Steaming device

Abstract

To provide a vapor deposition apparatus capable of depositing a high-quality thin film compared to a conventional thin film.SOLUTION: A vapor deposition apparatus has a film deposition chamber, a vaporization apparatus, and a supply channel connecting the vaporization apparatus and the film deposition chamber, in which a film deposition gas including a material gas is sprayed to a substrate in the film deposition chamber. The vaporization apparatus vaporizes a thin film formation material to the material gas. The vaporization apparatus has the vaporization chamber, a material supply part, and a connection channel connecting the vaporization chamber and the material supply part. The material supply part is capable of supplying a solid film formation material to the connection channel. The connection channel is configured by a vertical pipe part substantially extending in a vertical direction, an inclined pipe part inclinedly extending downward from a lower edge part of the vertical pipe part, and a bending part bent from a lower edge part of the inclined pipe part toward the vaporization chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a deposition apparatus for depositing a thin film material by using a carrier gas. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A bottom-emission type organic EL device has been known in the past, in which an organic EL element is laminated on a substrate and light generated by the organic EL element is extracted from the substrate side. A typical layer structure of a bottom-emission type organic EL device 300 is as shown in FIG. 7, in which an organic EL element composed of a transparent electrode layer 302, a light-emitting functional layer 303, and a back electrode layer 304 is laminated on a transparent substrate 301. This light-emitting functional layer 303 is configured by laminating multiple organic compound layers, and for example, as shown in Figure 7, there is one in which a hole injection layer 310, a hole transport layer 311, an organic light-emitting layer 312, an electron transport layer 313, and an electron injection layer 314 are laminated in this order from the transparent electrode layer 302 side to the back electrode layer 304 side.

[0003] In the organic EL device 300, the transparent electrode layer 302 is formed by a sputtering method or a CVD method, and the remaining layers 310 to 314 of the light-emitting functional layer 303 and the back electrode layer 304 are often formed by a vacuum deposition method. That is, in order to improve the performance of the organic EL device 300, it is important to improve the functionality of the vacuum deposition apparatus that performs the vacuum deposition method.

[0004] An example of a vacuum deposition apparatus used in the manufacture of the organic EL device 300 is the deposition apparatus described in Patent Document 1. The deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1 is configured to heat a thin-film forming material in an evaporation chamber, evaporate or sublimate it to generate vapor, transport the vapor to a film-forming chamber using a carrier gas, and spray a mixture of the carrier gas and vapor onto a substrate in the film-forming chamber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-33581 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] 8, the deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1 has an evaporation chamber 320 and a material discharge section 321 that supplies material particles to the evaporation chamber 320 connected by a lower material transfer pipe 323, and a gas supply system 322 that supplies a carrier gas having a higher temperature than that of the lower material transfer pipe 323 is connected to the middle of the lower material transfer pipe 323 via a gas transfer pipe 324. The material particles supplied from the material discharge section 321 fall naturally vertically downward inside the lower material transfer pipe 323, and reach the evaporation chamber 320 while being exposed to and heated by the carrier gas transferred horizontally from the gas transfer pipe 324 at a junction 325.

[0007] However, in the deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1, the lower material transfer pipe 323 extends vertically downward, and some of the material particles naturally fall directly into the evaporation chamber 320, so that the material particles may fall into the evaporation chamber 320 before being sufficiently heated by the carrier gas flowing from the gas transfer pipe 324. Therefore, depending on the type of material particles, the temperature of the material particles may rise rapidly in the evaporation chamber 320, which may cause a deterioration in the quality of the thin film.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a deposition apparatus capable of depositing a thin film of higher quality than conventional ones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a deposition apparatus having a film formation chamber, a vaporization device, and a supply flow path connecting the vaporization device and the film formation chamber, and spraying a film formation gas containing a material gas onto a substrate within the film formation chamber, wherein the vaporization device vaporizes a thin film formation material into the material gas, the vaporization device has a vaporization chamber, a material supply unit, and a connection path connecting the vaporization chamber and the material supply unit, the material supply unit being capable of supplying solid thin film formation material to the connection path, and the connection path having a vertical pipe section extending substantially in a vertical direction, an inclined pipe section extending at a downward angle from a lower end of the vertical pipe section, and a bent section bent from the lower end of the inclined pipe section toward the vaporization chamber.

[0010] Here, "vaporization" includes not only the phenomenon in which a liquid changes into a gas (evaporation, boiling), but also the phenomenon in which a solid changes directly into a gas without first going through a liquid state (sublimation). The same applies below. Here, "substantially vertical" does not only mean a direction perpendicular to a horizontal plane, but also means a direction slightly tilted from the vertical direction to the horizontal plane. For example, "substantially vertical" includes not only the vertical direction, but also a direction tilted by 3 degrees from the vertical direction. In other words, "substantially vertical" also includes a direction that is 87 degrees or more and 93 degrees or less from the horizontal plane.

[0011] According to this aspect, the thin film forming material passes through the downwardly sloping inclined tube section from the vertical tube section to reach the vaporization chamber, so that the thin film forming material can be heated in advance, and deterioration of the quality of the thin film due to rapid heating in the vaporization chamber is less likely to occur.

[0012] In a preferred aspect, the material supply unit is capable of supplying the thin film forming material to the connection path together with a carrier gas.

[0013] According to this aspect, the thin film forming material can be more smoothly guided to the connection path by the carrier gas.

[0014] Incidentally, since material particles are generally lightweight, when the material particles join the carrier gas from the gas transfer pipe 324 as shown in FIG. 8, the material particles are caused to flow toward the inner wall of the lower material transfer pipe 323 and come into contact with the inner wall. Here, since lower material transfer pipe 323 has high thermal conductivity, heat is transferred from evaporation chamber 320, which is maintained at a high temperature, and a certain range from the evaporation chamber 320 side becomes hot. Therefore, if the material particles are made of a material that is susceptible to thermal degradation, such as an organic material, there is a risk that the material particles will deteriorate when they come into contact with the inner wall of lower material transfer pipe 323, which has become hot due to heat transfer.

[0015] In a preferred aspect, a heating member is provided that surrounds and heats the vertical pipe section, and the heating member does not heat a portion of the connecting path downstream of the vertical pipe section in the flow direction of the thin film forming material.

[0016] According to this aspect, since the inclined pipe section is not heated downstream of the vertical pipe section, the inclined pipe section is less likely to become excessively hot, and deterioration of the thin film forming material that falls from the vertical pipe section and comes into contact with the inner wall of the inclined pipe section can be further suppressed.

[0017] In a preferred aspect, a gas supply unit capable of supplying a second carrier gas to the inclined tube section via a gas supply tube section is provided.

[0018] According to this aspect, since the second carrier gas can be supplied from the gas supply section to the inclined tube section, it is possible to prevent the thin film forming material from remaining in the inclined tube section.

[0019] In a more preferable aspect, the internal space of the gas supply pipe section and the internal space of the inclined pipe section are linearly continuous with each other.

[0020] According to this aspect, the thin film forming material and the first carrier gas passing through the inclined tube section flow in the same direction as the flow direction of the second carrier gas supplied from the gas supply section, so that the thin film forming material is less likely to come into contact with the bottom side of the inclined tube section, and therefore deterioration of the thin film forming material can be suppressed.

[0021] In a more preferred aspect, the material supply section is capable of supplying the thin film forming material to the connection path together with a carrier gas, and the second carrier gas has a higher temperature than the carrier gas flowing through the vertical pipe section.

[0022] According to this aspect, the thin film forming material can be supplied from the material supply section to the joint between the inclined tube section and the gas supply tube section at a lower temperature, and the thin film forming material is less likely to deteriorate.

[0023] In a more preferred aspect, the temperature of the junction of the gas supply pipe section and the inclined pipe section is lower than the boiling point of the thin film forming material.

[0024] The "boiling point" as used herein refers to the temperature at which a substance changes from a solid or liquid to a gas, and includes not only the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas, but also the temperature at which a substance changes from a solid to a gas, i.e., the sublimation point.

[0025] According to this aspect, the thin film forming material can merge with the carrier gas while maintaining its properties, so that adhesion of the thin film forming material to the inclined tube portion can be prevented.

[0026] In a preferred aspect, the vaporizer further comprises a second vertical pipe section connecting the bent section and the vaporization chamber, and the central axes of the vertical pipe section and the second vertical pipe section are offset in the horizontal direction.

[0027] According to this aspect, since the vertical pipe section and the second vertical pipe section are offset in the horizontal direction, it is easy to tilt the inclined pipe section.

[0028] In a preferred aspect, the inclined pipe section has an inclination angle of 30 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less with respect to the vertical pipe section.

[0029] According to this aspect, the thin film forming material supplied from the material supply section can be made to flow smoothly downstream, and continuous contact with the inner wall of the inclined pipe section can be prevented.

[0030] In a preferred aspect, there is provided a second vertical pipe section connecting the bent section and the vaporization chamber, and the inclined pipe section has an inclination angle of 30 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less with respect to the second vertical pipe section.

[0031] According to this aspect, the flow direction of the thin film forming material and carrier gas in the inclined pipe section follows the direction of the second vertical pipe section at the bent section without significant turbulence, thereby preventing the thin film forming material from coming into contact with the inner wall of the second vertical pipe section. Effect of the Invention

[0032] The deposition apparatus of the present invention can deposit thin films of higher quality than conventional ones. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0033] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram that illustrates a vapor deposition device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic view of a main part of the vaporizer shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state during film formation in the vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 1, and is a configuration diagram in which supply flow paths are indicated by thick lines. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing a schematic view of a main part of the vaporizer of FIG. 1, in which the flow of a thin film forming material and a carrier gas are indicated by arrows. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram that illustrates a vapor deposition device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic view of a main part of an evaporation device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a typical layer structure of an organic EL device, and hatching has been omitted for ease of understanding. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the periphery of an evaporation chamber of a conventional gas carrier deposition apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0035] The deposition apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a vacuum deposition apparatus that is suitably used for forming the layers 310 to 314 of the light-emitting functional layer 303 and the back electrode layer 304 of the organic EL device 300 shown in FIG.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the deposition apparatus 1 mainly includes a film forming section 2 and a vaporizing section 3. The deposition apparatus 1 is a vacuum deposition apparatus that vaporizes or sublimes a thin film forming material in the vaporization section 3 to generate vapor of the thin film forming material (hereinafter also referred to as material gas), and in the film formation section 2, forms a thin film on the substrate 180 by spraying a film formation gas containing the material gas onto the substrate 180. The deposition gas is a vapor-containing gas that contains at least a material gas, and more specifically, is a mixed gas in which a material gas is mixed with a carrier gas.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming unit 2 has a substrate holding unit 11 and a deposition head 12 arranged in a film forming chamber 10. The film forming unit 2 is capable of forming a desired thin film on the substrate 180 by spraying a film forming gas via the deposition head 12 toward the substrate 180 held by the substrate holding unit 11 .

[0038] In the film production unit 2, an exhaust system 17 is connected to the film production chamber 10 via an exhaust passage 16, and an exhaust valve 18 is provided in the middle of the exhaust passage 16. That is, in the film production unit 2, the exhaust system 17 evacuates the inside of the film production chamber 10, and the inside of the film production chamber 10 can be made substantially vacuum.

[0039] The substrate holding section 11 is a section capable of holding a substrate 180, and the substrate 180 can be carried in and out of the film deposition chamber 10 via a gate (not shown).

[0040] The deposition head 12 has a gas ejection port that faces the substrate 180 held by the substrate holding part 11, and is a part that blows a film forming gas onto the substrate 180 from the gas ejection port. The deposition head 12 is connected to a vaporizer 45 of the vaporizer 3 via a supply passage 20 as shown in FIG.

[0041] The supply flow path 20 is made up of a first supply path 30, a second supply path 31, and a third supply path 32, in this order from the deposition head 12 side. An on-off valve 35 is provided midway along the first supply path 30, and an on-off valve 36 is provided in the third supply path 32.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, an exhaust system 41 is connected between the on-off valves 35 and 36 of the supply flow path 20 via an exhaust flow path 40, and an exhaust valve 27 is connected midway through the exhaust flow path 40. Specifically, the exhaust flow path 40 is connected to the first supply path 30 , and it is possible to exhaust the gas inside the deposition head 12 via the first supply path 30 .

[0043] The vaporizing section 3 generates a vapor-containing gas containing a material gas, and supplies the generated vapor-containing gas to the deposition head 12 of the film forming section 2 as a film forming gas. As shown in FIG. 1, the vaporization section 3 includes a vaporizer 45 and a gas supply section . Vaporizer 45 mainly includes vaporization chamber 51, material supply unit 52, gas supply units 53 and 54, connection paths 55 to 57, and vaporization side heating members 58 and 59, as shown in FIGS.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, vaporization chamber 51 includes a vertical tube extending in the vertical direction, and is a portion where thin film forming materials are vaporized or sublimated to generate material gas. The vaporization chamber 51 is also capable of performing flash evaporation, which instantaneously vaporizes or sublimes the thin film forming material. Vaporization chamber 51 has an internal space 60, and is connected to the upper part with first connection path 55 and to the lower part with third supply path 32. The internal space 60 is a vaporization space in which the thin film forming material is vaporized.

[0045] The material supply unit 52 is a material supply mechanism that quantitatively supplies solid thin film forming material and carrier gas (first carrier gas) to the vaporization chamber 51 via the first connection path 55, and also serves as a storage container for temporarily storing the thin film forming material. The material supply unit 52 is a portion that sends out the thin film forming material to the vaporization chamber 51 side by means of a carrier gas supplied from a material-side gas supply unit 54 .

[0046] Vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 is a portion that supplies a carrier gas (second carrier gas) to vaporization chamber 51 and adjusts the amount of vaporization of the thin film forming material. The vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 is capable of supplying a carrier gas having a higher temperature than the carrier gas supplied by the material-side gas supply unit 54 . Vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 includes a heat exchanger and a mass flow controller downstream of the carrier gas supply source, and is capable of supplying carrier gas at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined flow rate to vaporization chamber 51 .

[0047] The material-side gas supply unit 54 is a portion that supplies a carrier gas to the material supply unit 52 and adjusts the supply amount of the thin film forming material. The material-side gas supply unit 54 includes a heat exchanger and a mass flow controller downstream of the carrier gas supply source, and is capable of supplying carrier gas at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined flow rate to the material supply unit 52 .

[0048] The first connection path 55 is a connection pipe that connects the material supply unit 52 and the vaporization chamber 51 . The first connection path 55 includes, from the material supply unit 52 side toward the vaporization chamber 51 side, a first vertical pipe section 70, a first inclined pipe section 71, and a second vertical pipe section 72.

[0049] The first vertical pipe section 70 is a vertical straight pipe extending vertically downward from the material supply section 52, is surrounded by a pipe-side heating member 73, and has an opening / closing valve 75 provided midway. The pipe-side heating member 73 is a member that heats the thin film forming material and carrier gas supplied from the material supply unit 52 . For example, a mantle heater can be used as the piping side heating member 73, and the first vertical pipe section 70 can be heated and kept warm. The on-off valve 75 is a gate valve that opens and closes the internal space of the first vertical pipe section 70, and separates the first vertical pipe section 70 into a space on the material supply section 52 side and a space on the vaporization chamber 51 side. The on-off valve 75 is not particularly limited, but for example, a ball valve can be used. By using the ball valve, the thin film forming material passing through the first vertical pipe section 70 does not become clogged within the first vertical pipe section 70, and the entire amount can be supplied to the downstream side.

[0050] The first inclined pipe section 71 is an inclined straight pipe that is bent from the lower end of the first vertical pipe section 70 and inclined obliquely downward. The inclination angle θ1 of the first inclined pipe section 71 with respect to the first vertical pipe section 70 shown in FIG. 2 (the inclination angle θ1 of the central axis L2 with respect to the central axis L1 of the first vertical pipe section 70) is preferably 30 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less, and more preferably 45 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less. That is, the angle between the direction in which the thin film forming material falls from material supply unit 52 and the direction in which it is supplied to vaporization chamber 51 is preferably 30 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less, and more preferably 45 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less. Within this range, the thin film forming material supplied from the material supply section 52 can be smoothly caused to flow downstream, and continuous contact with the inner wall of the first inclined pipe section 71 can be prevented. The inclination angle θ2 of the first inclined pipe section 71 relative to the second vertical pipe section 72 (the inclination angle θ2 of the central axis L2 relative to the central axis L3 of the second vertical pipe section 72) is preferably greater than or equal to 30 degrees and less than or equal to 70 degrees, and more preferably greater than or equal to 45 degrees and less than or equal to 60 degrees. Within this range, the thin film forming material supplied from the material supply section 52 can flow smoothly downstream, and contact of the thin film forming material with the inner wall of the second vertical pipe section 72 can be suppressed.

[0051] The second vertical pipe section 72 is a vertical straight pipe extending vertically downward via a bent section 76 that is bent from the lower end section of the first inclined pipe section 71. That is, the upper end section of the second vertical pipe section 72, together with the lower end section of the first inclined pipe section 71, constitutes the bent section 76 that changes the flow direction of the first connection path 55.

[0052] 2 is parallel to the central axis L1 of the first vertical pipe section 70 and the central axis of the vaporization chamber 51, and is horizontally shifted from the central axis L1 of the first vertical pipe section 70. In other words, the central axis L3 of the second vertical pipe section 72 is different from the central axis L1 of the first vertical pipe section 70.

[0053] The second connection path 56 is a connection pipe that connects the first connection path 55 and the vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 , and includes a gas supply pipe section 77 . Gas supply pipe section 77 is an inclined straight pipe that is inclined obliquely downward with respect to the vertical direction from vaporization-side gas supply section 53. Specifically, gas supply pipe section 77 is composed of one inclined piping together with first inclined pipe section 71, and the internal space of gas supply pipe section 77 is linearly continuous with the internal space of first inclined pipe section 71.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the gas supply pipe section 77 is connected midway through the first connection path 55 to form a junction section 78. The confluence section 78 is a section where three pipe sections, namely the first vertical pipe section 70, the first inclined pipe section 71, and the gas supply pipe section 77 of the first connection path 55, confluence, and is a section where the thin film forming material and carrier gas (first carrier gas) supplied from the material supply section 52 and the carrier gas (second carrier gas) supplied from the vaporization side gas supply section 53 confluence. The gas supply pipe section 77 is provided with an on-off valve 79 midway. The on-off valve 79 is a gate valve that opens and closes the internal space of the gas supply pipe section 77, and separates the gas supply pipe section 77 into a space on the vaporization side gas supply section 53 side and a space on the vaporization chamber 51 side.

[0055] The third connection path 57 is a connection pipe that connects the material-side gas supply unit 54 and the material supply unit 52 as shown in FIG. The third connection path 57 is provided with an on-off valve 80 midway. The on-off valve 80 is a gate valve that opens and closes the internal space of the third connection path 57 and separates the third connection path 57 into a space on the material gas supply unit 54 side and a space on the material supply unit 52 side.

[0056] 2, the vaporization side heating members 58 and 59 are members that surround the periphery of the vaporization chamber 51 and encase and heat the vaporization chamber 51. For example, a mantle heater can be used as the vaporization side heating members 58 and 59, and they are capable of heating and keeping the vaporization chamber 51 warm. The evaporation side heating members 58, 59 include a low temperature side heating member 58 and a high temperature side heating member 59. High-temperature-side heating member 59 has a higher output than low-temperature-side heating member 58, and is capable of heating vaporization chamber 51 to a high temperature. That is, in vaporization chamber 51, as shown in FIG. 2, a low-temperature heating region 95 heated by low-temperature-side heating member 58 and a high-temperature heating region 96 heated by high-temperature-side heating member 59 are formed in the vertical direction.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 1, the gas supply unit 46 is connected between the on-off valves 35, 36 of the supply flow path 20 via a fourth connection path 90, and is a part that adjusts the total flow rate of the film formation gas released from the deposition head 12 and adjusts the film formation speed. The gas supply unit 46 includes a heat exchanger and a mass flow controller downstream of the carrier gas supply source, and is capable of supplying carrier gas at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined flow rate to the supply flow path 20 via the fourth connection path 90.

[0058] The fourth connection path 90 is a connection pipe that connects the gas supply unit 46 and the supply flow path 20, and is provided with an on-off valve 91 midway. The on-off valve 91 is a gate valve that opens and closes the internal space of the fourth connection path 90, and separates the fourth connection path 90 into a space on the gas supply unit 46 side and a space on the supply flow path 20 side.

[0059] The thin film forming material supplied by the material supply unit 52 is a solid material that generates a material gas when heated. The thin film forming material used in this embodiment is mainly an organic EL material for the layers 310 to 314 of the light emitting functional layer 303 of the organic EL device 300 and the back electrode layer 304, and is a particulate solid material at room temperature.

[0060] The carrier gas supplied by the gas supply units 46, 53, and 54 is a heated carrier gas that has been heated to a predetermined temperature. The temperature of the carrier gas is appropriately changed depending on the boiling point of the thin film forming material, the supply location, etc., and is preferably, for example, 100 degrees Celsius or higher and 700 degrees Celsius or lower. The carrier gas is preferably an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas, and more preferably nitrogen gas.

[0061] The exhaust systems 17 and 41 exhaust gas from the internal spaces of the exhaust passages 16 and 40, and may be, for example, vacuum exhaust pumps such as a dry pump, a turbo molecular pump (TMP), or a cryopump (CP).

[0062] Next, an example of a method for producing a thin film using the deposition apparatus 1 will be described.

[0063] First, the on-off valve 80 is opened, and carrier gas is supplied from the material-side gas supply unit 54 to the material supply unit 52. The thin film forming material is dispersed by the carrier gas supplied from the material-side gas supply unit 54, and the material dispersion gas A is sent to the first connection path 55 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0064] At this time, the thin film forming material in the material supply unit 52 is supplied to the first connection path 55 by the carrier gas supplied from the material-side gas supply unit 54 at a predetermined temperature and a predetermined supply speed.

[0065] Next, as shown in FIG. 4 , the material dispersion gas A supplied from the material supply section 52 passes through the first vertical pipe section 70 of the first connection path 55, merges with the carrier gas B supplied from the vaporization side gas supply section 53 at the junction section 78, and passes through the first inclined pipe section 71, the bent section 76, and the second vertical pipe section 72 as mixed gas C, and is supplied to the vaporization chamber 51.

[0066] At this time, material dispersion gas A, which is composed of thin film forming material and carrier gas supplied from material supply unit 52, passes through first vertical pipe section 70 while being heated, and reaches junction section 78. Furthermore, material dispersion gas A is exposed to carrier gas B, which is supplied from vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 and has a higher temperature than first vertical pipe section 70, at junction section 78, and passes through first inclined pipe section 71, bent section 76, and second vertical pipe section 72 while being heated, and reaches internal space 60 of vaporization chamber 51 as mixed gas C.

[0067] Next, the mixed gas C supplied to the vaporization chamber 51 is passed through the low-temperature heating region 95 and then the high-temperature heating region 96, whereby the thin film forming material is vaporized into the material gas, thereby generating a vapor-containing gas containing the material gas.

[0068] At this time, the thin film forming material in the mixed gas C is gradually heated in the low-temperature heating region 95 and then in the high-temperature heating region 96, and vaporizes to become a material gas, which combines with the unreacted carrier gas to become a vapor-containing gas.

[0069] Next, when the vapor-containing gas is generated in the vaporization chamber 51, the vapor-containing gas is passed through the supply flow path 20 and is discharged as a film-forming gas from the deposition head 12 onto the substrate 180 in the film-forming chamber 10, as shown in Fig. 3. The film-forming gas discharged onto the substrate 180 is cooled on the substrate 180 and precipitates to form a thin film.

[0070] 3, the on-off valve 91 of the fourth connection path 90 can be opened as necessary to supply a carrier gas at a predetermined temperature at a predetermined flow rate from the gas supply unit 46 to the supply flow path 20. In this way, the flow rate and temperature of the carrier gas discharged from the deposition head 12 can be kept constant regardless of the process conditions of the vaporizer 45. In this case, the film forming gas is a mixed gas of the vapor-containing gas generated in the vaporization chamber 51 and the carrier gas supplied from the gas supply unit 46.

[0071] Here, when co-evaporation is performed using a plurality of thin film forming materials having similar boiling points, it is preferable to adjust the weight ratio of the thin film forming materials to be used in advance and supply the materials in a mixed state from material supply unit 52 to vaporization chamber 51. In this way, the mixing ratio of the thin film forming materials can be always kept constant, and a thin film with high quality stability can be formed.

[0072] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the thin film forming material reaches the vaporization chamber 51 from the first vertical tube section 70 via the downwardly sloping inclined tube section 71, so that the thin film forming material can be heated in advance, and deterioration of the quality of the thin film due to rapid heating in the vaporization chamber 51 is less likely to occur.

[0073] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the flow of the thin film material downstream of the junction 78 becomes coaxial with the flow direction of the carrier gas supplied from the vaporization-side gas supply unit 53, and the thin film material can be prevented from contacting the inner wall of the first connection path 55 when merging with the carrier gas. This makes it possible to prevent the thin film material from being deteriorated due to localized high temperatures in a particulate state, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the thin film, or the thin film material from being fixed on the wall surface without becoming a gas, resulting in a loss of operational stability of the deposition apparatus 1.

[0074] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the first connection path 55 is not provided with the pipe-side heating member 73 in the downstream portion from the junction 78 to the vaporization chamber 51. Therefore, the junction 78 is unlikely to become excessively hot due to heat transfer from the vaporization chamber 51 side, which is maintained at a high temperature, and the thin film forming material is unlikely to deteriorate.

[0075] According to the deposition apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the central axis L1 of the first vertical tube section 70 and the central axis L3 of the second vertical tube section 72 are offset in the horizontal direction to be different axes, so that the thin film forming material does not directly drop into the vaporization chamber 51, and the thin film forming material is gradually heated by the high-temperature carrier gas and supplied to the vaporization chamber 51. Therefore, the temperature of the thin film forming material does not rise suddenly, and the thin film forming material is less likely to deteriorate.

[0076] Next, a vapor deposition apparatus 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the same components as those in the vapor deposition apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0077] The deposition apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is composed of a film forming section 2, a plurality of vaporizing sections 3 (3a, 3b), and a mixer 201, as shown in FIG. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, in order to distinguish between vaporizers 3a and 3b, components belonging to vaporizer 3a are marked with "a" and components belonging to vaporizer 3b are marked with "b."

[0078] The mixer 201 is a device that mixes the source gases generated from different types of thin film forming materials in each of the vaporizers 3a and 3b. That is, the mixer 201 is a device that mixes the source gas generated by evaporating the first thin film forming material in the vaporizer 45a of the first vaporizer 3a and the source gas (second source gas) generated by evaporating the second thin film forming material in the vaporizer 45b of the second vaporizer 3b.

[0079] 5, the mixing device 201 is provided in the middle of the supply flow paths 20a and 20b connecting the film forming unit 2 and the vaporizing units 3a and 3b. Specifically, the mixing device 201 is located upstream of the on-off valve 35 and downstream of the on-off valves 36a, 91a, 36b, and 91b. The supply flow path 20a is composed of the supply paths 30, 202, 203a, and 32a, and the supply flow path 20b is composed of the supply paths 30, 202, 203b, and 32b. That is, the supply paths 30 and 202 are a common path shared by the supply flow paths 20a and 20b.

[0080] Next, the flow of the material gas generated in each of the vaporizing parts 3a and 3b in the deposition device 200 will be described.

[0081] The first material gas generated in vaporization chamber 51 of vaporizer 3a passes through supply path 32a, and is merged with the carrier gas supplied from gas supply unit 46a in supply path 203a, and then reaches mixer 201. Similarly, the second material gas generated in vaporization chamber 51 of vaporizer 3b passes through supply path 32b, merges with the carrier gas supplied from gas supply unit 46b in supply path 203b, and reaches mixer 201. The first and second material gases are mixed in the mixer 201, and pass through the supply paths 202, 30 to the deposition head 12 as a film formation gas, and are sprayed onto the substrate 180 held by the substrate holder 11 in the film formation chamber 10.

[0082] According to the deposition apparatus 200 of the second embodiment, the deposition apparatus 200 has a plurality of vaporizers 3a, 3b, and the material gases generated in the vaporizers 3a, 3b are mixed in a mixer 201 and sprayed as a film forming gas onto the substrate 180. Therefore, even when multiple thin film forming materials with different boiling points (e.g., an organic material and a metal material) are co-deposited, the thin film forming materials are less likely to deteriorate by using the material gases in the different vaporizers 3a, 3b.

[0083] Next, a deposition apparatus 230 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0084] The deposition apparatus 230 of the third embodiment of the present invention has a film forming section 2 and a vaporization section 3, and the configuration of the vaporization device of the vaporization section 3 is different from the configuration of the vaporization device 45 of the first embodiment. Specifically, in vaporizer 45 of the first embodiment, vaporizer chamber 51 is in a vertical position, whereas in the third embodiment, vaporizer chamber 251 is in a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 6. That is, in vaporizer 245 of the third embodiment, vaporizer chamber 251 extends with a horizontal component.

[0085] The flow rate of the carrier gas supplied from vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 is preferably faster than the flow rate of the carrier gas with which the thin film forming material is delivered from material supply unit 52 . Moreover, the flow rate of the carrier gas supplied from the vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 is preferably greater than the flow rate of the carrier gas with which the thin film forming material is sent out from the material supply unit 52 . This allows the thin film forming material to be smoothly sent downstream.

[0086] In the third embodiment, the carrier gas supplied from vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 is at room temperature, and the carrier gas from which the thin film forming material is sent out in material supply unit 52 is also at room temperature. That is, the thin film forming material supplied from material supply unit 52 joins with the carrier gas supplied from vaporization-side gas supply unit 53 at joining section 78 and is sent out to the vaporization chamber 251 side.

[0087] According to the deposition apparatus 230 of the third embodiment, the thin film forming material and the carrier gas merge at the junction 78 at room temperature, so that welding of the thin film forming material to the first inclined tube section 71 due to the merger in an intermediate temperature range can be prevented.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the film formation section 2 is composed of one film formation chamber 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. The film formation section 2 may be composed of multiple film formation chambers 10. By providing multiple film formation chambers 10 and supplying film formation gas to each film formation chamber 10 from one vaporization section 3, film formation on the substrate 180 can be carried out simultaneously in each film formation chamber 10, thereby improving productivity.

[0089] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a heating member is not provided around the gas supply pipe section 77, but the present invention is not limited to this. A heating member may be provided around the gas supply pipe section 77.

[0090] In the embodiment described above, the gas supply pipe section 77 is connected to the first inclined pipe section 71, but the present invention is not limited to this. The gas supply pipe section 77 may be connected to a portion upstream of the bent section 76, such as the first vertical pipe section 70, of the first connection path 55.

[0091] In the third embodiment described above, the thin film forming material supplied from the material supply unit 52 and the carrier gas supplied from the vaporization side gas supply unit 53 join at room temperature in the joining unit 78, but the present invention is not limited to this. The thin film forming material may join at the joining unit 78 at a temperature below the boiling point of the thin film forming material. This allows the thin film forming material to join with the carrier gas while maintaining its properties, so that, as in the third embodiment, it is possible to prevent the thin film forming material from welding to the first inclined tube section 71.

[0092] In the embodiment described above, the material supply unit 52 supplies the carrier gas together with the thin film forming material to the first connection path 55, but the present invention is not limited to this. Only the thin film forming material may be supplied from the material supply unit 52 to the first connection path 55.

[0093] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be freely substituted or added between the respective embodiments as long as it falls within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1,200,230 Vapor deposition equipment 10 Film forming room 20, 20a, 20b Supply channel 45, 45a, 45b, 245 Vaporizer 51,251 Vaporizer 52 Material supply section 53 Vaporization side gas supply unit (gas supply unit) 55 First Connection Route 70 First vertical pipe section (vertical pipe section) 71 1st inclined pipe section 72 Second vertical pipe section 73 Pipe side heating element (heating element) 76 Bend 77 Gas supply pipe section

Claims

1. A deposition apparatus having a deposition chamber, a vaporizer, and a supply flow path connecting the vaporizer and the deposition chamber, wherein a deposition gas containing a material gas is sprayed onto a substrate in the deposition chamber, the vaporizer vaporizes a thin film forming material into the material gas, the vaporization device includes a vaporization chamber, a material supply unit, and a connection path connecting the vaporization chamber and the material supply unit; the material supply unit is capable of supplying a solid thin film forming material to the connection path, the connection path has a vertical pipe section extending substantially vertically, an inclined pipe section extending from a lower end of the vertical pipe section at a downward incline, and a bent section bent from the lower end of the inclined pipe section toward the vaporization chamber, A gas supply unit capable of supplying a carrier gas G1 to the inclined tube portion through a gas supply tube portion is provided, The vertical pipe section, the inclined pipe section, and the gas supply pipe section are joined at a junction section, The gas supply unit sends the thin film forming material supplied from the material supply unit to the vaporization chamber by the carrier gas G1 at the confluence unit.

2. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the material supply unit is capable of supplying the thin film forming material to the connection path together with a carrier gas G2.

3. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an internal space of the gas supply pipe section and an internal space of the inclined pipe section are linearly continuous with each other.

4. 4. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the confluence portion is lower than a boiling point of the thin film forming material.

5. 5. The deposition device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined tube portion has an inclination angle of 30 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less with respect to the vertical tube portion.

6. A deposition apparatus having a deposition chamber, a vaporizer, and a supply flow path connecting the vaporizer and the deposition chamber, wherein a deposition gas containing a material gas is sprayed onto a substrate in the deposition chamber, the vaporizer vaporizes a thin film forming material into the material gas, the vaporization device includes a vaporization chamber, a material supply unit, and a connection path connecting the vaporization chamber and the material supply unit; the material supply unit is capable of supplying a solid thin film forming material to the connection path, the connection path has a vertical pipe section extending substantially vertically, an inclined pipe section extending from a lower end of the vertical pipe section at a downward incline, and a bent section bent from the lower end of the inclined pipe section toward the vaporization chamber, A heating member that surrounds and heats the vertical pipe portion, The deposition apparatus, wherein the heating member does not heat a portion of the connection path downstream of the vertical pipe portion in a flow direction of the thin film forming material.

7. A deposition apparatus having a deposition chamber, a vaporizer, and a supply flow path connecting the vaporizer and the deposition chamber, wherein a deposition gas containing a material gas is sprayed onto a substrate in the deposition chamber, the vaporizer vaporizes a thin film forming material into the material gas, the vaporization device includes a vaporization chamber, a material supply unit, and a connection path connecting the vaporization chamber and the material supply unit; the material supply unit is capable of supplying a solid thin film forming material together with a carrier gas to the connection path; the connection path has a vertical pipe section extending substantially vertically, an inclined pipe section extending from a lower end of the vertical pipe section at a downward incline, and a bent section bent from the lower end of the inclined pipe section toward the vaporization chamber, A gas supply unit capable of supplying a second carrier gas to the inclined tube section through a gas supply tube section is provided, the second carrier gas has a temperature higher than that of the carrier gas flowing through the vertical pipe section.

8. A deposition apparatus having a deposition chamber, a vaporizer, and a supply flow path connecting the vaporizer and the deposition chamber, wherein a deposition gas containing a material gas is sprayed onto a substrate in the deposition chamber, the vaporizer vaporizes a thin film forming material into the material gas, the vaporization device includes a vaporization chamber, a material supply unit, and a connection path connecting the vaporization chamber and the material supply unit; the material supply unit is capable of supplying a solid thin film forming material to the connection path, the connection path has a vertical pipe section extending substantially vertically, an inclined pipe section extending from a lower end of the vertical pipe section at a downward incline, and a bent section bent from the lower end of the inclined pipe section toward the vaporization chamber, a second vertical pipe portion connecting the bent portion and the vaporization chamber; the vertical pipe section and the second vertical pipe section have central axes that are offset from each other in a horizontal direction.

9. A deposition apparatus having a deposition chamber, a vaporizer, and a supply flow path connecting the vaporizer and the deposition chamber, wherein a deposition gas containing a material gas is sprayed onto a substrate in the deposition chamber, the vaporizer vaporizes a thin film forming material into the material gas, the vaporization device includes a vaporization chamber, a material supply unit, and a connection path connecting the vaporization chamber and the material supply unit; the material supply unit is capable of supplying a solid thin film forming material to the connection path, the connection path has a vertical pipe section extending substantially vertically, an inclined pipe section extending from a lower end of the vertical pipe section at a downward incline, and a bent section bent from the lower end of the inclined pipe section toward the vaporization chamber, a second vertical pipe portion connecting the bent portion and the vaporization chamber; The inclined tube section has an inclination angle of 30 degrees or more and 70 degrees or less with respect to the second vertical tube section.

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