Vacuum deposition source for vacuum deposition device and vacuum deposition device equipped with said vapor deposition source

Abstract

To provide a vapor deposition apparatus capable of depositing with a uniform film thickness over a substrate and a good productivity by reversely suppressing shaking of a liquid surface of a vapor deposition source even if a travel speed of a swap transfer or a scan transfer is increased.SOLUTION: A vapor deposition source DS1 for a vapor deposition apparatus that is arranged in a vacuum chamber and deposits to a substrate to be deposited by vaporizing or sublimating a vapor deposition material Vm has: an accommodation box 11 to which the vapor deposition material is filled and that has a discharge opening 14a on an upper surface for the vapor deposition material vaporized; and heating means 13 capable of heating the vapor deposition material in the accommodation box. The vapor deposition source includes transfer means that swap-transfers the accommodation box between a first position and a second position and scan-transfers the accommodation box at either the first position or the second position in one direction. A partition member 3 is arranged in the accommodation box, the partition member having a height so as to protrude upward from an upper part of the vapor deposition material facing the discharge opening and dividing an inner space of the accommodation box into multiple small spaces Sp.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an evaporation source for a vacuum evaporation apparatus that is placed in a vacuum chamber and vaporizes or sublimes an evaporation material to be evaporated onto a substrate to be processed, and to a vacuum evaporation apparatus equipped with this evaporation source, and more particularly to an apparatus for alternately evaporating evaporation onto two substrates to be processed within a vacuum chamber. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the manufacturing process of an organic EL element, there is a process in which a deposition material is vaporized or sublimated by heating in a vacuum atmosphere to deposit a predetermined thin film on the surface of a substrate to be processed such as a glass substrate (hereinafter also referred to as a "substrate"). A vacuum deposition apparatus is widely used for this deposition process. This type of vacuum deposition apparatus is known, for example, from Patent Document 1. This apparatus is provided with a vacuum chamber, and in the vacuum chamber, a deposition source is disposed, which includes a container filled with the deposition material and having an outlet opening for the vaporized deposition material on the upper surface, and a heating means for heating the deposition material in the container. The deposition source is also provided with a moving means for swapping the container between a first position and a second position in the vacuum chamber, and for scanning the container in one direction at the first position or the second position.

[0003] The first substrate (first substrate) is placed at a predetermined position in a vacuum chamber in a vacuum atmosphere, and the container at the first position is scanned in one direction while emitting vaporized or sublimated deposition material from the emission opening, so that a predetermined thin film is deposited on the substrate surface. At the same time, the next substrate (second substrate) is placed at another predetermined position in the vacuum chamber. Then, when deposition on the first substrate is completed, the container is moved to the second position by a swap movement by rotation or sliding, and then the container is scanned in one direction to deposit a predetermined thin film on the second substrate surface. At the same time, the first substrate on which deposition has been completed is carried out to the outside of the vacuum chamber, and the next substrate is placed at a predetermined position in the vacuum chamber. After that, this operation is repeated to deposit deposition on a plurality of substrates in sequence. This can improve the efficiency of use of the deposition material.

[0004] Incidentally, when the deposition material is, for example, an evaporation material that transitions from a liquid phase to a gas phase, the deposition material in the container box is always molten and liquid. Therefore, if the moving speed during swap movement or scanning movement becomes fast, the liquid surface of the deposition material facing the discharge opening will ripple (see FIG. 4(b)). The moving speed during scanning movement is appropriately set according to the film thickness of the thin film to be deposited on the substrate surface and the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness distribution within the substrate surface. For example, when deposition is performed with emphasis on in-plane uniformity, the moving speed during scanning movement is set relatively slow, and the container box is scanned back and forth to deposit the target film thickness. On the other hand, it is desirable that the moving speed during swap movement is as fast as possible in consideration of productivity.

[0005] However, the faster the moving speed during the swap movement, the greater the fluctuation of the liquid surface of the deposition material when the swap movement is stopped, and if the scanning movement is started in such a state to perform deposition, the amount of deposition material discharged from the discharge opening becomes locally unstable, and the deposition cannot be performed with a uniform film thickness distribution on the substrate surface. In such a case, it is possible to wait until the fluctuation of the liquid surface becomes as small as possible after stopping the swap movement, but this may actually impair productivity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-31547 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum deposition apparatus in which shaking of the upper surface of the deposition material during swap movement and scanning movement is minimized, thereby enabling film formation with good uniformity of film thickness distribution across the substrate surface and high productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the deposition source for a vacuum deposition apparatus of the present invention is disposed in a vacuum chamber and vaporizes or sublimates a deposition material to deposit it on a substrate to be processed. The deposition source comprises a storage box filled with the deposition material and having an outlet opening for the vaporized deposition material on an upper surface thereof, and a heating means for heating the deposition material in the storage box. The storage box is provided with a moving means for swapping the storage box between a first position and a second position and for scanning the storage box in one direction when the storage box is at the first position or the second position. In the storage box, a partition member is provided, which has a height protruding above an upper surface portion of the deposition material facing the outlet opening, and divides the internal space of the storage box into a plurality of small spaces, The partition member is constructed by assembling plate materials in a lattice pattern, and a gap is provided between the partition member and the inner wall and the inner bottom wall of the storage box, and the gap between the partition member and the inner wall of the storage box is 15 mm or less. It is characterized by the above.

[0009] According to the present invention, the inner space of the container box is divided into a plurality of small spaces by the partition member, so that the fluctuation of the upper surface (liquid surface) of the deposition material is prevented from being significantly propagated in the swap movement direction or the scanning movement direction of the container box during the swap movement or the scanning movement of the container box, and as a result, the fluctuation of the upper surface of the deposition material is suppressed as much as possible. As a result, the fluctuation of the amount of the deposition material discharged from the discharge opening is suppressed, and deposition can be performed with a good uniformity of film thickness distribution on the substrate surface. Moreover, since the container box can be swapped or scanned at a relatively high speed, productivity can be improved.

[0010] Also, The present invention By In this case, the partition members alone can stand on their own by forming them in a lattice shape, and there is no need to provide a support member for supporting the partition members. In addition, the vapor deposition material that has melted and become liquid can flow in each small space through the gaps between the partition members and the inner side wall and the inner bottom wall of the storage box, so that the liquid level of the vapor deposition material in each small space (i.e., the evaporation area) can be maintained uniform.

[0011] In the present invention, the partition member is preferably provided detachably after the deposition material is filled in the storage box. In this way, the partition member sinks in the liquid deposition material due to its own weight, and the partition member can be easily installed by simply placing the partition member on the upper surface of the deposition material filled in the storage box. Furthermore, after the film formation is completed, the partition member can be removed from the storage box to easily collect the deposition material remaining in the storage box.

[0012] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vacuum deposition apparatus of the present invention comprises the deposition source and a vacuum chamber in which the deposition source is provided, a substrate to be processed is placed in the vacuum chamber in a vacuum atmosphere, and a deposition material is evaporated while a storage box is scanned in one direction to deposit a predetermined thin film on the surface of the substrate to be processed, wherein an auxiliary chamber for storing the substrate to be processed is connected to the vacuum chamber, and the apparatus comprises a transport means for transporting the substrate to be processed between the auxiliary chamber and predetermined positions in the vacuum chamber corresponding to a first position and a second position of the storage box, respectively. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vacuum deposition apparatus including a deposition source according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2A is a partial perspective view, with a portion in cross section, illustrating a vacuum deposition apparatus equipped with a deposition source according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line IIb-IIb of the vacuum deposition apparatus in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3A is a plan view of the deposition source of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line IIIb-IIIb of the deposition source of FIG. [Figure 4] 1A is a partial cross-sectional view of the deposition source of the present embodiment during swap movement, and FIG. 1B is a partial cross-sectional view of the deposition source of a conventional example during swap movement. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Below, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of a deposition source for a vacuum deposition apparatus of the present invention and a vacuum deposition apparatus equipped with this deposition source will be described using an example in which a substrate to be processed is a glass substrate (hereinafter referred to as "substrate Sw") having a rectangular outline, a deposition substance is an evaporation material that transitions from a liquid phase to a gas phase, and a predetermined thin film is deposited (formed) on one side of the substrate Sw by a vacuum deposition method.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, DM is a vacuum deposition apparatus of this embodiment. The vacuum deposition apparatus DM includes vacuum chambers Vc1 and Vc2, and a transfer chamber Tc as an auxiliary chamber is connected to each of the vacuum chambers Vc1 and Vc2 via load lock valves Lv1 to Lv4. The transfer chamber Tc is connected to mask stock chambers Mc1 and Mc2, which store mask plates Mp before and after use, and load lock chambers Lc1 and Lc2 via load lock valves Lv5 to Lv8. Although not shown or described in detail, a vacuum pump is connected to each of the vacuum chambers Vc1 and Vc2, the transfer chamber Tc, the mask stock chambers Mc1 and Mc2, and the load lock chambers Lc1 and Lc2 via exhaust pipes, and a vacuum atmosphere can be formed by evacuating to a predetermined pressure (vacuum level). The substrate Sw is transferred from the load lock chamber Lc1 to the load lock chamber Lc2 (from left to right in FIG. 1). In the following description, the transport direction of the substrate Sw is defined as the X-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction is defined as the Y-axis direction.

[0016] A vacuum transfer robot Tr is provided as a transfer means in the transfer chamber Tc. The vacuum transfer robot Tr has a fork-shaped robot hand Rh, and is configured so that it can move in the X-axis direction and rotate by a moving means (not shown). The vacuum transfer robot Tr transfers the substrate from the transfer chamber Tc to the substrate holding means 2 (to be described later) in each vacuum chamber Vc1, Vc2. 1 ,2 2The substrate Sw and the mask plate Mp are transported to the vacuum chamber Vc1, Vc2, respectively, and the substrate Sw is stored in each of the vacuum chambers Vc1, Vc2. Linear evaporation sources DS1, DS2 are provided at the bottom of each of the vacuum chambers Vc1, Vc2, respectively, as the evaporation source of this embodiment. The linear evaporation source DS1 provided in the vacuum chamber Vc1 will be described below as an example.

[0017] 2 and 3, the linear evaporation source DS1 has a metal container 11 that contains an evaporation material Vm. A metal crucible 12 is stored in the container 11, and the evaporation material Vm is filled in the container 12. As the evaporation material Vm, an organic material or a metal material is appropriately selected according to the thin film to be formed on the substrate Sw, and a granular or tablet-shaped material is used. A sheath heater 13 is provided between the crucible 12 and the container 11 as a heating means so as to cover the entire outer wall surface of the crucible 12, and the evaporation material Vm can be heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point through the crucible 12. In addition, ten discharge nozzles 14 having discharge openings 14a for the vaporized evaporation material Vm are arranged in a row at predetermined intervals in the X-axis direction on the upper surface of the container 11. Then, the deposition material Vm in the crucible 12 is heated by the sheath heater 13 to a temperature above its melting point, causing the deposition material Vm to melt and become liquid, and by further heating it to a temperature above its boiling point, the vaporized deposition material Vm is released from the release opening 14a of the release nozzle 14.

[0018] A moving means St for swapping and scanning the storage box 11 is provided on the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber Vc1. The moving means St has two first guide rails Gr1, Gr1 extending in the Y-axis direction, and a first slider Sr1 slidably engages with the first guide rails Gr1, Gr1 so as to straddle them. The storage box 11 is placed on the first slider Sr1 with the release nozzle 14 facing upward. The moving means St also has two second guide rails Gr2, Gr2 extending in the X-axis direction. Second sliders Sr2 provided on the undersides of both ends of the first guide rails Gr1, Gr1, respectively, are slidably engaged with the second guide rails Gr2, Gr2, and the container box 11 can be slid and swapped together with the first guide rails Gr1, Gr1 between a first position P1 (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 2) and a second position P2 (position shown by a two-dot chain line) that is a predetermined distance away from the first position P1 in the X-axis direction. At the first position P1 or the second position P2, the container box 11 can be scanned and moved along the first guide rails Gr1, Gr1 and over the entire length of the substrate Sw in the Y-axis direction.

[0019] At the upper portion of the vacuum chamber Vc1, first and second substrate holding means 2 are provided at positions opposite to the first position P1 and the second position P2. 1 ,2 2 Each substrate holding means 2 1 ,2 2 Each of the substrate holding means 2 is made up of four rods 21 extending downward from the top plate of the vacuum chamber Vc1 and a support member 22 provided at the lower end of each rod 21. The substrates Sw transferred by the vacuum transfer robot Tr in the transfer chamber Tc are transferred into the vacuum chamber Vc1, and each of the substrate holding means 2 is supported by the substrate holding means 2. 1 ,2 2 Each substrate holding means 2 1 ,2 2Between each substrate Sw held by the substrate holding means 2 and the linear deposition source DS1, a plate-like mask plate Mp is provided, which is transported by the vacuum transport robot Tr in the same manner as the substrate Sw. The mask plate Mp is made of a thin plate made of metal such as invar, aluminum, alumina, or stainless steel, or of resin such as polyimide, and has a plurality of openings formed therein in a predetermined mask pattern, which penetrate the plate in the thickness direction (not shown). 1 ,2 2 2(a) and 2(b), reference symbol Ap denotes an adhesion prevention plate that separates the deposition space between the first position P1 and the second position P2.

[0020] A partition member 3 is detachably provided in the crucible 12 filled with the deposition material Vm. The partition member 3 is configured by assembling a plurality of first metal plate members 31 extending in the X-axis direction and a plurality of second metal plate members 32 extending in the Y-axis direction in a lattice pattern. Each plate member 31, 32 has a height that protrudes upward from the upper surface portion of the deposition material Vm facing the discharge opening 14a when installed in the crucible 12, and divides the internal space of the container box 11 into a plurality of small spaces Sp. In addition, notches 31a, 32a are provided at the lower ends of each plate member 31, 32, respectively, so that leg pieces 31b, 32b are formed at both ends of the longitudinal direction of each plate member 31, 32. The plate members 31, 32 are supported on the inner bottom wall of the crucible 12 via the leg pieces 31b, 32b. As a result, a gap Gp1 is provided between the lower end of each of the plate materials 31, 32 and the inner bottom wall of the crucible 12. The lengths of each of the plate materials 31, 32 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are set so that gaps Gp2, Gp3 are present between both ends of each of the plate materials 31, 32 in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction and the inner wall of the crucible 12 when the plate materials 31, 32 are installed in the crucible 12. The plate thickness of each of the plate materials 31, 32 is appropriately set, for example, in consideration of the heating temperature of the deposition material Vm, and the unit area of ​​the partitioned small space Sp is appropriately set, for example, in consideration of the movement speed during swap movement and scanning movement.

[0021] When a predetermined thin film is deposited on the lower surface of the substrate Sw by the vacuum deposition apparatus DM, the crucible 12 of the storage box 11 is filled with the deposition material Vm outside the vacuum chamber Vc1, and then the partition member 3 is placed on the filled deposition material Vm. At this time, the legs 31b and 32b may be floating. Next, the linear deposition source DS1 is installed on the first slider Sr1. When the linear deposition source DS1 is installed, the vacuum chamber Vc1 is evacuated to a predetermined pressure by a vacuum pump (not shown). Next, when the sheath heater 13 is operated to heat the deposition material Vm, the molten deposition material Vm is vaporized to form a vaporization atmosphere in the storage box 11, and the vaporized deposition material Vm is discharged from the discharge opening 14a of each discharge nozzle 14 according to a predetermined cosine law due to the pressure difference with the vacuum chamber Vc1. At this time, the partition member 3 is also heated by the sheath heater 13 in the same manner as the deposition material Vm. Then, the first substrate holding means 2 in the vacuum chamber Vc1 in the vacuum atmosphere 1 The first substrate (first substrate) Sw1 is placed on the vacuum chamber Vc1, and the container 11 at the first position P1 is moved in the Y-axis direction while the vaporized deposition material Vm is being discharged from the discharge openings 14a of the discharge nozzles 14, and a predetermined thin film is deposited on the surface of the first substrate Sw1. 2 The next substrate (second substrate) Sw2 is placed on the vacuum chamber Vc1. Then, when deposition on the first substrate Sw1 is completed, the container box 11 moves to the second position P2 by a swap movement by sliding in the X-axis direction, and then the container box 11 is scanned in the Y-axis direction to deposit a predetermined thin film on the surface of the second substrate Sw2. At the same time, the first substrate Sw1 on which deposition has been completed is carried out of the vacuum chamber Vc1, and the next substrate Sw is then carried to the first substrate holding means 2 in the vacuum chamber Vc1. 1 Thereafter, this operation is repeated to perform deposition on multiple substrates Sw in sequence.

[0022] As described above, since the inner space of the crucible 12 is divided into a plurality of small spaces Sp by the partition member 3, the fluctuation of the upper surface (liquid surface) of the deposition material Vm is prevented from being significantly propagated in the swap movement direction or the scanning movement direction of the storage box 11 as shown in FIG. 4(a) during the swap movement or the scanning movement of the storage box 11, and as a result, the fluctuation of the upper surface of the deposition material Vm is suppressed as much as possible. As a result, the fluctuation of the amount of the deposition material Vm discharged from the discharge opening 14a is suppressed, and deposition can be performed with a good uniformity of film thickness distribution in the substrate Sw surface. In addition, since the storage box 11 can be subjected to swap movement or scanning movement at a relatively high speed, productivity can be improved.

[0023] Moreover, the partition member 3 is configured by assembling the first and second plate members 31, 32 in a lattice shape, and by providing gaps Gp1 to Gp3 between the partition member 3 and the inner wall and the inner bottom wall of the crucible 12, the partition member 3 can stand on its own, and since the liquid deposition material Vm flows through the gaps Gp1 to Gp3 in each small space Sp, the liquid surface (i.e., evaporation area) of the deposition material Vm in each small space Sp can be maintained uniform. Note that the gaps Gp2, Gp3 are preferably 15 mm or less, and if the gaps Gp2, Gp3 are larger than 15 mm, it becomes impossible to effectively suppress the shaking of the upper surface (liquid surface) of the deposition material Vm. Furthermore, the partition member 3 is provided detachably after the deposition material Vm is filled in the storage box 11, so that the partition member 3 can be easily installed, and the deposition material Vm remaining in the crucible 12 can be easily collected.

[0024] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the storage box 11 is slid in the X-axis direction between the first position P1 and the second position P2 to perform swap movement, but the method of swap movement is not limited to this as long as the storage box 11 is swapped between the first position P1 and the second position P2. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a system in which a rotation axis serving as the center of rotation is provided at the midpoint between the first position and the second position, and the storage box 11 is swapped by rotating around this rotation axis.

[0025] In the above embodiment, the partition member 3 is configured by assembling the first and second plate members 31, 32 in a lattice pattern, but the shape of the partition member 3 is not limited to this as long as it can divide the internal space of the storage box 11 into a plurality of small spaces Sp. For example, the partition member 3 may divide the internal space of the storage box 11 in one direction, the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, or may be assembled to form a staggered or honeycomb structure. In the above embodiment, the sheath heater 13 as a heating means is provided on the outer wall surface of the crucible 12, but the heating means may be provided on the partition member 3.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the evaporation material that transitions from a liquid phase to a gas phase is used as the deposition material Vm, but the present invention can also be applied to a sublimation material that transitions from a solid phase to a gas phase without transitioning to a liquid phase. In this case, the upper surface of the sublimation material filled in the storage box 11 can be prevented from collapsing due to swap movement. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] DM...vacuum deposition apparatus, DS1, DS2...linear deposition source (deposition source), P1...first position, P2...second position, Sp...multiple small spaces, St...moving means, Sw, Sw1, Sw2...substrate (substrate to be processed), Tc...transport chamber (auxiliary chamber), Tr...vacuum transport robot (transporting means), Vc1, Vc2...vacuum chamber, Vm...evaporation material, 11...container, 13...heating means, 14a...discharge opening, 3...partition member, 31...first plate material, 32...second plate material, Gp1 to Gp3...gaps

Claims

1. A deposition source for a vacuum deposition apparatus that is disposed in a vacuum chamber and vaporizes or sublimes a deposition material to deposit the deposition material on a substrate to be processed, comprising: A vapor deposition apparatus comprising: a storage box filled with a vapor deposition material and having an opening on an upper surface for discharging the vaporized vapor deposition material; and a heating means for heating the vapor deposition material in the storage box, the apparatus further comprising a moving means for swapping the storage box between a first position and a second position and for scanning the storage box in one direction while the storage box is in the first position or the second position, a partition member having a height protruding above an upper surface portion of the deposition material facing the emission opening and partitioning the internal space of the storage box into a plurality of small spaces is provided in the storage box; A deposition source for a vacuum deposition device, characterized in that the partition member is constructed by assembling plate materials in a lattice pattern, gaps are provided between the partition member and an inner wall and an inner bottom wall of the storage box, and the gap between the partition member and the inner wall of the storage box is 15 mm or less.

2. 2. The deposition source for a vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partition member is detachably provided after the deposition material is filled in the container box.

3. 3. A vacuum deposition apparatus comprising the deposition source according to claim 1 or 2 and a vacuum chamber in which the deposition source is provided, the apparatus placing a substrate to be processed in the vacuum chamber in a vacuum atmosphere, vaporizing a deposition material and scanning the container box in one direction to deposit a predetermined thin film on a surface of the substrate to be processed, a vacuum deposition apparatus comprising: an auxiliary chamber for storing a substrate to be processed, connected to the vacuum chamber; and a transport means for transporting the substrate to be processed between the auxiliary chamber and predetermined positions in the vacuum chamber corresponding to the first position and the second position of the container box, respectively.

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