Alignment apparatus, film forming apparatus, alignment method and film forming method

Abstract

The invention provides an alignment device, a film forming device, an alignment method and a film forming method capable of improving alignment accuracy. The alignment device is provided with: a substrate Z actuator (250) that brings the substrate (10) and the mask (220) close to each other or away from each other; an XY [theta] actuator (290) that adjusts the relative position between the substrate (10) and the mask (220); a control unit (270) that controls the first control unit and the second control unit; and an information acquisition means that acquires information pertaining to the thickness of the mask 220 and information pertaining to the type of the substrate 10, and the control unit 270 controls the substrate Z actuator 250 and the XY [theta] actuator 290 on the basis of the information pertaining to the thickness of the mask 220 and the information pertaining to the type of the substrate 10 acquired by the information acquisition means.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to an alignment device, a film formation device, an alignment method, and a film formation method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a film formation device used for manufacturing an organic EL display or the like, as a pretreatment for film formation, alignment of a substrate and a mask is performed using an alignment device provided in the film formation device. In order to improve film formation accuracy, it is important to improve alignment accuracy, and the applicant of the present application has proposed various technologies (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS

[0004] PATENT DOCUMENTS

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-105629

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-141121 SUMMARY

[0007] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0008] In alignment, it has been found that a positional shift occurs due to the type of substrate and individual differences of the mask, and the like, and it is required to further improve alignment accuracy.

[0009] The present application provides an alignment device, a film formation device, an alignment method, and a film formation method capable of improving alignment accuracy.

[0010] MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0011] The present application employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.

[0012] That is, the alignment device of the present application performs alignment of a substrate and a mask, characterized by comprising:

[0013] a movement mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate and the mask closer to each other or separate them from each other;

[0014] a position adjustment mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least either of a second direction and a third direction to adjust a relative position between the substrate and the mask, the second direction crossing the first direction, and the third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction;

[0015] a control section that controls the movement mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism; and

[0016] an information acquisition means that acquires information related to a thickness of the mask and information related to a kind of the substrate,

[0017] The control section controls the moving mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism based on the information related to the thickness of the mask and the information related to the kind of the substrate acquired by the information acquisition means.

[0018] In addition, another alignment device is an alignment device that aligns a substrate and a mask, characterized by comprising:

[0019] a moving mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate and the mask close to or separate from each other;

[0020] a position adjustment mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least either of a second direction and a third direction to adjust a relative position between the substrate and the mask, the second direction crossing the first direction, and the third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction;

[0021] a control section that controls the moving mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism; and

[0022] an information acquisition means that acquires information related to a kind of the substrate,

[0023] The control section controls the position adjustment mechanism based on a first offset associated with the information related to the kind of the substrate acquired by the information acquisition means and a second offset different from the first offset, the first offset being used to cancel an offset of an alignment mark of the mask from an alignment mark of the substrate that is likely to be generated by the moving mechanism.

[0024] Effects of the Invention

[0025] As explained above, according to the present application, it is possible to improve the alignment accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a part of a production line of an organic EL display device.

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a film forming device.

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic view of a substrate support unit.

[0029] Figure 4 is a view for explaining a first alignment process.

[0030] Figure 5 FIG. 6 is a view showing a movement and clamping method of the substrate after the first alignment process.

[0031] Figure 6 FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the second alignment process.

[0032] Figure 7 FIG. 8 is a view showing a movement and clamping method of the substrate after the second alignment process.

[0033] Figure 8 FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a case where a large substrate (mother glass) is cut into two divided substrates.

[0034] Figure 9 FIG. 10 is a view showing a structure in which a bias value is recorded as a table in a storage section for each category of a substrate.

[0035] Figure 10 FIG. 11 is a whole view of an organic EL display device and a sectional view of an element of the organic EL display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the mode for carrying out the present application will be explained based on examples. However, the following examples only exemplarily show the preferred structure of the present application, and the scope of the present application is not limited to these structures. Also, as for the hardware structure and software structure of the device, the processing flow, the manufacturing conditions, the size, the material, the shape, and the like in the following explanation, as long as there is no specific description, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present application thereto.

[0037] The present application relates to a film formation device that forms a thin film on a substrate, and particularly relates to an alignment technique for performing a high-precision position adjustment of a substrate. The present application can be preferably applied to a device that forms a thin film of a desired pattern on a surface of a substrate by vacuum evaporation. As a material of the substrate, any material such as glass, resin, metal, and the like can be selected, and as an evaporation material, any material such as an organic material, an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, and the like), and the like can be selected. Specifically, the technology of the present application can be applied to a manufacturing device of an organic electronic device (for example, an organic EL display device, a thin film solar cell), an optical member, and the like. Among them, for the manufacturing device of the organic EL display device, since the substrate is being large-sized or the display panel is being high-precision, it is required to further improve the alignment precision and speed of the substrate and the mask, and thus this is one of the preferred application examples of the present application. Also, the technology of the present application can be understood as an alignment device for aligning a substrate and a mask. In this case, the alignment device is used in a film formation chamber within a film formation group. The present application can also be applied to a film formation device, a film formation method that performs film formation by a method other than evaporation, for example, sputtering.

[0038] The following is for reference Figures 1-9 The alignment device, the film forming apparatus equipped with the alignment device, the alignment method using the alignment device, and the film forming method using the film forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

[0039] <Production Line of Electronic Components>

[0040] Figure 1 It is a top view schematically showing a part of the structure of an electronic device production line. Figure 1 The production line, for example, is used to manufacture display panels for organic EL display devices used in smartphones. The substrate 10, which is a large substrate of the sixth generation full size (about 1500 mm × about 1850 mm) cut into half-cut size (about 1500 mm × about 925 mm), is transported to the film forming group 1 and organic EL film is formed.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, generally speaking, the film deposition group 1 of the production line of the organic EL display device includes: a plurality of film deposition chambers 110 for processing (e.g., film deposition) the substrate 10; a mask storage chamber 120 for storing masks before and after use; and a transport chamber 130 disposed at the center of the film deposition group 1.

[0042] A transport robot 140 is provided within the transport chamber 130 for transporting the substrate 10 between multiple film-forming chambers 110 and for transporting the mask between the film-forming chamber 110 and the mask storage chamber 120. The transport robot 140 is, for example, a robot with a structure in which a manipulator for holding the substrate 10 or the mask is mounted on a multi-jointed arm.

[0043] In film deposition group 1, a passage chamber 150 and a buffer chamber 160 are connected in the flow direction of the substrate 10. The passage chamber 150 transports the substrate 10 from the upstream side to film deposition group 1, and the buffer chamber 160 transports the substrate 10 after film deposition in film deposition group 1 to other film deposition groups downstream. A transport robot 140 receives the substrate 10 from the upstream passage chamber 150 and transports it to a film deposition chamber 110 within film deposition group 1. Additionally, the transport robot 140 receives the substrate 10 after film deposition in film deposition group 1 from one of the multiple film deposition chambers 110 and transports it to the buffer chamber 160 connected to the downstream side. A swivel chamber 170 is provided between the buffer chamber 160 and the further downstream passage chamber 150 to change the orientation of the substrate 10. This allows the orientation of the substrate to be the same in both the upstream and downstream film deposition groups, facilitating substrate processing.

[0044] In the mask storage chamber 120, the masks to be used in the film formation process in the film formation chamber 110 and the used masks are separately stored in two boxes. The transport robot 140 transports the used masks from the film formation chamber 110 to the boxes in the mask storage chamber 120, and transports new masks stored in other boxes in the mask storage chamber 120 to the film formation chamber 110.

[0045] The various chambers, including the film deposition chamber 110, mask storage chamber 120, transport chamber 130, buffer chamber 160, and gyratory chamber 170, are maintained at a high vacuum during the manufacturing process of the organic EL display panel. Each film deposition chamber 110 is equipped with a film deposition apparatus. A series of film deposition processes, such as the transfer of the substrate 10 to the transport robot 140, the adjustment (alignment) of the relative positions of the substrate 10 and the mask, the fixing of the substrate 10 onto the mask, and film deposition (evaporation), are automatically performed by the film deposition apparatus. Although there are minor differences in the film deposition apparatus of each film deposition chamber, such as differences in evaporation sources and masks, the basic structure (especially the structure related to substrate transport and alignment) is largely the same. The general structure of the film deposition apparatus for each film deposition chamber will be described below. Furthermore, the following description will explain the structure for upward deposition of film when the film deposition surface of the substrate is facing downwards in the direction of gravity during film deposition. However, this invention is not limited to this. It can be used to perform downward deposition of film with the film-forming surface of the substrate facing upward in the direction of gravity, or it can be used to perform film formation in the state where the substrate is vertically upright, that is, the film-forming surface of the substrate is approximately parallel to the direction of gravity (lateral deposition).

[0046] <Film Forming Device>

[0047] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of the film deposition apparatus. In the following description, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is used, with the vertical direction defined as the Z-direction. When the substrate is fixed parallel to the horizontal plane (XY plane) during film deposition, the direction of the short side of the substrate (the direction parallel to the short side) is defined as the X-direction, and the direction of the long side (the direction parallel to the long side) is defined as the Y-direction. Furthermore, θ represents the rotation angle about the Z-axis. Additionally, the Z-direction corresponds to the "first direction," the X-direction corresponds to the "second direction intersecting the first direction," and the Y-direction corresponds to the "third direction intersecting both the first and second directions."

[0048] The film-forming apparatus has a vacuum chamber 200. The interior of the vacuum chamber 200 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inactive gas atmosphere such as nitrogen. Inside the vacuum chamber 200 are a substrate support unit 210, a mask 220, a mask stage 221, a cooling plate 230, and an evaporation source 240.

[0049] The substrate support unit 210 is a component that supports and transports the substrate 10 received from the transport robot 140, and is also referred to as a substrate support. The mask 220 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern to be formed on the substrate 10, and is fixed on the mask stage 221 that supports the mask 220.

[0050] During film formation, a substrate 10 is placed on a mask 220. A cooling plate 230 is a plate-shaped member used to suppress the deterioration and degradation of the organic material by maintaining close contact with the substrate 10 during film formation and suppressing the temperature rise of the substrate 10 during film formation. The cooling plate 230 can also serve as a magnetic plate. The magnetic plate is a member that improves the contact between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 during film formation by using magnetic force to attract the mask 220. Thus, the contacting member (magnetic plate) that brings the substrate 10 and the mask 220 into close contact can also serve as a temperature regulating member for regulating (typically cooling) the temperature of at least one of the substrate 10 and the mask 220.

[0051] The evaporation source 240 comprises a container (crucible) for holding the vapor deposition material, a heater for heating the container, a baffle for stopping the release of the vapor deposition material, a drive mechanism for driving the baffle, and an evaporation rate monitor for identifying the thickness of the film being deposited. Furthermore, this embodiment describes a vapor deposition apparatus using the evaporation source 240 as the film formation source; however, this invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to sputtering apparatuses using a sputtering target as the film formation source.

[0052] A movement adjustment mechanism 205 for adjusting the relative positional relationship between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is provided on the upper (outer) part of the vacuum chamber 200. This movement adjustment mechanism 205 includes a substrate Z-actuator 250, which serves as a movement mechanism for moving the substrate 10 in the Z direction and bringing the substrate 10 closer to or separating from the mask 220. Thus, in this embodiment, a structure is employed to bring the substrate 10 closer to or separate from the mask 220 by moving the substrate 10 in the Z direction (first direction). However, in this invention, the substrate can also be brought closer to or separated from the mask by employing a structure that moves the mask in the first direction or a structure that moves both the substrate and the mask in the first direction. Furthermore, various known technologies, such as motors and ball screws, motors and linear guides, can be used as the substrate Z-actuator 250. This substrate Z-actuator 250 has the function of raising and lowering (moving in the Z direction) the entire substrate support unit 210.

[0053] In addition, the moving adjustment mechanism 205 also includes a clamping element Z actuator 251, a cooling plate Z actuator 252, an X actuator, a Y actuator, and a θ actuator. These actuators can also employ various known technologies such as motors and ball screws, motors and linear guides.

[0054] The clamping actuator 251 is responsible for opening and closing the clamping mechanism of the substrate support unit 210. The cooling plate actuator 252 is responsible for raising and lowering the cooling plate 230.

[0055] The X-actuator, Y-actuator, and θ-actuator (hereinafter collectively referred to as "XYθ actuator 290") perform the function of aligning the substrate 10. This XYθ actuator has the function of moving the substrate support unit 210 and the cooling plate 230 as a whole in the X direction, moving them in the Y direction, and rotating them in the θ direction. Therefore, it has a mechanism for moving the components supporting the substrate support unit 210 and the cooling plate 230 in the X direction, moving them in the Y direction, and rotating them in the θ direction. Figure 2 The XYθ actuator 290 is schematically shown, but generally, it includes mechanisms for moving the components of the support substrate support unit 210 and the cooling plate 230 in the X direction, mechanisms for moving the components of the support substrate support unit 210 and the cooling plate 230 in the Y direction, and mechanisms for rotating the components of the support substrate support unit 210 and the cooling plate 230 in the θ direction. Furthermore, the structure can have a separate θ actuator for θ rotation, or the θ rotation can be performed by combining the X actuator and the Y actuator. The XYθ actuator 290 functions as a position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 by moving the substrate 10 in at least one of the X direction (second direction) intersecting the Z direction (first direction) and the Y direction (third direction) intersecting both the Z and X directions. In this embodiment, a structure is shown that adjusts the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 by moving the substrate 10. However, in this invention, it is also possible to employ a structure that adjusts the relative position between the substrate and the mask by moving the mask or by moving both the substrate and the mask.

[0056] For aligning the substrate 10 and mask 220, cameras 260 and 261 are installed on the upper (outer) side of the vacuum chamber 200 to measure the positions of the substrate 10 and mask 220 respectively. The cameras 260 and 261 capture images of the substrate 10 and mask 220 through windows provided in the vacuum chamber 200. By identifying alignment marks on the substrate 10 and mask 220 from these images, the relative positional offset within the XY plane at each XY position can be measured.

[0057] To achieve high-precision alignment in a short time, it is preferable to implement a two-stage alignment process: a first alignment (also known as "coarse alignment") that roughly aligns the parts, and a second alignment (also known as "fine alignment") that aligns them with high precision. In this case, two types of cameras can be used: a low-resolution but wide-field-of-view camera 260 for the first alignment and a narrow-field-of-view but high-resolution camera 261 for the second alignment. In this embodiment, for both the substrate 10 and the mask 220, two first alignment cameras 260 are used to measure the alignment marks attached to two locations on opposite sides, and four second alignment cameras 261 are used to measure the alignment marks attached to the four corners (or two opposite corners) of the substrate 10 and the mask 220. The number of alignment marks and the number of cameras used for measuring them is not particularly limited; for example, in the case of fine alignment, two cameras 261 can also be used to measure the marks attached to the two corners of the substrate 10 and the mask 220.

[0058] The film-forming apparatus includes a control unit 270. In addition to controlling the substrate Z-actuator 250, the clamping member Z-actuator 251, the cooling plate Z-actuator 252, the XYθ actuator 290, and the cameras 260 and 261, the control unit 270 also controls the transport and alignment of the substrate 10, the control of the evaporation source, and the film-forming process. The control unit 270 can be configured, for example, as a computer with a processor, memory, storage device, I / O, etc. In this case, the functions of the control unit 270 are implemented by the processor executing a program stored in the memory or storage device. The computer can be a general-purpose personal computer, an embedded computer, or a PLC (programmable logic controller). Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the control unit 270 can be configured using circuits such as ASICs or FPGAs. Furthermore, a control unit 270 can be provided for each film-forming apparatus, or multiple film-forming apparatuses can be controlled by a single control unit 270.

[0059] The film-forming apparatus of this embodiment includes a bias information storage unit 280, which serves as a storage unit. The bias information storage unit 280 stores information for adjusting position adjustment parameter values ​​(bias values) during the alignment process based on which portion of the substrate 10, which is divided from the large substrate (sample glass), is cut from the sample glass. The bias information storage unit 280 can be set for each film-forming apparatus or connected to multiple film-forming apparatuses via a network. Details of the bias information storage unit 280 will be described later.

[0060] Furthermore, the film-forming apparatus of this embodiment includes a mask thickness information acquisition member 285 for acquiring thickness information of the mask 220 that has been loaded into the film-forming apparatus. Based on the mask thickness information acquired by the mask thickness information acquisition member 285, the control unit 270 can variably control the amount of movement (movement position) when the aligned substrate 10 is moved toward the mask 220 (or the mask 220 is moved toward the substrate 10) for placement on the mask 220. Details related to the mask thickness information acquisition member 285 will be described later.

[0061] <Baseboard support unit>

[0062] Reference Figure 3 The structure of the substrate support unit 210 will be described. Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the substrate support unit 210. The substrate support unit 210 is a component that holds and transports the substrate 10 by clamping its periphery using a clamping mechanism. Specifically, the substrate support unit 210 includes: a support frame 301, which is provided with a plurality of support members 300 supporting each of the four sides of the substrate 10 from below; and a clamping member 303, which is provided with a plurality of pressing members 302 clamping the substrate 10 between itself and the support members 300. The support members 300 and the pressing members 302 are paired to form a clamping mechanism. Figure 3 In this example, three support members 300 are arranged along the short side of the substrate 10, and six clamping mechanisms (support members 300 and pressing members 302 are paired) are arranged along the long side, forming a structure that clamps both sides of the long side. However, the structure of the clamping mechanism is not limited to... Figure 3 For example, the number and configuration of the clamping mechanisms can be appropriately changed according to the size, shape, or film formation conditions of the substrate being processed. Furthermore, the support member 300 is also referred to as a "finger plate," and the pressing member 302 is also referred to as a "clamping member."

[0063] The transfer of substrate 10 from the transport robot 140 to the substrate support unit 210 is performed, for example, as follows. First, the clamping member 303 is raised and the pressing member 302 is separated from the support member 300 by using the clamping member Z actuator 251, thereby releasing the clamping mechanism. After the transport robot 140 guides substrate 10 between the support member 300 and the pressing member 302, the clamping member 303 is lowered by using the clamping member Z actuator 251, pressing the pressing member 302 against the support member 300 with a predetermined pressing force. Thus, substrate 10 is clamped between the pressing member 302 and the support member 300. In this state, the substrate support unit 210 is driven by the substrate Z actuator 250, thereby enabling substrate 10 to move up and down (Z-direction movement). That is, the substrate 10 can be moved in a first direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the surface of the mask 220 or the film-forming surface of the substrate 10 using the substrate Z actuator 250 as a moving mechanism, so that the substrate 10 approaches or separates from the mask 220. In addition, since the clamping member Z actuator 251 rises or falls together with the substrate support unit 210, the state of the clamping mechanism will not change even if the substrate support unit 210 rises or falls.

[0064] Figure 3 Reference numeral 101 indicates a second alignment mark attached to the four corners of the substrate 10, and reference numeral 102 indicates a first alignment mark attached to the center of the short side of the substrate 10.

[0065] <Alignment (Position Adjustment Process)>

[0066] Figure 4 This is an attached diagram illustrating the first alignment process. Figure 4 (a) shows the state of substrate 10 immediately after it has been transferred from the transport robot 140 to the substrate support unit 210. Substrate 10 flexes downwards at its center due to its own weight. Next, as... Figure 4 As shown in (b), the clamping member 303 is lowered, and the edges of the substrate 10 are clamped by the clamping mechanism consisting of the pressing member 302 and the support member 300.

[0067] Next, as Figure 4 As shown in (c), a first alignment is performed when the substrate 10 is separated from the mask 220 by a predetermined height (the substrate 10 and mask 220 are separated by a predetermined distance). This first alignment is a first position adjustment process that roughly adjusts the relative position of the substrate 10 and mask 220 in the XY plane (in a direction parallel to the film-forming surface of the substrate 10), also referred to as "coarse alignment." In this first alignment, the camera 260 identifies the substrate alignment mark 102 provided on the substrate 10 and the mask alignment mark 220X provided on the mask 220, measures their respective XY positions and position offsets d1 in the XY plane, and performs alignment. Figure 4(c1) shows an example of the positional relationship between the substrate alignment mark 102 and the mask alignment mark 220X as captured by the camera 260.

[0068] Thus, the first alignment is performed as follows: by taking an image of the first alignment marks formed on the substrate 10 and the mask 220 respectively at a first position where the substrate 10 is a first distance away from the mounting surface on the mask 220, the positional offset between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is adjusted at that first position, thereby performing the aforementioned first alignment. The camera 260 used for the first alignment is a low-resolution but wide-field-of-view camera so that coarse alignment can be performed. Furthermore, during alignment, the position of the substrate 10 (substrate support unit 210) can be adjusted as in this embodiment, but in this invention, both the position of the mask and the positions of the substrate and the mask can be adjusted.

[0069] When the first alignment process is completed, such as Figure 5 The substrate 10 is lowered as shown in (a). Then, as shown in (a) Figure 5 As shown in (b), before the substrate 10 contacts the mask 220, the pressing member 302 is raised to release the clamping mechanism. Next, as... Figure 5 As shown in (c), while maintaining the released state (non-clamped state), after lowering the substrate support unit 210 to the position for second alignment, as... Figure 5 As shown in (d), the peripheral portion of the substrate 10 is clamped again using the clamping mechanism. Furthermore, the position for the second alignment is a position where the substrate 10 is temporarily placed on the mask 220 to measure the positional offset between the substrate 10 and the mask 220; for example, this is a position where the support surface (upper surface) of the support member 300 is slightly higher than the mounting surface of the mask 220. At this time, at least the central portion of the substrate 10 is in contact with the mask 220, and the left and right edges of the peripheral portion of the substrate 10, supported by the clamping mechanism, are slightly separated from (lifted) from the mounting surface of the mask 220. In this embodiment, the descent of the substrate 10 in a released state after the first alignment is completed and when it is lowered to the measurement position for the second alignment is described; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and the substrate can also be lowered while being clamped by the substrate clamping mechanism.

[0070] Figure 6 (a) ~ Figure 6 (d) is a diagram illustrating the second alignment. The second alignment is a high-precision alignment process, also known as "fine alignment." First, as... Figure 6 As shown in (a), the camera 261 identifies the substrate alignment mark 101 set on the substrate 10 and the mask alignment mark 220Y set on the mask 220, and measures their respective XY positions and position offsets d2 in the XY plane.Figure 6 (a1) shows an example of the positional relationship between the substrate alignment mark 101 and the mask alignment mark 220Y as captured by camera 261. Camera 261 is a narrow field-of-view but high-resolution camera to enable high-precision alignment. Alignment processing is performed when the measured position offset d2 exceeds a threshold. The following explains the case where the measured position offset d2 exceeds the threshold.

[0071] If the measured position offset exceeds the threshold, such as Figure 6 As shown in (b), the substrate Z actuator 250 is driven, causing the substrate 10 to rise and exit from the mask 220. Figure 6 In (c), the XYθ actuator 290 is driven and aligned based on the position offset measured by the camera 261. During alignment, the position of the substrate 10 (substrate support unit 210) can be adjusted as in this embodiment, but in this invention, the position of the mask, as well as the positions of both the substrate and the mask, can be adjusted.

[0072] After that, as Figure 6 As shown in (d), the substrate 10 is lowered again to the position for the second alignment, and placed on the mask 220. Then, the alignment marks of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are photographed using the camera 261, and the positional offset is measured. If the measured positional offset exceeds a threshold, the above alignment process is repeated. If the positional offset is within the threshold, as shown in (d), the alignment is performed again. Figure 7 (a) ~ Figure 7 As shown in (b), with the substrate 10 held in place, the substrate support unit 210 is lowered so that the support surface of the substrate support unit 210 is at the same height as the mask 220. Thus, the entire substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220. The second alignment is then performed as follows: by photographing second alignment marks formed on the substrate 10 and mask 220 at a second position where the substrate 10 and mask 220 are closer than the first distance, and adjusting the positional offset between the substrate 10 and mask 220 based on the photographed image of the second alignment marks at a position where the substrate 10 and mask 220 are separated again, the substrate 10 and mask 220 are brought closer to the second position again, thereby performing the aforementioned second alignment.

[0073] After the above processes are completed, when the substrate 10 is placed onto the mask 220, as shown above... Figure 7 As shown in (c), the cooling plate Z actuator 252 is driven to lower the cooling plate 230 into close contact with the substrate 10. This completes the preparation for film deposition (evaporation process) using the film deposition apparatus.

[0074] In this embodiment, as Figure 6 (a) ~ Figure 6As shown in (d), an example of repeatedly performing the second alignment while the substrate 10 is held by the clamping mechanism has been described. However, the clamping mechanism can also be released when the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220, or the clamping force of the clamping mechanism can be reduced (so that the clamping is released).

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in Figure 7 In state (c), that is, when the cooling plate 230 is lowered (or, in the case where a magnet plate is separately provided from the cooling plate 230, the magnet is lowered along with the cooling plate 230), the substrate 10 placed on the mask 220 is brought into close contact with the mask 220, and the film deposition process (evaporation process) is performed. However, it is not limited to this. After the substrate 10 is brought into close contact with the mask 220, the pressing member 302 is raised to release the clamping mechanism, and the support member 300 is further lowered by driving the substrate Z actuator 250, and then the film deposition process (evaporation process) is performed.

[0076] <Offset Correction and Position Adjustment Based on Mask Thickness>

[0077] As described above, after aligning the substrate 10 and the mask 220, the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are brought into close contact before film deposition. However, it has been observed that the positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 may shift when the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220. Therefore, in this embodiment, a technique to further improve alignment accuracy is employed.

[0078] The following insights were obtained: the aforementioned positional offset is due to the type of substrate 10, individual differences in the mask 220 used, and the thickness of the mask 220. Therefore, in this embodiment, to suppress the positional offset between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 caused by these factors, the following operation is performed: In this embodiment, a structure is adopted in advance to pre-bias the positional offset that occurs during the operation of bringing the substrate 10 into close contact with the mask 220, based on the type of substrate 10. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a structure is adopted in advance to pre-correlate the positional offset caused by individual differences in the mask 220 used, based on the type of substrate 10, thereby pre-biasing during alignment. Moreover, a target movement position is determined based on the thickness of the mask 220 to move the substrate 10 toward the mask 220 in order to bring the substrate 10 into contact with the mask 220 after alignment. This will be explained in more detail below.

[0079] <<Types of substrates>>

[0080] As in this embodiment, when a large substrate (sample glass) is cut into multiple substrates and a film is formed on these divided substrates, the alignment of the substrate with the mask may differ depending on which part of the sample glass the substrate is cut from.

[0081] The main reason for such differences in action can be attributed to the following situations. For example, such as... Figure 8 As shown, when cutting a base glass sample into two pieces, the cut is typically made at a predetermined distance from one side of the base glass substrate, using that side as a reference edge. For convenience, the substrate on the left side of the cut position (half-cut size) will be referred to as "segmented substrate 1," and the right side as "segmented substrate 2." Sometimes, a difference in size (length of the shorter side after the cut) may occur between segmented substrate 1 and segmented substrate 2.

[0082] Furthermore, the magnitude of residual stress in the cut section may differ between segmented substrate 1 and segmented substrate 2. If the magnitude of the residual stress differs, the waviness pattern of the substrate may sometimes differ. When the substrate is loaded into the film deposition apparatus, if the position (direction) of the cut section differs between segmented substrate 1 and segmented substrate 2, the effect of the difference in residual stress at the cut location may become more significant (see reference). Figure 8 (b)).

[0083] Additionally, sometimes during the pretreatment process, cutouts such as orientation flats (hereinafter referred to as "orientation surfaces") are formed on the substrate glass. These orientation surfaces are formed only on one side of the substrate glass (see reference). Figure 8 (a) may also cause differences in physical properties such as shape and size in the cut substrate 1 and substrate 2.

[0084] Such characteristic differences between the segmented substrate 1 and the segmented substrate 2, caused by various reasons, will result in differences in the degree of offset such as slippage on the substrate support unit during the alignment of the substrate and the mask. Therefore, it is desirable that the position adjustment parameter value (offset value) set to correct the position offset during alignment is different in the segmented substrate 1 and the segmented substrate 2.

[0085] In order to prevent the reduction in alignment accuracy caused by the difference in movement between the divided substrates, this embodiment includes a bias information storage unit 280, which records information for adjusting position adjustment parameter values ​​(bias values) during alignment based on which part of the sample glass the substrate 10 is cut from.

[0086] Furthermore, the operational differences based on the type of substrate 10 may arise not only from the category from which part of the base sample glass was cut, but also from other categories. The term "type of substrate" in this invention is not limited to the category from which part of the base sample glass (large substrate) was cut, but also includes various categories that may produce operational differences.

[0087] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a structure where unique bias value information for each substrate type is stored as a table in the bias information storage unit 280. As shown, information indicating which part of the sample glass was cut from (cutting information) is assigned as an identifier (number, symbol) to the substrate 10. In this embodiment, for convenience, the two substrates 10 are referred to as substrate A and substrate B, respectively. For each type of substrate 10, a correction value for positional offset during bias correction alignment is calculated, and this value is stored in the bias information storage unit 280 as correspondence information that establishes a relationship with the cutting information assigned as an identifier for each substrate 10.

[0088] For the offset values ​​used as position adjustment parameters for offset correction of the various types of substrates 10, non-production substrates for process control management can be pre-placed before the production substrate is placed into the film deposition apparatus. The offset value is calculated for each segmented substrate based on the aforementioned cutting information and stored in the offset information storage unit 280. Alternatively, the offset can be measured during film deposition using the production substrate, and the value used to offset the offset can be added to the offset value stored in the offset information storage unit 280 and then re-stored in the offset information storage unit 280. In other words, the control unit 270 can also update the offset values ​​stored in the offset information storage unit 280 based on the control results of the position adjustment mechanism. By learning and updating the offset values ​​stored in the offset information storage unit 280, the reduction in alignment accuracy can be further suppressed.

[0089] In this embodiment, the position adjustment parameter values ​​(bias values) used for bias correction of various types of substrates 10 are associated with the cutting information, which serves as an identifier for each substrate, and the association is set in a table format. However, in this invention, such association is not limited to this structure, and other methods can also be used to associate the position adjustment parameter values ​​with the cutting information.

[0090] Furthermore, information related to the type of substrate 10 is acquired by an information acquisition unit provided in the control unit 270 (information acquisition process). This information acquisition unit can acquire information through various methods described below.

[0091] As a first method, one approach is to obtain the type (cutting information) of the substrate 10 from an upstream device via communication during the transport of the substrate 10. In this case, the information acquisition unit obtains the cutting information via communication from upstream devices such as a substrate cutting apparatus that performs the process of cutting the substrate 10 from a large substrate before it is loaded into the film deposition group 1, a pre-processing apparatus that pre-processes the cut substrate 10, and a transport device. The upstream devices, such as the substrate cutting apparatus, assign substrate identification information (ID information) to each of the divided (cut) substrates 10 and associate it with the cutting information, storing it in a memory or sending it to a subsequent device. The substrate identification information is information used to identify each of the divided substrates 10, such as a unique number or symbol assigned to each substrate 10 according to the order in which it is moved out from the substrate cutting apparatus.

[0092] As a second method, one can include detecting markings, orientation surfaces, etc., formed on each substrate 10 and obtaining cutting information based on the detection results. In this case, the information acquisition unit receives the image recognition result based on the image recognition result of the image acquisition unit, including an image acquisition unit such as a camera, as the detection result, and obtains the cutting information based on the detection result.

[0093] As a third method, one approach is to accept input from a user of the device comprising film-forming group 1 and obtain cutting information based on the input. In this case, the information acquisition unit has input components such as a touch panel, keyboard, and mouse, and obtains cutting information based on the user's input.

[0094] The bias information storage unit 280 can be installed in each film deposition apparatus or in a server connected to each film deposition apparatus via a network, so that multiple film deposition apparatuses can share it. The table stored in the bias information storage unit 280 is read by the control unit 270 of the film deposition apparatus. During alignment, the control unit 270 controls the drive of the XYθ actuator that adjusts the relative position of the substrate support unit 210, so that the bias value unique to each substrate 10 is effectively used for its respective correction based on the cutting information.

[0095] Thus, according to this embodiment, by setting different position adjustment parameter values ​​(offset values) for correcting position offset during alignment based on information (cutting information) assigned to each substrate 10 as an identifier indicating which part of the sample glass was cut from, and by using these position adjustment parameter values ​​(offset values) during offset correction, it is possible to prevent the reduction in alignment accuracy caused by differences in operation due to the type of substrate 10.

[0096] The following describes a specific example of the position adjustment parameter value (offset value) used in this embodiment.

[0097] <<Offset Correction During Close-Joint Process (First Offset, First Correction Value)>>

[0098] After completing the fine alignment as a second alignment, the entire surface of the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220. Next, the cooling plate 230, which also serves as a magnet plate, is lowered (if a separate magnet plate is provided, the magnet plate is lowered after the cooling plate 230), and after the substrate 10 is brought into close contact with the mask 220, vapor deposition is performed (see [reference]). Figure 7 (c)).

[0099] After the fine alignment is completed, the relative position between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 may shift again due to mechanical physical actions such as the descent of the cooling plate 230 or the magnet plate.

[0100] To correct for positional offsets after fine alignment, immediately after the close-fitting action between substrate 10 and mask 220, the alignment marks of substrate 10 and mask 220 are photographed again using camera 161 for fine alignment. Finally, the positional offset is measured and verified to ensure it has converged within a threshold. Then, by reflecting the positional offset confirmed through this verification as an offset value to the target position during fine alignment, the positional offset caused by the mechanical physical action after alignment can be corrected in advance. This positional offset varies depending on the type of substrate 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the offset value is changed according to the type of substrate 10. Figure 9 As shown, for substrate A, the bias correction value is set to OS-A, and for substrate B, the bias correction value is set to OS-B.

[0101] As described above, the bias value can be stored in the bias information storage unit 280 after the non-production substrate, used for process control and management, is preliminarily placed into the film deposition apparatus and measured. Alternatively, the offset can be measured during the film deposition process using the production substrate, and the value that offsets the offset can be added to the bias value stored in the bias information storage unit 280 and then stored again in the bias information storage unit 280. In this way, by learning and updating the bias value stored in the bias information storage unit 280, the reduction in alignment accuracy can be further suppressed.

[0102] <<Offset Correction Based on Individual Mask Differences (Second Offset, Second Correction Value)>>

[0103] Due to dimensional tolerances during manufacturing and variations in deformation after manufacturing, the mask 220 exhibits individual differences in size and shape. Therefore, when the substrate 10 is placed on the mask 220, a positional offset corresponding to these individual differences occurs. In this embodiment, to correct such positional offsets, similar to the first offset, the alignment marks of the substrate 10 and mask 220 are photographed again using a fine alignment camera 161 after the close-fitting action between the substrate 10 and mask 220. Finally, the positional offset is measured and verified to ensure it has converged within a threshold value. Then, by reflecting the positional offset confirmed through this verification as an offset value to the target position during fine alignment, the positional offset based on the individual differences of the mask 220 can be corrected in advance. This positional offset value also varies depending on the type of substrate 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the offset value is changed according to the type of substrate 10 and the individual differences of the mask.

[0104] That is, such as Figure 9 As shown, each mask 220 is assigned mask identification information (id1, id2, ...). Furthermore, the bias correction value based on individual mask differences is set separately for the case using substrate A and the case using substrate B. For example, when using substrate A and using mask 220 with identifier id1, the bias value based on individual mask differences is OS-A1; when using substrate B and using mask 220 with identifier id1, the bias value is OS-B1. Similarly, when using substrate A and using mask 220 with identifier id2, the bias value is OS-A2; and when using substrate B and using mask 220 with identifier id2, the bias value is OS-B2.

[0105] This bias value can also be stored in the bias information storage unit 280 after the non-production substrate, used for process control and management, is pre-loaded into the film deposition apparatus and measured. Alternatively, the offset can be measured during the film deposition process using a production substrate, and the value that offsets the offset can be added to the bias value stored in the bias information storage unit 280 and then stored again in the bias information storage unit 280. In this way, by learning and updating the bias value stored in the bias information storage unit 280, the reduction in alignment accuracy can be further suppressed.

[0106] As described above, in this embodiment, when performing fine alignment using the XYθ actuator 290 as a position adjustment mechanism, the alignment of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is not targeted at the position where the substrate alignment mark 101 and the mask alignment mark 220Y overlap, but rather at a position that is offset from the overlapping position by a factor that takes into account the first and second correction values. For example, when using substrate A and mask 220 with identifier id1, fine alignment is performed in a manner that converges to within a threshold, targeting a position offset from the position where the substrate alignment mark 101 and the mask alignment mark 220Y overlap.

[0107] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when performing fine alignment relative to the direction parallel to the film-forming surface of the substrate 10 (equivalent to the direction parallel to the second and third directions), not only is offset correction performed, but also movement adjustment corresponding to the mask thickness is performed. This will be explained below.

[0108] <Position control corresponding to the thickness of the mask used (position control in the moving process)>

[0109] In this embodiment, firstly, with the substrate 10 separated from the mask 220, a rough alignment (first alignment) of the relative positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220 in the XY plane is performed based on the image captured by the camera 260 (refer to...). Figure 4 (c) Then, after the position adjustment based on the rough alignment is completed, the substrate 10 is lowered to a position close to the mask 220 while maintaining the aligned state. Specifically, as described above, the substrate 10 is lowered to a position where the center of the substrate 10 contacts the mask 220 and the left and right edges of the substrate 10 are slightly away from the mounting surface of the mask 220 (see reference). Figure 5 (d) However, the present invention is not limited to such control. That is, after alignment is completed, the “approach” when moving the aligned substrate and the mask closer together includes not only moving to a position where a part of the substrate contacts the mask, but also moving in a manner that approaches to the limit position just before physical contact.

[0110] In this embodiment, the target moving position (movement amount) when the substrate 10, whose positional offset has been adjusted through the alignment process described above, moves toward the mask 220 is controlled based on the thickness information of the mask used. That is, when the control unit 270 moves the substrate 10 and the mask 220, whose positional offset has been adjusted through the first alignment, toward the mask from a first position to a second position, it controls the moving mechanism based on the thickness information of the mask 220 obtained by the mask thickness information acquisition unit 285. More specifically, the thickness information of the mask 220 loaded into the film deposition apparatus is obtained, and the amount of movement of the substrate 10 toward the mask 220 driven by the substrate Z actuator 250 is controlled based on the obtained thickness information. In other words, the amount of movement of the aligned substrate 10 toward the mask 220 is corrected according to the thickness difference of each mask. Therefore, during the placement process onto the mask after alignment, it is possible to prevent the adjusted positional relationship between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 from shifting again due to the thickness difference of the masks.

[0111] To perform the aforementioned control, the film-forming apparatus of this embodiment includes a mask thickness information acquisition unit 285, which acquires thickness information of a mask 220 that has been loaded into the film-forming apparatus. As a specific example of the mask thickness information acquisition unit 285, a detailed method (information acquisition step) for acquiring the thickness information of the mask 220 can be considered as follows.

[0112] As a first approach, the user of the film deposition apparatus can directly input the thickness information of the mask 220 being moved into the film deposition apparatus via an operating terminal. That is, for each mask 220 being moved into the film deposition apparatus, the user inputs the thickness information manually via input components such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, thereby enabling the film deposition apparatus to obtain the mask thickness information. Based on the thickness information of each mask 220 obtained from the user's input, the control unit 270 of the film deposition apparatus controls the drive of the substrate Z-actuator 250 to adjust the target movement position (movement amount) when the aligned substrate 10 moves closer to the mask 220.

[0113] As a second approach, the thickness information of the mask 220, along with identifiers that can identify each mask 220, can be pre-stored as a table in the storage unit, and the thickness information can be obtained by reading the identifiers and referring to the table. Figure 9The table shown illustrates the result when this method is employed. Specifically, the thickness of each mask 220 can be pre-stored in the storage unit, such as the thickness of mask 220 with identifier id1 being D1 and the thickness of mask 220 with identifier id2 being D2. In this solution, the mask thickness information acquisition unit 285 has a structure comprising a reading unit and a storage unit. The reading unit can read the identifier assigned to each mask in this manner, and the storage unit stores the mask identifier and the thickness information of that mask as a mutually associated table. With this structure, when a mask 220 is loaded into the film-forming apparatus, the mask thickness information acquisition unit 285 uses the reading unit to read the mask identifier assigned to the mask 220 in the form of a barcode or similar document. By referring to the table stored in the storage unit based on the read identifier, the thickness information corresponding to that identifier can be obtained.

[0114] As a third option, mask thickness information can also be obtained via communication from an upstream conveying device of the mask conveying system that delivers the mask 220 into the film-forming apparatus, or from a control device that controls the upstream conveying device. The film-forming group 1 of the organic EL display device production line includes a mask storage chamber 120, which temporarily stores the mask before it is moved from the upstream conveying device of the mask conveying system into the film-forming chamber 110. The mask storage chamber 120 houses multiple masks 220 in a multi-layered housing, and masks used in the film-forming process are sequentially extracted from the housing and moved into the film-forming apparatus constituting the film-forming chamber 110 as needed. Regarding the acquisition of mask thickness information in this scheme, when the mask 220 is transported from the upstream conveying device of the mask conveying system and stored in the mask storage chamber 120, the film forming device also receives the thickness information of each mask in the transport from the upstream conveying device or the control device that controls the upstream conveying device through communication, thereby acquiring the mask thickness information.

[0115] The second solution described above involves the film-forming apparatus identifying each mask by reading an identifier and obtaining the corresponding mask thickness information from a reference table based on the identification result. In contrast, this third solution does not perform additional mask identification within the film-forming apparatus but directly receives the mask thickness information from the upstream device that transports the mask. That is, when the mask is transported from the upstream device of the mask transport system to the mask storage chamber 120, for example, for each layer of the housing, such as the mask stored in the first layer having a first thickness, the mask stored in the second layer having a second thickness, etc., the film-forming apparatus also receives the thickness information of each mask being transported. Thus, the film-forming apparatus can confirm the thickness information of each mask when each mask is sequentially removed from the housing of the mask storage chamber 120.

[0116] As a fourth method for obtaining mask thickness information, a measuring component for determining the mask thickness by measurement can also be installed within the film-forming group. That is, the thickness information of the mask loaded into the film-forming apparatus can also be obtained by actual measurement using a thickness measuring component. The thickness measuring component can be installed at any position within the film-forming group 1 where the mask 220 is located. As described above, the mask 220, transported from the upstream device of the mask transport system, is temporarily stored in the mask storage chamber 120 and then transported by a transport robot into the film-forming apparatus constituting the film-forming chamber 110 via the transport chamber 130. The measuring component for measuring the thickness of the mask 220 can be installed at any position along the mask transport path, that is, it can be installed at any position, such as within the mask storage chamber 120, the transport chamber 130, or the film-forming chamber 110 constituting the film-forming apparatus. As for the specific structure of the component for measuring the thickness by actual measurement, any known structure of the thickness measuring component can be used, and it is not limited to a specific structure of the thickness measuring component.

[0117] In this embodiment, the control unit 270 of the film deposition apparatus controls the drive of the substrate Z actuator 250 as described above, in accordance with the thickness information of each mask thus obtained, so as to adjust the target movement position (movement amount) when the aligned substrate 10 moves toward the mask 220. Therefore, during the placement process onto the mask 220 after alignment, it is possible to suppress the shift of the adjusted positional relationship between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 due to thickness differences in the mask 220. Furthermore, in particular, as a method for obtaining the thickness information of the mask 220, the structures of the second to fourth embodiments described above avoid the possibility of input errors when the user directly inputs the mask thickness information manually, and more reliably suppress the reduction in alignment accuracy caused by thickness differences in the mask 220.

[0118] In the above description, the operation of moving the substrate 10 and the mask 220 closer together after the alignment process has been described, focusing on the first alignment, which is a coarse alignment that roughly adjusts the relative positions of the substrate 10 and the mask 220. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied in fine alignment (second alignment) performed after the first alignment. As described above, fine alignment is performed after the alignment operation based on the coarse alignment (first alignment), in a state where the substrate 10 is brought close to the vicinity of the mask 220 (see reference). Figure 5 (d) Figure 6 (a) Using a high-resolution camera 261 positioned at the corner, the alignment marks on the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are photographed. If the measured positional offset exceeds a threshold, the substrate 10 is raised again to separate it from the mask 220. Figure 6 (b) After the XYθ actuator is driven in this separated state to perform alignment ( Figure 6(c) The substrate 10 is lowered again to the measurement position on the mask 220 at the center of the substrate, so that the substrate 10 is close to the mask 220. Figure 6 (d) Furthermore, the separation and approach actions between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are repeatedly performed until the positional offset between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 is within a specified threshold through the above alignment actions.

[0119] This invention can also be applied to alignment processes based on this second alignment (fine alignment). Figure 6 (c) After that, when the substrate 10 and the mask 220 are moved relatively close ( Figure 6 (d) That is, when the substrate 10 and the mask 220 move closer to each other, by utilizing the thickness information of each mask, the reduction in alignment accuracy caused by the thickness difference of the mask 220 can be suppressed. In this way, after the control unit 270 adjusts the positional offset between the substrate 10 and the mask 220 based on the second alignment at the separation position based on the captured image of the second alignment mark, and then moves the substrate 10 and the mask 220 closer to the second position (the position where the central part of the substrate 10 contacts the mounting surface of the mask 220 and the edge of the substrate 10 leaves the mounting surface of the mask 220), the movement mechanism can also be controlled based on the thickness information of the mask 220 obtained by the thickness information acquisition unit 285.

[0120] Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied when the substrate 10 is completely placed on the mask 220 after the second alignment. That is, as shown in the reference... Figure 7 As described above, if the positional offset is kept within a threshold after the second alignment (fine alignment), the substrate support unit 210 is lowered further so that the entire substrate 10 is finally placed on the mask 220. However, at this time, according to the present invention, the drive of the substrate Z actuator 250 can also be controlled based on the thickness information of the mask to adjust the amount of descent movement of the substrate support unit 210. In this way, when the control unit 270 moves the substrate 10 and the mask 220, whose positional offset has been adjusted by the second alignment, closer together from the second position until the substrate 10 is completely placed on the mask 220, it can also control the movement mechanism based on the thickness information of the mask 220 obtained by the thickness information acquisition unit 285.

[0121] <Methods for Manufacturing Electronic Devices>

[0122] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film-forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, as an example of an electronic device, the structure and manufacturing method of an organic EL display device will be illustrated. First, the manufactured organic EL display device will be described. Figure 10 (a) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 60.Figure 10 (b) represents the cross-sectional structure of a pixel.

[0123] like Figure 10 As shown in (a), a plurality of pixels 62, each equipped with a plurality of light-emitting elements, are arranged in a matrix in the display area 61 of the organic EL display device 60. Each light-emitting element has a structure having an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes, details of which will be described later. Furthermore, the pixel referred to herein is the smallest unit capable of displaying a desired color in the display area 61. In the case of the organic EL display device of this embodiment, the pixel 62 is constructed by showing a combination of a first light-emitting element 62R, a second light-emitting element 62G, and a third light-emitting element 62B that emit different colors. The pixel 62 is mostly composed of a combination of red, green, and blue light-emitting elements, but it may also be a combination of yellow, cyan, and white light-emitting elements, as long as at least one color is used, and it is not particularly limited.

[0124] Figure 10 (b) is Figure 10 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view at line AB. Pixel 62 has an organic EL element, which has a first electrode (anode) 64, a hole transport layer 65, any one of light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B, an electron transport layer 67, and a second electrode (cathode) 68 on a substrate 63. The hole transport layer 65, light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, 66B, and electron transport layer 67 are equivalent to organic layers. In this embodiment, the light-emitting layer 66R is an organic EL layer emitting red light, the light-emitting layer 66G is an organic EL layer emitting green light, and the light-emitting layer 66B is an organic EL layer emitting blue light. The light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B are formed in patterns corresponding to the light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) emitting red, green, and blue light, respectively. Furthermore, the first electrode 64 is formed separately for each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 65, electron transport layer 67, and second electrode 68 can be shared with multiple light-emitting elements 62R, 62G, and 62B, or they can be formed for each light-emitting element. Furthermore, to prevent short circuits between the first electrode 64 and the second electrode 68 due to foreign matter, an insulating layer 69 is provided between the first electrode 64. Moreover, since the organic EL layer is susceptible to degradation due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 70 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen corrosion.

[0125] exist Figure 10In (b), the hole transport layer 65 and the electron transport layer 67 are shown as a single layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, they can also be formed by multiple layers, including a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer. Additionally, a hole injection layer can also be formed between the first electrode 64 and the hole transport layer 65, and this hole injection layer has a band structure that allows for smooth injection of holes from the first electrode 64 to the hole transport layer 65. Similarly, an electron injection layer can also be formed between the second electrode 68 and the electron transport layer 67.

[0126] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described. First, a substrate 63 is prepared having a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a first electrode 64.

[0127] Acrylic resin is formed on substrate 63 where the first electrode 64 is formed by spin coating. An insulating layer 69 is formed by patterning the acrylic resin using photolithography to create an opening in the portion where the first electrode 64 is formed. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting area where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

[0128] A substrate 63, to which the insulating layer 69 has been patterned, is placed into a first film-forming apparatus. The substrate is held in place by a substrate support unit, and a hole transport layer 65 is formed on the first electrode 64 of the display area as a common layer. The hole transport layer 65 is formed by vacuum evaporation. In fact, the hole transport layer 65 is formed to a size larger than the display area 61; therefore, a high-precision mask is not required.

[0129] Next, the substrate 63, to which the hole transport layer 65 is formed, is moved into the second film deposition apparatus and held by the substrate support unit. Alignment (first alignment and second alignment) is performed between the substrate and the mask, the substrate is placed on the mask, and a red light emitting layer 66R is formed on the portion of the substrate 63 where the red light emitting element is arranged.

[0130] Similar to the deposition of the light-emitting layer 66R, a green light-emitting layer 66G is deposited using a third film-forming apparatus, and a blue light-emitting layer 66B is deposited using a fourth film-forming apparatus. After the deposition of the light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B is completed, an electron transport layer 67 is deposited over the entire display area 61 using a fifth film-forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 67 is formed as a common layer on the three color light-emitting layers 66R, 66G, and 66B.

[0131] The substrate to which the electron transport layer 67 is formed is moved to a sputtering apparatus to form a film on the second electrode 68, and then moved to a plasma CVD apparatus to form a film on the protective layer 70, thus completing the organic EL display device 60.

[0132] From the moment the substrate 63, to which the insulating layer 69 has been patterned, is moved into the film-forming apparatus until the protective layer 70 is formed, the light-emitting layer made of organic EL material may deteriorate due to exposure to an atmosphere containing moisture and oxygen. Therefore, in this example, the moving of the substrate between film-forming apparatuses is performed in a vacuum atmosphere or an inactive gas atmosphere.

[0133] The above embodiments illustrate one example of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the structure of the above embodiments and can be appropriately modified within the scope of its technical concept.

[0134] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0135] 1: Film deposition group; 10: Substrate; 101, 102: Substrate alignment marks; 110: Film deposition chamber; 120: Mask storage chamber; 130: Transport chamber; 140: Transport robot; 150: Passage chamber; 160: Buffer chamber; 161: Fine alignment camera; 170: Rotation chamber; 200: Vacuum chamber; 205: Movement adjustment mechanism; 210: Substrate support unit; 220: Mask; 220X, 220Y: Mask pair 221: Mask stage; 230: Cooling plate; 240: Evaporation source; 250: Substrate Z-actuator; 251: Clamping Z-actuator; 252: Cooling plate Z-actuator; 260, 261: Camera; 270: Control unit; 280: Offset information storage unit; 285: Mask thickness information acquisition unit; 290: XYθ actuator; 300: Support member; 301: Support frame; 302: Pressing member; 303: Clamping member.

Claims

1. An alignment device for aligning a substrate and a mask, characterized in that, The alignment device includes: A moving mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate closer to or separate it from the mask; A position adjustment mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction and a third direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask, wherein the second direction intersects the first direction and the third direction intersects both the first direction and the second direction; A control unit that controls the moving mechanism and the position adjusting mechanism; and An information acquisition component acquires information related to the thickness of the mask and information related to the type of the substrate. The control unit controls the moving mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism based on information related to the thickness of the mask and information related to the type of the substrate obtained by the information acquisition component.

2. The alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit controls the moving mechanism so that, when moving the aligned substrate close to the mask, the target moving position is adjusted based on the thickness information of the mask obtained by the information acquisition unit.

3. The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The control unit controls the position adjustment mechanism based on information related to the type of the substrate, so as to align the substrate and the mask at the position where the substrate and the mask are separated.

4. The alignment device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The substrate is obtained by cutting from a large substrate, and the information related to the type of substrate includes cutting information indicating at which position of the large substrate the substrate was cut from.

5. The alignment device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The alignment device has a storage unit for storing corresponding information, which establishes a correspondence between the cutting information and the parameter values ​​used in the control of the position adjustment mechanism. The control unit uses the corresponding information and information related to the type of the substrate to control the position adjustment mechanism.

6. The alignment device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The parameter value includes a first correction value for offset correction during the close contact operation of the substrate and the mask.

7. The alignment device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The parameter value includes a second correction value for offsetting the offset caused by individual differences in the mask used.

8. The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The information acquisition component uses an input component to acquire information related to the thickness of the mask, the input component receiving input from the user regarding the thickness information of the mask.

9. The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The masks are formed with identifiers used for identifying each mask. The information acquisition component obtains the thickness information of the mask corresponding to the identifier by reading the identifier.

10. The alignment device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The information acquisition component includes a reading unit and a storage unit. The reading unit reads the identifier, and the storage unit associates the identifier with the thickness information of the mask and stores it.

11. The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The information acquisition component receives the thickness information of the mask from an upstream conveying device that delivers the mask to the alignment device or a control device that controls the upstream conveying device.

12. The alignment device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The information acquisition component obtains the thickness information of the mask from the measurement component that measures the thickness information of the mask.

13. The alignment device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The measuring component is positioned at any point on the transport path that delivers the mask to the alignment device.

14. The alignment device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The alignment device is disposed in the film forming apparatus, which includes a film forming chamber for forming a film on the substrate. The film-forming apparatus includes a mask storage chamber and a transport chamber. The mask storage chamber temporarily houses the mask being transported to the film-forming chamber, and the transport chamber serves as a transport path for the mask from the mask storage chamber to the film-forming chamber. The measuring component is located in any one of the film-forming chamber, the transport chamber, and the mask storage chamber.

15. An alignment apparatus for aligning a substrate and a mask, characterized in that, The alignment device includes: A moving mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in a first direction to bring the substrate closer to or separate it from the mask; A position adjustment mechanism that moves at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction and a third direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask, wherein the second direction intersects the first direction and the third direction intersects both the first direction and the second direction; A control unit that controls the moving mechanism and the position adjusting mechanism; and An information acquisition component acquires information related to the type of the substrate. The control unit controls the position adjustment mechanism based on a first bias associated with information related to the type of the substrate obtained by the information acquisition component and a second bias different from the first bias. The first bias is used to cancel out any offset between the alignment marks of the mask and the alignment marks of the substrate that may be generated by the moving mechanism.

16. The alignment device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The control unit controls the position adjustment mechanism based on information related to the type of the substrate, so as to align the substrate and the mask at the position where the substrate and the mask are separated.

17. The alignment device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The substrate is obtained by cutting from a large substrate, and the information related to the type of substrate includes cutting information indicating at which position of the large substrate the substrate was cut from.

18. The alignment device according to claim 17, characterized in that, The alignment device has a storage unit for storing corresponding information, which establishes a correspondence between the cutting information and the first and second offsets used in the control of the position adjustment mechanism. The control unit uses the corresponding information and information related to the type of the substrate to control the position adjustment mechanism.

19. The alignment device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first bias is a bias used to correct the offset during the close contact operation between the substrate and the mask.

20. The alignment device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second bias is a bias used to correct for offsets caused by individual differences in the mask used.

21. A film-forming apparatus, characterized in that, The film-forming apparatus includes: The alignment device as described in claim 1, 2, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20; and A film-forming source forms a thin film on the substrate, which has been positioned using the alignment device.

22. An alignment method, wherein the alignment method aligns a substrate and a mask, characterized in that, The alignment method includes: A moving process in which at least one of the substrate and the mask is moved in a first direction by a moving mechanism to bring the substrate closer to or separate it from the mask. In the position adjustment process, at least one of the substrate and the mask is moved by a position adjustment mechanism in at least one of a second direction and a third direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask. The second direction intersects the first direction, and the third direction intersects both the first direction and the second direction. as well as The information acquisition process involves using an information acquisition component to acquire information related to the thickness of the mask and information related to the type of the substrate. In the moving process and the position adjustment process, the moving mechanism and the position adjustment mechanism are controlled based on information related to the thickness of the mask and information related to the type of the substrate obtained through the information acquisition process.

23. An alignment method, wherein the alignment method aligns a substrate and a mask, characterized in that, The alignment method includes: A moving process in which at least one of the substrate and the mask is moved in a first direction by a moving mechanism to bring the substrate closer to or separate it from the mask. A position adjustment process, wherein a position adjustment mechanism is used to move at least one of the substrate and the mask in at least one of a second direction and a third direction to adjust the relative position between the substrate and the mask, wherein the second direction intersects the first direction, and the third direction intersects both the first direction and the second direction; and The information acquisition process involves using an information acquisition component to acquire information related to the type of the substrate. In the position adjustment process, the position adjustment mechanism is controlled based on a first bias associated with information related to the type of the substrate obtained by the information acquisition component and a second bias different from the first bias. The first bias is used to cancel out any offset between the alignment marks of the mask and the alignment marks of the substrate that may be generated by the moving mechanism.

24. A film-forming method, characterized in that, The film-forming method includes the following steps: The position of the substrate and the mask is adjusted using the alignment method described in claim 22 or 23; and After the position adjustment is performed, a thin film is formed on the substrate using a film-forming source via the mask.

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