. The optical encoder 511 and the optical scale 512 form the mask holder position detection unit 51. In this case, the mask holder position detection unit 51 detects the relative position between the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13 in the X or Y direction by reading the optical scale 512 using the optical encoder 511, and outputs position information regarding the relative position. The mask holder position detection unit 51 includes a mask holder position detection unit for the X direction and a mask holder position detection unit for the Y direction.

[0135] Furthermore, the mask holder position detection unit 51 includes a magnetic levitation Z sensor (not shown) and a magnetic levitation Z sensor block (not shown) for detecting the relative position in the Z direction between the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13. The magnetic levitation Z sensor is mounted on the mask holder rod 141. The magnetic levitation Z sensor block is mounted on the mask holder 13 opposite the magnetic levitation Z sensor. The mask holder position detection unit 51 detects the relative position in the Z direction between the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13 by measuring the distance from the magnetic levitation Z sensor block to the magnetic levitation Z sensor block using the magnetic levitation Z sensor, and outputs position information regarding the relative position.

[0136] In the mask holder position detection unit 51, the type of detection sensor used to detect the relative position is not particularly limited. The detection sensor can be formed, for example, by a magnetic encoder and a scale. Other examples include a laser interferometer length measuring machine including a laser interferometer and a reflective mirror, an electrostatic capacitance sensor, an eddy current sensor, and the like.

[0137] The mask holder magnetic levitation platform 52 is a magnetic levitation platform that applies electromagnetic force between the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13, thereby driving the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13. A coil unit 521 is mounted on the mask holder rod 141, and a permanent magnet unit 522 is mounted on the mask holder 13, opposite the coil unit 521. The coil unit 521 and the permanent magnet unit 522 form the mask holder magnetic levitation platform 52. When current flows through the coils of the coil unit 521, an electromagnetic force is generated between the coil unit 521 and the permanent magnet unit 522, causing the electromagnetic force to act between the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13. The mask holder magnetic levitation platform 52 applies electromagnetic force between the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13 based on the relative position of the mask holder rod 141 and the mask holder 13 detected by the mask holder position detection unit 51.

[0138] In the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52, the coil of the coil unit 521 may include a core (iron core) or be coreless. However, from the perspective of suppressing the control current used to maintain the levitation of the mask holder 13, it is preferable that the coil include a core. Furthermore, the coil unit 521 and the permanent magnet unit 522 may be installed upside down. That is, the coil unit 521 may be installed on the mask holder 13 side, while the permanent magnet unit 522 may be installed on the mask holder rod 141 side.

[0139] Furthermore, it is preferable that the coil unit 521 and the permanent magnet unit 522 of the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 are larger than the coil unit 182 and the permanent magnet unit 181 of the alignment mechanism 18, respectively. In this case, the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 can perform a coarse alignment operation with a large operating stroke, similar to the coarse alignment mechanism 50 in the second embodiment. Therefore, similar to the second embodiment, the stroke required as the driving range of the fine alignment mechanism 18 can be reduced, and the sizes of the permanent magnet unit 181 and the coil unit 182 can be reduced.

[0140] As described above, in this embodiment, the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 is used in place of the vibration isolation mechanism 131 to allow the mask holder 13 to be configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the support member 14. In this embodiment, compared to a case where the structures are brought into contact with each other using the vibration isolation mechanism 131 or the like, the mask holder 13 is supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner through magnetic levitation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the natural frequency can be designed to be smaller, specifically, for example, 1 Hz or less, and vibration isolation performance can be further improved.

[0141] Furthermore, driving the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 allows the posture of the mask holder 13 to be controlled along six axes. Consequently, the mask holder 13 can be angularly corrected to align the planes of the upper surface of the mask M and the lower surface of the substrate W. This angular correction allows the gap between the upper surface of the mask M and the lower surface of the substrate W to be uniform. In particular, degradation of film formation quality on the outer periphery of the substrate W can be prevented or suppressed.

[0142] As described above, according to this embodiment, the mask holder 13 is configured for magnetic levitation, thereby suppressing the transmission of vibrations from the floor or when the film-forming source is driven. Furthermore, similar to the first and second embodiments, an electromagnetic force is generated between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to directly drive the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. This enables highly precise relative position control, enabling highly accurate alignment operations.

[0143] In this embodiment, the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 is used to allow the mask holder 13 to be configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the support member 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. Using a configuration similar to the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52, the substrate holder 12 can be configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the support member 14. In this case, the mask holder 13 can be secured to the mask holder rod 141 via the vibration isolation mechanism 131, similar to the first embodiment.

[0144] Additionally, in the configuration of the second embodiment, similarly to the present embodiment, a mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 may also be used to allow the mask holder 13 to be configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the support member 14 .

[0145] [Fourth embodiment]

[0146] Reference Figure 12 A film forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Components similar to those of the first to third embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0147] The film forming apparatus according to this embodiment is different from the film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment in that the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 are supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner via suspension mechanisms instead of the vibration isolation mechanisms 121 and 131, respectively. Figure 12 The configuration of the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is described. Figure 12 : is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the entire configuration of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0148] like Figure 12 As shown, compared with the first embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 instead of the vibration isolation mechanism 131, and includes a substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 instead of the vibration isolation mechanism 121. The mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 is a levitation unit for driving the mask holder 13 relative to the vacuum chamber 11 so that the mask holder 13 is suspended, similar to the third embodiment. The substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 is a levitation unit for driving the substrate holder 12 relative to the vacuum chamber 11 so that the substrate holder 12 is suspended. The mask holder 13 is supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner via the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52. The substrate holder 12 is supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner via the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54. With these stages, in this embodiment, the vibration isolation mechanisms 121 and 131 on both the substrate holder 12 side and the mask holder 13 side are unnecessary.

[0149] Furthermore, in the film forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the substrate holder 12, the mask holder 13, and the film forming source 15 are installed inside the vacuum chamber 11, and the support member 14 supports the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. In this embodiment, the substrate holder 12 is supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner via the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54. Furthermore, the mask holder 13 is supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner via the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52. The support member 14 and the film forming source 15 have similar configurations to those of the first embodiment, and therefore, descriptions of these components are omitted.

[0150] Figure 12 The dashed box shown in FIG is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the relative position detection unit 17 and alignment mechanism 18 installed between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13, similar to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, in addition to these mechanisms, a mask holder position detection unit 51 and a mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 are installed between the mask holder 13 and the mask holder rod 141. Furthermore, a substrate holder position detection unit 53 and a substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 are installed between the substrate holder 12 and the substrate holder rod 143.

[0151] Similar to the first embodiment, the relative position detection unit 17 is a sensor for detecting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13, and the alignment mechanism 18 is an actuator for causing electromagnetic force to act between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to drive the relative position therebetween.

[0152] Furthermore, the mask holder position detection unit 51 and the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 have similar configurations to those in the third embodiment. The mask holder position detection unit 51 is a sensor for detecting the relative position between the mask holder rod 14 and the mask holder 13. Furthermore, the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 is a magnetic levitation stage that drives the mask holder 13 based on the position information obtained by the mask holder position detection unit 51. Similarly, in this embodiment, the mask holder 13 is configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the support member 14 by the mask holder position detection unit 51 and the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52.

[0153] In the present embodiment, the substrate holder 12 is also configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the supporting member 14 by the substrate holder position detection unit 53 and the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 .

[0154] The substrate holder position detection unit 53 is a sensor for detecting the relative position between the substrate holder 12 and the substrate holder rod 143 forming the support member 14. An optical encoder 531 is mounted on the substrate holder rod 143 side, and an optical scale 532 is mounted on the substrate holder 12 side at a position opposite the optical encoder 531. The optical encoder 531 and the optical scale 532 form the substrate holder position detection unit 53. In this case, the substrate holder position detection unit 53 detects the relative position between the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12 in the X or Y direction by reading the optical scale 532 with the optical encoder 531, and outputs position information regarding the relative position. The substrate holder position detection unit 53 includes a substrate holder position detection unit for the X direction and a substrate holder position detection unit for the Y direction.

[0155] Furthermore, the substrate holder position detection unit 53 includes a magnetic levitation Z sensor (not shown) and a magnetic levitation Z sensor block (not shown) for detecting the relative position in the Z direction between the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12. The magnetic levitation Z sensor is mounted on the side of the substrate holder rod 143. The magnetic levitation Z sensor block is mounted on the side of the mask holder 13, opposite the magnetic levitation Z sensor. The substrate holder position detection unit 53 detects the relative position in the Z direction between the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12 by measuring the distance to the magnetic levitation Z sensor block using the magnetic levitation Z sensor, and outputs position information regarding the relative position.

[0156] The type of detection sensor used to detect the relative position in the substrate holder position detection unit 53 is not particularly limited. The detection sensor may be formed, for example, by a magnetic encoder and a scale. Other examples include a laser interferometer length measuring machine including a laser interferometer and a reflective mirror, an electrostatic capacitance sensor, an eddy current sensor, and the like.

[0157] The substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 is a magnetic levitation stage for applying electromagnetic force between the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12 to drive the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12. A coil unit 541 is mounted on the substrate holder rod 143 side, and a permanent magnet unit 542 is mounted on the substrate holder 12 side, opposite the coil unit 541. The coil unit 541 and the permanent magnet unit 542 form the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54. When current flows through the coil of the coil unit 541, an electromagnetic force is generated between the coil unit 541 and the permanent magnet unit 542, causing the electromagnetic force to act between the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12. The substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 applies electromagnetic force between the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12 based on the relative position of the substrate holder rod 143 and the substrate holder 12 detected by the substrate holder position detection unit 53.

[0158] In the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54, the coil of the coil unit 541 may include a core or be coreless. However, from the perspective of suppressing the control current used to maintain levitation, it is preferable that the coil include a core. Furthermore, the coil unit 541 and the permanent magnet unit 542 can be installed upside down. That is, the coil unit 541 can be installed on the substrate holder 12 side, while the permanent magnet unit 542 can be installed on the substrate holder rod 143 side.

[0159] Furthermore, similar to the third embodiment, it is preferable that the coil unit 521 and the permanent magnet unit 522 of the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 are larger than the coil unit 182 and the permanent magnet unit 181 of the alignment mechanism 18, respectively. Furthermore, it is preferable that the coil unit 541 and the permanent magnet unit 542 of the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 are larger than the coil unit 182 and the permanent magnet unit 181 of the alignment mechanism 18, respectively. In these circumstances, the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 and the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 can perform coarse alignment operations with a large operating stroke, similar to the coarse alignment mechanism 50 in the second embodiment. Consequently, similar to the second embodiment, the stroke required as the driving range of the fine alignment mechanism 18 can be reduced, and the sizes of the permanent magnet unit 181 and the coil unit 182 can be downsized.

[0160] As described above, in this embodiment, similar to the third embodiment, the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 is used in place of the vibration isolation mechanism 131 to allow the mask holder 13 to be configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the support member 14. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 is used in place of the vibration isolation mechanism 121 to allow the substrate holder 12 to be configured to be magnetically levitated relative to the support member 14. In this embodiment, compared to a case where the structures are brought into contact with each other using the vibration isolation mechanisms 121 and 131, etc., the mask holder 13 and the substrate holder 12 are supported by the support member 14 in a non-contact manner through magnetic levitation. Therefore, in this embodiment, the natural frequency can be designed to be lower, specifically, to be, for example, 1 Hz or less, and high vibration isolation performance can be achieved on both the mask holder 13 side and the substrate holder 12 side.

[0161] Furthermore, driving the mask holder magnetic levitation stage 52 and the substrate holder magnetic levitation stage 54 allows the posture of the mask holder 13 and the posture of the substrate holder 12 to be controlled along six axes. Consequently, the postures of the mask holder 13 and the substrate holder 12 can be angularly corrected to align the planes of the upper surface of the mask M and the lower surface of the substrate W. This angular correction allows the gap between the upper surface of the mask M and the lower surface of the substrate W to be controlled to be uniform. In particular, degradation of film formation quality at the periphery of the substrate W can be prevented or suppressed.

[0162] As described above, according to this embodiment, the mask holder 13 and substrate holder 12 are configured for magnetic levitation, thereby suppressing the transmission of vibrations from the floor or when the film-forming source is driven. Furthermore, similar to the first through third embodiments, an electromagnetic force is generated between the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13 to directly drive the substrate holder 12 and the mask holder 13. This enables highly accurate relative position control, enabling highly precise alignment operations.

[0163] In the present embodiment, a case where both the mask holder 13 and the substrate holder 12 are configured to be magnetically suspended is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Either the mask holder 13 or the substrate holder 12 may be configured to be magnetically suspended.

[0164] In addition, in the configuration of the second embodiment, similarly to the present embodiment, the mask holder 13 and the substrate holder 12 may also be configured to be magnetically suspended.

[0165] [Modified Example]

[0166] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified. For example, the present invention includes an example in which a part of the configuration of any one embodiment is added to or replaced with a part of the configuration of another embodiment as its embodiment.

[0167] The embodiment(s) of the present invention may also be implemented by a computer of a system or device, which reads and executes computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more fully referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment(s) and / or includes one or more circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment(s), and is implemented by the computer of the system or device executing a method in the following manner: for example, reading and executing computer-executable instructions from a storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment(s) and / or controlling one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-mentioned embodiment(s). The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or a storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a storage device of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (such as a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), or a Blu-ray disk (BD) TM), one or more of flash memory devices, memory cards, etc.

[0168] Other embodiments

[0169] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by providing software (including a computer program product including a computer program / instruction) that performs the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer (central processing unit (CPU), microprocessing unit (MPU)) of the system or device reads and executes the computer program / instruction.

[0170] The above embodiments are merely specific examples for implementing the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be understood as being limited by the above embodiments. Specifically, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical ideas or main features of the present invention.

[0171] According to the present invention, control performance can be improved while reducing or avoiding the influence of natural vibration of the structure, and high alignment accuracy can be achieved while maintaining low device cost even when the substrate size increases.

[0172] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An alignment device comprising: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate; a mask holder configured to hold a mask so that the mask is opposite to the substrate; a supporting member configured to support the substrate support and the mask support; a position detection unit configured to detect a first relative position between the substrate support and the mask support; as well as a first driving mechanism configured to generate an electromagnetic force between the substrate holder and the mask holder based on information about the first relative position, wherein the substrate holder is supported by the support member in a non-contact manner via a first vibration isolation mechanism or via a first suspension mechanism, and Wherein, the mask holder is supported by the supporting member in a non-contact manner via a second vibration isolation mechanism or a second suspension mechanism.

2. The alignment device according to claim 1, in, The first driving mechanism comprises: a coil disposed on one side of the substrate holder or the mask holder; and a permanent magnet disposed on the other side of the substrate holder or the mask holder, and The coil and the permanent magnet are configured to generate the electromagnetic force between the substrate support and the mask support. 3 . The alignment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second driving mechanism mounted on the supporting member and configured to drive at least one of the substrate holder and the mask holder.

4. The alignment device according to claim 3, wherein: The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the substrate support via the first vibration isolation mechanism.

5. The alignment device according to claim 3, wherein: The second driving mechanism is configured to drive the mask holder via the second vibration isolation mechanism.

6. The alignment device according to claim 3, wherein: The operating stroke of the second driving mechanism is greater than the operating stroke of the first driving mechanism.

7. The alignment device according to claim 3, wherein: The first drive mechanism is configured to operate in a speed-controlled manner when the second drive mechanism is operating, and to operate in a position-controlled manner when the second drive mechanism is stopped.

8. The alignment device according to claim 3, wherein: The first drive mechanism is configured to operate based on vibrations induced by the second drive mechanism.

9. The alignment device according to claim 8, wherein: The first drive mechanism is configured to operate to suppress vibrations caused by the second drive mechanism.

10. The alignment device according to claim 8, wherein The vibration caused by the second driving mechanism is a residual vibration.

11. The alignment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second position detection unit configured to detect a second relative position between the substrate holder and the support member. in, The substrate holder is supported by the supporting member via the first suspension mechanism, and The first levitation mechanism is configured to cause an electromagnetic force to act between the substrate holder and the support member based on information about the second relative position.

12. The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a third position detection unit configured to detect a third relative position between the mask holder and the support member, in, The mask holder is supported by the supporting member via the second suspension mechanism, and The second suspension mechanism is configured to cause an electromagnetic force to act between the mask holder and the supporting member based on information about the third relative position.

13. The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a second position detection unit configured to detect a second relative position between the substrate holder and the support member; as well as a third position detection unit configured to detect a third relative position between the mask holder and the support member, wherein the substrate holder is supported by the supporting member via the first suspension mechanism, wherein the mask holder is supported by the supporting member via the second suspension mechanism, wherein the first suspension mechanism is configured to cause an electromagnetic force to act between the substrate holder and the support member based on information about the second relative position, and The second suspension mechanism is configured to cause an electromagnetic force to act between the mask holder and the supporting member based on information about the third relative position.

14. A film forming device comprising: room; The alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the alignment device is installed inside the chamber; as well as A film-forming source is installed inside the chamber and is configured to release a film-forming material.

15. A film forming method for manufacturing an article using the film forming apparatus according to claim 14, the film forming method comprising: performing alignment between the substrate and the mask by causing an electromagnetic force to act between a substrate holder holding the substrate and a mask holder holding the mask; as well as After the alignment, film formation is performed on the substrate using a film formation material.

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