Film forming equipment

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of suitably performing an absorption of a substrate by an absorption plate.SOLUTION: A film deposition apparatus includes: a chamber for maintaining inside vacuum; an absorption plate 15 that is arranged in the chamber and absorbs the substrate; and a substrate support part 6 that is arranged inside the chamber and has multiple substrate mounting parts 62, 63 for supporting the substrate 100 below the absorption plate 15. The film deposition apparatus includes: detection means 801 for detecting each height of multiple substrate mounting parts 62, 63 in a relation to the absorption plate 15 in a state where an inside of the chamber is maintained in vacuum; and adjustment means 811 for adjusting a mounting position of the substrate 100 on multiple substrate mounting parts 62, 63 based on a detection result of the detection means 81 in a state where the inside of the chamber is maintained in vacuum.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacture of organic electroluminescence displays and the like, a thin film is formed on a substrate using a film-forming material using a mask. As a pre-processing step for film formation, the mask and the substrate are aligned and then superimposed. Patent Document 1 discloses that alignment is performed by bringing the substrate and the mask close together while the substrate is attached to an attachment plate such as an electrostatic chuck. It also discloses that when attaching the substrate, the heights of multiple support parts that support the substrate are made different from each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-117922 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the chamber is depressurized, the chamber walls may deform due to atmospheric pressure, which may cause the position of the device inside the chamber to shift, causing the height of the support to change from its intended height, which may make it difficult for the substrate to be adsorbed onto the adsorption plate.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables a substrate to be more appropriately attracted to an attraction plate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problems.

[0007] That is, the film forming apparatus of the present invention is a chamber that maintains a vacuum inside; a position adjustment unit fixed to an outer side of an upper wall of the chamber and configured to adjust the position of the substrate; provided inside the chamber, The aforementioned an adsorption plate for adsorbing the substrate; a substrate support section provided inside the chamber and having a plurality of substrate placement sections that support the substrate below the suction plate; a plurality of support shafts connected to the position adjustment unit, passing through openings in the upper wall of the chamber and supporting the plurality of substrate placement units, respectively; In a film forming apparatus comprising: a detection means for detecting the height of each of the plurality of substrate placement parts while the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum; When the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum, the heights of the plurality of substrate placement parts are adjusted based on the detection results of the detection means. Independently an adjusting means for adjusting; The present invention is characterized by comprising: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the substrate can be more appropriately attracted to the attraction plate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of part of an electronic device manufacturing line. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a substrate support unit and an adsorption plate. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram of the electrical wiring of the suction plate. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of a process for overlapping a substrate and a mask using an adsorption plate. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a control process. [Figure 10]10 is a flowchart showing a specific example of adjusting the height of the placement unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an organic EL display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] [Embodiment] <Electronic device manufacturing line> Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the configuration of a manufacturing line for electronic devices to which the film formation apparatus of the present invention can be applied. The manufacturing line of Fig. 1 is used, for example, to manufacture display panels for organic EL display devices for smartphones, in which substrates 100 are sequentially transported to a film formation block 301, and an organic EL film is formed on the substrates 100. Note that, although a cluster-type manufacturing apparatus will be described as an example in this embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus to which the film formation apparatus of the present invention can be applied can also be applied to an in-line-type manufacturing apparatus.

[0012] In the film formation block 301, a plurality of film formation chambers 303a to 303d in which film formation processing is performed on the substrate 100 and a mask storage chamber 305 in which masks before and after use are stored are arranged around a transfer chamber 302 that has an octagonal shape in a plan view. A transfer robot 302a that transfers the substrate 100 is arranged in the transfer chamber 302. The transfer robot 302a includes a hand that holds the substrate 100 and an articulated arm that moves the hand horizontally. In other words, the film formation block 301 is a cluster-type film formation unit in which a plurality of film formation chambers 303a to 303d are arranged around the transfer robot 302a. When the film formation chambers 303a to 303d are collectively referred to or when no distinction is made between them, they are referred to as film formation chambers 303.

[0013] A buffer chamber 306, a swirl chamber 307, and a delivery chamber 308 are disposed upstream and downstream of the film-forming block 301 in the transport direction (arrow direction) of the substrate 100, respectively. Each chamber is maintained in a vacuum state during the manufacturing process. Although only one film-forming block 301 is shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing line according to this embodiment has multiple film-forming blocks 301, which are connected by a connecting device made up of the buffer chamber 306, the swirl chamber 307, and the delivery chamber 308. The configuration of the connecting device is not limited to this, and may be, for example, composed of only the buffer chamber 306 or the delivery chamber 308.

[0014] The transport robot 302a transports the substrate 100 from the upstream delivery chamber 308 to the transport chamber 302, transports the substrate 100 between the film formation chambers 303, transports the mask between the mask storage chamber 305 and the film formation chamber 303, and transports the substrate 100 from the transport chamber 302 to the downstream buffer chamber 306.

[0015] The buffer chamber 306 is a chamber for temporarily storing the substrates 100 depending on the operating status of the production line. The buffer chamber 306 is provided with a substrate storage shelf, also called a cassette, and an elevating mechanism. The substrate storage shelf has a multi-stage structure that can store multiple substrates 100 while maintaining a horizontal state in which the surface to be processed (surface to be film-formed) of the substrate 100 faces downward in the direction of gravity. The elevating mechanism is The substrate storage shelf is raised or lowered to match the stage where the substrates 100 are carried in or out with the transfer position, thereby allowing a plurality of substrates 100 to be temporarily stored and retained in the buffer chamber 306.

[0016] The swirl chamber 307 is equipped with a device for changing the orientation of the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the swirl chamber 307 rotates the orientation of the substrate 100 by 180 degrees using a transfer robot provided in the swirl chamber 307. The transfer robot provided in the swirl chamber 307 rotates 180 degrees while supporting the substrate 100 received in the buffer chamber 306 and delivers it to the delivery chamber 308, thereby swapping the front and rear ends of the substrate between the buffer chamber 306 and the delivery chamber 308. This ensures that the orientation of the substrate 100 when carried into the film formation chamber 303 is the same in each film formation block 301, and therefore the scan direction of film formation on the substrate S and the orientation of the mask can be consistent in each film formation block 301. With this configuration, the orientation of the masks installed in the mask storage chambers 305 in each film formation block 301 can be consistent, simplifying mask management and improving usability.

[0017] The control system of the production line includes a host device 300 that controls the entire line as a host computer, and control devices 14a-14d, 309, and 310 that control each component, and these can communicate via a wired or wireless communication line 300a. The control devices 14a-14d are provided corresponding to the film formation chambers 303a-303d and control the film formation apparatus 1 described below. When the control devices 14a-14d are referred to collectively or when no distinction is made between them, they will be referred to as the control device 14.

[0018] The control device 309 controls the transfer robot 302a. The control device 310 controls the transfer robot provided in the swirl chamber 307. The host device 300 transmits information about the substrate 100 and instructions such as 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.

[0019] <Overview of the film deposition equipment> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a film forming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment. The film forming apparatus 1, installed in a film forming chamber 303, forms a thin film on a substrate 100 using a film forming material. A mask 101 is used to form a thin film with a predetermined pattern. The substrate 100 on which a film is formed by the film forming apparatus 1 can be made of glass, resin, metal, or other suitable material. For example, a glass substrate with a resin layer such as polyimide formed thereon is preferably used. The deposition material may be an organic material or an inorganic material (metal, metal oxide, or the like). The film forming apparatus 1 is applicable to manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing electronic devices such as display devices (e.g., flat panel displays), thin-film solar cells, and organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic thin-film imaging elements), as well as optical components. It is particularly suitable for use in manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing organic EL panels. In the following description, an example will be described in which the film forming apparatus 1 forms a film on the substrate 100 by vacuum deposition. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various film forming apparatuses that perform sputtering, CVD, or the like. In each drawing, arrow Z indicates the vertical direction, and arrows X and Y indicate horizontal directions that are orthogonal to each other.

[0020] The film forming apparatus 1 has a box-shaped vacuum chamber 3 (also simply referred to as a chamber) capable of maintaining a vacuum inside. 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). In this specification, "vacuum" refers to a state filled with 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 position, a mask table 5 that supports a mask 101, a film forming unit 4, a plate unit 9, and an adsorption plate 15 are arranged. The mask 101 is a metal mask having an opening pattern corresponding to the thin film pattern to be formed on the substrate 100, and is placed on the mask table 5. The mask table 5 fixes the mask 101 in a predetermined position. It is possible to use other means. The mask 101 may be a mask having a structure in which a mask foil having a thickness of about several μm to several tens of μm is welded and fixed to a frame-shaped mask frame. The material of the mask 101 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a metal with a low thermal expansion coefficient such as Invar. The film formation process is performed in a state in which the substrate 100 is placed on the mask 101 and the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are superimposed on each other.

[0021] 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 relative to the magnet plate 11. The cooling plate 10 has a function of cooling the substrate 100 attracted to the attraction plate 15 by contacting the attraction plate 15 during film formation. The cooling plate 10 is not limited to a plate equipped with a water-cooling mechanism or the like to actively cool the substrate 100, but may be a plate-like member that does not have a water-cooling mechanism or the like but removes heat from the substrate 100 by contacting the attraction plate 15. 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 functions to improve adhesion between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during film formation.

[0022] It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the cooling plate 10 and the magnetic plate 11 are not provided. For example, if the attraction plate 15 is provided with a cooling mechanism, the cooling plate 10 does not need to be provided. Also, if the attraction plate 15 attracts the mask 101, the magnetic plate 11 does not need to be provided.

[0023] The film forming unit 4 is a unit having an evaporation source, and in addition to the evaporation source, is equipped with a heater, a shutter, an evaporation source drive mechanism, an evaporation rate monitor, etc. More specifically, in this embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is a linear evaporation source in which multiple nozzles (not shown) are arranged in the X direction, and evaporation material is emitted from each nozzle. For example, the linear evaporation source is moved back and forth in the Y direction (depth direction of the apparatus) by an evaporation source moving mechanism (not shown). In this embodiment, the film forming unit 4 is provided in the same vacuum chamber 3 as the alignment apparatus 2, which will be described later. However, in an embodiment in which film forming processing is performed in a chamber other than the vacuum chamber 3 in which alignment is performed, the film forming unit 4 is not provided in the vacuum chamber 3.

[0024] <Alignment device> The film forming apparatus 1 includes an alignment device 2 as an alignment means for aligning a substrate 100 and a mask 101. The alignment device 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 / lowering unit 13, measurement units 7 and 8, an adjustment unit 17, a floating portion 19, and a detection unit (second detection unit) 16. Each component of the alignment device will be described below.

[0025] (Substrate support unit) The alignment device 2 includes a substrate support unit 6 that supports the peripheral edge of the substrate 100. The following description will be made with reference to Figure 3 in addition to Figure 2. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the substrate support unit 6 and the suction plate 15, as viewed from below.

[0026] The substrate support unit 6 includes a plurality of base portions 61a to 61d that form its outer frame, and a plurality of placement portions 62 and 63 that protrude inward from the base portions 61a to 61d. The placement portions 62 and 63 are sometimes called "receiving claws" or "fingers." The base portions 61a to 61d are each supported by a support shaft R3. The plurality of placement portions 62 are arranged at intervals on the base portions 61a to 61d so as to receive the long sides of the peripheral edge of the substrate 100. The plurality of placement portions 63 are also arranged at intervals on the base portions 61a to 61d so as to receive the short sides of the peripheral edge of the substrate 100. The substrate 100 that is carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the transfer robot 302a is supported by the plurality of placement portions 62 and 63. Hereinafter, the base portion 61a 61d are collectively referred to as the base portion 61, or when no distinction is made between them.

[0027] In this embodiment, the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63 are composed of leaf springs, and when the substrate 100 supported by the multiple mounting portions 62 and 63 is adsorbed onto the adsorption plate 15, the elastic force of the leaf springs can press the substrate 100 against the adsorption plate 15.

[0028] 3, a rectangular frame body with a partial cutout is formed by four base portions 61, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the base portions 61 may be a continuous rectangular frame body that surrounds the outer periphery of the rectangular substrate 100. However, by providing cutouts by a plurality of base portions 61, the transfer robot 302a can retreat while avoiding the base portions 61 when transferring the substrate 100 to the placement portions 62 and 63. This improves the efficiency of transferring and transferring the substrate 100.

[0029] In addition, the substrate support unit 6 may be provided with multiple clamping sections corresponding to the multiple mounting sections 62 and 63, and the peripheral edge of the substrate 100 placed on the mounting sections 62 and 63 may be clamped and held by the clamping sections.

[0030] (Adsorption plate) 2 and 3, the alignment device 2 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 3 and includes an adsorption plate 15 capable of adsorbing the substrate 100. In this embodiment, the adsorption plate 15 is provided between the substrate support unit 6 and the plate unit 9 and is supported by one or more support shafts R1. In this embodiment, the adsorption plate 15 is supported by four support shafts R1. In one embodiment, the support shafts R1 are cylindrical shafts.

[0031] In this embodiment, the attraction plate 15 is an electrostatic chuck that attracts the substrate 100 by electrostatic force. For example, the attraction plate 15 has a structure in which an electric circuit such as a metal electrode is embedded inside a ceramic matrix (also called a base). For example, in each electrode arrangement region 151, a pair of electrodes to which positive and negative voltages are applied to generate electrostatic attraction is arranged. The positive and negative electrodes are arranged alternately within one electrode arrangement region 151. When positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are applied to the metal electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151, a polarization charge is induced in the substrate 100 through the ceramic matrix, and the substrate 100 is attracted and fixed to the attraction surface 150 of the attraction plate 15 due to the electrostatic attraction (electrostatic force) between the substrate 100 and the attraction plate 15.

[0032] The suction plate 15 also includes a voltage control unit (not shown) that controls the magnitude of the voltage applied to the electrodes, the start time of the voltage application, the duration of the voltage application, the order of voltage application, etc. The voltage control unit can control the voltage application to the multiple electrode arrangement regions 151 independently of each other.

[0033] The electrode arrangement area 151 can be set as appropriate. For example, in this embodiment, the plurality of electrode arrangement areas 151 are provided spaced apart from one another, but one electrode arrangement area 151 may be formed over substantially the entire surface of the adsorption surface 150 of the adsorption plate 15.

[0034] Furthermore, a plurality of touch sensors 1621 that detect contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 are embedded in the suction plate 15. In this embodiment, a total of nine touch sensors 1621 are provided. Four touch sensors 1621 are provided along each of the long sides of the periphery of the suction plate 15, and one touch sensor 1621 is provided in the center of the suction plate 15. In this way, by providing the touch sensors 1621 at multiple locations on the suction plate 15, it is possible to check whether the entire surface of the substrate 100 is being suctioned to the suction surface 150. The number and arrangement of the touch sensors 1621 can be changed as appropriate.

[0035] In this embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 mechanically detects contact between itself and an object. As an example, the tip of the touch sensor 1621 is biased by a spring or the like, and is provided so that the tip protrudes from the suction surface 150 when not in contact with the substrate 100 or the like. When the substrate 100 contacts the tip of the touch sensor 1621, the tip is pushed by the substrate 100 and retracts toward the suction plate 15, and contacts an internal contact, thereby outputting a predetermined electrical signal. The shape of the tip is not particularly limited and may be button-shaped or rod-shaped. By appropriately setting the length by which the tip protrudes from the suction surface 150 when not in contact with the object, the touch sensor 1621 can essentially detect contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100. Furthermore, as described below, the plurality of touch sensors 1621 constitute a second detection unit 16 that detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask stage 5 (see <Second Detection Unit>).

[0036] In this embodiment, the suction plate 15 is provided with a fiber sensor 1622 that detects the state of suction of the substrate 100 to the suction plate 15. The fiber sensor 1622 includes a light emitter 1622a and a light receiver 1622b. The light emitter 1622a and the light receiver 1622b are provided below the suction plate 15, for example, several millimeters to several tens of millimeters below the suction plate 15, so as to form an optical path 1622c. If a portion of the substrate 100 is not attached to the suction plate 15, that portion will bend downward due to gravity. If the substrate 100 is bent after the suction process of the substrate 100 being attached to the suction plate 15, the bent portion will block the optical path 1622c, and the bending of the substrate 100 will be detected. In other words, it is possible to detect that the substrate 100 is not being properly attached. Note that a configuration without the fiber sensor 1622 may also be adopted.

[0037] Furthermore, a plurality of openings 152 are formed in the attraction plate 15, and measurement units (first measurement unit 7 and second measurement unit 8) described later capture images of mask marks described later through the plurality of openings 152.

[0038] Please also refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure from the suction plate 15 to the support shaft R1. FIG. 4 is also an explanatory diagram of the electrical wiring of the suction plate, illustrating the wiring for supplying electricity to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151 of the suction plate 15. In this embodiment, the multiple support shafts R1 supporting the suction plate 15 are formed into hollow cylindrical shapes. Electric wires 153 for applying positive (+) and negative (-) voltages are wired to pass through the inside of the support shafts R1. In the example of FIG. 4, two electric wires 153 are shown, one each for applying positive (+) and negative (-) voltages. The electric wires 153 extending from the lower part of the support shaft R1 into the vacuum chamber 3 extend along the short sides of the suction plate 15 and are connected to electrical connection parts 154 provided approximately in the center of the short sides. In other words, the electric wires 153 are led from the outside to the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 via the support shafts R1 and connected to the electrical connection parts 154. Furthermore, 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 .

[0039] In this embodiment, four support shafts R1 are provided, and various electric wires (cables) are led through these support shafts R1 into the vacuum chamber 3. In one embodiment, electric wires 153 that supply electricity to the suction plate 15 pass inside two support shafts R1 provided diagonally, and bundled cables for the touch sensor 1621, a fiber sensor 1622 (described later), and the like pass inside the remaining two support shafts R1.

[0040] (position adjustment unit) The alignment device 2 includes a position adjustment unit 20 that adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100, the peripheral portion of which is supported by the substrate support unit 6, or the substrate 100, which is attracted by the attraction plate 15, and the mask 101. The position adjustment unit 20 adjusts the relative position of the substrate 100, the peripheral portion of which is supported by the substrate support unit 6, or the substrate 100, which is attracted by the attraction plate 15, and the mask 101. The position of the substrate 100 relative to the mask 101 is adjusted by displacing the suction plate 15 on the XY plane. That is, the position adjustment unit 20 can also be said to be a unit that adjusts the horizontal positions 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 and Y directions, and in a rotational direction around the Z axis. In this 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 also be displaced to adjust the position, or both the substrate 100 and the mask 101 may be displaced.

[0041] In this embodiment, the position adjustment unit 20 includes a fixed plate 20a, a movable plate 20b, and a plurality of actuators 201 arranged between these plates. The fixed plate 20a is fixed onto the upper wall 30 of the vacuum chamber 3. A frame-shaped base 21 is mounted on the movable plate 20b, and a distance adjustment unit 22 and a plate unit lifting / lowering unit 13 are supported on the base 21. When the actuator 201 displaces the movable plate 20b in the horizontal direction relative to the fixed plate 20a, the base 21, distance adjustment unit 22, and plate unit lifting / lowering unit 13 are displaced together.

[0042] The multiple actuators 201 include, for example, an actuator that can displace the movable plate 20b in the X direction and an actuator that can displace the movable plate 20b in the Y direction. By controlling the amount of movement of these actuators, the movable plate 20b can be displaced in the X and Y directions and in a rotational direction around the Z axis. For example, the multiple actuators 201 can 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.

[0043] (distance adjustment unit) The distance adjustment unit 22 raises and lowers the suction plate 15 and the substrate support unit 6 to adjust the distance between them and the mask table 5, thereby moving the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer to or farther apart in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the substrate 100. In other words, the distance adjustment unit 22 moves the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer to each other in the direction in which they are superimposed, and moves them apart in the opposite direction. The "distance" adjusted by the distance adjustment unit 22 is the so-called vertical distance (or perpendicular distance), and the distance adjustment unit can also be said to be a unit that adjusts the vertical positions of the mask 101 and the substrate 100.

[0044] 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 mount 21, and the first lifting plate 220 can be raised and lowered in the Z direction along the guide rail 21a.

[0045] The first lift plate 220 supports the suction plate 15 via a plurality of support shafts R1. When the first lift plate 220 moves up and down, the suction plate 15 moves up and down accordingly. In other words, the first lift plate 220 supports a plurality of support shafts R1 that support the suction plate 15, and as the first lift plate 220 moves up and down, the plurality of support shafts R1 move up and down synchronously, causing the suction plate 15 to move up and down while maintaining its parallelism. The first lift plate 220 also supports the substrate support unit 6 via a plurality of actuators 65 and a plurality of support shafts R3. When the first lift plate 220 moves up and down, the substrate support unit 6 moves up and down accordingly. The plurality of actuators 65 can move the plurality of support shafts R3, each connected to the actuators 65, in the vertical direction. The substrate support unit 6 moves vertically relative to the suction plate 15 by the plurality of actuators 65. The actuators 65 are configured by, for example, a motor and a ball screw mechanism, and are capable of moving the support shaft R3 in the vertical direction.

[0046] The lifting and lowering of the first lifting plate 220 will now be described in more detail. is supported by the base 21 and includes a drive unit 221 as an actuator for raising and lowering the first lift plate 220. The drive unit 221 is a mechanism for transmitting the driving force of a motor 221a, which is a driving source, to the first lift plate 220. In this embodiment, a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 221b and a ball nut 221c is used as the transmission mechanism of the drive unit 221. The ball screw shaft 221b extends in the Z direction and rotates around an axis in the Z direction by the driving force of the motor 221a. The ball nut 221c is fixed to the first lift plate 220 and meshes with the ball screw shaft 221b. The first lift plate 220 is raised and lowered in the Z direction by rotating the ball screw shaft 221b and switching the rotation direction. The amount of lift of the first lift plate 220 can be controlled, for example, based on the detection results of a sensor such as a rotary encoder that detects the rotation amount of the motor 221a. This makes it possible to control the position in the Z direction of the suction plate 15 that suctions and supports the substrate 100, and to control contact and separation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. In addition, an adjustment unit 17, which will be described later, is provided above the first lifting plate 220.

[0047] In the distance adjustment unit 22 of this embodiment, the position of the mask table 5 is fixed, and the substrate support unit 6 and the suction plate 15 are moved to adjust the distance therebetween in the Z direction. However, the distance adjustment unit is not limited to this configuration. The positions of the substrate support unit 6 or the suction plate 15 may be fixed, and adjustment may be performed by moving the mask table 5, or a mechanism may be employed in which the substrate support unit 6, the suction plate 15, and the mask table 5 are moved individually to adjust the distance therebetween.

[0048] (Plate unit lifting unit) The plate unit lifting unit 13 lifts and lowers the second lifting plate 12, which is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 3, thereby lifting and lowering the plate unit 9, which is connected to the second lifting plate 12 and disposed inside the vacuum chamber 3. The plate unit 9 is connected to the second lifting plate 12 via one or more support shafts R2. In this embodiment, the plate unit 9 is supported by two support shafts R2. The support shafts R2 extend upward from the magnet plate 11 and pass through openings in the upper wall portion 30, the openings in the fixed plate 20a and the movable plate 20b, and the opening in the first lifting plate 220, before being connected to the second lifting plate 12.

[0049] The second lift plate 12 can be raised and lowered in the Z direction along the guide shaft 12a. The plate unit lift unit 13 is supported by the base 21 and includes a drive mechanism for raising and lowering the second lift plate 12. This drive mechanism transmits the driving force of a motor 13a, which serves as a drive source, to the second lift plate 12. In this embodiment, the plate unit lift unit 13 uses a ball screw mechanism having a ball screw shaft 13b and a ball nut 13c as its transmission mechanism. The ball screw shaft 13b extends in the Z direction and rotates around its axis in the Z direction due to the driving force of the motor 13a. The ball nut 13c is fixed to the second lift plate 12 and engages with the ball screw shaft 13b. The second lift plate 12 is raised and lowered in the Z direction by rotating the ball screw shaft 13b and switching the direction of rotation. The amount of lift of the second lift plate 12 can be controlled, for example, based on the detection results of a sensor, such as a rotary encoder, that detects the rotation amount of the motor 13a. This makes it possible to control the position of the plate unit 9 in the Z direction and to control contact and separation between the plate unit 9 and the substrate 100.

[0050] The openings in the upper wall 30 of the vacuum chamber 3, through which the support shafts R1 to R3 pass, are large enough to allow the support shafts R1 to R3 to move in the X and Y directions. To maintain the airtightness of the vacuum chamber 3, bellows or the like are provided in the openings in the upper wall 30 through which the support shafts R1 to R3 pass. For example, the support shaft R1 that supports the first lifting plate 220 is covered with bellows 31 (see FIG. 4, etc.).

[0051] (measurement unit) The alignment device 2 includes measurement units (first measurement unit 7 and second measurement unit 8) that measure the positional misalignment between the substrate 100, whose peripheral edge is supported by the substrate support unit 6, and the mask 101. The following description will be made with reference to FIG. 5 in addition to FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8, showing how the positional misalignment between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is measured. In this embodiment, the first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 are both imaging devices (cameras) that capture images. The first measurement unit 7 and the second measurement unit 8 are disposed above the upper wall 30, and are capable of capturing images of the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 through a window (not shown) formed in the upper wall 30.

[0052] Substrate rough alignment marks 100a and substrate fine alignment marks 100b are formed on substrate 100, and mask rough alignment marks 101a and mask fine marks 101b are formed on mask 101. Hereinafter, substrate rough alignment mark 100a will be referred to as substrate rough mark 100a, and substrate fine alignment mark 100b will be referred to as substrate fine mark 100b, and both will sometimes be collectively referred to as substrate marks. Furthermore, mask rough alignment mark 101a will be referred to as mask rough mark 101a, and mask fine alignment mark 101b will be referred to as mask fine mark 101b, and both will sometimes be collectively referred to as mask marks.

[0053] Substrate rough mark 100a is formed in the center of a short side of substrate 100. Substrate fine marks 100b are formed at the four corners of substrate 100. Mask rough mark 101a is formed in the center of a short side of mask 101 in correspondence with substrate rough mark 100a. Mask fine marks 101b are formed at the four corners of mask 101 in correspondence with substrate fine marks 100b.

[0054] Four second measurement units 8 are provided to capture images of each pair (four pairs in this embodiment) of corresponding substrate fine marks 100b and mask fine marks 101b. The second measurement units 8 are high-magnification CCD cameras (fine cameras) with a relatively narrow field of view but high resolution (for example, on the order of several μm), and measure the misalignment between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 with high precision. One first measurement unit 7 is provided, and captures images of each pair (two pairs in this embodiment) of corresponding substrate rough marks 100a and mask rough marks 101a.

[0055] The first measurement unit 7 is a low-magnification CCD camera (rough camera) with a relatively wide field of view but low resolution, and measures the rough positional deviation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. In the example of Fig. 5, a configuration is shown in which two sets of substrate rough marks 100a and mask rough marks 101a are simultaneously imaged by one first measurement unit 7, but this is not limiting. As with the second measurement unit 8, two first measurement units 7 may be provided at positions corresponding to each set of substrate rough marks 100a and mask rough marks 101a so as to image each set separately.

[0056] In this embodiment, after rough positional adjustment between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement results of the first measurement unit 7, precise positional adjustment between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 is performed based on the measurement results of the second measurement unit 8.

[0057] (adjustment unit) The alignment device 2 includes an adjustment unit 17. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the adjustment unit 17 (adjustment device). The adjustment unit 17 is a unit that adjusts the relative tilt between the attraction plate 15 and the mask table 5. In this embodiment, the adjustment unit 17 adjusts the relative tilt between the attraction plate 15 and the mask table 5 by moving the attraction plate 15. More specifically, by adjusting the axial positions of at least some of the support axes R1 among the multiple support axes R1, The relative inclination between the chucking plate 15 and the mask table 5 is adjusted.

[0058] The adjustment unit 17 has a plurality of operation units 171 operated by an operator. In this embodiment, a plurality of operation units 171 are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of support axes R1. When an operation unit 171 is operated, the corresponding support axis R1 moves in the vertical direction, which is its axial direction, independently of the other support axes R1. That is, each of the plurality of operation units 171 can independently adjust the vertical position at which the corresponding support axis R1 supports the chucking plate 15. Therefore, the operator can adjust the relative tilt between the chucking plate 15 and the mask table 5 by operating the operation unit 171. To increase the degree of freedom of adjustment, it is preferable to provide an operation unit 171 for each of the plurality of support axes R1. However, if an operation unit 171 is provided for at least one support axis R1, the relative tilt between the chucking plate 15 and the mask table 5 can be adjusted within a certain range.

[0059] In this embodiment, the operating unit 171 is an adjusting nut that moves the support shaft R1 in the vertical direction, which is its axial direction. The adjusting nut and the thread 172 formed on the support shaft R1 are provided to threadably engage with each other, and when the adjusting nut is turned by an operator, the support shaft R1 moves.

[0060] In this 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 a 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 adjustments using the adjustment unit 17 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained at a vacuum.

[0061] In addition, a bending portion 18 is provided between the support shaft R1 and the suction plate 15 to connect the support shaft R1 and the suction plate 15 so that the angle of the suction plate 15 relative to the support shaft R1 can be varied. In this 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.

[0062] In this embodiment, the multiple 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 shafts R1 differs between a state in which the suction plate 15 is held horizontal, as in state ST1 shown on the left side of FIG. 6 , and a state in which the suction plate 15 is tilted, as in state ST2 shown on the right side of FIG. 6 . In this embodiment, the suction plate 15 is bent with respect to the support shafts R1 at the bending portions 18, so that the support shafts R1 can support the suction plate 15 even when the suction plate 15 is tilted. The bending portions 18 can be appropriately configured with a structure, such as a universal joint, that connects two members in a manner that allows the connection angle between the two members to be changed.

[0063] Here, the configuration of the adjustment unit 17 will be described in comparison with the distance adjustment unit 22. When the first lift plate 220 of the distance adjustment unit 22 moves up and down, all of the multiple support shafts R1 supported by the first lift plate 220 are moved up and down by the same amount, that is, the multiple support shafts R1 are moved up and down synchronously. Therefore, the suction plate 15 moves up and down while maintaining its parallelism or relative tilt with respect to the mask table 5. Meanwhile, the adjustment unit 17 can move any of the multiple support shafts R1 in the vertical direction (axial direction) relative to the first lift plate 220 independently of the other support shafts R1. For example, the adjustment unit 17 can adjust the axial position of the remaining support shaft R1 without changing the positions of the three support shafts R1. This allows the adjustment unit 17 to adjust the tilt of the suction plate 15 supported by the multiple support shafts R1.

[0064] (Floating part) The alignment device 2 includes a floating portion 19. The floating portion 19 is provided between the bent portion 18 and the suction plate 15. The floating portion 19 includes an elastic member 19. The floating portion 19 includes a support shaft R1, a bushing 192, a shaft member 193, a suction plate support portion 194, and a flange 195. The shaft member 193 is provided so as to extend downward from the bent portion 18. The bushing 192 is provided so as to be interposed in the annular gap between the shaft member 193 and the suction plate support portion 194, and reduces friction and rattle between them. For example, the bushing 192 is formed from a sintered metal material with good slipperiness. The suction plate support portion 194 supports the suction plate 15. The elastic member 191 is provided between the suction plate support portion 194 and the flange 195 provided on the shaft member 193 and is configured to bear the load of the suction plate 15. In other words, the floating portion 19 is connected to the support shaft R1 via the bent portion 18, and the elastic member 191 of the floating portion 19 supports the suction plate 15. In this way, the support shaft R1 supports the suction plate 15 via the elastic member 191 of the floating portion 19, thereby reducing the load applied to the mask 101 when the suction plate 15 comes into contact with the mask 101 and ensuring the suction plate 15 can escape when it comes into contact with the mask 101.

[0065] (Second detection unit) The alignment device 2 includes a second detection unit 16. Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, the second detection unit 16 detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5. In this embodiment, the parallelism indicates the relative tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5. In this embodiment, the second detection unit 16 includes the aforementioned touch sensors 1621 provided on the suction plate 15. The touch sensors 1621 are attached to the suction plate 15 so that the lengths of their tips protruding from the suction surface 150 are approximately equal. By attaching the touch sensors 1621 to the suction plate 15, changes in the relative positions of the suction plate 15 and the touch sensors 1621 can be minimized even when the vacuum chamber 3 is deformed by atmospheric pressure. In other words, even in a vacuum state, the protruding lengths of the tips of the touch sensors 1621 hardly change and remain approximately equal to each other. Therefore, if all of the touch sensors 1621 react almost simultaneously when the suction plate 15 moves, it can be determined that the parallelism is high, in other words, that the relative tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 is small. By appropriately changing the length of the tip protruding from the suction surface 150, a predetermined non-parallel tilt can be set as a target value. The operation of detecting the parallelism of the suction plate 15 using the second detection unit 16 will be described later. In this embodiment, the touch sensor 1621 serves to both detect contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate 100 and detect the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5. This allows for a reduction in the number of sensors compared to when separate sensors are provided for these functions.

[0066] <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, such as 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, RAM, or HDD, and stores various control information in addition to the program executed by the processing unit 141. The I / O 143 is an interface for transmitting and receiving signals between the processing unit 141 and external devices. The communication unit 144 is a communication device that communicates with the 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. All or part of the control devices 14, 309, 310 and the higher-level device 300 may be configured using a PLC, ASIC, or FPGA.

[0067] <Substrate and mask overlay process> FIG. 7 illustrates the process of superposing the substrate 100 and the mask 101 using the suction plate 15. Figure 7 shows the different stages of the process.

[0068] In state ST100, 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.

[0069] State ST101 shows a state in which the substrate support unit 6 has risen as a preparation stage for the suction plate 15 to suction the substrate 100. The substrate support unit 6 is raised from state ST100 by the actuator 65 so as to approach the suction plate 15. In state ST101, the peripheral edge of the substrate 100 supported by the substrate support unit 6 is in contact with or slightly spaced apart from the suction plate 15. On the other hand, the central portion of the substrate 100 is bent due to its own weight and is therefore spaced apart from the suction plate 15 compared to the peripheral edge.

[0070] State ST102 shows a state in which the substrate 100 is attracted to the attraction plate 15. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes arranged in the electrode arrangement region 151 of the attraction plate 15, the substrate 100 is attracted to the attraction plate 15 by electrostatic force.

[0071] State ST103 shows a state when it is detected whether or not the substrate 100 is normally adsorbed to the suction plate 15. When the substrate support unit 6 has descended and is separated from the substrate 100, it is detected whether or not the substrate 100 is adsorbed to the suction plate 15 based on the detection value of the touch sensor 1621. For example, when all the touch sensors 1621 embedded in the suction plate 15 detect contact with the substrate 100, the control device 14 determines that the substrate 100 is normally adsorbed to the suction plate 15. Furthermore, when a fiber sensor 1622 is provided, it is also possible to determine whether or not the substrate 100 is normally adsorbed based on the output from the fiber sensor 1622.

[0072] State ST104 shows a state during the alignment operation between the substrate 100 and the mask 101. The control device 14 causes the distance adjustment unit 22 to lower the suction plate 15 to bring the substrate 100 and the mask 101 closer to each other, and then causes the position adjustment unit 20 to perform the alignment operation.

[0073] State ST105 shows a state in which the substrate 100 and the mask 101 are brought into closer contact with each other by the magnetic plate 11. After the alignment operation is completed, the control device 14 causes the plate unit 9 to descend using the plate unit lifting unit 13. As the magnetic plate 11 approaches the substrate 100 and the mask 101, the mask 101 is drawn toward the substrate 100, improving the contact between the substrate 100 and the mask 101.

[0074] The above-described operations complete the process of superposing the substrate 100 and the mask 101. For example, after this process is completed, a deposition process is performed by the film forming unit 4.

[0075] Incidentally, when aligning the substrate 100 and the mask 101 in the process described above, the tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 can affect the accuracy of the alignment. The alignment accuracy can be improved by shortening the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 during alignment. However, if there is a relative tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5, a portion of the substrate 100 may come into contact with the mask 101, which may result in scratches on the substrate 100. Increasing the distance between the substrate 100 and the mask 101 to protect the substrate 100 can reduce the accuracy of the alignment. Therefore, the parallelism adjustment between the suction plate 15 and the mask table 5 is generally performed when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is at atmospheric pressure. The parallelism adjustment under atmospheric pressure is performed, for example, by inserting a shim into the connecting portion of the substrate support unit 6.

[0076] Next, we will explain in detail the detection means that detects the height of each of the multiple mounting sections (substrate mounting sections) 62, 63 when the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained at a vacuum, and the adjustment means that adjusts the height of each of the multiple mounting sections 62, 63 based on the detection results of the detection means when the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained at a vacuum.

[0077] <Means for detecting the height of the substrate placement section> FIG. 8(a) is a diagram for explaining the mechanisms of the detection means and adjustment means according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows the configuration of a substrate support unit 6 as a substrate support section. FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view that schematically shows the state when the substrate 100 is supported by the substrate placement section after the height has been adjusted by the adjustment means, and when the substrate 100 is adsorbed by the suction plate 15. Note that while FIG. 8 shows one placement section 62, the following description also applies to the other placement sections 62 and 63. Also, the support mechanism for the suction plate 15 (see FIGS. 4, 6, etc.) is not shown in FIG. 8.

[0078] The mounting portion 62 has a touch sensor 801 as a contact detection means for detecting contact with the suction plate 15. The touch sensor 801 includes a contactor 802 to be inserted into a hole 628 provided in the mounting portion 62, and a spring 803 as a biasing member provided deep inside the hole 628 and biasing the contactor 802. The contactor 802 is supported in the hole 628 so as to be displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting surface (upper surface) 620 of the mounting portion 62. A pair of electrical contacts 804 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the hole 628 and functions as an output unit for outputting an electrical signal indicating whether or not the contactor 802 is in contact with the suction plate 15 to a control device.

[0079] The contactor 802 is biased by the spring 803 in a direction to protrude from the substrate mounting surface 620 of the mounting portion 62, and when not in contact with the suction plate 15 or the substrate 100, the tip (upper end) of the contactor 802 protrudes (is exposed) from the substrate mounting surface 620. In addition, the rear end (lower end) of the contactor 802 is separated from the pair of electrical contacts 804. When the distance adjustment unit 22 lowers the suction plate 15 relative to the mounting portion 62 and the tip of the contactor 802 comes into contact with the lower surface of the suction plate 15, the contactor 802 is pushed by the suction plate 15 and displaced in a direction to retract into the hole 628. When the contactor 802 compresses the spring 803 and sinks into the hole 628 to a predetermined depth, the rear end of the contactor 802 comes into contact with the pair of electrical contacts 804 and becomes conductive, and the touch sensor 801 outputs a detection signal indicating contact with the suction plate 15. As described above, the output unit according to this embodiment can output whether the contactor 802 and the suction plate 15 are in contact or not, depending on whether the contactor 802 and the pair of electrical contacts 804 are in contact or not. In this way, the output unit can output different electrical signals depending on whether the contactor 802 is in contact with the suction plate 15 or not. That is, the output unit can output a signal indicating whether the suction plate 15 and the substrate mounting surface 620 are in contact or not, depending on the displacement of the contactor 802. The configuration of the output unit is not limited to the above-described configuration, and various known technologies can be employed as long as they can detect whether the contactor 802 and the suction plate 15 or the like are in contact or not. The shape of the contactor 802 is not particularly limited, and in addition to the illustrated configuration, it may be button-shaped or rod-shaped.

[0080] Here, by appropriately setting the length by which the tip of the contactor 802 protrudes from the substrate mounting surface 620 when not in contact with the suction plate 15 or the substrate 100, the touch sensor 801 can detect whether or not the suction plate 15 and the substrate mounting surface 620 are substantially in contact. The amount of displacement of the contactor 802 from the position of the contactor 802 when not in contact with the suction plate 15 or the like to the position where it contacts the pair of electrical contacts 804 is the "play" from when the contactor 802 actually comes into contact with the suction plate 15 until the output unit outputs a signal indicating contact. In one embodiment, the amount of play is equal to the length by which the contactor 802 protrudes from the substrate mounting surface 620, or the play is slightly smaller. With this configuration, the suction plate 15 can be moved from the substrate mounting surface 620 to the substrate mounting surface 620. 0, a signal indicating the contact can be output by the output unit. In other words, the touch sensor 801 can essentially detect contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate mounting surface 620. Note that the configuration in which the height of each of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 62 to be detected is acquired by detecting contact between the suction plate 15 and the substrate mounting surface 620 is one embodiment. For example, a configuration in which the height of each of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 62 is detected in stages by detecting the degree of depression of the contactor 802 due to contact with the suction plate 15 may be used. In such other embodiments, the relationship between the displacement amount of the play and the length of the contactor 802 protruding from the substrate mounting surface 620 is not limited to the above-mentioned relationship and can be set arbitrarily.

[0081] Furthermore, by arranging a touch sensor 801 on each of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 63, the touch sensor 801 constitutes a first detection unit that detects the parallelism between the chucking plate 15 and the substrate support unit 6. Note that the configuration of the sensor for detecting the height of each of the plurality of mounting portions 62, 63 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 3 is maintained in vacuum is not limited to the contact-type sensor described above. For example, instead of the touch sensor 801, other sensors that can determine the presence or absence of contact, such as a pressure sensor, a capacitance sensor, or a laser distance measuring sensor, may be used.

[0082] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the configuration of the detection means for detecting the heights of the plurality of mounting sections 62, 63 in a vacuum environment includes a distance adjustment unit 22 that raises and lowers (lowers) the suction plate 15 as a first lifting means. However, the configuration for changing the relative position (height) between the suction plate 15 and the mounting sections 62, 63 to activate the touch sensor 801 is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment. For example, the heights of the mounting sections 62, 63 may be detected by the distance adjustment unit 22 that raises and lowers (lifts) the plurality of mounting sections 62, 63, or by a drive configuration that combines the raising and lowering of the mounting sections 62, 63 by a drive section 811 described later, or the lowering of the suction plate 15.

[0083] <Means for Adjusting the Height of the Substrate Mounting Section> The substrate support unit 6 has a drive unit 811 as a second lifting means capable of independently changing the height of each of the plurality of mounting units 62, 63. The drive unit 811 is capable of individually adjusting the height of each of the plurality of mounting units 62, 63 relative to the support axis R3 on which each of the plurality of mounting units 62, 63 is supported. In adjusting the parallelism, which will be described later, the drive unit 811 drives the plurality of mounting units 62, 63 to a desired height based on the output from the touch sensor 801 under the control of the control device.

[0084] The driving unit 811 includes a motor 812 as a driving source, a shaft 813 that is rotated forward and backward by the motor 812, and a nut 814 that moves along the shaft 813 in response to the forward and reverse rotation of the shaft 813. Threads are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 813 and the inner peripheral surface of the nut 814, respectively, with multiple balls disposed between them. The nut 814 is fixed to a support 612 that supports the mounting unit 62. The support 612 is supported by a guide 815 provided on the support shaft R3 so as to be displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the substrate mounting surface 620 of the mounting unit 62 (vertical direction). The extension direction of the shaft 813 is parallel to the direction in which the support 612 is displaceable relative to the support shaft R3. With the above configuration, the forward and reverse rotation of the shaft 813 by the motor 812 can be controlled, thereby causing the support 612 to reciprocate vertically along the guide 815. The height of the mounting part 62 (height of the substrate mounting surface 620) can be adjusted by vertically displacing the support part 612. Note that, although the present embodiment shows a case where a ball screw mechanism is used as the drive part 811, various known techniques such as a rack and pinion mechanism can also be used as the movement mechanism.

[0085] <Adjusting parallelism using the first detection unit> Next, the suction plate 15 and the substrate 10 are detected by using a plurality of touch sensors 801 (first detection units). The adjustment of the parallelism between the support units 6 will now be described. Even if the suction plate 15 and the mounting portions 62, 63 are adjusted to be parallel in an atmospheric pressure environment, distortion or the like may occur in the vacuum chamber 3 due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vacuum chamber 3 when the internal space 3a is evacuated, and tilt may occur between the suction plate 15 and the mounting portions 62, 63. However, when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum, it may not be possible to perform the same adjustment as the parallelism adjustment in an atmospheric pressure environment as described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, the tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mounting portions 62, 63 is adjusted when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is in a vacuum state, making it possible to suppress a decrease in suction performance.

[0086] <Explanation of adjustment operation> FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of control processing by the processing unit 141, illustrating processing when the tilt adjustment operation is performed by the driving unit 811. This flowchart is executed when the air in the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3, which has been under atmospheric pressure, is exhausted by a vacuum pump (not shown) or the like, and the internal space 3a is placed in a vacuum state. This flowchart may be executed periodically while the internal space 3a is in a vacuum state. This flowchart is executed when the substrate 100 is not adsorbed to the suction plate 15 and is not supported by the substrate support unit 6. That is, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the support of the substrate 100 by the mounting units 62, 63 and the adsorption of the substrate 100 by the suction plate 15 are performed after the mounting positions (heights of the substrate mounting surfaces) of the substrates 100 on the respective mounting units 62, 63 are adjusted.

[0087] In step S1 (hereinafter simply referred to as S1, and the same applies to other steps), the processing unit 141 executes a process for detecting parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the placement units 62, 63. In this embodiment, in the parallelism detection process, the processing unit 141 detects the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the placement units 62, 63, and determines whether the detected parallelism is within an allowable range.

[0088] Here, the parallelism may be obtained, for example, based on the time difference between the timing of contact between the suction plate 15 and the plurality of mounting units 62, 63. For example, the time from when the suction plate 15 starts to descend until each of the plurality of mounting units 62, 63 comes into contact with the suction plate 15 may be obtained, and the difference between this time and the shortest time may be used as an index indicating the parallelism. For example, the average value of the time difference between the contact timing of the mounting unit that first comes into contact with the suction plate 15 and the contact timing of the mounting unit that subsequently comes into contact may be obtained, and this may be used as the parallelism.

[0089] In S2, the processing unit 141 ends the flowchart if the parallelism is within the allowable range based on the processing result of S1, and proceeds to S3 if the parallelism is not within the allowable range. For example, the determination may be made based on whether the average value of the contact timing between the plurality of mounting units 62, 63 and the suction plate 15 is within a predetermined threshold time.

[0090] In S3, the processing unit 141 instructs the operator to adjust the tilt. In one embodiment, the processing unit 141 may display a notification on the display unit 145 instructing the operator to adjust the tilt of the suction plate 15 and the placement units 62 and 63. An example of a display instructing the operator to adjust the tilt may be a message such as, "Operate the drive unit of placement unit X to raise placement unit X." That is, information about the placement unit 62 to be adjusted by the drive unit 811 and the direction of adjustment is displayed. The processing unit 141 may also display information such as whether adjustment by the drive unit 811 is necessary and the amount of adjustment by the drive unit 811. The processing unit 141 may transmit information instructing the operator to adjust the tilt to the higher-level device 300, and the higher-level device 300, upon receiving the information, may display an instruction to make the adjustment on a display unit (not shown) or the like.

[0091] In S4, the processing unit 141 accepts the end of adjustment. Specifically, the processing unit 141 accepts, via the input unit 146, an input indicating that the adjustment has been completed by the operator who adjusted the tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mounting units 62, 63. For example, the processing unit 141 may determine that the end of adjustment has been accepted when the operator selects an "End Adjustment" button on the display unit using an input unit such as a pointing device. Upon accepting the end of adjustment, the processing unit 141 returns to S1. Through the process described above, the tilt adjustment between the suction plate 15 and the mounting units 62, 63 is performed until the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the mounting units 62, 63 falls within the allowable range.

[0092] 10 is a flowchart showing a specific example of adjusting the height of the placement units 62, 63. In S11, the processing unit 141 starts lowering the suction plate 15 by using the distance adjustment unit 22. In S12, the processing unit 141 checks whether any of the touch sensors 801 among the plurality of touch sensors 801 detects contact, and if contact is detected, the process proceeds to S13, and if contact is not detected, the determination of S12 is repeated. That is, after starting the lowering of the suction plate 15 in S11, the processing unit 141 continues lowering the suction plate 15 until any of the touch sensors 801 detects contact.

[0093] 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 of the touch sensors 801 first detects contact. The amount of lowering of the suction plate 15 can be appropriately set depending on the desired 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 of the touch sensors 801 detects contact, and then lower the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount from that point. That is, the lowering operation of the suction plate 15 may be performed continuously or in stages. Alternatively, the processing unit 141 may stop the suction plate 15 when the suction plate 15 has further lowered by a predetermined amount after any of the touch sensors 801 detects contact while the suction plate 15 is being lowered. That is, the lowering operation of the attraction plate 15 starting in S11 and the lowering operation of the attraction plate 15 in S13 may be continuous operations or may be independent operations.

[0094] In S14, the processing unit 141 checks whether all of the touch sensors 801 have detected contact, and if all of the touch sensors 801 have detected contact, proceeds to S15, and if at least one of the touch sensors 801 has not detected contact, proceeds to S16.

[0095] Here, when the suction plate 15 and the placement portions 62, 63 are parallel or the inclination between them is relatively small, all of the touch sensors 801 provided on the suction plate 15 detect contact with the placement portions 62, 63 almost simultaneously. Therefore, when the suction plate 15 is lowered a predetermined amount in S13, all of the touch sensors 801 can detect contact with the placement portions 62, 63.

[0096] On the other hand, if the relative inclination between the suction plate 15 and the mounting portions 62, 63 is relatively large, there will be a touch sensor 801 that is relatively far from the mounting portions 62, 63 at the time when any of the touch sensors 801 detects contact with the mounting portions 62, 63. If the distance between the touch sensor 801 and the mounting portions 62, 63 at this time is greater than the predetermined amount in S13, all of the touch sensors 801 will not detect contact even if the suction plate 15 is lowered the predetermined amount in S13.

[0097] That is, by checking whether all of the touch sensors 801 have detected contact while the suction plate 15 is lowered a predetermined amount from the height at which any of the touch sensors 801 detected contact, it is possible to check whether the inclination between the suction plate 15 and the placement sections 62, 63 is smaller than a predetermined value. Therefore, from a certain point of view, the amount of lowering of the suction plate 15 in S13 can be set based on the tolerance for the parallelism (or inclination) between the suction plate 15 and the placement sections 62, 63. When adjusting to a higher parallelism, that is, when the tolerance for parallelism is narrow, the suction in S13 can be set based on the tolerance for the parallelism (or inclination). The amount of lowering of the landing plate 15 should be set small.

[0098] In S15, the processing unit 141 determines that the parallelism is within the allowable range. On the other hand, if the process proceeds to S16, the processing unit 141 determines that the parallelism is outside the allowable range.

[0099] In S17, the processing unit 141 raises the suction plate 15 by a predetermined amount, and the flow chart ends. Note that this predetermined amount may 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 which the descent of the suction plate 15 starts in S11.

[0100] Through the above processing, it is possible to determine whether the parallelism between the suction plate 15 and the placement units 62, 63 is within an acceptable range. Note that in this embodiment, the processing unit 141 checks whether all of the touch sensors 801 have detected contact in S14. However, if a predetermined number of touch sensors 801 have detected contact, the processing may proceed to S15 and determine that the parallelism is within an acceptable range. For example, the processing unit 141 may determine that the parallelism is within an acceptable range if the touch sensors 801 provided at the four corners of the suction plate 15 have detected contact. Alternatively, the processing unit 141 may proceed to S15 and determine that the parallelism is within an acceptable range if a predetermined number of touch sensors 801 have detected contact in S14. For example, the processing unit 141 may determine that the parallelism is within an acceptable range if five or more touch sensors 801, i.e., a majority of the nine touch sensors 801 provided on the suction plate 15, have detected contact.

[0101] When automatically adjusting the heights of the mounting portions 62, 63, after S14, the mounting portions 62, 63 having touch sensors 801 that are not in contact with the suction plate 15 are identified, and their heights are increased by a predetermined amount. Alternatively, the mounting portions 62, 63 having touch sensors 801 that are in contact with the suction plate 15 may be lowered by a predetermined amount. In this case, the predetermined amount may be, for example, a value obtained by multiplying the amount lowered in S13 by a constant ratio that is smaller than 1.

[0102] As described above, according to this embodiment, even when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum, it is possible to perform the same parallel adjustment as in an atmospheric pressure environment. Therefore, by adjusting the tilt between the suction plate 15 and the mounting portions 62, 63 when the internal space 3a of the vacuum chamber 3 is a vacuum, it is possible to suppress a decrease in suction performance. In other words, it is possible to properly suction the substrate to the suction plate.

[0103] <Electronic device manufacturing method> Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an electronic device using the film forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Below, the configuration of an organic EL display device will be shown as an example of an electronic device, and a method for manufacturing the organic EL display device will be illustrated.

[0104] First, the organic EL display device to be manufactured will be described. Fig. 11(a) is an overall view of an organic EL display device 60, and Fig. 11(b) shows the cross-sectional structure of one pixel.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 11(a), a plurality of pixels 52, each including a plurality of light-emitting elements, are arranged in a matrix in a display region 51 of an organic EL display device 50. As will be described in detail later, each light-emitting element has a structure including an organic layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes. Note that the term "pixel" here refers to the smallest unit that enables a desired color to be displayed in the display region 51. In the organic EL display device according to this embodiment, a pixel 52 is configured by combining a first light-emitting element 52R, a second light-emitting element 52G, and a third light-emitting element 52B, which emit light different from one another. The pixel 52 is often configured by combining a red light-emitting element, a green light-emitting element, and a blue light-emitting element, but may also be a combination of a yellow light-emitting element, a cyan light-emitting element, and a white light-emitting element, and is not particularly limited as long as it is of at least one color.

[0106] 11(b) is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line AB in FIG. 11(a). A pixel 52 includes a plurality of light-emitting elements. Each light-emitting element includes a first electrode (anode) 54, a hole transport layer 55, one of light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B, an electron transport layer 57, and a second electrode (cathode) 58 on a substrate 53. Among these, the hole transport layer 55, the light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B, and the electron transport layer 57 are organic layers. In this embodiment, the light-emitting layer 56R is an organic EL layer that emits red light, the light-emitting layer 56G is an organic EL layer that emits green light, and the light-emitting layer 56B is an organic EL layer that emits blue light. The light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B are formed in patterns corresponding to the light-emitting elements (sometimes referred to as organic EL elements) that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively. The first electrode 64 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 in common for the plurality of light emitting elements 52R, 52G, and 52B, or may be formed for each light emitting element. Note that an insulating layer 59 is provided between the first electrodes 54 to prevent short-circuiting between the first electrode 54 and the second electrode 58 due to foreign matter. Furthermore, since the organic EL layer deteriorates due to moisture and oxygen, a protective layer 40 is provided to protect the organic EL element from moisture and oxygen.

[0107] 11(b), the hole transport layer 55 and the electron transport layer 57 are shown as single layers, but depending on the structure of the organic EL display element, they may be formed of multiple layers including a hole blocking layer and an electron blocking layer. In addition, 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 can be formed between the first electrode 54 and the hole transport layer 55. Similarly, an electron injection layer can be formed between the second electrode 58 and the electron transport layer 57.

[0108] Next, an example of a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device will be specifically described.

[0109] First, a circuit (not shown) for driving the organic EL display device and a substrate 53 on which a first electrode 54 is formed are prepared.

[0110] An acrylic resin is formed by spin coating on the substrate 53 on which the first electrode 54 is formed, and the acrylic resin is patterned by lithography so as to form an opening in the area where the first electrode 54 is formed, thereby forming an insulating layer 59. This opening corresponds to the light-emitting region where the light-emitting element actually emits light.

[0111] The substrate 53 with the patterned insulating layer 59 is carried into a first organic material film deposition apparatus, and the substrate is held by a substrate support table and an electrostatic chuck. A hole transport layer 55 is then deposited as a common layer on the first electrode 54 in the display area. The hole transport layer 55 is deposited by vacuum deposition. In practice, the hole transport layer 55 is formed to be larger than the display area 51, so a high-resolution mask is not required.

[0112] Next, the substrate 53 on which the hole transport layer 55 has been formed is carried into a second organic material film forming apparatus and held by a substrate support table and an electrostatic chuck. The substrate and a mask are aligned, and the substrate is placed on the mask. A red-emitting light-emitting layer 56R is then formed on the portion of the substrate 53 where the red-emitting element is to be disposed.

[0113] Similar to the formation of the light-emitting layer 56R, a green-emitting light-emitting layer 56G is formed using a third organic material film-forming apparatus, and then a blue-emitting light-emitting layer 56B is formed using a fourth organic material film-forming apparatus. After the formation of the light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B is completed, an electron transport layer 57 is formed over the entire display area 51 using a fifth film-forming apparatus. The electron transport layer 57 is formed as a layer common to the three light-emitting layers 56R, 56G, and 56B.

[0114] The substrate on which the electron transport layer 57 has been formed is moved in a metallic evaporation material deposition device, and the second electrode 58 is deposited.

[0115] Thereafter, the substrate is transferred to a plasma CVD apparatus, where a protective layer 40 is formed, and the organic EL display device 50 is completed.

[0116] If the substrate 53 on which the insulating layer 59 is patterned is exposed to an atmosphere containing moisture or oxygen after being carried into the film-forming apparatus until the formation of the protective layer 40 is completed, the light-emitting layer made of an organic EL material may be deteriorated by the moisture or oxygen. Therefore, in this embodiment, the substrate is carried in and out of the film-forming apparatus in a vacuum atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere.

[0117] The above-described embodiment shows an example of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and may be modified appropriately within the scope of its technical concept. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1...film forming apparatus, 2...alignment apparatus, 5...mask table, 6...substrate support unit, 141...processing section, 16...second detection unit, 17...adjustment unit, 22...distance adjustment unit, 100...substrate, 101...mask

Claims

1. a chamber that maintains a vacuum inside; a position adjustment unit fixed to an outer side of an upper wall of the chamber and configured to adjust the position of the substrate; an adsorption plate provided inside the chamber and adapted to adsorb the substrate; a substrate support section provided inside the chamber and having a plurality of substrate placement sections that support the substrate below the suction plate; a plurality of support shafts connected to the position adjustment unit, passing through openings in the upper wall of the chamber and supporting the plurality of substrate placement units, respectively; In a film forming apparatus comprising: a detection means for detecting the height of each of the plurality of substrate placement parts while the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum; an adjusting means for independently adjusting the height of each of the plurality of substrate placement units based on the detection result of the detecting means while the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum; A film forming apparatus comprising:

2. The detection means a first lifting means for lifting and lowering the attraction plate; a contact detection unit that detects contact between the attraction plate and each of the plurality of substrate placement units; Including, 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions relative to the suction plate is detected based on the detection result of the contact detection means when the first lifting means lowers the suction plate while the plurality of substrate mounting portions are not supporting the substrate.

3. 3. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact detection means includes a contact exposed on the substrate mounting surface of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions.

4. The adjusting means includes a second lifting means for independently lifting and lowering the plurality of substrate placement parts while the inside of the chamber is maintained at a vacuum, and the plurality of contacts are respectively 4. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the heights of the plurality of substrate placement portions are independently adjusted so that the time difference between the timings at which the substrates come into contact with the attraction plates falls within a predetermined time.

5. 4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment means independently adjusts the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions so that the time difference between when each of the plurality of contacts comes into contact with the suction plate is a predetermined time difference.

6. a chamber that maintains a vacuum inside; a position adjustment unit fixed to an outer side of an upper wall of the chamber and configured to adjust the position of the substrate; an adsorption plate provided inside the chamber and adapted to adsorb the substrate; a substrate support section provided inside the chamber and having a plurality of substrate placement sections that support the substrate below the suction plate; a plurality of support shafts connected to the position adjustment unit, passing through openings in the upper wall of the chamber and supporting the plurality of substrate placement units, respectively; In a film forming apparatus comprising: a detection unit configured to detect contact of each of the plurality of substrate placement units with an object located above the substrate placement unit; an adjusting means for independently adjusting the height of each of the plurality of substrate placement units based on the detection result of the detecting means while the inside of the chamber is maintained in a vacuum; A film forming apparatus comprising:

7. The apparatus further includes a first lifting means for lifting and lowering the attraction plate, the detection means detects contact with the suction plate, 7. The film forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the adjustment means independently adjusts the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions relative to the suction plate based on the detection result of the detection means when the first lifting means lowers the suction plate while the plurality of substrate mounting portions are not supporting the substrate.

8. 8. The film forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the detecting means includes a contact exposed on the substrate mounting surface of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions.

9. the detecting means includes a contact exposed on the substrate placement surface of each of the plurality of substrate placement sections, the adjusting means includes a second lifting means that independently lifts and lowers the plurality of substrate placement units while the interior of the chamber is maintained at a vacuum; 9. The film forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions is independently adjusted so that the time difference between the timing at which each of the plurality of contacts comes into contact with the suction plate is within a predetermined time.

10. 9. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the adjustment means independently adjusts the height of each of the plurality of substrate mounting portions so that the time difference between the timing at which each of the plurality of contacts comes into contact with the suction plate is a predetermined time difference.

11. 11. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate support section supports the substrate after the substrate placement positions of the plurality of substrate placement sections are independently adjusted by the adjustment section.

12. The suction plate is configured to adjust the placement positions of the substrates on the plurality of substrate placement sections by adjusting ...

12. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate supported by the substrate support unit is adsorbed after being independently adjusted by a pressure adjusting unit.

13. a mask stage provided inside the chamber and on which a mask is placed; an alignment means for aligning the substrate attracted to the attraction plate with the mask placed on the mask table; 13. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

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