Film deposition device, adjustment method, film deposition method, and method of manufacturing electronic device

Abstract

To reduce misalignment between a substrate and a mask.SOLUTION: There is provided a film deposition device which deposits a film of vapor deposition substance on a substrate with the substrate and a mask stacked, and the film deposition device has a substrate support member which supports the substrate, a suction plate which sucks the substrate, a mask base on which the mask is mounted, and adjustment means which adjusts the posture of the suction plate, wherein the adjustment means adjusts the suction plate from a first posture based upon a substrate support surface of the substrate support member when the substrate is sucked to the suction plate to a second posture based upon the mask mounted on the mask base or a mask mount surface of the mask base before the substrate and the mask are stacked.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, an adjustment method, a film forming method, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device.

Background Art

[0002] In the manufacture of an organic EL display or the like, a vapor deposition material is formed on a substrate using a mask. Alignment between the mask and the substrate is performed as a pretreatment for film formation, and the two are overlapped. Methods for suppressing the influence of distortion of the substrate and the mask and improving the alignment accuracy are known. Patent Document 1 discloses adjusting the inclination between a suction plate that sucks a substrate and a mask stage while the inside of a chamber is kept in a vacuum state. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of sucking a substrate by an electrostatic chuck.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when the suction plate sucks the substrate in a state where the posture of the suction plate is adjusted based on the mask stage, the suction position between the suction plate and the substrate may shift due to the posture of the suction plate or the distortion of the substrate. When the substrate and the mask are overlapped in a state where the suction position between the suction plate and the substrate is shifted, positional deviation between the substrate and the mask may occur. Therefore, it is required to suppress the positional deviation between the substrate and the mask.

[0005] The present invention provides a technique for suppressing positional deviation between a substrate and a mask.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus for forming a deposited material on a substrate by overlapping the substrate and a mask, the film forming apparatus including: a substrate support member for supporting the substrate; a suction plate for sucking the substrate; a mask stage on which the mask is placed; and adjustment means for adjusting the posture of the suction plate, wherein the adjustment means adjusts the suction plate from a first posture based on the substrate support surface of the substrate support member when the substrate is sucked by the suction plate to a second posture based on the mask or the mask mounting surface of the mask stage before overlapping the substrate and the mask. A film forming apparatus is provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, displacement between the substrate and the mask can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

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Figure 14

Figure 15

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential for the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] <Manufacturing line of electronic device> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the configuration of a manufacturing line of an electronic device to which the film forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied. The manufacturing line in FIG. 1 is used, for example, for manufacturing a display panel of an organic EL display device for a smartphone. The substrate 100 is sequentially conveyed to the film forming block 301, and film formation of an organic EL is performed on the substrate 100.

[0011] Around the transfer chamber 302 having an octagonal shape in plan view in the film forming block 301, a plurality of film forming chambers 303a to 303d for performing film forming processing on the substrate 100 and a mask storage chamber 305 for storing masks before and after use are arranged. In the transfer chamber 302, a transfer robot 302a for transferring the substrate 100 is arranged. The transfer robot 302a includes a hand for holding the substrate 100 and an articulated arm for moving the hand in the horizontal direction. In other words, the film forming block 301 is a cluster type film forming unit in which a plurality of film forming chambers 303a to 303d are arranged so as to surround the transfer robot 302a. When the film forming chambers 303a to 303d are collectively referred to, or when they are not distinguished, they are denoted as film forming chamber 303.

[0012] In the transport direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100, a buffer chamber 306, a turning chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308 are arranged upstream and downstream of the film deposition block 301, respectively. During the manufacturing process, each chamber is maintained in a vacuum state. Although only one film deposition block 301 is shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing line according to the present embodiment has a plurality of film deposition blocks 301, and the plurality of film deposition blocks 301 have a configuration connected by a connecting device composed of a buffer chamber 306, a turning chamber 307, and a transfer chamber 308. Note that the configuration of the connecting device is not limited to this, and for example, it may be composed of only the buffer chamber 306 or the transfer chamber 308.

[0013] The transfer robot 302a performs loading of the substrate 100 from the upstream transfer chamber 308 to the transfer chamber 302, transfer of the substrate 100 between the film deposition chambers 303, transfer of the mask between the mask storage chamber 305 and the film deposition chamber 303, and unloading of the substrate 100 from the transfer chamber 302 to the downstream buffer chamber 306.

[0014] The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber for temporarily storing the substrate 100 according to the operating status of the manufacturing line. The buffer chamber 306 is provided with a substrate storage shelf, also called a cassette, and a lifting mechanism. The substrate storage shelf has a multi-stage structure capable of storing a plurality of substrates 100 while maintaining the horizontal state in which the surface to be processed (film deposition surface) of the substrate 100 faces downward in the direction of gravity. The lifting mechanism raises and lowers the substrate storage shelf to align the stage where the substrate 100 is loaded or unloaded with the transfer position. Thereby, a plurality of substrates 100 can be temporarily accommodated and retained in the buffer chamber 306.

[0015] The turning chamber 307 is equipped with a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the turning chamber 307 rotates the substrate 100 by 180 degrees by means of a transfer robot provided in the turning chamber 307. The transfer robot provided in the turning chamber 307 supports the substrate 100 received in the buffer chamber 306 and turns it 180 degrees and delivers it to the delivery chamber 308, so that the front end and the rear end of the substrate are swapped between the buffer chamber 306 and the delivery chamber 308. As a result, when the substrate 100 is carried into the film forming chamber 303, the orientation is the same in each film forming block 301, so that the scanning direction of film formation on the substrate S and the orientation of the mask can be made to coincide in each film forming block 301. With such a configuration, it is possible to align the orientation in which the mask is installed in the mask storage chamber 305 in each film forming block 301, simplify the management of the mask, and improve usability.

[0016] The control system of the manufacturing line includes a host device 300 that controls the entire line as a host computer, and control devices 14a to 14d, 309, and 310 that control each component, and these can communicate via a wired or wireless communication line 300a. The control devices 14a to 14d are provided corresponding to the film forming chambers 303a to 303d and control the film forming apparatus 1 described later. When the control devices 14a to 14d are collectively referred to, or when not distinguished, they are denoted as the control device 14.

[0017] The control device 309 controls the transfer robot 302a. The control device 310 controls the device of the turning chamber 307. The host device 300 transmits instructions such as information regarding the substrate 100 and transfer timing to each of the control devices 14, 309, and 310, and each of the control devices 14, 309, and 310 controls each component based on the received instructions.

[0018] <Overview of the Film Forming Apparatus> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. The film forming apparatus 1 provided in the film forming chamber 303 is an apparatus for forming a vapor deposition material on a substrate 100, and forms a thin film of the vapor deposition material in a predetermined pattern using a mask 101. The material of the substrate 100 on which film formation is performed by the film forming apparatus 1 can be appropriately selected from materials such as glass, resin, and metal, and a substrate having a resin layer such as polyimide formed on glass is preferably used. The vapor deposition material is a substance such as an organic material or an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, etc.). The film forming apparatus 1 is applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing electronic devices such as display devices (flat panel displays, etc.), thin film solar cells, organic optoelectronic conversion elements (organic thin film imaging elements), and optical members, and in particular, is applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing organic EL panels. In the following description, an example in which the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film on the substrate 100 by vacuum evaporation will be described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various film forming methods such as sputtering and CVD can be applied. In each figure, the arrow Z indicates the vertical direction (gravity direction), and the arrows X and Y indicate horizontal directions orthogonal to each other.

[0019] The film forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 3 (also simply referred to as a chamber) that can maintain its interior in a vacuum. The internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas. In this embodiment, the vacuum chamber 3 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). Note that in this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with a gas at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, in other words, a reduced pressure state. In the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3, a substrate support unit 6 that supports the substrate 100 in a horizontal posture, a mask stage 5 that supports the mask 101, a film forming unit 4, a plate unit 9, and a suction plate 15 are arranged. The mask 101 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern formed on the substrate 100, and is placed on the mask stage 5. Note that the mask stage 5 can be replaced with other forms of means for fixing the mask 101 at a predetermined position. As the mask 101, a mask having a structure in which a mask foil with a thickness of about several μm to several tens of μm is welded and fixed to a frame-shaped mask frame can be used. The material of the mask 101 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a metal with a small thermal expansion coefficient such as an Invar material. The film forming process is performed in a state where the substrate 100 is placed on the mask 101 and the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are overlapped with each other.

[0020] The plate unit 9 includes a cooling plate 10 and a magnet plate 11. The cooling plate 10 is suspended below the magnet plate 11 so as to be displaceable in the Z direction with respect to the magnet plate 11. The cooling plate 10 has a function of cooling the substrate 100 adsorbed to the suction plate 15 during film formation by contacting the suction plate 15 described later during film formation. The cooling plate 10 is not limited to one that actively cools the substrate 100 by including a water cooling mechanism or the like, and may be a plate-like member that takes away the heat of the substrate 100 by contacting the suction plate 15 even though a water cooling mechanism or the like is not provided. The magnet plate 11 is a plate that attracts the mask 101 by magnetic force, is placed on the upper surface of the substrate 100, and improves the adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during film formation.

[0021] Note that the cooling plate 10 and the magnet plate 11 may be omitted as appropriate. For example, when a cooling mechanism is provided on the adsorption plate 15, the cooling plate 10 may not be necessary. Further, when the adsorption plate 15 adsorbs the mask 101, the magnet plate 11 may not be necessary.

[0022] The film forming unit 4 is an evaporation source that deposits a deposition material on the substrate 100 and is composed of a heater, a shutter, a drive mechanism for the evaporation source, an evaporation rate monitor, and the like. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is a linear evaporation source in which a plurality of nozzles (not shown) are arranged side by side in the X direction, and the evaporation material is discharged from each nozzle. For example, the linear evaporation source is reciprocated in the Y direction (the depth direction of the apparatus) by an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown). In the present embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is provided in the same vacuum chamber 3 as the alignment apparatus 2 described later. However, in an embodiment in which the film forming process is performed in a chamber different from the vacuum chamber 3 in which alignment is performed, the film forming unit 4 is not arranged in the vacuum chamber 3.

[0023] <Alignment Apparatus> The film forming apparatus 1 includes an alignment apparatus 2 that aligns the substrate 100 and the mask 101. The alignment apparatus 2 includes a substrate support unit 6, an adsorption plate 15, a position adjustment unit 20, a distance adjustment unit 22, a plate unit lifting unit 13, measurement units 7 and 8, an adjustment unit 17, a floating unit 19, and a detection unit 16. Hereinafter, each component of the alignment apparatus will be described.

[0024] (Substrate Support Unit) The alignment apparatus 2 includes a substrate support unit 6 that supports the peripheral portion of the substrate 100. A description will be given with reference to FIG. 3 in addition to FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the substrate support unit 6 and the adsorption plate 15, and is a view seen from below.

[0025] The substrate support unit 6 includes a plurality of base parts 61a to 61d that form its outer frame, and a plurality of mounting parts 62 and 63 that project inward from the base parts 61a to 61d. Note that the mounting parts 62 and 63 may also be referred to as "receiving claws" or "fingers". The base parts 61a to 61d are each supported by a support shaft R3. The plurality of mounting parts 62 are arranged at intervals on the base parts 61a to 61d so as to receive the long side of the peripheral edge of the substrate 100. Also, the plurality of mounting parts 63 are arranged at intervals on the base parts 61a to 61d so as to receive the short side of the peripheral edge of the substrate 100. The substrate 100 carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302a is supported by the plurality of mounting parts 62 and 63. Hereinafter, when the base parts 61a to 61d are collectively referred to, or when they are not distinguished, they are denoted as the base part 61. In other words, the substrate support unit 6 is also a substrate support member that supports the substrate 100.

[0026] In this embodiment, the plurality of mounting parts 62 and 63 are formed of leaf springs, and when the substrate 100 supported by the plurality of mounting parts 62 and 63 is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15, the substrate 100 can be pressed against the adsorption plate 15 by the elastic force of the leaf springs.

[0027] In the example of FIG. 3, a rectangular frame body with partial cutouts is formed by four base parts 61, but it is not limited to this. The base part 61 may be a seamless rectangular frame body that surrounds the outer periphery of the rectangular substrate 100. However, by providing cutouts in the plurality of base parts 61, when the transfer robot 302a transfers the substrate 100 to the mounting parts 62 and 63, the transfer robot 302a can avoid the base part 61 and retract. Thereby, the efficiency of transfer and delivery of the substrate 100 can be improved.

[0028] Note that a plurality of clamp parts may be provided in the substrate support unit 6 corresponding to the plurality of mounting parts 62 and 63, and a mode of clamping and holding the peripheral edge of the substrate 100 placed on the mounting parts 62 and 63 by the clamp parts may be adopted.

[0029] (Adsorption plate) Continuing to refer to FIGS. 2 and 3, the alignment device 2 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 3 and includes a suction plate 15 capable of sucking the substrate 100. In the present embodiment, the suction plate 15 is provided between the substrate support unit 6 and the plate unit 9 and is supported by one or a plurality of support shafts R1. In the present embodiment, the suction plate 15 is supported by four support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the support shaft R1 is a cylindrical shaft.

[0030] Also, in the present embodiment, the suction plate 15 is an electrostatic chuck that sucks the substrate 100 by electrostatic force. For example, the suction plate 15 has a structure in which an electric circuit such as a metal electrode is embedded inside a matrix (also called a substrate) made of a ceramic material. For example, when positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are applied to the metal electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151, polarized charges are induced in the substrate 100 through the ceramic matrix, and the substrate 100 is attracted and fixed to the suction surface 150 of the suction plate 15 by the electrostatic attraction (electrostatic force) between the substrate 100 and the suction plate 15.

[0031] Note that the electrode arrangement region 151 can be set as appropriate. For example, in the present embodiment, a plurality of electrode arrangement regions 151 are provided so as to be separated from each other, but one electrode arrangement region 151 may be formed over substantially the entire suction surface 150 of the suction plate 15.

[0032] Further, a plurality of touch sensors 1621 for detecting the contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 are embedded in the suction plate 15. In the present embodiment, a total of nine touch sensors 1621 are provided. At the peripheral portion of the suction plate 15, four are provided along each of the two long sides, and one is provided at the center of the suction plate 15. In this way, by providing the touch sensors 1621 at a plurality of locations on the suction plate 15, it is possible to confirm that the entire surface of the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the suction surface 150. Note that the number and arrangement of the touch sensors 1621 can be changed as appropriate.

[0033] In addition, in the present embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 mechanically detects contact between itself and an object. As an example, the touch sensor 1621 is provided such that its tip is biased by a spring or the like and protrudes from the adsorption surface 150 when the tip is not in contact with the substrate 100 or the like. When the substrate 100 comes into contact with the tip of the touch sensor 1621, the tip is pushed by the substrate 100 and retracts toward the adsorption plate 15 side, and a predetermined electrical signal is output by contacting internal contacts. Note that the shape of the tip is not particularly limited and may be a button shape or a rod shape. By appropriately setting the length by which the tip protrudes from the adsorption surface 150 when not in contact with the object, the touch sensor 1621 can substantially detect contact between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate 100. Further, as will be described later, a plurality of touch sensors 1621 constitute a detection unit 16 that detects the parallelism between the adsorption plate 15 and the mask stage 5 (see <detection unit>).

[0034] In addition, in the present embodiment, a fiber sensor 1622 for checking the adsorption state of the substrate 100 to the adsorption plate 15 is provided on the adsorption plate 15. The fiber sensor 1622 includes a light emitting part 1622a and a light receiving part 1622b. The light emitting part 1622a and the light receiving part 1622b are provided below the adsorption plate 15, for example, several millimeters to several tens of millimeters below the adsorption plate 15, so as to form an optical path 1622c. When a part of the substrate 100 is not adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15, that part deflects downward due to gravity. When the substrate 100 deflects after the adsorption process of the substrate 100 to the adsorption plate 15, the deflection of the substrate 100 is detected because the deflected part blocks the optical path 1622c. That is, it can be detected that the adsorption of the substrate 100 is not properly performed. Note that the fiber sensor 1622 may be omitted.

[0035] Further, a plurality of openings 152 and 155 are formed in the suction plate 15, and the measurement units (the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8) described later image the mask marks described later through the plurality of openings 152. Further, a pressing member 23 described later presses the substrate 100 through the opening 155. The opening 155 is a hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the suction plate 15. The number of the openings 155 corresponds to the number of the pressing members 23.

[0036] Refer to FIG. 4 together. FIG. 4 schematically shows the structure from the suction plate 15 to the support shaft R1. Further, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the electrical wiring of the suction plate, and shows the wiring for supplying electricity to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151 of the suction plate 15. In the case of the present embodiment, a plurality of support shafts R1 that support the suction plate 15 are formed in a hollow cylindrical shape. And the electric wires 153 for applying positive (+) and negative (−) voltages are wired so as to pass through the inside thereof. In the example of FIG. 4, one electric wire 153 for applying positive (+) and negative (−) voltages is shown respectively, for a total of two. Further, the electric wire 153 extending from the lower part of the support shaft R1 to the vacuum chamber 3 extends along the short side of the suction plate 15 and is connected to the electrical connection portion 154 provided substantially at the center of the short side. That is, the electric wire 153 is guided from the outside to the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 through the support shaft R1 and is connected to the electrical connection portion 154. Further, the electric power supplied from the electric wire 153 to the electrical connection portion 154 is supplied to each electrode arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151.

[0037] Further, in the present embodiment, four support shafts R1 are provided, and various electric wires (cables) are guided into the vacuum chamber 3 through these support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the electric wires 153 for supplying electricity to the suction plate 15 pass through the inside of two support shafts R1 provided diagonally, and the inside of the remaining two support shafts R1 passes through the cables such as the touch sensor 1621 and the fiber sensor 1622 described later bundled together.

[0038] (Pressing member) As shown in FIG. 2, the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a pressing member 23 for pressing the corner portions of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 from the upper surface side of the substrate 100. Note that the corner portions of the substrate 100 do not necessarily have to be “corners” in a strictly mathematical sense, and may be, for example, rounded corners by R processing or the like.

[0039] One end of the pressing member 23 abuts on the upper surface of the substrate 100 to press the substrate 100 from above. In the present embodiment, the pressing member 23 is a pin-shaped member. In the present embodiment, the pressing region, which is the region where the pressing member 23 presses the upper surface of the substrate 100, is located at the corner portion of the substrate 100. For this reason, the pressing member 23 is installed at a position corresponding to the corner portion of the rectangular substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6. More specifically, the pressing region by the pressing member 23 is located at at least two of the four corner portions of the substrate 100.

[0040] Refer to FIG. 5. FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B) are respectively plan schematic views of the suction plate 15 showing the position of the pressing region 23a by the pressing member 23.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5(A), the pressing member 23 may be installed at positions corresponding to a pair of corner portions located on the diagonal line among the four corner portions of the rectangular substrate 100. That is, it may be arranged at positions corresponding to at least two opposing corner portions among the corner portions of the substrate 100. According to this, it is possible to effectively press the substrate 100 while minimizing the number of the pressing members 23.

[0042] Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 5(B), the pressing member 23 may be installed at positions corresponding to all four corners of the rectangular substrate 100. In this way, by pressing two or four corners of the substrate 100 from above with the pressing member 23, the central portion of the deflected substrate 100 can be lifted, and the degree of downward deflection can be reduced, or it can be made flat. In particular, by pressing the corners far from the central portion where the substrate 100 is most likely to deflect with the pressing member 23, the deflection of the central portion of the substrate 100 can be effectively reduced.

[0043] Also, according to the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5(A) or Fig. 5(B), since the pressing member 23 is provided at the corner of the substrate 100, the pressing region 23a (for example, the corner) by the pressing member 23 and the support region (for example, the side portion) where the substrate 100 is supported by the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63 of the substrate support unit 6 do not overlap each other when viewed from the vertical direction (that is, the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface). That is, the support region of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 and the pressing region of the substrate 100 pressed by the plurality of pressing members 23 are different regions. Therefore, the substrate 100 can be sufficiently pressed by the pressing member 23 without being restricted by the plurality of mounting portions 62 and 63.

[0044] The projection region obtained by vertically projecting the support region supported by the substrate support unit 6 onto the upper surface of the substrate 100 and the pressing region 23a pressed by the pressing member 23 are arranged along a virtual line L (see Fig. 5(B)) that forms a figure (for example, a rectangle) similar to the outer periphery of the lower surface of the substrate 100.

[0045] Further, according to one aspect of the present embodiment, the pressing member 23 is installed on the wall (for example, the upper wall) of the vacuum chamber 3 and fixed so as to extend downward. In this case, as the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 rises, the upper surface of the substrate 100 comes into contact with the pressing member 23, and the substrate 100 is pressed downward. According to this, since the substrate 100 can be pressed by the pressing member 23 using the distance adjustment unit 22 described later, a separate driving means for raising and lowering the pressing member 23 is not required. Therefore, the device configuration does not become complicated.

[0046] Note that the configuration for raising and lowering the pressing member 23 is not limited to this. For example, a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the pressing member 23 may be separately provided outside the upper part (atmosphere side) of the film forming apparatus 1. Further, the pressing member 23 is not limited to the configuration provided on the wall portion of the chamber 3. For example, a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the pressing member 23 and the pressing member may be provided on the suction plate 15. For example, the pressing member 23 may be provided inside the suction plate 15 and protrude from the suction surface side of the substrate 100 of the suction plate 15. Further, the pressing member 23 may not be fixed at one position and may be provided so as to be movable between a pressing position for pressing the corner portion of the substrate 100 and a retracted position. Thereby, in other configurations, it is possible to avoid interference of the pressing member 23.

[0047] Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the shape of the portion of the pressing member 23 in contact with the substrate 100 is a circular member is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The shape of the portion of the pressing member 23 in contact with the substrate 100 may be, for example, a polygon. The polygon may be, for example, a triangle to a hexagon, or may be other shapes.

[0048] Further, according to the present embodiment, while the substrate support unit 6 rises and the substrate 100 approaches the pressing member 23 side, the suction plate 15 is also raised in conjunction with this by the distance adjustment unit 22 described later.

[0049] Then, so that the pressing member 23 can press the substrate 100 through the suction plate 15, an opening 155 through which the pressing member 23 can pass is formed in the suction plate 15 as described above. For the penetration of the pressing member 23, the opening 155 is formed at a position corresponding to the position of the pressing member 23, that is, the pressing region of the substrate 100.

[0050] Depending on the embodiment, a block member (not shown) capable of adjusting the length of the pressing member 23 may be installed in the opening 155. The block member is, for example, a member that protrudes downward from the opening 155 to press the substrate 100 when pressed from above by the pressing member 23. The block member may be configured to be able to return to its original position within the opening 155, for example, when the pressing by the pressing member 23 is released. That is, the block member may be configured such that a restoring force acts toward the opening 155 when it protrudes from the opening 155. For example, the block member may be coupled to an elastic means such as a spring and installed within the opening 155. Alternatively, for example, the block member may be an elastic member. By having elasticity, the block member can also absorb the load applied to the surface of the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is pressed by the pressing member 23.

[0051] (Position adjustment unit) The alignment device 2 includes a position adjustment unit 20 that adjusts the relative position between a substrate 100 whose peripheral portion is supported by a substrate support unit 6 or a substrate 100 adsorbed by a suction plate 15 and a mask 101. The position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100 with respect to the mask 101 by displacing the substrate support unit 6 or the suction plate 15 on the X-Y plane. That is, it can be said that the position adjustment unit 20 is a unit that adjusts the horizontal position of the mask 101 and the substrate 100. For example, the position adjustment unit 20 can displace the substrate support unit 6 in the X direction, Y direction, and rotational directions around the axes in the Z direction. In the present embodiment, the position of the mask 101 is fixed and the substrate 100 is displaced to adjust their relative positions, but the mask 101 may be displaced for adjustment, or both the substrate 100 and the mask 101 may be displaced.

[0052] In the present embodiment, the position adjustment unit 20 includes a fixed plate 20a, a movable plate 20b, and a plurality of actuators 201 disposed between these plates. The fixed plate 20a is fixed on the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3. Further, a frame-shaped gantry 21 is mounted on the movable plate 20b, and a distance adjustment unit 22 and a plate unit lifting unit 13 are supported by the gantry 21. When the movable plate 20b is displaced horizontally with respect to the fixed plate 20a by the actuator 201, the gantry 21, the distance adjustment unit 22, and the plate unit lifting unit 13 are displaced integrally.

[0053] The plurality of actuators 201 include, for example, an actuator capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the X direction and an actuator capable of displacing the movable plate 20b in the Y direction. By controlling the movement amounts of these, the movable plate 20b can be displaced in the X direction, Y direction, and rotational directions around the axes in the Z direction. For example, the plurality of actuators 201 may include a motor as a drive source and a mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism that converts the driving force of the motor into linear motion.

[0054] (Distance adjustment unit) The distance adjustment unit 22 adjusts the distance between the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate support unit 6 and the mask stage 5 by raising and lowering the adsorption plate 15 and the substrate support unit 6, so as to approach and separate (space apart) the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. In other words, the distance adjustment unit 22 approaches the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the overlapping direction or separates them in the opposite direction. Note that the "distance" adjusted by the distance adjustment unit 22 is a so-called vertical distance (or plumb distance), and it can also be said that the distance adjustment unit is a unit for adjusting the vertical positions of the mask 101 and the substrate 100.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 2, the distance adjustment unit 22 includes a first lifting plate 220. A guide rail 21a extending in the Z direction is formed on the side of the gantry 21, and the first lifting plate 220 is vertically movable along the guide rail 21a in the Z direction.

[0056] The first lifting plate 220 supports the adsorption plate 15 via a plurality of support shafts R1. When the first lifting plate 220 moves up and down, the adsorption plate 15 moves up and down accordingly. In other words, the first lifting plate 220 supports a plurality of support shafts R1 that support the adsorption plate 15. When the first lifting plate 220 moves up and down, the plurality of support shafts R1 move up and down synchronously, and the adsorption plate 15 moves up and down while maintaining its parallelism. Further, the first lifting plate 220 supports the substrate support unit 6 via a plurality of actuators 65 and a plurality of support shafts R3. When the first lifting plate 220 moves up and down, the substrate support unit 6 moves up and down accordingly. Also, the plurality of actuators 65 can move the connected plurality of support shafts R3 in the vertical direction. The substrate support unit 6 moves relatively in the vertical direction with respect to the adsorption plate 15 by the plurality of actuators 65. The plurality of actuators 65 may be configured to be able to move the support shafts R3 in the vertical direction by, for example, a motor and a ball screw mechanism.

[0057] A more specific description will be given of the raising and lowering of the first lifting plate 220. The distance adjustment unit 22 is supported by the gantry 21 and includes a drive unit 221 as an actuator for raising and lowering the first lifting plate 220. The drive unit 221 is a mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor 221a, which is the drive source, to the first lifting plate 220. As the transmission mechanism of the drive unit 221, in this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 221b and a ball nut 221c is adopted. The ball screw shaft 221b extends in the Z direction and rotates around the axis in the Z direction by the driving force of the motor 221a. The ball nut 221c is fixed to the first lifting plate 220 and meshes with the ball screw shaft 221b. By rotating the ball screw shaft 221b and switching its rotation direction, the first lifting plate 220 can be raised and lowered in the Z direction. The amount of raising and lowering of the first lifting plate 220 can be controlled, for example, from the detection results of a sensor such as a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotation of each motor 221a. Thereby, the position of the suction plate 15 that sucks and supports the substrate 100 in the Z direction can be controlled, and the contact and separation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 can be controlled. Further, an adjustment unit 17, which will be described later, is provided on the upper part of the first lifting plate 220.

[0058] Note that the distance adjustment unit of this embodiment fixes the position of the mask stage 5 and moves the substrate support unit 6 and the suction plate 15 to adjust the distance in the Z direction thereof, but is not limited thereto. The position of the substrate support unit 6 or the suction plate 15 may be fixed and the mask stage 5 may be moved for adjustment, or each of the substrate support unit 6, the suction plate 15, and the mask stage 5 may be moved to adjust the distance between them.

[0059] (Plate Unit Lifting Unit) The plate unit lifting unit 13 raises and lowers the plate unit 9 that is connected to the second lifting plate 12 and disposed inside the vacuum chamber 3 by raising and lowering the second lifting plate 12 disposed outside the vacuum chamber 3. The plate unit 9 is connected to the second lifting plate 12 via one or a plurality of support shafts R2. In the present embodiment, the plate unit 9 is supported by two support shafts R2. The support shaft R2 extends upward from the magnet plate 11, passes through the openings of the upper wall portion 30, the fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b, and the opening of the first lifting plate 220, and is connected to the second lifting plate 12.

[0060] The second lifting plate 12 is movable up and down in the Z direction along the guide shaft 12a. The plate unit lifting unit 13 is supported by the gantry 21 and includes a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the second lifting plate 12. The drive mechanism included in the plate unit lifting unit 13 is a mechanism that transmits the driving force of the motor 13a, which is a driving source, to the second lifting plate 12. As the transmission mechanism of the plate unit lifting unit 13, in the present embodiment, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 13b and a ball nut 13c is adopted. The ball screw shaft 13b extends in the Z direction and rotates around the axis in the Z direction by the driving force of the motor 13a. The ball nut 13c is fixed to the second lifting plate 12 and meshes with the ball screw shaft 13b. By rotating the ball screw shaft 13b and switching the rotation direction thereof, the second lifting plate 12 can be moved up and down in the Z direction. The amount of lifting of the second lifting plate 12 can be controlled, for example, from the detection result of a sensor such as a rotary encoder that detects the rotation amount of each motor 13a. Thereby, the position of the plate unit 9 in the Z direction can be controlled, and the contact and separation between the plate unit 9 and the substrate 100 can be controlled.

[0061] The openings in the upper wall portion 30 of the vacuum chamber 3 through which the respective support shafts R1 to R3 pass described above have a size that allows the respective support shafts R1 to R3 to be displaced in the X direction and the Y direction. In order to maintain the airtightness of the vacuum chamber 3, bellows or the like are provided in the openings in the upper wall portion 30 through which the respective support shafts R1 to R3 pass. For example, the support shaft R1 that supports the first lifting plate 220 is covered with a bellows 31 (see FIG. 4 etc.).

[0062] (Measurement unit) The alignment device 2 includes measurement units (a first measurement unit 7 and a second measurement unit 8) that measure the positional deviation between the substrate 100 whose peripheral portion is supported by the substrate support unit 6 and the mask 101. This will be described with reference to FIG. 6 in addition to FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8, and shows the measurement mode of the positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. Both the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 of the present embodiment are imaging devices (cameras) that capture images. The first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 are arranged above the upper wall portion 30, and can capture images inside the vacuum chamber 3 through a window portion (not shown) formed in the upper wall portion 30.

[0063] On the substrate 100, a substrate rough alignment mark 100a and a substrate fine alignment mark 100b are formed, and on the mask 101, a mask rough alignment mark 101a and a mask fine mark 101b are formed. Hereinafter, the substrate rough alignment mark 100a may be referred to as the substrate rough mark 100a, the substrate fine alignment mark 100b may be referred to as the substrate fine mark 100b, and both may be collectively referred to as the substrate mark. Also, the mask rough alignment mark 101a may be referred to as the mask rough mark 101a, the mask fine alignment mark 101b may be referred to as the mask fine mark 101b, and both may be collectively referred to as the mask mark.

[0064] The substrate rough mark 100a is formed at the center of the short side of the substrate 100. The substrate fine mark 100b is formed at the four corners of the substrate 100. The mask rough mark 101a is formed at the center of the short side of the mask 101 corresponding to the substrate rough mark 100a. Also, the mask fine mark 101b is formed at the four corners of the mask 101 corresponding to the substrate fine mark 100b.

[0065] Four second measurement units 8 are provided to image each set of the corresponding substrate fine marks 100b and mask fine marks 101b (four sets in this embodiment) (second measurement units 8a to 8d). The second measurement unit 8 is a high-magnification CCD camera (fine camera) that has a relatively narrow field of view but a high resolution (for example, on the order of several μm), and measures the positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 with high precision. One first measurement unit 7 is provided to image each set of the corresponding substrate rough marks 100a and mask rough marks 101a.

[0066] The first measurement unit 7 is a low-magnification CCD camera (rough camera) that has a relatively wide field of view but a low resolution, and measures the approximate positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. In the example of FIG. 6, a configuration is shown in which two sets of the substrate rough marks 100a and the mask rough marks 101a are imaged together by one first measurement unit 7, but the present invention is not limited to this. Similar to the second measurement unit 8, two first measurement units 7 may be provided at positions corresponding to each set so as to photograph each set of the substrate rough marks 100a and the mask rough marks 101a.

[0067] In this embodiment, after performing an approximate position adjustment between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 based on the measurement result of the first measurement unit 7, a precise position adjustment between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement result of the second measurement unit 8.

[0068] (Adjustment unit) The alignment device 2 includes an adjustment unit 17. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the adjustment unit 17 (adjustment device). The adjustment unit 17 is a unit that adjusts the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. In the present embodiment, the adjustment unit 17 adjusts the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 by moving the suction plate 15. More specifically, the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is adjusted by adjusting the axial positions of at least some of the plurality of support shafts R1.

[0069] The adjustment unit 17 has a plurality of operation units 171 that are operated by an operator. In the present embodiment, the plurality of operation units 171 are provided corresponding to the respective plurality of support shafts R1. When the operation unit 171 is operated, the corresponding support shaft R1 moves independently of the other support shafts R1 in the vertical direction, which is its axial direction. That is, each of the plurality of operation units 171 can independently adjust the vertical position at which the corresponding support shaft R1 supports the suction plate 15. Therefore, when the operator operates the operation unit 171, the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is adjusted. In order to increase the degree of freedom of adjustment, it is preferable that the operation unit 171 is provided for each of the plurality of support shafts R1. However, if the operation unit 171 is provided for at least one support shaft R1, the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 can be adjusted within a certain range.

[0070] In the present embodiment, the operation unit 171 is an adjustment nut that moves the support shaft R1 in the vertical direction, which is its axial direction. The adjustment nut is provided so as to be screwed with a thread 172 formed on the support shaft R1. When the adjustment nut is rotated by the operator, the support shaft R1 moves.

[0071] Also, in the present embodiment, the operation unit 171 is provided outside the vacuum chamber 3. Specifically, the support shaft R1 is supported by the first lifting plate 220 via the slide bush 173, and the operation unit 171 is provided above the slide bush 173. By providing the operation unit 171 outside the vacuum chamber 3, an operator can perform adjustment by the adjustment unit 17 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in a vacuum state.

[0072] Further, between the support shaft R1 and the suction plate 15, a bending portion 18 is provided that variably connects the support shaft R1 and the suction plate 15 with respect to the angle of the suction plate 15 with respect to the support shaft R1. In the present embodiment, the bending portion 18 is a spherical bearing and includes a spherical portion 181 and a bearing portion 182 that slidably receives the spherical portion 181.

[0073] In the present embodiment, the plurality of support shafts R1 are configured to be movable only in the vertical direction (axial direction). Therefore, the angle formed by the suction plate 15 with respect to the support shaft R1 is different between the state ST1 shown on the left side of FIG. 7 where the suction plate 15 is kept horizontal and the state ST2 shown on the right side of FIG. 7 where the suction plate 15 is tilted. In the present embodiment, by bending the suction plate 15 with respect to the support shaft R1 at the bending portion 18, the support shaft R1 can support the suction plate 15 even when the suction plate 15 is tilted. Note that the bending portion 18 can be appropriately set to a structure that connects two members so that the connection angle can be changed, such as a universal joint.

[0074] Here, the configuration of the adjustment unit 17 will be described by comparing it with the distance adjustment unit 22. When the first lifting plate 220 of the distance adjustment unit 22 moves up and down, all the plurality of support shafts R1 supported by the first lifting plate 220 move up and down by the same amount, that is, the plurality of support shafts R1 move up and down synchronously. Therefore, the suction plate 15 moves up and down while maintaining the parallelism or relative inclination with respect to the mask table 5. On the other hand, the adjustment unit 17 can move any one of the plurality of support shafts R1 vertically (axial direction) with respect to the first lifting plate 220 independently of the other support shafts R1. For example, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the axial position of the remaining one support shaft R1 without changing the positions of the three support shafts R1. Thereby, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the inclination of the suction plate 15 supported by the plurality of support shafts R1.

[0075] (Floating part) The alignment device 2 includes a floating part 19. The floating part 19 is provided between the bent part 18 and the suction plate 15. The floating part 19 includes an elastic member 191, a bush 192, a shaft member 193, a suction plate support part 194, and a flange 195. The shaft member 193 is provided to extend downward from the bent part 18. The bush 192 is provided to be interposed between the shaft member 193 and the suction plate support part 194 to reduce the friction between them and reduce the play. For example, the bush 192 is formed of a metal sintered material with good slidability. The suction plate support part 194 supports the suction plate 15. The elastic member 191 is provided between the suction plate support part 194 and the flange 195 provided on the shaft member 193 and is configured to receive the load of the suction plate 15. That is, the floating part 19 is connected to the support shaft R1 via the bent part 18, and the elastic member 191 of the floating part 19 supports the suction plate 15. In this way, by the support shaft R1 supporting the suction plate 15 via the elastic member 191 of the floating part 19, the load applied to the mask 101 when the suction plate 15 contacts the mask 101 can be reduced, and the escape of the suction plate 15 when the suction plate 15 and the mask 101 come into contact can be ensured.

[0076] (Detection unit) The alignment device 2 includes a detection unit 16. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 again. The detection unit 16 detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. In the present embodiment, the parallelism is the degree indicating the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. In the present embodiment, the detection unit 16 is provided on the side of the suction plate 15 and includes the plurality of touch sensors 1621 described above. The plurality of touch sensors 1621 are attached to the suction plate 15 such that the lengths protruding from the suction surface 150 at the tip portions are substantially equal to each other. By attaching the touch sensor 1621 to the suction plate 15, even if the vacuum chamber 3 is deformed by atmospheric pressure, the change in the relative position between the suction plate 15 and the touch sensor 1621 can be reduced. That is, even in a vacuum state, the protruding lengths of the tip portions of the touch sensors 1621 hardly change and remain equal to each other. Therefore, when all of the plurality of touch sensors 1621 react simultaneously when the suction plate 15 moves, it can be determined that the parallelism is high, in other words, the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is small. By appropriately changing the length protruding from the suction surface 150 at the tip portion, a predetermined non-parallel inclination can also be set as a target value. The detection operation of the parallelism of the suction plate 15 using the detection unit 16 will be described later. Further, in the present embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 performs both detection of the contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 and detection of the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. Thereby, the number of sensors can be reduced as compared with the case where sensors for detecting these are provided separately.

[0077] <Control device> The control device 14 controls the entire film forming apparatus 1. The control device 14 includes a processing unit 141, a storage unit 142, an input / output interface (I / O) 143, a communication unit 144, a display unit 145, and an input unit 146. The processing unit 141 is a processor typified by a CPU, and controls the film forming apparatus 1 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 142. The storage unit 142 is a storage device such as a ROM, a RAM, or an HDD, and stores various control information in addition to the program executed by the processing unit 141. The I / O 143 is an interface that transmits and receives signals between the processing unit 141 and an external device. The communication unit 144 is a communication device that communicates with a host device 300 or other control devices 14, 309, 310, etc. via a communication line 300a. The processing unit 141 receives information from the host device 300 or transmits information to the host device 300 via the communication unit 144. The display unit 145 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various information. The input unit 146 is, for example, a keyboard or a pointing device, and receives various inputs from the user. Note that all or part of the control devices 14, 309, 310 and the host device 300 may be configured by a PLC, an ASIC, or an FPGA.

[0078] <Process of overlaying a substrate and a mask> FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a process of overlaying a substrate 100 and a mask 101 using a suction plate 15. FIG. 8 shows each state of the process.

[0079] State ST100 is a state after the substrate 100 is carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302a and the transfer robot 302a has retreated. At this time, the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate support unit 6. Also, the pressing member 23, the suction plate 15, and the substrate 100 are separated from each other. In state ST100, as shown in the figure, the central portion of the substrate 100 is bent downward due to its own weight.

[0080] State ST101 is a state in which the substrate support unit 6 has risen as a preparation stage for adsorbing the substrate 100 by the adsorption plate 15. The substrate support unit 6 rises from state ST100 so as to approach the adsorption plate 15 by the actuator 65. The plurality of pressing members 23 are fixed to the inside (upper wall) of the vacuum chamber 3, and as the substrate support unit 6 approaches the plurality of pressing members 23 by the actuator 65, it penetrates the opening 155 of the adsorption plate 15 and presses the pressing region on the upper surface of the substrate 100. In this way, by pressing the pressing region of the substrate 100 with the pressing member 23, the substrate 100 that has been bent downward due to its own weight can be made horizontal. As a result, it becomes easier for the adsorption plate 15 to adsorb the substrate 100. Note that by pressing the corner portions far from the central portion of the substrate 100, the bending of the central portion can be more effectively reduced.

[0081] State ST102 is a state in which the substrate 100 is adsorbed by the adsorption plate 15. Note that even in state ST102, the substrate 100 is being pressed by the pressing member 23 against the pressing region. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151 of the adsorption plate 15, the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15 by electrostatic force. In this way, by the pressing member 23 pressing the substrate 100 and then adsorbing the substrate 100 with reduced bending by the adsorption plate 15, the time required for adsorption can be shortened, and the time of the film forming process can be shortened. Also, it is possible to reduce the magnitude of the voltage applied to the adsorption plate 15.

[0082] State ST103 is a state for checking whether the substrate 100 is normally adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15. In a state where the substrate support unit 6 has descended and is separated from the substrate 100, it is confirmed based on the detection value of the touch sensor 1621 whether the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15. For example, the control device 14 determines that the substrate 100 is normally adsorbed to the adsorption plate 15 when all the touch sensors 1621 embedded in the adsorption plate 15 detect contact with the substrate 100. Also, when the fiber sensor 1622 is provided, a determination as to whether the adsorption of the substrate 100 is being performed normally may be made based on the output from the fiber sensor 1622.

[0083] State ST104 is the state during the alignment operation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. The control device 14 executes the alignment operation by the position adjustment unit 20 in a state where the suction plate 15 is lowered by the distance adjustment unit 22 to bring the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer.

[0084] State ST105 is the state where the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are brought into closer contact by the magnet plate 11. After the alignment operation is completed, the control device 14 lowers the plate unit 9 by the plate unit lifting and lowering unit 13. As the magnet plate 11 approaches the substrate 100 and the mask 101, the mask 101 is attracted toward the substrate 100 side, improving the adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101.

[0085] Through the operations described above, the process of overlapping the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is completed. For example, after the completion of this process, a vapor deposition process by the film forming unit 4 is executed. And since the suction is performed by the suction plate 15 in a state where the deflection due to the self-weight of the substrate 100 is reduced, it is possible to suppress wrinkles from remaining on the substrate 100 after being adsorbed by the suction plate 15. That is, the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the suction plate 15 over a larger area. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in vapor deposition accuracy in the vapor deposition process, and it is possible to form a precise pattern of the vapor deposition material on the substrate 100.

[0086] Incidentally, when aligning the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the process described above, the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 may affect the alignment accuracy. By bringing the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer to each other for alignment, the alignment accuracy can be improved. However, if there is a relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5, a part of the substrate 100 may come into contact with the mask 101, which may cause scratches or the like on the substrate 100. The alignment accuracy may decrease by the amount of increasing the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 for protecting the substrate 100. Therefore, generally, the parallel adjustment between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 may be performed in the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 under an atmospheric pressure environment. The parallel adjustment under an atmospheric pressure environment is performed, for example, by inserting a shim into the connecting portion of the substrate support unit 6.

[0087] FIGS. 9(A) to 8(C) are explanatory views of the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. FIG. 9(A) shows the state after the inclination adjustment is performed with the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 in an atmospheric pressure state. In the state shown in FIG. 9(A), the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 are kept substantially parallel. On the other hand, FIG. 9(B) shows the state in which the air in the internal space 3a is exhausted to a vacuum from the state shown in FIG. 9(A). Even if the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 are adjusted to be parallel in an atmospheric pressure environment, when the internal space 3a is evacuated, distortion or the like may occur in the vacuum chamber 3 due to the pressure difference inside and outside the vacuum chamber 3, and an inclination may occur between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. However, when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is in a vacuum state, it may not be possible to perform the same adjustment as the parallel adjustment in the atmospheric pressure environment described above. FIG. 9(C) shows the state in which the posture of the suction plate 15 is adjusted to correspond to the inclination of the mask stage 5 from the state of FIG. 9(B). In the present embodiment, for example, the control for adjusting the posture of the suction plate 15 to correspond to the inclination of the mask stage 5 may be executed before the film forming process (ST100 to ST105 in FIG. 8) is executed. Details of this control will be described later with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. By adjusting the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 in the state where the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is in a vacuum, it is possible to suppress a decrease in alignment accuracy.

[0088] <Adjustment of the posture of the suction plate> For example, as shown in FIG. 9(C), assuming that the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate support unit 6 and the mask 101 is supported by the mask table 5 as in the state ST100 of FIG. 8 with the posture of the suction plate 15 adjusted based on the inclination of the mask table. Then, when the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the suction plate 15 as in the state ST101 of FIG. 8, a deviation may occur in the adsorption position of the substrate 100 on the suction plate 15. Also, the pressing of the substrate 100 by the pressing member 23 may be insufficient. If a deviation occurs in the adsorption position of the substrate 100 on the suction plate 15 or the pressing of the substrate 100 by the pressing member 23 is insufficient, a positional deviation may occur between the substrate 100 and the mask 101.

[0089] Here, refer to FIG. 10. FIGS. 10(A) to (B) are diagrams for explaining the posture of the suction plate 15. In other words, the posture of the suction plate 15 is also the inclination of the suction plate 15 with respect to the mask 101 or the mask table 5. In the following description, the inclination of the suction plate 15 may be referred to as the posture of the suction plate 15. FIG. 10(A) is a diagram for explaining the posture of the suction plate 15 when the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are introduced into the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 in the present embodiment. FIG. 10(B) is a diagram for explaining the posture of the suction plate 15 before overlapping the substrate 100 and the mask 101 (before ST105) in the present embodiment.

[0090] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10(A), when the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are conveyed into the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3, the posture of the suction plate 15 adjusted based on the inclination of the mask stage 5 is released. In this embodiment, the suction plate 15 adsorbs the substrate 100 in a predetermined posture as shown in Fig. 10(A). The predetermined posture is, for example, a posture with reference to the substrate support surface of the substrate support unit 6. The substrate support surface is the surface on the side of the substrate support unit 6 that supports the substrate 100. Specifically, the adjustment unit 17 adjusts the suction plate 15 to be parallel to the substrate support surface of the substrate support unit 6. In this way, by adsorbing the substrate 100 with the suction plate 15 adjusted to be parallel to the substrate support surface, it is possible to prevent the adsorption position between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 from shifting.

[0091] Further, by bringing the posture of the substrate 101 closer to parallel to the substrate support surface, the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 can be suppressed. As a result, it becomes easier for the pressing member 23 to press the pressing region of the substrate 100. Therefore, even when the central portion of the substrate 100 is bent, it becomes easier to adsorb the substrate 100 to the suction plate 15. Also, it can be said that the substrate support unit 6 supports the substrate 100 in a horizontal posture. That is, the suction plate 15 adsorbs the substrate 100 in a horizontal posture. Thereby, the adhesion between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 can also be enhanced.

[0092] Also, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10(B), before the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are overlapped, the adsorption plate 15 is adjusted by the adjustment unit 17 based on the inclination of the mask stage. The adsorption plate 15 is adjusted to a posture with respect to the mask placement surface of the mask stage 5. The mask placement surface is the surface on the side of the mask stage 5 where the mask 101 is placed. As will be described later, before the film forming process is executed, the inclination of the mask placement surface of the mask stage 5 is detected by a plurality of touch sensors 1621 provided on the adsorption plate 15. Based on the information on the inclination of the mask loading surface of the mask stage 5 detected by the plurality of touch sensors 1621, the posture of the adsorption plate 15 is adjusted. In this way, before the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are overlapped, the adsorption plate 15 is adjusted by the adjustment unit 17 based on the inclination of the mask stage 5, thereby suppressing the positional deviation between the substrate 100 adsorbed on the adsorption plate 15 and the mask 101 placed on the mask stage 5. Note that the adjustment of the posture of the adsorption plate 15 shown in FIG. 10(B) is performed when the alignment operation between the substrate 100 adsorbed on the adsorption plate 15 and the mask 101 placed on the mask stage 5 is executed. Specifically, the posture of the adsorption plate 15 shown in FIG. 10(B) may be adjusted in the state ST104 of FIG. 8. Also, the posture of the adsorption plate 15 may be adjusted before the alignment operation such as in the state ST103 starts. In this way, when the alignment operation is executed, by adjusting the posture of the adsorption plate 15, it is possible to suppress a decrease in alignment accuracy.

[0093] That is, as shown in FIGS. 10(A) and 10(B), in this embodiment, it can also be said that before the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are overlapped and a deposition material is formed on the substrate 100, the adsorption plate 15 is adjusted from the posture corresponding to the substrate 100 when the substrate 100 is adsorbed on the adsorption plate 15 to the posture corresponding to the mask stage 5.

[0094] (Description of adjustment operation) FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control processing example of the processing unit 141, and shows the processing when performing the adjustment operation of the posture of the suction plate 15 by the adjustment unit 17. In the present embodiment, specifically, this flowchart will be described by taking as an example the case where it is executed before the film forming process is performed. That is, this flowchart is executed before the state ST100 of FIG. 8 described above. For example, this flowchart may be executed when the air in the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 in the atmospheric pressure environment is exhausted by a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like, and the internal space 3a becomes a vacuum state. For example, this flowchart may be executed at a predetermined cycle while the internal space 3a is in a vacuum state.

[0095] In step S1 (hereinafter simply referred to as S1; the same applies to other steps), the processing unit 141 executes a parallelism detection process between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. In the present embodiment, in the parallelism detection process, the processing unit 141 detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5, and performs a process of determining whether the detected parallelism is within an allowable range. A specific example of this process will be described later (see FIG. 13).

[0096] In S2, based on the processing result of S1, if the parallelism is within the allowable range, the processing unit 141 ends the flowchart; if the parallelism is not within the allowable range, the process proceeds to S3. For example, in the case of the state shown in FIG. 9(B), it is determined in S1 that the parallelism or inclination is outside the allowable range, and the process proceeds to the processing of S3.

[0097] In S3, the processing unit 141 instructs to perform tilt adjustment. In one embodiment, the processing unit 141 causes the display unit 145 to display an instruction to adjust the tilts of the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the display screen 145a of the display unit 145. In the example of FIG. 12, as an example of the display instructing tilt adjustment, a character string “Please operate the operation unit of the support shaft C to lower the support shaft C.” is shown. That is, information regarding the support shaft to be adjusted by the adjustment unit 17 and the adjustment direction of the support shaft is shown. In addition to this, the processing unit 141 may display information such as the necessity of adjustment by the adjustment unit 17 and the operation amount of the support shaft R1 to be operated (adjustment amount by the adjustment unit 17). Note that the processing unit 141 may transmit information indicating an instruction to perform tilt adjustment to the host device 300, and the host device 300 that has received the information may display an instruction to perform adjustment on a display unit (not shown).

[0098] With the display as shown in FIG. 12, for example, an operator executes an operation by such an adjustment unit 17 based on an instruction given in S3. Thereby, the operator can operate the support shaft to be adjusted by the adjustment unit 17 and the adjustment direction of the support shaft, and adjust the posture of the suction plate 15 as shown in FIG. 9(C) above. In the state shown in FIG. 9(C) above, compared with the state shown in FIG. 9(B), it shows that the support shaft R1 on the right side of the drawing has moved downward by the adjustment unit 17. Thereby, the tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is reduced.

[0099] In S4, the processing unit 141 accepts the completion of adjustment. Specifically, the processing unit 141 accepts, via the input unit 146, an input indicating the completion of adjustment by the operator who has adjusted the tilts of the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. For example, when the operator selects the “Adjustment completed” button 145b shown in FIG. 12 with the input unit 146 such as a pointing device, the processing unit 141 may determine that the completion of adjustment has been accepted. When the processing unit 141 accepts the completion of adjustment, it returns to S1. By the processing described above, the tilt adjustment between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is executed until the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 falls within the allowable range.

[0100] In S5, the processing unit 141 may store, as the tilt information of the mask stage, the amount of descent of the suction plate 15 by the distance adjustment unit 22 in a memory such as the storage unit 142. The amount of descent of the suction plate 15 is also the moving distance of the distance adjustment unit 22 with respect to the mask mounting surface of the mask stage 5. By storing the tilt information of the mask in S5, for example, when an alignment operation is executed, the posture of the suction plate 15 can be adjusted as shown in FIG. 10(B) based on the tilt information of the mask stage 5 detected in advance.

[0101] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the parallelism detection process of FIG. 9. In S11, the processing unit 141 starts the descent of the suction plate 15 by the distance adjustment unit 22. In S12, the processing unit 141 checks whether any one of the plurality of touch sensors 1621 detects contact. If contact is detected, the process proceeds to S13, and if contact is not detected, the determination in S12 is repeated. That is, the processing unit 141 continues the descent of the suction plate 15 from when the descent of the suction plate 15 is started in S11 until any one of the touch sensors 1621 detects contact.

[0102] In S13, the processing unit 141 causes the distance adjustment unit 22 to lower the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount. That is, the processing unit 141 further lowers the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount from the state where any one of the touch sensors 1621 first detects contact. The amount of descent of the suction plate 15 here can be appropriately set according to the target parallelism. In one embodiment, for example, the suction plate 15 may be lowered by 5 to 10 mm. Note that the processing unit 141 may temporarily stop the suction plate 15 when any one of the touch sensors 1621 detects contact, and then lower the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount from there. Also, the processing unit 141 may stop the suction plate 15 when any one of the touch sensors 1621 detects contact while the suction plate 15 is being lowered and then the suction plate 15 has been lowered by a predetermined amount. That is, the descent operation of the suction plate 15 starting in S11 and the descent operation of the suction plate 15 in S13 may be continuous operations or independent operations.

[0103] In S14, the processing unit 141 checks whether all the touch sensors 1621 have detected contact. If all the touch sensors 1621 have detected contact, it proceeds to S15. If at least one touch sensor 1621 has not detected contact, it proceeds to S16.

[0104] Here, when the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 are parallel or their inclinations are relatively small, all the touch sensors 1621 provided on the suction plate 15 detect contact with the mask stage 5 almost simultaneously. Therefore, when the suction plate 15 is lowered by a predetermined amount in S13, all the touch sensors 1621 can detect contact with the mask stage 5.

[0105] On the other hand, when the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is relatively large, there will be touch sensors 1621 with a relatively large distance from the mask stage 5 when any one of the touch sensors 1621 detects contact with the mask stage 5. For example, in the example of FIG. 9(B), when the touch sensor 1621 on the left side of the drawing contacts the mask stage 5, the touch sensor 1621 on the right side of the drawing has a relatively large distance from the mask stage 5. If the distance between the touch sensor 1621 and the mask stage 5 at this time is greater than the predetermined amount in S13, even if the suction plate 15 is lowered by the predetermined amount in S13, not all the touch sensors 1621 will detect contact.

[0106] That is, by checking whether all the touch sensors 1621 have detected contact while the suction plate 15 is lowered by a predetermined amount from the height at which any one of the touch sensors 1621 has detected contact, it is possible to check whether the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is smaller than a predetermined value. Therefore, from a certain perspective, the amount of descent of the suction plate 15 in S13 can be set based on the allowable value of the parallelism (or inclination) between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5. When adjusting to a higher parallelism, that is, when the allowable range of parallelism is narrow, the amount of descent of the suction plate 15 in S13 can be set smaller.

[0107] In S15, the processing unit 141 determines that the parallelism is within the allowable range. On the other hand, when proceeding to S16, the processing unit 141 determines that the parallelism is outside the allowable range.

[0108] In S17, the processing unit 141 raises the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount and ends the flowchart. Note that the predetermined amount here can be a value different from the predetermined amount in S13. In one embodiment, the processing unit 141 raises the suction plate 15 to the height at the time when the lowering of the suction plate 15 is started in S11. Thereby, for example, the posture of the suction plate 15 shown in FIG. 10(A) may be obtained.

[0109] Through the above processing, it is possible to determine whether the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is within the allowable range. In this embodiment, the processing unit 141 checks whether all the touch sensors 1621 have detected contact in S14. However, if a plurality of predetermined touch sensors 1621 have detected contact, the process may proceed to S15 and it may be determined that the parallelism is within the allowable range. For example, if the touch sensors 1621 provided at the four corners of the suction plate 15 have detected contact, the processing unit 141 may determine that the parallelism is within the allowable range. Further, if a predetermined number of touch sensors 1621 have detected contact in S14, the processing unit 141 may proceed to S15 and determine that the parallelism is within the allowable range. For example, if among the nine touch sensors 1621 provided on the suction plate 15, five or more touch sensors 1621, which is a majority, have detected contact, the processing unit 141 may determine that the parallelism is within the allowable range.

[0110] As described above with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, the amount of descent of the suction plate 15 is detected before the film forming process (states ST100 to ST105 in FIG. 8). The detection result is stored as tilt information of the mask stage 5. Note that, before the alignment operation is executed in state ST104 in FIG. 8 or the like, the operator may operate the distance adjustment unit 22 to adjust the posture of the suction plate 15 with respect to the tilt of the mask stage 5 as shown in FIG. 10(B). For example, when the suction plate 15 is adjusted by the operator, the processing unit 141 may display an operation instruction such as on the display screen 145a of the display unit 145 based on the tilt information of the mask stage 5 stored in the storage unit 142. Specifically, for example, the processing unit 141 may display an operation instruction such as on the display screen 145a of the display unit 145 based on the fact that the substrate support unit 6 has descended in state ST103 in FIG. 8.

[0111] <Method for manufacturing an electronic device> Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device will be described. Hereinafter, the configuration and manufacturing method of an organic EL display device will be exemplified as an example of the electronic device. In this example, the film forming block 301 illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided at, for example, three locations on the manufacturing line.

[0112] First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. FIG. 14(A) is an overall view of the organic EL display device 50, and FIG. 14(B) is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 14(A), in the display area 51 of the organic EL display device 50, a plurality of pixels 52 each including a light-emitting element are arranged in a matrix. Details will be described later, but each of the light-emitting elements has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes.

[0114] Note that the pixel mentioned here refers to the smallest unit that enables display of a desired color in the display area 51. In the case of a color organic EL display device, the pixel 52 is composed of a combination of a plurality of sub-pixels of a first light-emitting element 52R, a second light-emitting element 52G, and a third light-emitting element 52B that exhibit different emissions. The pixel 52 is often composed of a combination of three types of sub-pixels, namely a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, and a blue (B) light-emitting element, but is not limited thereto. The pixel 52 may include at least one type of sub-pixel, preferably includes two or more types of sub-pixels, and more preferably includes three or more types of sub-pixels. As the sub-pixels constituting the pixel 52, for example, a combination of four types of sub-pixels, namely a red (R) light-emitting element, a green (G) light-emitting element, a blue (B) light-emitting element, and a yellow (Y) light-emitting element, may also be used.

[0115] FIG. 14(B) is a partial cross-sectional schematic view taken along line A-B of FIG. 14(A). The pixel 52 includes a plurality of sub-pixels formed of an organic EL element including a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole transport layer 55, one of a red layer 56R, a green layer 56G, and a blue layer 56B, an electron transport layer 57, and a second electrode (cathode) 58 on a substrate 53. Among these, the hole transport layer 55, the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, the blue layer 56B, and the electron transport layer 57 correspond to the organic layers. The red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B are formed in patterns corresponding to light-emitting elements (sometimes described as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue, respectively.

[0116] Also, the first electrode 54 is formed separately for each light-emitting element. The hole transport layer 55, the electron transport layer 57, and the second electrode 58 may be formed commonly across a plurality of light-emitting elements 52R, 52G, 52B, or may be formed for each light-emitting element. That is, as shown in FIG. 14(B), the hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer across a plurality of sub-pixel regions, and then the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B are formed separately for each sub-pixel region, and further, the electron transport layer 57 and the second electrode 58 may be formed as common layers across a plurality of sub-pixel regions.

[0117] Note that an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54 adjacent to each other to prevent short circuits therebetween. Further, since the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 60 for protecting the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen is provided.

[0118] In FIG. 14(B), the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as a single layer, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, they may be formed of a plurality of layers having a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer. Further, a hole injection layer having an energy band structure that can smoothly inject holes from the first electrode 54 to the hole transport layer 55 may be formed between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55. Similarly, an electron injection layer may be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57.

[0119] Each of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B may be formed of a single light-emitting layer or may be formed by laminating a plurality of layers. For example, the red layer 56R may be composed of two layers, with the upper layer formed of a red light-emitting layer and the lower layer formed of a hole transport layer or an electron blocking layer. Alternatively, the lower layer may be formed of a red light-emitting layer and the upper layer may be formed of an electron transport layer or a hole blocking layer. By providing a layer below or above the light-emitting layer in this way, the light-emitting position in the light-emitting layer is adjusted, and by adjusting the optical path length, there is an effect of improving the color purity of the light-emitting element.

[0120] Note that although an example of the red layer 56R is shown here, the same structure may be adopted for the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B. Further, the number of laminated layers may be two or more. Furthermore, layers of different materials such as a light-emitting layer and an electron blocking layer may be laminated, or layers of the same material may be laminated, for example, by laminating two or more light-emitting layers.

[0121] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described. Here, it is assumed that the red layer 56R is composed of two layers, a lower layer 56R1 and an upper layer 56R2, and the green layer 56G and the blue layer 56B are each composed of a single light-emitting layer.

[0122] First, prepare a substrate 53 on which a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a first electrode 54 are formed. Note that the material of the substrate 53 is not particularly limited and can be made of glass, plastic, metal, or the like. In the present embodiment, as the substrate 53, a substrate in which a polyimide film is laminated on a glass substrate is used.

[0123] A resin layer such as acrylic or polyimide is coated on the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed by bar coating or spin coating, and the resin layer is patterned by a lithography method so that an opening is formed in the portion where the first electrode 54 is formed to form an insulating layer 59. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting region where the light-emitting element actually emits light. In the present embodiment, until the formation of the insulating layer 59, processing is performed on a large substrate, and after the formation of the insulating layer 59, a dividing step of dividing the substrate 53 is executed.

[0124] The substrate 53 on which the insulating layer 59 is patterned is carried into the first film-forming chamber 303, and a hole transport layer 55 is formed as a common layer on the first electrode 54 in the display region. The hole transport layer 55 is finally formed using a mask in which an opening is formed for each display region 51 that becomes the panel portion of each organic EL display device.

[0125] Next, the substrate 53 on which the hole transport layer 55 is formed is carried into the second film formation chamber 303. Alignment is performed between the substrate 53 and the mask, the substrate is placed on the mask, and a red layer 56R is formed in a portion (region for forming a red sub-pixel) where an element that emits red light of the substrate 53 is disposed above the hole transport layer 55. Here, the mask used in the second film formation chamber is a high-definition mask in which openings are formed only in a plurality of regions that become red sub-pixels among a plurality of regions on the substrate 53 that become sub-pixels of the organic EL display device. Thereby, the red layer 56R including the red light emitting layer is formed only in the regions that become red sub-pixels among the regions that become a plurality of sub-pixels on the substrate 53. In other words, the red layer 56R is not formed in the regions that become blue sub-pixels or green sub-pixels among the regions that become a plurality of sub-pixels on the substrate 53, but is selectively formed in the regions that become red sub-pixels.

[0126] Similar to the formation of the red layer 56R, a green layer 56G is formed in the third film formation chamber 303, and further a blue layer 56B is formed in the fourth film formation chamber 303. After the formation of the red layer 56R, the green layer 56G, and the blue layer 56B is completed, an electron transport layer 57 is formed over the entire display region 51 in the fifth film formation chamber 303. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a layer common to the three color layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

[0127] The substrate on which the electron transport layer 57 is formed is moved to the sixth film formation chamber 303, and the second electrode 58 is formed. In the present embodiment, in the first film formation chamber 303 to the sixth film formation chamber 303, each layer is formed by vacuum evaporation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second electrode 58 in the sixth film formation chamber 303 may be formed by sputtering. Thereafter, the substrate on which the second electrode 58 is formed is moved to a sealing device, and a protective layer 60 is formed by plasma CVD (sealing step), and the organic EL display device 50 is completed. Here, the protective layer 60 is formed by the CVD method, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be formed by the ALD method or the inkjet method.

[0128] Here, the film formation in the first to sixth film formation chambers 303 is performed using a mask in which openings corresponding to the patterns of the respective layers to be formed are formed. At the time of film formation, after performing relative position adjustment (alignment) between the substrate 53 and the mask, the substrate 53 is placed on the mask and film formation is performed. Here, the alignment process performed in each film formation chamber is performed as in the above-described alignment process.

[0129] <Other Embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, the form in which the inclination of the mask stage 5 is detected before the film formation process is performed has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the inclination of the mask 101 may be detected before the film formation process is performed. Refer to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the detection of the inclination of the mask 101. FIG. 15 is also a diagram showing an example in the case where the mask 101 is placed on the mask stage 5 in FIGS. 9(A) to 9(C). As shown in FIG. 15, for example, information on the inclination of the mask 101 may be acquired by the touch sensor 1621 provided on the adsorption plate 15 detecting contact with the mask 101 placed on the mask stage 5. That is, in the process of FIG. 11, the parallelism detection process (S1) of the mask 101 may be executed. Further, in S5, the amount of descent of the adsorption plate 15 to the mask 101 by the distance adjustment unit 22 may be stored as the inclination information of the mask 101. Further, in the process of FIG. 13, it may be determined whether or not the touch sensor 1621 has come into contact with the mask 101 in S12 or S14. That is, the posture of the adsorption plate 15 shown in FIG. 10(B) above may be adjusted based on the inclination information of the mask 101. That is, the posture of the adsorption plate 15 is adjusted based on information related to the posture of the mask 101, such as the inclination of the mask stage 5 or the inclination of the mask 101. Even when adjusting the posture of the adsorption plate 15 based on the inclination of the mask 101, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 and prevent the alignment accuracy from deteriorating.

[0130] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the inclination of the mask stage 5 or the mask 101 is detected by the touch sensor 1621 provided on the suction plate 15 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a sensor different from the touch sensor 1621 for detecting the inclination of the mask stage 5, the mask 101, the suction plate 15, etc. may be provided inside the vacuum chamber 3. For example, it may be a sensor that detects these inclinations by laser light.

[0131] In the above embodiment, the adjustment unit 17 is configured such that an operator can manually perform an adjustment operation, but it may be configured such that the position in the axial direction of the support shaft R1 can be adjusted by a motor or the like. For example, a servo motor is provided individually for each support shaft R1, and each support shaft R1 may be independently raised and lowered by the individual servo motor operating an operation unit 171 provided on the support shaft R1 (in the example of the above embodiment, by rotating a nut). Further, when such a configuration is adopted, the entire suction plate 15 may be raised and lowered by driving the individual servo motors in synchronization. When the adjustment unit 17 includes a motor, the motor and the operation unit 171 may be provided outside the vacuum chamber 3. By providing these outside the vacuum chamber 3, generation of particles inside the vacuum chamber 3 can be suppressed.

[0132] In the above embodiment, the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the suction plate 15, but these relative inclinations may be adjusted by adjusting the inclination of the mask stage 5. However, in the above embodiment, by adjusting the inclination on the side of the suction plate 15 made of a ceramic material or the like having relatively higher rigidity than the mask stage 5 made of an aluminum plate or the like, the adjustment can be performed more reliably.

[0133] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 is detected by a plurality of touch sensors 1621. However, the detection of the parallelism may be performed by other sensors. For example, a group of optical sensors (a plurality of distance measurement sensors) capable of measuring the distance between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 may be provided at a plurality of positions. Then, based on the difference in the detection results of each sensor, that is, the difference in the distance between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 at the measurement position, the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 may be detected. However, in the above-described embodiment, by adopting the touch sensor 1621, the sensor can be miniaturized and the electrical wiring can be simplified as compared with the case of adopting an optical sensor. Note that by miniaturizing the sensor, the area of the electrode arrangement region 151 can be made larger, and the adsorption force of the suction plate 15 can be improved.

[0134] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the suction plate 15 is an electrostatic chuck, but the suction plate 15 may have other configurations. For example, the suction plate 15 may be an adhesive chuck (PSC: Physical Sticky Chuck) having physical adhesiveness on its surface.

[0135] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program. Further, it can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0136] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0137] 1 Film forming apparatus, 2 Alignment apparatus, 5 Mask stage, 6 Substrate support unit, 15 Suction plate, 16 Detection unit, 17 Adjustment unit, 22 Distance adjustment unit, 23 Pressing member, 100 Substrate, 101 Mask, 141 Processing unit, 155 Opening, 1621 Touch sensor

Claims

1. A film forming apparatus for forming a deposited substance on a substrate by overlapping the substrate and a mask, comprising: a substrate support member for supporting the substrate; a suction plate for sucking the substrate supported by the substrate support member; a mask stage on which the mask is placed; adjusting means for adjusting the posture of the suction plate; and the adjusting means before overlapping the substrate and the mask, adjusts the suction plate from a first posture with reference to the substrate support surface of the substrate support member when the substrate is sucked by the suction plate to a second posture with reference to the mask placed on the mask stage or the mask mounting surface of the mask stage. A film forming apparatus characterized by the above.

2. The first posture is a posture in which the suction plate is adjusted to be parallel to the substrate support surface by the adjusting means. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The substrate support member supports the substrate in a horizontal posture, and the first posture is a horizontal posture. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The adjusting means adjusts the suction plate to the second posture based on information related to the posture of the mask. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. The film forming apparatus further includes detection means for detecting the inclination of the mask placed on the mask stage, and the information related to the posture of the mask is information on the inclination of the mask detected by the detection means. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by the above.

6. The film forming apparatus further includes detection means for detecting the inclination of the mask mounting surface of the mask stage, and the information related to the posture of the mask is information on the inclination of the mask mounting surface detected by the detection means. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by the above.

7. The film forming apparatus has alignment means for aligning the substrate adsorbed on the suction plate and the mask placed on the mask stage, and the adjusting means adjusts the suction plate to the second posture when the alignment of the substrate and the mask is performed by the alignment means. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

8. Before the substrate is adsorbed by the suction plate, the film forming apparatus further includes a plurality of pressing members for pressing the substrate. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

9. The substrate is rectangular, and the plurality of pressing members are arranged at positions corresponding to at least two opposing corner portions among the corner portions of the substrate. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. A chamber that maintains a vacuum inside, Moving means for moving the substrate support member in the vertical direction of the chamber, and The plurality of pressing members, Are fixed inside the chamber, and when the substrate support member approaches the plurality of pressing members by the moving means, the substrate is pressed. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that.

11. The support region of the substrate supported by the substrate support member and the pressing region of the substrate pressed by the plurality of pressing members are different regions. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that.

12. Further comprising a film forming means for forming a vapor deposition material on the substrate from the lower side in the direction of gravity. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that.

13. An adjustment method used in a film forming apparatus for depositing a vapor deposition material on a substrate by overlapping the substrate and a mask, An adsorption plate for adsorbing the substrate, A mask stage on which the mask is placed, An adjustment step of adjusting the posture of the adsorption plate, and The adjustment step is, Before overlapping the substrate and the mask, the adsorption plate is adjusted from a first posture when the substrate is adsorbed on the adsorption plate to a second posture. An adjustment method characterized by that.

14. A film forming method for depositing a vapor deposition material on a substrate by overlapping the substrate and a mask, An adsorption plate for adsorbing the substrate, A mask stage on which the mask is placed, An adjustment step of adjusting the posture of the adsorption plate, and The adjustment step is, Before overlapping the substrate and the mask, the adsorption plate is adjusted from a first posture when the substrate is adsorbed on the adsorption plate to a second posture. A film forming method characterized by that.

15. Including a film forming step of forming a film on a substrate by the film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, characterized in that.

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