Film deposition apparatus

Abstract

To provide a film deposition apparatus in which a material gas is less likely to be contaminated with a powder-like thin film formation material than before.SOLUTION: A film deposition apparatus for depositing a thin film on a substrate has a gas supply part and a gas release part. The gas supply part has a vaporization part for vaporizing a powder-like thin film formation material and delivering the vaporized material gas to the gas release part. The film deposition apparatus has a first trap part between the vaporization part and the gas release part. The first trap part has a filter part for partitioning between a vaporization-side space on the vaporization part side and a release-side space on the gas release part side. The filter part has a communication hole for communicating between the vaporization-side space and the release-side space. The communication hole has the most constricted part whose inner diameter is smaller than an average particle diameter of the thin film formation material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a vacuum deposition apparatus has been used to form each layer of an organic EL device (for example, Patent Document 1). The deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1 is a so-called gas carrier deposition apparatus, in which solid (mainly powder) thin film forming materials are introduced into a vaporization chamber using a high-temperature carrier gas, the thin film forming materials are heated and vaporized in the vaporization chamber to generate a material gas, the material gas is transported to a film deposition chamber by the carrier gas, and a mixture of the carrier gas and material gas is sprayed onto a substrate in the film deposition chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-112316 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1, the powdered thin film material is vaporized by passing it through a vaporization chamber to produce a source gas, but depending on the environment, the thin film material may not be completely vaporized and may be mixed into the source gas in a solid state. If the solid thin film material is mixed into the source gas, the powdered thin film material will adhere to the substrate as clumps during film formation in the film formation chamber, resulting in a problem of a decrease in quality as the film thickness is not uniform.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS The present invention has an object to provide a film forming apparatus in which powdered thin film forming material is less likely to be mixed into the material gas than in the past. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, the film forming apparatus having a gas supply section and a gas release section, the gas supply section having a vaporization section which vaporizes a powdered thin film forming material in the vaporization section and sends the vaporized material gas to the gas release section, the film forming apparatus having a first trap section between the vaporization section and the gas release section, the first trap section having a filter section which separates the space into a vaporization side space on the vaporization section side and a release side space on the gas release section side, the filter section having a communication hole which connects the vaporization side space and the release side space, the communication hole having an inner diameter at its most constricted part which is smaller than the average particle diameter of the thin film forming material.

[0007] According to this aspect, the powdered thin film forming material contained in the source gas is captured by the filter section, and the source gas that is substantially free of the powdered thin film forming material can be supplied to the gas emission section. Therefore, the powdered thin film forming material is unlikely to be mixed into the source gas supplied to the gas emission section, and a high-quality thin film can be formed on the substrate.

[0008] In a preferred aspect, the filter portion has a thickness and is capable of discharging gas in the vaporization-side space into the discharge-side space at least from a side surface.

[0009] In a preferred aspect, the filter portion is capable of discharging gas within the vaporization-side space into the discharge-side space in a thickness direction.

[0010] In a preferred aspect, the filter portion is a porous body.

[0011] In a preferred aspect, the vaporization section has a vertical pipe section extending vertically, and vaporizes the thin film forming material into the material gas by passing the thin film through the vertical pipe section from the upper side to the lower side, and has a second trap section connected to the lower end of the vertical pipe section and a first piping section connecting the second trap section and the first trap section, and the first piping section is connected at a position higher than the bottom of the second trap section.

[0012] According to this aspect, the powdered thin film forming material is captured at the bottom of the second trap section by gravity. That is, the powdered thin film forming material is not carried away by the flow of the process gas due to its own weight and remains at the bottom of the second trap section, and the process gas flows from the first piping section to the first trap section. Therefore, the powdered thin film forming material is less likely to be mixed into the process gas flowing toward the first trap section.

[0013] In a preferred aspect, the gas supply section sends the material gas vaporized in the vaporization section to the gas emission section by a carrier gas.

[0014] According to this aspect, the amount of material gas supplied to the gas ejection section can be adjusted, and the thickness of the thin film can be easily adjusted.

[0015] One aspect of the present invention is a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, the apparatus having a gas supply section and a gas release section, the gas supply section having a vaporization section which vaporizes a powdered thin film forming material and sends the vaporized material gas to the gas release section, the vaporization section having a vertical pipe section extending in the vertical direction and vaporizing the thin film forming material into the material gas by passing the thin film material through the vertical pipe section from the upper side to the lower side, the vaporization section having a second trap section connected to the lower end of the vertical pipe section and a first piping section which flows the material gas from the second trap section toward the gas release section, the first piping section being connected at a position higher than the bottom of the second trap section.

[0016] According to this aspect, the powdered thin film forming material is captured at the bottom of the second trap section by gravity. That is, the powdered thin film forming material is not carried away by the flow of the material gas due to its own weight and remains at the bottom of the second trap section, and the material gas flows from the first piping section to the gas release section. Therefore, the powdered thin film forming material is less likely to be mixed into the material gas supplied to the gas release section, and a high-quality thin film can be formed on the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, powdered thin film forming material is less likely to be mixed into the material gas than in the conventional apparatus. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram that shows a film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the vaporizer of FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the gas flow during film formation in the vaporization device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3A is a perspective view of the main part of the downstream trap part in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing the gas flow in the downstream trap part during film formation. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of a downstream trap section of another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a cross-sectional perspective view of an embodiment in which the entire filter section is made of a mesh-like material, and (b) is a cross-sectional perspective view of an embodiment in which the side portion of the filter section is made of a mesh-like material. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of an upstream trap section of another embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a cross-sectional oblique view of an embodiment in which the upstream trap section is composed of a storage section and a lid section, and (b) is a cross-sectional oblique view of the upstream trap section of (a) disassembled. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0020] The deposition apparatus 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention is a film formation apparatus that forms a thin film on a substrate 200, and is a vacuum deposition apparatus equipped with a film formation section 2, a film formation gas supply section 3 (3a to 3c) (gas supply section), and gas supply flow paths 5a to 5c, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the deposition apparatus 1 is a gas carrier deposition apparatus that vaporizes or sublimes a thin film forming material in the vaporizer 30 of the deposition gas supply units 3a to 3c to generate vapor of the thin film forming material (hereinafter also referred to as material gas), and sprays the deposition gas containing the material gas onto the substrate 200 in the deposition unit 2 to deposit a thin film that constitutes an organic EL device on the substrate 200. One of the main features of the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment is the structure of the vaporizer 30 of the film forming gas supply unit 3. Taking this into consideration, each component of the deposition apparatus 1 will be described below.

[0021] (Film forming department 2) As shown in Figure 1, the film formation section 2 is equipped with a film formation chamber 20, a substrate holding section 21, a mask section 22, a gas discharge section 23, and an exhaust system section 25, and sprays a film formation gas from the gas discharge section 23 onto a substrate 200 arranged in the film formation chamber 20 to form a thin film on the substrate 200. The substrate holding section 21 is a section for holding the substrate 200 so that the surface on which the film is to be formed faces the gas releasing section 23 . The mask portion 22 is a portion that limits the portion on the substrate 200 where a film is to be formed, and has openings that are used to pattern the thin film formed on the substrate 200 . The gas ejection section 23 is a section that ejects a deposition gas to the substrate 200, and is specifically a deposition head. Gas discharge section 23 has a gas discharge port that faces substrate 200 held by substrate holding section 21, and is a section that blows deposition gas onto substrate 200 from the gas discharge port. The gas discharge part 23 of this embodiment has an internal space, and the film forming gases supplied from the film forming gas supply parts 3a to 3c are mixed in the space and can be sprayed from the gas discharge port. The exhaust system section 25 is a section that exhausts gas within the film deposition chamber 20 to the outside, and maintains the inside of the film deposition chamber 20 in a substantially vacuum state.

[0022] (film-forming gas supply section 3) The film forming gas supply unit 3 generates a film forming gas containing a material gas, and supplies the film forming gas to the gas supply passages 5a to 5c. As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming gas supply section 3 includes one or more vaporizers 30 (30a to 30d), a carrier gas supply section 31, a gas exhaust section 32, a material gas connection path 33, a carrier gas connection path 34, and an exhaust connection path 35.

[0023] (Vaporizer 30) The vaporizer 30 is a section for vaporizing or sublimating a thin film forming material to generate a material-containing gas including a material gas. The vaporizer 30 of this embodiment is a portion capable of performing flash evaporation, which instantaneously vaporizes or sublimes a thin film forming material. As shown in FIG. 1, the vaporization device 30 includes a material supply section 40, a vaporization side gas supply section 41, a gas generation section 42, a material supply path 44, a carrier gas supply path 45, a material gas supply path 46, and a gas exhaust path 47.

[0024] (Material supply section 40) The material supply unit 40 is a material supply mechanism that quantitatively supplies a solid or liquid thin film forming material to the gas generator 42 via a material supply path 44, and also serves as a storage container that temporarily stores the thin film forming material. The thin film forming material used in this embodiment is a powdery solid material at room temperature, and is an organic EL material that mainly constitutes the light emitting functional layer of the organic EL device. The thin film forming material may have different properties for each of the film production gas supply units 3a-3c or each of the vaporization devices 30a-30d. In this embodiment, the thin film forming material used in the vaporization device 30a of at least one of the film production gas supply units 3a-3c is a powdered solid material at room temperature.

[0025] The material supply unit 40 is capable of supplying a material dispersion gas, in which a thin film forming material is dispersed in a first carrier gas, to the material supply path 44 . The first carrier gas is an inert gas that does not react with the thin film forming material, and is preferably a rare gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and more preferably argon gas.

[0026] (Vaporization side gas supply unit 41) The vaporization-side gas supply unit 41 is a portion that supplies a second carrier gas to the material supply path 44 and adjusts the amount of vaporization of the thin film forming material in the gas generation unit . The second carrier gas is a heated carrier gas that is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature of the material dispersion gas. The temperature of the second carrier gas supplied from the vaporization side gas supply unit 41 is appropriately changed depending on the boiling point of the thin film forming material, etc., and is preferably above the boiling point of the thin film forming material, for example, and is preferably between 100 degrees Celsius and 700 degrees Celsius. The second carrier gas is an inert gas that does not react with the material dispersion gas, and is preferably a rare gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and more preferably argon gas. The second carrier gas in this embodiment is the same type of gas as the first carrier gas.

[0027] (Gas generating section 42) As shown in FIG. 2, the gas generation section 42 includes an evaporation chamber 50 (evaporation section, vertical pipe section), a heating member 51, an upstream trap section 52 (second trap section), a downstream trap section 53 (first trap section), and a connecting piping section 54 (first piping section).

[0028] The vaporization chamber 50 includes a vertical pipe section that has a circular cross section and extends linearly in the vertical direction, and is a section where the thin film forming material is vaporized or sublimated to generate a material gas. Vaporization chamber 50 of the present embodiment is entirely formed of a vertical straight pipe section, and has an internal space therein that has a circular cross section and extends linearly in the vertical direction.

[0029] Heating member 51 is a member that heats the thin film forming material supplied from material supply path 44 into the internal space of vaporization chamber 50 . Heating member 51 is a member that surrounds the periphery of vaporization chamber 50, enveloping vaporization chamber 50 and heating it, as shown in FIG. Heating member 51 is not particularly limited, and for example, a mantle heater, ribbon heater, or block heater can be used, making it possible to heat and keep vaporization chamber 50 warm.

[0030] (Upstream trap section 52) The upstream trap section 52 is a section that captures, by gravity, powdered thin film forming material contained in a mixed gas of the material gas, the first carrier gas, and the second carrier gas (hereinafter also referred to as material-containing gas). As shown in FIG. 2, the upstream trap section 52 is a box-shaped body including a bottom wall section 72, a side wall section 73, and a top wall section 74, and has a trap space 75 therein. In the upstream trap section 52 , the trap space 75 is a cylindrical space, and the inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the vaporization chamber 50 . The side wall portion 73 is a connecting wall portion that stands from the bottom wall portion 72 and connects the bottom wall portion 72 and the top wall portion 74. The top wall portion 74 faces the bottom wall portion 72 in the vertical direction with a trap space 75 therebetween. The trap space 75 is an enclosed space surrounded by a bottom wall portion 72, a side wall portion 73, and a top wall portion 74, and is a trapping space that traps the powdered thin film forming material contained in the material-containing gas.

[0031] (Downstream trap section 53) The downstream trap section 53 is a section that structurally traps the powdered thin film forming material contained in the material-containing gas that has passed through the upstream trap section 52 . The downstream trap section 53 includes a main body section 90 and a filter section 91, as shown in FIG.

[0032] The main body 90 is a box-shaped body having a bottom wall 92, a side wall 93, and a top wall 94, and has an internal space 95 therein. The side wall portion 93 is a connecting wall portion that stands upright from the bottom wall portion 92 and connects the bottom wall portion 92 and the top wall portion 94 . The top wall 94 is a wall that faces the bottom wall 92 in the vertical direction with the trap space 75 therebetween, and serves as an introduction section that introduces the material-containing gas in the internal space 95 to the material gas supply path 46 . The internal space 95 is an enclosed space surrounded by the bottom wall portion 72 , the side wall portion 73 and the top wall portion 74 .

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4( a ), the filter portion 91 is a portion that divides an internal space 95 into a vaporization side space 96 and a discharge side space 97 . Filter portion 91 is a porous body having a thickness in the flow direction of the material-containing gas and capable of selectively collecting thin film forming material in the material-containing gas at least on side portion 101 (side surface). That is, the filter portion 91 has a plurality of communication holes 103 that communicate between the vaporization side space 96 and the discharge side space 97, as shown in an enlarged view of FIG. 4(a). The inner diameter of the most constricted portion of the communication hole 103 is smaller than the average particle diameter of the thin film forming material, and the communication hole 103 is a through hole through which substantially only the material-containing gas can pass. The filter portion 91 of the present embodiment is configured by reinforcing a filter cloth made of glass fiber with stainless steel, and communication holes 103 are formed by gaps in the glass fibers.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4(a), the filter portion 91 is a cylindrical body with one end face (the upper end face) closed, and has an end face portion 100 and a side face portion 101, and an insertion hole 102 having a depth toward the upward direction is formed by the end face portion 100 and the side face portion 101. The end surface portion 100 is a closing portion that constitutes the end surface of the filter portion 91 in the thickness direction (vertical direction). The side surface portion 101 is an upright wall portion that stands upright from the edge of the end surface portion 100 and constitutes the side surface (outer peripheral surface) of the filter portion 91 in the thickness direction (axial direction). The insertion hole 102 is a bottomed hole with the end face portion 100 as its bottom and the side face portion 101 as its inner peripheral wall, into which the upper end portion of the second connection pipe portion 77 of the upstream trap portion 52 can be inserted.

[0035] (Connection pipe section 54) As shown in FIG. 2, the connection pipe section 54 is a pipe section that connects the upstream trap section 52 and the downstream trap section 53 , and is connected to the side wall section 73 or the top wall section 74 at a position higher than the bottom wall section 72 . The connection pipe portion 54 in this embodiment is connected to the side wall portion 73 , and the inside thereof communicates with the trap space 75 . The connection pipe section 54 includes a first connection pipe section 76 extending with a horizontal component, and a second connection pipe section 77 extending with a vertical component. The connection piping section 54 of this embodiment is generally "L" shaped when viewed from the side, as shown in FIG. 2, with the first connection piping section 76 being a horizontal piping section having substantially only a horizontal component, and the second connection piping section 77 being a vertical piping section having substantially only a vertical component. The height H1 of the connection part of the connection pipe part 54 with the upstream trap part 52 (the height of the upstream end part of the connection pipe part 54) is preferably 2 cm or more, and more preferably 3 cm or more. Moreover, the height H1 of the connection part is preferably 50 cm or less, and more preferably 10 cm or less.

[0036] Here, the positional relationship of each part of the gas generating unit 42 will be described.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 2, the vaporization chamber 50 is connected to the material supply path 44 at its upper side and to the upstream trap unit 52 at its lower side. The vaporization chamber 50 has a lower end portion passing through the ceiling wall portion 74 of the upstream trap portion 52, and a lower end portion facing the bottom wall portion 72 in the trap space 75 with a gap therebetween. The height H2 from the bottom wall 72 of the lower end of the vaporization chamber 50 is lower than the height H1 of the connection part of the connecting piping section 54 with the upstream trap section 52, and is preferably 49 cm or less, more preferably 10 cm or less, and even more preferably 5 cm or less. Moreover, the height H2 from the bottom wall portion 72 is preferably 1 cm or more. The heating member 51 surrounds the periphery of the vaporization chamber 50, enveloping the vaporization chamber 50 and extending in the vertical direction. The connection piping section 54 is composed of a second connection piping section 77 whose downstream end in the flow direction of the material-containing gas extends vertically, and the upper end side (downstream end side) of the second connection piping section 77 is inserted through the bottom wall section 92 of the main body section 90 of the downstream trap section 53, and the upper end side is inserted into the insertion hole 102 of the filter section 91. That is, the trap space 75 of the upstream trap section 52 is connected to the vaporization side space 96 in the filter section 91 of the downstream trap section 53 via the inside of the connecting piping section 54, so that the material-containing gas that passes through the connecting piping section 54 is always led to the vaporization side space 96 of the filter section 91. The downstream trap section 53 has an internal space 95 divided by the filter section 91 into a vaporization side space 96 and a discharge side space 97, and a plurality of communication holes 103 are formed in each of the end face section 100 and the side face section 101, connecting the vaporization side space 96 and the discharge side space 97 to the inside and outside.

[0038] (Material supply route 44) As shown in FIG. 1, the material supply path 44 is a connecting pipe that connects the material supply unit 40 and the vaporization chamber 50 .

[0039] (Carrier gas supply path 45) 1, the carrier gas supply path 45 is a connection pipe that connects the vaporization side gas supply unit 41 and the middle of the material supply path 44. In other words, the carrier gas supply path 45 is a branch path in which the upstream portion branches off from the material supply path 44.

[0040] (Material gas supply path 46) The process gas supply path 46 is a connection pipe that connects the gas generator 42 and the process gas connection path 33 .

[0041] (Gas exhaust path 47) The gas exhaust path 47 is a connection pipe that connects the exhaust connection path 35 and the process gas supply path 46. In other words, the gas exhaust path 47 is a branch path whose downstream portion branches off from the process gas supply path 46.

[0042] (Carrier gas supply unit 31) The carrier gas supply unit 31 is a unit that supplies a third carrier gas into the gas supply passages 5a to 5c, and adjusts the total flow rate of the film formation gas released from the gas release unit 23 to adjust the film formation speed. The third carrier gas is an inert gas that does not react with the material-containing gas, and is preferably a rare gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and more preferably argon gas. The third carrier gas in this embodiment is the same type of gas as the first carrier gas and the second carrier gas.

[0043] (Gas exhaust section 32) The gas exhaust unit 32 is a portion that exhausts gas within the material gas supply paths 46 of the vaporizers 30a to 30d to the outside via the exhaust connection path 35 and the gas exhaust paths 47 of the vaporizers 30a to 30d.

[0044] (Material gas connection path 33) The material gas connection path 33 is a connecting pipe that is continuous with the gas supply flow path 5 and connects the material gas supply path 46 of the vaporizer 30 to the gas supply flow path 5, and together with the material gas supply path 46, it constitutes a material gas supply flow path that guides the material-containing gas supplied from the gas generation section 42 of the vaporizer 30 to the gas supply flow path 5. The source gas connection path 33 has a main path 80 continuing with the gas supply passage 5, and branch paths 81 branching from the main path 80 toward the source gas supply paths 46 of the vaporizers 30a to 30d.

[0045] (Carrier gas connection path 34) The carrier gas connection path 34 is a connecting pipe that connects the carrier gas supply unit 31 and the middle of the material gas connection path 33, and is a part that constitutes the carrier gas supply flow path that guides the third carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 31 to the gas supply flow path 5. The carrier gas connection line 34 in this embodiment is connected to the main line 80 of the material gas connection line 33 .

[0046] (Exhaust connection path 35) The exhaust connection path 35 is a connecting pipe that connects the gas exhaust section 32 to the gas exhaust paths 47 of each vaporization device 30a to 30d, and is a part that constitutes an exhaust flow path that guides gas passing through the material gas supply path 46 via the gas exhaust path 47 to the gas exhaust section 32. The exhaust connection path 35 has a main path 85 connected to the gas exhaust unit 32, and branch paths 86 branching off from the main path 85 toward the gas exhaust paths 47 of the vaporizers 30a to 30d.

[0047] (Gas supply passage 5) The gas supply passage 5 connects the film production unit 2 and the film production gas supply unit 3, and is a passage for sending out a film production gas, which is a mixed gas of the material-containing gas and the third carrier gas, from the film production gas supply unit 3 to the film production unit 2.

[0048] Next, an example of a thin film manufacturing method using the vapor deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0049] As shown in Figure 3, a material dispersion gas in which thin film forming material is dispersed in a first carrier gas is supplied from material supply section 40 to material supply path 44, and a second carrier gas is supplied from vaporization side gas supply section 41 to material supply path 44 via carrier gas supply path 45.

[0050] At this time, the material dispersion gas supplied from the material supply section 40 is mixed with the second carrier gas at the confluence of the material supply path 44 and the carrier gas supply path 45, and is supplied to the evaporation chamber 50 as a material mixed gas from the downstream end of the material supply path 44.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 3, when the material mixture gas is introduced into the vaporization chamber 50 from the material supply path 44, the thin film forming material contained in the material mixture gas vaporizes to become a material gas, which is introduced from the vaporization chamber 50 into the upstream trap section 52 as a material-containing gas, which is a mixture gas of the material gas, the first carrier gas, and the second carrier gas.

[0052] The material-containing gas introduced from the vaporization chamber 50 into the upstream trap section 52 passes through the connection pipe section 54 and is introduced into the vaporization-side space 96 of the downstream trap section 53 .

[0053] At this time, the thin film forming material that does not vaporize in the vaporization chamber 50 and is introduced into the upstream trap section 52 in powder form together with the material-containing gas is deposited and captured on the bottom wall section 72 by its own weight, and the material-containing gas is introduced into the connecting piping section 54.

[0054] As shown in Figures 3 and 4(b), the material-containing gas introduced into the vaporization side space 96 of the downstream trap section 53 passes through the communication hole 103 of the filter section 91 to reach the discharge side space 97, and is introduced into the material gas supply path 46 along the ceiling wall section 94.

[0055] At this time, the thin film forming material that is not captured by the upstream trap section 52 and is introduced into the downstream trap section 53 in powder form together with the material-containing gas by the blowing force is unable to pass through the communicating hole 103 and is captured by the filter section 91.

[0056] The material-containing gas introduced into the material gas supply path 46 is introduced into the material gas connection path 33, and mixed with the third carrier gas supplied from the carrier gas supply unit 31 halfway through the material gas connection path 33 to become a film-forming gas, which is introduced into the gas supply flow path 5. The deposition gas introduced into the gas supply flow path 5 passes through the gas supply flow path 5 and is discharged from the gas discharge part 23 onto the substrate 200 fixed to the substrate holding part 21 in the deposition chamber 20. The deposition gas discharged onto the substrate 200 is cooled on the substrate 200 and precipitates to deposit a thin film on the substrate 200.

[0057] According to the deposition device 1 of the first embodiment, the downstream trap section 53 divides the internal space 95 of the main body section 90 into a vaporization side space 96 on the vaporization chamber 50 side and a discharge side space 97 on the gas discharge section 23 side by the filter section 91, and the filter section 91 has an inner diameter of the narrowest part of the communication hole 103 that communicates the vaporization side space 96 and the discharge side space 97, which is smaller than the average particle diameter of the thin film forming material. Therefore, the thin film forming material contained in the material-containing gas is captured by the filter section 91, and a film forming gas that does not substantially contain powdered thin film forming material can be supplied to the gas discharge section 23. Therefore, the powdered thin film forming material is less likely to be mixed into the film forming gas containing the material gas supplied to the gas discharge section 23, and a high-quality thin film can be formed on the substrate 200.

[0058] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, the filter unit 91 has a sufficient thickness and can discharge the gas in the vaporization-side space 96 into the discharge-side space 97 from at least the side surface unit 101. Therefore, the powder-like thin film forming material is less likely to be mixed into the deposition gas supplied to the gas discharge unit 23.

[0059] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, the filter portion 91 can discharge the gas in the vaporization side space 96 into the discharge side space 97 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the flow resistance of the material gas passing through the filter portion 91 can be reduced.

[0060] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, since the filter portion 91 is made of a porous body, it is easy to form a plurality of communication holes 103 and a flow path passing through the filter portion 91.

[0061] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, the connection pipe section 54 is connected to a position higher than the bottom wall section 72, which is the bottom section of the upstream trap section 52. Therefore, the powdered thin film forming material is captured by the bottom wall section 72 of the upstream trap section 52 due to gravity. That is, the powdered thin film forming material remains on the bottom wall section 72 of the upstream trap section 52 due to its own weight, and the material-containing gas flows from the connection pipe section 54 to the downstream trap section 53 side. Therefore, the thin film forming material is unlikely to be mixed into the material-containing gas flowing to the downstream trap section 53 side, and a high-quality thin film can be formed on the substrate 200.

[0062] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, the film deposition gas supply section 3 sends the material-containing gas including the material gas vaporized in the vaporization chamber 50 to the gas release section 23 as a film deposition gas using the third carrier gas, so that the amount of film deposition gas supplied to the gas release section 23 can be adjusted, making it easy to adjust the film thickness of the thin film.

[0063] In the above embodiment, a porous body having communication holes 103 is used as the material of the filter portion 91, but the present invention is not limited to this. A mesh-like body may be used as the filter portion 91 as shown in Fig. 5. In this case, the communication holes 103 may be formed in both the end surface portion 100 and the side surface portion 101 as shown in Fig. 5(a), or the communication holes 103 may be formed only in the side surface portion 101 and not in the end surface portion 100 as shown in Fig. 5(b). The material of these filter parts 91 is not particularly limited as long as it is heat resistant and does not react with the material-containing gas, and for example, metals such as stainless steel can be used.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the connection pipe section 54 is connected to the side wall section 73, but the present invention is not limited to this. The connection pipe section 54 may be connected to the ceiling wall section 74 as shown in Fig. 6. In this case, the connection pipe section 54 includes the third connection pipe section 120 having a vertical component on the most upstream side, and the lower end side of the third connection pipe section 120 is inserted through the ceiling wall section 74 of the upstream trap section 52, and the lower end is disposed at a position higher than the lower end of the vaporization chamber 50.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the upstream trap section 52 may be composed of a storage section 121 having a bottom wall section 72 and a side wall section 73, and a lid section 122 having a top wall section 74, as shown in FIG. 6(a), and the lid section 122 may be detachable from the storage section 121 by a temporary fastening element 123 such as a combination of a bolt and a nut. As shown in FIG. 6(b), by removing the lid section 122 from the storage section 121, the powdery thin film forming material deposited on the bottom wall section 72 of the storage section 121 can be removed. Here, the "temporary fastening element" refers to a fastening element that can be fastened and released non-destructively. Also, the "fastening element" is a higher-level concept that includes a screw, a nail, a rivet, a combination of a bolt and a nut, and the like.

[0066] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be freely substituted or added between the respective embodiments as long as it falls within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 Vapor deposition equipment (film forming equipment) 3, 3a to 3c: Film-forming gas supply section (gas supply section) 23 Gas release section 50 Vaporizing chamber (vaporizing section, vertical tube section) 52 Upstream trap section (second trap section) 53 Downstream trap section (first trap section) 54 Connection piping section (first piping section) 91 Filter section 96 Vaporizing space 97 Discharge Space 100 End section 101 Side part (side) 103 Communication hole

Claims

1. A film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, A gas supply unit and a gas discharge unit are provided. the gas supply unit has a vaporization unit, vaporizes a powdered thin film forming material in the vaporization unit, and sends the vaporized material gas to the gas emission unit; A first trap portion is provided between the vaporizing portion and the gas releasing portion, the first trap section has a filter section, and is partitioned by the filter section into a vaporization-side space on the vaporization section side and a discharge-side space on the gas discharge section side, the filter portion has a communication hole that communicates between the vaporization side space and the discharge side space, The inner diameter of the most constricted portion of the communicating hole is smaller than an average particle size of the thin film forming material.

2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter portion has a thickness and is capable of discharging the gas in the vaporization side space into the discharge side space at least from a side surface of the filter portion.

3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the filter portion is capable of discharging the gas in the vaporization side space into the discharge side space in a thickness direction.

4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter portion is a porous body.

5. the vaporization unit has a vertical pipe portion extending in a vertical direction, and vaporizes the thin film forming material into the material gas by passing the thin film forming material through the vertical pipe portion from an upper side to a lower side, A second trap section connected to a lower end of the vertical pipe section, and a first piping section connecting the second trap section and the first trap section, The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first piping section is connected to a position higher than a bottom of the second trap section.

6. 6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply section sends the material gas vaporized in the vaporization section to the gas emission section by means of a carrier gas.

7. A film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, A gas supply unit and a gas discharge unit are provided. the gas supply unit has a vaporization unit, vaporizes a powdered thin film forming material in the vaporization unit, and sends the vaporized material gas to the gas emission unit; the vaporization unit has a vertical pipe portion extending in a vertical direction, and vaporizes the thin film forming material into the material gas by passing the thin film forming material through the vertical pipe portion from an upper side to a lower side, a second trap section connected to a lower end of the vertical pipe section; and a first piping section through which the material gas flows from the second trap section toward the gas release section, A film forming apparatus, wherein the first piping section is connected at a position higher than a bottom of the second trap section.

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