Film deposition device

Abstract

To provide a film deposition device capable of sufficiently mixing plural kinds of material gases at a gas emission part at the time of co-deposition.SOLUTION: A device has plural gas supply systems, a gas emission part, and a film deposition chamber. The gas supply system has one or more gas generation parts outside the film deposition chamber. A thin film formation material is evaporated at the gas generation part, and a material gas evaporated at the gas generation part can be supplied to the gas emission part. The gas emission part is arranged inside the film deposition chamber, and has plural gas introduction ports, one or more gas emission ports, and an internal space. The gas emission part introduces the material gas supplied from each gas supply system to the internal space from each gas introduction port, and can emit the film deposition gas in the internal space to a base material from the gas emission port. The internal space has a mixture space for mixing the material gases introduced from each gas introduction port and forming the film deposition gas, and an emission space for emitting the film deposition gas from the gas emission port. The internal space has a narrow part between the mixture space and the emission space in a film deposition gas flow direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate. [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 type deposition apparatus, in which solid (mainly powder) thin film forming material is introduced into a vaporization chamber using a high-temperature carrier gas, the thin film forming material is heated and vaporized in the vaporization chamber to generate thin film material gas, the thin film material gas is pressurized by the carrier gas to a film deposition chamber, and a mixture of the carrier gas and thin film material gas is sprayed onto a substrate from a gas release portion in the film deposition chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-135270 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when co-evaporation is performed using the deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1, different types of thin film material gases are introduced from multiple deposition gas supply systems into the gas discharge section in the deposition chamber, and the thin film material gases are mixed in the gas discharge section and sprayed onto the substrate as the deposition gas. However, if the thin film material gases are not mixed sufficiently in the gas discharge section, uneven concentrations will occur among the thin film material gases, which may make it impossible to deposit a high-quality thin film.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of sufficiently mixing a plurality of material gases in a gas discharge section when performing co-deposition. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a film formation apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, the film formation apparatus having a plurality of gas supply systems, a gas release section, and a film formation chamber, the gas supply system having one or more gas generation sections outside the film formation chamber, the gas generation section vaporizing a thin film forming material, and the material gas vaporized in the gas generation section being capable of being supplied to the gas release section, the gas release section being arranged inside the film formation chamber, the gas release section having a plurality of gas inlets, one or more gas release ports, and an internal space, the gas release section being capable of introducing the material gas supplied from each gas supply system from each gas inlet into the internal space and releasing the film formation gas in the internal space onto the substrate from the gas release port, the internal space having a mixing space for mixing the material gas introduced from each gas inlet to form the film formation gas, and a release space for releasing the film formation gas from the gas release port, the film formation apparatus having a narrowed section between the mixing space and the release space in the flow direction of the film formation gas.

[0007] According to this aspect, each gas generation section is provided outside the film formation chamber, and material gas is supplied from the outside of the film formation chamber to the gas release section inside the film formation chamber, so that the film formation chamber can be made smaller and the pressure can be reduced efficiently. According to this aspect, when co-deposition is performed on a substrate, the material gases of the gas supply systems introduced from the gas inlets are mixed in the mixing space to become a deposition gas, which then passes through the narrowed portion to reach the release space and is released onto the substrate from the gas release port, so that the material gases introduced from the gas inlets are easily mixed before reaching the narrowed portion. Therefore, the material gases are efficiently mixed, and a uniformly mixed and sufficiently mixed deposition gas can be released onto the substrate. As a result, a co-deposition film of higher quality than before can be produced.

[0008] In a preferred aspect, the gas supply system delivers the material gas to the gas emission section by means of a carrier gas.

[0009] According to this aspect, the supply amount of the material gas can be easily adjusted by adjusting the amount of the carrier gas.

[0010] In a preferred aspect, the separator has a partition plate portion that divides the internal space into the mixing space and the discharge space, the partition plate portion having a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction, and the through hole constituting the narrowed portion.

[0011] According to this aspect, the movement of the film forming gas between the mixing space and the discharging space can be restricted to only the through-holes, and more efficient mixing can be achieved. According to this aspect, the size (cross-sectional area) of the constricted portion can be easily adjusted.

[0012] In a preferred aspect, the separator has a gas inlet portion including the gas inlet, and the gas inlet portion is disposed at a position not overlapping with the through hole when the partition plate portion is viewed in plan.

[0013] According to this aspect, it is possible to prevent the material gas from traveling from the gas inlet part to the through hole in the shortest distance without being mixed in the mixing space, and thus it is possible to mix more efficiently.

[0014] In a more preferred aspect, the gas inlet faces a different direction from the through hole.

[0015] According to this aspect, the direction in which the material gas is introduced from the gas inlet is not toward the through-hole side, so that the material gas can be mixed more efficiently.

[0016] In a more preferred aspect, the separator includes a plurality of gas inlet sections each having the gas inlet port, and each gas inlet section is disposed so as to surround the through hole when the partition plate section is viewed in plan.

[0017] According to this aspect, since the material gas is introduced from the gas inlets provided at a plurality of locations, the material gas is easily agitated.

[0018] In a preferred aspect, the gas introduction section has a plurality of gas introduction sections, each of which is provided corresponding to each gas supply system, and each of which has the gas introduction port corresponding to each gas supply system, and the gas introduction sections corresponding to each gas supply system overlap when the partition plate section is viewed in a plane.

[0019] According to this aspect, the gas inlets corresponding to the respective gas supply systems overlap in the thickness direction of the partition plate portion, so that adjacent gas inlets are less likely to block each other's gas inlets.

[0020] A preferred aspect is a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a first substrate and a second substrate, wherein the gas release section has a first gas release member and a second gas release member, and the first gas release member and the second gas release member each have the gas release outlet, and the gas release section is capable of simultaneously forming a thin film on the first substrate and the second substrate by spraying the film forming gas from the gas release outlet of the first gas release member to the first substrate and spraying the film forming gas from the gas release outlet of the second gas release member to the second substrate.

[0021] According to this aspect, films can be formed on two substrates at the same time, making it possible to mass-produce thin films. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, in the case of co-deposition, a plurality of types of material gases can be sufficiently mixed in the gas ejection section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram that illustrates a vapor deposition device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing a typical gas releasing portion of FIG. 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is an exploded perspective view of the gas release portion of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the casing and the piping unit in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the piping unit of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the dispersion unit of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 3A is a cross-sectional view of the gas releasing part of FIG. 2, (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2, and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a DD cross-sectional view of the gas release portion of FIG. 2. [Figure 9] 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams for forming a thin film by co-evaporation using the evaporation apparatus of FIG. 1, where (a) is a plan view showing the gas flow in a first inlet piping system, and (b) is a plan view showing the gas flow in a second inlet piping system. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of forming a thin film by co-evaporation using the deposition apparatus of FIG. 1, and is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the flow of gas in the internal space of a gas release portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0025] The deposition apparatus 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention is a film forming apparatus that forms a thin film 201 (201a, 201b) on a substrate 200 (200a, 200b), and is a vacuum deposition apparatus equipped with a film forming section 2 and multiple gas supply systems 3, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the deposition apparatus 1 is a gas carrier deposition apparatus that supplies material gases from each gas supply system 3 to a film formation section 2, generates a film formation gas by mixing the material gases supplied from each gas supply system 3 in the film formation section 2, and sprays the film formation gas onto a substrate 200 in the film formation section 2 to form a thin film 201 that constitutes an organic EL device on the substrate 200. The deposition apparatus 1 is a deposition apparatus of a deposit-up type in which a film is formed by discharging a film-forming gas from the lower side to the upper side in the vertical direction in the film-forming section 2.

[0026] (Film forming department 2) As shown in Figure 1, the film formation unit 2 has as its main components a film formation chamber 20, a substrate holding unit 21, and a gas discharge unit 23, and sprays a film formation gas from the gas discharge unit 23 onto a substrate 200 arranged in the film formation chamber 20 to form a thin film 201 on the substrate 200. The film forming section 2 of this embodiment is capable of simultaneously releasing a film forming gas onto a plurality of substrates 200a, 200b (first substrate, second substrate) to form thin films 201a, 201b on each of them.

[0027] (Base material holding part 21) The substrate holding section 21 is a section for holding the substrates 200a, 200b such that the surfaces on which the films are to be formed face the discharge side lid sections 53a, 53b of the gas discharge section 23.

[0028] (Gas discharge section 23) The gas ejection section 23 is a section that ejects deposition gas to the substrates 200a and 200b, and is specifically a deposition head. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the gas release section 23 includes a housing section 50, a piping unit 51, distribution units 52a, 52b, release side lid sections 53a, 53b (first gas release member, second gas release member), and a central side lid section 54.

[0029] (Housing unit 50) The housing 50 is a rectangular box-like body with an open upper portion, and as shown in Figure 4, has a bottom wall 61, side wall portions 62a to 62d, discharge side top wall portions 63a, 63b, and a central side top wall portion 64, and has an internal space 65 surrounded by each of the walls 61 to 64.

[0030] The bottom wall portion 61 is a rectangular plate-like wall portion, and as shown in Figs. 4 and 7(a), is provided with insertion holes 70a to 70c in the center in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the side walls 62a to 62d are provided vertically from each side of the bottom wall 61, and are connection walls that connect the bottom wall 61 to the top walls 63a, 63b, and 64. The discharge side ceiling wall portions 63a, 63b are walls that face the bottom wall portion 61 with a gap therebetween in the height direction, and as shown in FIG. 4, include ceiling wall main body portions 71a, 71b, protruding wall portions 72a, 72b, and housing side through holes 73a, 73b.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, the top wall main portions 71a and 71b are rectangular ring-shaped walls when viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 7, the protruding wall portions 72a, 72b are thinner than the top wall main body portions 71a, 71b and are protruding portions that protrude inward from the top wall main body portions 71a, 71b. There is a step in the height direction between the top surface of the ceiling wall main body portions 71a, 71b and the top surfaces of the protruding wall portions 72a, 72b, and the top surfaces of the ceiling wall main body portions 71a, 71b and the top surfaces of the protruding wall portions 72a, 72b are connected in a stepped manner via the inner side surfaces of the ceiling wall main body portions 71a, 71b. The housing-side through-holes 73a and 73b are through-holes that penetrate the discharge-side top wall portions 63a and 63b in the thickness direction.

[0032] The central top wall portion 64 is a wall portion located between the discharge-side top wall portions 63a, 63b in the lateral direction X, and is provided with a central through-hole 75 penetrating therethrough in the thickness direction as shown in FIG.

[0033] (Piping unit 51) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the piping unit 51 includes a plurality of introduction piping system sections 90a to 90c. As shown in FIG. 5, the first introduction piping system section 90a includes a first connection section 100, first gas dispersion sections 101a and 101b, and first piping sections 102a and 102b connecting the first connection section 100 and the first gas dispersion sections 101a and 101b.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, the first connection part 100 is a part that is connected to a gas supply flow path 5a of a gas supply system 3a. The first gas dispersion sections 101a and 101b include a plurality of first gas introduction sections 103a to 103d, and a first branch pipe section 105 that connects the first pipe sections 102a and 102b to each of the first gas introduction sections 103a to 103d. In this embodiment, the first gas introduction parts 103a to 103d are disposed at the vertices of a square when viewed from above, and adjacent first gas introduction parts 103a to 103d are all spaced equally apart. The first gas inlet parts 103a to 103d are cylindrical or rotationally symmetric box-shaped bodies with an axial direction in the up-down direction, and are provided with one or more gas inlet ports 106 on the outer circumferential surface. In this embodiment, each of the first gas introduction parts 103a to 103d is a cylindrical box-shaped body having an axial direction in the up-down direction. In addition, the gas inlets 106 in this embodiment are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction based on the central axis of the first gas inlets 103a to 103d, except for the connection portion with the first branch piping section 105, and the intervals between adjacent gas inlets 106, 106 are equal.

[0035] The first branch piping section 105 is an "H" shaped pipe in a plan view, and is composed of vertical piping sections 107a, 107b which connect the first gas introduction sections 103a, 103c and the first gas introduction sections 103b, 103d which are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction Y, and a connecting piping section 108 which connects the middle portions of the vertical piping sections 107a, 107b, and the first piping section 102a or the first piping section 102b is connected to the middle portion of the connecting piping section 108.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 5, the second introduction piping system section 90b includes a second connection section 110, second gas dispersion sections 111a and 111b, and second piping sections 112a and 112b connecting the second connection section 110 and the second gas dispersion sections 111a and 111b.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5, the second connection part 110 is a portion that is connected to a gas supply flow path 5b of a gas supply system 3b. The second gas dispersion sections 111a and 111b include a plurality of second gas introduction sections 113a to 113d, and a second branch pipe section 115 that connects the second pipe sections 112a and 112b to the second gas introduction sections 113a to 113d. In this embodiment, the second gas introduction parts 113a to 113d are disposed at the vertices of a square in a plan view, and the adjacent second gas introduction parts 113a to 113d are all spaced equally apart. The second gas inlet parts 113a to 113d are cylindrical or rotationally symmetric box-shaped bodies with an axial direction in the up-down direction, and are provided with one or more gas inlet ports 116 on the outer circumferential surface. In this embodiment, the second gas introduction parts 113a to 113d are each a cylindrical box-shaped body having an axial direction in the up-down direction. In addition, the gas inlets 116 in this embodiment are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction based on the central axis of the second gas inlets 113a to 113d, except for the connection portion with the second branch pipe section 115, and the intervals between adjacent gas inlets 116, 116 are equal.

[0038] The second branch piping section 115 is an "E"-shaped pipe in a planar view, and is composed of lateral piping sections 117a, 117b that connect the second gas introduction sections 113a, 113b and the second gas introduction sections 113c, 113d that are adjacent to each other in the lateral direction X, and a connecting piping section 118 that connects the intermediate portions of the lateral piping sections 117a, 117b, and the second piping section 112a or the second piping section 112b is connected to the intermediate portion of the connecting piping section 118.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, the third introduction piping system section 90c includes a third connection section 120, third gas dispersion sections 121a and 121b, and third piping sections 122a and 122b connecting the third connection section 120 to the third gas dispersion sections 121a and 121b.

[0040] The third connection part 120 is a part that is connected to a gas supply passage 5c of the gas supply system 3c. The third gas dispersion sections 121a and 121b include a plurality of third gas introduction sections 123a to 123d, and a third branch pipe section 125 that connects the third pipe sections 122a and 122b to each of the third gas introduction sections 123a to 123d. In this embodiment, the third gas introduction parts 123a to 123d are disposed at the vertices of a square in a plan view, and adjacent third gas introduction parts 123a to 123d are all spaced equally apart. The third gas inlet parts 123a to 123d are cylindrical or rotationally symmetric box-shaped bodies with an axial direction in the up-down direction, and are provided with one or more gas inlet ports 126 on the outer circumferential surface. In this embodiment, the third gas introduction parts 123a to 123d are each a cylindrical box-shaped body having an axial direction in the up-down direction. In addition, the gas inlets 126 in this embodiment are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction based on the central axis of the third gas inlets 123a to 123d, except for the connection portion with the third branch pipe section 125, and the intervals between adjacent gas inlets 126, 126 are equal.

[0041] The third branch piping section 125 is an "H" shaped pipe in a plan view, and is composed of vertical piping sections 127a, 127b which connect the third gas introduction sections 123a, 123c and the third gas introduction sections 123b, 123d which are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction Y, and a connecting piping section 128 which connects the middle portions of the vertical piping sections 127a, 127b, and the third piping section 122a or the third piping section 122b is connected to the middle portion of the connecting piping section 128.

[0042] (Distribution units 52a, 52b) The dispersion units 52a and 52b are members for uniformly dispersing the deposition gas in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y, and include a partition plate portion 130, a spacer member 131, and a dispersion plate portion 132 as shown in FIG.

[0043] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the partition plate portion 130 is a plate-like body that divides the internal space 65 in the vertical direction into a mixing space 140 and a discharge space 141, and is provided with a convergence side through hole 135 that penetrates in the thickness direction. The convergence side through hole 135 is provided in the center of the partition plate portion 130 as shown in Figure 6, and is a communicating hole that connects the mixing space 140 and the discharge space 141, and is a narrowing portion that narrows the flow path area from the mixing space 140 side to the discharge space 141 side.

[0044] The spacer member 131 is a space maintaining member that is provided between the partition plate portion 130 and the dispersion plate portion 132 as shown in FIG. 6, and maintains the space between the partition plate portion 130 and the dispersion plate portion 132. The spacer member 131 has a rectangular ring shape in a plan view, and extends along each side of the partition plate portion 130.

[0045] As shown in Figure 7, the dispersion plate portion 132 is a plate-shaped body that divides the discharge space 141 in the vertical direction into a first discharge space 142 and a second discharge space 143, and is a dispersion member that disperses gas on the first discharge space 142 side to the second discharge space 143 side. The dispersion plate portion 132 has a plurality of through-hole groups 137 as shown in FIG. When viewed from above, the through-hole group 137 is a collection of through-holes in which a plurality of dispersion through-holes 138 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction around the center. The through-hole groups 137 are arranged concentrically in a plan view and spaced apart in the radial direction. The dispersion through-hole 138 is a through-hole that penetrates the dispersion plate 132 in the thickness direction, and is a gas outlet port that releases the deposition gas toward the substrate 200 . The opening area of ​​the dispersion through holes 138 in each through hole group 137 increases from the center toward the outside when viewed in a plane. That is, the opening areas of the dispersion through holes 138 belonging to different through hole groups 137 are different, and the opening area of ​​the inner through hole group 137 is smaller than that of the outer through hole group 137.

[0046] (Discharge side lid part 53a, 53b) The discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b are blocking members that block the housing side through holes 73a, 73b of the housing portion 50 and separate the second discharge space 143, as shown in FIGS. The discharge side lid portions 53a and 53b are provided with a plurality of discharge through holes 150 as shown in FIG. The discharge through-holes 150 are through-holes that penetrate the discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b in the thickness direction, and are gas discharge ports that discharge deposition gas to the substrate 200. That is, the discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b have opposing surfaces 151a, 151b that face the base material 200 with a gap therebetween, and the gas discharge ports of the discharge through-holes 150 are provided on the opposing surfaces 151a, 151b. The discharge through holes 150 are disposed at equal intervals in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y. In this embodiment, the discharge through holes 150 are arranged at the vertices of a square or an equilateral triangle when viewed in a plane, and are arranged so that the figure formed by connecting adjacent discharge through holes 150 fills the plane.

[0047] The central lid portion 54 is a closing member that closes the central through-hole 75 of the housing portion 50 .

[0048] Here, the positional relationship of each part of the gas release section 23 of this embodiment will be described.

[0049] In the gas release section 23, a piping unit 51 is disposed in an internal space 65 of a casing 50, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7(a), in the introduction piping system sections 90a to 90c, the connections 100, 110, and 120 are arranged in a straight line at intervals in the vertical direction Y in the central portion of the horizontal direction X of the housing section 50, and the heights of the connections 100, 110, and 120 are different from each other. As shown in Figures 7(b) and 7(c), the introduction piping system sections 90a to 90c are arranged on one side of the horizontal direction X such that the gas dispersion sections 101a, 111a, and 121a overlap in the height direction, and on the other side of the horizontal direction X, the gas dispersion sections 101b, 111b, and 121b are arranged on the other side of the horizontal direction X such that they overlap in the height direction. Specifically, in the introduction piping system sections 90a-90c, gas introduction sections 103a, 113a, and 123a are stacked in the height direction, and gas introduction sections 103b, 113b, and 123b are also stacked in the height direction. Similarly, in the introduction piping system sections 90a-90c, gas introduction sections 103c, 113c, and 123c are stacked in the height direction, and gas introduction sections 103d, 113d, and 123d are also stacked in the height direction. That is, in the inlet piping system sections 90a to 90c, the central axes of each gas dispersion section 101a, 111a, 121a (each gas dispersion section 101b, 111b, 121b; each gas dispersion section 101c, 111c, 121c; each gas dispersion section 101d, 111d, 121d) are aligned on the same straight line and further face in a cross direction (orthogonal in this embodiment) to the opposing surfaces 151a, 151b of the discharge side lid sections 53a, 53b.

[0050] The gas inlets 106 of the first gas introduction parts 103a to 103d face in a different direction from the convergence side through-hole 135, the dispersion through-hole 138, and the discharge through-hole 150, respectively. The gas inlets 116 of the second gas introduction parts 113a to 113d face in a different direction from the convergence side through hole 135, the dispersion through hole 138, and the discharge through hole 150, respectively. The gas inlets 126 of the third gas introduction parts 123a to 123d face in a different direction from the convergence side through hole 135, the dispersion through hole 138, and the discharge through hole 150, respectively. That is, none of the gas inlets 106, 116, 126 faces the distribution units 52a, 52b or the discharge side lids 53a, 53b.

[0051] The distribution units 52a and 52b are placed on the top surfaces of the protruding walls 72a and 72b so as to close the housing-side through-holes 73a and 73b of the housing 50, as shown in FIG. The discharge side lid portions 53a and 53b are placed on the top surfaces of the top wall main portions 71a and 71b. In the distribution units 52 a and 52 b , a spacer member 131 is positioned between a partition plate portion 130 and a distribution plate portion 132 . The gas release section 23 has a mixing space 140 formed between the bottom wall portion 61 and the partition plate portion 130, a first release space 142 formed between the partition plate portion 130 and the distribution plate portion 132, and a second release space 143 formed between the distribution plate portion 132 and the release side lid portions 53a, 53b.

[0052] As shown in Figure 9, when viewed in a plane, the dispersion units 52a, 52b are arranged such that the convergence side through hole 135 of the partition plate portion 130 is positioned outside each of the gas introduction sections 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d), and more specifically, is positioned in an area surrounded by each of the gas introduction sections 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d). In this embodiment, the convergence side through hole 135 of the partition plate portion 130 is located in the center of the distance between the gas introduction sections 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) when viewed in a plane, and the distance between the convergence side through hole 135 of the partition plate portion 130 and each gas introduction section 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) is all equal. In the distribution units 52a and 52b, the convergence side through hole 135 of the partition plate portion 130 is located at the center of each through hole group 137 of the distribution plate portion 132 and does not overlap with any of the distribution through holes 138 in plan view.

[0053] The center cover portion 54 is placed on the center top wall portion 64 so as to close the center through-hole 75, as shown in FIG. 7(a).

[0054] (Gas supply system 3) The gas supply system 3 (3a to 3c) supplies material gases to the film forming section 2, and includes a gas generating section 4 and a gas supply passage 5 as shown in FIG.

[0055] (Gas generating section 4) The gas generation unit 4 (4a to 4c) vaporizes or sublimes the thin film forming material to generate a material gas including a thin film forming gas, which is a gas of the thin film forming material, and supplies the material gas to the film deposition unit 2 via the gas supply flow paths 5a to 5c.

[0056] (Gas supply passage 5) The gas supply flow paths 5 (5a to 5c) connect the film forming unit 2 and the gas generation units 4a to 4c, and are flow paths for sending the material gases supplied from the gas generation units 4a to 4c to the film forming unit 2.

[0057] Next, a description will be given of the gas flow when the thin films 201a and 201b are formed on the two substrates 200a and 200b, respectively, using the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment. In the following description, a case will be described in which the thin films 201a and 201b are formed on the two substrates 200a and 200b by co-deposition using material gases supplied from two gas supply systems 3a and 3b.

[0058] The gas generators 4a and 4b of the gas supply systems 3a and 3b generate material gases, which are then supplied to the gas discharge section 23 in the deposition chamber 20 via the gas supply passages 5a and 5b.

[0059] 9(a), the material gas supplied from the first gas generation unit 4a passes through the gas supply passage 5a, is introduced into the first connection unit 100 in the gas release unit 23, and reaches the first gas dispersion units 101a and 101b via the first piping units 102a and 102b. Then, the material gas is radially dispersed into the mixing space 140 from the gas inlets 106 of the first gas introduction units 103a to 103d of the first gas dispersion units 101a and 101b.

[0060] 9(b), the material gas supplied from the second gas generator 4b passes through the gas supply passage 5b, is introduced into the second connection section 110 in the gas release section 23, and reaches the second gas dispersion sections 111a and 111b via the second piping sections 112a and 112b. Then, the material gas is radially dispersed into the mixing space 140 from the gas inlets 116 of the second gas introduction sections 113a to 113d of the second gas dispersion sections 111a and 111b.

[0061] The material gas introduced into the mixing space 140 from the first gas dispersion section 101a, 101b and the material gas introduced into the mixing space 140 from the second gas dispersion section 111a, 111b are mixed by being dispersed radially within the mixing space 140 to become a film-forming gas, which is a mixed gas of multiple types of material gases, and the film-forming gas passes through the convergence side through hole 135 of the partition plate section 130 to reach the first release space 142. That is, the film forming gas mixed in the mixing space 140 is collected by the converging side through holes 135 of the partition plate portion 130 as shown in FIG.

[0062] The film-forming gas that reaches the first release space 142 collides with the center of the distribution plate section 132, as shown in the enlarged view of Figure 10, and while being blocked, passes through each distribution through hole 138 of the distribution plate section 132, is dispersed in a planar shape, and is introduced into the second release space 143. The deposition gas introduced into the second discharge space 143 from each of the dispersion through holes 138 is discharged from each of the discharge through holes 150 in the discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b toward each of the substrates 200a, 200b, and thin films 201a, 201b are deposited on each of the substrates 200a, 200b.

[0063] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, each gas generation section 4a to 4c is provided outside the film formation chamber 20, and material gas is supplied from outside the film formation chamber 20 to the gas release section 23 inside the film formation chamber 20, so that the film formation chamber 20 can be made small and the pressure can be reduced efficiently. According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in the flow direction of the deposition gas, the material gases of the gas supply systems 3a to 3c introduced from the gas inlets 106, 116, and 126 of the introduction piping system parts 90a to 90c are mixed to form a deposition gas, and the convergence side through hole 135 as a narrowed portion is provided between the mixing space 140 where the material gases of the gas supply systems 3a to 3c introduced from the gas inlets 106, 116, and 126 of the introduction piping system parts 90a to 90c are mixed to form a deposition gas, and the deposition gas passes through the convergence side through hole 135 to reach the discharge space 141 and is discharged from the discharge through hole 150 to the substrate 200. As a result, the material gases in each gas supply system 3a to 3c are efficiently mixed, and the deposition gas that is evenly mixed and thoroughly mixed can be released onto the substrates 200a, 200b, making it possible to deposit thin films 201a, 201b that are co-evaporation films of higher quality than in the conventional method.

[0064] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, each of the gas supply systems 3a to 3c sends out the material gas to the gas release part 23 by means of a carrier gas, so that it is easy to adjust the supply amount of the material gas.

[0065] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the convergent side through hole 135 of the partition plate portion 130 that divides the internal space 65 into the mixing space 140 and the discharge space 141 constitutes a narrowed portion, so that the movement of the film-forming gas between the mixing space 140 and the discharge space 141 can be limited to only the convergent side through hole 135, allowing more efficient stirring.

[0066] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the gas introduction parts 103a-103d, 113a-113d, and 123a-123d are arranged at positions not overlapping with the convergence-side through-hole 135 when the partition plate part 130 is viewed in plan view. This makes it possible to prevent the material gas from the gas introduction parts 103a-103d, 113a-113d, and 123a-123d from proceeding to the convergence-side through-hole 135 over the shortest distance without being mixed in the mixing space 140, thereby enabling more efficient stirring.

[0067] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the gas inlets 106, 116, and 126 face in a different direction from the convergence side through hole 135, and the direction in which the material gas is introduced from the gas inlets 106, 116, and 126 does not face the convergence side through hole 135, allowing for more efficient mixing.

[0068] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, each gas introduction section 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) is arranged to surround the convergence side through hole 135 when the partition plate section 130 is viewed in a plane, and since the material gas is introduced from multiple locations, the material gas is easily stirred in the mixing space 140.

[0069] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the gas introduction sections 103a, 113a, 123a (103b, 113b, 123b, 103c, 113c, 123c, 103d, 113d, 123d) corresponding to the gas supply systems 3a to 3c overlap in the thickness direction of the partition plate portion 130, so that adjacent gas introduction sections 103a, 113a, 123a are less likely to block each other's gas introduction ports 106, 116, 126.

[0070] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the thin films 201a, 201b can be formed on the multiple substrates 200a, 200b simultaneously from the gas ejection section 23, making it possible to mass-produce organic EL devices and the like.

[0071] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the gas release section 23 has gas inlets 106, 116, 126, which introduce the material gases supplied from the gas supply systems 3a to 3c into the mixing space 140 of the internal space 65, facing in a different direction from the gas release outlet of the release through hole 150. Therefore, the material gases introduced into the mixing space 140 from the gas inlets 106, 116, 126 are likely to head toward the gas release outlet of the release through hole 150 after being stirred in the mixing space 140, and multiple types of material gases can be sufficiently mixed in the gas release section 23 when co-deposition is performed.

[0072] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the gas introduction sections 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) are rotationally symmetric or cylindrical, and have gas introduction ports 106 (116, 126) on their outer circumferential surfaces. This makes it possible to supply material gas in the radial direction of the gas introduction sections 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d), making it easier to stir the material gas in the mixing space 140 of the internal space 65.

[0073] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the gas release section 23 has gas release ports of the release through hole 150 provided on the opposing surfaces 151a, 151b facing the substrate 200, and the central axes (rotation axes) of the gas inlet sections 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) extend in a direction intersecting the opposing surfaces 151a, 151b. Therefore, when co-evaporating, the material gases do not flow directly from the gas inlet 106 (116, 126) to the gas release port side of the release through hole 150, and the material gases are more easily mixed with each other in the mixing space 140.

[0074] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, a partition plate portion 130 is provided between the gas inlet portions 103a-103d (113a-113d, 123a-123d) and the gas outlet of the discharge through hole 150. Therefore, the partition plate portion 130 can block the material gas flowing directly from the gas inlet portion 106 (116, 126) to the gas outlet of the discharge through hole 150, making it easier to mix the material gases together in the mixing space 140.

[0075] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the gas introduction sections 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) corresponding to each gas supply system 3a to 3c are stacked vertically, so that the mixing space 140 in which the material gases are mixed can be made large, and the material gases can be mixed more efficiently by increasing the number of contacts with each other.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the film forming gas is simultaneously sprayed from one gas release section 23 onto two substrates 200 to form a thin film 201 on each substrate 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. The film forming gas may be sprayed from one gas release section 23 onto one substrate 200 to form a thin film 201 on the substrate 200, or the film forming gas may be sprayed from one gas release section 23 onto three or more substrates 200 to form a thin film 201 on each substrate 200.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the first gas dispersion sections 101a and 101b each include four first gas introduction sections 103a to 103d, but the present invention is not limited to this. Each of the first gas dispersion sections 101a and 101b may include one to three first gas introduction sections 103, or may include five or more first gas introduction sections 103. Similarly, the second gas dispersion sections 111a and 111b each include four second gas introduction sections 113a to 113d, but the present invention is not limited to this. The second gas dispersion sections 111a and 111b may each include one to three second gas introduction sections 113, or may each include five or more second gas introduction sections 113. Similarly, the third gas dispersion sections 121a and 121b each include four third gas introduction sections 123a to 123d, but the present invention is not limited to this. The third gas dispersion sections 121a and 121b may each include one to three third gas introduction sections 123, or may each include five or more third gas introduction sections 123.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, the gas inlets 106, 116, and 126 are provided on the outer circumferential surfaces of the gas introduction parts 103a-103d, 113a-113d, and 123a-123d, respectively, but the present invention is not limited to this. The gas inlets 106, 116, and 126 may be provided on a surface other than the outer circumferential surfaces of the gas introduction parts 103a-103d, 113a-113d, and 123a-123d, for example, on the bottom surfaces (the surfaces opposite to the partition plate part 130) of the gas introduction parts 103a-103d, 113a-113d, and 123a-123d.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, the gas introduction parts 103a-103d, 113a-113d, and 123a-123d each have a plurality of gas introduction ports 106, 116, and 126, but the present invention is not limited to this. The gas introduction parts 103a-103d, 113a-113d, and 123a-123d may each have one gas introduction port 106, 116, and 126.

[0080] In the above embodiment, one gas discharge section 23 is provided in the film deposition chamber 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of gas discharge sections 23 may be provided in the film deposition chamber 20.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b are provided with a plurality of discharge through holes 150, but the present invention is not limited to this. The discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b may each be provided with only one discharge through hole 150.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the dispersion plate portion 132 is interposed between the discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b and the partition plate portions 130, 130, but the present invention is not limited to this. The dispersion plate portion 132 does not have to be interposed between the discharge side lid portions 53a, 53b and the partition plate portions 130, 130.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the gas introduction parts 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) are cylindrical box-shaped bodies with a central axis (rotation axis direction) in the up-down direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. The gas introduction parts 103a to 103d (113a to 113d, 123a to 123d) may be rotationally symmetric box-shaped bodies with a central axis (rotation axis direction) in the up-down direction, for example, regular polygonal prisms such as regular triangular prisms, regular square prisms, regular pentagonal prisms, and regular hexagonal prisms.

[0084] 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]

[0085] 1 Vapor deposition equipment 3, 3a~3c Gas supply system 4 Gas generation section 4a First gas generating section 4b Second gas generating section 20 Film forming room 23 Gas release section 53a: release side cover portion (first gas release member) 53b: release side cover portion (second gas release member) 65 Interior Space 103a to 103d First gas inlet 106 Gas inlet 113a to 113d Second gas inlet 116 Gas inlet 123a to 123d Third gas inlet 126 Gas inlet 130 Partition plate 135 Convergence side through hole (narrowed section) 140 Mixed space 141 Emission space 150 Release through hole (gas release port) 200,200a,200b base material 201,201a,201b thin film

Claims

1. A film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate, The apparatus includes a plurality of gas supply systems, a gas discharge unit, and a deposition chamber, the gas supply system has one or more gas generation units outside the deposition chamber, vaporizes a thin film forming material in the gas generation units, and is capable of supplying the material gas vaporized in the gas generation units to the gas emission unit; the gas discharge section is disposed inside the deposition chamber, and has a plurality of gas inlets, one or a plurality of gas discharge ports, and an internal space; the gas discharge section is capable of introducing the material gases supplied from the gas supply systems into the internal space from the gas inlets and discharging the deposition gas in the internal space toward the substrate from the gas discharge port; the internal space has a mixing space for mixing the material gases introduced from the gas inlets to form the deposition gas, and a discharge space for discharging the deposition gas from the gas discharge port; The film forming apparatus has a narrowed portion between the mixing space and the release space in the flow direction of the film forming gas.

2. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply system delivers the material gas to the gas ejection section by a carrier gas.

3. A partition plate portion that divides the internal space into the mixing space and the discharge space, The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the partition plate portion has a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction, the through hole constituting the narrowed portion.

4. A gas introduction part including the gas introduction port, The film forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the gas inlet portion is disposed at a position not overlapping with the through hole when the partition plate portion is viewed in a plan view.

5. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the gas inlet is oriented in a different direction from the through hole.

6. A gas inlet unit including the gas inlet port is provided. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein each gas inlet portion is disposed so as to surround the through hole when the partition plate portion is viewed in plan.

7. A gas supply system having a plurality of gas introduction ports; the gas introduction unit is provided corresponding to each gas supply system, and has the gas introduction port corresponding to each gas supply system, The film forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the gas inlets corresponding to the respective gas supply systems overlap each other when the partition plate portion is viewed in a plan view.

8. A film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a first substrate and a second substrate, The gas discharge section has a first gas discharge member and a second gas discharge member, The first gas discharge member and the second gas discharge member each have the gas discharge port, 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas emission section is capable of simultaneously depositing a thin film on the first substrate and the second substrate by spraying the film forming gas from the gas emission port of the first gas emission member onto the first substrate and spraying the film forming gas from the gas emission port of the second gas emission member onto the second substrate.

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